Community Views

Member Affiliation
Carries A Responsibility

In The Aftermath
Of An Explosion

LAURENCE IMERMAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

ALAN HITSKY ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Al, my friend since
our law school
days, is a collec-
tions attorney. He
spends his time ex-
tracting money
from reluctant
debtors. And due to
his success rate,
Al's legal services
are in great demand.
Al recently volunteered to col-
lect his synagogue's delinquent
membership dues, pledges and
school fees. He naively believed
the project would be a simple one,
for no Jew would intentionally
deny his or her synagogue funds.
My friend dramatically
changed his viewpoint after at-
tending a meeting of the con-
gregation's board of trustees.
A trustee moved to terminate
the memberships of those with
overdue accounts of more than
a year. This modest proposal en-
gendered a spirited discussion
in which everyone around the
table had an opinion. According
to Al, the group divided gener-
ally into two camps.
The first camp, whom Al liked
to call "bleeding-heart liberals,"
argued that the problem lay with
the institution and not with the
members. Those on the list, the
group claimed, undoubtedly
were not aware of the debt or
had not been provided adequate
time to pay the sum or had not
been warned of the conse-
quences.
The group further comment-
ed that children should not be
denied a religious education or
a bar or bat mitzvah just because
of their parents' failures to meet
their communal obligations.
The duty to educate and to
provide a religious rite of pas-
sage overrode any acts of the
parents.
The liberals also argued that
unknown financial circum-
stances must have prevented the
members from paying the
promised sums. The group de-
manded Al speak with the rab-
bi, executive director and the
entire lay leadership to explore
causes for each member's dead-
beat status.
The second camp, whom Al la-
beled the "pragmatists," com-
mented that enough time had
been provided to pay. They also
contended that a member is re-
sponsible for bringing forward
any problems they may face that
prevented them from fulfilling
their obligations. The synagogue
always would assist those in real
need.
To the comments regarding
children, the pragmatists an-
swered that the congregation sup-

Laurence 'merman is a
Birmingham attorney.

plies an opportunity for educa-
tion. It is the parents' duty to en-
sure a son or daughter receives
that education, which includes
paying school fees and member-
ship dues.
Finally, the pragmatists con-
tended that it would be unfair to
the entire congregation if the
members were not removed from
the rolls. Failing to do so results
in the nonpaying congregants be-
ing favored over dues-paying
members.
The pragmatists prevailed,
with the members' names re-
moved from the congregational
rolls. However, this represented
a hollow victory since other syn-

the list knew he lacked the best
legal tools available. The syna-
gogue refused to bring a court ac-
tion if payment was not made.
The debtors further knew the
synagogue to be a toothless tiger
when collecting money owed it.
My late Uncle Max used to be-
long to the Orthodox shul of his
youth, the Conservative syna-
gogue down the street and the
newly formed Reform temple. He
felt that it was his duty and oblig-
ation as a Jew to support the lo-
cal synagogues. Max used to say
that without strong Jewish insti-
tutions, the community would
lack places for Jews to gather and
to pray.

My son boarded came to Atlanta to renew pres-
a plane last sure on the International
Olympic Committee.
week.
The IOC has consistently re-
His carry-on
luggage included fused the families' request to
tape, gauze and have a memorial program at
a scissors to the Olympic Games. Last
dress the second- week's memorial ceremony in
degree burns on Atlanta was sponsored by that
his hand from a city's Jewish federation, not the
IOC. It wasn't until the closing
hot lawn mower engine.
Increased security measures ceremonies that the Interna-
at Detroit Metropolitan Airport tional Olympic Committee
were not a problem. He sailed bowed to years of requests with
through the checkpoint, en- a small acknowledgement of
joyed the short flight to Chica- the Olympic athletes and
go, but ran into trouble when coaches who died in Munich —
he tried to board his connect- a moment of silence as the At-
ing flight at Midway. Security lanta Olympics concluded. It
guards would not allow him to seemed little enough.
The search for the bodies of
carry on his bags because of the
scissors. He was forced to check passengers aboard TWA Flight
800 bothered me greatly, how-
his luggage.
The inconvenience was a ever. It seemed that our gov-
tiny, tiny price to pay in the
wake of the explosion aboard
Trans World Airlines Flight
800 over Long Island and the
pipe-bomb explosion in At-
lanta's Centennial Olympic
Park.
Those two incidents under-
line my confusion about ter-
ernment — and the tragic,
rorism.
I won't repeat the litany of mourning families of the vic-
Israeli towns, of world capitals, tims — was more
of Oklahoma City, the bus concerned with re-
bombings, the air hijackings covering the bodies
the world has witnessed since than in discovering
World War II. Unfortunately, who or what caused
the TWA 747 jet to
the list goes on.
I sit back and try to ratio- explode in the sky.
nalize what the terrorists are It might have
trying to accomplish, what been time for a
"they" believe their actions will memorial in
achieve. In reality, when has a Atlanta,
terrorist action achieved any- but it
thing more than the deaths of
innocent people?
Some lives are extin-
guished; others are
changed forever. But life
for the majority goes
on as before, as do
our institutions,
our govern-
ments, our free-
•
-
dom.
I don't believe in the desta- was too soon for a tribute in the
bilization theory that is the rai- waters off Long Island.
I feel for the families, and I
son d'etre for most terrorists. I
have faith that a legal govern- grieved over every story about
ment will not be shattered by every victim. But I'm more con-
bombs, hate and conspiracy cerned with the Jewish adage
theories. Most of us share that to save a life. A more timely
belief; it is why, after a terror- search with more invasive
ist incident, we mourn the loss- equipment would have quickly
es and then get back to our provided useful information —
which may now be lost forev-
daily lives.
But what of the terrorists' er — about what caused this
tragedy.
victims?
That information could pre-
The families of the Munich
11, and Jews throughout the vent another explosion aboard
world, had to confront that is- an airliner. Wouldn't that have
sue last week. Relatives of the been the preference of the vic-
11 Israeli athletes and coaches tims of Flight 800? Shouldn't
murdered in the 1972 shootout that be the priority of their fam-
between Palestinian terrorists ilies and our government agen-
and German security forces cies? O

The inconvenience
was little
enough.

agogues are aggressively recruit-
ing those on the list.
Whether "liberal" or pragma-
tist, the synagogue leaders are
well-meaning individuals intent
on helping others. They possess
a sense of commitment to orga-
nized Jewish life. Unfortunately,
many of those on the list — and
similar lists at other synagogues
and temples — do not share the
same view of Jewish life and the
financial commitment necessary
to sustain communal institutions.
My friend no longer is as innocent
regarding his co-religionists.
Al also realized that those on

I regret that Max could not
speak to those named on the ter-
mination list. Perhaps he could
have convinced them of the im-
portance of synagogue life.
Congregational leaders an-
guish over whether to terminate
a member for many reasons, in-
cluding a sense that the institu-
tion has somehow failed the
member. It is time to begin an ed-
ucational campaign to remind in-
dividuals of their duty to the
synagogue once they affiliate.
Just as in a marriage, the tie be-
tween congregant and congrega-
tion is not a one-way street. 0

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