This Week
Insight
Remember
When •
Back To School
JCCouncil program provides students with tools
to defend Israel on campus.
like one lawyer is the same as another
in what they should do."
In a brief presentation, Gale pro-
posed three themes useful in explaining
Israel: "Israelis want peace, Israelis fight
terrorism and Israel is willing to negoti-
ate anything across a table."
Gale urged the students to promote
Israel, and not just defend Israel.
Palestinians more than they hate the
Jews."
The Palestinians "have been ill
Special to the Jewish News
served by their leadership, but it is their
leadership and they have to take credit
ust hours after reports of a
for it," Rabbi Bergman said. "The Arab Student Reactions
massive explosion on a
The students then divided into groups
world needs to recognize Israel and
Jerusalem municipal bus
based on where they will attend school
Israel needs to recognize the
bringing families home from
this fall. Their discussions focused on
Palestinians."
prayer at the Western Wall, the pro-
pro- and anti-
Singer, of the
gram "Israel On Campus: What's
Israel activities
Jewish Agency for
Next?" began with added immediacy
on campus, and
Israel,
said,
"I
— and a memorial service.
the campus cli-
want to talk
Some 30 local college students and
mate for advo-
about advocacy,
high-school seniors came together at
cacy.
or what we call
the Max M. Fisher Jewish Federation
Discussions
`the media war.'
Building in Bloomfield Township to
were led by
better understand Israel and prepare for Today, there are
University of
34
wars
going
on
issues likely to arise during the coming
Jirik
Rappoport
Singer
Michigan sen-
in
the
world,
and
school year.
ior Avi
one of the only
Hosted by the Jewish Community
Jacobson,
Michigan
State
University
ones you hear about is the Middle East
Council of Metropolitan Detroit and
senior
Sheri
Rappoport,
Wayne
State
conflict."
billed as "a night of education, advoca-
University
graduate
Zachi
Rosenberg
Singer, who came to Israel in 1967 as
cy and action," the Aug. 19 program
and Bloomfield Hills Roeper School
a volunteer and now works with those
included Rabbi Aaron Bergman of the
senior Ariella Lis, who has been
Jewish Academy of
Council's summer intern and helped
Metropolitan Detroit,
-
organize the program.
Maurice Singer of the
Elizabeth Seagle, a West Bloomfield
Jewish Agency for Israel
High School senior, said the advocate
office in Chicago, and
needs to walk a fine line. "We have to
JCCouncil Assistant
stand up for ourselves, so we can't be
Director Allan Gale. Rabbi
totally passive, but we can't alienate
Marla Hornsten of Temple
people by bothering them," she said.
Israel led the brief memori-
Jon Jirik, a junior at West Bloomfield
al.
High who spent six weeks in Israel over
"It is a very complex situ-
the summer with United Synagogue
anon, so I won't give you
Youth Pilgrimage, agreed. "When you
simple answers," said Rabbi
get to West Bloomfield, you find peo-
Bergman, as he reviewed the
ple aren't really that informed or want
history of modern Zionism
Avi Jacobson talks with fellow students about Israel.
to be informed," he said.
and the Jewish state that
Jacobson, who spent time in Israel
grew out of it. Rabbi
this
past summer as an undergraduate
considering making aliyah, asked stu-
Bergman explained that the Arab-
fellow
with the Foundation for Defense
dents to assume the role of an advocate
Israeli conflict reflected the different
for
Democracies,
liked Singer's focus
for Israel. After going around the room
cultures of the East vs. the West (for
on
how
to
construct
a "sound bite" on
asking students to role-play as advo-
example, Europe vs. the Arab world).
behalf of Israel. "It was useful training
cates,
he
explained,
"When
you
are
an
"The 19th-century Jews were sophis-
on how to listen to a question, and it
advocate, you don't necessarily give
ticated and educated and came into an
got everyone involved," he said.
your
own
opinion."
area in the middle of those still in the
While recognizing the importance of
Noting the word "advocate" is
12th century," Rabbi Bergman said.
sound
bites, he nonetheless wishes peo-
French for lawyer, he said, "The job of
Jews brought democracy and develop-
ple
would
delve into the issues more
a lawyer is to put out the best defense
ment "at a pace the people weren't
deeply.
regardless of his true feelings. When it
ready for."
"It's a problem that people want easy
comes to advocacy, there shouldn't be
Calling the Palestinians "the Jews of
answers rather than making the effort
any
difference
between
a
right-wing
the Arab world," he told the students
to educate themselves." Ell
advocate or a left-wing advocate, just
"the rest of the Arab world hates the
DON COHEN
3
8/29
2003
24
From the pages of the Jewish News
from this week 10, 20, 30, 40, 50
and 60 years ago.
Professor Avraham Biran, director
of Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Religion's Skirball
Center for Biblical and
Archaeological Research in
Jerusalem discovers Israel's first
royal stele (commemorative stone
inscription) from the 9th century
BCE mentioning the King of Israel
and House of David — uncovered
at excavations at Tel Dan near the
Lebanon border.
19fig11111111111116111.11M
Brandeis University celebra'tes its
35th Anniversary. The Waltham,
Mass.-based university is named for
Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish
Supreme Court Justice.
Eight Soviet Jews from five families
are to be settled in Detroit as part of a
group of 200 brought to this country
by United HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant
Aid Society) Service
10A11111111111111111111111111111111111
The new S. Dubnov Jewish High
School will open next week in
Detroit and will be headed by
Principal Kalman Black.
AIS50
-7
Rabbi D. A. Jessurun Cardoza,
spiritual leader of the Sephardi
Center of Brooklyn, N.Y., is leaving
for Madrid, where he will be the
first rabbi to serve in a synagogue
in Spain for 450 years.
4littoetNi
The American Jewish. Joint
Distribution Committee announces
that it will conduct in New York
early this fall a four-week introduc-
tory course in Jewish beliefs and
emergency aid for post-war recon-
struction overseas.
Emma Lazaroff Schaver, well-
known Detroit soprano, has been
extended the honor of opening the
sessions of the American Jewish
Conference in New York.
Compiled by Holly Teasdle,
archivist, the Rabbi Leo M. Franklin
Archives of Temple Beth El
—