COMMUNITY VIEWS

Experiencing Israel Through Strength

SAMUEL HARWIN

Special to the Jewish News

Eschel Hanasi, Israel

N

ine months ago, I
embarked on a journey to
the Jewish homeland. My
opportunity to go to Israel
came through a volunteer fellowship
called Project Otzma (Project
Strength).
Project Otzma is essentially a "Jew-
ish Peace Corps" for Jewish adults ages
20 to 24, and is designed to provide
an opportunity to live, learn and vol-
unteer in Israel. Additionally, the pro-
gram helps to create future leaders for
the Jewish community.
During the 10-month program, par-
ticipants live, work and study in a num-
ber of settings, including a kibbutz, an
immigrant absorption center, a center
for Jewish learning, an army base and a
youth village. Project Otzma is spon-
sored by the Detroit Jewish community,
the Jewish Federations of North Ameri-
ca and the Israel Forum.
My experiences on Project Otzma
thus far have ranged from picking fruit
in the orchards of Kibbutz Maayan Zvi
to teaching seventh-grade English, from
working on an army base in the Golan
Heights, to celebrating Passover at a
seder with my adoptive family.

Samuel Harwin, 24, graduated from
Michigan State University's James
Madison College in 1997 with a degree
in international relations.

As part of Project Otzma,
seven other Detroiters and I
spent 10 weeks participating in
Michigan's Partnership 2000
region, volunteering and
becoming a part of Nazareth
Illit. While in Nazareth Illit, I
worked for the municipality
and volunteered at two local
schools. I also spent one
evening a week tutoring Russ-
ian immigrants in English.
Additionally, I volunteered
with the disabled at the
Moadoan Haevreem, "The
Blind Club." It is a place for
the blind, and others with dis-
abilities, to meet with friends,
play games and perform basic
jobs. Although I was a little
nervous before going to the
club, my fears were relieved
after my first encounter with
Jenya, a deaf-mute. He
embraced me with a handshake
and nod, welcoming me to the
moadoan, and putting me at
ease. While working at the
club, I played shesh-besh
(backgammon), Rummikub (a
tile game similar to the card
game Rummy), talked (the
favorite topic seemed to be
Monica Lewinsky), or helped
the members with their jobs. I
soon learned that everyone in
the group worked together in

Samuel Harwin flanked by his parents Maxine and Larry of West Bloomfield at Kib-
butz Ein Dor in the Central Galilee during the third Michigan Miracle Mission to
Israel in April.

Detroit Ties

Current Project Otzma participants from Detroit, their college, year of graduation,
major and local synagogue affiliation:
• Jeffrey Aronoff, Michigan State University, 1998, social sciences, Temple Israel
• Mark Blitz, University of Michigan, 1998, English, Adat Shalom Synagogue
• Gordon Eick, U-M, 1998, film, Temple Israel
• Samuel Harwin, MSU, 1997, international relations, Temple Beth El
• Jay Raben, U-M, 1998, psychology, Temple Kol Ami
• Allison Rabinowitz, U-M, 1998, psychology, Congregation B'nai Moshe
• Tracy Roth, U-M, 1998, psychology, Temple Kol Ami
• Sarah Walker, U-M, 1997, ecology/anthropology, Congregation Shir Tikvah

EXPERIENCING ISRAEL page 29

LETTERS

ferent," May 21). This is supposed to
inspire the younger generation?
Ms. Williamson, as she states, was
bored with her pointless Conservative
religious education; but later in life,
she "finds religion" and spends her
time and energy to study and assume
a leadership role in a Christian church
that reveres Jesus as a "way-shower,"
whatever that means. By her own
admission, had she bothered to study
her own religion, Judaism, she would
instead be in the rabbinate today.
It's shocking that someone of Rabbi
Daniel Syme's stature and leadership
position would invite such a person
into his temple while expressing his
admiration for her work. How many
young people currently enrolled in his
religious school will be worshipping in
her church 10 years from now?

5/28
1999

28 Detroit Jewish News

Given the current climate of con-
flict in Israel concerning acceptance of
the Reform rabbinate and its religious
standards, how can the Orthodox rab-
binate possibly be expected to cooper-
ate with those efforts when this is the
kind of judgment that is exercised?
Larry Gormezano

West Bloomfield

Making A Sham
Of Judaism

If Marianne Williamson ( 'Traditional-
ly Different," May 21) truly believes
in "universal spiritual themes," why
stop at sharing her Jewishness with a
Warren Christian congregation? Why
not take a kosher stake in a mosque?

Maybe take a twirl with Buddha.
What she does as she speaks nice
words to "repair the world" is make a
sham of our religion and our Judaism.
Albert Best

73-oy

Democratic
And Religious?

Regarding Norman Naimark's refer-
ence to the fact that Ehud Barak
asserts that Israel is a "democratic,
Zionist and Jewish state" ("Ehud
Barak For Prime Minister" May 14),
when will Jews and Jewish leaders stop
incanting this pablum?
It should be obvious that the term
is meaningless at best and internally

inconsistent at worst. We Jews would
be the first to howl in protest were an
American politician to describe the
U.S. as a "democratic, Christian
state.
We cannot have it both ways.
Either Israel is a democratic state on
the western model with no special
claim to Jewish or Zionist status, or it
is a state that fulfills the historic long-
ings and aspirations of the Jewish peo-
ple to a Jewish, Zionist home. But it is
something different from a western
(--
style democracy as we have come to
know it.
There is no shame in the latter
and I for one opt for it. But until
Jews and Jewish leaders wake up to
the reality of the choice which they
face, we as a people will continue to
delude ourselves and fail to grapple

