LETTERS

In God
We Trust?

APPAREL ?ACCESSORIES • NOVE
Sizes 4 6X,

-

/ May the coming yeao befilled with healtk

and happiness ano po'ospetAit fop. all outv.

Fv(iencis and CrAstovnepts

Happy New YectIA

Yetta and Danny Weintraub
Shelly and Bruce Hoffman

xAgynartr

7,94.

•

Nos! Slimmer Hours: 'Nes-Sat.)* A100 . M . „,

VISA

• i. 014:tgaitatag

FULLY TRAINED STAFF SPECIALIZING IN:

MICHIGAN

AUTOMATIC
SPRINKLER

INCORPORATED

10/2
1998

Commercial • Residential
NEIL BLAZOFSKY

PRESIDENT

OFFICE HOURS:

Mon.-Fri. 8 am-6 pm
Saturday 8 am-12 noon

ESTABLISHED 1950

2679 Orchard Lake Road
Sylvan Lake, MI 48320

"Rain's Only Rival!"

(248) 681-3770

36 Detroit Jewish News

Irrigation

Design

Installation

Service

Landscape Lighting

Thank you, Temple Beth El, for open-
ing your doors to the Jewish faith
(rich or poor) during the High Holi-
days. I was a proud participant.
I am confused, if not amazed, by
the annual ritual of paying for tickets
in order to participate in holiday ser-
vices. I recently telephoned a major
temple in the community and request-
ed tickets. I explained to them that I
am a young adult, saving for graduate
school (therefore, funds are low) and
could not afford a ticket.
The response was, if not sad, then
degrading — "you must be a member
to attend." The employee then hung
up the telephone.
It is astounding that many in the
clergy wonder why so many young
adults not only marry out of their
faith and/or never attend religious and
social functions. News Flash: It is time
to look in the mirror and the answer
will be there. I am proud to call
myself a Jew, but very disappointed in
the hypocrisy that goes along with cer-
tain issues. In a way, this agenda turns
away the young.
I am proud of what Temple Beth El
has done and would not hesitate to
have my family become a member. If I
want to contribute to a Jewish institu-
tion, then that is my prerogative; that
should not be taken advantage of dur-
ing a convenient time of the calendar
year. Pay to pray? No thank you.
Robert N.V. Seffinger
Walled Lake

Respect Needed
For Observance

In the article, "How Much Time Can
You Take?" (Sept. 25), Lynne Mered-
ith Cohn interviews people who seem
to agree that most people understand,
and are willing to be flexible, about
allowing time to meet your religious
needs. Some do so, but not with
grace.
A couple of years ago, I was select-
ed for jury duty in federal court in
downtown Detroit. I was in the final
pool from which the attorneys choose
jurors to be seated for the trial. Prior
to the final selection, the judge
reviewed the nature of the upcoming
trial.
The trial was to begin on Monday
and the judge said he expected that
the jury would begin deliberations on
Thursday or Friday of that week.

Jurors would not be sequestered. They
would be going home at night. The
judge asked if anyone had a problem
with those arrangements.
I raised my hand and told the judge
that I had a religious holiday that
Thursday and Friday, and that those
days are considered "no-work days." I
offered a Jewish calendar to substanti-
ate my claim. The judge asked to see
it.
The judge looked carefully at the
calendar and said, with condescension
and disbelief, "I went to Hebrew
school for eight years and nobody
every told me that Shemini Azeret and
Simhat Torah are no-work days." I
responded, "What were your grades in
Hebrew school?"
I was excused from that jury. Later,
an attorney friend said, "You actually
said that to the judge? Didn't you
think that was disrespectful?" I said, "I
thought it was he who was disrespect-
ful. Don't you agree?"
Erwin H. Posner
Southfield

Clinton Editorial
Lacks Fairness

Your Sept. 25 editorial regarding Presi-
dent Clinton is suffused with misin-
formation, errors of omission and
judgment, and political spin. It lacks
fairness and journalistic integrity. He
should resign; and if he refuses, then
he ought to be impeached, convicted
and removed from office.
The editorial treats President Clin-
ton as if he were impetuous, immature
but harmless. You ignore his deceit,
his misuse of state and federal security
agents to act as procurators and con-
spirators, his verbal destruction of
opponents and his lashing out at
investigators, e.g., Independent Coun-
sel Ken Starr. Why excoriate Monica
Lewinsky in terms far stronger than
the president? In a seemingly shamed,
pained way, you a s sert that she is of
privileged, Jewish background, then
go on with your words and their
implications to state that her deeds are
much worse than the president's.
Lay off Ms. Lewinsky. She is not an
elected official, and she did not compel
President Clinton to disregard his oath
of office as well as, potentially, perjury,
witness tampering and obstruction of
statutes. She is not the issue; he is.
There is nothing "mysterious"
about sex that impedes memory. It is
mendacious for President Clinton to

FAIRNESS on page 38