11-511 Hillel Hosts
Israel Conference
20
A mourner cries at the Israel grave of suicide bombing victims Sofia Eliau and her son Jacob Avraham Eliau on March 3.
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to, or can, stop the terrorism. I don't think Sharon
wants to make any kind of stand, in any direction."
This lack of hope, perhaps more than the lack of
security, is causing a steady population hemorrhage.
People are leaving, though not in droves and not nec-
essarily for good. If some Israelis feel that the Zionist
enterprise has failed, they are not saying so out loud.
Kirschen confessed that she's thought of moving back
to the United States. "I know quite a few people who
are packing their bags and leaving this summer," she
said. "They're looking at it as a chance to take a break.
They're not thinking about leaving forever. I don't know
if it's more than before the intifada (uprising)."
In fact, the numbers leaving have fallen off since
Sept. 11. "That shook everybody up," Kirschen said.
"Now they don't know where to run to." Nor, with
Western economies still depressed, are they sure of
finding jobs abroad.
The majority of Israelis are digging in. They are
resigned to a long haul. But what then?
Voices on the fringe right are reviving calls for
"transfer," a code word for mass expulsion of Arabs.
Polls suggest that it strikes a chord at the emotional
level. "No Arabs, no terror attacks," runs a radical
bumber sticker. But most people recognize that it is
neither a viable nor an acceptable option.
Others want the army to target Arafat. "The fish
stinks from the head," said 74-year-old, Iraqi-born
Yeheskel Abu-Zwili, after his Jerusalem photo shop
was wrecked by a suicide bomber on Jan. 27.
The left, once so confident in pursuit of Shimon
Peres's New Middle East, is as baffled as everyone else.
Benny Morris, a Ben-Gurion University historian
who forced Israelis to confront their own contribu-
tion to the 1948 exodus of Palestinian refugees, has
shocked his foreign fans by condemning Arafat for
precipitating the current violence and by predicting
an escalation that could drag the entire region into
war. He sees the dark at the end of the tunnel.
"The logical solution," Morris argued, "is partition.
Unfortunately, it's a solution which the Arabs have con-
sistently rejected. If they continue to reject a two-state
TUNNEL on page 22
C..,:lES:-.•
active and the Federation has
offered area rabbis a half-price dis-
count if they recruit six or more
participants. The mission's cost is
When the Central Galilee suffers,
$1,230 per person.
Jewish Detroiters feel the pain.
"We are all concerned at what's
going
on in Israel, and we know
something happens to a family
.HARRY KIRSBAUM
it
is
our
duty to be there in per-
like this — some young healthy,
StaffWriter
son
to
show
solidarity," he said.
wonderful college kid gets blown
Visits
to
Detroit
from students
up — it affects their family, it
e hates receiving these
and
educators
in
the
region have
affects their community, it affects
types of appeals and
continued
as
planned,
and
their entire society. This is not
thank-you letters.
Aronson
says
it
is
good
for
what was supposed to happen in
Robert Aronson, chief execu-
morale.
the Zionist dream."
tive officer of the Jewish
"The partnership is strong, it's
Aronson said some
Federation of
healthy
and it will continue," he
generous people who
Metropolitan Detroit,
said.
"They
need us now, just as
wish to be anonymous in
keeps a growing file of
we
needed
them
when we were
Detroit have quietly
letters from Jews from
there
on
Sept.
11
[IsraelNow
raised the money.
the Partnership 2000
Solidarity
Mission].
"One of the things
region in Israel's Central
"We have to step up the ways
we're
trying to do as an
Galilee who have been
in
which we can physically, finan-
aside to our special allo-
directly affected by the
cially
and even symbolically
cations is to give money
past 17 months of vio-
express our solidarity with Israel,"
to a special Jewish
lence:
Aronson said. "The fact that we
Agency victims' fund
• A mother and father
would send books, New Year's
that will cover a lot of
thank the Federation for Robert A ronson
this, unfortunately, as it cards and letters from our chil-
a donation made in the
dren to a school in the region is
continues."
name of their daughter,
an important thing."
"We can only send missions,
a student at Emek Yisreel College
The Federation and the Jewish
but we're having a hard time
killed in a terrorist bombing in
Agency recently sponsored Our
recruiting," Aronson said.
Hadera.
a CD of famous
Only 10 people, including local Hope Endures,
• Another family appreciates
Israeli artists singing in solidarity
mission chairman Peter Alter,
dollars sent to finance the cost of
with America after the Sept. 11
have
signed up so far for the next
a wedding, needed because the
terror attacks. The proceeds will
groom's parents, brother and sister IsraelNow Solidarity Mission May go to NATAL, a professional
19-24, according to the
died in the Sbarro bombing last
organization that counsels victims
Federation's
David Contorer.
summer.
of terrorist attacks and their fami-
"There is no minimum number
The letters are one tragic way
lies.
of people required for this-
that shows the personal connec-
"We have to do more types of
National UJC mission to go," he
tion between the two regions.
these things during this time of a
said.
"Everyone is affected by what's
demoralized Israeli society,"
Recruitment has remained
going on," Aronson said. "When
Aronson said. ❑
Victims Of Violence
lei
3/8
2002
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