PASSOVER

Kosher Meals Might Be
Ready Next Time

Keeping kosher during
combat may soon be a
minor war-time worry, if
several rabbis and a diet
products manufacturer
get their way.
Because of the conflict
in the Persian Gulf, the
military has exhausted its
supply of MREs — Meals
Ready to Eat, the stan-
dard ration of the soldier
in Saudi Arabia, which
include pork.
This gave Army
Chaplain Mark A.
Abramowitz and others
the opportunity to pursue
the idea of an alternative
ration, "so that non-
standard soldiers could
also eat them," he said.
Such "non-standard"
personnel, because of
their religious or ethical
standards, have trouble
eating MREs.
They include Jews,
Seventh-Day Adventists,
Buddhists, Hindus and
Muslims, as well as
vegetarians and animal-
rights supporters.
Slim-fast Foods of New
York, which makes a
popular line of diet
shakes, has come up with
a prototype for such a ra-
tion, now being tested by
the military.

The concept, started
several years ago by the
Army's senior active-duty
Jewish chaplain, Rabbi
Sanford A. Dressin,
ultimately led to a rec-
ommendation by the
three military rabbis who
advise the Pentagon on
religious and educational
needs.
The army's Kenneth
Zisook, the Air Force's
Selwyn Geller and the
Navy's Arnold Siegel sit
on the Religious Edu-
cation Advisory Group.
They submitted a pro-
posal, approved by the
Armed Forces Chaplains
Board, that the Army
research a vegetarian
field ration that would
meet kosher and other
standards.
These rations would be
available to all military
personnel, and for any
future troop deployment
or field training exercise.
"We don't have an end
product, and we don't
have anything on the
shelf," Rabbi Abramowitz
said. "But maybe within a
year it would be fully
operational." ❑

— Jay Lechtman

Nursery Students Make
Banners For Soldiers

STAFF REPORT

Come and see the new
1-
11-3-1
1VI line!

Luggage, Briefcases and
Travel Accessories

it

29815 Northwestern Highway

In Applegate Square

26

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 1991

357-1800

Open Thursday till 8 p.m.

Passover
Greetings

from the

Zivov family
and staff at ...

Greg

SHOES

Serving the Community for 34 Years

ORCHARD MALL

EVERGREEN PLAZA

W. Bloomfield

Southfield

851-5566

559-3580

s

tudents at Congrega-
tion Shaarey Zedek's
nursery school don't
want soldiers returning
home from the Persian Gulf
war to think they've been
forgotten.
So last week, each nursery
school class made a
"Welcome Home" banner for
soldiers arriving at Selfridge
Air Force Base, northeast of
Mt. Clemens. Decorated
with crayons, colored paper
and paint, the 10 banners
were first displayed at the
school's Passover seder Mar-
ch 27, said Janet Pont,
school director.
The banners will be taken
to Selfridge, the closest arm-
ed forces base to Southfield,
and used at homecoming
parties next month, said
Marsha Friedman, who
came up with the idea. She
and her son, Matthew, 3,
who attends Shaarey

Zedek's nursery, will deliver
the banners to the base.
Although she has no per-
sonal connection to the
soldiers who fought in the
Persian Gulf war, Mrs.
Friedman. said, "I felt really
proud of them. I felt they
should be acknowledged for
what they did. They put
their lives on the line for
their country."
She wanted the children to
recognize the sacrifices
soldiers made for freedom,
Mrs. Friedman said. "I think
the kids should know they
are Jewish, but Americans
too."
With the coming of
Passover and its connection
with freedom, school officials
agreed to combine the holi-
day with a project to honor
the soldiers coming home.

"We wanted to teach them
the whole idea of freedom
and that sometimes you
have to fight to keep it,"
Mrs. Pont said. ❑

c,

