Shattered

111•4111110111
.1

■r■ pr—

ittligih

- k

The Never-Ending Story

PURIM REACTION PAGE 3

In Israel, an eerie sense of fear and a future with no answers.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ust after he returned home
from hearing Megillat Es-
ther, Akiva Schaefer deliv-
ered hamantashen and
coffee to two soldiers at the bus
stop just outside his home.
Soldiers are, at this and other
stations throughout the country,

PHOTO BY GLEN N 1 HIE

/

,-)

has confronted the country since
independence," Mr. Schaefer
added. "People are calling the at-
tacks massacres. You don't see
anyone laughing or smiling about
anything. On buses, people are
frozen, nervous. They don't know
what to do."
Like a shadow,
uncertainty accom-
panies everyone,
from a teacher in
Meah Shearim to an
artist in Haifa.
"Until now, peo-
ple had been condi-
tioned," Mr. Kaye
said. `There was the
feeling that as long
as you weren't on a
bus or in Jerusalem
you were safe."
Then came the
suicide bombing in
Tel Aviv, in the mid-
dle of a crowded
street. And still an-
other turn: when the
following 24 hours
brought no further
attacks, there was a
strange sense of re-
lief.
`The proportions
of everything
change very quick-
Jeff Kaye: "It's important that people stick with us."
ly," Mr. Kaye said.
Mr. Schaefer, the
father of two young
there from the moment day children, works in a downtown
breaks to past midnight when the Jerusalem jewelry store. He's ob-
last bus leaves. They are watch- servant and doesn't like to talk
ing for anything suspicious: an politics too much; he believes the
odd-looking package, a man who
situation is in God's hands.
seems out of place or perhaps too
The Jerusalem Post, though,
comfortable, a woman who watch- which Mr. Schaefer regularly
es nervously.
reads, is talking politics. In an ed-
Israelis have to do something. itorial this week the paper said
These days, just getting on a bus Israel was "advancing the
means risking your life.
peace process at the expense of
"It's very grave here," says for- Jewish lives," Mr. Schaefer
mer Detroiter Akiva (Harry) said.
Schaefer, now a resident of
"(Government leaders) put
Jerusalem. "People are sad, their faith in (PLO Chairman)
frightened and angry."
Yassir Arafat and believed he
On Sunday, community shali- would be able to stem the tide
ach (emissary) JeffKaye arrived of nationalism and terrorism.
in Israel for a three-week visit. But as The Jerusalem Post
One of his first stops was a ceme- points out, he's not the solution.
tery, where he attended the fu- He's the problem.
neral of a friend killed in a bomb
"Labor keeps telling us the
attack. The next day brought an- peace process will go on. We're
other Hamas bomb, and six more tired of hearing this, sick and
were murdered.
tired. People aren't buying it
"Yesterday (Monday) was hor-
anymore.
rible," Mr. Kaye said. "I've lived
"With (former Prime Minis-
in Israel for 15 years and I don't ter Yitzhak) Shamir we didn't
remember a day as bad as that. give an inch to the Arabs. Then
It felt like war, and it was war."
we gave, and look what we got,"
"This is the worst crisis that Mr. Schaefer added.

Mr. Kaye has seen Likud
leader Benjamin Netanyahu act
"responsibly" in recent days. Shi-
mon Peres, meanwhile, has been
hit hard.
"It looks very much as though,
when push comes to shove,
Peres is going to be in deep
trouble," he said. " I feel sorry
for him. He doesn't deserve it,
but I think he's going to pay
the price. People are angry
and frustrated, and someone
has to be turned into a scape-
goat."
Meanwhile, Mr. Kaye con-
tinues to organize for the up-
coming Detroit Teen Mission
to Israel.
"We're going ahead as
planned," he said.
"This is one of the most sensi-
tive issues in Israel, whether
tourists will come or not. There's
a feeling that, in the moments of
greatest need, this is where the
Jews of the world should be. Is-
raelis need to know they're not
abandoned.
`This is really a telling point: If
you were planning to visit (in the
near future), will you come or will
you cancel? It's important that
people stick with us."
Not that Israelis don't under-
stand the fear, he said.
"Israelis generally are strong.
They've seen a lot, and been
through just about everything.
Generally, there's the approach
that you get a punch, but then
you get on."
These days, though, everything
is different.
"There has been nothing ever
like this," Mr. Schaefer said.
"Nothing."

❑

Relief Effort
For Victims

Donations are being collected by
the Jewish Federation of Met
ropolitan Detroit to assist Israeli
families of the victims and sur-
vivors of the recent terrorist at-
tacks.
All contributions will be for
warded to the American Jewish
Joint Distribution Committee in
Israel.
Checks should be made
payable to Victim Relief and
sent in care of the Jewish Fed-
eration, 6735 Telegraph Road,
P.O. 13ox 2030, Bloomfield Hills,
MI 48003-2030,

eviscerate Hamas and all the
terrorists out there."
Guido Aidenbaum of West
Bloomfield, garbed in a king's
costume, recalled his brief ex-
citement two years ago when
Mr. Arafat and Israeli officials
signed peace accords on the
White House lawn.
"In truth, my hopes were tem-
pered a long time ago, and the
last couple of days confirm my
worst fears. The only thing
Arabs seem to understand are
words backed up with force."
Back in Southfield, Sephardic
Community Chazzan Sasson
Natan provided music, enter-
tainment and even a children's
costume contest. Still, he said
his heart was sick. He said the
recent terrorist attacks are just
part of a continuum.
"It's a sad time, and there are
more dead," said Mr. Natan.
"Arafat's goal is one thing:
Jerusalem. These are the steps
along the way. You cannot make
peace with terrorists. When will
we learn? Arafat spells peace: p-
i-e-c-e, as in piece of land." 0

"There's terror in the gener-
al population: They have to sit,
shaking, in their homes with the
shutters closed."
At nearby Congregation B'nai
Moshe, Rabbi Elliot Pachter
asked on Shabbat if Purim
should be different this year.
"The congregation was unan-
imous that we should celebrate
like always," he said. On Mon-
day, he urged the congregants
"to be mindful of the tragedies
that have tak-
en place." He
asked the audi-
ence to listen
quietly to the
Purim reading
in memory of
those who died,
while at the
same time ap-
propriately cel-
ebrating the
holiday.
"It's pathetic.
I'm sick to my
Sasson Natan: stomach. The
"For Arafat, peace Israelis should
means p-i-e-c-e."
fight back and Alan Hitsky, Jennifer Finer,
do the same, Elizabeth Applebaum, David Ze-
but that's not right either," said man, Ruth Littmann, Gail Zim-
merman and Phil Jacobs
Gayle Taub.
"I don't know what the Is- contributed to this story.
raelis should do," commented
Roz Grand. "I'm in a
quandary. I have so many
friends who have children
there."
"I'm not real happy my son
Steven is there right now. On
the other hand, I don't think
At least four calls of sympathy
he should go home," added
came in to the Jewish Commu-
Dorothy Bodzin.
nity Council from the local
During Purim services at
Arab-American and Muslim
Temple Beth El, scores of
cormnunities,
adult members did their best
Terry Ahw al of e Arab
to lose themselves in the gig-
ton
American
Anti,
gling and shrieking of cos-
Committee,
Vi
f
the
tumed children.
Muslim
American
"The children are expect-
her Ajni of the Ramall ah Fed
ing it, and we are here to sup-
eration and Tony Haddad, a
port them," Sybil Hoffman
leader `4:if the local Lebanese corn-
said of the event. But the
munity, called offering their con-
string of deadly terrorist at-
dolences and hopes for peace to
tacks on Israeli civilians was
the Jewish community, accord
never far below the surface.
ing to Jewish Council executive
Rabbi Julian Cook noted the
director David Gad-I-Ia.rf.
helplessness many felt for
Mr. Gad-Harf said Ms. Aliw-
Jews half a world away.
al said it best when she corn-
"Today, there is no joy on
m.enthd that Palestinians are
Purim in Israel," he said
somberly. "Our hearts cry out just now getting a glimmer of in-
in anguish. What can we do?
dependence, but are losing it bit
We cannot let the peace
by bit as a result of the bomb-
process be deterred, as much
ings. Evil people are behind this,
as our enemies would wish it
she said.
so."
Mr. Gad-Harfwas encouraged
"It gets more and more bit-
by the calls of support, and added
tersweet," Ken Posner of they were the result of working
West Bloomfield said. "It on other issues, such as imm.i-
seems more unattainable,
gration rights, with these corn-
and yet it becomes more im-
munities that led to these
portant. Still, Mr. Posner,
relationships.
dressed as Haman, conceded
that "a part of me wants to

Local Arabs
Reach Out

,