EDITORIAL
Toyota In The Driver's Seat
The announcement that Toyota Motor
Corp., the No. 1 Japanese automaker, has
decided to sell cars in Israel appears to be a
significant blow to the Arab-instituted
economic boycott of Israel. Still, it falls
woefully short of what moral — as opposed
to strictly commercial — considerations
dictate.
What is most significant about Toyota's
change of heart is the manner in which
Israel learned of the company's decision,
made public April 11. First word came not
from Toyota, but from Japan's Ministry of
International Trade & Industry.
In the past, Tokyo has steadfastly in-
sisted that it was not responsible for the
widespread adherence to the Arab boycott
on the part of major Japanese firms. But
the source of the Toyota announcement
amounts to tacit acknowledgement of
government involvement in the decision to
curry favor with oil-rich Arab nations at
Israel's expense — and, apparently, to now
seek the additional favor of the Bush Ad-
ministration, which recently urged Japan
to enact measures aimed at discouraging
firms from observing the boycott.
The truth is that Israel does not need the
5,000 or so Corolla sedans that Toyota in-
tends on shipping to the Jewish state in
1992. Last year, Israelis purchased more
than 100,000 new cars, including some
made by smaller Japanese manufacturers.
Anyone who has ever been stuck in
Jerusalem or Tel Aviv traffic can attest to
there being no lack of vehicles there.
In fact, the shipment of Toyotas to Israel
can be seen as a negative development be-
cause their sale will only further cut into
Israel's foreign currency reserves.
What Israel does need is foreign in-
vestments — and this is what Toyota and
the many other Japanese firms who have
observed the Arab boycott should next con-
template, and what Tokyo should en-
courage, if not because it is morally correct
then for politcal gain alone.
The Toyota announcement may be a
major step in this direction. But this should
not be left to chance. The White House —
not to mention American Jewish and
Israeli officials — must keep the pressure
on Japan's government and industry if the
Jewish state is to ever gain equal footing in
the international economic arena.
LETTERS
Federation Should
Be In Southfield
On September 24, 1990, the
Mayor and City Council of
Southfield wrote a letter to
the Jewish Welfare Federa-
tion urging them to consider
the City of Southfield as the
new site for the Jewish Wel-
fare Federation's offices. As of
this writing, a reply has not
been received from the Feder-
ation in regard to our con-
cerns. According to the April
12 article in The Jewish
News, the Jewish Welfare
Federation's executive com-
mittee has voted unanimous-
ly to move the Federation of-
fices to Bloomfield Township.
In light of this recent devel-
opment, once again, we feel it
necessary to encourage the
Federation to relocate to the
City of Southfield. History
has shown that the Detroit
area has been victimized by
urban sprawl and the conti-
nuing relocation of the
Jewish community. We feel
that now is the time for the
Federation to show their com-
mitment to stabilizing the
Jewish community by staying
within the center of the
metropolitan area.
Southfield is the business
hub of southeastern Michigan
and has adequate office space
available. Considering that it
offers a central location and
easy accessibility to all parts
6
FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 1991
of the Jewish community in
the metropolitan area, we feel
that Southfield can best serve
the Federation's needs.
With the strong base of the
Jewish population already
here and the City's commit-
ment to working with Federa-
tion to find a suitable loca-
tion, we feel very strongly
that the Federation should
make their home in South-
field.
Please convey to your
readers our continuing con-
cern about the Federation's
relocation plans.
Donald F. Fracassi,
Mayor
Suzanne Goldstein, Steve Hurite,
Denise Alexander, Peter
Cristiano, Vicki Goldbaum,
Sidney Lantz, Eli E. Robinson,
Council Members
Federation Sending
Mixed Messages
I would like to commend
The Jewish News on the edit-
orial of April 12, entitled
"Southfield, not Bloomfield."
I also feel strongly that
Southfield is the place for the
Jewish Welfare Federation
headquarters. Bloomfield
Township is hardly the center
of the Jewish community.
Southfield is the business
center of metro Detroit and is
easily accessible to all the
Jewish communities in the
area.
The Federation should show
their commitment to the
older Jewish communities in
the area, such as Southfield,
Oak Park and Huntington
Woods. They should make a
stand, once and for all, to end
the continuing urban sprawl
and the flight of the Jewish
community from the core
cities to the outer suburbs.
The Federation initiated the
Neighborhood Project to en-
courage Jewish families to
move to Southfield and Oak
Park. They are now sending a
mixed message to the Jewish
community by moving their
headquarters to Bloomfield
Township.
Southfield is still the center
of the Jewish community in
the metropolitan area and the
Federation should show their
commitment to keeping it the
center of the Jewish popula-
tion today and tomorrow.
Linda Richelew
Southfield
Jewish Community
Has Ignored AIDS
Thanks for the article
"When Jews Are Touched By
AIDS" (April 5). I commend
Robert Lebow and Grant Col-
lins for having the courage to
be interviewed and photo-
graphed for the story.
What the Jewish communi-
ty needs to realize is that
LETTERS
AIDS affecting Jews and
AIDS affecting gay Jews has
been a fact ever since the
epidemic began. Unfortunate-
ly our community and our
community leaders — our rab-
bis, our synagogue boards and
our religious school leaders —
have ignored the topic.
We need to educate our-
selves and to understand the
transmission of AIDS and to
know that it cannot be
transmitted by a congenial
Shabbat kiss on the cheek.
I urge the Jewish communi-
ty to attend the May 19 AIDS
Vigil at Temple Emanu-El
and to be touched by AIDS!
Sandy Berris
Farmington Hills
AIDS Kudos
Amy Mehler and The
Jewish News deserve kudos
for giving AIDS in the Jewish
community a human face and
reminding us of the principle
kol Yisrael arevin zeh bazeh —
each Jew is responsible for
every other Jew.
Lev Raphael
Okemos
Gender Gap And
Women Today
Your article March 15 on
"Closing the Gender Gap"
has touched on a serious con-
cern among many Jewish
communal workers. Ms. Zaks
in her letter of April 5 adds
important insights on this
issue. My experience in
Jewish communal service of
almost 40 years impels me to
make a few observations.
The problems with which
the community contends in
providing services requires
the input of the "best and the
brightest." Historically, the
victims of the corporate
world's greed were women.
Restricted in entering the
professions, women turned to
the "women's fields."
Today, opportunities for
women in other fields have
expanded, albeit with dif-
ficulties in moving upward.
They no longer see the
"women's fields" as their on-
ly opportunity to • express
their interests and their
abilities.
Ironically, the very system
that has produced the victims
that come to us for help has
been embraced as the model
for professional advancement.
The Jewish community is
confronted with an ever grow-
ing need for professionally
trained personnel. Recruit-
ment of women is important
and will only be accomplish-
ed if their leadership
qualities are acknowledged
and permitted to gain
expression.
Unless the Jewish com-
munity faces its obligations
in this area and sets aside its
prejudices against women in
the workplace, it can look for-
ward to employing less than
fully qualified professionals,
part-time personnel, and ex-
periencing a high percentage
of staff turnover which is cost-
ly and counter-indicated in
providing human services.
Rose Kaplan
West Bloomfield
Jewish Roots
Downriver
Susan Grant correctly
pointed out that the roots of
the downriver Jewish com-
munity are firmly planted in
Trenton ("At Home Down-
river," April 12).
Aside from Trenton's Con-
gregation Beth Isaac,
Continued on Page 10