Community Views
Editor's Notebook
Israel's New Government
And American Jewry
\-
i) MARK SCHLUSSEL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
PHIL JACOBS EDITOR
It has always fully honor its terms. This does
been interesting not necessarily reflect Arab think-
to me that Amer- ing and thus the dilemma. How
ican Jewry has we react could have a serious im-
had an ambiva- pact on how our government acts
lent relationship toward Israel once our national
with the Israeli elections have concluded.
government
We have a fundamental belief
when its leader- that our right to free speech will
ship is headed by - not have an adverse impact on Is-
the Likud party.
rael. However, as in the past, the
While the Likud has an eco- political leadership of our coun-
nomic philosophy that is consis- try listens very carefully to the
tent with our American economic views expressed by the Jewish
system, we continue to have a community about Israel and the
great deal more affection for the peace process. To the extent we
Labor party. Why is this so? Why express strong negatives toward
do we Americans seem to gravi- the present Israeli government
\---, tate toward a party that is basi- and the approach it takes in its
•
cally socialistic in its philosophy? dealings with the Palestinian Au-
This writer believes that we thority, we give our political lead-
Americans don't look at econom- ership the impression that it will
ics when we think about Israel. pay no significant political price
We are much more interested in if it puts tremendous pressure on
Israel's political positions, espe- Israel to make concessions that
cially as they
relate to the
peace process.
In this are-
•
na, Labor has
•
always taken
an approach
that appears
to fit our West-
ern value sys-
tem. We
believe that
agreements
once signed
will be fully
• honored. The
/— lack of trust
exhibited by
the Likud in
the Oslo ac- Middle East leaders met to discuss the future of peacemaking.
cords reflects a
very non-Western approach. The Israel seems ill advised at this
present government believes that time.
the other signatories to Oslo can't
I recently had a discussion with
be trusted to enforce the agree- one of my oldest friends who is a
ment. The opposition of the gov- prominent member of our com-
• ernment presents us with a munity and a very thoughtful and
/— dilemma. We Americans feel un- well-read individual. His position
comfortable with the strong po- on the peace process was well rea-
sition taken by Israel because it soned for the perspective of a
floes in the face of our belief sys- Western man brought up on the
tem: that once an agreement is inherent values of our society and
reached, both parties are going to was strongly in favor of moving
forward with the Oslo accommo-
Mark Schlussel is former
dations as rapidly as possible.
president of the Jewish
However, when I asked him if he
Federation.
truly believed that Israel's ad-
versaries acted in accord with
Western values, he began to re-
view his position in the context of
a changing paradigm. The new
paradigm takes the Arab world
at its word; but that word is not
consistent when it is outside
earshot of the Western media and
our political leadership.
In its own world, the Arab lead-
ership talks about destroying Is-
rael in stages. They talk about
taking all that Israel will give
them within the peace process
and then waiting for the oppor-
tunity to wrest the balance of Is-
rael from the Jewish people.
Some among us would call this
perspective paranoia; others
would call it reasoned concern.
Based upon our history during
this century, who among us
would be certain that our sworn
enemies of the past two millen-
nia had had an epiphany and now
are totally corn-
mitted to peace
for the next 1,000
.L,L1 years? We whose
g psyches are im-
bued from our
earliest learning
experiences with
a sense of fair
play have a very
difficult time as-
cribing to others
more malevolent
motivation. How-
ever, in the Mid-
dle East, where
Islam still views
other religions as
cancers eating
within the fabric
of a unified Is-
lamic world, the perception of Is-
rael is that of intruder.
Shall we here in America sub-
stitute our judgement for that of
the democratically elected Israeli
government? This writer thinks
not! We owe the duly elected lead-
ership a chance to set its own pace
on the peace process. The people
of Israel have spoken at the bal-
lot box. We need to hear their con-
cerns.
Now lest you think that I am -
advocating a muzzle for the
JEWRY page 26
6355360 @MCIMAIL . COM .
11
Do You
Mat
I Think?"
Seats For The Needy
Shouldn't Be A Secret
Is there an alternative to selling
High Holiday tickets?
To respond: "So, What Do You Think?"
27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI 48034
Last year, a dren with the news that the
friend identified family won't be attending High
herself to me as Holiday services this year. Some
someone who of those children we might be
was not able to keeping from attending services,
secure High because their parent is afraid to
Holiday tickets. ask. Future leaders of this com-
There were a munity might be staying home,
couple of rea- because we don't make it easy
sons. First, she to get these seats. Rabbis and
was a convert to Judaism, and other officials sometimes scold
thought just because the syna- their congregations for coming
gogue she converted through only twice a year to services.
was booked solid, that it was in- Let's make it possible for every-
appropriate to ask anywhere one to, at least, come twice.
else. Second, she really didn't
While I'm telling people not
know where else to turn.
to fear calling the synagogues,
In this column last year, we it's important that the syna-
suggested that a ticket bank or gogues brief receptionists, staff
clearing house of some sort and others on how to work with
could offer unsold tickets at re- these phone calls.
duced prices or even free ad-
Also, I think it would be ap-
r,nission.
propriate for synagogues that
The response we received know that they are going to
from readers was amazing. Over have extra seats on hand to send
50 of you wrote letters or called them over to an organization
to volunteer hours, money and such as Yad Ezra, Detroit's
other resources to make
kosher food pantry, for distri-
sure that every Detroit
bution. Yad Ezra, which is
Jew had a place to pray , tii
on the front lines of meet-
v
this year.
, n
i g, working with and
We didn't en-
helping those in need,
list anyone's help
is just one of many or-
for this year, be-
ganizations which
cause we learned
could distribute
something new.
High Holiday tick-
Here it is: Many
ets.
synagogues were
There are
called over the past
other
local
two weeks and asked
groups
as
if tickets would be avail-
well, and it
able to those who couldn't
doesn't take much
afford them. Temple Beth El
imagination to figure
has outright offered tickets free out which ones could make good
to anyone. The Downtown Syn- use of these seats. Look how
agogue, which holds services many articles have appeared in
near Northland Mall, also this very publication about the
stepped forward last year say- middle class worker with the
ing it would never turn anyone mortgage and the college tuition
away for lack of funds.
payment who all of a sudden los-
But, almost every synagogue ing his job. High Holiday seats,
or temple I talked to this year which can cost hundreds of dol-
said that they would never ever lars, are all of a sudden not a pri-
turn anyone away, either. They ority when paying for food is.
just don't choose to advertise
The point is, High Holiday
that, because they truly depend tickets should not be such a
on the funds from High Holiday dilemma for anyone.
services to keep the lights on, of-
Also, it should be a no-ques-
fer programming and pay tions-asked situation. I don't
salaries.
think it's important for any or-
One skeptic told me that I'd ganization to know why a fam-
be surprised at who couldn't, all ily needs free tickets. What's
of a sudden, "afford" tickets.
important is that they are en-
So, if the synagogues and thusiastically available.
temples don't advertise that
In today's Jewish News is a
there are some tickets available, synagogue list, and make some
we'll do it for them right here.
phone calls if you need free or
If a person cannot afford to reduced priced tickets. Just do
pay for High Holiday seats, the me a huge favor: When life has
worst thing anyone can do is be been better for you in the future
embarrassed.
and the money is available, go
It's the synagogue's role, how- back to that synagogue that
ever, to have a structure in place gave you the tickets and pur-
ensuring that those who need chase them. Your purchase will
the tickets aren't feeling like go a long way towards helping
they have to beg for the seats. someone else get to shul the
Imagine if you or I had to make next time. Who knows, it could
that telephone call. Think about be the guy who helped pay this
the adult who must face his chil- year for you.