EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
One Of The Good Guys
r
or 17 years, Master Sgt. Steve Spinner has
served as a reserve in Israel's combat reconnais-
sance unit. He sees himself as "a very small cog
in a large, complex machine" that will continue
to hum long after he leaves military service.
"It will do just fine without me," the 1975 Southfield-
Lathrup High School graduate said. It is that I'm just not
sure that I want to sit on the sidelines while a global war
starts heating up between good and evil."
His e-mail letter dated June 13 provided an insightful
glimpse into this native Detroiter who now lives in the
Jewish homeland — and who is willing to
die in its defense.
"I doubt it will be me who finds and
kills Osama bin Laden," he said. "In fact, I
hope I don't have to kill anybody. But per-
haps I should be a part of this fight for
Western civilization and culture. Why?
Because I want to do something, to be part
of this war against
ROBERT A. terrorism that really
SKLAR
is threatening the
Editor
world."
The son of
Mildred and Edward Rosenbaum of
Southfield, he's someone in whom
all of Detroit Jewry can tale pride.
Spinner, 45, made aliyah in 1985
after earning a graduate degree
from the University of Michigan.
A commercial artist in Netanya,
who lives with his wife, Tali, and
their twin children in Zichron
Yaacov, Spinner bared his soul via
e-mail. He took the opportunity to
weigh the danger of military service
against the fear it poses for his fam-
ily.
_
A Distant Hope
Spinner favors statehood for the Palestinian people and
"for us to have neighborly relations" with them. But he
doesn't know when, or if, that scenario will materialize.
In a perceptive understatement that should resonate with
every Jew, he said: "I don't see any Western country having
fair and decent relations with a country that exposes killing
other people as a good thing — that teaches its young,
from kindergarten on, how killing and being killed is not
only a legitimate goal in life, but also honorable."
Like most Jews, Spinner acknowledges that not all
Palestinians are fanatics bound to Yasser Arafat, a supreme
commander of Arab-imposed terrorism.
But he caused me to think hard when he said: "When
most Palestinian institutions celebrate terrorism, the dis-
tinction between the Palestinian Authority, Hamas or
Islamic Jihad and Osama bin Laden is hard to distinguish."
Indeed, it is.
It's not a war just between Israelis and Palestinians,
Spinner stresses. "We have here with the Palestinians a
death industry supported by Iraq and
Saudi Arabia, who pay, celebrate
and honor the families of suicide
bombers."
The going rate for Palestinian
families of children who become
"martyrs" by blowing themselves
up within range of Jews is now
$10,000 to $25,000.
It's a common plea, but I echo
Spinner's cry that "people who
blow up buses and restaurants,
who shoot at school buses with
the goal of spreading fear and ter-
ror, should be ostracized and the
countries that honor them should
be, too."
Doing His Part
Spinner admits that just reading
about Islamist radicals frustrates
Confronting Fate
and
scares him.
Once or twice a year, the master
Master Sgt. Steve Spinner, his wife, Tali, and
"However,"
he said, "at least I
sergeant in Reconnaissance Unit
their 11-year-old twins, Alon and Karen.
know
that
I
am
doing something.
844 reports for either training or
I am an active part of an organiza-
active duty along the border with
tion that keeps these fanatics at
the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. In terms of service,
bay
in
one
small
part
of
the
world."
Spinner has done his share and could walk away honorably
These
fanatics
cannot
win
anywhere, at any time,
from the Israel Defense Forces.
because
that
would
only
encourage
terrorism, he said.
"My wife and kids tell me that I should not press fate,"
Spinner
muses
that
Europe
doesn't
understand the
he said. "I've gotten through all this without getting hurt.
global
threat.
"America
does,"
he
said.
"And maybe, like
Soldiers have been hurt or killed in many of the places
in
World
War
I
and
World
War
II,
America
may have to
_where I have been during my reserve service. So perhaps I
save
Europe
from
itself.
And
little
Israel,
with
a little
should not tempt fate and follow my family's advice.
help
from
me,
will
remain
a
part
of
combating
this very
"And yet I am uneasy with quitting."
serious
global
threat
that
present-day
Islam
has
put
He's uneasy because of what's happening in the world,
upon us."
"something new and insidious" — and very daunting.
Continuing in the army reserve is his commitment to
"Small groups of Moslem extremists, with a worldwide
tikkun olam, to repairing the world.
network of support, are really threatening civilization as we
Stowing his Uzi is more elusive than ever because of
know it," he said. "This is quite frightening."
the
reign of terror wrought by the terrorists who have
The rest of the world shouldn't believe it is just Israel's
targeted the Free World.
problem, Spinner said. And he's clearly right.
But that doesn't mean Spinner doesn't pray for the
He said these terrorists "have proved their seriousness"
moment
when he can lay down his arms with a clear
through the Sept. 11 attacks on America as well as through
conscience.
As he put it: "One day, it would be nice to
recurring shootings and bombings in Israel, India,
be
able
to
quit
because `I did my share.' "
Pakistan, Tunisia, the Philippines and elsewhere.
"‘•
TENDER
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