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First, it is true that the merger was
approved. What is not covered in the
article is how the vote got to this
point.
The negotiating committee for
Beth Achim did not present the con-
gregation any choices but one: accept
the merger or close up shop. The
committee, in its voluminous report,
did not provide evidence or choice of
other approaches. The congregation
membership was told simply, "There
is no money."
There appeared no evidence of a
possible capital drive, other sources
of revenue or reduction\ of operating
costs. The membership was pretty
well told to take it or leave it.
There were many people, primari-
ly older people, who told me they
did not favor the merger but saw no
alternative. Almost all of them said
they would vote for the merger
despite their non-approval.
Secondly, the committee pushed
through an amendment that said, in
effect, if you failed to vote either by
proxy or in attendance, your vote
would be considered to be in favor of
the merger.
Now, in all fairness,' the member-
ship was informed this was needed to
meet a legal requirement regarding
non-profit organizations. However,
the idea is contrary to all democratic
ideals and principles so ingrained in
Judaism. This, I believe, added to the
"take it or leave it" proposal of the
committee.
I don't know if the membership of
Beth Achim would have voted differ-
ently, but they were not given the
opportunity to view all of the evi-
dence that the committee supposedly
looked at. They should have been
given this opportunity.
I am not an older member, having
joined Beth Achim about five years
ago. But I have met people who have
devoted many years not only to Beth
Achim but also to its predecessor
synagogues. They certainly feel very
left out by the merger.
I hope you can report that the
merger was not received as great
blessing by all the congregation of
Beth Achim. Time, of course, heals
everything and we Jews have strug-
gled through greater crises. We will
Your article in The Jewish News
persevere here.
("Merger Approved" June 19) regard-
I do hope that you will do as one
ing the merger of Congregation Beth
radio commentator says to do, "Tell
Achim and Adat Shalom Synagogue
the rest of the story."
tells only part of the story and omits,
in my opinion, the true climate sur-
Simon D. Krasner
rounding the vote by the Congrega-
Huntington Woods
tion of Beth Achim.

with both hope and a means of con-
necting to Hashem, thereby finding
joy in their lives.
It is certainly significant that
Judaism has been plagued with the
problem of false messiahs throughout
its history, since the destruction of
the Second Temple, long before the
advent of the Baal Shem Tov and
Chasidism, i.e. Bar Kochba and
Shabbatai Zvi. It is a reflection of the
deep pain we feel as a people in exile
and the great emotional longing we
feel for redemption. Rather than
look with contempt on those Lubav-
itchers for their desire to have their
rebbe back again, why not compas-
sion and deep love for their pain and
longing? Why not love of your fellow
Jew, Professor Gitelman, as the Baal
Shem Tov preached not so very long
ago?
Rather than focusing on the
"Rebbe as Mashiach" movement,
which is a very small (albeit vocal)
movement in Lubavitch, perhaps
Professor Gitelman should take note
of Lubavitch's contributions to Jews
over the decades since Menachem
Schneerson, of blessed memory,
come to this country, including the
pioneering of the religious day
school system in America, the orga-
nization of the Bais YaaCov move-
ment to educate Jewish girls where
formal education of daughters had
been previously unheard of, the pro-
viding of food and shelter for the
hungry including relief work at
Purim and Pesach time, bringing
tens of thousands of Jews back to
Torah and mitzvahs, Chabad nation-
al drug abuse treatment programs for
drug- and alcohol-addicted Jews,
outreach to Jews in the former Soviet
Union, the Children of Chernobyl
rescue project, assistance to families
whose college-age children have fall-
en victim or are at risk of falling vic-
tim to Christian missionaries and
much, much more.
Laurel Stuart-Fink
West Bloomfield

Vote Background
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