OPINION

High Holy Days: The Great Link
For Judaism's Various Streams

The incident comes back to me as
everal years ago on a mission
we observe the High Holy Days,
to Israel, my husband and I
among the most communal of Jewish
were invited with some
observances.
friends to the home of a
The High Holy Days present a
couple who extended their hospitali-
unique
opportunity to find that
ty without having met us.
common denominator that
Because they spoke no
respects each other's sincer-
English (and correctly sus-
ity of belief and practice.
pected we might be
Whenever we gather — in
Hebrew-challenged), this
our homes, in the syna-
kind Israeli couple asked
gogue
and temple, in
their son to come home
places
of
Jewish commu-
from his army base to trans-
nality
and
study — Jewish
late for us. Nov, where but
history and tradition unite
in Israel would that happen?
us. Iii the most humble
Soon after our awkward
Jewish but in Ethiopia, one
PENNY
conversation began, halting
BLUMENSTEIN may find a spirituality as
every few sentences for
profound as that in the
Special to
explanations, one of our
The Jewish News most respected yeshivot in
friends asked a question in
America.
Yiddish. Suddenly, our hosts
Whether we describe
broke into wide smiles. This was
ourselves as Reform, Orthodox, Con-
more like it. The Yiddish speakers —
servative, or none of the above, as
my husband among them — fell into
Jews we share the sorrows and joys of
easy conversation, leaving the rest of
our unparalleled history. As for the
us (the young soldier included) to
future, we long for the same things:
wait patiently for scraps of informa-
the continuity of our people, peace
tion to be fed to us.
and
security for Israel, unlimited
I was struck by the wonderful
opportunities
for our children and
incongruity that is so much a part of
grandchildren — and, equally
the Jewish experience: Here we were,
important, the certainty that they
Jews from Romania, Poland, Israel and
will remain Jewish.
America, each with a different story to
On these most holy days of the
tell, yet finding a common language to
Jewish
year, each of us gets to stop
tell it — and in the process obliterat-
and
consider
what's important in life.
ing the communication gap.
Is it possible we've allowed superfi-
Penny Blumenstein has been nomi-
cial differences among us to cloud
nated for president of the Jewish Federa-
our extraordinary similarities? Is it
tion of Metropolitan Detroit.
possible that we've built walls where

S

none was necessary?
More than 15 years ago, my hus-
band and I paid a visit to the small
town in Poland where his father
spent his early childhood. We found
no identifiable remains of any Jews
having lived there — no cemetery,
no synagogue, no evidence of a
vibrant community — so easily had
the memory of their presence been
wiped out.

Finding a
common
denominator.

It would seem that we have a
responsibility to them, to re-create
the world that was wiped out in the
Holocaust. And we have an equal
responsibility to our grandchildren
to create a community of such value
that they will want to be a part of it
and to preserve it.
But how do we begin such a
daunting task? Perhaps we start with
an appreciation of each other and a
desire to share in a common lan-
guage of respect and understanding.
Perhaps we start simply with, "I'd
like to know more about you."
If it sounds like simple hospitality,
so be it. The rest is commentary. ❑

Arafat's Cyber-Hate

RUDY BOSCHWITZ
Special to The Jewish News

T

he Committee for a Secure
Peace has often pointed out
that while debates rage in
Israeli living rooms, coffee
houses and the Knesset on how to
achieve meaningful peace in the Mid-
dle East, debates of this nature don't
take place in the West Bank or Gaza.
Instead, Palestinian leadership contin-
ues to incite hate against Israel.
Now they have found a new way to
incite hatred and violence: the World
Wide Web.
Fatah, the largest of the PLO's fac-
tions and personally headed by Yassir

Rudy Boschwitz is a former U.S. sen-
ator from Minnesota and honorary
chair of the Princeton, 1V.1-based Corn-
mittee for a Secure Peace.

9/25
1998

36 Detroit Jewish News

Arafat, is using its Web site to propa-
gate the vilest anti-Israel and anti-
Zionist slanders imaginable.
When you enter the Fatah Web site
(vvww.fateh.org ), you are greeted by a
huge reproduction in full color of the
group's official symbol: two fists
clutching rifles, across a map of
"Palestine." Fatah's "Palestine" encom-
passes all of Israel, not just Judea,
Samaria and Gaza. The whole point
of the Oslo Accords was that Fatah
and the rest of the PLO were finally
laying down their guns. Yet, here they
are.
Try clicking on to the Web site's
"Editorial" section. That's where
Fatah offers its perspective on recent
events in the Middle East and else-
where. One such editorial, titled
"Who Governs the USA?", charges
that "Zionists in the White House"

are shaping U.S. foreign policy. It also
asserts that President Clinton has
been "weakened due to Zionist-fabri-
cated sex scandals:"
Another Fatah editorial, titled
"Meaningful Normalization, Not
Subjugation," rants against the "Zion-
ist wolves who aim to keep the Arab
world backward and divided." The
editorial also claims that Israel "denies
the rights of others just because they
are not Jews.
Each of the editorials ends with the
traditional Fatah slogan, "Revolution
Until Victory!" To Fatah and the rest
of the PLO, those words have always
meant armed revolution — terrorist
attacks — until a "victory" that would
involve the total destruction of Israel.
The signing of the Oslo Accords was
supposed to signal the end of such
HARVEST on page 37

"

In Search Of
Peace, Prosperity

D

uring this past year, Israel
celebrated her 50th
anniversary. Looking
back, there was indeed
much of which to be proud.
Our country has grown and devel-
oped and has a thriving economy, a
level of technology among the most
advanced in the world, impressive
scientific research, highly developed
agriculture and a very rich cultural
life. This, despite the internal and
external problems we face.
Unfortunately, the much-needed
and longed-for peace with all our
neighbors has not yet been realized,
but the peace
process is still
continuing. It is a
very difficult and
protracted
process with
many painful
contentions, but
all sides involved
have too much to
lose not to pur-
sue it. I, there-
EZER
fore, believe that
WEIZMAN
eventually we will
Special to
attain the goal of
The Jewish News
living in peace
with our neighbors.
During the past year, we also jus-
tifiably celebrated the 50th anniver-
sary of legal immigration to Israel.
We have had great success in meet-
ing the Zionist challenge of absorb-
ing immigrants from all over the
world, and Israel's population has
increased tenfold to 6 million people
since the country achieved indepen-
dence.
Unfortunately, not all our
brethren in the Diaspora have cho-
sen to realize the Zionist dream. At
this opportunity, I, once again, wish
to call on all our brothers and sisters
throughout the world to join us. Not
only will you be strengthening our
country, but you will also be ensur-
ing the survival of your future gener-
ation.
May we, during the coming year,
see the fulfillment of our prayers for
peace and prosperity, and may we
look ahead to an ever brighter future
for Israel and the Jewish people.
Shana Tova u'Gemar Hatima Tova.

❑

Ezer Weizman is president of the
State of Israel.