EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK

In Search Of Enduring Unity

t has been 52 days since the terrorist attacks on
America. Sept. 11 began like almost any other work-
day, but it is now burrowed in the national conscience.

Meanwhile, we continue to come together — Jews,
Christians and Muslims — to eulogize the victims, pray for
grieving relatives, salute the rescuers and ponder our sudden
vulnerability as Americans.
The vast majority of us have no qualms about mourning all
of the innocent people who died or were hurt
in the collapse of the World Trade Center, the
assault on the Pentagon and aboard the four
hijacked airliners. Their religious or cultural
background doesn't matter. We don't put one
life above another.
It is crucial for -Jews to be a part of the
greater community in times of crisis, says
Rabbi Marla Hornsten of Temple Israel. The
West
Bloomfield synagogue hosted a commu-
ROBERT A.
nity
unity
service two days after the terrorists
SKLAR
struck.
Editor
"We don't live in a cocoon," Rabbi
Hornsten told me this week. "We gain
strength from each other, both through our
common experience and our different faith -
traditions. In times such as these, it is most
important to connect with other people to
create solidarity among us. We have so
much more in common than we do in
opposition."
Her insights explain why Detroit Jewry .
has so earnestly taken part in ecumenical
candlelight vigils, and not just special syna-
Rabbi
gogue services, in the wake of that fateful
Hornsten
September morning.

Inflammatory Cover?

And that's why I was stunned by the vitriol of a Jewish News
subscriber who called to cancel his subscription after seeing
the Oct. 19 issue. The cover picture shows a 10-year-old
Muslim girl in prayer between two Jews at a public memorial
for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. Event co-sponsors were
the American Jewish Committee's Metro Detroit Chapter and
the Bloomfield Hills Muslim Unity Center.
"Who do you think you are helping the Arabs with the pic-
ture of that kid?" the caller shouted in his voice-mail message.
Our intent in covering the Oct. 14 event at Bloomfield
Hills Andover High School wasn't to "help" anyone. It was to
report on how Jews and Muslims had come together to unite
behind a tragedy, respect their differences and celebrate their
common ground.
Detroit Jewry has made significant strides with our
Christian neighbors, thanks to the Southfield-based
Ecumenical Institute for Jewish-Christian Studies, founded by
the beloved Rev. Jim Lyons 19 years ago.
Through the National Council for Community and Justice,
the Jewish Community Council and Seeds of Peace, we've
begun to solidify friendships with our Islamic neighbors.
So the Andover event was important to cover.

I'm sorry our Oct. 19 cover offended a reader, but I consid-
er it our role to build bridges of understanding between cul-
tures — not reinforce divisive barriers.

A Hear t felt Message

Rabbi Reuven Spolter of Young Israel of Oak Park stood
with a pastor and an imam at a community candlelight
vigil on Oct. 25 in Huntington Woods. We talked the next
morning and I found a spiritual elixir in his message that
"we shape the events we experience by how we interact with
people around us."
"It's important for me as a rabbi," he
said, "to have an impact not only on the
Jewish community, but also the American
community, to share the perspective that
we, too, suffer in times of disaster and take
pride in the freedoms that this country
bestows upon us."
That Jews, Christians and Muslims can
grieve shoulder to shoulder says a lot about 'Rabbi
how far we've come as a nation in honoring Spolter
the ideals and freedoms we enjoy.
But we should view such unity as a step-
pingstone to even stronger, more enduring ties.
As Jews, we must distinguish between the radicals who
hijacked Islam allegedly in the name of Allah and main-
stream Muslims. At the same time, we must invite good-
hearted Muslims to engage with us in tikkun olam, in
improving the world, a value hardly unique to Judaism.
Those who accept the invitation have the opportunity to -
demonstrate their distance from Osaipa bin Laden's cruel
extremism. But to elevate Islam as a faith in the eyes of
Westerners, they, individually and collectively, must
denounce violence as a means to political, personal or reli-
gious gain.
Ultimately, a better world won't come unless Jews,
Christians and Muslims alike exercise concern and compas-
sion toward each other.
Speaking at Andover High, Rabbi
Herbert Yoskowitz of Adat Shalom
Synagogue in Farmington Hills said, "The
real challenge is to learn how to express our
disagreements agreeably and with respect,
to live amicably with our religious and cul-
tural differences, even when each of us
thinks ours is the best view. We're all
Americans. We all come from the same tree
— and every branch is precious."
Rabbi
Indeed, Judaism, at its core, teaches coop-
Yoskowitz
eration and unity among diverse peoples.
And Jews are obligated to initiate such
bonds.
As Temple Israel's Rabbi Hornsten put it: " 'Welcome the
stranger,' the Torah repeats over and again. The stranger is
included at our most important and most personal
moments."
"Reaching out to others and making them feel welcome,"
she added, "is perhaps one of the most important things
that we can do as Jews." 0

.

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.

✓ Outreach, support,
information, referral and
advocacy for families

✓ Educational and social -
programs for families

✓ 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

248-538-6610

A

30301 Northwestern Hwy.
Suite 100
Farmington Hills, MI 48334

11/2
2001

5

