For Openers

The Uses Of Power
Electric And Religious

Jerusalem/JTA

linotables

"We're not , wrapping tefillin on people. We're just kind of being here."
— Rabbi Shmuel Skaist of the musical group Gefiltefish, on setting up

camp at the Woodstock music festival with a 27-foot recreation vehicle fea-

s rael
l's 's religious-secular conflict has taken
turing a Star of Davia'flag, kosher food and prayer books "to show that
Israe odd twists and turns in the past, but
Judaism
is still relevant today"
nobody imagined that the first crisis of Israel's
new government would be over 250 tons of
"I find this disgusting on my show! Take Preparation
equipment for an electrical generator.
H and put it in their mouths. I was born a Jew
For weeks, Israel Electric Corp., the state-
and plan to die a Jew."
owned power monopoly, has been waiting for
— Comedian and talk-show host Joan Rivers, after
five shipments of the equipment — called a
ing to allow a Jews for Jesus group's commercial to
reheater but popularly known as "the turbine"
air during her show on the Fox Television Network.
— from a factory in central Israel to a new
power facility being built near Ashkelon on
"Why don't you ask a Jewish player if he would trav-
Israel's southern coast.
el to Germany to play a game against the Nazis with
The problem is that the load is so big that
Hitler in the stands?"
the trucks hog three lanes as they crawl down
— Texas Rangers player Rafael Palmeiro, who
the highway, traveling at less than five miles an
was born in Cuba, when asked if he would
hour through major intersections.
have gone to Havana for an exhibition game
So the plan was to ship them on Shabbat,
had he still been with the club.
when traffic is usually lighter and any problem
during the 16-hour trip could easily be cleared
up before the Sunday rush hour.
Several months ago, the first such shipment
went unnoticed on Shabbat. But that was before "You can't shirk your duty and hide.
Poor Livingstone's lost, so decide.
the Infrastructure Ministry, which oversees the
Go do something manly,
energy sector, was run by the fervently
And search for him, Stanley."
Orthodox Shas Party.
"Gai folg mir ah gahng!*" he replied.
Enter Eli Suissa, the new Shas infrastructure
minister, who said Aug. 12, "I do not think that if
* irral) Follow me on an errand,
the government will decide to transport the equip-
(idiomatic) Why should I do it? It's hardly worth the trouble!
ment on,Shabbat that anyone with a kippa on his
head will continue to sit at the government table."
— Martha Jo Fleischmann
And with that, the government of Prime
Minister Ehud Barak was plunged into a coali-
If you traveled to Israel this summer, what city left you
The
tion crisis.
virtual with the best memories?
After days of debate — on radio talk shows
Tel Aviv Haifa
Voter Jerusalem
as well as in the courts — Barak backed the
Safad Tiberias Eilat '> Other
Shabbat shipment while deftly agreeing that a
Vote on JN Online www.detroitjevvishnevvs.com
team would look into ways the four additional
shipments could take place on weekdays.
Results from last week's poll (22 respondents)
The ultimate victory for Israel's secular society
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit should make its
came Friday night when the trucks set out — and
highest spending priority for education:
were promptly caught in the distinctly non-
Adult courses (23%) Congregational schools (9%)
Courses for the whole family (9%) Day schools (41%)
Orthodox reality of the weekend traffic jams that
• Preschool programs (9%) > Other(9%)
mark Shabbat in summer. I I

Yiddish Limericks

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Matinee and
Evening
performances

9

8/20
1999

Detroit Jewish News

5