Are you a family with
one Jewish parent?
Then Stepping Stones to a Jewish Me
44 is for you and your children!
Stepping Stones is
44
A
•
a community program for children ages 5 -16 of interfaith families
and their parent(s)
•
an opportunity for your children to connect with their Jewish heritage
through weekly sessions
•
a variety of creative programs which will help your family discover
a greater understanding of Judaism
OPEN HOUSE
for the 1996-1997 School Year
Sunday, May 5, 1996
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Adat Shalom Synagogue
Do We Go Back
To The Bad Old Days?
At.
JAMES D. BESSER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
Children's sessions will be meeting.
We invite you to see if Stepping Stones is for you.-
Questions? Call (810) 354 - 1050.
Stepping Stones is a community program for children
of unaffiliated interfaith families. It was developed by
TO A JEWISH ME
the Conservative and Reform Rabbis of Metro Detroit
and is administered by Jewish Experiences for Families
(J.E.F.E), a division of the Agency for Jewish Education.
Stepping Stones Open House is
co-sponsored by The Jewish News.
BOOKS
Bought and Sold
LIBRARY BOOKSTORE
545-4300
Open 7 Days
Books Bought
In Your Home
M. Seraph/ter
ast week's Israeli actions
in Southern Lebanon,
which resulted in the ac-
cidental deaths of more
than 100 civilians huddled in a
United Nations compound,
forced Jewish leaders in this
country to do what some had
hoped they'd never have to do
again: Justify controversial Is-
raeli actions that they didn't ful-
ly understand.
More than anything else, the
sudden breakdown of Operation
Grapes of Wrath represented- a
punch in the solar plexus to an
American Jewish community
that had longed for a new reali-
ty in the Middle East — but
which realized with dismay that
older, harsher truths still pre-
vailed in that most dangerous of
neighborhoods.
Strangely, actions that have
enhanced the feeling of security
for many Israelis, at least in the
short term, produced grave dis-
comfort for American Jewish of-
ficials.
From the beginning, Jewish
leaders here understood the ne-
cessity of mounting some kind
of action against Hezbollah.
"It was imperative that Israel
do something," said the leader
of a major Jewish group late last
week. "Not the least considera-
tion was the need to show [Syr-
ian President Hafez al- Assad
that Israel is not going to sit idly
by while he undermines the
peace process by letting Hezbol-
lah operate with impunity."
Although it was not the de-
cisive factor, this source argued,
the impending Israeli elections
added to the squeeze on Prime
Minister Shimon Peres; inaction
I
29901 Middlebelt Rd., Farmington Hills
_of
Stepping
Stones
Peacekeepers carry the body of a shelling victim in Lebanon.
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in the face of continuing Hezbol-
lah attacks could be political sui-
cide for Mr. Peres, and therefore
a death blow to the peace
process.
Initially, Operation Grapes of
Wrath won widespread praise
in the American Jewish com-
munity because of the precision
of the attacks. Even the Israeli
strategy of creating a mass of
refugees to mount pressure on
the Syrian government and its
puppets in Beirut made sense to
many Jewish leaders.
There was also a genuine
sympathy for the Israelis forced
into bomb shelters or out of their
communities by terrorist rock-
ets. But the support quickly
gave way to a queasy ambiva-
lence after the shelling at Kafr
Kana, the kind of mistake that
is likely in any military action,
almost inevitable when fighting
against a guerrilla army.
Most early statements from
Jewish groups echoed the offi-
cial Israeli line that while the
loss of life was regrettable, the
disaster at Kafr Kana was en-
tirely the fault of Hezbollah ter-
rorists and their Syrian and
Iranian patrons.
But privately, Jewish leaders
expressed confusion and distress
over the soured operation, feel-
ings that only increased as
American officials worked fever-
ishly to craft a cease-fire agree-
ment.
Some wondered just what Is-
rael had gained by seeking such
an aggressive military solution
to the vexing problem of Hezbol-
lah attacks. Many privately
speculated that the only real
DAYS page 74