ilionsumummommummumpinimilimPlow * EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK Seeking The Light Of Peace e should do it again next year. That was my first thought as we sang "God Bless America" to close the ecumenical prayer service and candlelighting ceremony in remembrance of Sept. 11, 2001. I didn't think that way going into the Sept. 11, 2002, service at Temple Israel, sponsored by the West Bloomfield Clergy Association and Community Forum. Though deeply troubled by the horror and tragedy that Islamic militants wrought on America when they hijacked four commercial jetliners and turned them into missiles six days before Rosh Hashanah last year, I wasn't convinced we should turn 9-11 into an annual day to commemorate the 3,000 innocent victims, as well as the heroes and survivors, of America's darkest day. We should remember them every day in defer- ence to the freedoms that we enjoy, I felt. But after the emotional lift from the service, I changed my mind. I realized that ROBERT A. we must also come together in an organ- ized way to continually remind us that big- SKLAR otry still exists. I realized that we must Editor continue to gather to remember, pray and recommit to a world free from violence and terror — to collectively confront evil and defeat it. In the afterglow of the service, Fred Erlich of Bloomfield Hills echoed the views of many in the audience when he said: "It put an end to the year of grief. The coming year is going to be a year of hope. Good follows bad. We've got to look forward to_the good." Cantor Lori Corrsin of Temple Israel set the spir- itual tone for the service in singing "Or Chadash," Cantor a musical message to God she wrote in the after- math of 9,-11. "Hear my prayer," she sang, "that I'll see a new light deep within me." With friends and neighbors of different races and reli- gions, we rallied together toward what Temple Israel Rabbi Joshua Bennett called "the light of peace." There we stood, 1,200 strong — Jews, Christians and Muslims — united in that we were all Americans. I felt proud to be Jewish and American. "Tonight, my friends, we have come to remember — and remembrance is always a good thing," said the Rev. Patrick Thompson of Church of Our Saviour. He's presi- dent of the clergy association and chaplain for West Bloomfield's police and fire departments. And he's right: We needed to join hands to celebrate the resilience of. the American spirit. Strength In Unity From the opening and closing blasts of the shofar by Birmingham Groves High School student Zachary Chutz and University of Michigan-Dearborn graduate student Jason Chess, I felt a sense of oneness among us. For the moment anyway, our political or religious differences were not important. "We search for meaning in a world that appears to have lost its moral way," Rabbi Bennett said. "But we have learned from this new experience that communities build strength from despair — and that growth and prosperity come from times of difficulty." ill lik-fir* ELTON JOHN & TIM RICE'S In a statement read by Rabbi Elliot Pachter of Congregation B'nai Moshe, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D- Michigan, expressed confidence that America will prevail "against the enemy of terrorism and will remain .a beacon of hope to the oppressed everywhere." Like the senator, I believe in the U.S military, but I'm not sure we have the wherewithal just yet to root out ter- rorist cells in every nook and cranny of the world. Still, I concur with Levin that "an unquenchable love of freedom and an unwavering commitment to democracy are our backbone." We need that to be our backbone, especial- ly for our kids. West Bloomfield resident David Mayer underscored why in the lyrics of the "Children's Anthem," sung by a group of local elementary school students he directed: Take my hand, help me understand How to make a world where kids can grow Building bridges to the sun We can work together as one. Paths To Peace I cringed when Victor Begg of the Muslim Unity Center quoted from the Koran, but didn't specifically renounce Islamic militancy, something no Detroit Islamic leader has done. But on this evening of memory and hope, though I wondered how many of us of different faiths were truly neighbors despite living in the same neighborhoods, I believed that Begg was sincere when he said, "Shalom aleichem. Peace be with you." I needed to believe that, if I was going to value the resolution for peace that the clergy and the public signed to "pledge ourselves to be instruments of tran- quility and channels of God's peace. The resolution reads in part: "Let no person ever condone, nor preach, any message of terrorism or vio- lence that makes an idol of God and profanity of the Corrsin traditions we hold dear." It concludes, "May we build a civilization of love in every city and corner of the Earth. May God show us the many gateways to peace." The resolution and accompanying signatures will be saved in a bound memorial book that will travel to local synagogues, churches and mosques. It will be formally presented Jan. 20 at United We Walk Day in West Bloomfield, an event held in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The peace signing will continue to have meaning once the emotion of the first yahrzeit (memorial) of 9-11 fades only if the flames of the remembrance candles sustain the promise of a better world — where hatred crumbles under the weight of harmony. We can't let the flicker of those flames blind us to how quickly good intentions wilt without the twin spurs of diligence and dedication. The victims, heroes and survivors of 9-11 require us "to commit ourselves to holy work that honors their memory and fills the world with more holiness, hope and peace," Steve Wasko, a West Bloomfield school administrator, said in the closing prayer. That's because "as long as we live, they, too, will live, for they are now a part of us." I found hope in how Gary Faber, superintendent of West Bloomfield Schools, put it as we walked to our cars, buoyed by the energy of the evening: "It was a totally, totally beautiful, moving program that saw the people of this community coming together for all the right reasons. It's going to make this a stronger com- munity and, I believe: a lighthouse community for other communities across the nation as days go on." El Al DA THE TIMELESS LOVE STORY JARC'S 2002 Spectacular Fall Fundraiser! "One of the most spectacular pieces of musical theatre" 2001 Grammy Award Best Musical Show Album! Tony Award Best Score! September 30th October 1st Fisher Theatre FOR TICKET INFORMATION: CD 248 -538 - 6610 ext. 418 or visit www.jarc.org 30301 Northwestern Highway Farmington Hills, MI 48334 jarc@jarc.org • www.jarc.org %TN 9/20 2002 5