LETTERS

LETTERS

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the Nazi-Austrian-Polish mobs that
roamed the streets looking for their
next target until no Jew was left alive?
Let the German beat his breast in
apology. Will Germany, Austria and
Poland take the lead in the United
Nations for Israel's existence and sur-
vival? Don't bet on it.
Jews can wait "till hell freezes over"
for the German, Austrian and Polish
masses to be concerned about Jews.
Germany can do as it pleases. We Jews
should hate the German, Austrian and
Polish people for their World War II
and past actions for the indeterminate
future.

Michael Drissman
Farmington Hills

Torah Is A
Key To Unity

Regarding Harriet Alpern's letter ("Dr.
Laura Not Deserving Of Award," April
13, page 5), surely the National Council
of Young Israel is entitled to award
whomever it wishes and if Dr. Laura
Schlessinger is its nominee, so be it.
I'm sure the council feels Sch-
lessinger's views well represent their
views and interpretation of Judaism.
I'm sure that she cares for, and
respects, all people, although I'm sure
she often doesn't tell them what they
want to hear when they ask her for
advice. But she sure is popular.
Schlessinger has old-fashioned ideas
when it comes to marriage, divorce,
abortion, liberated sex, raising chil-
dren and, yes, homosexuality. These
are complex subjects; a good guide to
-the perplexed is our Torah, along with
thousands of years of teachings and
interpretations by the greatest minds
the Jewish people ever produced.
Yes, our community needs unity. I
think the Torah and its teachings are a
good place to start.

Alvin Ribiat
Southfield

A Passover
To Remember

In response to your Passover coverage
("Try This At Home," April 6, page
54), I am 68. But this was the first
Passover I took part in a seder with a
Jewish family.
It was my second time celebrating
Passover. The first time was arranged
by two American young men, who
came to Balakhovo, a small town on
the Volga in Russia, brought matzot

and kosher food, rented a restaurant
and invited all the Jewish population
of the town to celebrate Passover. It
took place a year ago in 2000.
This year, a group of members of the
Beth Shalom Circle of Friends was invit-
ed to celebrate Passover at Lenny New-
man's Huntington Woods house. Some
of them attended the seder for the third
year in succession; Lenny's children,
Mathew, Lea and Paula Anne, met us
enthusiastically.
The seder table was arranged very
attractively, decorated with flowers,
embroidered matza covers, seder plates
with the symbolic objects: eggs, bones,
bitter herbs, parsley, haroset. Wendy,
the kind hostess, told us to take our
seats at the table and Lenny began to
conduct the seder.
Everybody had the same Haggadah
in Hebrew and English, except me.
My English is far from being perfect,
so I had a Haggadah in Hebrew and
Russian. The seder was conducted in a
joyful manner; we sang songs and
recited some blessings in unison.
The food was excellent. Of course,
we remembered the Jewish people in
other countries who do not have a
chance to celebrate Passover, and the
people of Israel, who have now to
fight against the Arab terrorists. The
seder made a deep impression on me.
My friends — Genrikh Shif, his
granddaughter Olga, Klara and Semen
Shapiro — who also were at the seder
and myself would like to express our
deepest gratitude to Lenny and
Wendy for their kindness, hospitality
and generosity.

Isaak Trabskiy
Oak Park

Differing Ways
Need Unifying

Editor Robert A. Sklar's hard-hitting
column ("Coming Together," April 6,
page 5) hopefully shook a lot of us up.
It did me.
While I have dedicated my adult
life to ecumenism, interfaith and
intercultural efforts, we do need to
make friends between all of ourselves
as Jews. It is preposterous, as you
point out, that there are all these dif-
ferent Jewish "ways" without respect
for each other's "way."
Suggestion: Perhaps the Michigan
Board of Rabbis or the Jewish Com-
munity Council of Metropolitan
Detroit or the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit — or all three
— should organize a permanent com-

mittee to bring all branches of
Judaism together to 1) meet regularly;
2) set up committees to explore areas
of commonality; 3) set an agenda to
achieve respect for each other in writ-
ing, then meet together, then eventu-
ally pray together.
It is not impossible. If we can imag-
ine it, we can make it happen. We can
make it happen. We can make it hap-
pen. Let Detroit and Michigan lead the
country in this most worthy endeavor.

Arnold Michlin
Waterford

Need To Live
Side By Side

The article recounting the visit to
metro Detroit of two Seeds for Peace
young activists ("Friends Across The
Divide," April 20, page 18) brought
to mind an unforgettable visit I made
in the moshav (communal village)
Neveh Shalom in the Judean hills, an
Arab-Jewish moshay.
Neveh Shalom means oasis of peace
and, indeed, it is. It is comprised of
Arab and Jewish families, divided down
the middle, who live side by side as
neighbors and jointly administer affairs.
The preschool, kindergarten and ele-
mentary school are staffed by Arabs and
Jews in equal numbers; whereas the gen-
eral studies are taught together, the reli-
gious studies are taught separately. How-
ever, the Arabs learn of Jewish traditions
and Jewish history and the Jews learn of
the Arabs', so both learn to respect each
other's heritage.
Also, the moshav has a yearlong
internship program for both Arab and
Jewish youths from abroad as well as
an ongoing program of seminars for
high school students — Arab and
Jewish — whereby heated discussions
are held on the Arab-Jewish conflict.
Though no solutions are found, the
Arabs are getting to know the Jews,
and vice versa. They see human being:
rather than the stereotypic enemy the)
once know.
When peace in Israel is as elusive a.5
it ever was, we shouldn't forget that,
in spite of all, neither Jews nor Arabs
are going to disappear; sooner or later,
they'll have to return to the negotiat-
ing table and try to find some kind of
a solution, as painful as it might be.
The notion of a Jewish state in Eretz
Israel (Land of Israel) was no more a
dream in those days than a peaceful
solution with the Arabs is today.

Rachel Kaper
West Bloomfiele

