311Editorials

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mitzvot, kedushah and Eretz Yisrael to give their
nod of approval.
• Now, the task is to creatively make this rab-
binic belief system meaningful to congregants.
The task is monumental. Indeed, after the
1976 platform, which maintained a bridge to
classical Reform while reaching toward an
emerging creative, ritual-based, Zionistic
movement, such attempts fell short.
So as Reform rabbis return to their pulpits
this Shabbat, we urge them to quickly build on
the words approved inPittsburgh. If they
voted against, we urge, in the spirit of Reform,
a joining of like-minded colleagues to draft a
different document, one with meaning and
inspiration for their needs.
And ultimately, we hope that all Reform
rabbis, their congregants, and indeed all of us
continue to be swept away by the passionate
pursuit of exploring a deepened personal and
communal commitment of being a Jew in
5759/1999. Indeed, it is an inherently Jewish
effort, the core meaning of Yom Kippur in
which we take an annual cheshbon nefesh, or
personal accounting, of our relationship to the
God and People of Israel. So we are grateful
that this week, Reform rabbis, no matter how
they voted, reminded us of this central task.
And we look forward to their ongoing
attempts to recognize, contemplate and expand
our daily encouter with the Divine. L

Lest We Forget

ure there are other lures — sleeping
in, stoking up the barbecue, working
around the yard, cleaning out the
garage, heading to the beach, going to
a picnic, watching a softball game.
But there's something else worth doing on
Memorial Day, Monday, May 31 — typically
a day off from work but not your typical holi-
day.
Its a day to remember America's war dead
and war veterans, lest we forget their contribu-
tions to the freedom we take for granted.
Since the American ReVolution 224 years
ago, nearly 1.5-million Americans — Jews and
gentiles, fighting side by side — have died in
battle protecting the U.S. Constitution.
Memorial Day is a time to honor their
memory. It's a time to pay homage to those
who paid the ultimate price — who gave their
lives — in defense of "the inalienable right to
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Their supreme sacrifice opened the gates to 43
million immigrants from around the globe,
many our forbears.
The day also provides a backdrop for re-
evaluating our reasons for being in past over-
seas conflicts.
The Jewish War Veterans of the United

S

Results from last week's poll (40 respondents)
For Star Wars Episode I — The Phantom Menace ...
I will wait a few weeks (35%)
I am in line now (28%)
I will rent the video (8%) I won't see it (30%)

IN FOCUS

Reform's Wrestle

hen 650 Reform rabbis took an
historic vote on a declaration of
principals this week — their
fourth , in 114 years .---- they did
anything but complete their most recent chap-
ter of soul-searching.
It is definitionally impossible for Reform to
ever fully, concretely, define itself. The essence
of the movement is to pursue Jewish identity
in a framework where tradition has a vote with
no veto, where Jewish law is guiding but not
binding, and where Jewish practice meets tests
of building on Jewish beliefs while being ratio-
nal and fulfilling modern needs.
Some vehemently disagree with such doc-
trine. Yet, the life of Reform Judaism is critical
to us all. The movement is home to one-third
of this continent's affiliated Jews and it aggres-
sively, often controversially, embraces the great-
est Jewish challenges of our time: intermar-
riage, egalitarianism, and gays and lesbians.
That said, when the Central Conference of
American Rabbis took its vote on Wednesday,
some members were profoundly disappointed
by language they decried as bereft of grandeur
and majesty. So they pushed for changes, some
of which they gained in closely analyzed late
revisions. Yet, enough CCAR members were
moved by the process of cementing their
movement's relationship with words such as

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If Palestinian statehood comes about, Jerusalem should ...
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be divided so the eastern sector is Palestine's capital
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States of America is the nation's oldest active
war veterans organization. It looks to
Memorial Day as a time of introspection,
not of wild flag waving. The day gives JWV
members cause to stop and remember. No
matter what their role, war marked a turn-
ing point in their lives.
Memorial Day is a time for all veterans to
remember their service, to bow their heads
and say, "We're still here, but we haven't for-
gotten those no longer with us who gave their
lives in combat or served their country in
peacetime."
Memorial Day further serves to remind
war-hardened vets about life's simple joys — a
warm bed, a hot meal, a walk in the park, a
roof overhead.
Hitler is no more. But threats to freedom
reverberate in Kosovo, Iraq, China and other
strife-torn corners.
As we as Americans do our part to repel
these global threats, so too must we as a nation
teach our children that our fallen heroes
expressed their faith in democracy, and the
freedom it inspires, by committing the most
selfless act of all.
We must teach them the real meaning of
Memorial Day. 7-

Prayerful Moments

In conjunction with West Bloomfield's observance of Michigan
Week, Holy Spirit Church hosted the Ecumenical Institute for
Jewish-Christian Studies and the West Bloomfield Clergy Asso-
ciation and Community Forum at a May 6 panel discussion,
"Does Prayer Work? Answers From Different Religious Per-
spectives." Discussing the role of clergy were Rabbi Amy Brod-
sky of the Southfield-based Ecumenical Institute, Rev. Dr.
David W. Robertson of Orchard Lake Community Church-
Presbyterian; Rabbi Michael L. Moskowitz of Temple Shir
Shalom, clergy association president and panel moderator; Re v.
Bruce Quatman of Holy Spirit Church-ELCA and Father Gre-
gory A. Banazak of Sts. Cyril and Methodius Seminary.

LETTERS

Finding Religion,
Internal Conflict

Let me see if I can get this
straight: You have a major
Jewish institution, Temple
Beth El, that is purportedly
involved in educating its

young people to retain their
Jewish identity and obser-
vance. This temple then
invites a woman who aban-
doned Judaism years ago to
preach in a church that,
among its congregants,
includes Jews who now wor-
ship Jesus ("Traditionally Dif-

Marianne Williamson with Rabbi Daniel Syme, at Temple Beth El.

5128
1999

Detroit Jewish News

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