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Rabbi Shares Insights
About Teaching God

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abbi David Wolpe, the son
of a rabbi, told a crowd of
religious-school teachers
that he grew up in an en-
vironment where God was sel-
dom discussed.
Even when he would volun-
teer to teach a Sunday school
class, the directors of the pro-
grams would suggest other sub-
jects to teach the children.
" 'Tell them about the Bible,
tell them about anti-Semitism,'
they would say. But never once
did they tell you to talk about
God," he told the group attend-
ing NIRIM's Erev Limud, a
mini-conference for Jewish ed-
ucators held Dec. 13 at Congre-
gation Shaarey Zedek.
"Judaism without God is like
a building starting on the sec-
ond floor. God is the foundation
of Judaism," he said. "We should
be talking about God."
Rabbi Wolpe, a nationally
known lecturer on the subject of
God, said parents and teachers
have trouble discussing the sub-
ject of God because they don't
consider themselves authorities
on the subject.
"Everybody really has his or
her own ideas about God, but
the same is true of politics. No-

Rabbi David Wolpe:
Teach children God.

body really knows about politics
but people don't hesitate to
share their views on politics," he
said.
But, he said, children want
and need to learn ideas about
God that will grow with them.
"Don't teach a child that God
is an old man on a throne," he
said. "They will reject that idea
out of hand as they get older and
say that religion is for children."
Rabbi Wolpe was one of five
workshop presenters at the con-
ference. Other teacher enrich-

ment workshops led by local
staff focused on teaching
prayers, building students' self-
esteem, celebrating Tu B'She-
vat, and multi-sensory discovery
of Israel.
Seventy teachers attended the
conference.
Following the lecture portion
of his workshop, Rabbi Wolpe
took questions from educators
who struggled with teaching cer-
tain aspects about God, such as
telling children about the Mes-
siah and explaining when bad
things happen to people.
Karyn Faber, a first-grade
teacher at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek, said she gained
insight from Rabbi Wolpe.
"I was pleasantly surprised
and impressed," she said. "He
gave a lot of good ideas I can use
in the classroom."
Robin Pappas, a second-grade
teacher at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek, said she too was
able to glean ideas from the pre-
sentation.
"He brought up a lot of good
points, things to think about,"
she said. "But I think I can use
more of what I learned tonight
in my own life than in the class-
room."

❑

Marvin Meltzer Wins
Democratic Chairmanship

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erhaps it was the marches
he went to with his father.
Maybe it was his work on
John Dingell's early cam-
Paigns.
Whatever the reason, politics
is in Marvin Meltzer's blond.
Last week Mr. Meltzer, a
Birmingham resident, was elect-
ed Oakland County Democratic
Party chair, defeating Eddie Mc-
Donald, a legislative aide to U.S.
Rep. Bob Carr. His term begins
in January, when he replaces out-
going chair Donald E. Tucker.
In a county that traditionally
votes Republican and in an elec-
tion year where being a Democ-
rat is not popular, Mr. Meltzer, a
self-employed executive/physi-
cian recruiter, is optimistic about
the future of his party.

p

"If you look at the heavily Re-
publican areas in Oakland Coun-
ty, statistically every third house
is Democratic. As we move to
strengthen our political activity,
it's important to remember we
once had control of the Oakland
County Board of Commissioners
and we almost won the county ex-
ecutive seat."
When Mr. Meltzer takes office
next month, he plans to work on
setting out a clear definition of
what the party stands for and ex-
panding its fund-raising base.
High on his priority list are
plans to work with the Young De-
mocrats to foster future leader-
ship, establish a platform
committee and promote "a gen-
uine discussion of issues." He also
talks about encouraging more

overall participation in the De-
mocratic Party. He already has
plans for a Democratic county

newsletter.
"As a party, we need to be
more creative," he said. "We are
not identified as the party with
the best ideas for meeting the
needs of the 21st century. Too of-
ten we talk about programs that
grew from the `30s and `60s.
"On social issues, we're still
identified as being too status quo
on welfare. There needs to be re-
form and we should be out in
front helping recipients and tax-
payers."
Mr. Meltzer, who has a long
history of political involvement,
signed on as an early supporter
of Bill Clinton during his bid for
the presidency. Also a supporter

