Editorials

Issues Should Not Be
Reduced To Our Checkbooks

Interim editor Alan Hitsky covered the Leah
Rabin speech last Sunday at Temple Israel.
His article reported her discussion of contin-
uing attempts to make peace with the
Palestinians. Yet, she drew her loudest
applause when she questioned the political
role of Israel's Orthodox.
Staff writer Julie Wiener, also in this issue,
reports of a growing desire among some
Detroit Jews to donate funds to organizations
that won't benefit Likud or right-wing
groups. Some people, she wrote, are just not
donating anything to the United Jewish
Appeal/Allied Jewish Campaign because of
their concern over recent issues of pluralism
in Israel.
Legislation is pending in Israel that would
bar non-Orthodox Jews from the country's
150 religious councils, which distribute $70
million a year in government funds. The leg-
islation also would allow only Orthodox rab-
bis to convert people to Judaism in Israel.

Withholding money from UJA, however,
can only have a negative effect on Israel. UJA
programs literally put food on the table and
clothing on the backs of Jews, no matter
what the denomination. We feel at this time
that it can only be a detriment to the entire
Jewish people if we start withholding funds
in this way.
We have a right to be concerned with
events in Israel. At this stage, though, the
stance has to be more in terms of debate
instead of dollars.
Israel can't be concerned, even in its most
difficult straits, that a decision it makes
could result in a lack of support. Israel is a
diverse, colorful painting. And we can't
afford to remove that canvas at this time.
We urge you not to reduce your gifts.
However, we want you to read, to get active in
some way. Don't take your checkbook and walk
away. If that happens, Israel will find itself with
other crises that a debate might not help. ❑

Conflicting Messages
On Middle East Peace

When Israel Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu vowed earlier this week "to facili-
tate the settlement of Jews everywhere," he
further disheartened the roughly 50 percent
of Israelis who did not vote him into office.
While about half the Israelis are likely to be
at ease with the comments, such unilateral
action are what U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright has warned
against.
At first, this negative reaction
may make little sense. Jews have
fought for thousands of years
for the right to live where they
please. But many Israelis view
this statement, issued at the
Ateret Cohanim seminary in
Jerusalem's Muslim quarter, as a
dramatic backwards step in the
peace process.
By talking up the controver-
sial settlements when the U.S.
government has asked this not be done, they
believe Netanyahu is pushing the wrong but-
tons in the diplomatic as well as Arab world.
Both camps believe that the Netanyahu gov-
ernment is sending dangerous and contradic-
tory messages throughout the Middle East.
One the one side, they say, he extends his
hand toward peace by reentering the negotia-
tions. Then he detonates political bombs on
the most sensitive of issues.

For American Jews, the alarm bell should
be ringing. It's not because we believe the
prime minister is overstepping his bounds,
but because we are concerned that he is
acting in an uncoordinated fashion that con-
tradicts his stated goals of achieving a com-
prehensive peace. Israel's elected leader alone
decides government policy, but we are oblig-
ated to show that the way in
which this is being done dam-
ages the peace process and the
U.S.-Israel relationship.
All this might serve to
deflect the focus from
Netanyahu's domestic political
woes, which mounted signifi-
cantly in recent days as his
chief of staff resigned and the
once fiercely loyal
Communications Minister
Limor Livnat continued to
back away from her political
mentor.
Israelis alone, through their elected repre-
sentatives, will decide if a unity government
or even new elections are needed.
Meanwhile, we'll continue urging a little
more of that diplomacy and deal-making that
is said to have rocketed Netanyahu to the top
— and the hopes that the prime minister
remembers all of the parties with whom he
must deal. ❑

A storm to
shield
internal
woes?

11/28
1997

32

A hooded Palestinian burns a U.S. flag as Hamas followers rallied
in Hebron earlier this month.

LETTERS

Pill Taking
And Kashrut

Regarding the health article in
the Oct. 17 paper ("Fall
Foe"), I find that the state-
ment that "... all medicine in
pill form is kosher, but some-
times capsules are made with
pig-based gelatin" is too sim-
plified and perhaps mislead-
ing.
There are many ingredients
that would render pills, cap-
sules and other forms of oral
medication non-kosher.
However, the non-kosher sta-
tus should not deter the
patient from taking essential
medication prescribed by his
or her physician; the con-
cerned patient can seek prop-
er substitution through his or
her doctor, as suggested in the
article, or consult with rab-
binical authority for halachic

permissiveness of the medica-
tion even for use on Passover
or fast days.
In the same article, high-
lighted under "Cold or
Allergy?", the symptoms listed
in the statement are, in fact,
symptoms of possible infec-
tion.

A.S. Mandelbaun
Oak Pan

Opposition
To Punishment

This reader believes that one
need not be an "arrogant, self
righteous expert" to oppose
capital punishment. (Editor's'
Notebook Nov. 14.)
Nor must one be reticent
a
to assert that our society,
general rule, does stand in
need of "more rehabilitation,
more social service programs
and more compassion," to
quote Ms. Applebaum.
PUNISHMENT on page 34