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A Challenge For JCC's
Newly Appointed Leadership
Leah Ann Kleinfeldt should be both congratu-
lated and offered the support of the community
in her promotion to the difficult position of JCC
executive director.
Morton Plotnick, who held the position for
some 19 years, and who will assume the duties
of executive vice president, helped build the JCCs
as a cornerstone for a solid, growing communi-
ty.
Now the path that Dr. Plotnick saw ahead of
him in the 1970s has taken a different turn to-
ward the year 2000. It's that turn that will chal-
lenge Ms. Kleinfeldt, her board and other Jewish
centers throughout the country. With the very
makeup of the Jewish family changing and the
further acceptance of Jews in American society,
the community's need for a JCC will be ques-
tioned. Its role will be challenged, its mandate
constantly redefined.
Ms. Kleinfeldt must operate a Jewish center
that is leaner and more cost-effective. At the same
time, she and her staff will constantly have to
take a lead role in the definition of Jewish con-
tinuity for the 1990s.
But this Jewish community should not sit back
and watch what the new JCC leadership will be
doing. It needs to get involved now. These are
changing times for JCCs. Ms. Kleinfeldt, already
known as a good bridge builder with a strong
love for the Jewish community, shouldn't lead
by herself.
It's an opportunity for all of those who are in-
terested to help shape the future. The Jewish
Community Center needs that involvement, so
that when that path changes again, it will con-
tinue along a direction preferred not only by its
leadership but by the entire Jewish community.
Exploding The Talks
The reports from Israel this week were supposed
to be about slow, steady progress in the peace
talks. But Monday morning, that quickly
changed.
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators had
planned to use this week to plow farther down
the path of complex issues such as security and
water. Working in seclusion somewhere near the
Dead Sea — to escape reporters and protestors
— negotiators were moving toward extending
Palestinian self-rule from Gaza and Jericho to
other areas in the West Bank.
In a highly symbolic move, Palestinian Au-
thority Chairman Yassir Arafat — needing to en-
sure continued American aid — promised to cancel
the sections in the Palestinian Covenant that call
for Israel's destruction. And he announced that
Palestinian police arrested five Palestinians sus-
pected in the murder of two Israeli hikers last
week. Mr. Arafat, compared to the past, was act-
ing somewhat respectable. In negotiations, Israel
was responding. The sweet smell of a White House
Rose Garden ceremony beckoned.
Then came Monday morning. An unknown
Arab man boarded a bus making its way from
Ramat Gan's busy diamond exchange to down-
town Tel Aviv. At 8:40 a.m., he detonated an ex-
plosive wrapped around his stomach. In addition
to killing himself, he took the lives of six oth-
ers, injuring at least 32 people.
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And the peace talks were suspended, at least
until after Israel could bury its dead.
Mr. Arafat denounced the attack, claiming the
obvious, that it aimed to derail the talks. Israel
President Ezer Weizman again asked to suspend
the peace process. Unfamiliar denunciations
came as well. The head of Israel's Islamic move-
ment called on extremist groups to rethink their
anti-peace process policies. He stressed that now
Israel and the PLO should move even faster to
implement their agreements. But opponents will
use the same evidence to reason that the talks
should be abandoned.
For now, an uncomfortable pattern has
emerged. A suicide bomber can singlehandedly
halt movement toward peace. The talks will be
delayed until after the victims are buried. And
the terrorists can be confident that they will have
eroded the spirit of even the most optimistic pro-
ponent of peace.
These are painful and confusing times for all
of Israel and its supporters. Nonetheless, suicide
bombers cannot be allowed to prevail. If Israel,
through democratic elections, chooses to alter
the peace talks, so be it. Until that time, terror-
ists must not be allowed to alter the path. The
response of the Israeli government, as we join it
in mourning the latest victims of terrorism, is
the correct one.
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Letters
Kosher Eateries
A Responsibility
I would like to take vigorous ex-
ception to your July 21 editorial
regarding a kosher restaurant in
Detroit, in particular your state-
ment, "It is not up to a Jewish
community to keep a restaurant
in business."
It most certainly is the obliga-
tion of the Jewish community to
see that there is kosher food
available — for travelers, for busi-
nesspeople, for people living
alone, for visitors, for the popu-
lation at large. It has always been
the obligation of a vibrant Jew-
ish community to maintain such
facilities.
Without assigning blame to
anyone, we all know that there
have been numerous attempts to
sustain a kosher restaurant in
this area. All have failed. It is not
unreasonable to expect a com-
munity which can raise millions
of dollars, which can support all
kinds of activities — social, med-
ical, educational and recreation-
al — to find somewhere in its
budget the paltry sum necessary
for this vital project. In perusing
the budget of Federation which
you published last week, one can
detect several allocations which
are not nearly so vital for the con-
tinuity of Jewish life as a kosher
restaurant.
For a Jewish community of
this size to lack such a facility is
an embarrassment and a shame.
Claire Arm
Southfield
Identifying
The Victim
In the July 14 issue, Elizabeth
Applebaum asks, "Did a local
woman murder her daughter, or
are police unfairly targeting
someone who already has suf-
fered too much?"
Was Linda Solomon suffering
too much when she kept her 19-
month-old daughter Chelsea
locked in a room with a potty and
toilet paper? Was she suffering
when she told Chelsea, at age 2,
to "stop feeling sorry for herself'?
Did Linda suffer when she "acci-
dentally" brushed her nails
against Chelsea causing scrapes
on her neck? Or was it Linda who
was suffering, when for no rea-,
son she hit Chelsea on the back
of the head, made mean faces or
used nasty words?
Ms. Solomon herself charac-
terized her treatment of her
daughter as abusive. Yet for em-
phasis, Ms. Applebaum utilized
the statement, "Linda doesn't
remember her parents ever say-
ing 'I love you,' " for a pull quote.
It is unconscionable to suggesti/
that Linda Jean Solomon was the
victim in this case where her 6-
year-old was found hanging in
bed. Further, the article implies
an accusation of misconduct on
the part of the Canton Police De-
partment when there is no evi-
dence that anyone else is
responsible. The fact that she is
a local Jewish woman should not
gamer her any sympathy. Ifjus-:
tice truly prevails, this deranged \
woman will be punished for the
extreme emotional and physical
turmoil she inflicted upon
Chelsea.
I cannot understand why Lin-
da Solomon's pathetic martyr
syndrome merited lead-story sta-
tus. Hopefully, the followup sto-
ry will cover conviction on charges
of murder.
Ronald A. Weiner
West Bloomfield
Taste
Testing
Your editorial of July 22 criticiz-
ing the management of Sara'sL \
Deli was in poor taste at best. Our
Torah has taught us (Exodus
7:19, see Rashi) to refrain from
striking out at those who have
benefited us.
During the last 10 years,
Moishe Goodman has been the
only person in the Detroit metro
area to invest time, money and
effort to ensure that the Jewish,/
community had a full-serviceL \
kosher restaurant where Jews of
all persuasions could sit down
with friends, relatives and clients.
For that he deserves our thanks,
not our barbs.
Let us not forget that gratitude
is one of the cornerstones of Ju-
daism.
Rabbi Elimelich Silberbergz
West Bloomfield"\