This Week
Beth El Hires Montefiore
Staff Notebook
Candidates Forum Monday
lose to 20 candidates in local state House and
he June 30 departure of Cantor Stephen
Senate races are confirmed to speak at a can-
Dubov from Temple Beth El has led to the
didates' forum next week.
July 1 entrance of David Montefiore.
Sponsored by the Jewish Community Council of
The cantorial change came in the midst of
Metropolitan Detroit and National Council of Jewish
ongoing talks between Cantor Dubov and Beth El
Women, the free public event will begin- at 7:30 p.m.
leadership that began more
Monday, July 8, at the Max M. Fisher Federation
than a year ago over the can-
Building, 6735 Telegraph, Bloomfield Township.
tor's concern about friction
The program will be divided into three geographic
among senior staff members
groups: Huntington Woods, Oak Park and -
of the congregation. He says
Southfield; West Bloomfield and Farmington Hills;
he rescinded a June 2001 res-
and Birmingham, Beverly Hills and Bloomfield Hills.
ignation when he was assured
"Candidates will be given a few minutes to intro-
reconciliation of the issue
duce themselves, then it will be opened up to ques-
could be reached.
tions from the audience," said Allan Gale, the
Synagogue leadership and
Council's assistant director.
the cantor have not agreed on
Although the gubernatorial candidates were invit-
contract termination terms,
David Montefiore
ed, they will be debating on television in the Grand
with board members main-
Rapids-Kalamazoo area that day, he said.
taining the cantor broke the
Representatives of the candidates will appear instead.
contract and the cantor argu-
"We've submitted three ques-
ing that the contract became invalid
tions on human services fund-
when staff friction issues failed to
The last day to register to
ing, the environment and sepa-
be addressed.
vote in the Aug. 6 primary
ration of church and state
Montefiore, who left
elecdon Monday, July 8.
issues," Gale added.
Congregation Beth Ahm in April,
Citizens may register .at any
The representatives will pres-
has been engaged by Beth El for
Miclligan• Secre t ary of state
ent their answers and take ques-
one-year as cantorial soloist after a
office or in the offites of
tions from the audience.
unanimous June 30 vote of the syn-
the city car township where .
agogue's board of directors.
— Harry Kirsbaum
they live. Absentee ballots
His position will include the can-
will be mailed to eligible
torial duties of pastoral care, offici-
voters Up011: request. :
ating at life-cycle events and
involvement in the synagogue's
ichael Tarazi, born in
b'nai mitzvah program.
Kuwait, is an appeal-
"But his first priority will be to concentrate on the
ing, well-spoken,
service portion of what he does," says Stuart
Harvard-educated attorney. He moved from the
Lockman, Beth El president. "He will be working
United States to Ramallah two years ago to serve as a
hard to familiarize himself with our service and pre-
legal adviser to the Negotiations Affairs Department
pare for the High Holidays coming up shortly."
of the Palestine Liberation Organization. On June
Although he has officially left the congregation,
20, he addressed a program of the Detroit Council
both Lockman and Cantor Dubov said the cantor
on World Affairs held at Wayne State University in
will return to officiate at life-cycle events already
Detroit. The audience of nearly 50 was a mix of
scheduled and plans to continue directing Temple
Jewish college students, peaceniks and representatives
Beth El's Kids Klez Band of Michigan.
from the Arab and Jewish community.
Cantor Dubov's intent is to remain in
Tarazi's manner and approach made a great first
Michigan. He hopes to form an arts academy and
impression; maybe here was a Palestinian that Israel
also work as a cantor.
could deal with. But as the 34-year-old, spoke, he
Having Montefiore make the move from a
dropped in buzz words and phrases like "racism,"
Conservative to a Reform congregation is not a
"apartheid" and "ethnic purity," while failing to
concern for Lockman.
address terrorism or Palestinian intransigence.
"He worked as a cantor in a Reform congregation
Listening to him, as he dismissed Israeli concerns
early in his career," Lockman says of Montefiore's
about defensible borders, Tarazi became just another
credentials. Though Montefiore is not a vested can-
Palestinian spokesman unwilling to accept responsi-
tor, Lockman says, "he has worked as a cantor for
bility for either the past or the future.
.
over 20 years; he is the son of the chief [Orthodox]
When asked about the continuing incitement
cantor of Great Britain, director of the American
against Jews from official Palestinian institutions,
Opera Repertory Company in New York, was prin-
Tarazi instead condemned an Israeli rabbi's state-
cipal cantor of Buenos Aires and has Grammy
ments about Arabs -from two years ago. When ques-
Award nominations.
tioned about Palestinian Authority leader Yasser
"He was very open as far as his background and
Arafat, whose name he never mentioned in his
qualifications and he certainly has a terrific voice,
response, Tarazi deftly switched the topic to Israeli
sufficient experience and extensive knowledge of
policies and actions.
Jewish music and liturgy," Lockman said. 0
Tarazi's legal expertise failed when he incorrectly
— Shelli Liebman Dorfman said that non-Jews could not become citizens of
T
Israel, but recovered by claiming all that really mat-
ters is the "racist" Law of Return.
He responded to a question about Palestinian
recognition of Israel by unfolding an old Israeli
"touring map" that didn't show Palestinian areas,
prompting Allan Gale, assistant executive director of
the Jewish Community Council of Metropolitan
Detroit, to examine it. Gale pointed out the Israeli
map itself said it was not authoritative regarding
boundaries (newer maps do show Palestinian areas).
Also packaged were Tarazi's demands for a full
Israeli return to the 1967 borders — a regression
from previous Palestinian positions — with the so-
called "right of return" of all Palestinian refugees to a
pre-1967 Israel. He noted that Israel supported a
United Nations resolution concerning refugees in
1949, but failed to mention that all the Arab nations
had rejected the proposal because it recognized Israel.
An impressive speaker, yes. An impressive step for-
ward, sadly, no.
— Don Cohen
Corrections
Rabbi Amy Bolton has been named director of
pastoral outreach and education and Rabbi Avie
Shapiro is director of pastoral care at the Jewish.
Hospice and Chaplaincy Network. The titles
were switched in a recent story ("Chaplaincy
Network Adds Pastoral Staff," June 28, page 49).
Same Old Whine
NI
°nonline
) ,TN Digest
Selected news and feature stories
from the Detroit Jewish News.
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) What's Eating
Harry Kirsbaum?
It's Different This Time:
No way around it, the Fourth of July
means more this year.
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lLecorn
) Mideast Update
The latest news about the
crisis in the Middle East.
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) Online Shopping
The Jewish.com Store: A huge selection
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day items, kosher gift baskets and more.
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7/ 5
2002