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Bridging The Great Divides

to continuity is another facet of our progress
hat might Israeli Jewry look
toward creating afresh a unity of character and
like if peace really does come
purpose.
to the Mideast? And how will
But where we are headed is not necessarily
it compare with the Jewry of
the
same as where Israel is headed — and the
the diaspora, particularly that of North
leaders
in both need to address that issue now,
America?
before
we
find ourselves on such divergent
Those have not been relevant questions for
paths
that
we
lose a sustaining interest in one
the first 50 years of the state of Israel, when
another.
the persistent hostility of Arab neighbors pro-
A few efforts are under way. The Partner-
vided daily reaffirmation of the 4,000 years of
ship
2300 sister-cities effort, for example, rec-
Judaism as the religion and the culture inex-
ognizes
the strengths each community can find
orably set apart from the rest of an often
in
the
other
— although the effort's vigor lies
antagonistic world.
in
the
individual
partnerships rather than a
But, somewhat suddenly, the siege condi-
nationally
driven
movement. At its much-
tion — and the mentality it spawns —
anticipated
first
gathering,
the United Jewish
could be near an end. The Palestinians are
Communities,
the
new
federation
umbrella
clamoring for Israel's attention now, lest
movement
—
while
it
seemed
more
focused
they end up with a less glamorous peace
on
shifting
around
the
old
structure
than cre-
deal than does Syria and its subsidiary
ating
a
new
one
—
Lebanon. The negotiations may
nonetheless
nicely
articu-
come to nothing this time
lated
its
four
pillars:
around, of course, but the
financial resource
fact is that emotionally
development, public
Arabs are coming to
policy/human ser-
accept the fact that
vices, Jewish renais-
Israel has a right
sance and renewal,
to exist.
Israel and overseas.
That accep-
Even so, what we
tance would
are
doing here is
mark the realiza-
more
than Israel is
tion of the Zion-
doing
as it con-
ist dream that was
tinues
to assume
born in Europe
that
American
and
100 years ago — and
other
diaspora
Jews
it would force Jews both
will always be
inside and outside Eretz Yisroel
loyal.
The current
(Land of Israel) to reconsider who
proposal
by
cabinet
minister
Michael
they are and who they want to be.
Melchior
to
halt
non-Orthodox
conver-
The exercise is rather like what
America is already going through 4WIRWWWWWW.051.M2Ofi sions in Israel and to drop the nation-
ality data from identity cards is a
following the collapse of the Sovi-
superficial non-answer to the problem.
et Union and global communism. We have
Many
assimilated American Jews do care
our faith in democracy and capitalism, to be
about
Israel
— as witnessed by the outpour-
sure, and perhaps from that we will re-forge
ing
of
response
for the free Birthright Israel
the national consensus.
trips
for
college
students and others and the
But diaspora Jews, including those of North
Reform
movement's
$50 million plan to
America, have always clung to the vision of an
build
synagogues
in
Israel.
But the average
Israel that had to fight for its very life. Now, as
Israeli
stems
clueless
and
careless
about
the external threat fades, the internal divisions
American
Jewry's
fate.
emerge and those of us on the outside cannot
Dealing with this is a monumental task.
simply say that our role as Jews is to defend
More
effort — not just lip service — needs
the Zionist state.
to
be
directed
toward understanding the
That means we are more free than ever
benefits
beyond
philanthropy that strong
before to build a definition of Jewry that can
American
and
Israeli
Jewish bonds will
embrace what is the best and most vital in our
bring.
Israel
at
peace
brings unprecedented
experience, which includes toleration of all the
challenges
in
the
moral
and spiritual realm
streams of the faith in ways that the state of
to
Jews
everywhere.
Plan
for that reality
Israel shows little sign of coming to accept.
now,
well
in
advance
of
the
peace process's
The best part of our new turn toward greater
end
game.
If
we
fail
to
do
so,
a huge ocean
ritual observance amongst Reform and Con-
between
us
will
be
the
least
of
the perma-
servative Jews is that it is a freely chosen path.
nent
divides.
E
Our new commitment to education as the key

IN FOCUS

IV

Spanning The
Generations

Above, Sara Unger, 4, dances
with Lee Bragman, 84, of the
Jewish Community Adult Day
Care Program-Brown Center in
Southfield. Sara and her class-
mates from Yeshivat Akiva visit-
ed the program to celebrate
Chanuka with senior adults who
have Alzheimer's disease and
other memory impairments. During their visit, the children
baked cookies, sang Chanuka songs and worked on arts and
crafts projects with the seniors. The activities were part of an
intergenerational program sponsored by the Southfield-based
Jewish Vocational Service, which operates the adult daycare
program on a nonsectarian basis. Above right, Yakir Greenberg,
4, decorates a dreidel during the celebration.

LETTERS

Torah, Darwin
Do Not Mesh

Your article on the teaching of
evolution in the Jewish day
school movement ("Balancing
Act," Dec. 10) suggests that
only those in the far right
within the Orthodox move-
ment reject this theory. This is
absolutely false.
While evolution touches
on many issues, you would be
hard-pressed to find any

Torah-observant scholar who
believes that man evolved
from lower forms of life — a
key component of this theory.
Although, as you point out,
there are some allegoric
aspects to Torah, it is intellec-
tually dishonest for one to
attempt to reconcile the Torah
version of the creation of man
with that of Darwin.
A simple reading of the tal-
mudic sources concerning this

LETTERS ON PAGE 35

12/24
1999

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