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Freedom Isn't Free;
Hard Work Behind The Holiday
"I love Passover."
"I hate Passover."
"I love the seders, but I wish we could just fast
for one day after they're over, rather than keep-
ing Passover for the whole week." (As if a deal
might somehow be brokered ... )
Passover is no different than any other topic
in the Jewish community: 10 of us will inevitably
have 11 opinions. And the differences in our fam-
ilies' traditions are no less prolific. (See Passover
section, page 40.) From the time we begin rid-
ding our houses of chametz until the moment
kiddush is recited at the beginning of the first
seder, we each deal with preparations a little dif-
ferently. Some of us pack up and head to a rel-
ative's, others depend on some combination of
Manischewitz and caterers, and a strong few
head to the back yard to dig up the horserad-
ish to be grated.
From that first cup of wine until the last verse
of "Chad Gadya," different practices abound. One
family leaves Elijah's cup empty until the mo-
ment they each spill a little wine from their own
cup into that one. Some have seders filled with
music while others forgo Maxwell House's can-
onized version for a more casual retelling of the
exodus from Egypt.
The foods we eat during the week that follows
vary somewhat from home to home. Some attempt
to make everything they wish to consume out of
matzah meal while others devour everything they
can without depending on bread, leavened or not.
"Tumult" is the word that crops up most in de-
scribing this entire Passover season. It is a good
kind of tumult. The holiday throws our homes
into tumult as we cleanse them, and it throws
our schedules into tumult as we adjust them
to accommodate gathering our families togeth-
er (often now from far geographical reaches).
It may even cause tumult for our checkbooks as
we check out at the grocery stores. All of this tu-
mult is good because it causes tumult in our
minds, as we question our most basic assump-
tions.
Freedom? It goes without saying that we en-
joy more freedom than the history of the world
has ever seen. But as we retell the story of our
exodus from Egypt — as we are bound, as the
Haggadah says, to regard ourselves as if we each
had personally been freed from bondage — we
are reminded both of our abundant indepen-
dence and of our fellow human beings who have
yet to enjoy the same freedoms. Just as we nor-
mally take for granted our morning bagel, we
usually take for granted our freedom. For this
one tumultuous week, we eat matzah and thank
God for liberty.
You may find 11 opinions from 10 people at
your seder table about the quality of different
matzah-ball recipes or the enjoyment (or lack
thereof) of the tastes of Passover's other unique
foods, but no one will dispute the sweet taste of
freedom.
Honest Talk
Tragically, death and terror have become com-
monplace for Israelis. Sunday, eight more citizens
of the Jewish state died and 47 were injured by
Gaza's seemingly relentless suicide attackers. In
news reports, we read the heart-wrenching words
of Ezra Mordechai, a security officer in a nearby
Gaza settlement, one of the first on the scene. `The
bus was full of blood," he said. "We hosed it down,
and a stream of blood flowed to the ground."
U.S. President Bill Clinton responded with a
promise "to exert all possible efforts to insure a
just, comprehensive and lasting peace." If he in-
tends to honor such a pledge, those who care about
peace for Israel ought to encourage him to push
the Israeli government to address a difficult is-
sue. The Rabin government has treated Jewish
settlers on the West Bank and in Gaza with dis-
dain. But they, too, are citizens of Israel.
In fact, many were lured to the area, in addition
to religious reasons, with promises of inexpensive
housing by successive Labor and Likud govern-
ments. Now, the Rabin government is negotiating
to relinquish control over much of the territory cap-
tured during the 1967 Six-Day War. All along, blood
flows from the very earth that the settlers, repre-
senting a tiny minority in an overwhelmingly Arab
territory, insist is biblically their own.
One day, Mr. Rabin vows to protect the settlers,
citing the agreement with the Palestinians that
allows them to remain. The next, he insults them,
telling them, in so many words, to prepare to pack
their bags. It is unlikely that he shares the mes-
sianic view of the staunchest settlers. He no doubt
sees the territories as a political bargaining chip.
To a greater or lesser degree, we all feel an emo-
tional attachment to the land where King David
walked and Joshua did battle. But as we strug-
gle with this, we must grapple with the challenge
of maintaining both a Jewish state and a plu-
ralistic democracy concerned with the human
rights of its inhabitants.
There is neither an easy nor a quick answer to
this dilemma. But as Ori Orr, a former general
and head of the Knesset's foreign affairs and de-
fense committee said during his recent swing
through the United States — including Detroit
this week — neither biblical boundaries nor Pales-
tinian rights can be Israel's main concern. Secu-
rity, he said, is the paramount issue.
The Rabin government must no longer delay
the question of settlements. And the Clinton ad-
ministration, which has spoken out against those
who would interfere with peace, must push its
friends in Jerusalem toward an intensive public
debate, with civil parameters. In the meantime,
young Israeli lives continue to be sacrificed.
Letters
Recognizing
A Dismal Failure
whatever U.S. government is in
power and at the mercy of the
Arabs amongst and around
them. The Jewish people have
a long and tragic history of being
dependent upon the "kindness of
strangers." Was the State of Is-
rael founded to resume this pa-
thetic role?
Yes, the movement of the
American embassy to Jerusalem
is truly "symbolic." It symbolizes
that the U.S. is indeed a friend of
Israel. It says to the Arabs that
we all know that your Russian
mentor is now deceased. We
know that you have no love for
the Jews. But, if you want to par-
ticipate in the largess of the Unit-
ed States and have the United
States protect you from incur-
sions by your own brethren, you
will have to make a genuine
peace with Israel and give up on
the ideas of her phased destruc-
tion.
Leonard Fein in his "Embassy
Shuffle" continues the convolut-
ed logic that pervades the Ra-
bin/Peres/Beilin camp and the
so-called "most thoughtful peo-
ple" that blindly mouth their
views. Mr. Fein and his desig-
nated "thoughtful people" (I
guess the rest of us can't think)
declare that this is not the time
to ruffle any feathers and de-
mand the removal of the U.S.
Embassy to Jerusalem. Why? Be-
cause, it will disrupt the negoti-
ations and harm the U.S. image
as an "honest broker" in the
"peace process."
Never mind the dismal, now
boring to the uninvolved, facts on
the ground relative the "peace
process" — more Israelis killed
(129 to date), more friends of Is-
rael killed and irretrievably in-
Dr. J.S. Kaufman
timidated, total political and
Bloomfield Hills
economic chaos in the territories
handed over to Arafat, etc., etc.
Even the "most thoughtful peo-
ple" must admit that the "peace Taking A Look At
process" has been a dismal fail- `Thoughtful People'
ure.
Despite this, the present Is- Pat Robertson claims in his 1991
raeli government continues to book The New World Order that
give up more and more land, a movement of secular human-
make more and more concessions ist "liberal" Jews aims to destroy
and obtain nothing but heartache all true religion and the founda-
in return. What is even worse is tions of Western culture. Having
that Israel puts itself at greater read the Jewish News opinion
and greater existential risk at piece of Jewish establishment
every step.
bigwig Leonard Fein, arguing
There was a time, not long ago, that American Jews should fight
when Israel demanded face to to keep the U.S. embassy out of
face negotiations with its Arab Jerusalem ("Playing the Em-
counterparts with no intermedi- bassy Shuffle," March 17), I'm in-
aries. Israel also demanded the clined to agree with Mr.
right to defend its own land with Robertson.
its own blood so that there would
"Thoughtful people" must re-
be no question as to allegiance ject Jewish "formulaic orthodoxy"
and to the dedication to the sav- and tell Congress that moving the
ing of the country, and the sav- embassy is "a wretched idea," Mr.
ing of Jewish life. It assumed the Fein says. We who call Jerusalem
obvious right to declare its own "the eternal and united capital of
capital as Jerusalem and did. As Israel and only Israel" are "pre-
a result, the Israeli people were empting Palestinian claims to
proud, strong and perfectly ca- Jerusalem" and blocking "an
pable of defending themselves agreeable solution to the multiple
from these positions of strength. claims on Jerusalem." Mr. Fein
They did not suffer from the de- calls us "the noisy opponents of
nioralization and confusion that peace." But "most thoughtful peo-
now pervade the country.
ple in the pro-Israel camp" oppose
Now Mr. Fein and his desig- the embassy move, he says, and
nated "most thoughtful people" have been energetically lobbying
wish to place Israel in the posi- Congress to kill it.
tion of a client state totally de-
pendent upon the whims of TEZilanilii. PEOPLE page 12