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A Survey To Reflect Upon

A

new survey on religious identifica-
tion may have a message for both
Jewish leaders and the rank and file.
A Gallup Poll found that only 30
percent of Jews say their religion is "very
important in their daily lives" (page 27). That
is half the number of other Americans,
prompting the survey to conclude that Jews are
"one of the least religious groups."
The survey has drawn criticism for failing to
measure accurately true Jewish feeling and
identification. Jews define religion differently
than Christians do, goes one argument, and
therefore their religious feeling doesn't surface
in a survey designed mostly for Christian
respondents.
Questions of methodology aside, the survey
raises interesting questions.
We know Jews often identify themselves as
part of a culture and a people more than a reli-
gion. Typically, most do not feel they have to
attend religious services regularly to feel very
Jewish, and indeed their pattern of attendance
is half that of the general population.

We do not presume to pass judgment. We
believe synagogue-going is not, and cannot, be
an automatic barometer of someone's Jewish-
ness. And we celebrate Judaism in its manifold
forms and expressions.
But the survey, in which Jews say their
Judaism does not matter to them in their daily
lives, gives us pause. Above all, it poses chal-
lenges. Even here in Detroit, which is Jewishly
rich and vibrant, we must not stop asking our-
selves whether, collectively, we are doing
enough.
b - Are we doing all we can to cultivate
an interest in Jewish learning and in Judaism?
Are synagogues and Jewish leaders pushing
enough and effectively for religious engage-
ment? Are we, as a community, making
Judaism accessible and meaningful?
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, head of the Reform
movement's Union of American Hebrew Con-
gregations, made a pointed comment in
response to the survey: "In the final analysis,
while we're a people, with the absence of com-
mitment to religious life, the Jewish people
does not survive." E

Wye Push

C

ongress is full of lawmakers who
pride themselves on being strong
Israel supporters. So now it's time for
them to prove their commitment by
putting partisanship and budget brinkmanship
aside. They must pass the first installment of a
special $1.8 billion aid package promised to
Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, all
part of last year's U.S.-brokered Wye/agree-
ment.
Congress and the Clinton administration
understandably sat on the package early this
year as the peace talks were deadlocked. But
the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement in September,
which committed Israel to expensive and
potentially risky West Bank redeployments,
should have spurred quick action in Washing-
ton.
Instead, a plodding administration and a
Republican congressional leadership seemed
more interested in scoring partisan points in
the bitter battle over next year's budget. So
Israel, which is moving ahead with its commit-
ments, is left to incur the heavy cost of mili-
tary pullout.
Make no mistake: the aid is needed, and
needed now.
With some prodding from Washington,
Israel is taking significant risks to revive the
peace process and move toward a permanent-
status agreement. New border outposts are
needed, as well as new equipment to provide
an added margin of security as Israel redeploys
from the West Bank. The fight against terror-

ism must be intensified; Palestinian peace
opponents are likely to redouble their efforts
to use terrible violence.
Something else is at stake as well: America's
credibility as a world leader. If Congress scut-
tles the Wye aid in a frantic burst of partisan
wrangling, it will send a damaging message
that U.S. commitments are only as important
as politics as usual, particularly when they
affect our treasury.
And Republicans have set up a dangerous
straw man in insisting that extra Mideast aid
be offset by cuts in vital domestic programs.
That can only reinforce hostility to foreign aid
in general. If that message is allowed to stand,
it will eventually jeopardize Israel's regular aid
allotment.
The fact is that the Wye aid will not take
food from the mouths of needy Americans.
Also, Congress easily could pay for the assis-
tance by slashing some pork-barrel appropria-
tions routinely added to spending bills.
On a final note, we are disturbed by some
right-wing Jewish groups that have mounted
an all-out assault on the Wye aid, believing it
would reinforce a peace process they despise.
These groups have a perfect right to oppose
the Wye/agreement, but in echoing Republi-
can complaints about taking money away
from Social Security, they recklessly endanger
an overall package vital to Israel, and they add
to the danger of a public reaction against the
Jewish state. O

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Hallowed Grounds

The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan recently visited
Michigan's oldest Jewish cemetery, Beth El, located within the
boundaries of historic Elmwood cemetery in Detroit. The
cemetery includes the gravesite of Samuel Marcus, founding
rabbi of Temple Beth El in 1850. Pictured are Jim Grey, imme-
diate past president; Joan Braun, president; Judy Cantor, a past
president; and Oscar Schwartz, board member.

LETTERS

Time To Start
Healing Process

I have noticed that you fre-
quently publish letters that
point out the evils of the
Palestinians and Israel's other
neighbors. I have no argu-
ment with the accusations or
with the good intentions of
those letter writers.
What they consistently
miss is that 52 years of wars
are enough. Fifty-two years of
deaths of Israelis are enough.
Fifty-two years of burying
sons and daughters are
enough. Yitzhak Rabin said it
and so does Israel's greatest
military hero, Ehud Barak,
the elected prime minister.
If you want to point fin-
gers at every incident that
occurred during the 20th cen-
tury, you will never achieve
peace. It is time to move on.
This is the exact moment to
proceed to a comprehensive
and complete peace between
Israel and all of its neighbors.
No one is suggesting that
Israel lay down a single

weapon. No one really
believes that Israel would
forgo sovereignty over
Jerusalem. Prime Minister
(and Defense Minister) Barak
will not agree to any treaty
that will ultimately curtail
Israel's security.
We can have an era of
peace with security. It is not
that I believe that Israel and
its Arab neighbors will sud-
denly love each other. They
may not even like each other.
It is, however, time to start
the healing process. Ultimate-
ly, the business opportunities
are enormous as all restric-
tions are lifted and one day a
Middle East common market
can evolve.
I would like letter writers
to continue their vigilance,
but give the negotiators and
the people the opportunity to
at least try to work out a
peaceful resolution.
If you don't believe that
peace can be achieved, then it
can't be achieved.
Harvey Bronstein

Southfield

10/29
1999

