conversion to the Israeli Beth Din. The idea involves com- promises on all sides, but it is a major step forward. Their proposal has to be accepted by Israel's chief rabbinate and the religious movements in the United States. All the players were willing to sign off on this solution until pressures began to build up from the extremes on both sides. The worst pressures are those of the ultra-Orthodox on Israel's chief rabbinate, which must be involved in this decision if the necessary Israeli Bet Din is to be es- tablished. The ultra- Orthodox are bringing pressure on their American centrist Orthodox colleagues as well. On the other side, there are Reform Jewish leaders who accuse their colleagues of betraying the principles of liberal Judaism, by at least tacitly recognizing that con- version must conform to Halachah, as interpreted by the Orthodox. In the Con- servative movement, there are those who say that until Conservative rabbis are rec- ognized as equally halachic, no solution is acceptable. The Jewish people, espe- cially the non-religious leaders of Israel and the Diaspora Jewish com- munities, must quickly come to support the agreement and stand up against those who would sabotage it. Now is the time to see whether the Jews who cre- ated last year's uproar are serious. Did they just want to avoid being told that somehow they or their chil- dren or grandchildren were not as good Jews as others, or were they serious about trying to find a solution to a perplexing and very real problem? Why do we even have to bother with creating a com- mon definition for who is a Jew? Why are we so worried that some people who are not halachically Jewish but wish to identify with us might "pass? " These are good and impor- tant questions. To those in ultra- Orthodox ranks who are so fearful that somebody who is not halachically Jew- ish may somehow be mistaken for a true-blue Jew, those of us who are se- riously concerned with the Jewish future can only say they are either reacting out of partisan considerations to protect their monopoly or they are too short- sighted to understand what a great thing it is, after all these centuries of isolation, for non-Jews to want to join our ranks Why should such people be viewed as other than a potentially positive addition to our ranks, especially if they help us retain our own young people? We must find ways to welcome them even as we insist on some ap- propriate standards for citizenship in the Jewish people. Reasonable citizen- ship requirements are not only justifiable but necessary. As for those who think "anything goes" is accep- table, those of us seriously concerned about the Jewish future must ask them whether they know of any permanent association that does not set some standards for membership, not to speak of whether there are any pol- icies that do not set stan- dards for citizenship. Do they want being Jewish to be no different than iden- tifying with a particular po- litical party, sometimes say- ing yes and sometimes say- ing no? ❑ ROYAL "IV: Kosher Poultry "11472wVIMVI Under Strict Rabbinic Supervision of Vaad Hakashrus of Baltimore Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, Rabbinic Administrator Now Available FRESH Whole Chickens and A Complete Line of Chicken Parts Ask for Royal By Name at Your Local Kosher Butcher Shop! """•••••1 N EWS Neo-Nazi Link With PLO May Be In Germany Bonn (JTA) — A violent criminal suspected of being the main link between West German neo-Nazis and the Palestine Liberation Organ- ization's El Fatah faction is believed to be hiding somewhere in East Ger- many, according to the fed- eral prosecutor in Karlsruhe. Federal sources said that the East German authorities were cooperating in the search for Udo Albrecht, who is wanted for a series of violent crimes, including bank robbery. According to the prosecu- tion, he fled West Germany in 1981 and found haven in East Germany, which was governed by a Communist regime until earlier this year. Mr. Albrecht, who has boasted of direct access to PLO Chairman Yassir Arafat, is believed to have used PLO facilities in Leb- anon to train neo-Nazis. NOW BOOKS We Buy and Sell Good Used Books LIBRARY BOOKSTORE 5454300 Open 7 Days Books Bought In Your Home M. Sempliner Award Winning Photography by Buz Holzman AL TOGRAPHERS 29655 W. 14 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills 932.1780 354-6060 . . at your service\ SONNY BRASS that the name implies • Draperies • Bedspreads • Blankets (cleaned or laundered) • Window Shades • Lampshades • Pillows • Venetian Blinds (cleaned retaped & re-corded) FREE , estimates ock-uP • delivery Any other items you moll have — if it con be cleaned, we dean it and deon it properly Phone for "all that the name implies" °MATH% THE NEW AND oarsorma SERVICE \811-1818 THE PRIORITY CARD IT'S WAITING JUST FOR YOU AT CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS! Call The Jewish News . FASHION HAS NO SIZE 14 PLUS Sugar Tree 6209 Orchard Lake Rd. • W. Bloomfield • 851-8001 TLC, rti—rrsiNrr