DETROIT

Detroit Arabs Ask State Dept.
To Block Israeli Security Move

AMY J. MEHLER

Staff Writer

T

he fencing off of 375
acres of land on the
West Bank last April
had nothing to do with
building further Jewish set-
tlements and everything to
do with ensuring the area's
safety, Israeli officials stated
this week.
Not so say 120 Palestinian
American families in metro
Detroit and in four other
U.S. cities. They petitioned
the U.S. State Department
last month to investigate a
claim that the Israel Defense
Forces illegally seized their
land.
"My land has barbed wire
around it and is being con-
fiscated by an occupying
army," said Dr. Issa Khoury,
who claims 12 of the 375
acres located near his native
Ramallah, 10 miles north of
Jerusalem. "My family has
owned olive trees there for
generations. Cousins of mine
now farm the land."
Israel Midwest Consul
Haim Koren said the IDF
took action following the
March 26 murder of Yair
Mendelson, a 40-year-old
Jewish settler on his way to.
Dolev, a Jewish settlement
next to the Arab village of
Ein Kinya.
"Arabs ambushed and shot
him to death," said Mr.
Koren. "The commander of
the area has the legal au-
thority under international
and local Israeli law to
secure the area from any
further terrorist attacks.
The action has nothing to do
with further Jewish set-
tlement."
Mr. Koren said the proper-
ty, mostly agricultural land,
is under temporary military
jurisdiction and would
return as before once the
threat of danger has been
removed. "When is up to the
army," he said. "There has
been more than one incident
in the area. It is as much a
security risk to local warring
Arab factions."
Mr. Koren said the proper
and legal landowners would
be financially compensated
for their interim loss of
revenue and crops.
Not good enough, said
Samir Mashni, one of three
Palestinian American
lawyers representing the
landowners through the
Detroit-based American
Federation of Ramallah.
"The West Bank is not

14

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1991

Israeli property, therefore
Israel has no right to ex-
propriate it," said Mr.
Mashni, a member of the
federation. "What Israel is
doing goes against interna-
tional law and U.S. domestic
policy."
Palestinians agree with
the Bush administration's
opposition to the construc-
tion of Jewish settlements
on the West Bank. But the
Israeli government, led by
Housing Minister Ariel Sha-

The IDF took action
following the March
26 murder of
40-year-old Yair
Mendelson.

ron, plans to dramatically
increase the number of Jews,
especially Russian immi-
grants, in those areas. The
Ramallah property, divided
into about 150 portions, is
claimed by Palestinian
Americans living in Detroit,
San Francisco, Chicago,
Jacksonville, Fla., and
Knoxville, Tenn., Mr.
Mashni said. The rest live on
the West Bank.
Mr. Mashni said he and
other federation members
talked last month with U.S.
Rep. David Bonior, D-Mt.

Clemens, who agreed to
relay their complaint to the
State Department.
"We routinely register
complaints on behalf of our
constituents," said Ed
Bruley, a spokesman for the
Democratic majority whip.
A spokesman for the State
Department confirmed the
complaint is under in-
vestigation by the U.S. Em-
bassy in Tel Aviv and the
U.S. Consulate in
Jerusalem. "We're paying
attention to it and passed it
on," said the spokesman who
asked not to be identified.
"We haven't heard a re-
sponse yet."
Dr. Khoury wants the
State Department to make
Israel rescind the military
order against the acreage. "I
see Israel umbilically tied to
the United States," he said.
"I believe there is legal ac-
tion that can be taken."
Mr. Mashni agreed, referr-
ing to a 1960s statute as a
result of the. Cuban missile
crisis that says a foreign
country can't expropriate
U.S. citizens' property.
A spokeswoman for the
Israeli Embassy in Wash-
ington said the IDF has
followed international law
and would withdraw once
they are assured of the
area's security. ❑

Beth Yehudah Hosts
`Chesed Convention'

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM

Assistant Editor

R

abbi Yerachmiel
Stewart believes
words go only so far.
So this weekend, the rabbi
is leading more than 100
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah
students in a "Chesed Con-
vention," where they will
learn about ways to treat
other human beings with
kindness.
The convention is the
brainchild of Rabbi Stewart,
a second-grade teacher at
the yeshiva, and Rabbi
Mordechai Katz, who
teaches fourth grade. The
two believe performing
mitzvot allows the boys to
learn much more about ches-
ed than simply hearing
about it.
The program, which was
optional for all students,
begins Friday night with
Shabbat dinner at the
Yeshiva. More than 100 boys

in grades four through eight
signed up for the meal.
On Saturday afternoon,
135 second- through eighth-
graders will meet at the
school building for lunch and
a program emphasizing the
importance of chesed. The
afternoon will feature guest
speakers from throughout
the community who will
deliver their messages using
parables and true stories.
"The only day these boys
really have off is Shabbat,"
Rabbi Stewart said. "So the
fact that they're donating
their time is really nice."
The convention continues
Sunday afternoon, when the
boys will visit with seniors
at area nursing homes and
in JARC residences. One
hundred boys — more than
half the eligible students —
signed up for the visit. As a
supplement to the Chesed
Convention weekend projects,
Beth Yehudah students are
collecting food for Yad Ezra.

❑

Alan Hitsky of The Jewish News looks at the contest entries.

Jewish News Swamped
By Chanukah Art Contest

STAFF REPORT

I

t will be tougher to win
The Jewish News
Chanukah Art Contest
this year. The judges were
deluged with a record
number of entries: 324 in
four categories.
Last year, 275 children
entered the annual contest
to create a Chanukah cover
for The Jewish News. This
year's winning entries will
appear on the cover of next
week's Jewish News and in-
side the newspaper.
The Jewish News editorial
staff selected five semi-
finalists in each category,
and the winners were picked
by the newspaper's graphic
arts staff in Baltimore, Md.
All of the entries, in-
cluding several that came in
after the Nov. 14 deadline,

will be displayed through
the Chanukah holiday at the
Jimmy Prentis Morris Jew-
ish Community Center in
Oak Park. JCC staff and
volunteers will mount the
contest entries throughout
the building and return the
art at the conclusion of the
holiday to those who sup-
plied appropriately sized,
stamped, self-addressed
envelopes.
Contest winners in all four
categories will be notified by
The Jewish News staff. First
prize winners in each age
category will receive $25
from the newspaper. The
grand prize winner will
receive $100.
The Jewish News received
80 entries in the up-to-age 6
category, 152 in the 7-9-year-
old category, 80 in the 10-12
category, and 12 entries in
the 13-15 category. ❑

Public School Teachers
Learn At Teach-In

NOAM M.M. NEUSNER

Staff Writer

I

t was, to put things lit-
erally, a teach-in for
teachers.
Temple Israel's Sisterhood
sponsored its 22nd Institute
on Judaism, a one-day con-
ference for local public
school teachers to learn
more about Jewish values
and traditions. About 140
teachers from 12 Oakland
County school districts at-
tended last Thursday's pro-

gram.
"In Judaism, there is no
more respected profession
than teaching," said Rabbi
Paul Yedwab, who led a ses-
sion on "Our Values and
Beliefs."
"A rabbi means, simply, a
teacher," he said.
Temple Israel's rabbis —
Harold Loss, M. Robert
Syme and Paul Yedwab — of-
fered insights on why Jews do
what they do, and offered the
teachers advice on dealing
with Jewish students.
For many of the par-