EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK

LETTERS

Letters are posted
and archived on JN Online:
www.detroitjewishnews.com

To Tolerate, To Accept

e need to be tolerant of another's faith or customs if they differ
from our own, or so goes the conventional wisdom.
Tolerant?
.
I know what's meant by the word tolerant, but I've never liked
the condescending implication. To tolerate something in conflict with our own
beliefs is more an act of indulgence than acceptance. For children, the incentive
to truly accept and understand must pulsate from home.
Therein lies what bothers me in the wake of reports about
Jews ridiculing Arabs, and Arabs harassing Jews, in public
schools here in metro Detroit.
We, as a community, should be above that because we have
the potential to be an ecumenical model for .America. We have
the 1 1 th largest Jewish population in the U.S. and the largest
Arab population outside the Middle East.
Jewish studies programs are part of Michigan's three major
public universities and the University of Michigan-Dearborn
ROBERT A. now has a Center for Arab American Studies.
As Detroit Jewry's Mr. Ecumenism, Arnold Michlin, puts is
SKLAR
"Detroit
leads the country, and the world, in interfaith and ecu-
Editor
menical activity. Let us further and promote these ongoing
efforts to provide an example of how we can all live together on
this ever-shrinking planet."
It's distressing to hear stories about Jewish elementary students in one district
hurling ethnic slurs at a student of Muslim descent and about a Jewish high
school student elsewhere becoming the target of such a slur. School should be a
safe harbor, not a political landmine.
And it's distressing to hear some adult members of our Jewish and Arabic com-
munities ridicule each other when beyond earshot. Such prejudice diminishes the
good will built up by groups like the American Arab and Jewish Friends and the
National Conference for Community and Justice.
At least our values about human decency should be similar.

Becoming Better

Bloomfield Hills schools broke down some barriers by hosting a diversity forum
last week and planning another for March 27. The forums relate to pent-up ten-
sion between students who follow Judaism and Islam. School leaders hope the
forums help residents "become better parents, role models and citizens." That's a
worthy goal, but time will tell to what extent it's achieved. Peer pressure and the
dynamics of our secular lives color how we see and treat people whose culture is
different from our own.
At the height of this winter's Mideast crisis, metro Detroit's
Jewish and Arabic communities held rallies on behalf of Israel
and the Palestinian Authority, respectively But we didn't do any-
thing remarkable together to rally for peace.
The wedge between most of us is built more on a founda-
tion of wariness than hatred. We don't know each other so it's
hard to accept one another.
That's not to say we have no cross ties. Multicultural din-
ners, essay contests, services, seders and other events help
Arnold Michlin
bridge the divide. But it's not often that Jews visit mosques
or Arabs venture into synagogues. We're still tentative in one
another's company
Yet, we're all Americans. So let's strive to live together while maintaining our
religious diversity.
We're often not that far apart when we talk as individuals and break stereo-
types, but we need to extend the reach of such understanding to the larger com-
munity. We can do that by stepping beyond tolerance to acceptance. Grassroots
efforts will no doubt help, but leaders on both sides, Jews and Arabs alike, also
must find common good in our getting along
So how do we handle living in a community of mixed allegiances?
There's no easy answer.
But it's clear that the responsibility for teaching why diversity' matters, and
why it should be respected, must start at home. Otherwise, troubled winds will
blow increasingly into our schools. Indifferent parents are likely to have indiffer-
ent children.

.

The Constitution
And Handguns

I support the new concealed handgun
law ("Petition Power," March 16,
page 10). I also agree with David Fink
of People Who Care About Kids; the
Constitution does afford many pro-
tections from an oppressive govern-
ment.
But Mr. Fink's comment that "in
this world of high-tech surveillance
and sophisticated weaponry, anyone
who thinks carrying a six-shooter is
going to offer protection is deluding
themselves" made me shudder.
It reminded me of the recent news
about IBM's alleged complicity with
the Nazis during the 1930s and '40s.
Hitler's government purchased the lat-
est "high-tech" equipment from IBM
to help the Nazis keep track of the
Jews and run their extermination pro-
gram. How can anyone really believe
anything has changed in the last 50
years?
Governments and "polite" societies
come and go. If history has taught the
Jews anything, it has taught us that.
After all, we've been around to see the
fleeting of nature benevolent societies
over thousands of years.
Anti-gunners can rely on the Con-
stitution, if it makes them feel safe.
But I'd rather be free to rely on both
the Constitution and my .45.
Stuart Weiss

West Bloomfield

A Vote To Help
Control Handguns

Poll after poll has shown that almost
60 percent of Michigan citizens do
not want a relaxed handgun law in
Michigan ("Petition Power," March
16, page 10). It sends the wrong mes-
sage to a society already subject to
more violence than any other indus-
trialized nation in the world.
The petition drive sponsored by
People Who Care About Kids, and
supported by many organizations,
would allow citizens of our state to
vote on the issue. Public Act 381 was
passed during a lame-duck session by
many legislators who were lobbied by
the National Rifle Association.
Why is it that any sensible gun leg-
islation is perceived to be a threat to
gun owner rights? The pending law
does not prevent any responsible citi-
zen from buying a gun. The argument

LETTERS on page 6

SHARE
YOUR
SOUL

Become a
Judaic Volunteer
for JARC

Drop by a JARC home
on Friday night to...

* Lead Shabbat prayers

-* Celebrate with JARC
friends at an Oneg— bring
your guitar! Sing a song!

-* Accompany your JARC
friend(s) to services

Offer lessons in Hebrew
language or prayer to a
man or woman served
by JARC

-* Share photos from your
trip to Israel, Jewish art
books or music with a
JARC friend

A great family volunteer
opportunity!

JARC's Judaic Volunteers
enrich the spiritual lives
of men and women with
disabilities in many ways.

248-538-6610, ext. 349
to find out how you can
share your soul.

Because doing something
good for someone will do a
world of good for you.

Helping people with disabilities
leadfull, dignified lives
30301 Northwestern Hwy. • Suite 100

Farmington Hills, MI 48334
jarc@jarc.org • www.jarc.org

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3/23
2001

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