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ISRAEL
Darchei Torah Should
Receive Consideration
The question of a Federation allocation to
Yeshiva Darchei Torah should be looked at
carefully when the Jewish Federation con-
siders future funding requests for area insti-
tutions.
It follows in line with the goals of Federa-
tion that Jewish day-school education contin-
ues to be a growing priority. Darchei Torah is
six years old with a student population num-
bering 152.
Too many in the community spend time
comparing Darchei Torah to Beth Yehudah,
the school that would otherwise receive these
6
&ittuvizeil3
150 children. The community should be proud
that there are more schools to choose from,
even if they espouse somewhat similar philoso-
phies.
Also, when Yavneh Academy was in busi-
ness, it received $140,000 in Federation fund-
ing over three years. This was for a school that
educated some 14 children and didn't survive.
With numbers that are growing, Darchei
Torah is filling a need. It has made a place for
itself, and it needs and should receive com-
munity support.
1993's 20th Week
Journalists love anniversaries — not of their
own nuptials, necessarily, but of historical
events. That's why, in recent weeks, we've seen
articles marking everything from the 50th an-
niversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising to
the 25th anniversary of the Broadway open-
ing of Hair.
For the press, anniversaries offer a "hook,"
or connection, into a story. Some events, of
course, are more deserving of attention than
others. We could do without the obligatory cov-
er stories marking the 20th or 25th anniver-
sary of 1968, however tumultuous and
significant that year was, but we shouldn't
have to wait another 10 or 25 or 50 years to
reflect on the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and all
that was lost in the fires of the Holocaust.
Perhaps the most useless example of late is
the hoopla surrounding the Clinton admin-
istration's first 100 days. Talk about synthet-
ic story sources. Whether or not you are
pleased with the president's accomplishments,
you have to empathize with his reminder that
he was elected to a four-year term; it is a bit
early to assess his place in history after less
than four months.
So let's ease up on this obsession with an-
niversaries before we become too predictable.
(Can we expect a profile next month in People
on Mark Rudd: Columbia U. protest leader,
25 years later?) Milestones should be memo-
rable, not artificial, events.
Letters
Gays, Lesbians
And The Torah
4
By its May 7 letter, the Coun-
cil of Orthodox Rabbis of
Greater Detroit self-righteous-
ly proclaims that God, as re-
vealed in Torah, describes
homosexuality as an "abomi-
nation."
On what basis does the
Council of Orthodox Rabbis
read the Torah selectively, con-
demning homosexuality but ig-
noring other divine directives?
Just when do contemporary
Torah-observant Jews stone
adulterers, slaughter sacrifi-
cial lambs, pour hot lead down
women's throats, pierce the ear
of their slave with an awl or
splash blood on the doorpost of
their homes?
The Torah has been trans-
lated over the centuries, rein-
forcing anachronistic stereo-
types and gender biases. These
translations are often used as
weapons against gays and les-
bians to give credence and re-
spectability to homophobia and
bigotry.
Torah teaches that human
beings are created in God's im-
age. With infinite wisdom, God
created homosexuals, as well
as heterosexuals, as part of a
natural and inevitable plan.
God doesn't make mistakes.
As Jews well know, it is
harmful to society in general
when a particular group is tar-
geted for hatred and prejudice.
Vitriolic diatribes aimed at les-
bians and gays serve only to
fuel anti-gay sentiment, verbal
harassment and physical vio-
lence.
It is disturbing and danger-
ous when the Council of Or-
thodox Rabbis of Greater De-
troit, cloaked in morality,
promotes the message that it's
acceptable to despise lesbians
and gays.
Howard Israel
Bloomfield Township
Letters
Homosexuals
And Tolerance
The Council of Orthodox Rab-
bis is. correct: "If all restrictions
on gays were to be removed,"
and they were accepted, "this
type of behavior would become
acceptable..."
Surely we more willingly
condone deviant behavior in
people we tolerate. Even
Haman had family and
friends! So if we extend full
rights to gays, we risk accept-
ing homosexuality itself.
But that's a risk we'll have
to take. We are charged with
acquiring the discipline to con-
demn the transgressions even
of people we accept or even ad-
mire. That may be difficult, but
the Torah assures us only that
keeping mitzvot is possible, not
easy...
Elliott Shevin
Oak Park
Abomination,
Restrictions
It was with great dismay that
I read the letter from the Coun-
cil of Orthodox Rabbis of
Greater Detroit regarding
Torah and homosexuals in last
week's Jewish News.
In the letter, Torah is quot-
ed as describing homosexuali-
ty as an "abomination." It is
asserted that imposition of
"some restrictions" on homo-
sexuals serves the (allegedly
laudable) goal of keeping that
belief in the forefront of Jew-
ish thought.
"Restrictions" is clearly a eu-
phemism for imposition of dis-
criminatory laws, such as the
Jim Crow laws that once seg-
regated blacks and whites so
shamefully in this country. It
is therefore utterly disingenu-
ous that the rabbis promote
such "restrictions," and then
profess wonderment at soci-
ety's prejudice toward homo-
sexuals!
It is the height of ignorance
to suggest that by recognizing
the right of homosexuals to live
in parity in our society that
heterosexual Jews will be se-
duced away from leading
Torah-observant lives.
Rather, it is likely that if we
are more accepting of the ho-
mosexual individuals in our
community, that we will over-
come the hatred that causes us
to ignore the injunction of our
great sage Hillel, who
structed us to treat others as
we would be treated ourselves,
(instructing further: that is thel,
whole of Torah, and the rest
commentary thereon). ...
Laurel Stuart-Fink
Farmington Hill!
MSU Story
Misleading?
A misleading headline in the
May 7 article about kashrut at
MSU Hillel may have caused
undue alarm within the com-
munity.
Indeed, the kashrut policy
at Hillel is under review beT,
cause, as indicated, we haw,
a complex situation and the
current policy has been a,
source of confusion. We do haw'
established guidelines. How
ever, we have not been able to'
ensure a level of kashrut sat-'
isfactory to all our residents.
The article should have in.!,
dicated that we have all along
been in contact with our
kashrut adviser, Rabbi Avr*
ham Jacobovitz, who has con-'
tinually guided us to
implement the highest possi,'
ble standards, given the co-opH
erative and institutional
nature of our kitchen.
Hillel remains committed
ensuring that the standardS
will be maintained, and that
students have access to
kosher facility at MSU.
We regret any consternation
caused by the article.
Mark Finkelsteii
Executive Director,
MSU Hillel
Editors note: The Jewish News'
stands by its story and headline]
Governor Engler
And Community
Your front-page article on April
30 describes the flourishing re;
lationship between the Jewish
community and Gov. Engler.
I hope that while we feel si
pleased at the connection, we,
always remind ourselves that
this is the governor and the
LETTERS page 6