Editorials

A Good Sign:
Recognition For
Education

This week, Yeshiva Beth Yehudah announced
that it will be honoring Dr. Milton and Lois
Shiffman at its 83rd annual banquet in
November. For the Shiffmans, this is an honor
well deserved.
Last week, Federation revealed the name of
this year's Butzel Award honoree. The commu-
nity's highest community service award will go
to Mark Schlussel. Again, a great selection.
The Shiffmans are no stranger to education.
They have basically focused most of their giv-
ing to institutions such as Bar-Ilan University,
Hillel Day School, the Yeshiva and others. But
the Shiffmans aren't particularly after honors.
Instead, they know what happens inside the
walls of a. school. They understand that it is
the responsibility of the Jewish community to
educate its children.
And they also
know that the conti-
nuity of the Jewish
community is at
stake. They also real-
ize that not everyone
can afford tuition,
and that teaching in a
Jewish school is typi-
cally not a place to
become financially
wealthy. The richness
comes in the teacher-
student relationship.
The Shiffmans want
those relationships to
continue.
When Mark
Schlussel entered
Federation work, he
did so because day
schools were getting
little or no monies
from the community. Mark Schlussel: Setting up
He brokered an
agreement that would
give the schools some $10,000 to split. Now
that figure is about $1 million.
Still, Jewish day schools and the entire after-
noon and Sunday school system finds itself
constantly scratching and clawing for funds.
The community priorities have improved dra-
matically. Yet, we still find ourselves talking a
good game of continuity. We wring our hands
and wonder about the future. Teachers in our
religious schools remain underpaid and schools
struggle to make ends meet.
The next generation of "honorees" have to
figure out a way to make sure that education is
more than just a lipservice priority. Education
can't be the window dressing if this Jewish

9/19
1997

32

community is going to survive. Education has
to be the reason why it survives. The
Shiffmans understand this, and so does Mark
Schlussel and many other unsung heroes who
give both their time and their money. It's got
to get even better.
The honorees of the future will emerge
from what they've learned, not just in class but
from the adults whose example they follow. If
children see us giving, they'll give too.

An Important
Family Discussion

On Thursday, Sept. 25, beginning at 7:30
p.m., a tremendous opportunity is being
offered to the Jewish community.
"Peace in the Family: A Discussion on
Jewish Unity" will bring together a panel of
respected leaders. Each one of these partici-
pants is a community leader. Each one offers
an important point of view.
The panel will include Rabbi Harold Loss
of Temple Israel,
Professor Alan
Schenk of T'Chiyah,
Rabbi Efry Spectre
of Adat Shalom,
Rabbi Steven Weil of
Young Israel of Oak
Park, and Rabbi
Sherwin Wine of the
Birmingham
Temple.
The discussion
will take place at the
Jewish Community
Center's Maple-
Drake building. It is
co-sponsored by The
Jewish News and the
Jewish Community
Council.
In years past, it
was difficult to get
representatives from
the future
the different denom-
inations in a room
together to talk
about substantive issues. Now, however, with
painfully important issues such as tolerance,
pluralism and the impact of recent world
events before us, its more critical than ever that
we at least talk to one another. This is not
about the Orthodox family or the
Reconstructionist family. It's about the Jewish
"family."
This event comes as part of the JCC's "Hot
Topics Series." Hopefully, bringing diverse
groups of Jews together won't rely on topics
only hot. Maybe this is something we can do
over and over again. Like a family, we need a
reunion. And like a family, we need to learn to
live together.

LETTERS

Media Stirs
More Hatred

I have recently returned from
Israel and feel that I must
reply to charges that there was
"excrement" thrown by hared-
im at the Kotel at Shavuot at
those who were having a
mixed service. I was at the
Kotel Shavuot morning, and I
want to make clear that there
was a fight, but there was
absolutely no excrement
thrown at anyone.
On Shavuot, after learning
all night, haredim walking to
the Kotel do not decide to
bring garbage with them as a
normal course of events.
Excrement being thrown
makes a good story by a
reporter who feels that he
must take advantage of the
hatred of haredim. There was
a fight based on principles,
not of hatred of people.
If there was any excrement
thrown at all it was in the

mind of the reporter who had
nothing better to do than to
create hatred between Jews.
Shira Drissman
Farmington hill c

Sovereignty,
On What Basis?

In claiming sovereignty over
parts of Jerusalem,
Palestinians argue that Arabs
have lived there for centuries
and that it is the location of
important Islamic holy sites.
If those are the criteria,
then Israel is missing an
important opportunity to
claim sovereignty to chunks
of Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.
After all, Jews lived in Egypt
for millennia; it is the birth-
place of Moses, and it is
where God gave the Jews the
Ten Commandments. Moses
died and ascended to heaven
in Jordan — maybe Israel
should build a Jewish Dome
of the Rock there? And Jews
have lived in Iraq in great

SOVEREIGNTY

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