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THE JEWISH NEWS

—

Li

Not A Happy Purim

STAFF REPORT

PHOTO BY DANI EL LI PPITT

ing went on as usual. The tem-
ple service bulletin reminded
congregants that "although
mourning is avoided on Purim,
we remember the victims of re-
cent terrorist attacks in Israel,
and we think of and pray for
their loved ones."
At the end of the service, Rab-
bi Lane Steinger said, "There is
a saying in the Jewish religion
that when (the Hebrew month
of) Adar arrives, joy increases.

Left: EH Rashty: "In every
generation we have a Haman."
Above: Dorothy Bodzin: Her son
should stay in Israel.

tion we have a Haman who
wants to destroy the Jewish peo-
ple," said Mr. Rashty. "We hear
the word Haman tonight, but I
can only think of the name
Hamas."
Mr. Rashty was one of thou-
,— sands of Detroit-area Jews who
found solidarity not only in lis-
tening to the megillah, but corn-
fort as well while joining other
Jews on the evening of the fourth
terrorist bombing attack in Is-
rael in nine days.
Reaction was varied and emo-
tional from Oak Park to Farm-
ington Hills to West Bloomfield.
/
It was safe to say, however, that
everywhere, those attending ser-
vices had the safety of Israel on
their minds.
At Temple Emanu-El in Oak
Park, an overflow crowd was
handed postcards prepared by
the Jewish Community Coun-
cil urging President Clinton to
use his influence to curb terror-
ist attacks. With many children
in attendance, the megillah read-

Our joy and celebration of Purim
is tempered by the terrorist at-
tacks on innocent people. We
should feel anger and pain at
what's occurred."
The rabbi urged the congre-
gation to pray that the peace
process will go forward. His con-
gregants then stood and said
Kaddish together.
"I felt tonight that I was in the
`Twilight Zone,'" said Laura
Kohn of Huntington Woods. "I
needed a service to deal with the
incredible shock and sadness. I
couldn't get into the humor and
the cheer of the Purim service;
I needed time to be in the sanc-
tuary and mourn."
At Bais Chabad of West
Bloomfield, Rabbi Elimelich Sil-
berberg told his congregation
that Israel's best line of defense
against terrorism is a world com-
munity of Jewish children study-
ing Torah. Rabbi Silberberg
asked members of Bais Chabad
to take part in holiday festivities,
albeit with broken heartS.

t

Arab Group Shuns
Trade Forum

Community members came to hear the megillah
and express sorrow over Israel's losses.

or Bloomfield Hills busi-
nessman Eli Rashty, Mon-
day evening's reading of
the megillah was never
more timely or significant.
Mr. Rashty, who heard the
traditional Book of Esther read
at the Sephardic Community
minyan at Southfield's Beth
> Achim, found brutal similarities
in the names Haman and
Hamas.
"Every time in every genera-

NT

"We celebrate because God
told us to celebrate. This is our
mitzvah," he said.
At least one of the blasts in Is-
rael crept too close to home. Rab-
bi Silberberg's daughter, Rivky,
studies in Safat. She spent the
weekend with family in
Jerusalem. After Shabbat, she
boarded Bus 18, the same one
bombed the next day.
Back in Safat, Rivky remains
frightened, Rabbi Silberberg
said.
For a time, Sara Skoczylas
lived just outside Tel Aviv. To-
day she resides in West Bloom-
field, though her sister remains
in Israel — in a home across
from where the most recent
bomb attack occurred.
Ms. Skoczylas was watching
CNN when she heard the
news. She immediately called
her sister, but had to wait
hours to connect.
Miriam Szockzylas, 19, has
plans to travel to Israel this
summer.
"It doesn't scare her at all,"
Ms. Skoczylas said. "She be-
lieves if something has to hap-
pen, it will happen no matter
where you are."
Hearing the news of the ex-
plosions was painful for Hunt-
ington Woods resident Mark
Lichterman. A supporter of the
peace process, he now awaits ac-
tions from the Palestinians.
"It's time for the Palestinians
to clean house," he said. "Arafat
needs to tell Hamas and others
that there's no longer a place for
them as revolutionary groups
within the Palestinian move-
ment. If he can't do that, then I'm
not sure the peace process is
worth the risk anymore.
"Arafat needs to change the
PLO Covenant and stop making
speeches in Arabic in which he
talks about this (peace) as being
the step along the road to the de-
struction of Israel.'
"The Palestinians have to re-
alize that their interests gener-
ally lie with the West. Radical
Islam is as much their enemy as
it is the enemy of Israel."
Soon after the second attack,
Mr. Lichterman spoke with
cousins in Israel who had friends
killed in the bombing. The par-
ents will no longer let their
daughter ride the bus.
PURIM REACTION page 6

Sensitivity to Israel's participation in a large-scale
trade conference in Novi this month leads to the
withdrawal of the local American Arab Chamber of
Commerce, a major player in the forum.

JULIE EDGAR STAFF WRITER

C

iting "community sensi-
tivities," a mainstream
Arab-American group has
backed out of a major Mid-
dle East trade conference here
because of Israeli participation.
Yet, the vast majority of par-
ticipants in the March 20 "Mid-
dle East/North Africa Trade
Forum: Business Opportunities
for Michigan" represent Arab
countries. Egypt, Jordan, Mo-
rocco, Tunisia, Yemen, Oman,
Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and
even the Palestinian Authority
are sending ambassadors and
representatives to participate as
panelists and speakers.
The American Arab Chamber
of Commerce of Michigan knew
Israel planned to send two rep-
resentatives — Ohad Marani,
minister of economic affairs at
the Israeli Embassy in Wash-
ington, and Oded Boneh of the
Israeli Economic Mission in
Chicago — when it agreed to
participate.
- "We were always very up front
with them," said Richard Cor-
son, head of the U.S. Depart-
ment of Commerce's Pontiac
Export Assistance Center, a fo-
rum host. Sponsors of the con-
ference include First of America
Bank of Michigan; the law firm
of Miller, Canfield, Paddock &
Stone; and the accounting firm
of Deloitte & Touche.
Mr. Corson said he was in-
formed on Feb. 27 that because
of "community sensitivities" to
Israel's role in the trade confer-
ence, the chamber would no
longer participate. It also had of-
fered to host a reception for vis-
itors the evening before the
event.
"I'm disappointed they can't
be involved," he said, agreeing
with a Jewish community leader
that the absence of Lebanese and
Syrian representation might
have led to the chamber's with-
drawal.
Neither country is participat-
ing in the forum, although
Lebanon was invited.
"Something like this has nev-
er been done in Michigan before,
where Israel and a number of the

Arab states and the Palestinian
Authority will be under the same
roof. And because we're dealing
with a region that's in the midst
of profound change, and there
are members of the community
from the region, it tends to get
politicized," Mr. Corson said.
American Arab Chamber of
Commerce Chairman Ned
Fawaz, a scheduled speaker at
the conference, did not return
phone calls seeking comment.
Several local Arab communi-
ty leaders said they hadn't heard

TRADE page 14

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Top: Michael Traison: Trying over and
over. Above: Shelly Jackier:
Speculating on motives.

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