OPINION

CONTENTS I

Pro-Choice Battles
And Religious Freedom

GAIL P. HIRSCHENFANG

I

was invited to attend the
Pro-Choice rally in Wash-
ington, D.C., this fall.
Since the advent of the
Webster decision by the
Supreme Court a few months
earlier, I knew the pro-choice
movement was galvanizing
its forces with a renewed en-
thusiasm and vigor. Here was
my opportunity to add my
voice to the crowd of 200,000
men and women that was ex-
pected to gether at the Lin-
coln Memorial. I did not
hesitate for I felt, truly for the
first time, a personal respon-
sibility to stand up and be
counted as a supporter of a
woman's right to choose.
The march took place on a
beautiful, balmy Sunday in
November. People gathered
from different corners of the
city at the Lincoln Memorial.
What struck me, however,

"It was the hate in
their eyes that
frightened me
terribly as well as
the vehemence of
their cries."

were the jeers we faced from
a small but very vocal group
of anti-choice protesters. They
screamed at us, calling us
"murderers," baby killers"
and "Nazis?'
It was the hate in their eyes
that frightened me terribly as
did the vehemence of their
cries. Perhaps, however, what
was most chilling was the
youth among their ranks, so
many no older than 16. It was
at that moment, oddly
enough, I became cognizant of
the Jewish component in-
herent in this.
It was immediately ap-
parent, in a way that I had
never experienced before, that
that this was not simply a
woman's issue but a deeply
disturbing issue of religious
freedom. Therefore it wasn't
surprising that a highly
disproportionate number of
Jews and Jewish organiza-
tions were present at the ral-
ly. Of the speakers and enter-
tainers leading us from the
podium, so many were Jews.
Jewish women's organiza-
tions such as National Coun-
cil of Jewish Women,
Hadassah and various temple
sisterhoods were well

Gail P. Hirschenfang is
cantor at Temple Beth El.

represented and highly visi-
ble. The Union of American
Hebrew Congrega-
tions (Reform) has consis-
tently and vigorously affirm-
ed the right of every woman
to make her decision on
the basis of her own cons-
cience without government
interference.
There is no question that as
liberal Jews in America, we
have a long and proud history
of aligning ourselves with
various causes and working
towards the goal of social
change. However, the issue of
denying a woman the right to
make a choice over her own
body seems to touch a deep
chord in us.
We know that it is the
Catholic Church that has con-
ceived the anti-choice move-
ment and continues to fund
and direct it (although there
were many pro-choice
Catholics at the rally). This
issue must be seen what it is:
the increasingly successful ef-
forts of one religious group to
have its beliefs galvanized in-
to law.
As Jews, we cannot stand by
while any woman who wants
a legal abortion must face the
taunts of a screaming mob
outside a clinic or her doctor's
office. As Jews, we value so
highly the right to individual
privacy and the freedom of
religion. We advocate
religious tolerance and expect
the same in return. When our
own Supreme Court
threatens to erode those
rights we must make our feel-
ings known.
We must be the first ones to
speak out; we must remain
the last to hold the high
ground.
Sadly, the state legislature
is discussing a parental con-
sent law making it more dif-
ficult for a minor to obtain a
legal abortion. This is no
doubt the first of some of our
legislators' efforts to further
restrict abortion rights.
You must find out where
your elected officials stand on
the issue. It is time to contact
them and make them aware
of your understanding of the
importance and urgency of
this issue. Let them know
that people of religious faith
can take a position different
from that of the Catholic
Church.
It is time to give support to
organizations such as NOW,
Planned Parenthood,
Religious Coalition for Abor-
tion Rights and the National
Organization of Jewish
Women, among many others,
that will lobby in Congress.

22

CLOSE-UP

Into The '90s

ZE'EV CHAFETS
JAMES DAVID BESSER
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Gazing into the future
in Detroit, the U.S., the world.

50

BUSINESS

Building Yavne

DIANE WOLKOW
Detroit's Project Renewal twin
has become an industrial center.

5

FAMILY

Changed Family

22

CAROL SORGEN
The American Jewish family
is not what it was 20 years ago.

center

AUTOS

Unwrapping the new stuff
in concepts for the 1990s.

57

ENTERTAINMENT

A Glass Act

MIKE ROSENBAUM
From Air Force to artist,
Dani Katsir is flying high.

LOOKING IN

center

Glimpse Of The Past

72

DAVID MARGOLIS
Visiting the old age home
speaks to the novel in us.

83

ON CAMPUS

Love, Not Haze

MELANIE KOFF
At ZBT fraternities,
brotherhood replaces hazing.

DEPARTMENTS

28
35
40
45
50
74

Inside Washington
Insight
Synagogues
Sports
Business
Cooking

79
86
88
89
90
91

Health
Engagements
Single Life
Births
Obituaries
Classified Ads

CANDLELIGHTING

57

4:57 p.m.
Friday, January 5, 1990
Sabbath ends Jan. 6 6:03 p.m.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 7

