EDITORIAL
The Shir Shalom Test
For West Bloomfield
West Bloomfield Township is facing a
litmus test over approval of plans for Tem-
ple Shir Shalom.
The township has been the target of
builders' complaints for many years —
both in the media and in the courts — con-
cerning its approval procedures for new
construction. In the township's defense,
residents have legitimate concerns about
unrestricted growth, overburdened ser-
vices and burgeoning traffic problems.
In attacking these problems, the
township planning commission and the
township trustees have sometimes ap-
peared arbitrary and over-protective of the
status quo. West Bloomfield's public deal-
ings with Congregation B'nai Moshe and
the Lubavitch-proposed Campus for Living
Judaism certainly come to mind.
So it is with a great deal of Jewish corn-
munal interest that Temple Shir Shalom's
proposal for a new synagogue at Walnut
Lake and Orchard Lake roads is viewed.
The temple has worked hard to alleviate
concerns of neighboring residents and the
planning commission. It has made advance
arrangements for High Holiday parking at
West Bloomfield High School in order to
minimize traffic and parking problems,
two of the major drawbacks of its site.
It is to the credit of the planning commis-
sion that it worked so diligently with tem-
ple officials. It will be to the credit of all the
parties, and the planning process, if no new
"concerns" are discovered at this late date
and the Shir Shalom proposal is given
routine consideration — and endorsement
— by the West Bloomfield Township Board
of Trustees.
Restoring Religious Rights
After The Peyote Case
A year ago, in what some legal experts
call "a sneak attack on religious
freedoms," the U.S. Supreme Court, in a
5-4 decision, removed the requirement that
government demonstrate a "compelling
governmental interest" before it may limit
the exercise of one's religion.
In Employment Division vs. Smith, also
known as "the peyote case" because it
dealt with a Native American's claim that
use of peyote was part of his religious
observance, the court held that the First
Amendment's free exercise clause did not
require government to offer any justifica-
tion when a "law, neutral on its face,"
interfered with religious practice.
In practical terms, the decision wiped out
the need to give weight to a person's re-
ligious claims.
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According to Nathan Lewin, a noted
Washington attorney and advocate for re-
ligious freedom issues, a Jewish govern-
ment worker fighting for the right to
observe Yom Kippur is now no more entitl-
ed to that accommodation than a worker
who wants to take the day off to go to a
football game.
The court decision has already spawned a
series of lower court rulings, including
those against Orthodox Jews seeking to
prevent autopsies on deceased family
members because of religious beliefs.
New legislation could
restrict religious behavior.
The peyote case, and its impact on the
rights of minorities to fully practice their
religions, received little attention at the
time. But in recent months, a broad na-
tional coalition of 38 religious and civil lib-
erties groups have banded together to seek
legislation in Congress' that would simply
restore the law to the status quo which had
existed for some 30 years.
Without congressional action, new
legislation restricting religious behavior
could become law.
But many people are still unaware that
there is no longer any special protection for
religious observances under the Constitu-
tion. That is why we urge our readers to, in
turn, urge their senators and congressmen
to co-sponsor and support the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act, being introduced
by Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and Rep.
Stephen Solarz (D-N.Y.).
Restoration of these fundamental prin-
ciples warrants the widest possible sup-
port.
Walk For Israel,
Fly To Israel
What a wonderful sight
May 5 to see over 8,000 Jews
from all over the Detroit area
come together as one!
The emotions from that pic-
ture which were stirred had
me wiping more than one
tear away from these eyes.
But I am writing to thank
and support you on your
editorial, "Why Do We
Walk?" (May 10) Walking is
great; flying is better. And
that is exactly what my fami-
ly (my husband, two
daughters, my parents) and I
will be doing this summer. We
are going not only to witness
our daughter become a bat
mitzvah, but also to celebrate
Israel.
I urge everyone to go to
Israel now! This is a year of
tremendous importance. With
negotiations and a peace pro-
cess on the horizon, American
and world Jewry must show
Washington our undying sup-
port for Israel's existence and
her vital security.
And for those who cannot
go, what better way to show
the world what is in your
heart than to increase your
support through your check- .
book and coming to the
"Walk for Israel and Jewish
Solidarity."
I will always walk! Let us
continue to walk together, but
let us also continue to fly.
Marta Rosenthal
Co-Chairman, Walk For Israel
Leadership,
Intermarriage
Unlike Gary Rosenblatt
(May 10), I harbor no qualms
about a policy, recently ex-
emplified by a local Conser-
vative congregation here and
Conservative and Orthodox
educational groups in Balti-
more, that denies positions of
trust and responsibility in our
community to those whose
spousal choices are unaccep-
table to our vigilant leader-
ship. We must expect ap-
plicants for these positions to
order their private lives so as
to be proper role models; if
they fail in this sacred duty
they should expect neither
quarter nor mercy.
My only quibble with this
policy is that in order to en-
sure that its benefits rebound
to the entire community it
should be expanded. Given
that a teacher who reckless-
ly chooses to marry someone
solely because it seems fitting
and proper to her thereby for-
feits her right to teach in a
synagogue's nursery school,
can we not expect — nay, de-
mand — that the directors of
that congregation apply a
similar test to themselves?
So if, say, a member of that
congregation's board has an
intermarried son or daughter,
I am sure we all agree that
honor and duty to the com-
munity require that such a
director resign forthwith.
Otherwise this person would
be a horrid role model for
potential Jewish parents,
such as me.
Further, if this policy is
praiseworthy and serves high-
minded purposes, it would be
inequitable to deny it to other
areas of our community.
Seldom does an issue of your
estimable journal pass with-
out an announcement of some
function honoring a "com-
munity leader." From time to
time it is not readily apparent
what contribution this com-
munity leader has made ex-
cept for, well, contributions.
Before such people receive a
community imprimatur, we
should ascertain that they,
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