ra
So many reasons not to be together. So many dis- strength of Israel. This Sunday, Israeli performer
cussions of exclusion instead of inclusion. We're Noa will headline a Federation sponsored Salute
not referring here to factions in a war or a civil to Israel, beginning 7 p.m. at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek. The
conflict of some sort.
evening will commemorate
Instead, we've become
Yom Hazikaron, Israel's
all too familiar to the point
Memorial Day, as well as
of being numb over the
Yom
Ha'atzma'ut, Israel's
factionalism we're finding
Independence Day.
within our own religion.
Then on June 1, Feder-
A chance to be togeth-
ation
will bring the com-
er.
munity
together again for
This is the season when
its annual Incredible Israel
we remember the Shoah.
Fest. It will begin with a
Hitler's sad society didn't
Walk for Israel at noon and
discriminate between a
continue through the af-
secular or a religious Jew.
ternoon, honoring Israel's
We find a common
49th birthday.
ground in the killing A chance to be together.
OK. Two days in the
fields. We found places to
observe Yom Hashoah throughout our commu- spring aren't going to solve the divisiveness we've
seen in recent weeks. But on two Sundays in four
nity.
Now, we can also forget for a moment our dif- weeks, we can find space to share, pride to spread
ferences, centering around the miracle and the and plenty of similarity among our people.
THE CONTINUING STORY OF JEWISH LIFE IN THE DIASPORA
by Jordan B. Gorfinkel
HOW MANY OF YOU STUD6N -r5
KNOW ABOUT THE 51/0AH --
f HE HOLOCAUST?
0, 44,4
YOM HASHOAH
ASSEMBLY'
GOLDIE
ROSEN13ERG
1.
21. '1
•-•••
.
-
tiolocau st
Survivor
3:00 PM
1 \
be viewed as a quaint throwback to an era when
fashion dictated that men sport themselves in
the finest headgear, only to be removed when
one was indoors or in the presence of a lady. Im-
ages of stylish fedoras and handsome homburgs
hearken back to a more genteel, less complicat-
ed time.
But Jews are well-aware that policies, rules
and laws prohibiting religious observance and
customs often lead to a societal breakdown in ci-
vility and the persecution of a minority group —
simply for being different. Barring customs and
traditions is a constant in Jewish history.
Rest assured, since it's not a kosher restau-
rant, El Quijote's policy wouldn't directly affect
observant Jews wearing kippot. But the point is
that regardless of antiquated policies that might
have once served the general population, reli-
gious freedoms — in any form — must take top
priority.
If not, where does it lead? No beards? No tz-
itzit, or ritual fringes, hanging outside of one's
shirt? No expressions of belief whatsoever in pub-
lic settings?
The El Quijote case is a reminder of the need
for tolerance and coexistence in contemporary
America. Besides damages of an unspecified
amount, Mr. Singh is demanding that El Qui-
jote change its no-hats rule and place a sign on
the restaurant's door announcing the new poli-
cy.
At the very least, the restaurant's manage-
ment should apologize. That would be using their
heads.
YAEL
the
Perplexed
LOUIS ZAYDS BUSS
the
the
the
Rebel Trackbobaist Bubby
?'
HOW MANY or YOU CAN TELL ME
ABOUf YOM HAArZMAII>
WE'VE NEVER HEARD OF
rmr
STEVEN SPW1-BERG MOVIE.
L
A No-Hats Policy:
An Affront To Religious Freedom
Jaswinder Pal Singh didn't expect to make a fed-
eral case out of dining out last spring when he
stepped into El Quijote Restaurant in Manhat-
tan's Chelsea neighborhood. But that's exactly
what the Princeton University professor of com-
puter science unintentionally did.
Mr. Singh, a 32-year-old Sikh and midtown
Manhattan resident, was denied service at El
Quijote and asked to leave by employees of the
Spanish-American restaurant. His unpardon-
able crime: refusing to remove his turban.
Mr. Singh charges that El Quijote violated his
constitutional right to religious freedom, and he
recently filed a complaint in U.S. District Court
in Manhattan. The trial is expected to begin this
summer.
Mr. Singh, who in 1983 immigrated to the
United States from his native India, says he
tried to explain — to no avail — the turban's
significance to the restaurant's employees. Oth-
er Sikhs reportedly also have been refused ser-
vice by El Quijote because of not taking off their
turbans.
The turban, says Mr. Singh, is "a symbol of
pride, of self-respect" that's only removed in the
privacy of one's home. "Taking off a turban is the
greatest form of self-humiliation," he says -. "You
don't do that in a restaurant."
But El Quijote's owner, Manuel Ramirez, says
the 67-year-old restaurant has a longtime poli-
cy of requiring male patrons to remove their head
coverings, and will never change it. "It's part of
the place," he insists.
Perhaps El Quijote's no-hats policy should
BECCA BETH BERNIE
the
the
the
Skeptic Ideals!
Lt.!
GOOD...WRY GOOD. NOW-
COMMENTS? SUGGESTIONS? KVETCHES? E-MAIL US AT >TPL@JEWISHCARTOON. COM<
Finding Plenty Of Similarity
At Two Community Events
R1:7
T H E
PROMISED LAND
VV.
,
Letters
Revocation
Is Meaningless
The editorial "A Step in the Right
Direction" (May 2, 1997) is large-
ly irrelevant, stupid and indeed
dangerous. The editorial says
that with a revision of the PLO
Covenant, the Arabs will have
done "fence mending" for the Is-
raelis.
Members of the Palestinian police force
Even with their horrific state- parade down Ramallah's main street.
ments, the Arabs have had
tremendous advances, despite
Thus the PLO Covenant is a
what the PLO Covenant says, staple of Arabs that truly de-
within Israel. They have gained scribes their hatred of anything
Jericho, Hebron, Tulkarm, Ra- Jewish and Israeli. To repeal
mallah and other cities and, cour- means nothing, for the Jews will
tesy of the Israeli government, still be "spinning their wheels" in
are impenetrable by the Israeli the Arab sands of Islam.
army.
To re-educate the Arabs into
This is a terrible disaster, and Jewish admiration is the task,
it will not change even with the but it will only be done when the
"destruction" of the PLO Arabs are out of all of Israel.
Covenant.
When in Jordan, Egypt or Syria,
The PLO Covenant has indoc- the Arabs can forget about how
trinated and reinforced the be- they almost had Israel and deal
liefs of millions of Arabs into with the nature of a Jewish state
obliteration of Israel. With the re- in their midst.
inforcement of Islam's ideas, the
covenant encourages bombing,
Michael Drissman
stabbing and wholesale murder
Farmington Hills
of Jewish citizens.