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Celebrating 50 years of growth with the Detroit Jewish Community

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THE JEWISH NEWS

2 5 SIVAN

5 7 5 2/JUNE 26, 1992

Looking To Labor

AMY J. MEHLER STAFF WRITER

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POLITICS

Hot Races '92:

11th Congressional
District Sizzles

campaigning, the Labor Party, led
by former Israeli Defense Minister
and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak
Rabin, won 47 seats in the new
Parliament, up from 38.
The Likud Party,
led the last four
years by Yitzhak
Shamir, dropped
from 40 to 33, a loss
of seven seats.
Detroit's election
party, sponsored by
Jewish
the
of
Federation
Metropolitan
Detroit, the Jewish
Community Noam Arnon of Southfield considers Labor and Likud slogans as Israeli
Council, the Israel election results come in.
Desk and the
Detroit, across the United States
Detroit Zionist Federation, gave
and Canada.
Detroit Jews a place to go to follow
"I'm just happy and relieved,"
the latest news from Israel. The
said Hanita Blum of Bloomfield
crowd watched a satellite hookup
provided through the Council of Hills, who came to watch the elec-
tion results. "Maybe now, some of
Jewish Federations.
CJF organized a panel of experts
LABOR/page 26

The Lesser
Of Three Evils?

Perot may attract
the Jewish vote.

page 11

DETROIT

Stars of David

New group gives support
to adoptive parents.

page 14

CLOSE•UP

Court Upholds Prayer Ban

Church-state debate is reignited at U.S. Supreme Court.

KIMBERLY LIFTON AND JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITERS

my Cutler never
permitted
prayer in her
classroom. And
she never will.
No matter what.

Story on page 43

NATIONAL

Photo by Jennifer Fi ner

Detroit area Jews welcome news
of Yitzhak Rabin's victory.

he 200 Israeli and
American Jews
gathered Tuesday
night at the Agency
For Jewish Educa-
tion erupted in ap-
plause as Israeli
exit polls, beamed
live via satellite,
predicted Israel's
first Labor Party
victory in 15 years.
Final returns are
not expected until next week when
votes cast by soldiers, sailors at sea
and diplomats and officials serving
abroad are counted. But around
metro Detroit, Jews are describing
the results as "revolutionary."
"We can be a different country, a
better country," said Menashe
Shemesh, 31, a mechanical engi-
neer from Ramat Gan now living in
West Bloomfield. "Fortunately,
there were enough people who felt
like I did: Time to replace Likud."
After two months of intensive

nside

in New York and in Israel includ-
ing Marty Raffel, associate execu-
tive vice chair of the National
Jewish Community Relations
Advisory Council; Rep. Stephen
Solarz, D-N.Y.; Steven Emerson, a
correspondent with Cable News
Network; Rami Tal, a reporter with
the Hebrew daily Yediot Achronot,
Stephen Donshik, UT director gen-
eral, Israel Office; Yair Stern of
Israel Television; and Howard
Teicher, former Middle East advisor
to the National Security Council.
The CJF panel took questions
from people in 36 cities, including

"I don't believe we should have
religion in the schools," said Mrs.
Cutler, who teaches fourth grade at
Lone Pine Elementary School in
Bloomfield Hills. "What else can
you say? It doesn't belong there. If
you want it, send your kids to
parochial schools."
On the eve of Wednesday's U.S.
Supreme Court ruling affirming a
30-year-old ban on prayer in public
schools, Mrs. Cutler spoke pas-
sionately about the issue.
She believes her view is elemen-
tary. Prayer in any classroom vio-
lates the First Amendment of the
U.S. Constitution, which prohibits

public institutions from propagat-
ing religious doctrine, she said.
Like other supporters of separa-
tion of church and state, Mrs. Cutler
feared the results from an overturn
of a Rhode Island case, Lee vs.
Weisman, which tested the consti-
tutionality of school-backed prayers
at graduation exercises.
In its 5:4 ruling, the High Court
upheld a lower court decision on
Less vs. Weisman which maintained
that school-backed prayers during
graduation exercises is a violation
of the separation of church and
state.
The case was first filed by a
Providence family after the public
school district continually brought
members of the clergy to speak dur-
ing high school graduation com-
mencement ceremonies.
The majority opinion, written by

COURT/page 8

Jewish demographers' findings have
a ripple effect nationwide.

Reeling In
The Numbers

page 22

SPORTS

Holding Court

A tennis star

meets with Israelis.

page 46

Contents on page 5