SINAI HOSPITAL
end of World War I in 1918,
each of the republics and
provinces — Slovenia,
Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Montenegro,
Macdeonia, Vojvodina and
Kosovo — had a Jewish
history of its own.
Of all the Balkan coun-
tries, Yugoslavia is the on-
ly one with a sizable
Ashkenazic community as
well as Sephardic.
Jews first settled in Yugo-
slavia during Roman
times, as evidenced by
synagogue and tombstone
inscriptions found near
Split (Spalato), on the
Dalmation coast. These ex-
cavations date from the
third century C.E. Small
Ashkenazic communities
existed in Serbia and
Croatia in the Middle Ages.
Following the expulsion in
1492, Sephardic Jews
started migrating to the
Dalmation coast from
Spain, Portugal and Italy
by way of Thessaloniki.
Life for the Sephardim
under Turkish rule was
manageable, but it was not
until the Treaty of Berlin,
in 1878, that Jews were
granted complete civil,
economic and political
emancipation in Serbia.
The Jews in the other
regions did not become full
legal citizens until the end
of World War I, when the
modern country of Yugo-
slavia was established.
Yale Strom took 5000
photographs for his book.
The scores he selected from
them for incorporation in-
clude synagogues,
cemeteries, cultural centers,
personalities.
A great contribution has
been made to the history and
spirituality of Sephardim by
Yale Strom. His new book
enriches our history.
Ashkenazic and Sephardic
Jews owe a great debt to him
for a remarkable literary
history.
Jewish Identity
Must Be Kept
Numerous surveys con-
ducted by national Jewish
organizations, the American
Jewish Comthittee among
them, continue to warn
about diminishing responses
to Jewish involvements.
Most often many of the
results have indicated a
decline in identification.
The newest of the
AJCommittee studies em-
phasizes that a large percen-
tage of those contacted
revealed that their
"commitments are not very
deep."
Most of the current
surveys emphasize mixed
marriages among the most
serious of the challenges
confronting us.
There is a growing move-
ment to make opposition to
intermarriage a priority. For
many years we have adhered
to a policy of not giving en-
couragement to mixed mar-
riages. We have asked that
announcements with pic-
tures in our columns be
those marriages conducted
by Jewish clergy. There re-
main objections to marriages
conducted in churches.
In one instance, a
bridegroom-to-be was
offended by the ruling of this
newspaper and made it a
matter of public dispute.
Therefore, there is my
obligation to express pride in
the policy of The Jewish
News which must not be
tampered with.
In the commitment to keep
adhering to the k-dat Moshe
v'Yisroel in the marriage
ceremony, we must treat any
attempt to abandon it with
disdain. CI
"mmll NEWS r"'""
Traditionalists
Plan Merger
New York (JTA) --- An
interdenominational merger
of two rabbinical groups,
uniting several hundred
right-wing Conservative
rabbis and leftwing Or-
thodox rabbis, will soon be
formalized under the um-
brella of the Union for Tra-
ditional Judaism.
Rabbi Ronald Price, ex-
ecutive vice president of the
UTJ, said at the group's re-
cent conference in Mount
Vernon, N.Y., that an
agreement to bring the
Fellowship of Traditional
Orthodox Rabbis into the
UTJ will be announced
shortly.
Although it was the
group's ninth convention, it
was only its second since
asserting its 1990 declara-
tion of independence from
the Conservative movement.
Some members of the for-
thcoming rabbinical associ-
ation said it will be a home
for those who are committed
to Halacha (Jewish law) but
remain frustrated by de-
nominational politics, ex-
tremist trends and the col-
lapse of the center within
Orthodox and Conservative
Judaism.
According to Price, the
UTJ has 8,000 family mem-
berships and 350 member
rabbis; the FTOR has bet-
ween 50 and 100 rabbis.
Michael J. Federman, M.D.
Lawrence V. Mendelsohn, M.D.
Robert S. Michaels, M.D.
Jonathan Rosenzweig, M.D.
and
Nison Sabin, M.D.
are pleased to announce our association with
James J. Gordon, M.D.
for the practice of Internal Medicine
Hechtman Health Center
31500 Telegraph Road, Suite 145
Bingham Farms, Michigan 48025
313 647-1770
?Ntinal
When I have so many questions about death,
how can I help my child to understand?"
The death of a loved one is not always
easy to explain to a child. How do you
find the right words? What is an
appropriate age for a child to attend a
funeral? Should they go to the
cemetery?
David Techner of The Ira Kaufman
Chapel is a nationally renowned expert
on the bereavement process, and is
particularly respected for his work with
grieving children. David has achieved a
special rapport that allows both children
and adults to trust him to answer their
most basic questions about death and
dying. He has a wonderful ability to
dispel fears and offer explanations in
simple terms a child can understand.
To contact David Techner,
please call 569-0020. He's here to help.
David Techner
Directors of Funerals 18325 W Nine Mile Road
Southfield, MI 48075 • (313) 569-0020
Outside Michigan: 1-800-325-7105
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