Welcome To A Chaplain
Servicing the 'Found' 650
First, we want to welcome Rabbi Simon Feld to
the Detroit Jewish Community as a commu-
nity chaplain. We feel that his work with some
650 disenfranchised Jews living in 145 nursing
homes all over the Detroit area shows a real
strong signal of compassion from the Commis-
sion on Jewish Eldercare Services.
We know that the work community chaplains
such as Rabbi Bunny Freedman does for the
Hospice of Michigan makes it clear that this
sort of connection is important.
Sometimes Jewish families are so discon-
nected that they don't have the first notion of
where to turn. Yet, for a rabbi to come and say
the Sh'ma with a family or just let someone
know that he is not alone is all very important.
Our only question, and one that nags at us,
is: Why are these 650 Jews at 145 nursing
homes outside of the Jewish community? We're
not pointing fingers here. It's just a shame that
Letters
Orthodoxy
Being Killed
the trip nor plan to use the video
for its own educational purposes.
Rather, Mr. Spector ap-
proached Spielberg's Righteous
Persons Foundation to ask for an
emergency grant to cover his trip
fees, after local funding fell
through at the last minute. We
were glad to be able to help sup-
port a young filmmaker tell such
an important story.
The reason why Mr. Schlussel's
these families had to look elsewhere to get brand of Orthodox Judaism, mod-
ern or centrist, is dying, ('What
served.
Happened To My Orthodoxy"
Maybe for some, the option of a Jewish nurs- June 13) is that its leaders are
ing home environment wasn't a priority. killing it; they do not believe in
Wouldn't it be wonderful, though, if we could the product.
employ Rabbi Feld to offer chaplaincy in a more
You might counter that our
centrally housed way?
rabbis cajole, scream and cry
Rachel Levin
It behooves Federation to continue to offer "centrist Orthodoxy" from the
Program Officer,
the wonderful services of Rabbi Feld and oth- pulpit for 30 minutes every Shab-
Righteous Persons
ers. This we applaud, and we look forward to bat; but, Mark, oxygen is cheap.
Foundation
It is their actions that count.
the volunteer efforts he'll be organizing.
However, it also is Federation's responsibil- Where do our "leaders" send the We Need News,
future leaders (their children) to
ity to -learn from these 650 people. What hap- school? Not to the Zionist and cen-
pened? What led you away from the organized trist Orthodox schools, but rather Not Gossip
Jewish community? And how can we as an or- to the more right-wing yeshivas. We readThe Jewish News for in-
ganized community get you back and keep your Although these schools may be formation. We read The Jewish
future generations from being lost ones?
outstanding institutions of Jew- News for entertainment. We do
Thank goodness you were found. Now, let's ish thought or learning, they cer- not read The Jewish News for gos-
tainly will not encourage sip. And that's just what the
keep you part of our community.
development of centrist leaders. "Green Scenes" page has become.
It is time that our centrists And that's a shame.
leaders do more than just chant
The paragraph in the June 20
the mantra or else, soon, they will edition headed "Not Talking" is
be chanting the Kaddish.
a perfect example. Obviously, Mr.
Green had a hard time getting
Dr. Myer Roszler someone to call him back. Fine.
Oak Park But what purpose is served by
naming that person, except to hu-
miliate and embarrass that per-
Independent
son?
Filmmaker
If Mr. Green has a problem
much more to do with separation of power than
with Beth El's programs, there
separation of church and state is irrelevant to I am writing to ask that The Jew- are many other ways to solve it
ish News make a correction to its than by airing his frustrations by
most Americans, including Jews.
The Supreme Court had logical reasons to April 25 story "High-Tech naming someone in a very public
keep Congress from crossing its bounds and March."
forum. It's vindictive and not in
The article indicates that a rep- keeping with the spirit of The
dabbling in constitutional issues. The six jus-
resentative of Steven Spielberg's
tices argued that the federal lawmakers must Survivors of the Shoah Visual Jewish News. It's not journalism;
first demonstrate that the states in fact pose History Foundation was to film it's pure (and spiteful) opinion.
I fear for anybody who doesn't
a threat to religious freedom — an Agency for Jewish Education
call
Mr. Green back immediate-
something that has not been trip to Poland and Israel.
ly. They may just show up in the
shown.
The fact is that Ben Spector, Enquirer, er ... "Green Scenes"
In the past, Congress the filmmaker, is a USC film stu- some day.
stepped in to fight proven dis- dent and does not work for the
crimination (against blacks and Survivors of the Shoah Visual
Gail and Randle Samuels
women, for instance), not pre- History Foundation. The Shoah
Hartland, MI
vent the possibility of discrim- Foundation did not know about
.
DETROI T J EWISH N EWS
A Supreme Court Decision
And Religious Freedom
28
Not since the 1991 Gulf War has an issue unit-
ed so many Americans. liberals and conserva-
tives, Jews and Christians and blacks and
whites are joining forces to show their disap-
proval of what they see as a disturbing devel-
opment.
No, we are not talking about ear biting. We
are describing the reaction to the Supreme
Court's 6-3 decision last week to
strike down the Religious Free-
dom Restoration Act.
The Supreme Court
The majority of Americans
ruling had much
support RFRA, which protects
religion from state governments.
more to do with
Only three congressmen voted
against it in 1993, when it over- separation of power
whelmingly passed both hous-
than separation of ination.
es.
Nevertheless, religion, which
But the Supreme Court ruled
church and state. has suffered at the hands of po-
that Congress went too far.
litical leaders for centuries
Backing the decision were jus-
around the world, needs extra
tices from the right and the left, including Chief protection. Especially in our complex, compet-
Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justice Ruth itive and increasingly dangerous society.
Bader Ginsburg.
By taking away the RFRA shield, the
In a week when the Supreme Court grabbed Supreme Court exposes religion to potential
national headlines almost every day with new, threats that the founders of this country had
often breakthrough rulings on such issues as hoped it would never face.
assisted suicide, insider trading and sex of-
As Jews, we know that these threats can
fenders, RFRA stood out. That's because this quickly materialize into a harsh reality. There-
act seeks to shield the most sacred part of the fore, we should join other groups in seeking to
foundation of this great democracy — freedom reinstate this legal protection for religion, even
of religion.
if it means adding an amendment to the Con-
The fact that the Supreme Court ruling had stitution.
The DLIN@aol . com
"So What
Do You
Think
;
/I
Do you think it's a shame there are 650 Jews living
in 145 non-Jewish Detroit-area nursing homes?
To respond: "So, What Do You Think?"
27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, Ml 48034