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School Days, School Daze

Welcome to the wonderful world of Jewish edu-
cation in Michigan. If you look at the front cov-
er of this issue of The Jewish News, you can see
on one page what is right and what is wrong with
this community's efforts to teach our youngsters
Jewishly.
On one side, we read about a national con-
vention of young women who attend Bais Yaa-
cov schools. More than 400 met last weekend in
Detroit and spent their days here learning, so-
cializing and having fun together, in a Jewish
environment.
On the other side you can read about 20 young
Orthodox women who spend part of each school
day learning without teachers in an effort to save
dollars.
School is still out on whether the Lubavitch
cheder's tacit cooperation with the controversial
Noah Webster Academy is good for the girls. It
is interesting to note that, according to one par-
ent who is also a teacher at the Lubavitch boys
school, "you need to have a more easily self-mo-
tivated group" and the boys don't fit into that
category. Do all the girls?
The bottom line remains money. The Lubav-
itch cheder and its families have found a way to
soften the blow of helping to pay for others' pub-

lic school education — through taxes — and at
the same time pay for the education of their own.
It is a major problem faced by every family that
chooses parochial education for its youngsters.
The Lubavitch solution might gain wider ac-
ceptance if the doctrine of "separate but equal"
did not have grave historic overtones in the Unit-
ed States. Some would argue that Lubavitch
families have the right to choose what is right
for their children. Others, including a consor-
tium of local Jewish organizations, worry that
charter schools in Michigan will siphon funding
from the state's public schools to fund private
and religious schools.
Despite a circuit court ruling this month strik-
ing down public funding of charter schools, school
is still out on the issue. The same can be said
about Jewish education in general.
Unless the Detroit Jewish community imple-
ments all of the recommendations of its Giles
Commission, increasing the number of Jewish
schools it funds and doubling its funding to
schools, there will be more cheders looking for
creative, make-do approaches. For the future of
Jewish children and our community, this would
be a tragic mistake.

The Ride Ahead

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Fasten your seat belts, ladies and gentlemen: The
ride over the next two years will be rocky and un-
pleasant. You may have thought that the first
half of Bill Clinton's tenure in Washington was
marked by sniping between Republicans and De-
mocrats, but what's ahead will be war, war, war
— and not too many prisoners will be taken.
Apparently, what the new Republican Lords
of Capitol Hill, especially Speaker of the House-
to-be Newt Gingrich, have in mind is to lay land
mines between their just-expanded turf — and
the shrunken territory to which the Democrats
now barely cling. There will be meanness of the
sort that can make politics seem like a martial
art, not the "art of compromise," as it's often called
by political scientists. And there will be a pan-
dering to instincts that are patently antithetical
to Jewish interests.
Item: The new Republican majority has pledged
to hold hearings around the country on a consti-
tutional amendment that would reintroduce
prayers in public schools — and to vote on the
matter by next July 4.
Not only has the Supreme Court consistently
upheld the wisdom of banning prayers from pub-
lic schools, but the very concept flies in the face of
church-state separation. Moreover, in a nation
where the majority is overwhelmingly Christian,
opening the door to school prayer almost, by de-
finition, closes the door to parity to other religions.
Item: Rep. Gingrich already has formed an ad-
visory committee on Family Quality of Life for the
House of Representatives. On it are several House
members, plus spouses and children of members.
The committee's intention, said the congressman,

is to make the House "friendly for human beings."
Its first job is to rejuggle the House schedule to
better coincide with recesses in the school year.
This is a fine task: Family life in America should
be improved and Capitol Hill politicos should help
pave the way. But apparently, the children of rep-
resentatives are a special case and Mr. Gingrich's
"warm and humane" approach extends only so
far: The Republicans have their budgetary sights
on Head Start, the most popular program ever
devised for poor kids, and on Medicaid, a key
health program for the poor. Mr. Gingrich has
even said that the Americans with Disabilities
Act (and other "compassionate excesses" of the
Bush years) are suspect. So much for the GOP's
"warmth."
Item: On Monday, Pennsylvania's Arlen Spec-
tor, the only Jewish Republican in the Senate, as-
sailed the "far-right fringe" for hijacking his party.
Sen. Spector, a probable presidential candidate
in 1996, probably is casting about for a niche for
himself. But his words convey a certain truth —
and a certain apprehension. Some Republican
leaders surely will use last week's vote to frus-
trate the White House — and to split the Amer-
ican people. The former is politics at its worst; the
latter is a distant cousin of outright demagoguery.
Nov. 8's balloting may have reflected a deep dis-
satisfaction in the nation, but it did not give any-
one a license to divide and conquer. So, please,
ladies and gentlemen, until reason prevails: Do
not — under any circumstances — unbuckle your
seat belts.
This warning has been a public service. Thank
you.

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Opinion

Thanksgiving
And Torah

RABBI BERNARD S. RASKAS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

ews and Judaism have
played a significant role in
the creation of that Amer-
ican holiday of Thanksgiv-
ing. Although there are many
myths about Thanksgivings ori-
gins, the fact is that it was first
celebrated on July 30, 1623, by
the Pilgrims. Yet interestingly
enough, the Pilgrims based
much of their faith on what they
termed The Old Testament and
even tried to model their com-
munity and culture after the an-
cient Hebrew civilization. They
were convinced that Native
Americans were the lost 10
Tribes of Israel and that New
England was the "promised
land."
Small wonder that in this at-
mosphere a holiday would evolve
to express gratitude through
sharing and caring. The verse for
this day was found in the Book
of Leviticus (23:39): "When you
have gathered in the bounties of
the land, you shall observe a fes-
tival of God." Although Jews call
this festival Sukkot, it is also ap-
propriate to call it "Thanksgiv-
ing. ”
Look up the word "thanksgiv-
ing" in the Jewish Encyclopedia.
For the entry, "thanksgiving," no
explanation is given, only the
statement: `Thanksgiving — See
Benedictions."
This is a fundamental insight
of Judaism on the method of
teaching the concept of gratitude.
Every time we enjoy a gift of
God's world, we say a berachah
(a "blessing") and offer thanks-
giving. For Jews, Thanksgiving
doesn't come just one day of the
year. Rather, every day is an oc-
casion for thanksgiving.
There is an old Jewish tradi-
tion that a pious Jew recites 100
blessings every day. This means
that 100 times a day there is an
opportunity to give thanks for all
good things in life.

j

Bernard S. Raskas is rabbi
emeritus of the Temple of
Aaron, St. Paul, Minn.

Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving did not become
a national holiday until 240
years after the time of the Pil-
grims. In 1863, Abraham Lin-
coln proclaimed the last
Thursday in November the day
of observance. His proclamation
began with the words, "In the
midst of a civil war of unequaled
and severe magnitude ..."
Thanksgiving's lesson is that
even in the midst of trouble, we
can find reason to be thankful.
Even when things look dark, we
can find glimmerings of hope and
light.
Similarly, we each have our
personal pack of troubles. But
each year we also get a little
stronger, a little wiser, a little
more philosophical — and each
year there are also simchas: bar
or bat mitzvah, a wedding, a
graduation, a promotion, friend-
ships to share, birthdays and
memories of good times gone by,
but never forgotten.
That is why Judaism teach-
es that though ultimately all the
prayers may be abolished,
prayers of thanksgiving will still
be needed.
A person can attain notoriety
or fame or acquire a vast fortune
or power, and yet his or her life
is not necessarily a blessing.
Blessing occurs only when we
use our substance for others. To
keep what we have for ourselves
alone is simply greatness. Using
it for others turns it into a bless-
ing.
One Thanksgiving season, a
U.S. Army general wanted to
send greetings to every unit scat-
tered across six continents. But
cables were then limited in
length, so he was forced to con-
fine his message to a single word.
What would 'best express the
spirit and challenge of Thanks-
giving? He finally made his
choice: "Others."
This affirms that what we do
for others ultimately determines
our true meaning in life and
whether we will be a blessing. 0

