OTHER VIEWS

Israel Visits Are Vital

Two years ago, I sent my then 16-
year-old son, Aaron, to Israel for
five weeks on Teen Mission 2000,
generously sponsored and amazingly
organized by the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit.

While Aaron is now a senior in
high school, busy extracting the best
he can from his final year at
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook
Kingswood, I can still see glimpses
of Masada, Ben Yehudah Street, Tel
Aviv and the Western Wall at vari-
ous, glorious times in his confident
blue eyes. I notice a certain prayer-
ful davening as I watch him at serv-
ices. As Aaron helps Jennifer
Bernstein with her third-grade class
on Sunday mornings at Shir Tikvah,
I know he's more aware than ever of
the importance of teaching about
Judaism.
Is the bond that my son experi-
ences with Judaism different and
stronger than the bond that I, his
own mother, experience, because he
has visited Israel and I have not?
While I am in doubt that I may
be able to visit Israel this year, I
pray each and every day that, God
willing, some day I will visit. I pray
that I will know the secret of Joelle's
brilliant smile and Aaron's bluest
eyes. And most of all, I pray that
somehow those who wish to end
their lives will not take Israel with
them. A visit to Israel is an opportu-
nity that I yet plan to seize.
Let us, everyone, wish for peace:
in Israel, for us at home and in the
world. Let those of us who have yet
to know the bond that Joelle, Aaron
and so many others have found, get
the chance do so in Jerusalem. El

another Arab dictatorship.
Aid programs to the Palestinians dis-
card everything we should have learned
treaty breaking, peace rejection and,
from half a century of similar efforts
finally, war — are apparent to all but
around the world. Aid and investment
those who- are deaf, dumb
that strengthen local elites
and blind to reality.
don't trickle down to the peo-
And despite this record,
ple or create democracy.
Arafat has come once again
Nevertheless, the assumption
to the world, asking for
is that the world will respond
handouts. He promises he
with more aid to Arafat,
will "reform" his little king-
whether negotiations toward
dom, even promising to hold
peace proceed or not. The rea-
elections, provided that Israel
son is that the Palestinian
lowers its defenses against his
Arabs he governs are suffering
terrorists by pulling troops
and their economy was ruined
JONATHAN S.
back from checkpoints
by his war on Israel.
TOBIN
attempting to stop suicide
But before the aid starts up
Special
bombers.
again, it is worthwhile remem-
Commentary
Everyone involved in the
bering all of the effort that this
debate acknowledges that
country and American friends
pouring more money into
of Israel have poured into
the pockets of Arafat's cronies or groups
making the P.A. a going concern.
that engage in terrorism is a nonstarter.
Reform Highlights
Everyone also seems to agree that the
Palestinian state should not be yet
During the height of Oslo, the P.A. sent

over, with much fanfare, a contingent of
"policemen" who received their training
from the highly regarded police depart-
ment of the City of Philadelphia. But
you won't find the Palestinian grads of
this program walking beats in the West
Bank or Gaza.
Instead, they turned out to be part of
the army Arafat used to wage war on
Israel.
At the same time, Jewish philanthro-
pist and hedge-fund tycoon . Kenneth
Lipper set up a program to send Arafat's
underlings to Harvard University, where
they could study good government.
While those involved enjoyed life in
Cambridge, Mass., there is little indica-
tion that the recipients of this Jewish
largesse used their education to prevent
the widespread theft and corruption
that characterize Palestinian self-rule.
The European Union contributed to
purchase new textbooks for Palestinian
schools that would teach co-existence
and peace, only to discover that the new
TOBIN on page 34

Joelle was in Israel last summer
'm in love with Judaism. I
with
members of her Shir Tikvah
revere the traditions of my
family as well as her family of ori-
people, who for thousands of
gin, and the boost of sheer delight
years have carried through the
she
received for her faith and her-
parchment of Torah in the melodic
itage still shines brightly
chanting in Hebrew, the
like
the candles of Shabbat
words of our God, Adonai.
in
her
smile, in her speech
I adore the photos of our
and in her embrace of the
Yiddishe bubbes and zaydes
world.
who have told in nearly
I learned a lot from
every imaginable language
Joelle
Hecker, although she
the poignant stories of
is
13,
and
I am nearly 45.
Abraham and Noah on
She
seems
to own her
bedtime knees.
Judaism
in
a way that I, as
At Saturday services, I find
yet, cannot.
myself in utter awe of each
KAREN
and every bar mitzvah student
MELAAS
Early Experiences
whoSe ceremony I attend.
Community
I did grow up in a Jewish
About two months ago, I
Views
home
in a Jewish neighbor-
was nearly swept away with
hood
and
had some
joy and pride, as I listened -to Joelle
Hebrew school. Though my Uncle
Hecker, daughter of David and
Sam often complained that Uncle
Alice, who read first from the Torah
Dick was late for the seder, when
and then told a tale straight from
Dick finally arrived, there were
her heart. Joelle shared her extraor-
always
handshakes if not hugs
dinary passion for life with a room
between
them.
full of other Jews, gentiles, African
Aunt Sylvia and my mother took
Americans, whites, Latinos, friends,
me to Jewel Bakery in Oak Park on
family, co-workers of parents, peers
frequent Sunday mornings for an oat-
from the classroom and even mere
meal raisin cookie that I still remem-
acquaintances.
ber as being the size of a steering
Karen Melaas is an Oxford resident
wheel. Grandma Jennie taught me to
and member of Congregation Shir
make cracker blintzes whose delicious
Tikvah in Troy.
aroma I can still smell. •

I

Back To Reform School

Philadelphia
n the wake of the latest bouts of
Palestinian terrorism and. Israeli
counterattacks, the buzzword for
America's Middle East policy is
"reform."
Reform, that is, of the Palestinian
Authority and its leader Yasser Arafat,
the murderous international celebrity
who is the king without a crown of the
Palestinian Arabs.
It is nearly nine years since the Oslo
peace accords were signed, and several .
years since Arafat and his cronies were
given the territories on a silver platter to
govern as he liked.
The disastrous results of his reign —
terror, graft, misappropriation of aid,

I

ar

5/31
2002

32

Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor
of the "Jewish Exponent" in
Philadelphia. His e-mail address is
jtobin@jewishexponent.com -

I struggled terribly as a kid, with
what one should say on a shivah
(condolence) call. Mom was always
helping in the kitchen and Dad
reminisced with the other men,
looking at old photographs and
sharing stories. Being alone with the
bereaved was the ultimate challenge.
I remember finding Chanukah
presents hidden (sorry, Mom)
around the house. And, as a grown-
up, I still carry the guilt of being a
fifth-grade Sunday school dropout,
falling to peer pressure.
Surely, Joelle has had some similar
Jewish experiences in her short, but
brimming life. But at 13, Joelle has
had something extraordinary that I
have not. And at my age., I pray that
I might still find the Judaism of
Joelle Hecker.
Can the bond between Joelle and
her Judaism be different from the
bond I've experienced? An almost
constant, disconcerting, yet apparent
reality is that people who place no
value on life want to take away the
very life opportunity [visiting Israel]
that Joelle has so beautifully inte-
grated into her soul.

.

Creating A Bond