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January 30, 2004 - Image 5

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2004-01-30

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK

THE

Contrasting Dreams

J

ennifer Rosenthal, a senior at George Washington
University, is determined to do her part so more Jews
of her generation , exude pride in Judaism and the
Jewish state. "In order for our children and our chil-
dren's children to enjoy Israel," she expressed five days ago, "it
is up to this generation to protect the state and the stability of
the Middle East."
Reem al-Reyashi, a young mother, served the Palestinian
cause by indulging in terror 16 days ago. She blew herself
up at a workers' passage to an industrial park on Gaza's
northern edge, killing two Israeli soldiers as well as a police
officer and a security guard. Until the Jan.
14 blast, the Erez Industrial Zone had
been one of the few places where Israelis
and Palestinians coexisted.
In a Hamas-released videotape after the
bombing, al-Reyashi said, "It was always my
wish to turn my body into deadly shrapnel
against the Zionists and to knock on the
doors of heaven with Zionist skulls."
ROBERT A.
The two women chose dramatically differ-
SKLAR
ent paths at the tender age of 22. Their sto-
Editor
ries punctuate the gulf between Judaism and
radical Islam.
Al-Reyashi was from a
middle-class family in
Gaza City. She had a 3-
year-old boy, Obedia, and
an 18-month-old girl,
Doha. Her husband, Ziad
Awad, is a battery factory
owner dependent on
Israeli business.
Marta and Ben
Rosenthal ofFranklin
instilled in their daughter
Jennifer a Zionist passion
that grew as she attended
Hillel Day School of
Metropolitan Detroit.
Later, she headed the
youth group at
Jenny Rosenthal right, with
Congregation Sha2tey
Lindsey Anthone, 21, of Boca
Zedek in Southfield and
Raton, at the 2002 Israel rally.
led social action for the
Central Region of United Synagogue Youth (USY).
I found Jennifer to be focused, caring and thoughtful.
In Washington, she has interned at the White House and
for Michigan's senior senator, Carl Levin. She's majoring in
political communications. She plans to seek a master's degree
in political management after graduating in May.
Israel remains dear to her .heart. She and her sister, Rachel,
25, each celebrated their bat mitzvah there. In 1999, Jennifer
visited Israel twice, studying at Alexander Muss High School
there and joining the USY Poland/Israel Pilgrimage.
Rosenthal is adamant that she and her peers can't let cam-
pus tumult obscure the role that Israel plays on the world .
stage. "It is imperative," she said, "that Jewish college students
fight for the only democracy in the Middle East."
After the attack by al-Reyashi, Hamas released a video
showing her with a rifle in one hand and a Koran in the other
— and flanked by Hamas flags. On a desk in front of her was
a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. She said, "God gave me
the ability to be a mother of two children who I love so. But
my wish to meet God in paradise is greater, so I decided to be

a martyr for the sake of my people. I am convinced God will
help and take care of my children."
Reports say al-Reyashi sacrificed herself for Allah to clear
her name and restore her family's honor after she was adulter-
ous with a Hamas member. Her husband, with ties to the
Islamic terrorist group, urged her to carry out the attack.
Her children are victims, too. They'll be indoctrinated to 4 ,-2
hate Jews as oppressors and occupiers. Their mother's death
will be blamed on the "the Zionist scourge." Deception per-
meates Palestinian classrooms, newspapers, TV shows and
music videos.
While al-Reyashi was readying to become a suicide bomber
to satisfy a societal debt, Rosenthal is poised to be a press offi-
cer or campaign consultant in Washington as she chases her
dream of becoming the presidential press secretary.
The contrast between the two women is chilling.
In April 2002, Rosenthal was one of 100,000 people on the
Israel Solidarity March in front of the U.S. Capitol. 'As I
walked onto the lawn that was filled with signs, singing and
Jews of all denominations," she said, "I instantly began to cry.
It was beyond.words to
see that Israel meant so
much to so many peo-
ple."
She felt immediate
oneness. "It reminded
me of the same feeling I
felt in the Old City of
Jerusalem," she said.
"Being a college student
and standing up for the
State of Israel was a way
that I was fighting anti-
Reem al-Reyashi, wielding weapons Serriitism."
in a pre-attack video.
I'm impressed she's
trying to impart her love
for Israel in-Jews who may know or care little about their her-
itage. It's never easy outwrestling the pull of assimilation that's
rampant on campuses.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's official radio station called
al-Reyashi a hero. She faked a limp and having a metal plate
in her leg to divert attention at the Erez security checkpoint.
Her attack temporarily idled 6,000 Gazan workers, escalating
the tension in a territory with a 50-percent jobless rate.
Al-Reyashi embraced being Hamas' first female "martyr," or
Shahid. "I always wanted to be the first woman to carry out a
martyr attack, where parts of my body can fly all over," she
said, smiling on the video. "That is the only wish I can ask
God for."
We must condemn Palestinian terror, the killer of at least
923 Israelis and foreigners since September 2000. But at the
same time, we must understand its impact.
Rosenthal does.
"This year, I have been through a lot of stress with work,
my thesis and applying to graduate schools," she said. "But
the stress I go through every day does not compare to the
stress a girl my age living in Israel faces. I could not imagine
being in the army and facing terrorism all the time."
Her toughest challenge as an Israel advocate is confronting
the political, cultural and economic forces that power Arab
hatred for "the Zionist entity." I pray she doesn't lose hope.
And I don't think she will.
As she put it: "Jews throughout the world are all in this
together. Soon, it is going to be up to my generation to make
sure Israel thrives into the future." ❑

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