OPINION The Many Myths Of America And Israel CUSTOM CABINETRY Showroom Hours M-F 11-5 Sat. 11-3 or by Appt. 248-624-7300 Imggert po h l ARNOLD LINCOLN-MERCURY-MAZDA Drive East Pay The Least LINCOLN Ma7110a . ■ PASSION FORTHE ROADTm Mercury • GIL PRATT Leasing Manager Your West Side Specialist (810) 445-6000 Gratiot Ave. at 12 Mile Road Roseville, MI 48066 Fax (810) 771-7340 EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS WEST BLOOMFIELD (248) 626-3362 SOUTHFIELD (248) 559-7818 DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 5/22 1998 34 CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS! Call (248)354-5959 Jeannie Weiner, left, meets with Israelis Susan Laks, Shosh Nahon and Edna Shapira. TALI GOREN-SAPIR AND JEANNIE WEINER Special to The Jewish News T he two of us, an Israeli and an American Jew, recently shared an extraordinary expe- rience. We are participants with Women to Women, a program of Partnership 2000, which was adopted by the Jewish Federation of Metropoli- tan Detroit. This project brought together 12 women from Michigan who traveled to the central Galilee region in January and 12 Israeli women from the Galilee who traveled to Michigan six weeks later. There were many extraordinary events which occurred in both Michi- gan and Israel — there was bonding and friendship beyond the expectations of either the planners or the partici- pants. A goal of the Women to Women project was the building of a bridge and the development of a partnership between the women in the Partnership 2000 region in Israel and Jewish women in Detroit and Ann Arbor. In order to build that bridge, it was necessary to confront the myths and realities each Tali Goren-Sapir is an ulpan teacher and newspaper editor at Kibbutz Gazit in Israel. Jeannie Weiner is past president of the Jewish Community Council of Metro Detroit. group had about the other. We discovered that in spite of the many trips to Israel by the Michigan women and in spite of the level of sophistication and involvement of the Israeli women, we did indeed have much to learn about each other. For example: Myth: Israel, although technological- ly advanced, continues to need Ameri- can Jews in the same way that a young child needs an older sibling. Reality: A visit to agencies and both public and private schools in the Part- nership 2000 region demonstrated that we in Michigan had much to learn about Israel. There is astounding work being done in caring for the elderly and for children inside the classroom. We are two modern democracies, which have expertise in one area or another. Both countries would benefit from this expertise if information were shared. Myth: Women in Israel are indepen- dent, self-sufficient and equal partners with their male counterparts. Reality: A significant number of women in Israel do not earn enough to pay their taxes. Women in Israel, in many quarters, are not regarded as equal to men. In fact, Israeli women are under-represented in many areas of the workforce. While the status of women is legally protected "on the books," this protec- tion is not implemented in daily life. Too many women in Israel suffer from abusive situations. The week that the Michigan women were in Israel there were more reported abusive incidents in the central Galilee than ever before. In fact, two women had been murdered by their husbands. The level of abuse affecting women and children is rising and is an increas- ing problem. The problem is not only occurring in new immigrant families but is present in all entities of Israeli society. Myth: Immigration to Israel has slowed and the exodus is over. Reality: Immigrants continue to arrive daily and, added to those who have arrived in recent years, their num- bers are so vast that immigration is changing the entire picture of life in Israel. Absorption has been remarkable and the Israelis are to be commended, but much work remains to be done to ease the strain on social service agencies, schools and construction of buildings. In the Partnership 2000 region, there is a community that now consists of a population which is 25 percent new immigrants. Myth: Israelis, like all Jews, give extensively to their communities. Reality: The Israeli women in the Women to Women exchange are unusual in their level of commitment and volunteerism. The strains of con- stantly living under siege with military duties and expected responsibility leave the Israeli woman with little time or inclination to volunteer or give to her community.