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12/25

1998

DEALER

Est. in /975

46 Detroit Jewish News

24 Hour Information Center

MEL FARR, SR.
PRESIDENT

secution of one group of Jews by
another.
The people of Israel are sorely
challenged by schisms dividing the
religious and non-religious groups,
the right wing and the left and the
partisans of differing viewpoints.
Responsible Israeli leaders are begin-
ning to recognize the need to moder-
ate political rhetoric, and to engage
in more reasonable debate. They are
calling for cheshbon ha-nefesh, soul-
searching and self-examination. How
ironic that the greatest danger that
Israel faces is not the enemy on the
outside, but the enmity from within.
Can the diverse factions of Israel
restore a spirit of toleration and civil-
ity to one another and achieve a sense
of national solidarity, or will zealotry
and fraternal hatred tear apart Israel's
social fabric?
When we consider our situation in
America, we recognize the universal
concern about Jewish survival and
continuity that has been increasingly
voiced throughout the length and
breadth of our land. But what measure
of unity do we possess in responding
to this most serious and dangerous of
challenges?
I believe that the deepest threat to
Jewish living today comes not from
without, but from external factors. I
am not as distressed by the occasional
outburst of anti-Semitism or the
efforts of missionary movements to
seduce the minds of Jewish youth. Of
course, these threats should be dealt
with vigorously and effectively. But
the greatest threat is internal — the
struggles and conflicts that dissipate
our energies and pervert our spirit.
The struggle is between those with
an insulated view of Judaism and
those who care about other Jews;
between those who are intolerant of
alternate beliefs and those with suffi-
cient modesty to recognize the whole
of revelation is not given to one group
alone. The struggle is between those
who function by exclusion and those
who practice the art of keruv, drawing
Jews close together.
Without denying the loyalty to our
particular commitment, we must rec-
ognize that there is something greater
and more compelling that draws us
together. If we are to overcome this
fraternal hatred, this attack upon other
movements and leaders, we must
demonstrate patience, wisdom and
courage. We are entitled to press our
views, but at the same time, we need
to offer respect and love for Jews with
whom we disagree. El