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Surveys And New Business

Two new, ongoing parts of The Jewish News kick
off with today's edition.
Today we announce a partnership with the Jew-
ish Community Council and Wayne State Uni-
versity. To better understand the opinions and
trends of our community, The Jewish News has
enlisted the help of the Jewish Community Coun-
cil and Wayne to begin random surveys. Calls will
go out to our community, beginning this week. The
subject of the survey will involve how Jews relate
to other minorities. Other topics such as opinions

on Israel, affiliation and community involvement
will come in the future.
We'll be able to take the information, write about
it, but more importantly, learn from it.
Also, we're happy to introduce the beginning of
an expanded and revamped business section.
Weekly, we'll take a look at local Jewish involve-
ment in area business with a glance at what is
happening in Israel as well. We invite your com-
ments.

Hearing What Shoshana Said

She called it checkbook Judaism. And she has been
telling the entire Jewish world that the days of
writing a check and calling that one's full in-
volvement with things Jewish doesn't make it any-
more.
Instead, Shoshana Cardin, the chairman of
CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning
and Leadership, said this week in Detroit that Jew-
ish knowledge has to be more of a priority than
ever. Without Jewish knowledge, there will be
nothing to write a check for, she contends.
We seem so focused on bickering sometimes.
The divisions among us are counted with equal
strength as the unifying forces. A shared culture,
a faith based on belief in one God, a love for Israel
isn't enough. But it's enough for Ms. Cardin to
sound an alarm for Jewish communal profession-
als, active lay leadership and even the unaffiliat-
ed, that it's time to emphasize the Jewish education
of our families and ourselves.
Jewish education need not be rote learning of

the aleph-bet. Instead, it's programs that teach us
why it is important to be Jewish and why we need
to be together to focus on that importance.
At last November's Council of Jewish Federa-
tions General Assembly in New York, Ms. Cardin
spoke on a similar topic. Following her speech, the
GA did something it had never done before. It broke
down into workshop groups that did not focus on
fund raising or Jewish professional priorities. In-
stead, the workshops talked about religion, about
God. The groups brought together Jews of all de-
nominations in frank, but wonderful discussion.
It was the highlight of the week's work for many.
This is what Ms. Cardin is pointing to. We are
a family that needs to be reined back into our Ju-
daism. We do a great job of fund raising. But what
are we fund raising for, if there's no central iden-
tity, no core. Let's get back to that nucleus called
Judaism. Let's heed Ms. Cardin's word. Let's do it
now.

THE DE TRO I T J EWIS H NEWS

U.S. Is Key To Peace Talks

4

Tithe Arab-Israeli peace talks are to succeed, the
United States will have to take a far more active
role in the upcoming tenth round, scheduled to re-
sume in Washington next week. Otherwise, the
whole process may be doomed to failure.
Recent history indicates that no major Arab-Is-
rael accord has been achieved without aggressive
U.S. involvement, from ceasefires ending hostili-
ties to the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement of
1979. Both sides need American pressure to make
concessions and to provide political cover for the
folks at home. In effect, the Israelis and Arabs are
asking Washington to twist their arms and, so far,
Washington has refused.
It's not difficult to see why the Clinton admin-
istration has not focused its attention on the
Mideast peace talks. The White House has always
stressed the domestic agenda, which is not going
well. And judging from the administration's han-
dling of the war in Bosnia, there is much uncer-
tainty over how involved the U.S. should be in
foreign affairs.
The administration may be unwilling or unable
to turn its attention to the Mideast talks and com-
mit Secretary of State Warren Christopher to
spending much of his time on the negotiations, but

that's what is required if the next round is to make
any progress.
Israel believes the Palestinian delegation is weak
and needs U.S. intervention and that President
Assad of Syria must be forced to show his hand
and explain what a "full peace" means. The Arabs
no doubt want the U.S. to prod Israel to connect
Palestinian self-rule to the final disposition of the
territories.
If the next round is productive, it would be a
positive step for the peace talks to shift from Wash-
ington to the Mideast— specifically Amman, Dam-
ascus, Beirut and Jerusalem — so that the peoples
of the region would come to appreciate that these
talks represent a political reality.
In the meantime, the Clinton administration
will have to determine whether it is willing to com-
mit more actively to the Washington talks. It may
be tempted not to take another risk when the do-
mestic front is fragile and a coherent policy on
Bosnia has yet to be formulated. But the oppor-
tunity to make progress on the Mideast crisis is
there, and it won't come again soon. What's clear
is that if there is going to be any progress, it's only
going to come through the full participation of the
U.S.

Letters

Darchei Torah
Needs Support

On behalf of the Yeshivas
Darchei Torah PTA, I would
like to commend you on the
May 14 article and editorial re-
garding funding from the Fed-
eration for Yeshivas Darchei
Torah. A walk through the halls
would certainly convince one of
the vitality of this school! The
children's artwork, and compo-
sitions in English and Hebrew
abound.
Darchei Torah has applied to
the Federation for funding for
the past three years. Each time
our appeal has been deferred.
Darchei Torah is an asset to the
community adding to the Jew-
ish community and attracting
new families to town.
Darchei Torah is doing its
share to educate our children,,
but it cannot be done without
the community's support. Let's
not continue to shelve this im-
portant decision.
Darchei Torah, an institution
of which we can all be proud, de-
serves and needs the commu-
nity's support.

Mrs. Breindy Weiss
President, Darchei Torah PTA

A Proposal For
Yom Hashoah

I propose the following idea to
enhance the observance of Holo-
caust Remembrance Day.
Armbands with a yellow Star
of David or a similar button
should be worn conspicuously
during the day by all individu-
als throughout the world desir-
ing to show their solidarity with
the victims and their opposition
to Nazism and the revisionist
movement.
Perhaps instead of, or in ad-
dition to the Jude that appeared
on the bands, a name of a vic-
tim can be displayed. The sale
and distribution of the bands
should be controlled through
one organization (with a com-
puterized list of the victims),
with the proceeds being used to
further education about, and re-
membrance of, the Holocaust.
Let's see how many righteous
individuals will wear the star,
like those voluntarily doing so
during the Nazi era: the king of
Denmark, who actually wore
one, or Raoul Wallenberg, who

spiritually wore one. After all,
the price will be cheap, unlike
for the victims who were forced
to wear it.

Martin Leaf
West Bloomfield

Jewish Youth
Volunteers

I recently had the privilege of
presiding at the eighth annual
Youth Recognition Breakfast
sponsored by the Farmington
Youth Assistance. The break-
fast honored students in the
Farmington/Farmington Hills
area in the 7th-12th grades who
volunteer their time and ener-
gy to various agencies both pub-
lic and private.
I was disheartened at the fact
that this year, as in the past,
less than 10 percent of the en-
tries were Jewish students:(
Therefore, I can only conclude
the following regarding today's
Jewish youth:
1. There are no Jewish stu-
dents who do meaningful vol-
unteer work that live in the
Farmington/Farmington Hill
area.
2. Our educators, communi-
ty leaders, youth advisers, and
rabbis feel it is not worth them
time to fill out the necessary
one-page form.
3. Jewish leaders are not in,
touch with what's happening in
our communities, or worse yet,
with our youth.
Hopefully next year if the
problem revolves around #2 or
#3, our leaders will extend
themselves to seek out the Jew t,
ish students in their organiza-\
tions who have given generously
of their time and submit their
names when they are called (I
upon next February. -
If, however, the problem re-
volves around #1 (and I'm sure
this is not the case), then oui(
Jewish community is in a sad
state. Helping one another has
always been part of our heritage
and it adds immeasurably to
the personal growth of each in-
dividual.
Our young Jewish volunteer
be recognized for their
conscientious work every day and
should be allowed the "glory" of
community recognition as well.

Jean Alspector
Chairman,
Farmington Youth Assistance