DETROIT
New and Special
MOM
for
Coalition
Continued from preceding page
represent political needs of
the Jewish community.
Federation Executive Vice
President Robert Aronson
recommended that the Fed-
eration create a network-
building group, which would
include some presence at the
state capital.
The group hopes to engage
in advocacy for Jewish com-
munal needs and social con-
cerns, and to build coalitions
with other human needs and
social justice organizations
at the state level.
At the Conference kick-off
meeting in Lansing last
month, representatives from
the eight communities said
they supported the plans.
Some representatives from
smaller communities, such
as Lansing and Jackson,
suggested their interests are
mostly exchanging view-
points and experiences bet-
ween communities.
Flint representatives,
however, said they are in-
terested primarily in seek-
ing government dollars for
social services with the
community, which they said
is more important than net-
working with other com-
munities.
"The more we can do
together, the better off
things will be," said Rabbi
Robert Scott of Temple
Israel in Bay City. "This br-
ings tremendous potential
for smaller cities."
Jerry Subar, a board
member of the Jewish Com-
munity Fund, the Federa-
tion affiliate in Grand
Rapids, said smaller cities
feel neglected by larger
communities.
"This is worth a try. I can
see a potential benefit to all
Jews in Michigan," Subar
said. "But I don't want to be
foolishly optimistic and be
disappointed." ❑
Counsel Confident
On Israel's Birthday
ALAN HITSKY
Associate Editor
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16
FRIDAY, MAY 11, 1990
pbeat is the word
used by Uri Bar-Ner
to describe Israel on
her 42nd birthday.
Bar-Ner, Israel consul
general for the Midwest, told
.a Detroit audience last week
that the mass emigration of
Soviet Jews is changing
Israel politically, militarily
and socially.
"The absorption of 500,000
Soviet Jews will secure
peace and our in-
dependence," Bar-Ner said
during a speech at the
Recess Club in Detroit.
He said the Arabs will hold
a summit meeting in a few
weeks devoted to the ques-
tion of Soviet immigration.
"They recognize that this
will secure our existence and
end their hope of defeating
Israel demographically," he
said.
Bar-Ner returned from
Israel two weeks ago and
said the spirit of Israelis is
soaring because of the new
immigrants. Groups have
placed advertisements in
Israeli newspapers calling
for increased taxes to help
absorb the Soviet Jews.
Israel's 1989 peace in-
itiative, which called for
talks between Israel and
non-PLO Palestinians, has
"broken down" inside Israel,
and between Israel and the
United States, he said. The
initiative is critical to strong
relations between Israel and
Uri Bar-Ner:
Optimistic.
its neighbors and Israel and
the U.S.
He pointed to recent U.S.
signals to Iraq, which seek
better relations between the
two countries. The U.S. in-
itiative came just weeks
after Iraq's King Sadam
Hussein threatened to an-
nihilate Israel with long-
range missies.
"Our problem is not ter-
ritory," he said. "It is sur-
vival."
The reception was spon-
sored by the Jewish Com-
munity Council and the Jew-
ish Welfare Federation and
featured proclamations in
honor of Israel from Gover-
nor James Blanchard, the
state Senate and the Oak-
land County Board of Com-
missioners. ❑