Editorials

Pausing For Shabbat

spirituality. His love for sport and faith in kids
have virtually willed the Games — which
inspire camaraderie, sportsmanship and Jewish
identity — to the lofty level internationally
they enjoy today.
Robinson felt that a Shabbat experience
would unite highly impressionable Jewish
teenagers — deepening their understanding of,
and appreciation for, their Jewish heritage.
"It puts the Games into context," said
Rabbi Steven Weil, whose shul, Young Israel of
Oak Park, is planning an Oneg Shabbat, Se'u-
dah Shlishit and Malaya Malka. "The Games
are something much more than a Jewish
Olympics. They help create a bond, a coming
together spiritually, for hundreds of Jewish
teenagers. That's really reflected in and brought
out by the .Shabbos experience."
Many synagogues are hosting special Shab-
bat meals and services. Many host families are
planning a Shabbat barbeque and Kiddush.
Whatever form it takes, the Shabbat experi-
ence, part of the Maccabi Games for the first
time in six years, provides the perfect backdrop
for us as a community to repay the families in
previous host cities for the warmth and hospi-
tality they showed toward our children in years
past.-
Shabbat Shalom! ❑

No Time To Retreat

Is the Clinton administration backing away
from efforts to thwart Iraq's chemical and
biological weapons program, or are officials
here merely changing tactics in the face of
worldwide indifference to the menace posed
by Saddam Hussein?
It's too early to tell, but Jewish groups —
indeed, all Americans who worry about the
acquisition of weapons of mass destruction by
some of the world's most unstable characters
— need to redouble their efforts to keep the
administration's eye on the ball, despite the
distractions of sex scandals, politics and sum-
mer vacations.
Last week; the Washington Post revealed
that administration officials had urged United
Nations weapons inspectors not to make
"intrusive inspections" of Iraqi facilities. The
obvious intent was to avert yet another con-
frontation with the Iraqi despot. Those
reports were confirmed on Monday by Secre-
tary of State Madeleine Albright, who argued
that the shift on inspections was necessary to
maintain overall pressure on Iraq.
Maybe. But we see some alarming por-
tents.
Forceful foreign policy has never been a
hallmark of this administration; the Monica
Lewinsky scandal, and the frantic effort to

fend off special prosecutor Ken Starr, are
clearly distracting the president, and they
may be adding to his desire to avoid messy
foreign policy confrontations.
Already, we have seen signs of a softening
of the American position on Iran, despite that
nation's continuing quest for atomic weapons
and advanced missiles and its support for
international terrorists.
Now comes a shift in Iraqi policy that on
the surface, at least, looks like a retreat, not a
recalibration.
American involvement may be the differ-
ence between war and peace in Israel. It's
essential to support the fraying movement
toward free market democracy in Russia; it
may be the only effective barrier to the rapid
spread of Islamic fundamentalism.
Steady, determined American leadership is
vital in the effort to keep Iraq and other
renegade nations from acquiring weapons of
mass destruction and the means to deliver
them.
America's safety and security are on the
line, not to mention the future of Israel. Pres-
ident Clinton can't afford to let political and
personal distractions diminish his determina-
tion to keep Saddam and all he represents at
bay.

Photo by G len n Tries t

This year, the Jewish Community Center. Mac-
cabi Games offer more than competition in 17
disciplines for the 13- to 16-year-old partici-
a
pants.
They also offer an opportunity to observe
Shabbat, which begins at sundown tonight, at
a level that's comfortable for the 3,700 contes-
tants and their host families.
The Games have drawn teenagers from
around the U.S. as well as Canada, Mexico,
Israel and Great Britain. Some will observe a
traditional Shabbat in study, worship and
reflection. Others will seek an alternative, less-
traditional approach. Still others will do it in a
secular way.
No matter what their level of obServance,
no matter what their religious beliefs, competi-
tors will be able to choose how they wish to
greet Shabbat, Judaism's spiritual revitalizer.
We're hopeful that even competitors who
are unaffiliated or marginally involved Jewishly
embrace this Shabbat and experience its spiri-
tual gifts.
In seeking to host the 1998 JCC Maccabi
Games, the Maccabi Games Organizing Corn-
mittee of Metropolitan Detroit stipulated
extending the Games over Shabbat. The late
Jay Robinson, Detroit's Mr. Maccabi Games
who died in April, saw a Shabbat experience
not only as a builder of community but also of

IN FOCUS

Maccabi Pedigree

Emma Jaye Kellman, 12 weeks old, may have been the
youngest. Maccabian at the opening ceremonies of the JCC
Maccabi Games on Sunday evening. Emma Jaye, shown with
her parents Beth and Eddie Kellman, is named after her grand-
father, the late Jay Robinson, who led Detroit's Maccabi efforts
since 1984. He died in April. Emma's mother, Beth, was coor-
dinator for the Maccabi Games in Detroit in 1990 and again
this year, but had to reduce her role before and after Emma's
birth.

LETTERS

Volunteers distributed 15,000
flashlights for the opening cere-
mony.

Lots of Pride
In Community

I was one volunteer of many
on Sunday, Aug. 16, for the
onset of the JCC Maccabi
Games.

My job was a delightful
and easy one. The Jewish
community should be very
proud of this event — the
goals and the values it is mak-
ing an effort to achieve.
We need to applaud the
hard work that had to go on
for some time now, the coor-
dination required to make
things run smoothly and the
dedication of the many hard-
working planners responsible
for the week from start to fin-
ish.
I hope that should Detroit
have the opportunity to host
these Games once again, even
more of you will step forward
to help in some capacity. The
organizing committee has to
be pleased to know that
approximately 3,000 young-
sters, their coaches, their par-
ents, their host families and
the many volunteers were

❑

8/21
1998

Detroit Jewish News

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