IDITOR'S NOTEBOOK

Dove Dinner Keeps Rev. Lyons'
Quest For Peace Front And Center

l

Gerald Martin, editor of The Michi-
f I am for myself alone, what am
gan
Catholic
are true teachers of
I? —Hillel
peace.
When the flood waters were
Last week's Dove Dinner, themed
receding, Noah dispatched sev-
"From
Vision to Reality," marked the
eral birds. But it was the dove that
first
since
Lyons' death on March 19
returned with the olive
at age 60.
branch, signaling drier days
But let there be no mis-
ahead.
take:
His expansive spirit •
From that time on in both
filled
every nook and cranny
Judaism and Christianity, the
of
the
social hall at Congre-
dove and the olive branch
gation
Shaarey Zedek. Even
have represented the end of
as
death
neared, he had the
hostility and the restoration
presence
to insist to his wife,
of harmony.
Chris,
that
the Dove Dinner
So teaches the Ecumeni-
go
on.
cal Institute for Jewish-
Right to the end, Lyons
ROBE RT A.
Christian Studies, a widely
devoted
himself to battling,
S KLAR
honored educational clear-
hatred
and
prejudice of any
inghouse for religious and
Ed itor
ilk,
including
anti-Semitism.
ethnic diversity.
-
He
was
fondly
known as
Not surprisingly, the Southfield-
"the
Protestant
minister
who
taught
based Institute, founded 16 years ago
about
the
Holocaust."
by the late Rev. Dr. James Lyons and
A minister for nearly 50 years,
its only executive director until his
Lyons
left the West Bloomfield church
death, has named its highest honor
he
was
serving in 1982 to join with
after the dove. Nothing symbolizes
then
Anti-Defamation
League/Michi-
the notion of peace more than this
gan
Region
executive
director
Richard
purest of birds. For Jews, Psalms
Lobenthal
in
creating
the
Ecumenical
074:19 refers to Israel as God's dove.
Institute. There, Lyons built bridges of
For Christians, the dove represents
understanding between people of dif-
God's eternal presence in the form of
ferent
religious faiths and ethnic back-
the Holy Spirit.
•
grounds.
He taught mutual accep-
The three spiritual leaders who
tance,
not
mere tolerance:
were this year's Dove Award winners
Blessed
with a booming voice, car-
— Rabbi Norman Roman of Temple
ing
heart
and
spirited message, Lyons
Kol Ami in West Bloomfield, the
would
visit
Bible
B.elt churches to
Rev. Dr. Mark Jensen of North Con-
share
the
struggle
Jews faced in gain-
gregational Church in Farmington
ing
a
homeland
in
Israel amid the hate
Pr Hills and the Rev. Monsignor E
spawned by the Holocaust. He

—

0

The phrase "a little bit pregnant"
comes to mind upon contemplating
the equation.
It is often said all persons in power-
ful leadership positions have crossed
the line of ethics and morality,
whether it be Roosevelt or Kennedy.
Indeed, it was the discretion of the
press that prevented our citizenry from
scrutinizing such behavior. Those were
the standards of the press at that time.
Once exposed, however, we cannot
afford to look the other way. Many
have suggested that such standards are
merely unrealistic expectations in
today's society. The two outstanding
United States senators from our own
state are examples that, indeed, such
standards are not only realistic, but are
present in many of our public officials.
Having said all this, I too agree that
this president's centrist political and

economic policies have been good for
America and good for
Perhaps we are stuck with the role
model we have chosen. The lesson, how-
ever, must not be lost. Indeed, it has
been said that a nation can be judged by
the quality of leaders it chooses.
I recently had the pleasure of listen-
ing to a talk by Michael Medved,
noted Hollywood critic. He asserted
that the Jewish community is only
heard from publicly on issues that
relate to Israel and anti-Semitism. This
lack of outspokenness on the many
secular issues that face us daily is con-
'spicuously noted by our fellow Ameri-
cans of other faiths who speak out
loudly, certainly on issues of ethics
and values.
Such issues are as important to us
as Jews, as to those of other faiths. We
cannot afford to sit quietly. Jews must

reached deep into his soul to change
She added: "So while our hearts are
stereotypes about Jews and Jewish val-
hurting for the loss of Jim, we can
ues, while telling Jews to learn more
take comfort in knowing that Jim's
wishes have been ful-
about Christianity to dispel
their misconceptions.
filled."
How fitting it was for the The Rev. Monsignor E
And fulfilled they were.
Gerald Martin, the
North Congregational
Dove Dinner to be held two
Rev. Dr. Mark Jensen Church member Ken
nights before Yom Ha'atz-
and Rabbi Norman
ma'ut, Israel Independence
Kinzler called Rev. Jensen
Roman — the Ecu-
a master of servant lead-
Day — a reminder of the
menical Institute's
war that culminated in the
ership
— of leading
1998 Dove Award
through
service to people
end of 2,000 years of disper-
winners.
of different faiths and
sion for the world's Jews.
beliefs."
As Pearlena Bodzin, the
Institute's effusive president, so aptly
Father John Wynnycky, a former
put it in welcoming the nearly 400
colleague of his at St. Paul Catholic
guests to the Dove Dinner: "We feel
Parish in Grosse Pointe Farms,
the presence of our beloved Rev. Dr.
described Monsignor Martin as a man
James Lyons."
QUEST on page 33

"

remain activists in the political arena
and speak out on a wide range of
issues whether they affect our lives as
Jews, Americans or both.
We must never lower the common
denominators of acceptable standards
in the name of political expediency.
We must demand from our leaders the
same integrity we expect from our
friends, families and co-workers.
Allen M. Olender
West Bloomfield

Scroll Rich
In Family Memories

In 1939, my uncle in Russia sent a
scroll of Ecclesiastes to another of my
uncles (Michael Michlin) here in
Detroit. It was hard to make a living
being a sofer so my uncle here would

sell his brother's works and send him
money to live on. This one scroll my
Uncle Michael kept for himself and he
gave it to me before he passed away,
many years ago.
Every so many years, I would take
the scroll out and examine it. I trea-
sured it as a keepsake from two uncles.
The postmark on the tube had many
stories to tell as this uncle in Russia
was killed by the Nazis along with my
grandmother who wouldn't come to
America because she had heard that
America was treift.
Recently, I had my whole family
together for the first time in 7 1/2
years and so I took out the scroll to
show it to my daughters from out of
town and my sons-in-law. I told them
of its history and what it meant to me.
Shortly after, it was misplaced at
Detroit Metropolitan Airport. I hope

5/8

1998

31