COMMENTARY

The Conspiracy Of Consensus

by our organized Jewish world, one
rguing over cutting the
that thrives on the "conspiracy of con-
turkey, that classic scene
sensus." Ultimately, it's turned us from
from Barry Levinson's Aval-
the People Of The Book into The
on, said a lot about who Jews
People Of The Bore.
are supposed to be. Too bad that
There is a clear plot in Jew-
many of us have forgotten
ish life to tell half-truths,
what it means, and that such
one
whose overriding goal is
a reality is damaging the
to
make
volunteer leaders
community we must forge to
and
agencies
look good. In
survive in America's mixed
fact,
our
larger
agencies now
blessing.
hire skilled public relations
In the movie, when the
professionals to pick up
uncles bickered over when to
where volunteers leave off.
start the Thanksgiving meal,
You know how it goes:
most of the country saw a
Everything's great, no prob-
nostalgic and humorous win-
lem here. Sure, we fell a few
NEIL
RUBIN
dow into the rhythm of
million short of our fund-
Senior
Editor
extended family gatherings.
raising goal. No, no, s/he
We Jews knew better.
wasn't fired; s/he resigned
The characteristics por-
to pursue other opportunities. Well,
trayed — being passionate, uninhibit-
only 18 people turned out for this
ed and doing it in a benignly obnox-
highly touted and expensive program,
ious way — were inherently Jewish.
but it was an amazing night!
Indeed, such behavior seems to seep
Now I'm a former paid public rela-
into everything from disputing meal-
tions
professional myself (B'nai B'rith
time to analyzing a talmudic passage.
International,
B'nai B'rith Youth
I thank God those are Jewish traits;
Organization
and
the Associated Jew-
without them, we'd be a nice chapter
ish Federation of Baltimore). Putting
in the history books of ancient peo-
the best face on things is not inherent-
ples, one sandwiched between the
ly bad. However, there is a fine line
Incas and the Khazars.
Sadly, the importance of celebrating between the truth and smothered
debate for the sake of public relations.
such a culture often is not embraced

a mentsh. It is a program that teaches
the importance of kindness, sharing,
respect and other fundamentals of
what it takes to exemplify Judaism at
its best.
You clearly had a mission — to
write an expose on a Jewish day
school (ignoring fully 10 of the 14
grades) that, like most private Jewish
day schools, has had its up and
downs. What you fail to realize is
that education is partly what you're
offered but also what you make of it.
Show me a private school where par-
ents pay thousands of dollars each
year and don't want more for their
money.
Annie Lehmann
Dr. Michael H. Lehmann
West Bloomfield

Why Accent
The Negative?

The Jewish News article on Yeshivat
Akiva was most unfortunate.
My congregation boasts a number of

sophisticated, professional Akiva parents,
and I find that most of them are quite
happy with the school in general and
with Rabbi Karmi Gross in particular.
They feel that any problems that do
exist can be resolved by the parent
body, although the negative publicity
that the school has just received will
make this job much more difficult.
The parents are especially happy with
the elementary school program and
were perturbed that instead of accen-
tuating the positive elements of the
school, you chose to dwell almost sole-
ly on its difficulties.
Your article failed to explain the
unique problems that Akiva must
overcome. Whereas most other Ortho-
dox day schools have a relatively
monolithic parent body, Akiva does
not. There are those parents who are
extremely concerned with the quality
of the Torah education; the main
focus of others is their children's abili-
ty to get into the best possible univer-
sities and they worry that the lack of
special college prep courses will close
certain doors to their children.

The honest story needs to be told
because it is more relevant to the lives
of us all.
Yes, we need a united front in the
end. But it's OK to say, "My personal
feelings aren't the group's public
stance, but I had my say and for the
good of the community, this is what
I'll promote."

To survive,
Jewish groups
need to go public
with disputes.

Indeed, I live for the day when a
Jewish agency official pitches me along
these lines: "Our board is strongly
divided over this new policy. They're
voting on it in a few weeks. Why not
do a story on it now? You'll hear
things that won't reflect well on us,
but it will raise the level of discussion
in the community. And isn't that a big
part of what we're about?"
Let's face it: not only do Jews love a
good argument, but they're good at it.

Usually, it is the children of these
parents who leave the school. Note
that Hillel Day School has been
unable to have a Hebrew high school
until now for this precise reason. Con-
sidering this, the rate of attrition [at
Akiva] is understandable. There are
many Orthodox day schools through-
out the United States that are smaller
than Akiva for the same reasons.
Those students who do remain in
Akiva throughout high school come
from homes where it is understood
that it is impossible for a school to
offer both a half day of Judaic studies
and all the special college prep courses
that are found in the better public and
private schools. These families should
be commended for the sacrifice they
make for the sake of a quality Torah
education.
The issue of "right wing" and "cen-
trist" Orthodoxy can confuse the most
astute observer of the Jewish scene.
But the fact that most in the "centrist"
camp want their children to pursue a
career in the secular world leaves the
area of Jewish education in the hands

And it's good for us. It's an integral
part of our past, and it needs to be
part of who we are today. It's helped
us survive because we've crafted ways
to live with our diverse concerns.
As for open argument, remember
that it was Abraham who bickered
with God about saving Sodom if he
could find 50, or 40, or 30, or 20, or
even 10 righteous people. In the Jew-
ish tradition, even the ultimate
authority can be questioned in public.
Rabbi Jacob Neusner (no stranger
to controversy) wrote about this in the
winter 1997 edition of the American
Jewish Congress' journal Judaism. In
an essay entitled "Why We Jews Enjoy
a Good Argument," he explained how
the Talmud says that "a shy person
cannot learn" and that "an ignorant
person cannot be authentically pious."
In other words, Jews have brains,
and to use them, they must study and
not be afraid of vigorously defending
views.
So let's encourage open, respectful
discussion, and let's not be afraid to
step on some toes. We must recognize
that our feet walk down the shared
path of Jewish destiny, but that can't
happen if the conspiracy of consensus
takes hold. ❑

of the more "right wing," which is as
it should be. Therefore, it should not
surprise anyone that Akiva, and many
schools like Akiva, are led by head-
masters who are more to the right
than the parent body.
I am also sure that the statements
attributed to Rabbi Gross, which were
for the most part taken from the Tal-
mud, were taken out of context.
Although I have chosen to send my
own children to other day schools in
the community, I feel that Akiva is a
Torah institution worthy of public
support from our community.
Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg
Sara Tugman Bais Chabad
Torah Center
West Bloomfield

School Given
Confidence Vote

We, the Executive Committee of
Akiva Hebrew Day School, would like
to publicly show our support for
Akiva's principal, Rabbi Karmi Gross,

1/8
19(Y,

Detroit Jewish News

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