OTHER, VIEWS

YOU MEL

the freedom of retirement? It's like having the wind at
your back. At the Heatherwood, you can enjoy all the
comforts of independent living. Now you can do all the
things you always planned for, but never had time to do.
Be with friendly people. Go places. See things. Savor fine
dining. Be active and energetic. At the Heatherwood,
retirement is the way you always hoped it would be.
• Stylish Apartments • Small Pets Welcome
• Emergency Call System • Housekeeping & Linen
• Scheduled Transportation • Superb Amenities
• Full-Time Activities Director • Daily Activities Director
• Delectable Dining • Friendly, Professional Staff
• Just One Monthly Fee • Much, Much More...

the Ani

ATHERWOOD

A Capital Senior Living Retirement Community

ow is e time
to have e e
of your life...

For information call
Sarah Delaney

248-350-1777

22800 Civic CENIER DRrvE

SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN

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INFORMATION ABOUT 'OUR
COMMUNITY @ OUR ND"
AND IMPROVED VERSITE!

200 hp, 6 speed, Bose CD changer

36 mo. lease

48 mo. lease

Pwr, Telescopic Steering Wheel, Onstar, Bose CD
Changer, Moonroof, Complete Luxury #KA9652

$2500 NI due

52500 RI due

39 ma. lease

BUY FOR

"Plus tax, title, lic., doc. (dent on sale prices). 12,000 miles/year. All
rebates to dealer. On approved credit tin preferred source.
Sale ends 3/31/02. Just take delivery from dealer stock.

Conveniently located on

Haggerty North of Grand River

SUBURB

1.1

ban Acwra

Showroom Sale Hours:

Monday & Thursday

Member of The Suburban Collection

9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

make the choice

Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday

8: Q a.m. - 6,:PO p.m.

Suburban Collection
Toll Free: 877.471.7100
www.suburbancollection.corn-

25000 Haggerty
Farmington Hills, MI 48335

A Jewish Renaissance
Media Nblication

GREEN from page 33

one tradition each year.
When it comes right down to it,
my wife and I are "bagel Jews," too.
Yes, we light Chanukah candles and
attend services on the High
Holidays. We are members of the
Jewish Community Center, but
haven't joined a synagogue in the
nearly two years we've lived in
Atlanta.
We probably will join when we
have children, because we believe
that moral and spiritual education is
crucial to a developing person.
American Jews are not trekking to
synagogues en masse, which could be
a contributing factor in this discon-
nect from religious practice. While
44 percent of identity survey respon-
dents said they belong to a Jewish
religious institution and 25 percent
said they belong to a secular Jewish
organization, the largest segment sur-
veyed — 48 percent — said they
belong to neither.
This is precisely why Hughes,
Stern and even Fastow are important
to us as Jews. We're trying to pre-
serve a culture even as our religion
becomes increasingly liberal and less
observant. If we can include famous
people in our culture, surely it will
be preserved.
Hughes gives us someone to
admire. She's pretty, she's perky and
she's successful in an arena where we
have had little success. Whether she's
a practicing Jew — and if she com-
petes on Friday nights and Saturdays,
she's obviously not Shabbat-obser-
vant — doesn't really matter to peo-
ple who are happy to count her
among them.
I say her personal preference
counts for something. If she doesn't
consider herself Jewish, isn't that her
right?
Being Jewish should matter to us
as individuals. But if people don't
acknowledge that they're Jewish by
heritage or culture or religion, others
shouldn't tell them what to be.
People don't fit into slots like com-
pact discs fit neatly into their cases.
"Jewish" can mean anything anybody
wants it to mean. But we cannot peg
someone with a faith or culture sim-
ply because they are connected by
birth.
Sure, we can all admire Hughes —
she seems like a wonderful young
woman with a promising future. Let's
give her the chance to decide
whether she's Jewish. ❑