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Open The Real Doors
While opening the door near the conclusion of next
week's Passover seders, we again hold out the hope
that Elijah the Prophet finds his way into our
homes — and our hearts and minds. When an-
ticipating his arrival, we pray for redemption.
The concept of the door to redemption, which
begins with how we treat our family and friends,
is beautifully shown on this week's cover. It can-
not be just a gesture. The idea of "Next Year in
Jerusalem" should be regarded as "this year" in
our homes and lives.
And it should mean Jerusalem in the metaphor-
ical and physical senses. Yes, we should visit
Jerusalem when possible. But we also should open
ourselves up to its promise of being a symbol for
Jewish completeness. Indeed, part of the Hebrew
word Yerushalayim includes the Hebrew letters
for "complete" or "whole."
It is easy to physically open the door for Elijah.
The difficulty comes in opening one's conscious-
ness and finding relevance in 1996 for "redemp-
tion."
For some of us, Elijah and the Messiah, or a
Messianic age, are hard to relate to. They are, to
borrow from the Passover story, as untouchable
as the very idea of a Red Sea parting or manna
dropping from the sky.
Yet, for all of us, the concept of redemption can
be as real today as for our ancestors. When open-
ing the door, we must make sure that we, too, walk
through it — be it saying a bedtime Sh'ma prayer
with our children, the ways in which we deal eth-
ically in the business world or volunteering for a
charity or organization. Each is an act toward re-
demption and makes our community and world
better.
We add to the list our desire to seek peace in Is-
rael that is truly just for all sides and to learn to
disagree with one another, as Jews, as to how that
peace should be secured.
Remember, our children and grandchildren will
closely watch how our actions unlock the doors of
growth within us. If redemption is merely a fan-
cy word only reserved for Passover, they will not
carry out the legacy set before
them.
The thought of Eli-
jah's cup, the fifth one
on our table, should be
with us through the
year. Its promise, the
future sweetness that
we strive for, opens the
gateway of redemption
within us all. The real door
is in our hearts and minds.
It opens onto a path of Jew-
ish spirit. And we can gain
entry simply by "walk-
ing through the door."
Meeting The Needs
Of The Outer Zip Codes
It is, as news stories go, not necessarily some-
thing that would end up on the front page.
Yet, the message that Congregation B'nai
Moshe and Temple Israel are sending the Jew-
ish community is one that should perk up some
heads around here.
B'nai Moshe's recent zip-code party is a smart
way to identify and to involve Jews who might
be new to an area or for one reason or another
have not become affiliated. Yes, this is a per-
fect time for Rabbi Elliot Pachter to discuss
Passover. It's also a way to find out who is out
there and who is interested.
Dry Bones
18
The Agency for Jewish Education and Tem-
ple Israel with Rabbi Joshua Bennett attracted
115 people to a Barnes & Noble bookstore for a
similar program. Again, if we visit one of the pop-
ular bookstores or coffeehouses anytime dur-
ing the week, it is entirely possible we'll run into
a Jewish friend or neighbor.
We can call them "zip-code parties"; we can call
them whatever we want. But B'nai Moshe and
Temple Israel are being prudent. They are reach-
ing people on comfortable turf and showing them
that Judaism doesn't have to be "come as you are."
It can be, instead, "we'll come where you are."
Letters
Don't Forget
The Elderly
leaders to discuss this issue of ex-
pansion of religion in the schools.
A majority of the group deter-
mined that religion belongs in the
Since Prentis Manor and its de- classroom as an academic activ-
voted and loving staff are doing ity and recommended that the ex-
such an excellent job with our isting school-board policy remain
Jewish elderly, why is Federation without change.
Similar actions are likely to
closing them down?
It is very difficult to under- take place across the state and
stand what the Federation is do- the nation. Local communities
ing. It appears there is enough must be diligent and vigilant in
money for newcomers, which is monitoring these issues. I corn-
as it should be. Yes, we absolutely mend the Grosse Pointe School
need money for Israel. However, District for the respect it has
it seems we cannot take care of shown the children and con-
those who have contributed to stituents of its community in
this community for the past 50- thoroughly examining this issue.
More so, I commend the staff
60 years, most of whom observe
of
the Jewish Community Coun-
kashrut. How many people will
be able to afford the "home" that cil whose expertise will be ex-
is being built in West Bloomfield? tremely useful when those issues
On Yom Kippur, in the sacred arise in other communities.
"Sh'ma Koleynu" prayer, we re-
Jeffrey Weingarten
cite, "Do not cast us off in our old
Grosse Pointe Woods
age; when our strength fails, for-
sake us not."
What has happened to the
Jewish heart? Shame for shame.
Jewish News
Eleanor Maness
Southfield
JCCouncil
Tackles Issue
The Grosse Pointe Jewish com-
munity recently tackled a
church/state issue with our local
school board that had serious
ramifications for our children and
is likely to become a major issue
in other school districts across the
state. With the assistance of the
staff and leadership of the Jew-
ish Community Council, who pro-
vided information and resources,
we were able to manage this is-
sue effectively.
The Grosse Pointe Jewish com-
munity learned that our school
board proposed a revision to its
policy regarding religion in
schools without providing the op-
portunity for public comment. Be-
lieving the revision would both
undermine the wall of separation
of church/religion and state, and
be undesirable for all children of
the Grosse Pointe community, we
convinced the school board to de-
fer its decision until appropriate
community input could be ac-
quired.
The school board facilitated a
meeting of civic and religious
Deserves Praise
I'd like to take this opportunity to
show my appreciation to The Jew-
ish News by thanking this paper
for being such a marvelous pub-
lication.
My family and I drive all over
the States and always look for a
Jewish newspaper no matter
where we travel. The ones we do
manage to locate are always thin
and skimpy. The best one is the
Detroit edition; it's endlessly filled
with vital information on a local
as well as a national level. It al-
ways proves to be relevant, infor-
mative, enjoyable and interesting.
We receive about 50 newspa-
pers, magazines and other pub-
lications. They are all read and
tossed. The only ones we read,
save and re-read are the copies of
The Jewish News.
It's no wonder that this paper
has won so many prestigic.
awards. This paper is a wonder-
ful legacy left to us by a great
family. It continues to be a first-
class newspaper due to an edu-
cated and talented staff of
hard-working writers, reporters,
editors and columnists who are
dedicated to keeping this a top-
rated, classic publication.
Leon I. Schoichit
Farmington Hills