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Dry Bones

Tried And True

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eriodically over the years, Temple
Emanu-El has considered leaving its
familiar spot in south Oakland
County in response to Detroit
Jewry's relentless northwesterly march. But
every time moving was debated, temple lead-
ers affirmed their roots.
- Next week, the temple will mark its 50th
anniversary as a spiritual beacon with a spe-
cial Shabbat dinner and service. And on
behalf of the Detroit Jewish com-
munity, we wish the 600 member
families a heartfelt mazel toy for
staying true to the Reform temple's
roots.
Together with the Conservative
Congregation. Beth Shalom, and the many
Orthodox congregations in the area, Temple
Emanu-El represents a Jewish vigor that rip-
ples through the West 10 Mile corridor of
Huntington Woods, Oak Park and
Southfield.
More than once, the close-knit congrega-
tion confronted a challenge or skepticism
that threatened its survival. And more than
once, it not only persevered, but also
emerged stronger and more vibrant.
The congregation could have folded when
the western suburbs became the epicenter of

Reform Jews in metro Detroit — or when
the fear of the 1-696 extension threatened
property values in the area. But it didn't.
From its venerable nursery school headed
by Michaelyn Silverman to a viable high
school program, social action projects and
charitable garden, Temple Emanu-El res-
onates with Yiddishkeit.
Rabbi Joseph Klein, who arrived in 1997,
follows a legacy of rabbinic leadership: Frank
Rosenthal, Milton Rosenbaum and
Lane Steinger. But he has built a
strong following in his own right.
Articulate, thoughtful and pluralis-
tic, he's a spiritual leader for whom we have
utmost respect.
Detroit Jewry is rich with synagogues
whose histories go back 100 years or more.
But few have been in their current buildings
longer than Temple Emanu-El (1957). A new
temple endowment fund is intended to
assure continued service to the Jewish com-
munity in south Oakland County, a stunning
achievement given our community's propen-
sity to move.
Temple Emanu-El is set back so far from
the roadway it's easy to miss. Still, it has left
an indelible imprint on many lives.
What was the Suburban Temple 50 years
ago today is a thriving, heimish synagogue
with much to be proud of. ❑

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EDIT() RIAL

For related story: page 41

Charting Different Courses

n June 11, 1948, the Israeli government of
David Ben-Gurion agreed to a United
Nations-organized cease-fire with its Arab ene-
mies. The agreement included a provision
against importing any more weapons into the region.
But the Irgun, under the control of Menachem
Begin, had managed to load a ship, the Altalena, in
France with nearly 1,000 Irgun volunteers
and masses of weapons — enough to make
a substantial impact in Israel's not-yet-won
war. By June 20, the ship was unloading
men and weapons at Kfar Vitkin, with the Irgun
insistent that they would remain a fighting force
independent of the Israel Defense Forces.
Ben-Gurion, determined not to further empower his
political rival, ordered Zahal troops to seize the landed
weapons, which they did, and the Altalena, with Begin
aboard, sailed south to Tel Aviv, where additional Irgun
forces were poised to take delivery of the remaining
weapons. But after a series of false starts on both sides,
the government troops, under Ben-Gurion's order,
shelled and finally sank the Altalena.
The armaments might have given Israel a substantial
advantage in its confrontation with Arab forces. But it
was far more important to Israel's future that the gov-
ernment show that it, and not the rival forces of Irgun,

0

was in charge. "Blessed be the gun which set the ship
on fire. That gun will have its place in Israel's war
museum." Ben-Gurion told the national council.
Now consider last week's seizure in the Red Sea of
the freighter Karine A, which was loaded with 50
tons of weapons, including Sagger guided anti-tank
missiles of the type that Hezbollah used against
Israeli armor in Lebanon, long-range mor-
tars, and mines. Also on the vessel were
short- and long-range Katyushas, including
rockets with a range of 12 miles that could
easily reach most Israeli cities.
The ship, which Israeli naval commandos seized in a
daring raid, was owned by the Palestinian Authority,
was under the command of a PA naval officer and had
several other Palestinian sailors aboard. Despite the
overwhelming evidence of PA involvement, Yasser
Arafat's spokesman vigorously denies that the weapons
were headed for fighters in the West Bank or Gaza and
asserts that the PA had no advance knowledge of the
shipment. Presumably, they take the world for fools.
Under the terms of the Oslo agreement, the
Palestinians are forbidden to import weapons like
these. Arranging the shipment while professing
interest in implementing the Mitchell-Tenet process
for ending armed conflict and resuming negotia-
tions with Israel is sheer hypocrisy.
The ship apparently was loaded in Iran, and U.S.

EDITO RIAL

For related story: page 14

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officials have suggested that perhaps the weapons
were intended for Hezbollah forces in southern
Lebanon. That seems unlikely; Iran has made little
secret of the arms it ships Hezbollah via Damascus, a
much shorter route that is less subject to Israeli inter-
ception than a Red Sea route. But the presence of at
least one Hezbollah-trained guerrilla on the Karine A
worrisomely suggests that that group may be prepar-
ing to escalate its involvement in the West Bank and
Gaza-based terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians.
The coming days may provide clearer evidence of
how this arms shipment was paid for, and who in the
PA knew it was coming. But the vast difference
between the statesmanship of Ben-Gurion more than
50 years ago and the abysmal lack of responsible
Palestinian leadership is already clear.
If Yasser Arafat were serious about controlling the
terrorist forces, he would have ordered the ship
blown up when he learned of its existence or, lacking
the military resources to do that, would have publicly
ordered it to return to its port of origin. If he wanted
to be the Palestinian Ben-Gurion, the father of the
state, Arafat would have long since cracked down on
the Hamas and Islamic Jihad and his own Fatah radi-
cals, instead of leaving it to Israel to arrest them.
But by pretending that the PA had nothing to do
with the flagrant violation of the Oslo agreement,
Arafat only shows the rest of the world why Israel is
correct in considering him "irrelevant" to the long-
term process of bringing a sensible and sustainable
peace to the Mideast. E

Sok.

1/11
2002

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