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Insight

Ideas & Issaesfuture

Taking Sides

American rabbis join debate over future status offerusalem.

MICHAEL SHAPIRO
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Washington
s Israel and the Palestinians
continue to inch toward a
final peace deal, American
rabbis are debating one of
the most explosive issues yet to be
resolved — the status of Jerusalem.
The debate wass parked by the
Jewish Peace Lobby, which announced
in late January that more than 300
American rabbis had signed a state-
ment calling on Jerusalem to be
shared by Israel and the Palestinians.
Locally, the only rabbi listed on the
Peace Lobby document is Temple Kol
Ami Rabbi Emeritus Ernst Conrad,
founding rabbi of the West
Bloomfield congregation. Another
name familiar to Detroit-area resi-
dents is that of former Temple
Emanu-El Rabbi Lane Steinger.
Those rabbis who signed the state-
ment were acting as individuals, not as
representatives of any synagogue or
organization.
In response to the Jewish Peace
Lobby petition, the Rabbinical
Assembly, representing 1,500
Conservative rabbis, and the Rabbinical
Council of America, representing 1,100
Orthodox rabbis, put out a statement
reiterating their "previously declared
organizational policies that Jerusalem is
the united and indivisible capital solely
of the State of Israel."
The statement from the rabbinical
organizations said they view "with
great dismay the statement released by
300 unnamed rabbis that wishes to
promote a 'shared Jerusalem,'" and
added that "only Israel and her neigh-
bors should determine conditions for
peace."
Highlighting the sensitivity of the
subject, Jerome Segal, president of the
Jewish Peace Lobby and a longtime
peace activist, said he did not want to
release the list of all of the 314 rabbis
who signed the statement because he
was concerned they would be targeted
for harassment.
Segal said it was his decision not to
release a full list of the names at this
time, adding that rabbis who sign such

A

a statement "know they are taking
The statement. characterizes much
some risks."
of east Jerusalem as "a sprawling,
The statement, a "Rabbinic Call for
undeveloped place, within which still
Shared Jerusalem," came after a year of
sit isolated Arab village areas." Because
reaching out to 1,200 Reform,
this area, outside the Old City of
Reconstructionist and Conservative
Jerusalem, is "of distinctly lesser
rabbis, Segal said. He said that no
importance to Israelis," and areas of
Orthodox rabbis were asked to sign
Jewish residence are similarly unim-
the statement.
portant to Palestinians, the statement
Segal, a research scholar at the
proposes that "the potential exists for
University of Maryland's
two distinct municipal
Center of International
areas, Al-Quds and
and Security Studies,
Yerushalayim, that would
expressed concerns that
overlap on the Old City."
the rabbinical groups
Rabbi Conrad said he
did not read the full
felt a great many American
statement or share it
Jews would support the
with their members
Jewish Peace Lobby's pro- .
before issuing their reac-
posal "over the status quo,
tion to theJewish Peace
or engaging the Arabs in
Lobby statement. He
another military conflict
termed the Conservative
that would be so destruc-
and Orthodox groups'
tive to both sides.
response a "knee-jerk
"There is more sup-
reaction."
-
port for an agreement
"We are advocates of
such as we are suggesting
peace and cooperation,"
than there is of abandon-
Rabbi Ernst Conrad
Rabbi Conrad said.
ing the Golan Heights,"
"Our eventugoal is
he added.
agreeing to the establishment of a
Rabbi Steinger, now director of the
Palestinian state in the former man-
St. Louis-based Midwest Council of
dated Palestine."
the Union of American Hebrew
Of all the challenges standing in the
Congregations, said part of the contro-
Way of such an agreement, Rabbi
versy over the Jewish Peace Lobby's
Conrad called the conflicting claims
'statement is due to the potential for its
on Jerusalem "the most thorny of
misuse and misinterpretation.
problems — even more than perma-
"In fact, it has already been misused
nent borders, resettlement of refugees
by [Passer] Arafat and the Palestinian
or water rights."
Liberation Organization, who quoted it
The Jewish Peace Lobby statement
out of context and inaccurately," he said.
says that, given the more than 180:000
"It's pretty clear the Israelis and the
Palestinians living in eastern Jerusalem,
Palestinians are going to be neigh-
the question is "whether the pursuit of
bors," Rabbi Steinger said. "Currently,
both justice and lasting peace requires
the Israelis, the Jewish people, not only
that, in some form, Jerusalem be
have claim to Jerusalem but have
shared with the Palestinian people. We
Jerusalem itself. We are convinced
believe it does." -
there must be a way for neighbors to
The statement proposes removing
live peacefully — for the Jewish claim
"much of the area of present-day munic-
to be maintained and the Palestinian
ipal Jerusalem from the controversy"
claim to be respected."
"The current boundaries of
Representatives of the Rabbinical
Jerusalem, as determined by the
Assembly and the Rabbinical Council
Israeli government, bear little rela-
of America could not be immediately
tionship to the Jerusalem that has
reached for comment. ❑
been the object of veneration by three
— Diana Lieberman, Jewish News
religions over the centuries," the
staff writer, contributed to this story.
Jewish Peace Lobby maintains.

Remember
When •

From the pages of The Jewish News
for this week 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50
years ago.

Leaders of the Jewish community
in Tacoma, Wash., expressed anger
at their city granting honorary citi-
zenship to Louis Farrakhan, the
Nation of Islam leader.
The Congregation Shaarey Zedek
Men's Club honored Dr. Samuel
Stulberg as its man of the year.

*7, ".S:

•

Temple Israel chose Bryna Leib to
be director of the new nursery
school program scheduled to open
in the fall.
Miriam Hamburger is to receive
the National Community Service
Award presented by the Jewish
Theological Seminary of America.

One thousand people staged a
demonstration in front of the French
Consulate on Cadillac Square and
Woodward in Detroit, protesting the
French government's sale of arms
and jets to Libya and irresponsible
actions in the Middle East.
Rabbinical student Daniel B.
Syme, student rabbi at Temple Beth
El in Steubenville, Ohio, presented
a talk at Temple Israel on "Why
Jewish Youth Rebel."

;z4,1414t1Vs'U$Itf.reas,,„A,Q ,4q
Max Pleasant, former owner-direc-
tor of Pleasant Day Camp, was
named assistant director of Farband
Camp in Chelsea.
The 32-year-old Winkelman
Brothers Apparel Inc. will construct
a $1 million addition to its Detroit
administrative offices and ware-
house facilities.

•4'

.

Ben Go stein and James Wineman
were appointed to the Jewish
Community Council's community
relations committee.
Toby Citrin won first prize in
the high school division for a pho-
tograph taken of construction work
on the Temple Israel building at
Manderson and Merton in Detroit.

—

Compiled by Sy Manello,
Editorial Assistant

tIN

2/25
2000

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