Community Views

Editor's Notebook

Answering The Message
Of Jewish Intolerance

It's Not Too Late To
Send A Child To Camp

CAROLINE COOPER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

PHIL JACOBS EDITOR

When I was a
child, a Luba-
vitch rabbi used
to come to our
house regularly
and hold conver-
sations with my
father.
We had a little
pushke for him,
and we gave to the Lubavitchers
often. We still do. We worshipped
as Conservative Jews then; now
we are Reform. I never considered
the Lubavitcher rabbi more or less
of a Jew than me.
In my early 20s, I went to Eu-
rope for a summer. It was one of
those $5-a-day trips you could tru-
ly do in the '60s. Anyway, my $5
gave out one day when I was in
Florence, Italy. No problem. I
found a synagogue. Small,
beautiful and very old. I also
found a lovely Jewish family
who offered a hot meal and a
bed. They didn't think to ask
what kind of a Jew I was.
In 1990, when my boys
were teen-agers, the Maccabi
Games were held in Michigan.
We housed two delightful boys
from Chicago. We had a nice
Shabbat dinner and delight-
ed in the boys' sporting events
as if they were our own sons.
Both sets of parents ex-
pressed relief that their chil-
dren would be taken care of in a
Jewish home. When the boys left,
they bought me a silver picture
frame. We enjoyed their friend-
ship. My older son went to visit
them in Chicago months later. I
forgot to ask what kind of Jews
they were.
When I was 18, I got in a minor
car accident. I was driving my
dad's car, and a man said I side-
swiped his car. Oh, and along the
way, I was called a "dirty kike."
The man didn't think to ask what
kind of "dirty kike" I was.
Recently, on the 11 o'clock news,
an Orthodox rabbi from New York
was interviewed. He said Jews
other than Orthodox are not Jews.
The interviewer asked, 'What are
they?"

Carolyn Cooper is a wife, mother
and Highland Park teacher.

tool

"I don't know," he answered,
"but I know they are not Jews." It's
as if one of my brothers decided he
was not my brother anymore. My
family is smaller now, and I feel
diminished because of it.
This time, the trouble is with-
in, and it is only recent. The House
of Hillel and the House of Sham-
mai had many differences; how-
ever, they both recognized the
other's Jewishness and the other's
sincerity. Must we have anti-Semi-
tism in order to survive?
We are used to the killing from
our enemies on the outside, but
the hatred from the enemies from
within produces a putrid stench.
The decay is overwhelming. The
discord is so great that it is killing

US.

I am not an expert on these
matters. However, after speaking
with a few rabbis and learned peo-
ple from all walks of Judaism, I
have come to a few conclusions of
my own.
In 1948, the Knesset passed the
Law of Return stating that any
Jew can automatically become a
citizen of the State of Israel. In
1997, the Knesset endorsed a bill
that would most likely delegitimize
all but Orthodox conversions in Is-
rael. This has incredible conse-
quences in this "Who is a Jew?"
issue.
Example: What if you are born
to a Jewish woman who has been
converted by a Reform rabbi? Are
you legally a Jew in Israel? The
answer may no longer be clear. Is
Israel becoming the only place on
Earth where Jews do not have re-
ligious freedom?

of F ood

Here in the United States, the
Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the
United States and Canada de-
clared that the Conservative and
Reform movements are not Ju-
daism at all. Thankfully, the
Union of Orthodox Jewish Con-
gregations of America and the
Rabbinical Council of America de-
nounced the UOR statement.
The majority of Orthodox Jews
recognize the rest of us, just as we
recognize them, as Jews. Thank-
fully again, that message was
printed in theNew York Times as
well as in The Jewish News. It is
essential to our well-being in the
secular world that these state-
ments are read by Jews and
non-Jews alike. We must act ac-
cordingly, for we teach by what we
do and not by what we say.
I was under the impression
that our God is One; that the
Sh'ma is the watchword of our
faith; that our God is the God
of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac
and Rebecca, Jacob, Leah and
Rachel.
My God knows that it is dif-
ficult to be a Jew in a secular
world filled with temptations.
He knows that I try to keep
kosher, but sometimes I fail.
He loves me anyway. He
knows I sometimes take His
name in vain, even cheat. He
rages at me and I promise to
do better.
Although I don't go to the syn-
agogue every Shabbat, He still be-
lieves in me. There are periods of
time that I give up altogether and
question everything that is Jew-
ish. But eventually, I remember
that nothing gives me greater plea-
sure than to bless my children over
the Shabbat lights.
God waits for me, and I'll tell
you why He waits. Because there
is always hope. And He hopes for
me to be a better Jew and a better
person. But He never throws me
away.
My God welcomes argument,
and tolerates it when I stray or
practice my Judaism differently
from other Jews. Although I am
made in His image, I am only flesh
and am subject to messing things
up. But He has patience and He
waits, because He has hope. ❑

The first phone message we received Monday came from a beleaguered
Philadelphia Jewish Exponentstaffer. "OK, so we didn't win. We ad-
mit it. Your team was superior, and a little lucky."
Lucky? Lucky!!! A sweep isn't lucky, so take that back to the Walt
Whitman Bridge! We don't know why we even bothered to come up with
a bet for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Let's face it, we knew we weren't
going to have to pay up.
Anyway, the Exponentshould rename their team the "Legion of Food."
That's what they're going to be turning over to us in the upcoming weeks.
Let's see, there's the cake in the shape of the Liberty Bell; the case of
candy and cakes, pretzels, chips ... It's good to be a Wings fan.

Piles of mail understands that camp is one
sometimes of the critical links in forming
await me on the a young person's Jewish iden-
kitchen counter tity, which often leads to Jew-
at home. Of ish activism in college and,
course, there subsequently, adulthood.
are the usual
Still, with the overwhelming
bills. I'm going popularity and attendance at a
to win "millions camping system such as Tama-
of dollars" by rack, one who can't afford to
purchasing magazines. Aren't send a child could seemingly
you?
fall through the cracks.
There's another pile of en-
It reminds me of the services
velopes at home as well. These offered by the Jewish Federa-
are the envelopes from umpteen tion. Yes, these services are
different charities: a yeshiva in plentiful and available, but
Jerusalem, a school for the deaf there will always be those who
back East, a scholarship foun- don't know how to access these
dation, a tiny organization that programs. Same with camps. If
sends children to camp.
a person doesn't talk about
Must be 10 of these en- camp for his child, it could be
velopes. Sometimes there are so an important sign of embar-
many, it's difficult to send $18, rassment. Like the continuity
or chai (life), to all of them.
we are forever haranguing
Wait, back up a second here. about when it comes to after-
It's the camp one that I pull out noon religious schools, we need
and look at again. No brochure, to realize that for many chil-
nothing fancy. There's a lady in dren camp equals Jewish con-
Southfield, it seems, who is try- tinuity.
ing to collect some money to
Mr. Finkelberg told me re-
send children from single-par- cently that for about one-third
ent households to camp. Last of Tamarack campers, camp is
year, she was able to raise mon- their total Jewish affiliation.
ey to send one child. Not a mis-
I have a memory of my first
print: that's one child.
day at a Habonim
This year, she's
camp when the rosh
trying to send 12 chil-
(head) of the camp
dren to camp. It will
gathered us around
cost anywhere from
the flag pole and
$500 to $1,000 per
told us in English
kid for camp tuition.
that the introduc-
Ruth Krieger's
tions were the last
children are grown.
English he'd speak
But the Southfield
in public. Yipes! I
resident, known as
didn't know any He-
the neighborhood
brew on day one. By
voice and piano
week three, we were
teacher, has named a special speaking Hebrew and under-
fund in honor of her son's late standing it.
mother-in-law. She calls it the
All of us who attended camp
Marilyn Chaben Special Fund have stories such as these. But
of Bais Chabad.
camp cannot be rubbed in
This fund is for children of someone's face, especially if he
mothers who are working or can't get there.
disabled and have no break or
What are you doing with
money to provide for their chil- your children this summer?
dren during the summer when Hopefully, you're sending your
school is out.
kids to a Jewish camp.
Hers isn't the only clearing-
If you can't afford it, Mr.
house of funds for families in Finkelberg said it's not too late
need of a summer camp experi- to call Tamarack at (248) 661-
ence. Indeed, Harvey Finkel- 0600. For Mrs. Krieger's
berg, the executive director of Chaben Fund, you can go
Tamarack Camps, also cannot ahead and send the checks to
tolerate the thought that a child me at The Jewish News. I'll
might not go to camp for a sum- make sure they get to her.
mer. He says that no Jewish
By the way, you know what
child in metro Detroit should be else Mr. Finkelberg told me?
denied a camp experience. He's got a board member who
Tamarack, he says, helps any- gives lots of time and money to
one who needs help. The point, Tamarack. You know what?
he says, is to get these children That board member needed a
into Jewish camps.
scholarship to attend camp as
The past decade's explosion a kid.
in Jewish camping options is a
It's real life here, folks. We
bright spot on the often-bat- need to help one another and
tered Jewish horizon. Increas- our children. That help doesn't
ingly, the Jewish world end when school's out.

It co uld be
the most
impo rtant
Jew ish
exper ience.

❑

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