Community Views

Publisher's Notebook

We Know So Much
But Have Lots To Learn

The Plaques Of Life:
Continuity Is Bronzed

ARTHUR HORWITZ PUBLISHER

RABBI ARNIE SLEUTELBERG SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

I stopped at a
powwow earlier
today as I was dri-
ving from Inter-
lochen to Detroit.
I just happened to
catch the gather-
ing of people out
of the corner of
my eye some-
where near a lake about halfway
home.
I drove on by, until I allowed
myself the luxury of an unsched-
uled stop. Usually I find myself
on a tight schedule, but it was
summertime and I didn't have to
get home at a certain time. I dou-
bled back and joined the powwow.
This particular band of Native
Americans is centered near Sag-
inaw as I came to learn from a
fascinating conversation with a
member of the tribe. I had lots of
questions, and she had lots of an-
swers. I was struck by the many
similarities between our respec-
tive ways of life. I learned a great
deal.
She was sewing beads onto a
decorative fabric which would be-
come part of her daughter's cos-

Arnie Sleutelberg is rabbi of

Congregation Shir Tikvah.

tume. It was beautiful, but I was
curious as to why amongst the
many earth-centered symbols
were Winnie the Pooh and Bugs
Bunny. She explained that in or-
der to keep the kids interested in
the tribal customs, they had to in-
corporate aspects of secular cul-
ture that are of interest to them.
She wasn't the least bit apolo-
getic about the
encroachment;
she saw it as en-
hancement, if,
she said, the good
is accepted and
the bad rejected.
The woman
next to her was
beading a similar
piece, for her hus-
band, with an
American flag
and other patri-
otic symbols. She
said her husband
just retired as a
commander in
the United States Armed Forces.
After 25 years of service, he came
back to the tribe and was in a gro-
cery store when a few young men
spoke loudly enough for him to
hear about the "dirty Indian."
He thought to himself, "I don't

.

drink; I don't smoke; Fm devoted
to my wife and children; I just fin-
ished a career in the service of my
country, and they call me a 'dirty
Indian.' "
His wife added, "There's still
lots of ignorance out there."
I became more and more in-
trigued as details emerged about
the morals and values of Native
Americans. Their
devotion to fami-
ly, all generations
of it, is a core val-
ue. I wondered
whether they
might visit De-
troit and share
their way 'of life
with my congre-
gation.
One of the
women suggested
I speak with the
elder of the tribe,
as its members al-
ways look to their
elders for guid-
ance. The elders guide the tribe
and are respected for their wis-
dom.
We can learn a lot about Ju-
daism from these Native Ameri-
cans. I'll let you know when they
come to town.

❑

Comment

Stop The Presses

How I made the world safe from Jewish journalism.

DAVID HOLZEL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

grew very thin and tight. "Why
do you want to know?" she said,
peering at me as if I had just bro-
' ken into her house.
"It's just a standard question,"
I said breezily. "Your synagogue
is trying to dig out of a budget
deficit. Does this program con-
tribute to the deficit?"
"Well, I don't think that's a po-
lite question to ask, young man,"
Mrs. Throclunorton admonished.
"I thought you were going to write
a positive story.
This was the third "I thought
you were going to write a positive
story" conversation I had had that
morning.
But then I said something that
woke me up like a bowl of hot
kneidlach poured in my lap:
"What will you pay me to not
write the story?"
My remark was crass, unethi-
-rwe
"And how is the program paid cal, a cynical admission that
hushing up the truth was good for
for? What is its budget?"
Mrs. Throckmorton's voice everyone.
I took my wife to dinner that
David Holzel is managing editor
night, compliments of Mrs.
of our sister paper, the Atlanta
Throckmorton's synagogue.
Jewish Times.

I

finally figured out how to
make my first million.
Like many great discover-
ies — penicillin, the X-ray, the
actual lyrics to "Louie, Louie" —
it came serendipitously.
And the best thing is, my
brainstorm will be good for me
and good for the Jews.
It happened while I was con-
ducting an interview with Mrs.
Throckmorton, who organized a
very fine day-care program for
beagles at her synagogue.
Mrs. Throckmorton was very
happy to tell me about how the
Yom Kelev (Dog Day) program
was making a difference.
"How many families do you
help?"
She seemed confused by the
question. "Currently?"
"If you have those figures."

The next week, I was inter-
viewing a guy from a venerable
Jewish organization. An internal
probe had revealed that 80 per-
cent of the funds the agency
raised for Israel was going into
time shares in Boca Raton.
The apparachik really didn't
want to talk about this breach of
trust and possible felony and,
frankly, I was getting bored of lis-
tening to him stonewall. So I
popped the question.
This has been going on for a
month now and everyone seems
pleased — the people I interview,
who no longer have to answer un-
comfortable questions like, "Are
you spending Jewish money wise-
ly?"; my bosses, who no longer get
complaints from the people I in-
terview; and readers, who have
been relieved of the hot air that
usually circulates through these
stories. Me, I'm wearing my
Bruno Maglis and Armanis now
and have no complaints.
Who's going to gripe anyway?
It's good for me and good for the
Jews. ❑

and on benefactors in their 70s and
Sheila
Arnold Levine. 80s.
As they die, their inheritors
I thought about
every aren't expected to inherit their
them
time I took a commitment to traditional Jew-
drink of water ish communal causes. Faced
from our syna- with this fund drain, communal
gogue's cooler. organizations have two options:
1. Attract the new recipients
As I slurped, it
was impossible of the assets to their causes.
2. Entice the current asset
to ignore reading the plaque, let-
ting all who were thirsty know holders to create an endowment
their refreshment was due to to perpetuate their generosity,
taking the decision out of the
the Levines' charity.
What about Mr. Abe Stolin? hands of their heirs.
They often pay lip service to
A poorly designed plaque to his
generosity (I think it was for a option No. 1 while concentrat-
full set of dairy dishes at the ing their efforts on option No. 2.
synagogue of my childhood) bore The result? An impending run
this inscription: "Stolin in mem- on plaques as virtually anything
ory of Abe, 1888-1960." endowable —broom closets, lec-
When I take a load off my feet tore programs, scoreboards, vis-
in front of the Maple-Drake its to Israel for elected officials
Jewish Community Center, — is catalogued and sold. Have
newly raised lettering on the $100,000? Here's what it buys
bench reminds my back that it for you. $25,000? How about
is leaning against a plaque corn- these six opportunities? Have
memorating someone's gift. $10,000? How about a water
Janitor's closets. Flagpoles. fountain?
For a decade, we've been told
Flower beds. Delivery vans.
Even the wooden benefactor that the "C" word, continuity, is
boards to list the names of bene- needed to revitalize our Jewish
factors. Everything, it seems, communities in the face of as-
has a price and an accompany- similation and intermarriage.
ing plaque. Forget about plas- This is achieved through greater
tics, Mrs. Robinson. Invest in commitment to Israel, syna-
gogues Jewish education,
wood and bronze.
While Jewish communal or- tzedakah and family life.
With perpetual funds from
ganizations and institutions
aren't the only ones who like the aged benefactors, communal or-
hammer and screwdriver (you'd ganizations believe they can con-
be amazed where you find tinue their work at linking the
plaques at museums, galleries generations.
While some of these endow-
and hospitals), they're fueling a
run that will rival the surge in ments do, indeed, help assure
the Dow Jones Industrial Aver- the provision of vital services to
populations at risk, many do
age.
The reason? They must com- nothing more than preserve the
pete for a piece of the massive status quo. If an organization
transfer of wealth under way be- has become irrelevant or sigmf-
tween a generation with strong icantly less attractive to the
ties to the Jewish community to community's new generation of
one whose ties are perceived as leaders and philanthropists,
tenuous. then why should it take dollars
Pick your favorite Jewish or- out of the inheritors' hands to
ganization, nationally or local- preserve itself?
A new paradigm for attract-
ly. The Allied Jewish Campaign
of Detroit's Jewish Federation? ing charitable dollars to Jewish
Bar-Ban University? Jewish Na- communal causes requires cre-
tional Fund? Magen David ativity, innovation and rele-
Adom? Na'amat? Yeshiva Beth vancy, not just plaques that
Yehudah? Jewish Theological glorify the way we were. ❑
Seminary? All rely extensively

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