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A Change In The Season
Is Evident Here In Detroit

With many synagogues and temples hosting Seli-
chot services Saturday night, it doesn't take a
revelation to understand that we are now on the
inside of the High Holiday and the fall season.
As we individually prepare to attend services
of our choice, we come together as a people in
many ways. We gather in prayer, we gather as
families and we also congregate as community
members and supporters. This Selichot week-
end is also the time when many religious schools
all over the community start their year.
There are other lessons to be learned as well,
as we reaffirm our passion for Jewish knowledge.
We won't have to go far to find them, whether it
is a Danny Siegel lecture at Shaarey Zedek on
Saturday night, or a major community get-to-
gether on Sunday.
This Sunday alone is a representative kickoff
for the season. The day will be marked by the
10th annual Apples and Honey event, from 1
to 3:30 p.m. at the Agency for Jewish Education.
Admission: a can of food.
In the evening, many area Jews will gather
for other events. The Jerusalem 3000 celebra-

tion, held in conjunction with area temples and
synagogues, will be held at the Palace of Auburn
Hills. Also, the American Red Magen David for
Israel gala dinner dance will be held at Adat
Shalom.
Like Selichot services the evening before, there
are no signs or requirements that say Orthodox,
Conservative or Reform. From the spiritual to
the charitable, they are all about the connections
we have together, one Jew linked to the next, as
an extended family.
When we return home from such a banquet,
a Selichot service and even Apples and Honey,
we can look at ourselves and our children. We
will know that there is something different, some-
thing special about this time of year.
It is because we are all preparing, not just in
our homes, but as a community. And we will be
teaching ourselves that our community, our
home, is so full of what these holidays signify:
creation, and a wonderful opportunity to live life.
Hopefully, it will come together for us as we
ready for the events that have been planned for
5757 years.

Letters

ADL Helped
With Church Effort

Alan Hitsky's "Jews Aid Church-
es" (Aug. 23) was interesting and
uplifting. Jewish News readers
might be interested in knowing
that the Anti-Defamation
League's "Rebuild The Churches
Fund" solicited donations
through full page ads in major
newspapers around the country
and has raised over $250,000
from Jews and non-Jews alike.
We invited contributors to send
along letters to the burned
churches. The letters that ac-
companied these contributions
were so poignant that we pub-
lished them in a pamphlet enti-
tled An American Testament:
Letters to the Burned Churches.

Ultra-Danger

To declare that all Haredim are in favor of such
As a people, we must again and again block this incitement is dangerous stereotyping. Yet, the
horrifyingly pathetic path that some choose to leaders of these communities, vastly different in
wander. We speak of the incendiary rhetoric bil- their own ways, are obligated to denounce these
lowing from Israel's Haredi, or fervently Ortho- cries without qualifications. We are pleased that
dox community. In the past two weeks in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has force-
particular, some in that camp have been frivo-
fully condemned the anti-Barak threats.
lously dancing on the edge of acceptable behav-
The latest furor began when Mr. Barak ruled
explosive
ally
ior in the vibrant and always potent
on a heated dispute about the closure of Bar-Ilan
Israel democracy.
Street in Jerusalem. A main thoroughfare, it
Just ask Aharon Barak. The chief justiceof Is- passes through the heart of a Haredi commu-
rael's Supreme Court, a man praised in the past
nity. The community demand it
by all sectors of society, is living
shut on Jewish holy days. Secular
with around-the-clock protection.
Jews, some equally noxious with
Lead
ers
in
Some leading spokesmen and news-
their taunts aimed at the religious,
paper editorials of the Haredi press
Israel's Haredi demand it stay open.
have viciously attacked him. Of this
The chief justice's compromise:
camp must
Holocaust survivor and interna-
The street will remain open until a
tionally respected juror, one Hare-
denou nce the public commission, composed of
di newspaper wrote "He's the most
Haredim, secular Jews and others,
thre ats.
dangerous enemy of the Jewish way
reach an agreement acceptable to
cr)
of life."
all. This path of negotiation and
w As these cries come forth from
compromise has been rejected by Haredim lead-
= Jerusalem's streets, we hear the echoes of two ers. While living in and enjoying the benefits of
hollow nine millimeter bullets fired in Tel Aviv democracy, these Haredim seek to undermine
at Yitzhak Rabin. Chillingly, Israelis know the the nation by ignoring its institutions when those
exacting tolls on this road of violent rhetoric.
conflict with their views.
No one is suggesting Haredi leaders are plan- bodies
Next Friday evening, virtually all Jews who
ring Mr. Barak's murder. Yet, individuals have
consider themselves to have a semblance of re-
ui made death threats. Haredi heads say that bit- ligious identity will gather to pray for themselves,
ing talk is not uncommon in their community their communities and the world. This year, may
and that theirs is not a way of violence. Similar we all contemplate the earthly consequences of
claims were made by the national religious camp,
when we seek to interpret heavenly
in whose institutions Rabin assassin Yigal Amir our actions
decrees.

24

Pat Buchanan:
Very vindictive.

the Republican Party and in
Dole's nomination. The article
also did not mention the Democ-
ratic Party's connection to the
Jackson-Farrakhan link. The fact
is that neither the Republicans
nor the Democrats have the
courage or will to denounce either
of these racist streaks amidst
their ranks for fear of losing votes.
It is up to the Jewish voters to
choose the lesser of two evils.

Charles Lukacs,
Southfield

More On Stones

A parishoner in a bombed-out church in
Oregon.

While the booklet, along with
a teacher's guide, will be offered
for sale shortly, Jewish News
readers can get single copies at
no charge for the next several
weeks only by calling the ADL of-
fice at (810) 355-3730.

Richard H. Lobenthal,
National Consultant
Leonard Sahn,
President, Michigan ADL
Board

Lesser Of Evils

The Aug. 23 article by Deborah
E. Lipstadt, "Message to Dole,"
did not mention Patrick
Buchanan, who is well known for
his vindictive writings about Nazi
Germany and doubtful remarks
about the Holocaust. Ms. Lipstadt
did not write about how Mr.
Buchanan has a leading role in

I have just a few minor correc-
tions to add to Elizabeth Apple-
baum's excellent article, "Holy
Stones" (Aug. 23).
First, Cyrus Gordon, not Cyrus
Thomas, is the Hebrew scholar
who first identified the inscrip-
tion on the Bat Creek stone as
Hebrew, in 1970. Cyrus Thomas
is the Smithsonian official who
misidentified it as Cherokee soon
after it was found in 1889. Also,
Gordon dated its Paleo-Hebrew
script to the Jewish War or Bar
Kokhba period, not to the First
Temple period as stated in the ar-
ticle. For further details on the
Bat Creek stone, see a related ar-
ticle in the June/July 1993 issue
of Biblical Archaeology Review.
Second, the Ohio "Hanukiah"
mound had nine branches, not
eight as indicated in the article.
The ninth branch is shown in
both original sources as standing
distinctly higher than the other

STONES page 27