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Ehud Barak

Waiting His Turn

leadership position within the Labor
here was no entourage of
Party.
security agents, their eyes
Protege of the assassinated Prime
peering from behind dark-
Minister
Yitzhak Rabin? To follow in
ened glasses with barely
his
mentor's
footsteps, Barak first
concealed automatic weapons cradled
needed
to win over his own
by rock-steady hands. No
party,
which
was still frac-
bomb-sniffing dogs, hover-
aired
following
Shimon
ing helicopters, television
Peres' unanticipated loss to
anchor people or campaign-
Likud's Binyamin
ing local politicians, either:
Netanyahu. To challenge
Ehud Barak entered the
"Bibi"
for an election that, at
lobby of the Indianapolis
the
time,
was still years away,
Westin Hotel, in November
Barak
had
to solidify his base
1997, to participate in the
of
power
within
Labor.
Council of Jewish Federa-
Waiting
his
turn.
tions' General Assembly. Vir-
ARTH UR M.
Barak was eventually
tually nobody noticed. Short
HO R WITZ
whisked away to the nearby
and stocky, he scanned the
Pub fisher
convention center for a pre-
under-whelming room
dictably bland speech. He
before plopping into a sofa.
left
town
with
no additional fanfare.
Well-dressed delegates hustled past
There
was
a
buzz in the air. A
Barak on their way to sessions about
special
security
canopy enveloped
Israel-Diaspora relations, the defini-
the
Westin
Hotel
entrance. Uni-
tion of who is a Jew and prospects for
formed
police
officers
and men with
a comprehensive peace in the Middle
small
microphones
tucked
into their
East.
clothing
scanned
the
faces
in the
Waiting his turn.
growing
crowd.
A
motorcade.
High-
With a twinkle in his dark eyes,
way
overpasses
blocked.
Inside
the
Israel's most decorated war hero,
convention
center,
credentials,
famed commando commander and
badges and personal possessions were
former military chief of staff wel-
checked
thoroughly. Access to the
comed the attention I gave him. After
assembly
hall was limited. Soon,
all, I introduced him to my wife,
Prime
Minister
Netanyahu and his
Gina, as the next prime minister of
wife,
Sara,
entered.
After taking
Israel. Following a few moments of
their
seats
on
the
dais,
they were ser-
small talk, he playfully posed for pho-
enaded
by
singers
and
greeted
in
tographs — sounding and acting more
Hebrew
by
the
young
daughter
of
like a long-lost uncle than someone
the
mayor
of
Indianapolis.
who was struggling to maintain his

T

Ehud Barak with Gina and Arthur Horwitz in 1997.

Although I did say that the
Jewish Community Council is not
currently in a position to enlarge
its commitment of resources to the
Israel advocacy agenda, that agen-
da, particularly in regard to the
U.S.-Israel relationships, the media
and in times of crisis, remains a
high priority.
I also stated that Detroit's Zion-
ist organizations do important
work, that council believes AZM
as an organization is a valuable
resource and that our office will
continue to consult and cooperate
with the AZM national office in
New York.

Allan Gale, assistant director
Jewish Community Council Marianne Williamson and Rabbi Daniel Syme at
of Metropolitan Detroit Temple Beth El.

His turn had come.
At the 1990 CJF General Assembly-
in San Francisco, a rising Likudnik
named Binyamin Netanyahu went vir-
tually unnoticed — despite his good
looks, charisma and mastery of the Eng-
lish language. There was minimal securi-
ty and certainly no motorcade. He was
physically approachable. So, I did, and
received a firm handshake for my effort.
(He was part of a group advocating a
change in Israel's voting process to allow
for the direct election of the prime min-
ister. He told me, "If any government

Williamson:
A Vital Voice

Thank you, Rabbi Daniel Syme, for
inviting Marianne Williamson to
Temple Beth El on May 21.
I have followed Marianne for years
and found her to be purely authen-
tic. I hope the Jewish community
will also become familiar with her
charismatic compassion, commit-
ment, integrity and intellect.
Her candor and courage have
inspired millions of all faiths to
seek to become better people
through prayer and service.
Charming and funny one
minute, deeply serious the next,
she is a unique and powerful pres-
ence.

needs a strong executive, it's Israel.")
Waiting his turn.
Issues of war and peace, destruction
and redemption, faith and resurrection
have defined the Middle East and the
Land of Israel for thousands of years.
Because of the country's unique place
in history, Israel's prime minister is
one of the world's most recognizable
leaders and marked men. Ehud Barak
will never be able to plop down —
virtually unnoticed — on a couch in
Middle America or anywhere else
again. Fl

She is the real thing.
We are blessed to have the vision,
soul and spirit of both Rabbi Syme
and Marianne Williamson among us.
May the dialogue continue.
Eric Seltzer
West Bloomfield

Discovering
Kindness

There are, though, times in a person's
life that are more challenging than
others. This past winter was such
time. After several weeks of unsuccess-
fully battling the flu virus, I found
myself in the hospital, with pneumo-
nia and some other complications. It
was three weeks before Passover.

5/21

1999

Detroit Jewish Newg -

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