Editor's Notebook

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Spinning Our Wheels

Hoenlein Reminds Us
About A Jewish Truth

GARY ROSENBLATT EDITOR

PHIL JACOBS MANAG NG ED TOR

This past De-
cember I was in-
vited to the
apartment of a
Johns Hopkins
University stu-
dent for a Sun-
day night
meeting. There
were about 10
students there, all Jewish ac-
tivists frustrated with the slow
pace of the community in ad-
dressing the needs of the Jew-
ish college population.
These young men and
women spent a good bit of their
time trying to promote Israel
and Judaism on campus, and
looking for ways to attract more
Jewish Hopkins students to at-
tend lectures, socials, discus-
sions and religious services.
I was impressed with their
sense of commitment and their
seriousness of purpose. While
friends were out partying, or
studying, these students were
trying to come up with plans to
improve Jewish life on campus.
It's a scene that, no doubt, plays
itself out on campuses around
the country.
I offered some advice but, un-
fortunately, I was unable to an-
swer their underlying question:
Why is it that the same Jewish
community that bemoans the
dramatic increase in assimila-
tion among Jewish youth won't
step in and step up its funding
for college groups seeking to
preserve Jewish life on campus?
More bewildered than bitter,
these students spoke of their
meetings over the course of
many months with officials of
local Jewish organizations, from
the Jewish community center
Malcolm Hoenlein and Conference chairman Soshana Cardin inspect bomb damage to Tel Aviv during the Persian Gulf War.
to the Baltimore federation.
There had been some progress,
and much frustration.
know
that
we
care,
we
can
18
months
about
the
concen-
those who died defending the
"I'm a senior, so it's too late
talk
about
it
from
our
bimahs,
tration camps, yet it did noth-
country.
for me," one young woman told
and
we
can
do
the
most
im-
ing.
It
sent
in
Band-Aids
and
About a week prior, Israel
me. "But some of us are still
portant thing — we can ex-
milk powder. And if a world
remembered those who died
working to make sure that at
plain
what
is
happening
to
is
indifferent
to
the
Muslims,
in the Holocaust during Yom
least
something will be done for
our
own
children.
We
as
Jews
the world will be indifferent
Hashoah. On the Sunday
next
year."
cannot
run
and
hide
from
to the Jews."
night after Yom Hazikaron,
Those
words, and that
these
world-shattering
Mr. Hoenlein added that
Israel's 45th year of indepen-
evening, came to mind this
events.
the
level
of
violence
and
per-
dence was celebrated, Yom
week when I learned that the
We can't. Because of all the
secution of peoples all over
Ha'atzma'ut.
federation is planning to take a
people
on
this
earth,
we
un-
the
world
is
on
the
rise.
He
The key word here is re-
fresh look at the old problem of
derstand
said there are
member or memory, ze'chira.
funding and services for Jewish
ze'chira.
battles going
On Sunday evening at
college students. I didn't know
It
should
not
on in the for-
Shaarey Zedek, Malcolm
whether to feel relieved or ex-
take a siren in
mer
Soviet
Hoenlein, the executive di-
asperated to hear that they're
Israel
to
bring
Union and
rector of the Conference of
talking about creating a strate-
us
all
to
a
elsewhere
Presidents of Major American
gic plan — the mantra of Jew-
standstill. Re-
that most
Jewish Organizations, re-
ish communal life — scheduled
member
what
Americans
minded the attendees at Aki-
to take place over the next six
Mr.
Hoenlein
don't know
va Hebrew Day School's 29th
months.
warned
us
about and,
anniversary banquet, about
The good news is that it
about.
We
should
not
be
ig-
sadly, don't care about.
ze'chira.
seems the problem has made
noring
or
pretending
that
It
is
important
that
Amer-
"This is a special time of
its way another rung up the in-
tens of thousands of Muslims
ican Jews heed Mr. Hoen-
the year because it falls be-
visible Ladder of Tzuris to the
aren't
being
exterminated.
If
lein's
warning.
There
has
tween Pesach and Shavuot,"
point where the situation is dire
we ignore it, then when they
been a great deal said and
he said. "Jews are unique be-
enough to receive serious at-
come for us, we'll be ignored
written
lately
about
the
ex-
cause they remember. They
tention. (That's the good news?)
as well.
tent of American involvement
look back in order to look for-
in
Yugoslavia.
But
as
Mr.
\ ward. They know that they

If there's one
moment in time
that many of the
newly returned
Miracle Mission
participants will
share, it hap-
pened on a Sat-
urday evening
and then a Sunday morning.
That's when the air-raid
sirens in Israel sounded a
haunting, soul-stirring wave.
Israelis stopped what they
were doing, many pulled their
cars over and got out to listen.
It was the sirens of Yom
Hazikaron, in memory of

won't be the first victims, nor
will they be the last."
Mr. Hoenlein said that he
is troubled by what is hap-
pening in the world, even at
a time when, for American
Jews, life is free and good. Yet
he said that Jews cannot turn
away from events happening
in Yugoslavia, and that the
persecution of the Muslim
population is a concern for
Jews, for everyone.
"The world doesn't learn
from its lessons," he said.
"There's no better proof of
that than what is happening
in Bosnia. The world knew for

Hoenlein indicated on Sun-
day, the indifference of the
1990s world is painfully sim-
ilar to the 1930s and '40s
world. A great deal of that in-
difference is right here at
home.
We just don't care, and
that's not good. Nobody is
suggesting any comparison to
the murder of the Six Million.
But the comparison is very
real with a world that again
is allowing children to die and
women to be raped in the tens
of thousands. -
What can we possibly do?
We can let our elected officials

Of all the people
on this earth, we
understand

ze'chira.

❑

(

k

The bad news is that anoth-
er year has gone by, another
crop of students has been lost,
and we're still no further
along in dealing with one of
the most important segments
of American Jewry.
After all, there are 400,000
Jewish college students in
this country. We as a com-
munity should be doing our
best to make sure that they
are provided with positive,
meaningful Jewish experi-
ences during that critical pe-
riod in a young person's life.
Think about it: Approxi-
mately 85 percent of Ameri-
can Jewish youth attends
college; experts estimate that
three-quarters of them have

Only a small
fraction of
communal dollars
are spent on the
needs of Jewish
college youth, and
it just doesn't
make sense.

no interest or involvement in
Jewish life. For many it is the
first time away from home, a
chance to meet people from
other cultures, a time to re-
flect on one's own values. And
where is our Jewish pres-
ence?
At best, there is a Hillel
House on campus. But how
do we expect one rabbi or
communal professional —
maybe with a staff of two or
three — to deal with a large
population of Jewish young
men and women, many of
whom perceive Hillel as the
domain of the Orthodox, or
nebbishes?
When the ratio of profes-
sional to student is one to sev-
eral hundred, or even several
thousand, it's unrealistic to
expect success.
To make matters worse,
Hillel, which was founded by
B'nai B'rith, has been facing
serious financial problems for
years as B'nai B'rith has cut
back its allocations. Federa-
tions have picked up part of
the financial slack, but Hillel
is at a crossroads now.
Richard Joel, the enger-
getic international Hillel
Foundation director, says it's
time to either "make it [Hil-
lel] healthy, or let it die. I am
not interested in keeping this
body on a respirator."
The fact is that only a
SPINNING WHEELS page 6