!NEWS I Be Part of an Historic Event* during the V.I.P. CULTURAL ARTS TOUR TO ISRAEL sponsored by AMERICAN-ISRAEL R FS EDUCATION INSTITUTE 004k/ 74 SEPTEMBER 1.10, 1990 $2450.00 JAMES D. BESSER Washington Correspondent HIGHLIGHTS: *Festivities for dedication of 20th Century wing of the Israel Museum. Special recognition for Detroiters' contribution to this wing. • Art • Theatre/Film • Archeology • Music • Fashion • Ethnic Groups • Dance • Writers • Religion UNIQUE TOUCHES: • Dine in the cafes where Israelis dine • Visit the artists in their studios and workshops • Home hospitality with members of Israel Forum — dynamic leader- ship of Israel in the arts, government, business and society Immediate Deposit of $200 per person — Final Payment by June 20 PAYABLE TO: AMERICAN-ISRAEL EDUCATION INSTITUTE 6600 W. Maple Rd., W. Bloomfield, Ml 48322 For further information, contact Shelly KomerJackier, Executive Director (313) 661-1948 Agverg lic0f, 0631 US took the bite out of the 1g Apple COATS UNLIMITED Sterling Heights Sterling Place 37680 Van Dyke at 16 1/2 Mile 939-0700 Oak Park Lincoln Center, Greenfield at 10 1 h Mile 968-2060 AIRFARES West Bloomfield Orchard Mall, Orchard Lake at Maple (15 Mile) • 855-9955 Round Trip bruce m. weiss Custom Jewelry Y WITH THE BES it and Hotel Packages Availa • e: • Plaza tel • New York elmsle • Ma i ix a • Call Hamilton, Miller, Hudson & Fayne Travel Corporation at 313-827-4050 (Ext. 224) 0 WANTED 0 Families with young children for a meaningful travel experience together in 0 ISRAEL American Jewish Congress Interna- tional Travel offers this K•I•D•S program and other special trips worldwide. Call 62 High Court Church-State Rulings Could Hurt Jews 559-3977 for brochure and information FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 1990 26325 Twelve Mile Rd. in the Mayfair Shops At Northwestern Hwy. Mon., Tues., Wed. & Fri. 10-5:30 Thurs. 10-7, Sat. 10-5 353-1424 YOUR CAR IN ISRAEL eldan 77N711 RENT-A-CAR FROM EC GM: bPAI 3.31-111mun 81* PER WEEK Oalipid Mileage Monthly Rates from $750 incl. C.D.W. USA & CANADA RESERVAT & PREPYMNT 800-533-8778; IN NY: 212-629-6090 VALID 23/4 • 21/7 AND 27/8 - 31/10/90 We are winning. 11 ,AfiliERICAN CANCER SOCIETY' T he Supreme Court handed down two decisions last week that could have major implications for the Jewish community. "It was bad news for our side," said Richard Shevitz, assistant director of legal af- fairs for the Anti- Defamation League, after Monday's burst of church- state rulings. The first decision involved the Equal Access Act, passed by Congress in 1984. The legislation required public schools, under certain cir- cumstances, to allow school- sponsored religious clubs to meet on school premises. "This is an activity which ADL has traditionally opposed," Shevitz said, "both on constitutional grounds and as a matter of sound public policy. The in- terests of minority religious communities are threatened when the majority faith is able to enlist support of public institutions to prac- tice their faith." This was the first constitu- tional test of the legislation. Jewish activists were par- ticularly disturbed that the decision was written by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has, in the past, displayed sensitivity to minority religious concerns. The other decision in- volved the so-called "Peyote Case," in which the Court ruled against a Native American who was fired from his job after admitting that he had used peyote as part of his religious rites. "Traditionally, religious liberty cases have been decided by using a particular framework," said Abba Cohen, Washington repre- sentative for Agudath Israel of America. "If the govern- ment wants to infringe on religious liberty, it has to show a compelling interest. It's a very high standard that has guided religious liberty jurisprudence for many years. We assumed that was the kind of analysis that the court would apply. Instead, they basically did away with the standard. Everybody was shocked." That shock galvanized the Jewish community into ac- tion. The result was a peti- tion for a re-hearing, organized by the American Jewish Congress and incor- porating the views of a wide range of religious groups. This week, the petition was denied. The precise implications of the decision are still unclear. But Jewish activists specu- late that the ruling has the potential to affect a number of Jewish practices, in- cluding ritual slaughter and circumcision. "It literally puts into ques- tion every religious liberty we have," said Abba Cohen. "The court didn't say you can't have religious exemp- tions; it said you're not en- titled to them by the Con- stitution." A number of groups, in- cluding ADL and Agudath Israel, are beginning the ar- duous process of examining state statutes to determine just how vulnerable Jewish practices will be as a result of the ruling. Several Jewish groups are consulting with legislators, including Rep. Stephen Solarz (D-N.Y.), about legislation to remedy this week's decision. ❑ I TRAVEL I AJCongress Hosts Egypt Tour For travelers who have always wanted to see the land where Pharaoh ruled or the river where Moses floated as a newborn child or the Temples where Charlton Heston and Yul Bryner duel- ed as Moses and Ramses, the time has come. The International Travel Program of the American Jewish Congress will offer a tour for those who want to follow in the footsteps of the Ancient Israelites in Egypt. "The Israelites in Ancient Egypt: A Discovery of Jewish Heritage," an eighteen-day tour, was created for AJCongress by Egyptologist Leslie Slote, who will escort the tour and deliver a series of lectures on his specialty: the history of the Jews in Egypt. The tour will begin with five nights in Cairo, including a trip to the Egyptian Museum, in whose galleries Slote discovered little-known Egyptian-Jewish artifacts, and where he will discuss highlights of 4,000 years of Egypt's ancient Jewish history. During the stay in Cairo,