Editor's Notebook
Community Views
Finding Success In Judaism's Overlooking Feelings
New Competitive Advantage Of A Classmate
PHIL JACOBS EDITOR
MARK BERNSTEIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
If you want to
make a change, do
something differ-
ent.
Jewish commu-
nity leaders, with
increasing fre-
quency, voice a
common and per-
suasive call for
change. A change that empha-
sizes the rich spiritual and cul-
tural traditions of Judaism as
the foundation upon which to
build our future. A change pro-
duced by the necessity for a
more compelling reason to be
Jewish than the horrors of the
Holocaust, the hatred of anti-
Semitism and the survival of Is-
rael.
In the past, memories of the
Holocaust and an obligation to
support Israel worked to prevent
exit from the Jewish communi-
ty while anti-Semitism made en-
try into the gentile world
impossible. Today's call for
change implicitly recognizes the
erosion of these "competitive ad-
vantages" against assimilation
and the monopoly that they cre-
ated for many Jewish institu-
tions.
Today's call for change re-
quires the Jewish community to
do something different. This
will be difficult for those Jewish
institutions that have functioned
as monopolies in the market-
place of community member-
ship. For these monopolists, no
incentive existed for creativity
and innovation. Until now.
I offer the success of the Uni-
versity of Michigan Hillel as a
model for those institutions that
must change in order to effec-
tively meet the challenges of the
future. Benchmarking the
Michigan Hillel represents an
option worth investigating for
two interrelated reasons.
First, the Michigan Hillel en-
joys success in the most com-
petitive marketplace for
community membership—a col-
lege campus. College campuses
offer a multitude of community
membership options. The chal-
lenge to Jewish identity on col-
lege campuses closely resembles
the current environment in
which our community institu-
tions must function. For this
reason, the experience of the
Michigan Hillel will prove both
valuable and directly relevant to
Jewish institutions that face a
similar situation.
Second, the Michigan Hillel
has created a competitive ad-
vantage that is both highly ef-
fective and easily replicable. The
Michigan Hillel's competitive ad-
Mark Bernstein is chair of the
University of Michigan Hillel
Governing Board.
vantage against assimilation
flows from our determination to
position Hillel as the most de-
sirable institution for all stu-
dents to claim ownership and
affiliation.
If a student wants to become
involved with the best student
publication at the University,
she has no choice but to work on
Consider or Prospect magazines,
both Hillel publications. If a stu-
dent wants sing with Ann Ar-
bor's only student singing group
to have released its own CD, he
the best student activities on
campus because it is likely that
those activities take place at Hil-
lel. Jewish students at Michi-
gan feel a sense of pride in the
fact that their Hillel is the most
visible and prestigious student
institution on campus. This is
our competitive advantage.
Of course, we do not neglect
the purely religious role that Hil-
lel must play in the lives of Jew-
ish students on campus. Visit
Hillel on a Friday evening and
witness a monument to plural-
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6
has no choice but to sing with
Hillel's Kol HaKavod. If a stu-
dent wants to bring Elie Wiesel
or Spike Lee or Dennis Miller or
Adam Sandler to campus, only
Hillel's Hill Street Forum has
produced these past events.
These examples illustrate that
affiliation with Hillel is not
viewed as an "alternative" to
membership in the secular com-
munity on campus. For Jewish
students, this image is critical.
At the University of Michigan,
Jewish students are not forced
to choose between the Jewish
and University communities be-
cause Hillel serves as the "Jew-
ish path" through which to enter
and contribute to the entire uni-
versity. These Jewish students
are not forced to sacrifice their
identity to become involved in
ism—Reform, Conservative and
Orthodox services taking place
under the same roof. The Con-
servative minyan attracts 300
students every Friday evening,
and reservations are required at
the 130-seat Shabbat dinner fol-
lowing these services. I believe
that Hillel's prominent position
in the secular university com-
munity helps attract students to
these religious services.
Jewish institutions recognize
the need to establish a new com-
petitive advantage against as-
similation. Many institutions
must radically change their tra-
ditional argument for Jewish
identity and community mem-
bership. Perhaps the approach
of the Michigan Hillel can pro-
vide some helpful suggestions.
We do something different. ❑
Sometimes an in-
stitution does not
know that it is be-
ing insensitive.
Sometimes an in-
stitution is
swayed through
the eyes of the col-
lective instead of
" reaching down to
the feelings of the individual.
Though it is impossible and un-
realistic to know what every per-
son in a group is thinking, there
are certain dramatic events that
should heighten awareness and
outreach.
Sarah Chopp's senior English
class stood still in time while
watching the verdict of the O.J.
Simpson trial.
Yet, when the Southfield-
Lathrup Senior High School
student came to that same Eng-
lish class the Monday after the
Rabin killing, nothing was men-
tioned. There were no TVs
switched on to witness any-
thing. It was just another day
in school.
The 17-year-old Southfield
resident and her friend and fel-
low student, Carrie Apsel, sent
a letter to the school adminis-
tration demanding to know why
nothing was said or done about
Rabin. She and her friend were
thanked for the letter and com-
plimented on it. But they were
told that because the O.J. trial
was the "media event of the
year," the verdict received that
sort of priority within the school.
They were then told that dis-
cussions would take place with
the heads of the English and
history departments at South-
field-Lathrup. Ms. Chopp hasn't
heard anything about Rabin in
her classes since writing the let-
ter.
The excerpts below were not
sent in as a letter to the editor.
Still, it's important for all of us
to read what Sarah Chopp and
classmate Carrie Apsel wrote to
their school — that while the
collective was going on about its
business, Monday, Nov. 7, was
hardly a business-as-usual day
for these two students.
The world was attentive, yet
the Southfield School District
was silent. In a school which
prides itself on its diversity, we
were shocked when the assassi-
nation and funeral of Yitzhak
Rabin was ignored. Although
the Jews are a small minority
in our school, the event should
have been discussed. Rabin's as-
sassination was not only a loss
for the Jewish people, but one
that was felt worldwide.
How could such a pivotal
event in our history not be dis-
cussed in class? This event
should not be looked upon as
merely a tragedy for the Jewish
people, but rather a world-in-
clusion event.
For the Arabs, it was a mo-
mentous occasion because their
countries' leaders took their first
steps in Israel, not in battle, but
to mourn the death of a political
leader. For the rest of the world
it was a time of solidarity, ex-
emplified by the world powers'
attendance at the funeral.
We now turn to you and ask,
"Is our community so provincial
in our outlook toward history?"
By ignoring the event, the mes-
sage transmitted was that the
incident was one of insignifi-
cance and one that did not af-
fect our lives.
In school we are supposed to
be taught about the world we
live in. Yet the moment the as-
sassination and funeral were ig-
nored, the school failed to fulfill
its duty. We are not writing this
in criticism, but rather as a
means to express our feelings on
the situation.
When Ms. Chopp came to
school that Monday, she saw
that the S-L flags were at half-
staff, which she appreciated.
But there was, she said, no ex-
planation.
Nothing came over the pub-
lic-address system; nothing was
said by the school or school dis-
trict.
According to a school
spokesman, individual class-
room teachers at both Birney
Middle School and Southfield
Lathrup did hold discussions on
the subject. However, the
spokesman did not know if any-
thing school-wide was orga-
nized.
But Southfield shouldn't be
singled out as the only school
district not to have an organi-
zational voice comment on the
Rabin situation. Other major
school districts in this area, with
far larger Jewish populations,
might have had a moment of si-
lence or lowered flags, but they.
too largely left discussion up to
individual classes.
At least one school system,
West Bloomfield, which has a
significant Jewish enrollment,
set up discussion groups in the
area of conflict resolution. Tele-
visions were made available for
teachers and students to learn
about this mark in history.
Southfield is a community
priding itself on ethnic diversi-
ty and sensitivity. If that is re-
ally the case, than may I
suggest that more should have
and could have been done with
the Jewish minority of students
and their feelings during this
especially tragic time?
Sarah Chopp could not even
rely on her high school to help
her with her feelings of sadness.
And that is just not right. ❑