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What Do You Think?

The past two years,
the event earned the
Grodmans the "Golden
Sneaker Award" from
the JDF.
"Being a podiatrist,"
Dr. Grodman said, "I ex-
perience people with di-
abetes on a day-to-day
basis." He said one of
the main issues that po-
diatrists deal with are
patients with diabetic
complications. "I have
even more interest
when dealing with my
kids' illness because I
understand the disease
very well."
Right now, Jared and
Adam are no different
than other children
their age. `They need 2-
3 shots of insulin and
check their blood sug-
ar four times each day,"
Dr. Grodman ' said
`They need to keep their
blood sugar at a certain
level, otherwise they get
shaky, tired or slug-
gish."
Mrs. Grodman said,
"I don't do any other
work for the JDF but
this. I'm not sure what
the annual cost is (of
having two children
with diabetes), but I will
obviously do whatever
it takes." ❑

The American Jewish Committee releases its 1997
survey of American Jewish opinion.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER

N

inety-five percent of Amer-
ican Jews think anti-Semi-
tism continues to be a
problem in the United
States, according to a recent sur-
vey.
Published by the American Jew-
ish Committee, the 1997 Jewish
opinion survey revealed that 39
percent of Americans believe anti-
Semitism will increase over the
next several years. Many — 51
percent of respondents — believe
that all positions of influence in the
U.S. are open to Jews.
For decades, the AJCommittee
has polled the American Jewish
public about its political stance, be-
liefs and views on American Jew-
ry, according to David A. Harris,
executive director.
"This is part of a long-standing
tradition of trying to understand
views and trends in American Jew-
ish thinking," he says.
The AJCommittee expanded the
1997 survey to include viewpoints
on about a dozen other countries,
and the results have been shared
with officials in those countries,
Harris says.
"We plan to do this kind of wide-
ranging survey annually. We plan
to go back into the field in early
1998 with a similar questionnaire.
Obviously there may be some dif-
ferences based on developments,
and this way we can measure lon-
gitudinal trends from year to year."
But why is this information im-
portant? "This is really an effort to
provide the American Jewish com-
munity and its policymakers with
a snapshot of Jewish thinking on
key issues," Harris says. The re-
sults are "shared with opinion lead-
ers in Washington, in Israel and
in other countries."
The 1997 survey is the first time
American Jews have been asked
about their attitudes on foreign
countries other than Israel, Har-
ris says. "We've already shared
those numbers with the various
countries, and there really was a
great deal of interest, if not fasci-
nation, with how these countries
are seen by American Jews."
The survey was conducted by
Market Facts Inc., a leading sur-
vey research organization. Some
1,160 adult Jews were interviewed
by telephone between Feb. 3-11.
Asked whether intermarriage
or anti-Semitism is the gre-ater
threat to American Jewish life to-
day, 61 percent of respondents

pointed to anti-Semitism, while 32
percent said intermarriage.
The survey covered such issues
as abortion (60 percent believe it
should be legal under any circum-
stances), the number of immi-
grants allowed into the U.S. (34
percent say fewer should be let in)
and the death penalty (80 percerit
favor it).
Only 16 percent of respondents
cited religious observance as the
most important quality of their
Jewish identity. Sixty-one percent
of those polled support the Ne-
tanyahu government in Israel, al-
though the survey was conducted
before the Har Homa construction
project was unveiled in Jerusalem,
to some dissent.
Sharona Shapiro, Michigan
area director of the AJCommittee,
did not know how the overall re-
sults compare to attitudes held by
Jews in the metro Detroit area, but
she said the high percentage of
people who believe anti-Semitism
continues to be a problem reflects
a "generational response."
"More of the younger people who

Greater threat:
Anti-Semitism or
intermarriage?

are working in the general com-
munity might have some instances
that reflect some form of anti-
Semitism, but generally they are
more accepted in their workplace
and they might have a different
impression of where their lives will
lead," Shapiro said.
"I think the older generation,
who will have had more of those
kinds of experiences in their past,
will be more sensitive to things
around them, and they'll integrate
that into their lives.
"Anti-Semitism oftentimes is
used as push buttons for getting
people to be more active in the
Jewish community. I don't think
that's going to be the response for
agencies and organizations who
aid the younger generation to get
them more engaged in the Jewish
community."
"I think people are going to be
exploring who they are in Ameri-
ca and wanting to do more about
that concept of identity," Shapiro
said. ❑

A family has its fourth
annual fundraiser for a
disease that hits home.

LONNY GOLDSMITH STAFF WRITER

n February 1994, Jared Grodman was diag-
,s, nosed with juvenile diabetes.

Less than a year ago, his younger brother
Adam was diagnosed with the same disease.
Last Sunday, for the fourth straight year, Scott
and Karyn Grodman held a fundraiser, entitled
"Finding a Cure for Jared and Adam," at the Kei-
th Elementary School in West Bloomfield as a
way to raise money for, the Juvenile Diabetes
Foundation.
"The purpose of the JDF is to find a cure for
kids like Jared and Adam," Mrs. Grodman said.
"T ast year we called it Jog for Jared, since Adam
hadn't been diagnosed with it."
The 100 participants iri the five mile walk/run
through the subdivision across Commerce Road
from the school received T-shirts paid for by 25
sponsors.
As of Monday, $4,800 had been raised and
money is still coming in. "We should surpass the
goal we had set of over $5,000," Mrs. Grodman
said.

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Top: The Gordmans: Scott, Karyn, Jared and Adam.

Above: The walk for diabetes.

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