Building Israel's Consensus

B

eyond the peace process, Israel's real
debate today is how democracy and
Judaism will co-exist. We hope the
issue becomes increasingly visible as
Israel's national election campaign sharpens in
the coming months. Israel urgently needs open
talk about the matter, and we need to make our
voices heard if Israel truly is our spiritual home.
The political parties will be tempted to
make foreign relations — the Wye River agree-
ment in particular — the campaign focus; it
enables candidates an opportunity to display
patriotic zeal. But if politicians spend their
time only bragging about who can best deal
with the Palestinians, which is of obvious
importance, they will miss an historic opportu-
nity to lead the nation to a healthier Jewish
future.
.
A version of this drama is being played out
in microcosm. The Knesset is deciding what to
do with bills to set aside court decisions that
expanded the rights of Conservative and
Reform Jews to serve on municipal religious
councils and, more profoundly, to have their
conversions recognized by the Orthodox rab-
binate. We hope the Knesset will sensibly lay
aside those bills. Happily, it has already tem-
porarily put off the council legislation — for
now.
The larger point is that these issues, and a
host of others where religion and nationhood
collide — such as blanket military draft
exemptions for tens of thousands of yeshiva

students, Arabs and others — should not be
solved on a piecemeal basis by a ruling politi-
cal party or a sympathetic set of judges. The
decisions must rest on a firm national consen-
sus about how best to balance democratic
process and protect the deep convictions of
many Jews who believe that some religious
mandates are too fundamental to even hint at
compromise.
An election campaign can be the appropri-

Democracy and
Judaism can co-exist.

ate way to begin building that desperately
needed new national consensus. Or it can turn
into a divisive, partisan nightmare.
Israel's democracy is part of a continuum of
Judaism's tension between particular and uni-
versal rights. The two can co-exist.
Some say Israel cannot now afford such a
wrenching internal dispute. But we know that
diversity of views is a sign of intellectual and
spiritual strength. That is the Jewish tradition,
which we should embrace.
The best thing that could happen in Israel is
a campaign not of personalities but of sus-
tained, thoughtful and honest exploration of
how best to advance the noble concept of Jew-
ish democracy. 1-1

The Best Of Everything

F,

from Cream of Michigan in Detroit
to Big Daddy's Parthenon in West
Bloomfield ... and every restaurant
in between.
Danny Raskin of The Jewish News has visited
every one of them and has become an institu-
tion in the Detroit Jewish community along the
way. Tomorrow, he celebrates another major
milestone with a very special 80th birthday.
Danny has been an advertising account
executive at The Jewish News and author of one
of the paper's most popular features for nearly
57 years. When Philip Slomovitz published the
first edition of The Jewish News on March 27,
1942, Danny Raskin's "Detroit Youth's Listen-
ing Post" appeared on page 19 of the 24-page
inaugural issue. His famous (infamous to copy
editors) style of connecting sentences with ...
began the following week.
Over the next 56 years, the paper has never
appeared without a Danny Raskin column or
two, whether it was "Listening Post" ... "The
Best of Everything" ... or both. Sometimes, his
friendly "Mystery Muncher" would pinch-hit
for an ill or vacationing Danny, but never

IN FOCUS

without Danny edit-
ing the material and
writing an appropriate
lead-in.
His popularity
stems from his cover-
age of one of our
community's favorite
pastimes ... dining out
... and his willingness
to devote an occasion-
al column or two to
favorite recollections
of popular Detroit
Danny Raskin
places.
At The Jewish
News, Danny is
known for his generosity. He is always willing
to support a colleague's child's school fund-
raiser and his candy stash in his (locked) filing
cabinet is legendary.
Danny, we salute you on this milestone day.
By Jewish figuring ... to 1 20 at least ... you
have many more years of good health and
good columns. To that, we can only add ...

Helping Hand

For the second year in a row, B'nai B'rith Great Lakes Region's
Zager/Stone/Tucker/Grant Unit presented 60 Chanukah gift
bags to Kadima, a Southfield-based Jewish agency that provides
outreach counseling and services to adults inflicted with emo-
tional disabilities. Heavy-duty canvas bags, donated by Carol
•
and Dick Walker, were filled with a hand-held radio, calendar,
pocket planner and T-shirt plus pens, pencils and magnets. Gift
chairwoman Sandy Brown, right, was assisted by Lita, second
from right, and Sam Friedman, left, Nita Stearn, second from
left, Elissa and Hal Leider and Joan Jacobs.

LETTERS

The Importance
Of Past Record

I was saddened after reading
your article regarding my
alma mater, Akiva Hebrew
Day School ("Akiva: The
Roads Ahead" Jan. 1).
Arguably, the nature of
education has changed over
the past 20 years; however, a
school must be judged not
only by its present and future,
but by its past.
I can speak only from a
personal perspective, but my
years at Akiva (K-12) instilled
in me the value of a Torah
education and a way of life
that was compatible with a
college education and a pro-
fessional career.
In focusing on the commu-
nity leaders that have chosen

not to send their children to
Akiva, the article failed to take
into account those of us, grad-
uates of the school, who
would not consider sending
our children anywhere else. As
a group, we have the unique
perspective of having lived
through the Akiva experience.
We are specifically choosing to
educate our children at Akiva,
and we are sending a strong
message that we support and
trust Akiva with our most pre-
cious resource, our children.
This is not to say that the
school does not have its fair
share of difficulties that need
to be resolved like any other
school, private or public.
However, the beauty of hav-
ing several day schools with
differing philosophies in the
Detroit area is that there will
be a school to satisfy most, if

1 /2 2
1999

Detroit Jewish News

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