I COMMENT I

The Jewish National Fund and Jewish Community Center
Presents
Community Family Education Series

We Must Not Ignore
Power Of The Past

September 18 -

Catastrophic
Illness and its Impact
on Family Members

DR. ALDEN M. LEIB

Special to The Jewish News

T

• "The Psychological Effects on
Family Members"
George Barahal, Ph. D. ,
Psychologist, Southfield

• "Spiritual Implications of
Catastrophic Illness"
Rabbi Irwin Groner,
Congregation Shaarey Zedek

• " A Physicians Perspective on
Confronting Family Members"
Phillip Friedman, M.D., Chief
of Neurosurgery Sinai Hospital

FORMAT: Panel Discussion
FEE: Free
LOCATION: JCC 6600 W. Maple Rd.
West Bloomfield

TIME: 7:00 p.m.
MODERATOR: Dennis Blender, Ph.D.
Plante & Moran

For Additional Information Contact:
JCC 661-1000, ext. 239 or JNF 557-6644

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66

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1989

THE JEWISH NEWS
354-6060

he African who ques-
tions tribal law is the
outcast. The na-
tionalist who challenges his
country's unity is the traitor.
The Catholic who doubts the
church is a heretic. The com-
munist who resists doctrine is
the criminal. The Moslem
who opposes the Koran is the
infidel. The Jew who probes,
questions, challenges, doubts,
resists, opposes and re-
interprets the Talmud is the
scholar, the rabbi and the
intellectual.
How different is our Jewish
heritage and our Jewish up-
bringing. Until the age of
enlightenment and the
abolishment of serfdom, the
entire non-Jewish world was
illiterate save for the select
clergy and those of royal
birth. All Jewish males,
however, by religious dictate,
were taught to read. They
read the Bible and the
Talmud. ' They read and
studied interpretations, com-
mentaries and arguments
that spanned hundreds of
years, and they were en-
couraged to question, to
learn, to intellectualize.
Because of this, the Jew
always stood apart from the
Gentile. In every land of the
Diaspora and in every social
climate, Jewish scholarship
persisted and waxed.
When allowed to enter the
mainstream of society, the
Jewish mind triumphed and
created ideas not only for the
Jewish culture, but for the
culture of the hosting nation.
But always the Jew remained
a Jew and perpetuated his
uniqueness.
The tremendous achieve-
ments over 3,500 years of
Jewish history were not bas-
ed on genetic superiority but
rather due to the teachings of
Judaism within the com-
munity and within the home.
The gift of literacy given each
male child, the freedom to
question and the encourage-
ment to interpret led to in-
tellectualism and creativity
in all areas.
With the end of World War
I and the fall of the dynasties,
the world became freer for us
to be Jews. In some countries,
like America, we were now
free to become non-Jews. We
were allowed to assimilate.
Jewish immigrants rushed to
shed themselves of their

Dr. Leib is a resident of
Bloomfield Hills.

European languages, tradi-
tions and religion in order to
become "American." With un-
surpassed fervor, the Jews
raced into the American
culture and through the open
doors of the universities. Out
poured vast numbers of
Jewish scientists, artists and
thinkers. They had abandon-
ed much of their Jewish
culture and religion, but per-
manently embedded in them
was the Jewish way of think-
ing and learning.
However, in our race to
assimilate, we are leaving
behind our uniqueness — our
ability to be different.
Assimilation plus 50 years
equals conversion! Conver-
sion, not necessarily into a
different religion, but conver-
sion into a different mind-set:
a mind no longer set to ques-

With the end of
World War I and
the fall of the
dynasties, the
world became
freer for us to be
Jews.

tion but to accept; a mind set
not to challenge but to be
passive; a mind set not to
think uniquely but to
assimilate — to assimilate in-
to the soup of mediocrity and
inactivity.
Jews are different and being
different has allowed us to
survive for over 3,500 years.
The Jews survived while em-
pires, religions, cultures and
nations rose, fell and disap-
peared. To be different is an
asset when it fosters
greatness. To be different is
wonderful when it nurtures
ideas and ideals. To be dif-
ferent is essential when it
guarantees that we shall
survive.
We need not assimilate nor
withdraw from the Gentile
world. We can exist in har-
mony and cooperation with
our non-Jewish neighbors but
our homes must remain total-
ly Jewsh. We may allow
ourselves to debate and
discuss the modernization of
Judaism but we must not
abandon nor relinquish Torah
study. Our children must pro-
udly be taught that we are
different and that our dif-
ference emanates from within
our religion and ow.- religious
teachings. We must not ig-
nore the power of the past. We
must use it again to insure
the future.

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