NEditorials

Eight Over Eighty A Caring Crew

op.

They've lost a step but not their spark.
And their zest for volunteerism and spirit of
goodwill have helped brighten the lives of oth-
ers.
Most importantly, they've toiled without
fanfare, fueled by heartfelt concern, not a thirst
for plaudits.
So we salute the newest inductees into the
Jewish Federation Apartments' Eight Over
Eighty Senior Adult Jewish Hall of Fame: Jerry
Bielfeld, Walter Field, Dr. Leon Lucas, Isadore
Malin, Ann Rubin, Jeanette Serling, Max Sosin
and Edith Wyman.
In the program for the fifth annual installa-
tion on April 26, co-chairs Cheryl Guyer and
Rick Rosenhaus wrote: "We are so proud to
honor these distinguished seniors who have
dedicated themselves to our community and to
tikkun olam — repairing the world."

The Jewish News was one of the installation
brunch sponsors and felt privileged to be. Col-
lectively, the honorees represent more than 640
years of skill, wisdom, compassion, service and
achievement. They're well deserving of their
moment in the sun.
While we as a community honor them, we
also should revere them. In a fast-paced world
better suited to quick feet, these spunky
seniors have truly made a difference. In their
own way, each has left an indelible imprint —
assisting, nurturing, teaching, inspiring, loving
— always with an eye toward their Jewish
identity.
Character, grit and drive are not the
province of only the young. We all have some-
thing to give, regardless of age.
But to be a steady giver when over 80 is to
be someone special. ❑

Loving Jews To Death

•

Last weekend's big Christian rally in Florida
honoring Israel on its 50th anniversary was
filled with words of praise for the Jewish state
and love for Jews.
Forgive us if we don't sound properly
grateful.
At the Orlando rally, much of this "love"
was expressed by those Christians who are
working the hardest to eliminate Judaism as a
religion. And their fervent Zionism is largely
based on prophecies that demand a future of
torment for Israel until a small, chastened
Jewish remnant is redeemed through conver-
sion to Christianity.
One prominent evangelist fairly dripped
with compassion while describing the many
prophecies in the Jewish Bible that she said
pointed to Christ as the Jewish Messiah.
Then she asked how any "intelligent person"
could fail to acknowledge those prophecies —
no doubt believing that her patronizing ques-
tion would be accepted by lost Jewish souls as
an expression of love.
Many spoke with passion about the need
for Jerusalem to remain Israel's undivided
capital, but their reasons do little to inspire
our gratitude: A Jewish Jerusalem, they
believe, must be handed over intact to Christ
after the great "end-time" battles kill off most
of the world's Jews.
Friends indeed.
Worse still were the many "Messianic
Jews" on the program, the reason every
mainstream Jewish leader invited to the rally
declined.
Still, the media portrayed the event as a
gathering of Christians and Jews, mistaking
the kippah-clad Messianic "rabbis" on the
dais for genuine Jews, and thus giving the
Messianics what they seek the most — a kind

of legitimacy as interpreters of the Jewish
community to the Christian world.
Don't get us wrong. Many Christians sup-
port Israel for what it is — a permanent Jew-
ish state, and not some way-station to the
Millenial kingdom described in Christian the-
ology. We welcome their support. Truth be
told, we have been slow to acknowledge and
nurture it.

We're slow to thank
real Christian friends,
as well as lash out at
real enemies.

But many others reach out to us only to
peddle conversion, or because of our project-
ed role in their bloody prophecies. We are
right to question the support of those Evan-
gelicals who would love us to death. Mes-
sianic Jews, with their bogus rabbis preach-
ing the Christian gospel, are particularly
odious; the central pillar of their religion is
the belief that 2000 years of Judaism —
beginning with all of rabbinic law — is a
tragic blunder.
Our community must be more forthright
in exposing the Messianics for what they are,
and in explaining to our real Christian friends
why this transparent attempt to redefine our
religion from the outside is so deeply offen-
sive to us.

❑

IN FOCUS

Body Of Knowledge

Students in Mindy Siegel's fourth- and fifth-grade science class
at Akiva Hebrew Day School spent Sunday morning in
William Beaumont Hospital's anatomic pathology laboratories
exploring cell and organ function. The visit was part of an
ongoing series of lectures on anatomy. Beaumont pathologist
Neil Goldstein provided the visuals, beaming microscopic
images onto a screen.

LETTERS

The Torah View
Of Lifestlyes

In the Community Views sec-
tion of your paper, Mr. Mark
Schlussel discusses the issue of
whether President Bill Clin-
ton's personal lifestyle should
affect his ability to govern
("We Must Be Alert When
Democracy Is Threatened,"
April 24). Since this seems to
be a burning issue in the
minds of many Americans, it
behobves us to try to deter-
mine the Torah viewpoint on
this matter.
During biblical times, the
Jews were led and governed
by different institutions and
people. The Sanhedrin legis-
lated law; the prophet, or
Kohen Gadol, was generally
perceived as the spiritual
leader who gave Klal Yisroel
(the Jewish nation) moral
direction; and the king was
head of the executive branch
of government, whose job it
was to govern.

Even though the king did
not serve as the spiritual
leader, a perusal of the text in
Deuteronomy 17:4, the Tal-
mud tractate "Sanhendin,"
and Maimonides Hilchos
Melachim underscores how a
Jewish . king was obligated to
be a paragon of holiness,
humility and devotion to the
Torah. Although there were
kings _who did not live up to
this image, when this was the
case the Jews suffered in many
ways.
One cannot separate lead-
ership from morality. It is the
nature of man to view with
respect those powerful figures
who impact our daily lives. If
they act immorally and pay
no consequences, then people
inevitably question the moral
values that our society is pred-
icated on.
It is truly unfortunate that
public opinion polls tell us
that most Americans believe
President Clinton to be
immoral, but at the same time

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