Itorials

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Basking In Freedom

I

n the comfort of our homes, in the safety of
our lives, we can be lulled into forgetting
.*what has transpired in our Jewish history.
Thus, Passover plays a vital role in
changing a self-indulgent focus to a wider view-
point, to a reminder of the sacrifices, the martyr-
dom and the choices made by our ancestors —
both ancient and modern. Passover almost serves
as a Jewish Thanksgiving, as we recall the slavery
of our brethren in past and current generations.
"From slaves in Egypt to freed men today," our
Haggada reminds us. But it also is a catalyst to
recall countless events between the Exodus from
Egypt and the freedom of today: the battles of the
Maccabees, the Roman conquest and the dispersal
from ancient Israel, the hatred of a young Chris-
tianity, the Inquisition, pogroms in Europe and
the Middle East, the Holocaust and Ikuel's War
of Independence.
In our own time and our own place, these bat-
tles for freedom encompass dark memories of
Henry Ford, Charles Coughlin, deed restrictions
and university quotas. Our freedom shines
brighter as these historic chapters have been put
behind us.
But the battles continue. Religious freedom
remains a major issue for our brothers and sisters
in the former Soviet Union, in Iran, in Syria.
It remains an issue for us as we contemplate
religion in our public schools and government,
schools of choice and vouchers, affirmative action,
the fate of little Elian Gonzalez and abortion.
As we sit at our Passover seders, we enjoy a
respite from our daily toil and a reminder of how
far we've come. But as we bask in our freedom,
we must also remember that the battle for free-
dom is never-ending. We still have a long way to
go. ❑

II FOCUS

,

Building Bridges

Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills hosted the Ecumenical Insti-
tute for Jewish-Christian Studies' seventh annual Passover model seder on
March 14. More than 200 people from nearly a dozen churches and Adat
Shalom participated in this year's interfaith seder. The Adat Shalom Youth
Group hosted the young people who attended from church confirmation
classes. To mark Adat Shalom's hosting, Rabbi Herbert Yoskowitz and
David Blewett, executive director of the Southfield-based Institute, devel-
oped a Haggada especially for the seder. Shown are: above right, Blewett;
right, Farmington Hills' Carol Brichford, a Franklin Community Church
member; and above left, West Bloomfield's Andrew Gastwirth, 17, an Adat
Shalom member.

Leviathan And Leviticus

meeting of philanthropists and founda-
tion leaders in Phoenix earlier this
month tried to tackle a mega-question:
Should Jewish charitable dollars go to
causes that are not distinctly Jew-
ish?
"In the process of gaining the
world, we are losing ourselves,"
argued Jack Wertheimer, provost of
the Conservative movement's Jewish
Theological Seminary. Quite the
reverse, replied Rabbi David Saper-
stein, director of the Religious
Action Center of Reform Judaism.
"We cannot truly be for ourselves
without being for others."
It is a nice question, of course,

A

Related story: page 30

-

and not really answerable. What, after all, would
not be a Jewish cause if we are commanded to
repair the whole world? Some caus-
es may be nearer to our hearts than
others, but retrieving the sparks
from the dust is surely a universal
process. Saving the whales does not
have to conflict with running a
more humane home for our infirm
elderly.
We worry more about other
questions of philanthropy and
communal life. Is it healthy to
have a handful of big donors writ-
ing the checks for most of our

Giving:
A very
personal
experience

agencies and activities? Do our federations around
the country reflect the true communal needs or
the sometimes-whimsical priorities of the big
donors? Should organized philanthropy accept
dollars that might bring them a named building -
when what they really need is operating funds?
We aren't going to presume to tell philan-
thropists what causes they should or shouldn't
support. One individual may give exclusively to
causes that are Jewish; another may want a non-
denominational playing field. The important
thing finally is just to give — to share the riches
with which we 21st-century American Jews are so
remarkably blessed.
We can even do it selfishly. For as we recall the
mitzvot, tzedaka is done not only to save others,
but also ourselves. ❑

kt,V

4/14

2000

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