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Top Tenure

IN FOCUS

Weiner will be hon-
or most har-
ored
Saturday night at
ried parents,
BBYO's
75th anniversary
dealing with a
celebration
at Detroit's
teenager for
Century
Club/Gem
The-
more than 30 seconds
atre in Detroit. The
can be a major chore.
evening includes a perfor-
Think then of the
mance of Escanaba in da
achievement of Arnold J.
Moonlight.
"Arnie" Weiner, senior
Some in the communi-
executive director of
ty
disagree
with BBYO's
Michigan Region B'nai
lack
of
religiosity.
But
B'rith Youth Organiza-
Weiner and the organiza-
tion. He's been dealing
tion have provided a
with 1,000 or more teens
broad
Jewish base for
a year for 30 years.
thousands
of teenagers,
Soft-spoken and unas- BBG President Leslee Berlin, Arnie Weiner,
many
with
no other ties
suming at age 54, Arnie
and AZA President Adam Schlesinger.
to
the
Jewish
community.
still has a bit of teenager
That
Weiner
has done
within him. He enjoys
it
for
three
decades,
with
a
ready
smile,
a
the Jewish teens — they energize him — and
friendly
word
and
his
welcoming
personality,
he maintains rapport by speaking on their level
speaks well of the man, the organization and
and allowing them to run the show within the
the teenagers they serve. 17
broad BBYO framework.

F

Barak's Israel

E

hud Barak is neither the secular
messiah, as Israel's left believes, nor
a great evil divorced from Jewish
values, as some on the right paint
him. Rather, after 100 days in office, Israel's
prime minister is predictable and methodical
as he uses intense belief in personal abilities,
strong-arm rule and focused energy to achieve
oft-stated goals — a negotiated peace with the
Palestinians in one year, an Israeli troop with-
drawal from Lebanon
by summer, a resump-
tion of Syrian peace
talks, and a start to
the healing of national
social/ethnic rifts.
In pursuing such
goals, Barak has won
applause from Israel's
media and the U.S.
government, both of which lean left on the
peace process. All is not glory, as our cover
package, "Sifting Through 100 Days" (Page
12), shows. Israeli Arabs and women wonder
why they seem left out of the equation. Con-
cerns of American Jews have been virtually
ignored by Barak's government. And, of
course, the treacherous job of coalition govern-
ing is a constant threat to progress.
But real optimism has crept into Israeli life.
In part, it's because Barak, unlike Labor prede-
cessors Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, is
holding meaningful dialogue with political
adversaries. He recognizes that peace at home
is as important as that abroad.

Ironically, Barak differs little from his
maligned Likud predecessor in some areas. For
example, more West Bank housing permits
were approved in the past 100 days than in
Binyamin Netanyahu's final year in office.
Here as in other areas, Barak is showing
how style goes hand-in-hand with substance in
this volatile region. Netanyahu offered a
staunch ideological, "thumb in your eye"
defense of his actions. Barak, soothing the
Israeli right, declares
that this new building
is in areas that Israel
will never relinquish —
and matches that with
dismantling of illegal
settlements that have
sprung up under his
rule.
Perhaps most impor-
tant, Israel's current
leader gives Palestinian head Yasser Arafat
what he craves most — respect. In cultivating
a positive relationship with Arafat, and other
Arab leaders, Barak is crafting critical personal
channels to defuse inevitable delays along his
super-highway of peacemaking. Case in point
is recent snags in opening a safe passage route
for Palestinians from Gaza to the West Bank.
So after 100 days in office, Ehud Barak has
created a new image and reality for Israel. But
serious issues — particularly Palestinian corn-
pliance — remain. As he moves ahead, we
pray that this ex-military chief is not so intoxi-
cated by peace's sweet smell that he is blind to
the journey's inevitable land mines.1-1

Clearly there is a
different atmosphere
in Israel these days.

Historic
Occasion

Rabbi Elliot Pachter,
above left, of Congre-
gation B'nai Moshe in
West Bloomfield and
several of his congre-
gants (including,
right, Sharon Horwitz
and Renee Gunsberg) attended ceremonies Oct. 8 at the former
B'nai Moshe at Dexter and Lawrence in Detroit. Saint Paul
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church marked 88 years of its
existence and 40 years on Dexter at weekend ceremonies. They
included having the site named as a historic district by the city of
Detroit. With Rabbi Pachter is Pastor Derrick Anderson.

LETTERS

Rosenbaum
On The Mark

It is indeed refreshing to read
an opinion from time to time
in the Jewish News op-ed
pages that takes a different
view from the liberal drivel
we are usually subjected to.
Congratulations on your
decision to include Jonathan
Rosenblum's column in your
pages ("Heed the Heart,"
Oct. 8). As usual, his hard-
hitting, but truthful assess-
ment of the contemporary
Kulturkampf between hetero-
dox and Orthodox streams of
Judaism will offend some,
but, simultaneously will likely
open some minds.
Now all you need to do is
to place James Besser's and

Larry Derfner's biased reports,
disguised as hard news, on the
op-ed pages as well.
Keep up the good work.
Jay R. Shayevitz

Oak Park

,

Keeping Oak Park
On The Move

On Nov. 2, Oak Park voters
will choose between progress
and stagnation when voting
on the bond proposals.
Unfortunately, this simple
choice has been clouded with
misinformation so as to make
it appear that there really is a
rational alternative.
What future is there in

LETTERS ON PAGE 36

10/15

1999

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