Half-Empty, Half-Full
Over the last decade, we have seen the newspa-
per articles many times:
There has been a resurgence of Yiddish class-
es on college campuses; there has been a resur-
gence of baalei teshuvah, returnees to formal
Judaism, across the United States.
More in keeping with reality are two stories
that appeared in the Aug. 8 and today's Jewish
News: A Yiddish-speaking group is celebrating
13 years of happy friendships and spin-off groups,
but with a dearth of young members; and Ze-
man's New York Kosher Bakery, with the re-
tirement of Morry and Sheila Mertz, is closing
the branch store on Southfield at 13 Mile.
Yiddish classes and baalei teshuvah are a bow
to the continuation of Judaism as we have known
it. The Fraylicha Friendt Yiddish group and the
closing of Zeman's speak more to the reality of
Judaism in America today.
With a minority of exceptions, only our revered
parents and grandparents still speak the Yid-
dish of our ancestors. College classes on Yiddish
literature, taught in English, will not preserve
the language. The continuing decline in num-
bers of kosher bakeries and butcher shops in the
Detroit area also does not bode well for continu-
ing the past as we knew it.
But there are numerous signs that Judaism
is poised for a resurgence in the Detroit area, led
by the growth of our day schools and the re-
freshing changes in our afternoon and Sunday
schools and adult education programs.
If we rely on numbers as our yardstick, Ju-
daism in Detroit is in trouble. If we look search-
ingly behind the numbers and act upon them,
our Jewish future will be different, but healthy.
T H E
PROMISED LAND
THE CONTINUING STORY OF JEWISH LIFE IN THE DIASPORA
by Jordan B. Gorfinkel
J EWI SH NEW S
YAEL
the
Pape-Led
LOUIS ZAYDS BOBS
the
the
Rebel Tradknaist Bubby
IYOUR CONTEMPORARY GUIDE2
TO NOT WEARING A Kffil'Al
I
NON-HIGH HOLIDAYS STYLE
BAD NEIGHBORHOOD 51YI.E
0 1997 BY JORDAN B. GO R F
Eclipsing Rachmones
Perhaps more than any political measure, judi- from being buried even in a "questionable" Jew's
cial opinion or movement statement, the tragic grave.
Eventually, Grisha was buried in a vacant lot
story of Grisha Pesachovitch illustrates the dire
need to create a religiously pluralistic society in Jerusalem owned by the Ba'hai, a faith that
focuses on the spiritual unity of all humanity.
in Israel.
The Pesachovitches' story represents more
As reported last week in this publication,
Grisha, a 15-year-old Russian emigre, was the than merely one family's nightmare to bury their
youngest of 13 Israelis killed in the July 30 son — a Jewish martyr, no less. It is an embar-
Machane Yehuda terrorist bombings in rassment of supreme magnitude to the State of
Jerusalem. Although Grisha lived his short life Israel and to the Jewish people, regardless of re-
as a secular Jew, Israeli religious authorities re- ligious and political affiliations and orientations.
When religion eclipses rachmones , or com-
fused to bury his body — so mangled that pathol-
ogists had to perform blood tests for identification passion, it ceases to be an expression of faith to
a higher order and devolves into an
— in a Jewish cemetery.
elitist power structure of myopia. How
The reason: While Grisha's father,
Only
can a boy whose dream of living in a
Yevgeny, is Jewish, his mother, Olga,
Jewish state was fulfilled — and then
is a non-Jew (who had applied for an
pluralism whose life was snuffed out by those
Orthodox conversion prior to Grisha's
can enable who deny Jews the right to live in their
death). Halachah, or Jewish law, de-
own state — be denied a Jewish bur-
fines a Jew as someone whose mother
Israel to ial?
is Jewish or someone who has con-
The time has come for Israel to cre-
verted to Judaism. Grisha — who was
attain its
ate a situation in which adherents of
registered as a Christian when he
goal.
Jewish movements outside of the Or-
came to Israel two years ago under the
thodox monopoly can thrive and offer
Law of Return — had not converted to
alternatives to the current religious
Judaism.
Because there are no secular cemeteries in establishment. Only pluralism can enable Israel
Jerusalem, a city official recommended burying to attain its goal of being a safe harbor — in this
Grisha in a non-denominational ceremony in a case, a safe spiritual harbor — for all Jews. This
Christian graveyard on the Mount of Olives. But need also was evidenced Monday night when 150
when a Greek Orthodox priest insisted on offi- Conservative and Reform Jews were evicted by
ciating at the service, Grisha's parents vehe- Israeli police from the Western Wall while hold-
mently refused to accept the funeral rites of the ing a mixed prayer service for men and women
on Tisha B'Av, and were jeered by fervently Or-
church.
"Grisha lived as a Jew in the land of Israel," thodox Jews.
While the halachic concerns of Orthodox lead-
wailed Olga Pesachovitch. "I am not ready to let
ers must be addressed in an atmosphere of dia-
him be buried as a Christian."
When subsequent efforts fell through for in- logue and fellowship, the tenets, values and
terment at a kibbutz or secular cemetery outside beliefs of other Jewish movements must also
of the Israeli capital, arrangements were made have a place in Israel's religious life. To provide
for Grisha to be buried in an area designated for such a platform would be a fitting tribute to Gr-
"questionable" Jews in Jerusalem's main ceme- isha Pesachovitch, whose life was taken from
tery at Givat Shaul. But the city's chief rabbi, him by Palestinian terrorists but whose soul was
Yitzhak Koolitz, intervened and barred Grisha robbed by a religious hierarchy.
BECCA BETH BERNIE
It.
the
the
Lbral
Skeptic Ideafisl
GLOSSARY: 'KIPPAH-HEBREW FOR JEWISH HEAD COVERING (also YARMULKE)
Letters
Need For
Sensitivity
Recently, I received a disturbing
phone call from my brother in
Australia. The terrible events at
the opening ceremonies of the
Maccabiah Games in Israel have
impacted me personally. I was
connected to both of the Aus-
tralian athletes who were killed
when the bridge collapsed. I grew
the Australian Jewish commu-
nity over the way the matter was
handled. The fact that the cere-
monies were not halted immedi-
ately, out of respect for the dead
and injured athletes, has con-
founded everyone. This was not
a terrorist act — "the show must
go on" principle was not appro-
priate. As reported in The Jew-
ish News ("Maccabiah Tragedy"
July 18), Weizman should have
gone with his original hunch and
up in Australia.
not delivered his speech.
Greg Small was the son of my
It also was upsetting that none
mother's cousin, and Yetty Ben- of the parties involved in the con-
nett was in my high school grad- struction of the bridge is accept-
uating class. My memories of ing responsibility for its collapse.
Greg are limited. He was much Can it help the families back in
younger than I, but I do remem- Australia to deal with their grief
ber him at a few family occasions; to learn that the builders, engi-
he was one of a set of twin boys. neers, police, etc., are simply
His wife was in the crowd at the passing the buck?
ceremonies and saw him fall.
I am sure it will take time for
Yetty was always interested in bad feelings left by this incident
sports, and was involved in the to go away. Sporting events like
Jewish community. As teen-agers, the Maccabiah Games are sup-
we had socialized with many of the posed to bring people together.
same people. I lost contact with her
after high school, although class-
Robyn Goren
mates periodically kept me in-
Southfield
formed about her and others.
There is great public outcry in LETTERS page 28