The Warmth of Family
The Elegance of Mansion Living!
Please Call Harriet Sarnofr Schiff at 363 4121 for more information and to arrange
our limousine to pick you up for a personal tour of our facility.
-
Bortz
Health Care
of Green Lake
Family owned and operated for over 33 years. Medicare approved.
6470 Alden Drive, Orchard Lake
(Less than 20 minutes from Maple & Orchard Lake Roads)
COLORWORKS STUDIO OF I \TERIOR DESIG\
GERMANY page 69
the Hilton hotel.What's more,
in her secular work environ-
ment, there are ways to express
her Jewish identity. Every year,
for example, the annual
Chanukah ball is held at the
Dusseldorf Hilton hoteL The ho-
tel is also the site for an annu-
al Israel Independence Day
celebration, a festive event with
music and dance performances.
Then, too, she encourages the
hotel's efforts to welcome Jew-
ish guests. "We want to show
that in Germany, Jewish
groups are very welcome," says
Ms. Israel, whose work involves
helping with group requests.
"We really welcome Jewish
travelers and cooperate with
them in every possible way."
Rabbi Michael Goldberger
has also made a choice to live in
Germany — and it might seem
a surprising choice, given his
history.
Even though he grew up in
Basel, Switzerland, which is
right on the German border, for
years he never set foot in Ger-
many. He is the son of a sur-
vivor: His mother was interred
at Auschwitz, and he had no
reason or desire to be in Ger-
many.
But in time his attitude
changed, especially when he
saw the need to serve a Jewish
community beyond the border.
Five years ago, he came to Dus-
seldorf as a youth leader for the
Jewish community, and two
years ago, he was appointed
rabbi of a congregation that now
numbers 2,300 and continues
to grow.
"For me, it was very impor-
tant to come here," says the rab-
bi, who lives here with his
Israel-born wife and his two
sons, ages 5 and 2, who were
both born in Germany.
He is well aware that his
family lives in an environment
where new-Nazi activity is on
the rise. In fact, the Jewish
cemetery of Dusseldorf has been
vandalized several times. But
he sees other realities of Ger-
many which he finds more com-
pelling.
"I knew all about the neo-
Nazis before I came, so all of
that was no surprise," he says.
"But what has been exciting for
me is that there are other Ger-
mans — young, serious Ger-
mans — who are active in
politics and searching for con-
tacts with Jews and who are
trying to understand their his-
tory.
"Almost every day, I am with
non Jews who want to know
about Judaism and to learn
about it in an open-minded way.
They're serious about history.
This, to me, is the most impor-
tant thing."
In fact, so great is the inter-
est that the rabbi has become
an unofficial ambassador of
sorts, serving as the most visi-
ble representative of the Jew-
ish community.
He often is on hand when
non-Jewish youth groups from
German schools and churches
visit the synagogue. "For most
of then, I'm the first Jew they've
ever seen in their lives," he says.
"And they are very interested
in Judaism."
Of course, he also gets Jew-
ish visitors and sometimes they
challenge him about the issue
of Jews in Germany. "Many Is-
raelis come here and say to me,
`Why don't the Jews here leave
Germany?' " relates the rabbi.
"But the reality is they are
here. So there are two possibil-
ities. Do we leave them alone,
or do we serve them? That's the
real question."
For Rabbi Goldberger, the
answer is clear. He is very sure
of his purpose and confident
about the choice he has made.
"It's nothing deep or profound,"
he says. "It's simple reality.
There are over 2000 Jews in
Dusseldorf today. I'm here to
serve them." ❑
Reform Movement
Wants Pollard Freed
As you've heard by now, we're making news in design! Whether it's planning your new home,
remodeling your existing one, or furnishing a room - we invite you to explore the difference
in interior design and encourage you to interview one of our designers for your next project.
Barbi Krass
allied member ASID
•
Linda Hudson
Linda Bruder
•
Wayne A. Bondy • Jo Meconi
The Courtyard
32500 Northwestern Highway • Farmington Hills • 851-7540
San Francisco (JTA) — The
Reform movement is urging
the U.S. government to
release Jonathan Pollard
from prison, extend "spousal
benefits" to gay and lesbian
partners and move its em-
bassy in Israel from Tel Aviv
to Jerusalem.
After some debate, the
overwhelming majority of
the 4,000 delegates atten-
ding the Union of American
Hebrew Congregations'
biennial convention here
passed a resolution asking
President Clinton to corn-
mute Mr. Pollard's sentence
to time served.
Mr. Pollard, a former
civilian Navy analyst, was
sentenced to life in prison
after pleading guilty to
delivering classified infor-
mation to Israel. He has
served more than seven
years in federal prison,
much of it in solitary con-
finement. ❑