SYRIA TO
ISRAEL
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Why Do We Care So Much
About The Unimportant?

Sixty Rwandan children were herded into a pit
and gunned down. Little children who should
have been playing or learning in school, who de-
pended on the protection of their parents.
Yet do we look to gain more information about
the killers or the victims? As Jews, do we de-
mand more be done to have this stopped?
Weren't we the ones critical that enough wasn't
being said 50 years ago when our relatives were
murdered by the Nazis and buried in similar
mass graves?
We know that a former football star, who once
could outrun the biggest and the best on the field,
was tackled by his own defenses last week.
But do we know that former President Jim-
my Carter visited North Korea last week to halt
a nuclear time bomb that has the potential to
destroy this earth?
You don't think so?
Look into the accounts being written of Third-
World countries aching for what North Korea
has and knows. Check out the terrorist groups,
the mob activity in Russia. Imagine a nuclear
device in the hands of say, Hamas or Hezbollah.
Some of us know O.J. Simpson's cellular phone
number by now.
Do you know that Yassir Arafat wanted to
make his grand entrance to Jericho and Gaza
via Jerusalem's Al Aksa mosque, one of Islam's
holiest shrines? He apparently backed off at this
time, not seeking provocations that will jeop-
ardize the peace process.
National newspapers had O.J. Simpson head-
lines as numerous and as big as those printed
during the signing of the Israeli-Palestinian
peace accords or even during the Persian Gulf
War.
Did you know that at an NAACP conference
in Baltimore the issue of black empowerment
and solidarity superseded any real talks on the
black-Jewish agenda? Did you know that in
Howell, an entire community came out to stand
in solidarity against a KKK rally?
Probably not, because for many of us the black-
Jewish and anti-Semitism agenda of the week
was that O.J.'s attorney is Jewish and that the
man he is accused of murdering was Jewish.
Why are we so starved for these issues that

take us away from the work that needs be done
and makes us see other peoples' suffering as our
own entertainment? If it's not O.J. Simpson, it's
the Menendez brothers. If it's not Jim and Tam-
my Faye, it's Jeffrey Dahmer. Some of us didn't
even hug and kiss our children good night last
night, yet we know that O.J. requested a cervi-
cal collar because he didn't sleep well his first
night in jail.
Does this issue really bring more sensitivity
to spousal abuse and to the victimization of
women and children? Maybe it does. But just
maybe these sensational issues are fueled and
refueled because we give them so much atten-
tion.
These are distractions. They don't enrich our
lives. They don't teach us to be better husbands
and wives or parents or children. They keep us
from facing ourselves, and the acts themselves
have a tendency to wear off.
The ability to hit, to hate and now to kill can
be seen every day should we choose to view it on
television. Pick up the remote and take a look;
it will always be there. Let's learn that the real
issues, the real sensational story should be that
we're working on ourselves.
Because O.J. Simpson allegedly committed
this crime shouldn't make us feel better about
ourselves. Maybe it will drive more men and
women to seek abuse therapy.
Whether it does or not, we can all start by do-
ing "sensational" acts. That doesn't mean call-
ing the networks and getting prime-time
coverage. It means holding a hand. It means lis-
tening to and hearing a child, spouse or friend.
It means trying to be better.
What happens to O.J. Simpson shouldn't be
given so much time in our lives. Feel sorry for
the children, the dead, the innocent.
But give your energy to your own life and to
your family and community. There's so much
work to be done, so many Jewish and world caus-
es that can use all of us to help.
Your efforts won't make the nightly news. You
don't need them to.
Changing, growing, making an attempt at
something positive?
Now, that's sensational news.

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1111• ■ •

Letters

Expanding On
The Word `Sandek'

outside pressure, ostracized the
late Rabbi Kahane for his racist
views. Contrast that with the in-
your-face "we shall not be dic-
I read "Tell Me Why" each week tated to" response the Jewish
and find it very informative. I community received from the
was happy to see the question re- NAACP leaders.
garding the Sandek and I took
The final paragraph of the ed-
the liberty to share some addi- itorial contains a plaintive hope
tional facts.
that the legitimacy bestowed on
The word, "Sandek" (with Yid- Mr. Farrakhan by the NAACP
dish inflection; "Sandak" in He- will cause him to moderate his
brew) is derived from the Greek, views. Good Lord! Is this how a
meaning "companion to the fa- respected voice of the Jewish
ther." The Sandak, the one who community reacts to a latter-day
holds the baby firm for the Mo- Julius Streicher being accepted
hel, is often an honor bestowed into the inner circle of black lead-
upon a grandparent. However, a ers? Did we lose our ability to feel
widely held practice has this hon- anger? Or did we become too "civ-
or given to the most learned sage ilized" to express it? When the
in the community, and there is need arose to galvanize the feel-
no law ruling out any other fam- ings of the community, you
ily members or friends from this sounded an uncertain trumpet.
important role.
Henry Starkman
The term "Godparent" is most
Bloomfield Hills.
closely related to the honor of
Kvater (male) and Kvaterin (fe-
male) who usher the baby from Another Club
the mother to the Sandak. These For Jewish Bikers
terms are altered forms of the
German word "Gevatter" (godfa- We read with interest your en-
ther).
joyable article on the M.O.T. mo-
Cantor Howard K Glantz torcycle group in last week's
Farmington Hills paper.
Your readers should know,
however, that there is a second
Circle Wagons
group of Jewish Motorcycle Rid-
With Disbelief
ers here in town.We meet every
Sunday at the Big Boy at Maple
I read your June 10, 1994, edito- and Orchard Lake roads,
rial "Circling the Wagons..." with promptly at 8:30 a.m. for break-
disbelief. It dealt with a serious fast and a ride.
matter, i.e. the NAACP's invita-
Our group is not limited to
tion of Mr. Farrakhan to a lead- Harley riders: we welcome men
ership conference, in a manner and women of all levels of riding
which was both flippant and experience and all types of bikes.
spineless.
Our group is varied, interesting
It started out by referring to people and we hope some of you
him as "among top enemies du readers will join us.
jour," and went on to say that "al-
Sy Freilich
most relentlessly he and they (i.e.
West Bloomfield
American Jews) have been
locked in verbal combat." How is P.S. If we rode Harleys, we would
that for even-handedness? Ap- call ourselves B'nai Davidson!
parently there is no need to dis-
tinguish between the attacker
The Best Interest.
and the attacked.
The editorial went on to draw Of Israel's Citizens
another parallel. Just as the
Jews, when faced with external We do the State of Israel a dis-
dangers, drew together, so the service by assuming their "elect-
NAACP, concerned with the ed" government has the best
grave state of the black commu- interests of its citizens in mind
nity, invited Mr. Farrakhan to when negotiating with the PLO
the Baltimore "summit." For the (David Gad-Harf, op-ed, 647/94).
sake of preserving the desired Israel's is a peculiar democracy
symmetry, no mention was made which could not be more differ-
that Jewish leaders, without any CITIZENS page 10

