wxvo44z!MI:la kk-1 „A, m . 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 by Jordan B. Gorfinkel a l TIME PARADOX 11A5EXCl/AN6A0 PIR5T PASS - ri (JtY/5 FROM OVER ;yaw BERNIE AND L01415.. . TH/.5 15 THE LAND OF Al/LX AND WHADDAYA KNOW NOW THAT MO5r5 -- If REALLY /5 15 ALWAYS BRAG- BEAUTIFUL! GING ABOUT? 511A1.0A11 .SHALOM! BERNIE AND LOU - 15 WILL NOW BE RETURNING HOME! 8 I BECCA BETH BERNIE the the the Skeptic Idealist Lkeral YAEL the Perplexed LOUIS ZAYDS SUBS the the the Rebel Tractikonaist Bubby BECCA,YAeL, BETH -- WE NOW RETURN TO THE PA51, TO COMPLETE OUR Desekr SO - JOURN AND FULFILL OUR Dt61/NX _VCR THE ROAD! cif witatever.. 'AdAN/.30? , N - WIV Yam! I'M TeLLINe' YOU, LOUI5 -- IF YOU JU57. 1:41A' TO THE ROCK.. 1 41 PWir 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 LLJ to the letter of the Oslo Accords by withdrawing from some of the region, including the vast ma- Cf) jority of Hebron. w 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 w D failed, thus far, to implement this decision. This w 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< 1 &•:A sx 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. • YEAH! 1 CAN'f WAIT 10 FIND OUT NOW fHEY'V DEALT WITH WANDERING IN THE DE51=RT IN THE TIME OF M0.545.s? N 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 - \