EDITORIAL

Picking Up The Pieces

F

inding all the pieces of the Jew-
ish community puzzle may not
. be easy, but the Jewish Welfare
Federation seems willing to begin the
task.
The 96,000 figure now being
trumpeted as the Jewish population of
the tri-county Detroit area leads to
many questions: Are we as a commun-
ity adequately servicing our Jewish
needs? How many of those people who
identify themselves as Jews and live
outside the "pale of settlement" want
or need community services? Are the
sensational annual results of the
Allied Jewish Campaign further
diluted when spread over an addi-
tional 26,000 persons?
At least four more reports are ex-
pected this year from last November's
survey of the local Jewish community.
Taking the information, interpreting
the findings and translating the fig-
ures into policies and action will be a

difficult task to be faced for many
years.
The major result of this week's
announcement is to shake two
decades of assumptions. Federation
leaders shared the findings immedi-
ately with synagogue and Jewish
agency representatives, asking that
everyone re-examine the basis for
"business as usual."
On the positive side, our commun-
ity appears to be far healthier than we
assumed. The Detroit Jewish com-
munity has grown to 10th largest in
the nation, despite the decline of other
Rust Belt cities. While our view of
ourselves has been shattered, we have
more people and more means to deal
with our problems.
Business as usual exploded into
little pieces. Examining the pieces
and fitting them back together will be
the task of the Jewish community for
years to come.

Purim And Pamyat

I

n every generation, the ancient
story of Purim, which is celebrated
this weekend, has a resonance
that strikes home with immediacy.
Today, as we take up the struggle
for millions of our brothers and sisters
in peril in the Soviet Union, faced
with the threat of imminent pogroms,
we need look no further than to the
Book of Esther for a reminder that an-
ti-Semitism is as old as the Jewish
people — and for a lesson in how we,
as individuals and as a community,
can respond.
Haman, the evil adviser to King
Ahasuerus, projects his hatred of
Mordecai on all Jews because they are
different.

In the Soviet Union today,
Pamyat and other anti-Semitic na-
tionalist groups are using the same
argument, blaming their country's
conflicts on the outsiders, the Jews,
whom they say must be destroyed.
What can we do? We must follow
Mordecai's example of taking action,
physically and spiritually. It was
Mordecai who insisted that Queen
Esther risk her life to speak on behalf
of the Jews, and who fasted and
prayed that they may be saved.
This Shabbat, known as Shabbat
Zachor, the Sabbath of Remembrance,
is a time to pray for our brethren in
peril, and to rededicate ourselves to
doing all we can in the rescue effort.

LETTERS

Israel Must Not
Rush To Sign neaty

Recently pressure has in-
creased for Israel to "seize the
opportunity for peace before it
is too late." The very reasons
cited for rushing into an
agreement are the best
arguments for Israel to sit
tight.
Israel's "friends" warn that
if it does not move quickly
and show progress that
Palestinian Liberation
Organization Chairman
Yassir Arafat will fall from
his leadership role and be

6

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 1990

replaced either by radicals
from within or the religious
fanatics of Hamas. Yet, if
Israel does sign an agreement
which does anything short of
move it into the Mediterra-
nean Sea, Arafat's supporters
will eventually cry for more
concessions from the Jewish
State. Sooner or later, Israel
will disappoint Arafat. Better
that the disappointment
come now than after Irael
relinquishes strategic
territory.
In addition to Arafat,
Israel's "friends" caution that
treaties should be concluded

before Egypt's President
Hosni Mubarak and King
Hussein of Jordan are over-
thrown. Peace with Israel is
only one factor — a minor one
at that — in the survivabili-
ty of these two leaders. Both
countries face destructive
economic pressures and the
rise of Moslem fanaticism.
What validity would such
agreements have if Islamic
fundamentalists reigned in
Egypt and Jordan?
Even the United States is
"primed for an agreement." A
linchpin of the plans being of-
fered by such "friends" of

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Israel as Anthony Lewis,
Michael Lerner and Jerome
Segal is American security
guarantees in lieu of defensi-
ble borders. Yet in the next
few years the United States
will realize the "peace divi-
dend" and strip down not on-
ly its forces in Europe, but
also its air and sea lift
capabilities. By that time, no
one in his right mind would
rely on a viscerated America
to protect her
The road ahead may not be
an ideal one for Israel, but
rushing into a temporary
peace agreement will not
make this future any rosier.

Aaron Lerner
Oak Park

Education Needed
About Bigotry

On behalf of all of us at the
Michigan State University
Hillel, I'd like to thank the
Detroit and Ann Arbor
Jewish communities for their
support, sound advice and
participation in events
leading up to the appearance
of Louis Farrakhan on the
MSU campus. I'd also like to
publicly thank Rev. Jim
Lyons of the Ecumenical In-
stitute for the poignant
speech he gave as keynote
speaker at our Unity Rally
Against Bigotry.
I also must note with
sadness that the MSU ad-
ministration has, to date,
chosen to remain silent with
regard to Farrakhan's track
record of anti-Semitic
statements. The issue never
was one of freedom of speech,
as duly noted by the Free
Press and the University of
Michigan Daily editorials,
which clearly took a moral
stand in our favor.
That many at MSU, in-
cluding our own Jewish
students, cannot recognize
anti-Semitism when they en-
counter it means there is yet
a lot of work to be done on
campus. Please help us

educate people to the nature
of anti-Semitism so that this
form of bigotry can be repuls-
ed decisively when next it
surfaces.

Dr. Mark Finkelstein
Executive director, MSU Hillel

Machon Retreat
Was Inspiring

My wife and I attended the
annual retreat "The Essence
of the Jew Unmasked." I
would like to thank Rabbi
Avraham Jacobovitz and the
volunteers of the Machon
Mbrah for bringing in Rabbi
Michel and Feige Twerski
from Milwaukee, Wis.
The retreat was filled with
inspiration, learning, song
and good food. I came home
much richer for the ex-
perience. I look forward to any
occasion that I can be with
Rabbi Jacobovitz. His
warmth, good cheer and ge-
nuine concern for his fellow
Jews have made me a better
person. lb quote the rabbi,
"there is no commandment to
be happy, but you can not
carry out the commandments
unless you are happy."

Mordechai Eisenberg
Southfield

Jews Don't Speak
With One Voice

It is apparent from the Feb.
23 letter, "Agenda Response
Is Criticized," that some peo-
ple still believe the Jewish
community has to speak with
a single voice — theirs!
In that letter, the writer
alleges that a New Jewish
Agenda spokesman called
those who support Israel
"fascists." Given that person
who did use that term
(myself) is a supporter of
Israel and a long-time
member of a Zionist organiza-
tion, such an allegation is
absurd.
My reference to fascists was

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