PRIVATE ESTATE

Halachic Edict
Divides Jewish Leaders

Lee Goosen Siegelson, former Detroiter and Cranbrook alumnus,
travels the world collecting rare and unusual jewelry.

Emerald & Diamond Bracelet

Natural Fancy Yellow Diamond

139 green emeralds 17cts and
129 round diamonds approx. 17cts.
Platinum.
Lot no. 1752 $47,000

1 radiant cut diamond 11.53cts,
2 side trillion diamonds 1.53cts
Platinum/18KYG.
$110,000
Lot no. 00654

Round Diamond Necklace

1 center round diamond 2.86cts and
95 round diamonds 25.82cts. Platinum.
Lot no. 299
$90,000

Baguette Diamond Necklace

Ruby & Diamond Ring

1 oval faceted ruby 7.76cts surrounded
by 44 baguette and round diamonds.
Approx. 3.00cts. 18KYG.
$75,000
Lot no. 4639

201 baguette diamonds 65.00cts. Platinum.
$125,000
Lot no. 438

"David Webb" Sapphire
& Diamofid Ring

Diamond Pin

115 baguette, round and pear
shaped diamonds 21.00cts. Platinum.
$20,000
Lot no. 1114

15 square sapphires 7.50cts and
50 baguette and round diamonds 7.00cts
Platinum.
$36,000
Lot no. 4696

Sapphire & Diamond Necklace

Emerald Cut Diamond Ring

1 center heart shape sapphire 40.00cts.
Approx. 42.00cts diamonds. Platinum.
(shown below)
$175,000
Lot no. 390

1 emerald cut diamond 6.18cts.
Platinum mounting with
2 tapered baguettes.
$46,000
Lot no. 00746

Partial listing. All items available for
examination in your home or office.

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Teaneck, N.J. (JTA) — A leading
American Orthodox rabbi's pub-
lished statement setting forth his
halachic objections to the peace
process has created a storm of
controversy both here and in
Israel.
Rabbi Moshe Tendler, a Ye-
shiva University professor wide-
ly recognized as an authority on
Jewish law, issued his halachic
position recently that the planned
redeployment of Israeli soldiers
from areas of settlement on the
West Bank would put Jewish
lives in danger.
Rabbi Tendler characterized
the peace process as "an unholy
means to a holy end that [will]
serve as paving stones to hell."
His statement, which ap-
peared last month in both Yid-
dish and English in the New
York-based Algemeiner Journal,
has sparked angry rebuttals from
two prominent Orthodox rabbis
in Israel, further raising the tenor
of the dialogue surrounding the
peace process.
Rabbi Yehuda Amital, leader
of Meimad, a religious Zionist
group in Israel that has been sup-
portive of the government of
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin,
and Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein,
a son-in-law of the late Rabbi
Joseph Solevitchik, have indi-
cated their disagreement with
Rabbi Tendler's halachic inter-
pretation.
Both Rabbi Amital and Rab-
bi Lichtenstein are head of
yeshivas in Gush Etzion in the
West Bank.
Calling Rabbi Tendler's "arti-
cle very sad, a foolish mistake,"
Rabbi Amital insisted that the
"important thing is to save the
life of Eretz Yisrael, the land of
Israel. The way to save Eretz Yis-
rael for the Jewish people is corn-
promise now."
Rabbi Amital disputed Rabbi
Tendler's claim that terrorism
has increased as a result of the
peace process, saying that ter-
rorism was linked to the rise
in Islamic fundamentalism. He
called the Arab world irrational,
noting Iraq's aggression in the
1991 Persian Gulf War and the
exploding birthrate of the Israeli
Arabs as evidence of the need for
a workable agreement as soon as
possible for the long-term secu-
rity of the Jewish people.
"I have to think what will hap-
pen after 20 years" if the peace
process fails, said Rabbi Amital,
who has been living in the West
Bank for 26 years. A Holocaust
survivor, he immigrated to what
was then Palestine from Hun-
gary 50 years ago.
Several days before issuing his
halachic imperative on the peace

process, Rabbi Tendler took steps
to prevent the appearance in his
community of Monsey, N.Y., of
an Orthodox rabbi who heads
Shvil HaZahav, an Orthodox
group supportive of the peace
process.
Criticizing his former student
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin of Engle-
wood, N.J., Rabbi Tendler said it
was a "desecration of God's name
for an Orthodox rabbi to present
a position that is contrary to
Torah law."
A scheduled debate between
Rabbi Goldin and Morton Klein,
president of the Zionist Organi-
zation of America, was canceled
when Rabbi Tendler interceded
with the program's coordinator,
Samuel Colman, a New York
state assemblyman.
Rabbi Tendler accused Rabbi
Goldin of being "in denial of a-
fundamental axiom of Judaism:
You cannot sacrifice a Jew today
in order to save many Jews to-
morrow."
Rabbi Goldin said in a tele-
phone interview that Rabbi Licht-
enstein had assured him of his
backing.
According to Rabbi Goldin,
Rabbi Lichtenstein called the
tone of Rabbi Tendler's piece
"alarming."
Rabbi Lichtenstein could not
be reached for comment.
Rabbi Goldin added that Rab-
bi Lichtenstein, as well as he him-
self, has legitimate concerns
about Palestine Liberation Or-
ganization Chairman Yassir

"I have to think
what will happen
after 20 years."

Arafat's trustworthiness. But
both draw a distinction between
harboring doubts and indicting
the entire peace effort.
According to Rabbi Goldin,
Rabbi Lichtenstein said it would
be wrong to conclude that "only
knaves and fools are in favor of
the peace process and supportive
of the Rabin government."
"My position is much more nu-
anced. I've never been lock-step
with the Israeli government,"
said rABBI Goldin. "Shvil Haza-
hav was organized to foster com-
munication and dialogue and a
connection with the Israeli gov-
ernment as the peace process un-
folds. It tries to deal with the
issues in a positive, not a nega-
tive fashion."
Rabbi Goldin's supporters have
denounced Rabbi Tendler's ha-
lachic condemnation.