Editorials
Recapturing The Warmth
Of The Maccabi Games
Let us gather up all the goodness in our hearts
ing ceremonies at the Palace of Auburn Hills
and open our bayim (homes) to the Jewish
to watch the athletes march in by delegation
teenagers who will arrive this summer for the
before a capacity crowd of 18,000.
1998 Jewish Community Center Maccabi
Throughout the week, hosts not only will be
Games, a spiritually uplifting convergence of
able to cheer on their young guests and the
skill, strength, style and simcha (joy).
local delegation but also shmooze with friends
Your gemillut chesed (act of kindness) will
and neighbors.
make a difference. To stand up and be count-
The week will be a rousing celebration
ed, call Games direc-
spanning more than
1990 photo by Glenn Triest
tor Beth Kellman at
2,100 years — link-
the JCC Maccabi
ing the guerrilla
Games office: (248)
warfare victory of
661-7722. One of
the Maccabees
the Games' most
against Syrian-
exuberant ambas-
imposed"religious
sadors, she's the
oppression in 160
daughter of Mr.
BCE with this year's
Maccabi Games
50th anniversary of
himself, Detroit's
the State of Israel's
own Jay Robinson.
founding. The
His love for sport
Maccabi week's fare
and faith in kids
will include a his-
have virtually willed
torical, cultural and
the Games to the
religious look at
lofty level they enjoy
Eretz Hakodesh (the
today. Thanks to Jay, Relighting the spark for 1998.
Holy Land).
the biennial Games,
Mor•than 900
which date back to 1982, also made stops here
homes still are needed to house participants.
in 1990 and 1984.
Host families must commit to driving their
The housing committee for the second
young charges to one of the neighborhood
largest Jewish communal event ever in our area shuttle bus stops or to the JCC's Maple/Drake
faces the daunting task of finding 1,300 homes
building, providing breakfasts and dinners for
to house two or more athletes, ages 13-16,
their guests, and making the Shabbat experi-
from Aug. 16 to 23. Host families are sought
ence special.
in metro Detroit and metro Ann Arbor.
The help you give, and the vigor you
Competitors — 3,000 strong from 70 com-
invest as a host family, will go a long way
munities — will vie in various disciplines,
toward showcasing our community and
ranging from swimming and soccer to chess
inspiring a young person. What higher
and dance. They'll look to us for moral sup-
reward is there than a heartfelt thank-you
port as they compete, socialize, grow culturally
from an impressionable teenager? Think of
and observe Shabbat.
your volunteerism as a z'chut (privilege), not a
Host families will be invited to festive open-
springboard to plaudits. 111
Noe Raymon Perez, one of the 1,500 Jews left in Havana, studies
Torah at the Temple of the Sephardic Hebrew Community in
Cuba.
LETTERS
Impression
Misleading
We want to clarify an impres-
sion that the Hillel Day School
Teachers' Association was call-
ing for an independent review
of the environment at the
school because of the firing of
Mrs. Shula Fleischer
("Teaching Tumult" Jan.23).
That impression is not accu-
rate.
Indeed, we believe the firing
of Mrs. Fleischer was an injus-
tice, particularly because she
did not have the opportunity
to respond to the board regard-
ing the allegations. However,
Life Continues In Israel
Already, we're reading articles from Israel deal-
ing with possible missile attacks on Tel Aviv
from Iraq. This is, of course, expected, should
the United States bomb Saddam Hussein's
country.
The stories we read are of an Israel gripped
in fear as its citizens line up for gas masks and
antidotes to anthrax, which seems to be Iraq's
biological killer of choice. There are even
announced plans on how Tel Aviv would evac-
uate should Iraq carry out such a horrid mis-
sion.
We're not trying to draw attention or inter-
est away from what could be, but we also want
it made clear that there continues to be an
Israel that isn't getting the attention it deserves.
Case in point: This week, two Israeli scien-
tists were awarded the Wolf Prize in medicine.
While we call on Israel and its people to always
keep its security as its highest priority, we also
encourage Americans and other Diaspora Jews
to recognize that life is going on in Israel. The
economy is still growing. There are political •
battles being fought in the Knesset. The desert
is still blooming through technology and old-
fashioned pain and strain.
Israel struggles and survives. It does so
largely because its people know that with their
choice to live in this region comes a state of
Shula Fleischer
mind requiring faith and strength.O
Mrs. Fleischer has her own
attorney and will pursue the
matter on her own.
We called for an indepen-
dent revie* because of the
atmosphere at the school. We
need an objective third party to
review the situation at Hillel
for the benefit of everyone
involved: the board, the admin-
istration, the teachers and,
most important, the parents
and children.
We believe that such an
objective review by a highly
respected, blue-ribbon commit-
tee can improve the present cli-
mate at the school,
Malka Littman
President, Hillel Day School
Teachers' Association
Situation
Clarified
I wish to respond to the article
("Teaching Tumult") and the
editorial ("Family Feud At
Hillel") in the Jan. 23 Jewish
News. While we appreciate
ongoing interest The Jewish
News has in Hillel, I feel some
readers not familiar with the
situation could possibly draw
incorrect conclusions.
Every single parent, teacher,
2/6
1998
29