Unity Prevail
.: . ':10ver Animosity?
Reporter's Notebook
Looking At Prejudice
50 Years After The Shoah
RABBI STEVEN WEIL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER
After reading and hear- branches of the Jewish community only
ing some of the invective facilitates suspicion, animosity and anx-
which has traveled back iety among us.
These suspicions are the fertile soil for
and forth in the commu-
nity since Rabbi Felkier's sinas chinam (unwarranted hatred on a
Jan. 10 op-ed piece in personal level) and must be weeded out
The Jewish News, we by leader and layman alike.
Despite all the reasons to despise
have the need to become
introspective and ask and distrust each other in Detroit,
we have many reasons and the abilities
ourselves:
"Do we love to hate and despise each to overcome the animosity. We have
other more than we need to love each a Jewish Federation that has tran-
ther? Do we desire to accentuate and scended philosophical differences to
ecome fixated on our differences rather support many different forms of Jewish
an exert positive energy and find corn- education, Jewish action and communal
on ground to work together as a peo- unity. We have Yad Ezra, a Jewish
food bank that has financial and volun-
le?"
If the answer to either of these ques- teer support from every aspect of the
tions is yes, then we have a very bleak Jewish community (nonaffiliated, Hu-
and dreary future ahead as the Jewish manistic, Reform, Conservative and Or-
thodox).
people of the 21st century.
The lay and professional leadership of
It is easy to point fingers and find fault
for what we may perceive as the under- Federation and Yad Ezra have had many
mining of Judaism, the Jewish people opportunities to put forth sinas chinam,
and our future. It is much more difficult but with majestic dignity have tran-
to seek out ways in which we can build scended the temptation.
The effort and determination of those
bridges.
The reality is that there are those involved in the Teen Mission, which sent
who cherish religious pluralism 240 adolescents from our community to
and there are those who philosophical- Israel, and the March of the Living trip,
ly and theologically feel religious plu- which will send at least two busloads
ralism is a violation of the essential of adolescents to Poland and Israel this
axioms and postulates upon which Ju- spring, reflect the triumph ofAhavas Yis-
daism is predicated. The reality is a giv- rael — the love of one Jew for another
despite the philosophical differences be-
en.
Fortunately for all of us, there is tween the Reform, Orthodox and Con-
another given and that is that we servative movements — over sinas
all believe in a common plural- chinam.
I can personally testify to the Ahavas
ism. We all believe in emotional
Yisrael which has been
pluralism and we all
displayed by Howard
have a commitment to
Gelberd, Trudy Weiss
tikkun olam (saving the
We must
and Rabbi Paul Yed-
world).
wab in the planning and
work
We have observed in
organization of the
Israel and the Diaspora
to unite,
March of the Living
how issues such as theoc-
Unity Mission. Their
racy vs. democracy, the
not
divide.
efforts are proof that
role of women in the mil-
even though Jews dis-
itary and synagogue,
agree on prayer, who is
archeological and real es-
tate excavation of the graves of ancient a Jew, how we deal with evil in the
cemeteries, land for peace (parentheti- world and a myriad of other significant
cally, everyone wants peace, even at the issues, we are, nevertheless, sisters
cost of biblical Israel; the issue that has and brothers and can function as one
been debated is what is the definition people.
In last week's Jewish News, Rabbi M.
of peace) have polarized us and gone
from the realm of the intellectual-philo- Robert Syme quoted Detroit's unofficial
sophical to the realm of invective, chief rabbi, Rabbi Leizer Levin, as often
defamation of character and personal saying, "What we are, we are. But we are
Jews." Rabbi Levin's son-in-law said, "I
hatred.
The challenge that we, the Jewish think his most outstanding feature was
community of Detroit, face is not to fall his interest, love and empathy for Jews
into the trap of allowing philosophical in general. That was the summation of
differences to become emotional and Torah. He could do it without compro-
evolve into hatred of one Jew for anoth- mising his own religious observances and
strongly felt beliefs."
er on a personal level.
My objective in writing this article
The notion of hating a leader of a
movement but not a follower is false; ha- was not to ask ourselves to become
tred is hatred; it is ugly, vicious and has flower children, not to ask ourselves
to renege on those philosophical truths
no boundaries.
The fact that the Orthodox communi- that are the very raison d'etre of our
ty in Oak Park is geographically isolat- existence, but to ask all of us to be
ed from the majority of the Jewish extremely pious in two mitzvot —
community in the northwestern suburbs Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
and that the Humanistic community is and Don't Hate Your Fellow Jew.
philosophically distant from other With these two mitzvot as our focus,
we will be able to affirm an unequivocal
"no" to the two questions posed at the
Steven Well is rabbi of Young Israel of
outset. ❑
Oak Park.
I don't buy products (forget Hank Greenberg, Sandy Koufax,
made in Germany if I National Hockey League player
can help it, and I will Matthew Schneider). We're stingy,
never buy a German car, but we have buckets of money. Jews
no matter how well it is have big noses, are famous for barter-
made. I have never ing.
And while many non-Jews have real-
stepped foot on the
banks of the Rhine. To ized we do not have horns sprouting out
be honest, I'm not too of our scalps, there are still those who
have never met one of us, who think
sure I ever want to.
I don't love beer, and thoughts of we're bizarre, "out of it," for not cele-
Germany almost always link them- brating Christmas.
A few weeks ago, I joined some ac-
selves to thoughts of the Holocaust in
quaintances in Frankenmuth. One man,
my mind.
I know it's narrow-minded. At 25 who has spent his 28 years in Saginaw,
years old, I am not even a member of the started rattling on about "Jewish peo-
ple.
Generation After, let
"Joe" told me about a
alone the Generation Of.
friend of his from Min-
It's a kind of prejudice
Falk
nesota: "She's a Jew, but
on my part.
she's cool. She celebrates
On Jan. 22, I inter-
wanted
Christmas ... It's like
viewed Falk Daviter, a
to feel the
those Hindus who come
21-year-old German who
to this country — they
spent nearly a year and a
anguish.
celebrate Christmas,
half fulfilling his civil ser-
they're cool."
vice requirement at the
And as he ate his piz-
Holocaust Memorial Cen-
ter. As I sat across the desk from this za with ham and pepperoni (Pm not kid-
fine young man, I began to feel ashamed ding), I became increasingly enraged at
for lumping the entire German people this stranger's insulting display of ig-
into one stereotypical view, solely on the norance about my people.
In a way, although a bit more subtly,
basis of history.
When I think of German people, I my condemnation of Germany, the na-
imagine pale blond hair, blue eyes, the tion, and Germans, as a people, is a sim-
Aryan look. I can hear the click of a ilar exhibit of ignorance.
From one conversation with Falk,
throaty, guttural accent, precise con-
I have not suddenly decided to love
sonants. A stereotype.
Falk has brown hair. He is tall and Germany or plan a jaunt to Frankfurt
exceptionally well-dressed — chic, es- or Hamburg. I still am not keen on the
pecially compared to most American 21- idea of purchasing a German car and
probably never will. But I have started
year-olds.
Neither of his grandfathers con- to reconsider the blanket assumptions
tributed directly to the rounding up and I have harbored about Falk's European
deportation of Jews in Europe. Falk's home.
Falk came to Detroit's Holocaust
maternal grandfather, in fact, "caused
trouble" in the Third Reich's army, Memorial Center, rather than the U.S.
enough to get sent to the Russian front, Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.,
because he wanted to feel the anguish
with Moscow in clear view.
Falk is mature beyond his years, of the Holocaust. He came here to hear
maybe because he spent a large part of the stories of survivors, who narrate
his childhood playing clarinet and piano some of the tours at the center. And he
in Hamburg symphonies and orchestras. chose to live with Jewish host families,
His Holocaust education began further accompany them to synagogue and cel-
back than he can remember; books on ebrate Jewish holidays with them be-
the Shciah have always lined the shelves cause he wanted to learn about the
living Jewish people.
in his childhood home.
"You don't really get to see much
Given his background, conscientiously
objecting to military service and opt- of Jewish life in Germany, even if it's
ing for civil service was automatic, he right around the corner," he says.
"People in Germany still think of Jews
says.
I spent an hour talking with this as victims of the Holocaust — there is
young German, enthralled with his sto- little to relate to in terms of active Jew-
ries. I admire and respect Falk— for his ish life."
At the time when most American kids
perseverance, leadership and desire to
give the German masses an emotional would be starting college, Falk chose to
immerse himself in two foreign com-
component to the Holocaust.
munities — the United States and the
But he taught me something more.
I sat there talking with this driven Jewish people. He knew that members
person, whose dreams and goals far sur- of the latter community would possibly
pass many of mine, feeling ashamed of view him, as a German, with a bit of hos-
the broad generalizations I assign to the tility and wonder.
Falk's courage taught me to open my
German people.
Just talking with Falk made me re- mind to that which seems foreign. Not
alize how unfair it is to lump an entire to stereotype a people, especially stand-
people together. That's what gentiles ing where I am. That sometimes the best
have done to Jews for thousands of education can leave a person blind to re-
ality.
years.
He taught me to open my eyes. ❑
You know: We aren't good athletes
J A NU A R Y 3 1,
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