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T

Welcome To The Majors

Jewish players were
added to the Detroit
roster last week.
The better known
of the two is Gabe Kapler, a hard-
hitting, center fielder who had
been warming up with the Toledo
Mud Hens and itching to get his
chance with the Tigers.
Kapler gave up his formal obser- Gabe Kapler
vance after his bar mitzvah; unlike
Hank Greenberg, he'll play on the
high holidays. But he says he's proud of his Jew-
ish heritage and regrets the lack of role models
for aspiring Jewish athletes.
Kapler has gotten off to a nice start with
Detroit. He had a hit in each of his first five
games, including a game-winning homer and
five runs batted in. It could be a wonderful
season for the Tigers if he continues to handle
those tough American League hurlers. We par-
ticularly wish Gabe luck in making the move
from playing right field to playing center.
Rabbi Lee Buckman may have his own
challenges with left, right and center as he
moves from his pulpit at Congregation Beth

WO

Israel, Milwaukee's largest Con-
servative synagogue, to become
headmaster of the new Jewish day
high school here.
His first challenge is to recruit
staff and students for what would
be the founding classes of this
exciting project, the Jewish Acad-
emy of Metropolitan Detroit,
many of whose board members
come from the ranks of Hillel
Day School of Metropolitan
Detroit supporters. The community is certain-
ly willing ro help make a go of the school; the
United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan
Detroit will provide $750,000 over three years
if the venture attracts at least 25 students per
grade.
The rabbi has built an admirable record in
Milwaukee, and he wins consistent praise for
his enthusiasm, clarity and commitment to
Jewish education. A gymnast in college and a
current triathlete, he ought to have within him
the balance and endurance needed to make his
school a winner.
We're rooting for both newcomers. ❑

Don't Tax Reparations

T

he logjam of Holocaust reparation
payments may be breaking at last,
and that makes timely a proposal to
prohibit state and federal income
taxes on reparation payments to Holocaust
survivors.
Four senators, including Spencer Abraham
of Michigan, have introduced a measure to
accomplish that needed protection at the fed-
eral level, and the House of Representatives
has indicated it will accept the terms of the
Senate proposal.
Most tax exemptions are wrong in principle
— they mask the true costs of the government
subsidy — and flawed in effect — the benefits
go to the people with the best tax accountants
rather than those with the greatest need.
But in this case, the measure is on target.
Reparations should not be counted or taxed as
income. Rather, they are a return of a tiny
fraction of the assets that Nazi governments
stole or that greedy banks and insurance corn-
panies should have long ago given back to
their rightful owners.
The bill simply makes sure that the Internal
Revenue Service treats the payments as what
they are. In Lansing, Rep. Marc Schlussel says
he is drafting a similar measure to forbid state
taxes on reparations.
These are sensible protections. But they
won't mean anything unless restitution is actu-
ally made.
The Swiss banks have agreed to pay $1.25

billion, and a first payment, averaging about
$500, has gone to 60,000 Holocaust survivors
in this country. More should be forthcoming
from suits against companies that used slave
labor and, most significantly, European insur-
ance companies that have dragged their feet
for 50 years on rightful claims. The World
Jewish Congress estimates that valid insurance
claims may total as much as $2.5 billion, twice
the Swiss bank sum.
That money should be paid immediately. Sur-
vivors have, to be sure, managed to live without
it so far. But simple justice says they should ger
what is rightfully theirs promptly, and tax-free,
while they still have the time to enjoy it. ❑

An Unremarkable Day

May 4 came and went, without a foolish
avowal by the Palestinians about their "state."
Yasser Arafat and his advisers were, of
course, under tremendous pressure from
Washington to behave themselves and not to
do anything that would help Binyamin
Netanyahu's re-election campaign. But they
also felt the internal heat from ordinary Pales-
tinians who wanted — and felt they had been
promised — that symbolic declaration.
It is a welcome sign of some political maturi-
ty that the day passed . uneventfully in Gaza City
and the West Bank. Let us hope that it really
does symbolize a continuing commitment to
seek a real and permanent peace with Israel. ■

IN FOCUS

Marking Mayday

Jon Varkovitsky, 11, of Beverly Hills, and David Permut, 13, of
Huntington Woods, participate in a Habonim Dror game in
celebration of Mayday on Sunday at the Crown Building in
Oak Park.

LITTERS

AZM Takes
Its Leave

We are living in a time of
great changes. Many ideas
and institutions that were
extremely important and
influenced our daily lives have
become dated and lost their
importance.
The American Zionist
Movement, which started as
the Detroit Zionist Federa-
tion, has reached the point
of fulfillment and decline. It
has introduced and main-
tained many significant
events, but due to the
decline of general support,
its role is being ended. That
is why we are dissolving as
an organization.
Among the innovations
we introduced locally
included the observance of
Yom HaZikaron, Jerusalem
Day and Israel Indepen-

dente Day. For several years,
we worked closely with Jew-
ish students at all of the uni-
versities and colleges in
Michigan. We provided
financial help, free of restric-
tive guidelines. Until the
time of the peace accord, the
Arab students caused actual
physical dangers that needed
to be curtailed by appealing
to the different administra-
tions.
We reestablished a relation-
ship with PBS by presenting
background on the actual
events that built Israel so that
the documentaries would not
continue to be slanted against
Israel. Also, a program was
dedicated to Jewish Heritage
Week.
Our last major event has
been the introduction and
celebration of Jewish Her-
itage Week. This was in
accordance with our goal to
reinforce pride in our hered-

5/7
1999

