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Keeping The Meaning Alive
All Through The Year
It's been a few days now since we've switched
from matzah to chametz. The hours and hours
some of us spent searching for that last bread
crumb is now filed away with those of other
Passovers. Put away, like a box of kosher for
Passover dishes in a remote part of the base-
ment.
By now almost all of us have a joke about nev-
er wanting to see another piece of the "card-
board."
May we suggest here that, while we have put
the physical symbols and attributes of Pesach in
storage, that we keep the spirit and meaning of
this very important holiday living as we move
toward Shavuot.
Now, we can purchase Passover products at
discount prices at the food store. They've been
reduced to clearance items.
But the price we must continue to pay as ex-
amples to our children and our society of what
Judaism is all about can never be discounted. It's
easy to let the chametz back into our lives. The
truth is, we should always be working on clean-
ing our spiritual houses.
Whether you believe that this holiday is about
more than matzah and gefilte fish, or the extent
of your Passover is simply the beauty of a fami-
ly seder, don't end its meaning here. Carry it
30
THE CONTINUING STORY OF JEWISH LIFE IN THE DIASPORA
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Put away the matzah but not the spirit of Passover.
through all year along.
It's not just about boxing something away; it's
about keeping the meaning of the Exodus and
our freedom alive day after day in our Jewish
lives.
A Step In The Right Direction:
Change The Covenant
Did they or didn't they? One of the more linger-
ing and nagging questions in the Middle East
peace process remains whether Palestinian lead-
ers have formally expunged numerous incendi-
ary anti-Israel statements from the Palestine
Liberation Organization Covenant. That docu-
ment represents the official dogma of the Pales-
tinian nationalist movement.
It is usiially easy to determine if an action was
taken; the subsequent debate is over the appro-
priate response. For instance, the Palestinians
are furious that the Netanyahu administration
Cr) hasn't withdrawn from more of the West Bank.
Yet, they cannot argue that Israel did not adhere
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to the letter of the Oslo Accords by withdrawing
from some of the region, including the vast ma-
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jority of Hebron.
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What makes the covenant issue difficult to call
is that one year ago the Palestine National Coun-
cil did vote to change the document to reflect
peaceful intentions toward Israel. But it has
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failed, thus far, to implement this decision. This
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has given volatile verbal ammunition to anti-
PLO activists in the United States and Israel.
That, in turn, has made it much more difficult
for Oslo supporters to argue that Palestinian
leaders mean it when they say they want peace.
T H E
PROMISED LAND
MENTS? SUGGESTIONS? KVETCHES 7 EMAIL US AT >TPL@JEWISHCARTOON. COIA<
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The PNC's decision was seen at the time as
a breakthrough. Today, it is mostly forgotten.
And Israel's right wing is reminding people that,
officially, the Palestinians still seek the Jewish
state's destruction.
Mind you, the covenant is a nasty document
based on fantasy. It is a modern incarnation
of the notoriously anti-Semitic and widely
acknowledged false Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
The Palestinians speak often of the need for
good faith measures from Israel. Surely they can
see that changing the covenant is a vital confi-
dence building measure for the Israelis. The PNC
must stop using this move as a card in the ne-
gotiation with what it still considers an antag-
onistic and imperialistic partner.
Failing to formally change the covenant only
makes the Netanyahu administration even more
pessimistic about Palestinian intentions and less
likely to offer concessions. The Palestinians
should also note rumblings in the U.S. Congress
that an unchanged covenant will jeopardize sub-
stantial U.S. economic assistance.
Any way you look at it, keeping the covenant
intact is a ticking bomb. Changing it, however,
could bring the Middle East a very treasured
commodity — a step in the right direction.
•
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Letters
Portrayal
Lacks Insight
I was quite angry and disap-
pointed with not only the cover
of your paper but also the
featured story about Jewish life
in South Africa ("The Land
They Left Behind" April 25). The
cover incredibly described South
Africa (pre-Mandela's liberation)
as idyllic; this is not only an
obscene portrayal but an offen-
sive one to me as a person of
color in the United States.
I expected an insightful ac-
count of life for Jews living in an
oppressive society such as South
Africa, yet what I encountered
in this article was accounts of ex-
odus and surrender and toler-
ance of apartheid.
Given that Jews in South
Africa were privileged because
they were white, I guess my
horror over this article should
have been tempered. I expected
so much more that it was
quite a letdown. This article
again revealed to me the
power and status of being a priv-
ileged white, even if one is also
Jewish.
Greg Thrasher
Southfield
Picture Belies
The Holiday
Concerning the cover of the April
19 issue of The Jewish News, I
appreciate the skill of the car-
toonist Ed Koren and have seen
his cartoons in the New Yorker
magazine. However, the cover
does not depict the unique at-
mosphere of the holiday.
We do not see the symbols of
freedom from slavery, spring
and the fresh appearance of the
Earth and the traditions of the
seder with a beautiful table.
It is true that Passover is a
family time and that there is fun
and humor at the seder, but
there are more important state-
ments to be made at this time.
Betty B. Cohen
Huntington Woods
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