DANIEL GHERKIN

JON'S STORY page 103

FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE

West Bloomfield • Commerce • Keego Harbor • Wolverine Lake • Orchard Lake

"We are writing to support Daniel Cherrin, our
pro-choice candidate running for State
Representative in West Bloomfield, Commerce
Township, Orchard Lake, Wolverine Lake and
Keego Harbor.
. . . Dan has the energy to fight the established
elite on issues affecting women and children.
He has an open mind and will listen to all sides
of an issue and then make his decision based on
listening to those sides."

Best Wishes and Thanks!

iRepreserM'steMaxine Berman

*eze c., / eec/c_.

Seriator Lana PollaCk

•
-
'';
Representaiive Mary Brown

IV
t imkir -2- 29,eS4 146

/e-CL,-LaZ

ienlative Lynn Rivers

attd:tor DebbieSalinOw

Represelisdive Mary Schrcrer

eaunitt

Representative Alma Stallworth

-

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104

28843 Orchard Lake Road, S. of 13 Mile Rd.
Farmington Hills • 553-0660

he was different came when Jon being controlled by well-fed white their hair long and not smoking
was 9. The beth din had been policemen cruising the area in dope. All they seemed to think
making enquiries into adopted well-equipped police cars.
about was their career and how
Jewish babies and had found his
"It was not even a question of they could best serve their coun-
birth certificate. Members wrote being Zionist or anti-Zionist. I try," he says.
a letter informing his parents was unemployed in the UK and
A few weeks after his return to
that his natural mother was did not want to stay there," he Britain, Mr. Bradley says he re-
Catholic. They genuinely be- says of his move to Israel. "I could ceived a letter from the Israeli au-
lieved, however, that his natural speak fluent Hebrew and had thorities stating that his presence
father was a Syrian Jew. This better chances of finding a job in in Israel was considered unde-
still required a conversion, but it Israel."
sirable, that he had been "listed"
was another three years, Mr.
In Israel, Mr. Bradley imme- and might be prevented from re-
Bradley says, before this could diately found a job teaching Eng- turning. (Mr. Bradley did, how-
take place because the beth din lish in Bat Yam. He never got to ever, return to Israel for a week's
did not consider his father ob- know other olim in the absorp- visit earlier this year to take part
servant enough to guide a child tion center as they went to in a documentary film about his
through the conversion period.
Hebrew classes while he went to life.)
"I was actually quite religious," work. Yet because his pay was so
Morris Singer of the British
Mr. Bradley says. "I could read low, Mr. Bradley found it neces- Olim Society says, "According to
Hebrew and bits of the Mishnah, sary to stay at the center for the our records and sociological and
but my father, instead of going to whole of his 11-month stay in psychological reports, Mr. Rosen-
shul on Shabbos, would go to the Israel. This turned out to be one thal suffered psychological prob-
pub or to football matches."
of the loneliest and most seclud- lems in Israel, and in order to
When he was 12, Jon went to ed periods in his life. "I would help him as much as possible, the
the beth din offices in London, come home from the school, cook opinion was that he would recieve
where he was asked questions on myself a meal, sunbathe on the better help in his own language
religious laws and practices. roof or on the beach, and then sit and in his own country."
When the rabbis were convinced in my room, listening to the radio,
After his experiences in Israel,
he knew enough to be converted, reading Bialik or studying Israeli Mr. Bradley resolved to find out
he was taken to a doctor's surgery history."
his real family background. After
in Stoke Newington and given a
Mr. Bradley insists he made a a few months, he managed to
ritual circumcision.
point of not becoming involved in contact his mother, who wrote
By the time he went to college, any kind of politics during his him the truth about his father's
Mr. Bradley's religious beliefs
identity. He changed his name
were on the wane. Though he still
from Ian Rosenthal to Jonathan
classified himself as culturally
Bradley.
Jewish, he invariably began to
Resolving to meet his mother,
feel more comfortable in a gentile
he got on his motorbike and
environment.
drove the 200 miles from Leeds,
First, he studied psychology at
where he was then living, to see
Hull University, but left after a
her in London.
term. He became president of the
'When I rang the doorbell, she
Jewish Society, where he was ex-
was mopping the floor as the
pected to pay automatic lip ser-
dishwasher had flooded. It was a
vice to Zionism and the State of
very natural meeting, and ever
Israel, he says. Instead, Mr.
since we've had a very good rela-
Bradley began reading the works stay in Israel. But he thinks he tionship."
of anti-Zionist Israelis like Uri drew the Israeli authorities' at-
Things did not develop quite
Davis and Uri Avneri. At Leeds tention because of his isolation so spontaneously with his father.
University, he joined the Pales- and, as his skin darkened, being "I rang him first, and we met sev-
tinian Students Society.
increasingly taken for an Arab.
eral times with his family in his
"This was the time after the
"Even Palestinians or the Arab flat in one of the more exclusive
Sabra and Shatila massacres, Jews in the center would come up parts of London," Mr. Bradley
and I supported a motion con- to me and start talking in Arabic. says. Yet because his father was
demning the massacres as geno- I remember so much wanting to a member of the Kuwaiti gov-
cide," he says. "Many of my communicate, but my Arabic just ernment, Mr. Bradley had to
Jewish socialist friends found it was not good enough."
promise to keep the relationship
difficult to support socialism and
The only really unpleasant in- secret.
Zionist nationalism at the same cident he remembers was being
Mr. Bradley has appeared in
time. I resolved the dilemma by picked on in a bus by Israeli sol- countless feature articles, the
refusing to support the national- diers he says obviously thought BBC has made a documentary
ism."
he was a Palestinian. Petrified, about him and financially he is
In 1986, Mr. Bradley immi- Mr. Bradley whipped out his quite well off now, having sold the
grated to Israel. Why is it then British passport. The corporal im- rights to his story to an indepen-
that a committed anti-Zionist mediately apologized, explaining dent television company. He
makes aliyah? One reason dates they had thought he was an hopes the story of his life will be
to a progressive jazz group, which Arab.
made into a Hollywood feature
Mr. Bradley managed after col-
"But I recall thinking, what if film, and he is aiming to have his
. lege. When the group's sax player I were? No one should have to put autobiography published with-
collapsed on stage with what up with that."
in the next 18 months.
turned out to be a brain tumor,
Eventually, Mr. Bradley —
In the end, Mr. Bradley feels
Mr. Bradley "saw two years of my who says his heritage often was he can make good use of his ex-
life go down the tubes and was questioned in Israel — heard periences by the work he does for
left feeling very empty."
from the British Olim Society in the Jewish Arab Dialogue in Eu-
He also felt Margaret Thatch- Tel Aviv, which suggested he rope group (JADE) in getting
er was turning Britain into a should go back to Britain and Jewish and Arab students talk-
racist police street, though in ret- think things over.
ing to one another.
rospect he admits it was a some-
At the time, Mr. Bradley
"It really is a healing process,"
what paranoid view. "I was back thought it was a good idea. "I felt he says. "The wound has been (–
in Liverpool-again. There had out of place there. I couldn't get gaping open for years and people
been riots in Toxteth and I saw used to seeing the military every- have internalized their mistrust
black kids with no hope or future where, or people not growing and hatred."

For reasons
unknown, Mr.
Bradley's adoptive
parents were told
the baby was
Jewish.

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