EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
Coming Together
T
o forgive unconditionally is the ultimate path to reconciliation, the
keynote speaker said at an interfaith holy day of peace service Satur-
day night, Jan. 27, at Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills.
You dilute your sincerity when you apologize for yourself and your
religion, then seek an apology - in return, said Marianne
Williamson, the Texas-born Jewish spiritual leader of the
Christian-based Church of Today in Warren.
"Let us not dwell on what was done to us, or to our reli-
gion," she said, speaking at the second annual World Sabbath
of Religious Reconciliation.
Maintaining that every religion represented at the service
has been persecuted, and has caused persecution, she said, "It
is a tragedy of human history that some of the greatest evil
has been perpetrated in the name of God."
ROBERT A.
Meanwhile, she took delight in the various religions repre-
SKLAR
sented among the 425 congregants and on the pulpit Saturday.
Editor
"There is a presence of peace," she said, "that heals us all."
The World Sabbath of Religious Reconciliation service was
inspired by the ecumenical observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan.
15. It took spiritual aim at the cultural and economic forces that cause religious
people to hate and oppress people whose faith is different. And it was a time to
remember victims of atrocities throughout the ages, including the Holocaust.
It was also spiritually uplifting.
Jews, Christians, Muslims, members of the Baha'i community and people of
other backgrounds came together for this celebration of spiritual diversity.
Chanting, dancing, drumming, a blast from a ram's horn and a "procession of
the faiths" that included display of the Star of David signaled the call to prayer.
Much of the credit goes to the Rev. Rodney Reinhart, pastor of Trinity Episco-
pal Church in Farmington Hills: He organized the service in cooperation with the
Rev. Edward Mullins, rector of Christ Church Cranbrook. The American Jewish
Committee's metro Detroit chapter was a sponsor.
Last year's inaugural service featured the impas-
sioned words of the Rev. Kenneth Flowers of Greater
New Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in
Detroit and a stirring tribute to Waterford's Arnold
Michlin, Detroit Jewry's beloved ambassador to inter-
faith outreach.
This year's service included a respectful exchange
between Rabbi Emeritus Ernst Conrad of Temple Kol
Ami and Muslim leader Chuck Alowan on control of
holy sites like the Temple Mount and al-Aqsa Mosque
in Jerusalem, a revered city for Jews and Muslims
alike.
"Only when people of good will recognize the
Marianne Williamson
dreams and prayers of others will there truly be peace
in Jerusalem," Rabbi Conrad said, calling for peaceful
co-existence among all who live there.
We're a long way from fulfilling Dr. King's dream of a world free of religious
tyranny. But the World Sabbath of Religious Reconciliation clearly is a step in
the right direction.
Williamson came to metro Detroit from Los Angeles three years ago; she
maintains she has not forsaken Judaism in her personal search for spiritual reso-
nance.
Woven into the fabric of Saturday's service, she said, "was all the hope and
desire and tension" that binds the great religions of the world.
Common spiritual themes resonate from these religions. One theme, she
said, is that "God works miracles," providing a sort of gateway to what she
called genuine reconciliation — "reconciliation of the heart."
But we must do more than just come together in a house of worship to cele-
brate diversity. We must try to atone, she said, and in so doing, "together feel
God's spirit."
That was the essence of this World Sabbath, at least from the comfort of my
place in the pews. ❑
LETTERS
Letters are posted
and archived on JN Online:
www.detroitjewishnews.com
Politics, Religion
Indeed Mix
The Jewish News carried a story of Ari
Fleischer ("The Front Man," Jan. 12,
page 29), who will be serving as the
White House press secretary for the
new president of the United States.
Fleischer was quoted as saying, "I
believe deeply in my religion and I
believe in the principles of my party. I
don't commingle the two."
As a Jew who has been involved in
politics for many years, I take excep-
tion to how deeply he believes in his
religion if he doesn't commingle his
politics and his religion. My politics is
always against the backdrop of my
religion.
The values that Jews bring to life
in America are the values that they
learn from their religious belief. These
values include things like fairness,
respect, the need to care for those
who are less fortunate, that I am my
brother's keeper, that I must pay a fair
tax to support our government, that
no man or woman should be enslaved
and on and on.
The lessons of the Torah should
Jot be left at home when you are
expected to help with the running of
our government. You need those
lessons that are in your head and close
to your heart to do what is right.
Deborah J. Goldberg
Farmington
BECAUSE
EVERY
CHILD
IS PART
OF OUR
COMMUNITY
JARC
Merle and Shirley Harris
Children and
Family Division
Services for children with special
needs and their families.
Pk*
✓ Outreach, support,
information, referral and
advocacy for families
✓ Educational and social
programs for families
Affiliation Not
A Requisite
Sharon Luckerman's story ("Just Jew-
ish,"Jan. 19, page 6) touched many
important aspects of Jewish identity
formation and the fact that "one size
definitely does not fit all" when it
comes to understanding the complex
and varied ways in which Jews feel
connected — and get connected in
the first place — to Judaism and Jew-
ish peoplehood.
Eilu v' Eilu, the adult Jewish learn-
ing project of the local Conservative
movement, makes it a top priority to
offer learning opportunities in "open
venues" to reach out to adult learners
who would not be comfortable corn-
ing to classes in a synagogue or day
school setting. In addition, many of
our bookstore events are offered free
of charge, with no reservations
required, to increase their appeal to
potential participants for whom the
✓ In-home respite care with a
trained JARC staff person
✓ Case management with a
person-centered focus
✓ Funding for aides so children
with special needs can
participate in recreational
activities with their non-
disabled peers
✓ Comprehensive supports to
help children with special
needs successfully attend
religious schools
Thanks to The Jewish Fund
and Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit for their
support of the Harris Division.
Call JARC at
248-352-5272
r
28366 Franklin Road
Southfield, MI 48034
www.jarc.org
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2001
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