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Debating Decency
In Film And Other Media

Not too many people these days are saying, of trash. It's hard to find a film that won't make
"Hooray for Hollywood!" but a goodly portion are at least one member of the family blush (because
chanting, "Hooray for Dole," because the Kansas of the language, the violence, the sex), to find a
senator had the temerity to lash out against the song on the radio that isn't about promiscuity or
celluloid "nightmare of depravity" in cineplexes sheer carnality. (And it's getting more difficult
round the country.
to avoid songs about cop killing or that promote
But those who should be the first in line to sex.) Sometimes just standing in front of a mag-
shake Sen. Dole's hand are the professional film azine rack and looking at the covers of the lat-
critics, those who are paid to sit through film af- est periodicals provides a lesson in anatomy.
ter film, then guide we mere citizens through
The debate that Sen. Dole tried to initiate isn't
the labyrinth of movies aimed our way. The sen- necessarily about censorship. It's about good
ator has figured out how to make their lives eas- taste and decency, about the norms that any de-
ier: don't see films. Just talk about them. (Sen. cent society will tolerate and champion because
Dole admitted that he hadn't even seen such they are nurturing and sensible. The senator
films as True Lies and Natural Born Killers." may not have been the best person to speak
The former he called "friendly to the family," the about this issue: Apparently, he isn't much of a
latter he dismissed as "depravity." He was wrong movie goer. But this isn't an issue that should
on the first count and apparently hadn't heard be relegated solely to the GOP or the Christian
that the latter was intended, and often suc- Right or to conservatives seeking the White
ceeded, as a trenchant, disapproving social com- House. It's a national issue that touches each of
ment about the level of violence in our society. us every time we want to turn on the TV or go
Aside from the presidential aspirations that to a film or read a magazine. Let's frame this in-
undoubtedly motivated Mr. Dole, his comments stead as a national debate. It's one that candi-
had more than a nugget of truth: a good share date Dole brought up, and one that we should
of popular culture these days is just this side of keep on the front burner.
trash. Some of the rest of it is on the other side

Recognizing The Growth
Of Our Community

We spend a great deal of this space in the role of
watchdog and advocate for the community, and
sometimes it may seem we dwell on the nega-
tive.
It's sometimes good to remind ourselves that
this is one of North America's great Jewish com-
munities with constant activities happening that
typify the goal of continuity we all seek. Just last
Sunday, one could find a program honoring 800
Agency for Jewish Education teachers on one
side of town. Then on the other side of town, a
dinner bringing Arab-Americans and Jews was
held. It's a wonderful continuum to be proud of.
It also must be noted that while unfortunately
not a great deal of Jewish growth is happening
in many places nationally, we are blessed with

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much to report. How better can growth be sym-
bolized than by construction of facilities? Besides
the more publicized growth and needed expan-
sion of all of our local day schools, congregations
are seeing the need to expand. Shir Tikvah (see
page 1) voted to begin construction of a temple
in Troy. Shir Shalom heads for completion of its
construction; Young Israel of Southfield is blessed
with the construction of its new social hall and
Bais Chabad of West Bloomfield is set to break
ground. We're sure there are others that we
haven't touched on, and hope that more are
planned.
Growth is good for all of us. It's something we
can be proud of, no matter what part of the Jew-
ish community we call home.

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Letters

Strings
Attached

In your column "Tell Me Why,"
one question asked about Jewish
violinists. You mentioned Joseph
Joachim. I wish to bring to your
attention another famous violin-
ist of an earlier time. His name
is Johann Peter Salomon. He was
born in Bonn, Germany, in 1745

in the house where Beethoven
was born 25 years later. He knew
Beethoven as a child. Like
Joachim, Salomon was baptized.
He was engaged as concertmeis-
ter by Prince Henry of Prussia.
Some time in the late 17th cen-
tury he moved to London where
he became a principal musician.
He was also music tutor to King
George III.
In 1790 while in Europe, he
heard of the composer Franz
Joseph Haydn. He arranged for
Haydn to come to England to per-
form a series of concerts. He also
booked Mozart for the following
year, but Mozart died before he
could arrange to come. Haydn
wrote a series of concertos for J.P.
Salomon which he called the "Sa-
lomon Concertos." Haydn fea-
tured Salomon as his principal
violinist. Salomon played a
Stradivarius violin and was him-
self a minor composer. He died
in 1815. He was an ancestor of
mine.

David John Solomons

Oak Park

Should Newt

Be Honored?

After reading Jeffrey J. Kahan's
letter in the June 2 issue de-
fending the Jewish Theological
Seminary's decision to invite
Newt Gingrich to address them,
I was struck by his reasoning.
Newt Gingrich, who actively
courts the support of the Rev.
Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and
the right-wing Christian Coali-
tion, and who initiated programs
in Congress designed to hurt the
needy, the aged and the helpless,
should be so honored by ad-
dressing a Jewish religious or-
ganization?
Using Mr. Kahan's logic,
Messrs. Falwell and Robertson,
also advocates for a strong Israel,
should be so honored despite

their avowed aim to "Christian-
ize America".
Relative to Elisha Lapovitch's
May 26 article: Those non-ob-
servant Israelis, who angrily
walked out of a synagogue ser-
vice because a woman was given
an aliyah, demonstrated the
height of hypocrisy and arro-
gance. Non-observance among
Israeli Jews seems to be the rule
rather than the exception. What-
ever happened to the Torah in-
structions, "You shall be a nation
of priests" and "You shall be a
lamp unto the nations"?
Israel recognizes all branches
of the world's religions except
when it comes to Judaism. They
recognize only the Orthodox; all
others are unworthy of recogni-
tion. Such shortsightedness is un-
believable.
Ms. Lapovitch's position that
change should only come from
within Israel proper, without any
pressure from the Diaspora, is
a rather weak one. As long as the
State of Israel and its individual
inhabitants solicit and accept fi-
nancial assistance from the Di-
aspora, it is going to be the
subject of pressure to equally rec-
ognize all branches of Judaism,
which does not include the "Jews
for Jesus" cult.

J-/

Melvin L Molden

Walloon Lake

Mission
Kudos

Kudos to all those involved in the
planning, preparation and im-
plementation of the Michigan
Miracle Mission II. It was a tru-
ly moving as well as educational
experience.

Carole Shaw,
Stewart Sinai

Farmington c

Letters Policy

Letters must be typewritten,
double-spaced, and include the
name, home address, daytime
phone number and signature
of the writer.

