NOTEBOOK DAD, YOU ARE A GEM Whether you call him Dad, Pops, Honey or Dear, he deserves the most special gift you can give him this Father's Day; a gift from Gries Jewelers. The Forgotten Holiday Is Today And Saturday GARY ROSENBLATT Editor Say thanks with a Mont Blanc Pen, a ring, a kiss or a set of cuff links. There's on- ly one like him, make sure he knows how much you care. The best Dad in the world deserves the best gift in the world. Give him a gift from Greis Jewelers. JEWELERS INC. 32940 Middlebelt Road • Farmington Hills, MI • 855-1730 Begadim DESIGNS IN DECORATOR ) . LAMINATES on the Boardwalk For High Quality Formica Always At A Great Discount MIDNIGHT MADNESS JUNE 9 SPECIALIZING IN: • • • • • • Wall Units Bedrooms Dining Rooms Credenzas Tables Offices ALSO SPECIALIZING: • Woods • Glass • Stones • Lucites IT DOESN'T HAVE TO COST A FORTUNE . . . ONLY LOOK LIKE IT! Excellence in Fashion for the Young at Heart 6919 Orchard Lake Rd. • West Bloomtietd. MI 855-5528 CALL LOIS HARON 851-6989 (1 ,t'lt*S1 NIBBLES & NUTS Our hats are off to DADS* and GRADS *Father's Day is June IS Gift Baskets & Trays for all occasions 737.8088 33020 Northwestern Highway Park Place Shops — Corner 14 Mile McIstim.C..ord 14 Local & Nationwide Delivery Kosher & Sugarfree Available FRIDAY. JUNE 9. 1989 INTRODUCING AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE BROKERS, INC. The Discount Buying Service for New Cars, Trucks and Vans The "OTHER WAY" to Buy NEW AMERICAN and FOREIGN VEHICLES • FULL FACTORY WARRANTY • DEALER PREPARATION • MANUFACTURERS REBATES (When Applicable) • • • • • VEHICLES IN STOCK SAVE TIME AND MONEY FREE PRICING INFORMATION FIRST BROKER LICENSE RECOMMENDED BY CONSUMERS DIGEST MAGAZINE Call Steve Fagin 569-5900 Poor Shavuot. One of the three major festi- vals on the Jew- ish calendar, and marked this year on Friday and Saturday, Shavuot commemorates God giving the Ibrah to Moses and the people of Israel at Mount Sinai. But for all of its significance, it is clearly the least celebrated and most forgotten of holidays. Part of this is due to an im- age problem. Passover is sym- bolized by the seder, matzah and the four cups of wine; Sukkot is known for the building of sukkot, or huts, and the lulav and etrog; but no immediate symbols come to mind when we think of Shavuot — other than the eating of cheese blintzes, which is not exactly the most dignified image for a holiday of such significance. Of course Shavuot, which was in biblical days a time to thank God for the fruits of the farmers' labors, is a time when synagogues are decorated with plants, flowers and branches to recall the holiday's origins. And the Book of Ruth is read in the synagogue; some say because the story takes place during the harvest and, on a more symbolic level, because Ruth's conversion to Judaism parallels our voluntary accep- tance of the Torah at Sinai. Also, in many synagogues, people stay up all night on Shavuot learning sections from each book of the Torah and Talmud, as if preparing anew for Revelation. Still, most Jews are pretty fuzzy on when Shavuot is celebrated, and what it celebrates. It is a sad state of affairs when a holiday like Shavuot needs help, when the com- memoration of the Revelation at Sinai is not enough to in- spire Jews to come to synagogue. But that is the reality of American Jewish life today. And until Judaism becomes more central to our lives, Shavuot will continue to pass, largely unnoticed, from year to year. • Poor James Baker. The U.S. Secretary of State was taken to task for being too "evenhanded" in his ma- jor policy speech on the Mid- dle East, delivered at the American Israel Public Af- fairs Committee conference in Washington a couple of weeks ago in which he mapped out concessions for Israel and the Arabs to make in the name of peace. But there's been a signifi- cant backing off of late. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who initially dismiss- ed Baker's remarks as useless," has been more diplomatic in recent references to the address. And at the annual conference of the American Jewish Press Association last week in San Francisco, the editors of Jewish newspapers heard positive comments about Baker's speech from Israel's U.S. Ambassador Moshe Arad and Seymour Reich, chair- man of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Perhaps Jewish leaders are getting over the initial shock of hearing Baker saying what he did at the AIPAC con- ference, whose audience had Perhaps Jewish leaders are getting over the shock of hearing Baker say what he did at the AIPAC conference. grown used to hearing Reagan administration spokesmen speak of Israel in the most glowing of terms. Yes, there was a certain im- balance in Baker's pitting Israel's positions vs. the Arabs, failing to mention that the very occupation of the West Bank and Gaza by Israel was due to the Arab world's making war on the Jewish state. But the secretary of state was presenting an honest look at the ad- ministration's blueprint, and we must begin to address the message itself rather than the timing or the style of his delivery. • Poor Israel. Tensions are running so high that the democratic fabric of Israeli society is fac- ing one of its most difficult tests. In the last few days, there has been a clash bet- ween Israeli doves and Jewish settlers over the doves' efforts to distribute food to people in Gaza, and threats between the settlers and the army over the army's role in protecting settlers from the intifada. Continued on Page 16