Kakis

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Roots Of Diversity

IV

e're 96,000 strong. Yet the Detroit
Jewish community is tightly knit.
We're also tolerant — toward
other faiths and within Judaism.
That's why Rabbi Sherwin Wine's 36-year-
old movement of Secular Humanistic Jews,
who embrace Judaism's culture and customs
but not necessarily its divine inspiration in a
distinct break from Torah tradition, is so
deeply rooted here.
As Secular Humanistic Jews worldwide pre-
pare to descend on Farmington Hills to explore
Jewish survival at Colloquium '99, to be held at
the Pivnick Center for Humanistic Judaism at
Rabbi Wine's Birmingham Temple, it's a good
time to take stock of our inter-stream diversity.
By way of background, the history of Jewish
Detroit showcases a melting pot of ideas much
like the history of our nation's immigrants.
Over time, many of the Orthodox and Reform
Jews who came here from Eastern Europe went
different ways as they assimilated. The Conser-
vative, Reconstructionist, Humanistic and Tra-
ditional streams grew from that assimilation.
Today, Detroit Jewry is diverse theologically
vet one Jewish community. That's because of our
strong rabbinic, communal and lay leadership.
It's also because we've embraced the ideals of
tikkun olam (repairing the world) while limiting
the inter-stream discord so prevalent in Israel.
The Walk for Israel, the day-school dinners,
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit's young leadership mission to Israel,
and the Apples and Honey and Lots, Lots

More event are all annual examples of our
inter-stream cooperativeness.
Still, some Jews locally don't consider Rabbi
Wine's congregants to be Jewish, no matter
what they say or do during the rhythm of their
practice of Judaism.
At the same time, some observant Jews dis-
miss the Reform movement, even though it's
the biggest and fastest growing stream of
Judaism in the country. Conversely; there are
Reform Jews here who consider Orthodox Jews
too insular — ignoring that many Orthodox
Jews openly interact with less-observant Jews.
Meanwhile, other Reform and Orthodox Jews
have looked past stereotypes to share Shabbat
greetings, if not friendships.
Amid these undercurrents, The Secular
Humanistic movement received a significant
boost when the Jewish Federation of Metro-
politan Detroit approved a grant in 1997 to
help fund the biennial Colloquium.
While Colloquium '99 searches for "an appro-
priate balance between tradition and innovation,
between continuity and creativity, between what
we know to be true and what ancient writings
declare to be the truth" — a search some no
doubt will denounce while others no doubt will
welcome — we as a people, whatever our level of
observance, must stay focused on the issues of
apathy and assimilation. They remain the biggest
threats to Jewish survival.
Confronting that challenge is the key to
assuring passage of our 4,000-year-old heritage
from one generation to the next. 1 1

Healing At Hell's Gates

tanding there, side by side with Ger-
man Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder,
Ehud Barak spoke for the entire Jewish
people as he faced the ovens at Sach-
senhausen last week: "Oh, that you could see,
the representatives of the State of Israel, the
Holocaust survivors and the Israeli soldiers
here . . . in the killing camp next to Berlin."
Mr. Barak, in his first diplomatic outing to
Europe as Israel's prime minister, struck a pro-
found chord with Jews and non-Jews alike by
bringing with him three Holocaust survivors,
and their families, to revisit Germany's painful
past at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
It was a moment few will ever forget, or ever
would have dreamt possible.
Symbolically, it was a wise move for Mr.
Barak. His remarks didn't drag Germany and
the West though a mire of guilt about the Holo-
caust (revelations about looted bank accounts
and artworks manage to adequately perform
that task more than 50 years after the war), but
instead brought world history to full circle on
the matter. The sight of the premier of the Jew-

S

ish state next to the leader of modern Germany
at one of the most hellish places on earth spoke
volumes louder than any historical account or
reparation check. This was a clarion call that,
indeed, the Jewish people live and flourish, in a
state of their own and in the diaspora.
Politically, going to Sachsenhausen was
more of a gamble for the Israeli leader. After
all, in a country where a performance of Wag-
ner's music by the national symphony is an
ongoing point of contention, the idea of a
prime minister visiting a concentration camp
with a German leader was sure to draw fire.
But Mr. Barak, Israel's most decorated mili-
tary soldier, had a two-pronged message for his
critics, and all of us: never forget the atrocities
of the past, but move into the future with a
sense of purpose and self-confidence. Like it or
not, Israel needs Germany and the entire
European Union as a trading partner to help
its economy flourish in the 21st century.
Without acts of catharsis such as this one,
there can be no healing or progression for the
Jewish people — and humanity.fl

IN FOCUS

A Family Affair

Temple Shir Shalom's first family
dinner of the fall included a
"Come Decorate the Sukka"
theme. Below, Annie Lefkowitz
holds Blair Sakwa, 19 months,
while she helps Ian Sakwa, 3. At
right, Sharon and Ryan Casman, 6
and 4, respectively, pretend to use
play tools. All are from West
Bloomfield.

LETTERS

Guns Not
The Answer

In December, Dec. 31 to be
exact, it will be five years since
our beautiful niece, Amy Mar-
golis Silberman, was killed by a
stray bullet while she was a
tourist enjoying the New Year's
Eve celebration in New
Orleans. Our family continues
to suffer this loss, not only
because we miss our Amy
dreadfully, but also this was
such a horrible waste of a life.
For two weeks before that
New Year's Eve, the New
Orleans police begged and
pleaded with the public to stop
the shooting off of "celebrato-
ry" guns. Obviously their pleas
went unanswered and Amy's
life was snuffed out.
We applaud our (Reform)
movement's support for gun
control, and we applaud Mark
Pelavin ("Tikkun Olam And
Gun Control," Sept. 24) for
writing such an insightful
article. For Jews to become
vigilantes is about as far off
the mark as we could get. No
good purpose is ever served

by the use of guns. We need
to remember our mitzvah to
tikkun olam, to repair the
world, not to destroy the
world.
We beg all Jews of good
sense to avoid becoming para-
noid in these difficult times.
We don't wish our pain on
anyone. Please, please, please,
no more guns.
Euni and
Cantor Norman Rose

Southfield

Cemetery Visits:
A Mitzvah

I would like to extend a heart-
felt thank you to Temple Israel
and Herbert Kaufman of Ira
Kaufman Chapel, and all of the
volunteers, for a well-planned
and well-executed day at the
cemeteries ("Visiting Loved
Ones," Sept. 24).
The seniors of all the resi-
dences at all the senior corn-
plexes were taken to visit a
cemetery of choice in

LETTTERS ON PAGE3O

10/1

1999

Detroit Jewish News

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