Community Views
Editor's Notebook
Growing Congregation
Expands Community
A Troubling Incident
On Simchat Torah
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR
ARNIE SLEUTELBERG SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
One never knows
what will come
out of a dream.
Sometimes op-
portunity comes
knocking, but too
seldom do we
open the door.
Thirteen years
ago, Pam Spitzer
and Phyllis Wenig had a vision
in the parking lot of United He-
brew Schools. They planned a
meeting and the Wenigs opened
their door to the Jews who reside
east of Woodward to see if there
were enough who would walk
through their open door to cre-
ate a k'hilah k'dushah, a holy
congregation.
The rest is history. One step
at a time, with incremental evo-
lution, Conngregation Shir Tik-
vah now stands at the cusp of
building a permanent home.
This is a most exciting time for
all who are associated with Con-
gregation Shir Tikvah and for
the many supporters who have
asssisted our growth and devel-
opment over the years. So many
generous philanthropists and
Jewish professionals have in-
spired and encouraged us along
the way.
Our success in enhancing Jew-
Arnie Sleutelberg is rabbi at
Congregation Shir Tikvah in
Troy.
ish continuity is due in large mea-
sure to the nurturing guidance
and financial assistance of those
who understand the importance
of the work we do. To them we are
most grateful.
The entire metropolitan Jew-
ish community can be gratified
that our People is growing,
healthy, and vibrant, expanding
into yet another community.
As Shir Tikvah's rabbi, I am
proud of the dedication of each
of our members. Creating a con-
gregation from a handfull of fam-
ilies to our current 240 is a
milestone. It comes only after
tenacious hard work and com-
mitment of spirit.
Expanding
through an
ingathering.
Being Jewish has been a foun-
dational way of life for so many
in nurturing this congregation
along. What has emerged is a
caring community, reaching out
with open arms to all who would
be embraced by warm fellow-
ship.
Shir Tikvah has proven that
integrating people from every con-
ceivable background brings a
richness that enhances congre-
gational life for all. Services re-
flect this diverse membership;
they are an innovative blend of
Chassidic, Orthodox, Conserva-
tive, Reconstructionist, Renewal
and Reform traditions – bringing
warmth, free of any barriers to
spirituality.
As the Jewish community of
metropolitan Detroit has mi-
grated north and west for
decades, creating what is termed
the "Jewish Corridor," another
phenomenon is occurring. The
corridor is spreading. It actual-
ly looks more like the bell of a
wind instrument.
The further north and west we
migrate, the wider becomes the
bell. In actuality, Troy is not out-
side the Jewish corridor, for
Woodward is only an avenue, not
a fence. Demographic patterns
show Troy and Rochester Hills
to be well inside the evolving
Jewish community. As might be
expected, most of those who live
in the newer Jewish areas are
young families with small chil-
dren, Shir Tikvah's primary
membership.
As we break ground, the en-
tire Jewish community can be
justifiably proud of the expan-
sion it represents and the health
and vibrancy of Judaism well
into the next millennium.
We look forward to welcoming
you into our congregational
home as it is scheduled for com-
pletion next fall. ❑
Comment
Hired Guns?
Israel's prime minister has new expectations for American Jews.
LEONARD FEIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
ow would you like to be "ac-
tivated"?
That's what Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has in mind for you,
for me, for all America's Jews.
My brother, who is older and
quite possibly wiser than I, has
suggested to me that I ought not
call attention to Mr. Netanyahu's
recent remarks on Israel Radio.
H
But I find them so utterly fasci-
nating that I cannot resist shar-
ing them.
It will come as no surprise that
slowly, slowly, the Netanyahu
government is walking in the foot-
steps of its Likud predecessors, of
the Begin and Shamir govern-
ments. Among other things, this
means that it is engaging in ac-
tions that provoke its neighbors,
that threaten the peace process,
and that will, in due course, sour
its relationship with the United
States.
We've been there before, and it
now appears we're headed there
again.
Recently, as a kind of answer
to Netanyahu's insistence on "rec-
GUNS page 22
6355360 @MCIMAIL . COM .
11
What
Do You
Think?"
Did you have more of a reac-
tion to Roberto Alamor spitting
on the umpire or to the results
of the presidential debate?
To respond: "So, What Do You Think?"
27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI 48034
I don't like to lovingkindness," the Talmud
shame anyone teaches. How especially true this
in public, but is for the most helpless and vul-
there's someone nerable members of the world,
in our communi- our children.
The issue is not discipline. I do
ty who deserves
not believe children should be al-
to be shamed.
I don't even lowed to run, unsupervised and
know her name, screaming down the halls, any-
though she be- where, much less a synagogue.
longs to my synagogue, which The issue is the way in which we
makes this matter even more un- choose to guide those children—
settling. I know she was there on through harsh language and
Simchat Torah. I know she was spanking (to which I am pro-
foundly opposed), or with gentle,
sitting not far behind me.
This is the story of one indi- wise direction — much as the
vidual and one incident, though way we hope God might deal
sadly, I doubt anything about with us.
this story is isolated.
It was last Sunday morning,
about 11 a.m. A pretty little girl
was standing on a chair, watch-
ing all the excitement. And there
was a great deal to delight a
child: singing and dancing and
general merriment. Boys and
girls brought flags they had
made and decorated with glitter
and shiny-blue paper. The night
before, the children had received
"Excuse me, but could I trou-
apples and bags of candy with
Laffy Taffy and Lemon Heads. ble you to move to another
Apparently, the girl was on a chair?" the woman might have
chair that an older woman had said, if sitting in that spot was
been occupying. When she re- so very critical (though plenty
turned, the woman began to yell: of other seats were available).
"Get your feet off and get out of And then, "Thank you very
here! I'm sitting here and you're much."
I'm convinced this is how most
getting my chair all dirty! What's
people in my synagogue would
the matter with you?"
The girl, who was about 5, im- have handled it; or perhaps,
mediately jumped down and ran more accurately, they simply
to her mother. She clung to her would have let the little girl stay.
parents for the rest of the morn- And in fact they would have
ing. She cried for the longest watched, smiling, as she bounced
time. Then she would not come along with the music of the
up at all, holding her tiny head singing and waved her flag.
Certainly Mr. Katz, the "Can-
deep in her father's chest.
I have thought, time and dy Man," whom my children
again, about this incident. What can't wait to see when they come
kind of human being is this to shul, would have done that.
woman, someone who screams Certainly Mr. Koenigsberg, who
at a child on a holy day in a place brings books for children and
where she supposedly has come never worries whether they'll get
to worship God. Especially at a fingerprints all over the covers,
time like this, Simchat Torah, would have done that. Certain-
ly Mrs. Ungar, who seems to find
when everyone is celebrating.
I have come to see that a man something nice to say about my
can be measured, in large part, children no matter what they are
by the way he speaks to children. doing — "Your boy is running
It tells me a lot about our friend around like a maniac? That
and neighbor, Rabbi Eliezer Co- shows he's strong and has plen-
hen, when both my children can't ty of energy!" —would have done
wait to cross the street and shake that.
This is because each of these
his hand on Shabbat. So, too,
have I been able to glean a great people doesn't just come to make
deal about our synagogue rabbi, a perfunctory appearance at syn-
Rabbi Steven Weil, by the way agogue. They live every day what
he makes a point of coming over the Torah teaches, and because
to my children to wish them a of this they understand what
"Good Shabbos," or offers them that selfish, irritable woman did
a candy treat at his home. not: that Judaism stresses the
There's a whole bagful in front of innate importance of each and
them but he never warns, "Just every human being (despite his
pick one and take the first one or her young age), and that a
you touch!" Instead, he says, dress, no matter how glorious, no
matter how ornate, cannot begin
"Take whatever you like."
"The beginning and the end to compare in value to the feel-
(of Torah) is the performance of ings of a single little girl. ❑
A man can
be measured, in
large part, by the
way he speaks to
children.