`Tachlis' About The GA

A great deal of thought and planning went into
the structure and design of this year's Council of
Jewish Federations General Assembly, held last
week in Montreal.
For many Jews, who don't know what the GA
is all about and frankly don't care, that there were
3,000 delegates from all over the world address-
ing issues of Jewish concern is not necessarily their
concern.
Especially for those who have no relationship
with federations or hold that the organizations
are elitist, there isn't much thought given to a con-
vention such as the GA. There isn't much thought
that this is a Jewish governing body that helps
raise over $1 billion collectively a year, sending
a significant portion to Israel.
Before we start regarding the word "continu-
ity" as somewhat of a cliche, the GA organizers
need to pay close attention to a groundswell of ac-
tivity that did not appear in their plenary. At the
well structured meeting on intermarriage, for ex-
ample, we heard from the experts on the topic of
intermarriage. The forum was even titled, "In-
termarriage: Let's Talk Tachlis." Tachlis means
the truth or what is really happening here. It's a
word meant to get to the core of an issue.
Here's the point. The tachlis wasn't spoken un-
til the experts were done speaking and real, live

intermarried people came to the audience micro-
phone and asked where they fit in when it came
to continuity. If tachlis is to be spoken, then some-
one intermarried should be part of a panel on in-
termarriage. Someone who is a divorced woman,
facing a challenge with receiving aget should sit
on the panel on women. On issues of the family
and single parenting, the best experts are fami-
ly members and single parents.
We spent too much time at this GA talking
about people, instead of involving them. Year af-
ter year of "expert" testimony and we're still los-
ing Jews as well as Jewish interest. We suggest
and we demand that some of the GA forums and
workshops be turned into town meetings. These
meetings would include the psychologists, statis-
tical experts and clergy. But they would also in-
clude the real experts: the single Jewish women
of 35 with an eye on the biological time clock who
are on the edge of intermarriage, or the Jew suf-
fering from AIDS, and others.
It's time to cease talking from the podium to us
instead of sharing life experiences among us. Then
maybe more Jews will care that there's such a
thing as a federation or a CJF. Instead of a part-
nership based on a dollar contribution, they'd feel
a partnership of concern and action.

Remembering The Meaning
Brightens The Holidays

If Thanksgiving gives us a brief opportunity to re-
member what we should be grateful for, what kind
of holiday do we create on the day after Thanks-
giving?
Today can mark the beginning of a depress-
ing month for many, including Jews, other non-
Christians, and even Christians. Shopping centers
are packed to their parking lots' outer limits.
Stores, which began festooning their walls with
Christmas decor before Halloween, beckon the
masses for this most important of sales seasons.
Yet something is amiss, something we Jews
have labeled the December Dilemma. But the
Dilemma has expanded to include all peoples, both
Christian and non-Christian, as the Christmas

season explodes upon us again.
"Sale, sale, sale" seems to have replaced "Peace
on earth, good will toward men." "Chanukah gelt,
frankincense and myrrh" have become more im-
portant than the Christian aspects of Christmas
and the religious freedom basis for Chanukah.
Michigan may have gloomy skies in November
and December, but that glodrn is easily dispelled
if we remember the foundations of our holidays
and feel comfortable with who we are and what
our people stand for. Only then do the glare of
Christmas lights and Chanukah wrapping paper
soften and take on the warmth of the seasons they
represent.

Dry Bones

■

If

Letters

Endangering
Borman Elderly

We are dismayed and disap-
pointed at the decision to
close Borman Hall before a
new Jewish Home for Aged is
built to take in our old, sick
and frail Jewish community.
We feel, as Jews, our pri-
orities have gone amok. Our
old, sick and poor must be our
first priorities. The residents
at Borman Hall have a right
to be kept in a Jewish atmos-
phere as a group, but accord-
ing to the proposals by the
board they will be dispersed
and abandoned.
We would like to add that
most of the staff are dedi-
cated and compassionate
caregivers. Their association
with the residents at Borman
Hall are of life-sustaining
value. They seem to be totally
forgotten and ignored.
It is a well known fact that
a change in environment by
frail and frightened people
could kill them, and the
residents at Borman Hall are
frail and frightened. We must
not permit our community to
contribute to the death of our
loved ones as human beings
and Jews.

Jeannette Wartel
Sarah Peters

Little Information
On Borman Hall

As you know, the joint boards
of the Jewish Federation and
the Jewish Home for Aged
have resolved to close Bor-
man Hall. The family mem-
bers and residents of this
establishment sincerely hope
that the members of the Jew-
ish community will not allow
this to happen!
We are shocked that a
close and caring community
such as this is ready to aban-
don over 150 frail elderly.
Both family members and
concerned citizens have list-
ed some of our reservations
regarding the shameful way
this situation is being han-
dled.
A Jewish nursing facility
that meets our present pop-

ulation's needs and will
realistically look at future
population growth must be
maintained. Continuous serv-
ice is a vital necessity to our
community that must be
established until the Elder
Care Options Committee can
provide a different Jewish
facility for our frail elderly.
The open letter sent by the
joint boards to the commu-
nity was exceedingly vague
regarding the future of the
150+ residents at Borman
Hall. There is no other kosher
facility that can service these
residents. The National
Council of Jewish Women
Meals on Wheels program
presently only provides two
meals a day, Monday through
Friday. How will the kosher
frail elderly be fed if they are
placed in a non-kosher set-
ting?
How were the members of
this Elder Care Option Com-
mittee chosen? What are
their qualifications? Why are
there no resident's family
members on this committee?
The members of the Elder
Care Options Committee
have no ties nor have they
shown concern for these 150+
members of our Jewish com-
munity. When and how will
residents, family members
and dedicated staff be noti-
fied of issues relating to Bor-
man. Hall?
Is this how the Jewish
community shows respect,
care, love and support for the
aged members of our society?
Remember that these resi-
dents of Borman Hall were
former supporters of Jewish
causes in the metropolitan
area. We can't let down these
dependent seniors!
The community must let
their voices be heard and
speak out loudly in support
of a Jewish facility that will
allow for all the present and
future frail elderly who need
skilled nursing care. Who
knows, any of us may need
this type of care in the future.

Susann Kauffman,
Midge Appel,
Mollie Diamond,
Nancy Cohen