THE ARCHITECT Of ISRAEL'S POLICY ON PLURALISM DIDN'T FAVOR JEWISH ORTHODOXY. NE FAVORED JEWISH UNITY. David Ben Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister, was by no means Orthodox. But he real- ized that in order for there to be one Jewish people there must be only one religious standard in matters of conversion, marriage and divorce. The standard he chose is the only one that is acceptable to all Jews. Namel y, Halacha - traditional Jewish religious law. J ews are Jews. Israelis are free to practice or not FACTS VS. FICTION We are a coalition of Jews from across the spectrum of Orthodoxy. And we are appealing to our brothers and sisters to see through the rhetoric. Our problem today is not some imagined ewish theocracy, but an all-too-real crisis in Jewish continuity. The statistics are frighteningl y clear - we are disappearing. So man y Jews are unsure whether their grandchildren will even be Jews. There is only one proven guarantor of Jewish In an attempt to uproot Israel's 50-year-old policy on religious pluralism, some groups have chosen to misrepresent the facts. They have led many American Jews to believe that Ben Gurion's policy somehow renders them "second class" Jews. They have even gone so far as to impl y that Israel is drifting toward a "theocracy." Nothing could be further from the truth. All practice their religion as the y see fit. The purpose of Israel's polic y on pluralism is not to discriminate against an y Jews, but to maintain unity among all Jews. One standard, one people..., THE REAL CRISIS continuity. A classical Jewish education. It must be the ultimate priority for ourselves, our children and generations to come. Call us at 1-888-44-AMECHAD (1 888- 442- 6324) or write to us at 42 Broadway, New York, NY 10004. We can refer you to a Jewish school or an adult education program. We can also send y ou material about pluralism in Israel. Let's put our energy and resources toward the real issue facing our community. Jewish unity and continuity. Am J &had: PRESERVING ONE JEWISH NATION A coalition of Jews from across the spectrum of Orthodoxy committed to genuine Jewish unity and continuity. Second in a series. COMMITTEE IN FORMATION Rabbi Chaskel Besser Nev: York Abraham Biderman New York Dr. David L Diamond New York Dr.Allen Jacob Miami Beach Prof. Laurence M. Katz Baltimore Harry M. Brown, Esq. Cleveland Nathan Lewin, Esq. Washington D.C. Gerald Feldhamer New York Arthur Marx New York Chaim S. Kamineaky New York Dr. Isaac Perle Boston Dr. Irving Lebovics Los Angles Rabbi Moshe Sherer New York Prof. Aaron Twerski New York Yosel Davis Chicago Henry Lowenthal Baltimore Michael Hasten Indianapolis Steven Z. Mostofslcy, Esq. New York Leonard Kestenbaum Long Island Albert Relchmann Toronto Eliyahu Levenson New Mexico Thomas H. Schottenstein Columbus Menachem Lubinslcy New York Abe YVagschall Cincinnati Jack Nagel Los Angles Prof. Moshe Z. Reicher New York Kenneth Spetner St. Louis George Weinberger New York For your best price, selection eznel personeaLzed service • Clinical Teaching • Testing/Evaluation • Therapeutic Tutoring CINDY SCHLUSSEL MUMMA 669-2011 0 • 545-6677 • 433-3323 Oak Park LYNNE MASTER, M.Ed Owner, Director I • Bloomfield Hills http://www.metroguide.com/lynne I 1/16 1998 121