EDITORIAL

Pat On The Back
For Federation

Last week's Federation annual meeting
came complete with its appetizing meal
and its bevy of speakers, just like many
Federation meetings.
But before we yawn and get ready for
next year's Federation meeting, let's
freeze-frame. This was a truly remarkable
year for the Detroit Federation. The words
"truly remarkable" don't come cheap
anymore. But at last year's Federation an-
nual meeting, money was still needed for
Operation Exodus; we were still months
away from the Scud missile attacks on Tel
Aviv; few even knew that there were
15,000 remaining Ethiopian Jews left to
rescue; Middle East peace talks weren't
even an issue; and neither were the loan
guarantees.
Whether or not you donate one penny to
this Federation, you should know that this
organization is admired and talked about
as one of the most exemplary, together
groups of its kind in the nation. We don't
have to say that, because everyone else is.
At last year's Council of Jewish Federa-
tions General Assembly in San Francisco,
Detroiters gave speeches, chaired com-
mittees and made themselves known in the
world of Jewish communal service while
making this community proud.

For the aforementioned issues, the Fed-
eration rallied this community both in
bodies and numbers in support of concerns
on the domestic front and those specific to
Israel. This year, the Federation is pro-
viding the best it can with a budget cut-
back of 5 percent.
But no matter what the cutback, it feels
safe to know that the community is in the
hands of such leaders as President Mark
Schlussel, who was elected to his third
year, Executive Vice President Bob Aron-
son, Butzel Award winner Jack Robinson
and many, many others.
For this newspaper, covering the Federa-
tion is much like a secular newspaper
covering city hall. The Federation is our
bureaucracy; it is our community's
government. There are times when this re-
lationship is stressed and adversarial. For
instance, we were not happy with the Fed-
eration's decision not to move its new
headquarters into Southfield, choosing in-
stead Bloomfield Township.
But all in all, we want to congratulate
this Federation on a fine 1990-91, and we
look forward to further growth in 1991-92.
We want Federation to know the rest of the
country knows how good it is. And we do
too.

Listen To This, Jonathan

Is anyone surprised that Iraq has at-
tempted to excuse its detention of United
Nations inspectors probing her nuclear
weapons program by dragging in Israel?
In the Arab world, blaming Israel is
always worth a few political points. So Iraq
claimed that its action against the U.N. in-
spectors stemmed from concern that the in-
formation they uncovered would be
"automatically" passed along by the CIA
to Israeli intelligence, thereby putting Ira-
qi nuclear program officials and their for-
eign suppliers at risk.
If only it were true.
The Jonathan Pollard spy case has al-
ready established that, no matter how close
the cooperation between the United States
and Israel, Washington often withholds
important information from Jerusalem.
Mr. Pollard, the ex-Navy intelligence of-

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ficer, broke the law when he provided
Israel with classified data about Arab
military secrets. But he received a life
sentence (now on appeal) only because
then-Defense Secretary Caspar
Weinberger wanted to keep the informa-
tion from Israel.

Given the current tension between Pres-
ident Bush and Prime Minister Shamir
over the whole question of settlements,
U.S. loan guarantees and the Middle East
peace process, the likelihood is even
greater today that the White House will
Withhold information from Israel.

And make no mistake about it: Iraq is
still a threat to Israel. A desperate Saddam
will again try and draw Israeli. blood if he
stupidly precipitates further military ac-
tion against Iraq.

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LETTERS I-

How To Endure
Holiday Services

I am not clear if Gary
Rosenblatt's article "How to
Endure the Long High Holy
Day Services" (Sept. 13) was
meant to be taken in jest. In
any case, I found it very
strange — either because of
its fundamental truth (if in
jest), or because of its offen-
siveness to believers if
sincere.
As a Humanistic Jew I
often wonder why people join
congregations whose services
they find so boring, uninter-
esting and lengthy? .. .
My suggestion for those
who have a difficult time sit-
ting through services is to
consider the possibility that
they are at the wrong syna-
gogue or temple.

Michael Egren
Birmingham

The Language
Of Abortion Issue

Noam Neusner's article
("Abortion Action: Will Jews
Join In?" Sept. 13) was
bothersome to abortion rights
activists because of the
language he used to describe
our movement. We are not
"pro-abortion." We are "pro-
choice." In addition, there
were some inaccuracies we
would like to correct.
At the National Council of
Jewish Women, we are pro-
life, pro-family and pro-
women. This all translates to
pro-choice, with choice refer-
ring to a woman's right to
reproductive freedom. No free
government has the right to
dictate what a woman does
regarding her body.
In the article, Mr. Neusner
inaccurately stated that
NCJW "goes so far as to train
and provide escorts for women

seeking abortions." This is
not, nor has it ever been, an
NCJW program. Training for
the escort program is provid-
ed by the Michigan Abortion
Rights Action League and
takes place at MARALs office
and at Planned Parenthood
clinics. NCJW is grateful that
such a program is available.
. Staff writer Amy Mehler
did a fine job of explaining the
escort program in her article
on choice that appeared in the
same edition.

Lois Granader
Michigan State
Public Affairs Chairwoman
NCJW — Greater Detroit Section

'Dafka' In Return
For President Bush

A $10 billion Israel loan
guarantee delayed by Gedrge

Bush? A ploy to press Israel
into a more submissive bar-
gaining position at the peace
talks? Could this really be the
New World Order we've heard
about?
George Bush has apparent-
ly decided to apply the
Sparky Anderson school of
"my way or the highway"
logic to his Middle East
thinking. Or, perhaps it's
more like the what's-good-for-
General-Motors-is-good-for-
the-country attitude applied
to foreign policy — what's
good for the U.S. is good for
the world. Whatever, it's
about time we look at the real
travesty the president has
created in American-Israeli
relations.
Mr. Bush believes that it's
preferable to neutralize Israel
during the peace talks with
these loan guarantees hang-
ing overhead in order to avoid
any last minute pulling-the-
rug-out schemes by the
Shamir government. The

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