CONTENTS
Why Go To Israel?
Let's Count The Whys
RABBI DANIEL POLISH
W
hat, you would go
back to Israel
again?"
People expressed amaze-
ment when 27 members of my
congregation and I visited
Israel last spring. Perhaps
they thought it was some
kind of naivete or foolish en-
thusiasm that took us there.
They showed greater sur-
prise that I was not only will-
ing, but eager to return to
Israel as soon as I could. Our
temple just announced
another trip for Israel for next
spring. What lies behind this
concern is the perception that
Israel is a dangerous and
Go back to Israel?
I could not
imagine not going
back.
frightening place. If all you
know about Israel is what you
read in the newspapers, you
would no sooner set foot there
than in downtown Beirut.
But the reality of Israel is
far different from what the
newspapers reveal. My
friends and I, during our trip,
did not feel ourselves to be in
the midst of any kind of bat-
tle zone. Quite the contrary.
What we found was an Israel
far different from what you
might imagine from reading
the newspapers.
For two weeks we lived up
to Moses' charge to Joshua,
"Go and spy out the land." We
did more than take a super-
ficial look at Israel, we lived
into it, and into our tradition
which is embodied there.
We toured every nook and
cranny of Jerusalem, climbed
Massada and ancient mounds
with archeological digs on
top. We walked through dark
underground passageways
built by the Crusaders, and
water tunnels built by
Israelite kings 3,000 years
ago.
We visited Yad Vashem,
recalling our martyrs of the
Holocaust, and planted trees
on a hillside in Jerusalem, an
emblem of our hopes for
Israel's tomorrow — and our
own. We felt the history of
that land, which is our
history. And more.
We involved ourselves in
Israel's present, which is also
ours, and peered into her
future, which, too, is ours.
Rabbi Polish is senior at
Temple Beth El.
Just visiting Israel at this
time is an expression of
solidarity with the people of
Israel and the State of Israel.
It is a modern-day mitzvah in-
cumbent on all of us. lbo
many American Jews are
staying home; I felt a pride
that this delegation from
Temple Beth El was walking
the land, and reminding our
brothers and sisters in Israel
that we remember them, that
we are with them.
And we opened ourselves up
to the meaning of this mo-
ment in Israel's life. We
shared a candid and intense
visit with a member of the
Knesset, Lova Eliav, who
shared his sense of what is go-
ing on, and his own prescrip-
tions for its solutions. We did
not all agree with what we
heard, but the candor and ge-
nuineness of that meeting
was important for all of us.
We traveled to the north of
Israel and visited in Givat
Chaviva, a program commit-
ted to fostering understan-
ding between Israeli Jews and
Arabs. With members of the
staff of Givat Chaviva we
visited an Arab village. The
stories we heard were not
always happy stories, but they
are challenging to our Zionist
ideals, and to the vision all of
us share as to what Israel can
become. And we spent time in
an absorption center where
new olim to Israel are learn-
ing Hebrew and preparing
themselves to become the
future of the land.
What we found was some-
times disturbing. The intifada
has disrupted life in Israel,
has made profound changes
in the ways Israelis think
about themselves. But we did
not fear, nor did we find
disarray.
Instead we found resolution
and the beginning of new,
realistic thinking. We heard
our brothers and sisters
wrestling with themselves
about how to be both a Jewish
state, and a democratic and
moral state. We found Israelis
resolute in their will to over-
come this adversity and
hopeful that a better Israel
can be born out of the
challenges of this moment.
I left Israel enriched by the
deepened friendship of our
group, uplifted by being in the
land, by having our roots
touched so directly. And I left
Israel with a sense that its
best days are to come, and
that working together, Jews
of America and Israel can
fulfill the dream we share.
Continued on Page 11
22
CLOSE-UP
What's Art, Doc?
STEVEN M. HARTZ
Stir medicine and art to get
an illustrative career.
39
FOCUS
Beyond Counting
22
ALAN HITSKY
Detroit's Jewish population study
is more than just a census.
SPORTS
Some Days, The Rabbi
Plays Baseball
60
RICHARD PEARL
Bruce Aft plays hardball
with Torah and the mound.
FINE ARTS
80
Art In The Park
RONNA F. HALL
Birmingham's Shain Park will
be filled with art and people.
GENERATIONS
93
Smooth Sailing
Tam O'Shanter puts on a show
for area senior citizens.
SINGLE LIFE
110
In The Cards
RICHARD PEARL .
Romance doesn't stop at any
age for these golden oldies.
DEPARTMENTS
28
43
47
48
54
69
Inside Washington
Life In Israel
Community
Synagogues
For Women
Entertainment
86
94
98
103
112
138
Cooking
Lifestyles
Engagements
Births
Classified Ads
Obituaries
CANDLELIGHTING
September 8, 1989 7:38 p.m.
Sabbath ends Sept. 9 8:43 p.m.
93
Cover photo by Daniel M. Rosen
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 7
re
OPINION