EDITORIAL

Investing In Israel

The High Holidays are the time when
Israel Bonds makes its appeal in syn-
agogues throughout Michigan. If there was
ever any doubt about the importance of
buying a Bond to invest in the State of
Israel, a glance at the headlines of the dai-
ly newspaper underscores the crises faced
by the Jewish state.
Saddam Hussein is threatening war, and
Israel must be prepared. Soviet Jews are
streaming into Israel in record numbers,
and Israel must be prepared. And prepara-
tion, whether it involves military readi-

ness or finding homes and jobs for Soviet
newcomers, means money.

It is important to note that purchasing an
Israel Bond is not an act of tzedakah, or
charity, but rather an investment for the
purchaser — and an investment in Israel.
"As Jews, we should be shareholders in the
State. of Israel," notes Hershell Wais, exec-
utive director of Michigan Israel Bonds.
We agree wholeheartedly and urge our
readers to respond positively to the annual
Bond appeals.

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Buchanan's Venom

We don't know whether to laugh or cry,
cheer for or cringe at the Detroit News'
Tuesday decision to publish Pat
Buchanan's response to the criticism of
New York Times columnist A.M. Rosen-
thal.
The three-week debate began when Mr.
Rosenthal publicly labeled Buchanan an
anti-Semite for claiming that "There are
only two groups beating the drums for war
in the Middle East, the Israeli Defense
Ministry and its amen corner in the United
States."
Mr. Buchanan's vitriolic defense on
Tuesday added little to the debate. The
former United States foreign officer
vilified his critics, especially Abe Foxman
of the Anti-Defamation League and Rosen-
thal. He neglected, however, to defend
himself with facts. Not once did he cite
specific statements, persons or dates to
prove his-contentions, or contentiousness.
Instead, he took the opportunity to again
lash Israel for Palestinian injuries during
the intifada, for ostensibly failing to warn

the United States in advance of the truck
bombing of Marine headquarters in Beirut
in 1983, for the "Good Friday land grab at
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in
Jerusalem," shipment of cluster bombs to
Ethiopia, and "the caustic, cutting cracks
about my church and popes from both
Israel and its amen corner in the United
States."

Whew! It is a mouthful of half-truths, of
blaming Israel's government and people
for every action, either public or private,
affecting the Jewish state.
Mr. Buchanan's attitude has been
frightening for years, frightening that he
believes and can convince others to believe
what he writes.

If nothing else, his column in the News
serves as a warning to the Jewish commun-
ity, as do the reports of rising anti-
Semitism in the Soviet Union, Europe and
in the United States. In this New Year,
there is much work that needs to be done
by the amen corner.

When Marrying Out Is In

Two recent surveys of American Jewish
attitudes toward intermarriage produced
some startling, yet not so surprising
results. Startling because Jews at the left
and center of the community's religious —
and social —continuum appear to have ac-
cepted intermarriage to a degree previous-
ly unheard of. Not surprising because all
one has to do is look around to see how
prevalent mixed marriages have become
(as high as 60 percent in some areas).
The surveys were conducted by Dr. Egon
Mayer, a sociologist and expert on inter-
marriage surveys. By wide margins, he
found, the majority of American Jews ap-
pear willing to do away with the tradi-
tional bars to intermarriage in favor of see-
ing their children married. Moreover, they
want their grandchildren regarded as
Jews, regardless of whether or not the
mother is Jewish, which is still the re-
quired norm, except among the Reform.
The bottom line, Dr. Mayer noted, is a
desire for family continuity. Once again,
the heart has won out over the head.
Parental impulses continue to be more

6

FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 28. 1990

powerful than any law from outside the
home, even if that law is seen by others to
be God-given.
Those who believe intermarriage con-
tradicts God's law are undoubtedly wring-
ing their hands over the surveys, more cer-
tain than ever that the statistics signal an
irrevocable split between those who closely
adhere to Halachah, or traditional Jewish
law, and those who do not.
They may be right about this split. Ex-
isting links between the two groups grow
more strained with each passing day. And
from their perspective, they are also cor-
rect to question the Halachic standing.
But this in no way negates the needs and
desires of those who do not follow the tradi-
tional law. Survey respondents made it
clear that they want their institutions to do
all they can to welcome the non-Jewish
spouse; to help maintain shalom bayit (a
peaceful home) regardless of the cost.
Perhaps they are trying to have it both
ways. Regardless, reaching out to the non-
Jewish spouse remains the only viable
alternative.

LETTERS 1-

The New Home
For Federation

Labor Zionist Branch 960 is
an organized group of young
adults living and working in
Oak Park, Southfield,
Detroit, and Huntington
Woods. We are committed to
maintaining a strong Jewish
community in our area.
We commend The Jewish
News for its recent editorials
which illuminate the press-
ing need for the whole Jewish
community to support those
efforts that promote the
vitality of our neighborhoods.
We, like many Jewish
families, have chosen to stay
in this area.
It is our hope that if the
Jewish Welfare Federation
decides to leave downtown
Detroit they will consider the
south Oakland region as their
new home as it is truly the
center of the Jewish
community.

Judy Silberg Loebl
Huntington Woods

Willing To Work
On Southfield Plan

I read with great interest
the editorial "Silent On
Southfield" in your Sept. 14
issue. As the immediate past
president of Congregation
Beth Achim and a resident of
Southfield, I too have ques-
tioned Federation's resolve as
it relates to the support of this
community and its Jewish
institutions.
Several years ago, I re-
quested a meeting with the
leadership of Federation, to
discuss its commitment to
Southfield. I was driven to
this by an action Federation
had taken that resulted in an
increased financial burden on
my congregation.

One evening I met with
Martin Kraar and then
Federation President Dr. Con-
rad Giles to discuss this and
other concerns I had, as presi-
dent of a congregation in
Southfield, with the con-
tinued viability of Jewish
communal life in this
community.
Both Mr. Kraar and Dr.
Giles seemed sympathetic to
the concerns I raised at the
meeting. For example, we
discussed the Neighborhood
Project and Federation's role
in this very important project.
But, when I called Federation
to follow up other issues we
discussed, my calls were not
returned. After this occurred
several times I just stopped
calling.
I am sure that the leader-
ship of our congregation, both
religious and lay, is more
than willing to work with
Federation and others to iden-
tify an action plan to ensure
that Southfield continues to
have a viable Jewish com-
munity and the institutions
required to support it.
Ronald S. Harris
Southfield

Taking Issue
With Mileage

The Union of Orthodox
Jewish Congregations of
America, in advocating draco-
nian fuel economy re-
quirements for automobiles
(Sept. 14), displays gross ig-
norance of the complexity of
automotive engineering.
If Congress demands ex-
tremely stringent fuel
economy standards, cars will
be so small as to offer insuffi-
cient room for families to
travel together, and also very
little protection in accidents.
It never fails to amaze me

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