Look What's New At Metropolitan! Wh 1/4 ,, Lan 3-4 toes a week when you can Lan just once? Our new Superoed recennes tanning /- time when the nation needs ef- fective new strategies. What all this has to do with the Jews is this: there are still well over 1 million Jews in the former Soviet Union, now free to emigrate, but who choose to stay for a variety of reasons, includ- ing their hopes for a better life in the land of their birth. Jews, like Americans in gen- eral, are reluctant to face up to the possibility that history just hit the pause button on yester- day's nightmares. 'People look at the emigration numbers and the low number of anti-Semitic incidents, and they have a hard time believing we have a problem," said Rabbi Mark Staitman, chairman of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, an organization that has to fight harder and harder to get the attention of American Jews. "And, frankly people are tired; having worked so long and so hard to get to this point, we don't really want to think about the possibility that it could get worse, and that we could have to mobi- lize again to meet a difficult sit- uation." Jewish organizations have been schizophrenic on the issue since the demise of the Soviet "The more we do to bring Jewish life to [the former Soviet Union], the greater are the chances that people will identify as Jews." — Rabbi Mark Staitman Union. Some groups continue to urge Jews to get out while the getting is good. What's taking place now in the former Soviet , Union, they argue, may be more of a respite than a transforma- tion; the specter of Vladimir V. Zhirinovsky seems to confirm that view. At the same time, Jewish groups have sought to nourish the awe-inspiring revival of Jew- ish life throughout the region. So even while they are reminding their Russian friends that emi- `-) gration is the best long-term so- lution, they are providing the wherewithal for the rebuilding of Jewish institutions in these coun- tries — institutions that may, in the long term, reinforce ties to a nation that will never be safe for Jews. "Our policy has always been to allow people to make these kinds of decisions fcr themselves," said an official with a major Jewish group. "If they prefer to stay, it's our duty to help them live Jew- ish lives." But that duty may reduce the feeling of vulnerability and im- minent threat that it will take to get this stubborn population out of an inhospitable land. Yet, in a limited way, at least, supporting the Jewish renais- sance in Russia may serve a use- ful purpose. "As it is becoming possible for people to live as Jews, more and more are coming out into the open," Rabbi Staitman said. "Our estimates of how many Jews live in the former Soviet Union keep going up. The more we do to bring Jewish life to peo- ple there, the greater are the chances that people will identify as Jews — and therefore, the greater the chance for aliyah [im- migration to Israel]." So rebuilding Jewish life in these areas may contribute to cre- ating a Jewish identity that will increase the likelihood that Jews will get out while the doors re- main open. But that awe-inspir- ing Jewish revival could be a deadly trap if it is regarded as a permanent part of the landscape in this most inhospitable of cli- mates for Jews. And if Jews here close their eyes to the seething forces at play in the former Soviet Union, they will be ill equipped to reach out to a Jewish population that still needs our help, just as an inward- turning American public is ill equipped to face up to the deci- sions awaiting us in a still dan- gerous world. ❑ Publicity Deadlines The normal deadline for local news and publicity items is noon Thursday, eight days prior to issue date. The deadline for birth announcements is 10 a.m. Monday, four days prior to issue date; out-of- town obituaries, 10 a.m. Tuesday, three days prior to issue date. All material must be typewritten, double- spaced, on 8'/2x 11 paper and include the name and daytime telephone num- ber of sender. Coupon FLEE Coupon 10 Visits for $35 Monster Bed Excluded 1996 Student V.I.P. Discount Card $3.95 per visit Anytime - No Gimmicks - No Commitments With Coupon Expires 5/31/96 Jewish News With Coupon Expires 5/31/96 Jewish News Coupon Coupon MONTHLY Tan In The MEMBERSHIP SPECIAL Mighty Mammoth Buy 1 Month, Get 1 Month FREE receive a free bottle of Tropic First Visit Only Also Moisturizer Deep Tanning Lotion ($14.95 value) While supplies last $6 With Coupon Expires 5/31/96 Jewish News With Coupon Expires 5/31/96 Jewish News METROPOLI TAN La Mirage Plaza • 29555 Northwestern Hwy. (North of 12 Mile) 810-358-8883 HOME OF THE MIGHTY • MAMMOTH • MASSIVE • MONSTROUS TANNING MACHINE BUY WHOLESALE! 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