COMMUNITY VIEWS

Our Collective Goodwill

I have also witnessed how agencies
was thumbing through two
work
together to benefit each other.
recent issues of the Jewish News
Yad
Ezra
has had tremendous support
(March 17 and 24) and was
and
assistance
from a variety of orga-
struck by the following head-
nizations
in
the
community. They
lines: "Jerusalem Divided" (3/24),
include: Jewish Federation
"The Rabbis Vote" (3/24),
of Metropolitan Detroit,
"She Said, He Said (3/24)
Jewish
Family Service, Jew-
and "Friendly Fire" (3/17).
ish
Vocational
Service,
Do these articles really reflect
Agency
for
Jewish
Educa-
our community's responses to
tion, Moies Chetim Organi-
the world around us? While
zation of Detroit, Jewish
divisiveness can provide
Association for Residential
provocative, intellectual dis-
Care, Kadima, Alyn Hospi-
course, how do we really
tal, National Council of
react and respond to each
Jewish Women, B'nai B'rith,
other on a daily basis?
LEA L UGER
Detroit Friends of Bar-Ilan,
I have the great fortune to
Spec
ial
to
Jewish
Community, Coun-
work for Yad Ezra, the kosher
cil, Forgotten Harvest, Food
the
Jew
ish
News
food pantry [in Oak Park]
Bank of Oakland County.
that serves impoverished Jew-
Gleaners Community Food
ish families in our communi-
Bank,
American
Jewish Committee,
ty. As a community agency, I am con-
Fresh
Air
Society
and Jewish Home
stantly reminded of how people set
and
Aging
Services.
aside their differences and work
Jewish day and afternoon schools
together for a common goal. Yad
have
supported us with young volun-
Ezra's board of directors includes
teers,
food collections, Rosh HaShana
members from the Secular Humanist
greeting
card contests, tours of the
Birmingham Temple in Farmington
warehouse,
the Food of the Month
Hills as well as the small Orthodox
program,
Yad
Ezra's Warehouse Ban-
GRA Shul in Oak Park. Politics and
ner
project
and
the Yom Kippur food
differences in levels of observance are
drive.
Local
rabbis
have spread the
left at our door as we strive to ensure
word
about
the
needs
of the hungry to
that no one in our community suffers
congregants,
made
appeals
for food
from hunger.
and financial donations, provided vol-
unteers and participated in our lunch-
and-learn
series to further educate the
is
development
director
for
Lea Luger
community about ethical behavior.
Yad Ezra, the Oak Park-based kosher
Local businesses have been tremen-
food pantry.

I

Carol Hooberman of Franklin assists a Yad Ezra client.

dously supportive of our efforts. Since
we opened our doors 10 years ago, the
Jewish News has always been willing
and available to assist us in conveying
our message. To promote our mission,
the Jewish News published our Shop-
ping List for many years at no cost to
us. For Passover, the JN placed a
Passover appeal insert in the paper
that raises funds for our special holi-
day distribution.
Over the years, other businesses
have made Yad Ezra's mission a priori-
ty. They include ZIP Printing, Ameri-
can Mailers, Walker Printery, McCaf-
fery's Office Products, Processor's

Unlimited, Bagels Plus, Kramer
Foods, Carroll Products, Anchor Flexi-
ble Packaging and Label Specialists,
Gary Miller Photography, Masserman
Photography, Golden Valley Dairy,
Morris Kosher Poultry, Quality Kosher
Catering, Lighting Supply Co., Balkin
Products, Frank W. Kerr Co., Hersch's
Lawn Spray, Print It and Tapper's Dia-
monds and Fine Jewelry.
As we begin the Passover seder and
invite everyone to come to the table
and eat, we reaffirm that we are one
community. Differences do exist, but
they don't divide us when the goal is
to help those in need. ❑

Christian. Not in the least. There are
good and great things in Christianity
that I admire. However, if you're a
Christian, that's your belief. I'm a Jew
and that's my belief. We do not need
any assistance from you. Leave me and
the rest of the Jews alone; we have
enough baggage and some important
problems with which to contend. Sur-
vival is one.
Isn't it enough that we have suf-
fered for thousands of years from big-
otry, paganism and having foreign,
idolatrous beliefs thrown at us?
The movie proves a major concern
for Jews — Judaism is being attacked
from all points of the compass. If it
isn't the Holocaust of World War II,
the skinheads of today, the slavery by
Egyptian pharaohs of yesteryear, the
Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, the
Arab attacks on purchased and Jewish-

owned lands or German, Russian,
Ukrainian, Romanian, Polish and
Swiss pogroms, assimilation, etc., then
it's an attack on our religious beliefs or
our lack of belief in Jesus.
What is it that we have, that these
people want? Perhaps it is that tiny
piece of land known as Israel. Even
that's debatable because we were being
persecuted before the formation of the
modern-day Israel. The movie was a
soft sell until the producer pleaded
with the audience that we can still be
Jewish. All he was begging for was for
Jews to convert and believe in Christ.
Strange that Christianity, born in
Judaism and the belief that Jews are
God's chosen people, wants Jews to
convert to Christianity. Perhaps a bet-
ter idea would be that Christians con-
vert to Judaism. We can then all suffer
equally. That would be a real turn of

LETTERS

TV Film Was
Misleading

%TN

4/14

2000

48

It is rare that I respond to newspaper
content unless it's important or
touched me ("Movie Ad Misleading,"
March 31).
When I saw the advertisement of
The Rabbi in the March 24 issue, I
was touched and excitedly looked for-
ward to viewing the TV program. The
commercial read: "Two years in the
making. Announcing the prime-time,
nationwide, release of an incredible
motion picture."
What a disappointment! I couldn't
believe that it took two years to make.
It was neither incredible nor an unfor-
gettable story as advertised. The acting
was poor. The story line split into two
facts: (a) the rabbi's wife has cancer

and (b) the heartache caused by one of
the rabbi's sons converting to Chris-
tianity.
However, the plot of the story line
was, "If you are a Jew, it's okay to be a
Christian." It is more important than
concern for the rabbi's wife. You, as a
Jew, no longer have to wait for the
Messiah as long as you believe in
Jesus. The fact remains that the inten-
tion of the film was to induce Jews
toward Christianity. I find no problem
with anyone deciding to choose his or
her religious affiliation, but do find it
appalling to subtly try to brainwash
the viewing Jewish people with this
story line. Why wasn't the family in
shul or home praying for the health
and welfare of the rabbi's wife? Any
good Christian would also do that,
wouldn't he?
You may think that I am anti-

