Staff Notebook Christian Reconciliation Spotlighted When asked to speak at a first-time HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance international conference on Christian Day, shortly before the sounding of a reconciliation in Israel, David Blewett siren of commemoration. expected to address an audience of "I had just begun to read a list of 13 100 in a large conference room. Christian sins," he says. "I included "But there were close to 1,000 peo- pogroms, expulsions, ending with the ple from 26 different countries at silence during World War II that was Kibbutz Ramat Rachel on actually complicity. At that the edge of Jerusalem," point, the siren went off says Blewett, executive for two minutes. It could- director of the Ecumenical n't have been more sober- Institute for Jewish- ing." Christian Studies in Bishops from various Southfield. countries including South The April 16-20 event Africa, Germany and was sponsored by the Norway offered services of Evangelical Sisterhood of repentance and two Mary, a Lutheran congre- Holocaust survivors spoke gation in Germany, found- of their experiences. ed during World War II In addition to optimism to call attention to found at the conference, David Blewett Christian failings in rela- Blewett also found it in tion to Jews, specifically the air. Comparing this Jews in the Nazi world," Blewett says. trip to Israel with one he took earlier "The conference was held to start the this year as a solidarity mission leader, new millennium clean with an inter- he says, "The joy is back. In January, national call for repentance." it was very depressing — there was a Blewett's keynote words to the gray tone and heads were down. This group of pastors, government repre- time, there were tour groups moving sentatives and lay participants were around, people on Ben Yehuda Street simultaneously translated into four (closed shopping area in Jerusalem) languages. "My lecture focused on and even in the Old City. It's not over- what the church has done to Israel and whelming, but there is a sense that the Jewish people, and what the things have changed." church has to do now." — Shelli Liebman Dorfman Blewett's talk took place on Yom " Hundred's of beautiful rugs from around the world. Iran, India, China, Pakistan, Nepal and Turkey. Hand made and modern. 33488 Woodward (2 blocks N. of 14 mile) Birmingham Mon 10-8 pm Fri 10-6 pm Tues & Wed 10-6 pm Sat 10-6 pm Sun 12-5 pm Thurs 10-8 pm (248) 594-7847 Chaldeans, Jews Come Together A Detroit Institute of Arts display on Board members of the Chaldean the ancient town of Ur brought Federation joined those of the together 50 leaders from the Chaldean Bloomfield Township-based Jewish and Jewish communities for an April Community Council of Metropolitan 24 tour of the exhibit that Detroit for the tour, which explores their common was a first-time formal con- ancestry. nection. "The Chaldean people The two groups have reg- are descendants of the ular connections through ancient civilization of political and civic organiza- Mesopotamia, including tions, including the the town of Ur," says Sam American Arab and Jewish Yono, immediate past Friends, says Saad Marouf, chairman of the Chaldean current chairman of the Federation of America in Chaldean Federation. This Southfield. "The Jews informal relationship trace their ancestry to evolved into a plan for the Abraham who also came joint tour of the exhibit. Rabbi Marla Feldman from Ur and brought to "This came from a mum- the ancient Israelites the al idea of the two groups," cultural heritage of ancient Iraq. Four- says Rabbi Marla Feldman, assistant thousand years ago our ancestors were director of the JCCouncil, who organ- neighbors just as we are today." ized the event with Chaldean Federation '' ......... Call Alicia R Nelson for an appointment (248) 557-0109 TRADITION! TRADITION! allthingsjewish.com MUSICD ancing nieriainmeni t y our NOUVEAUTE" CPR c pov/eof m itzvah orpov.t. contact WADY ROGELLE (248) 683-2534 can keep your love alive American Heart Association. Fighting Heart Disease and Stroke 4/27 2001