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a thing as Jewish DNA?" she asked,
then answered, "Absolutely."
To Jungreis, elements of this
metaphorical DNA include a
responsibility for tikkun olam
(repairing the world).
"Because we were in Egypt, we
know suffering, and it is our duty to
love the stranger and annihilate suffer-
ing, to make a difference in the
world," she said.
According to Jungreis, modern Jews
— and American Jews in particular —
have forgotten their Jewish DNA. She
said she believes their secularization is
related to a love of material culture,
which she characterized as "building
staircases that lead to nowhere."
Jungreis said the way for American
Jews to learn the values of tikkun
olam is by learning to pray and thank
God. "We do not say 'thank you'
because we are American, and do not
like to admit we are dependent," she
maintained.
In her speech, Jungreis attributed
her emotional survival of the
Holocaust to her holding on to
hope and faith — qualities she sees
as missing from the lives of secular
Jews. She said her faith in God was
never shaken by the events she expe-
rienced.
"I am a survivor of the Holocaust,
and when it was all over, people had
the chutzpa to say, 'Where was God?
How can you believe in God?'
"I'd like to rephrase that question
and say, 'How can you believe in
humanity?'"
In a question-and-answer session
that followed her speech, Jungreis
became visibly paisionate in response
to questions regarding the controver-
sial status of Israel's relationship with
its Arab neighbors.
Israel, she said, "is our land, given
to us by the Almighty God. For 2,000
years, we wept for this land."
She then added, "Palestinians, go
back to Palestine!"
The exchange triggered a March 15
letter to the editor of the Michigan
Daily The letter called Jungreis
remarks "outrageous and irresponsible."
Despite some controversy, Jungreis'
message overall was one of Jewish self-
empowerment and renewal.
U-M student Noah Barr, 20, a sec-
ond-year engineering major from
Norfolk, Va., said he found hope in
Jungreis' talk.
"I've seen the kind of joy people
get from coming back to Judaism —
my parents are the perfect example,"
he said. ❑

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