THE SOONER, THE BETTER

No matter your

political bent, war is

hell. Innocent and

not-so-innocent people

die, economies su er,

anxiety is high and

even victory can be

bittersweet when

terrorist retaliation

has been threatened.

A war with Iraq

conjures memories

of lost comrades for

a longtime Jewish

war veteran. For a

financial adviser, war

means a hard sell to

have faith in the stock

market. A staunch

peace activist remains

Rashty, a member of the Sephardic Keter Torah
ore than 50 years after leaving his childhood Synagogue in West Bloomfield, moved to Detroit in
home in Baghdad, Eli Rashty of Bloomfield 1966 — followed by his brother 10 years later. In his
Hills still has vivid memories.
living room sits a silver memento, one of few he was
"There were a lot of synagogues in Iraq and a big
able to bring with him from Iraq. "It is for water to be
Jewish community and a Jewish court," he said.
poured over flowers to bring a nice smell to the room
"In 1951, when I was 10, I went with my family
— like perfume," said the married father of three.
and 180,000 other Jews to Israel. It was a hard time
"It reminds me of my home as a child. I told my
for Jews to be in Iraq. I haven't been back."
son, after the war, hopefully there will be peace, and I
The closest he has come to his native land is
will be able to take him to Israel and to Iraq and show
through films watched on TV. "I saw a program in
him where I lived." ❑
1991, during the Gulf War, and they showed how
— Shelli Liebman Dorfman, staff writer
there was only one synagogue left and it was mine,
Meir Twig," Rashty said.
"I don't know if it's still there
now. There are, at the most, only
50 Jews left."
What he does know is the plight
of those who remain, and he is very
much in favor of a United States-
led war against Iraq. "I think it will
be a blessing for the whole country
if a war brings a change in the gov-
ernment there," he said. Rashty,
who served in the Israeli army, said
he fears for the safety of American
soldiers, but hopes there is a war
soon.
"For 200,000-300,000 soldiers to
be sitting waiting is not good for
their morale. I think the sooner the
better for everyone, but I think the
war will be short because I don't
think Iraq can last long. But every
day they are working on creating
104
different weapons, so sooner is bet-
ter for the people of Iraq and Israel.
Eli Rashty in his home, pictured with an old family photograph and air-freshener heirlooms from Iraq.

unconvinced of the

Iraqi threat that

justifies U.S. action.

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FOR A GOOD REASON

obert Feldman has seen the results of what war
can do. It's evident in the 320 portraits that hang
on the wall of the Jewish War Veterans of
Michigan Memorial Home in Southfield.
"I don't like the idea of our servicemen being put in
harm's way and some of them dying, but the president of
the United States probably has information that we do
not have," said Feldman, memorial home president and
commander of the Jewish War Veterans of the United
States of America Department of Michigan.
"We don't want to see any more young men die. We
don't want to see any more pictures on our walls of peo-
ple who have passed away.
"But if we do go to war, I'll support him 100 percent. I
think that a majority of all veterans would feel the same
way," said Feldman, who served his country during the
Korean War. "Personally, I dread going to war. I don't
think this is going to be like Desert Storm, and we're
going to lose some people, and I hate to see that." ❑

And a Jewish Iraqi

man speaks from the

heart about the plight

of Iraqi Jews and the

need for a regime

change.

We all have our

own thoughts on war.

These personal reflec-

tions might give us

pause for more.

— Harry Kirsbaum, staffwriter

— Keri Guten Cohen,
story development editor

Robert Feldman, war veteran

