itorials

Rev. tyons Touched Our Lives

who taught about the Holocaust," Lyons did
He was a devout Christian, but he made us
as much as anyone in our community to build
better Jews.
bridges of understanding between people of
The Rev. JamesAiiiiiS'Who died March 19
different religious faiths and ethnic back-
at age 60, devoted himself to fighting hatred
grounds. He'd prod and provoke you, then tug
and prejudice of any ilk, including anti-Semi-
your heartstrings. He sowed seeds of mutual
tism. That devotion became an obsession in
acceptance, not of mere tolerance.
1982, after hearing about a rabbi's 3-year-old
He wanted to help inspire a safer world, a
granddaughter who had died in the Holocaust.
world where we could respect
Lyons had a granddaughter
one another and work side by
who was 3, and he projected
side to repel discrimination
her into the Holocaust experi-
and inspire goodwill. He
ence.
wanted us to move beyond lip
Lyons left the West Bloom-
service and become doers.
field church he was serving
In the wake of his passing,
and, thanks to a Friedman
it's
worth remembering Rev.
Foundation grant, founded
Lyons'
farewell, which he
the Ecumenical Institute for
wrote in the hospital as the
Jewish-Christian Studies. He
end of his long battle with
remained executive director of
diabetes was nearing. The
that honored educational
farewell reads, in part:
clearinghouse for religious and
"There is no fear of dying
ethnic diversity until his
within
me, but there is a great
death.
desire
to
live, to continue the
Blessed with a booming
growing,
creative relationships
voice, caring heart and spirit-
which are such an important
ed message, Lyons would visit
part of my life. When I reflect
The Rev. James Lyons:
Bible Belt churches to share
Creative relationships.
on the past years, I am
the struggle Jews faced in
amazed at the depth of rela-
gaining a homeland in Israel
tionships that we have formed. It is in the pos-
amid the backdrop of the Holocaust. He
itive thrust of loving relationships that life
reached deep into his soul to change stereo-
becomes creative and exciting."
types about Jews and Jewish values, while
Jim Lyons' legacy lies in the loving relation-
telling Jews to learn more about Christianity to
ships we form and the bridges of understand-
dispel their own misconceptions.
ing we build.
Fondly known as "the Protestant minister

IN FOCUS

Early Birds

A client of Kadima, a Jewish organization that provides resi-
dential, employment, counseling and support services to people
with mental illness, enjoys the first-ever model seder last week
at the Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Jewish Parenting Center
of Congregation Shaarey Zedek. Center Director Janet Pont led
the seder, which accommodated about 50 people, and kinder- .
gartners entertained with songs. 0

❑

LETTERS

Spineless Move Overturned

It took 62 years, but the U.S. Olympic Com-
mittee righted an injustice Sunday, summon-
ing the wisdom of the adage, "better late than
never."
In a moving ceremony at the New York
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, sports broadcaster
and former sprinter Marty Glickman received
the USOC's first Douglas MacArthur Award in
lieu of the gold medal that he was denied in
the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. General
MacArthur was USOC president in 1927-28,
The Brooklyn-born Glickman and Michi-
ganian Sam Stoller, both Jews, were removed
from the U.S. sprint team that won the 4x100
relay event. They weren't fast enough for the
> 46 medal competition, their coaches told them.
Despite no written evidence, USOC Presi-
dent William Hybl told the New York Times he
nonetheless was convinced the USOC, headed
in 1936 by Avery Brundage, bounced the two
men from the team the morning of the final
trial heat to appease Adolf Hitler, who wasn't
about to have Jews in a competition he was
hosting.

►

It's a tragedy the United States buckled
under to Hitler's prejudice, discrediting
Glickman and Stoller in the process. It's
equally tragic it took so long for the wrong
to be acknowledged, let alone corrected.
But we applaud the USOC for finally not
only conceding the gutless anti-Semitic act
of its leaders in 1936 but also having the
courage to do something substantive as retri-
bution.
We're also proud of the way Glickman,
the last survivor among the sprinters on the
1936 relay team, responded to the snub in
the interest of team unity. As he told the
New York Times, he tried not to be bitter at
the time because he was only 18 and "I had
a whole world ahead of me."
The story of Marty Glickman, still going
strong at 80, plays out in the Yiddish expres-
sion, Az men ken nit iberhar'n dos shlechteh,
ken men dos guteh nit derleben. That means:
If you can't endure the bad, you'll not live to
witness the good.

❑

int*P kg f

Challenged
Need Support

Your wonderful article "A
Home Of Their Own"
(March 27) was very touching
and informative.
For things to work out for
children, teens and adults
who are developmentally dis-
abled and physically chal-
lenged, you need lots of sup-
port. First you need devoted
and caring parents (or a single

parent) such as the Kaplans
and Kaczanders. Next you
need a Jewish community like
ours which cares.
Many volunteers give their
time and support along with
agencies such as our Jewish
Federation, JARC, the JCC
Special Needs Department,
Jewish Vocational Service,
Michigan Jewish Sports Hall
of Fame and many others.
Hats off to all the above.
You make me proud to be a
part of you.

Joyce Weckstein

Co-chair, Special Needs, Jewish
Community Center

The Rev. Lyons
Will Be Missed

It was with great disbelief that

4/3
1998

