I Cntents Q A / r te MICHIGAN PRESS ASSOaATION JEWISH NEW'S Winner of eight 2003 MPA writing, www.detroitjewishnews.com FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2004 NISAN 4, • VOL 0CV design and advertising awards SPECIAL REPORT COVER STORY 18 Tracking The Terrorists 42 'Children Of Abraham' Local reaction plus analysis on the assassination of Sheik Yassin. Teen drama presents a common basis for peace. NEWS WATCH ARTS & LIFE 28 Taking The Bench 47 The Lion Queen Talented litigator accepts Oakland County Corcuit judgeship. Julie Taymors Lion King' takes the stage in Detroit. THE SCENE SPIRITUALITY 41 Above-Average Jen 68 Exploring 'The Passion' U-M ad student joins cast o reality show. Jesus did not fulfill the Jewish Messiah role, explains rabbi. On The Cover: Illustration, Philip Skarich/IRIS Design Special Report photo, Sheik Ahmed Yassin Page design, Kelli Johnson Alefbet'cha 12 Health 65 Ann Arbor 25, 34, 41, 68 Letters 6 Appl eTree 39 Marketplace 89 B'nai Mitzvah 72 New Arrivals 72 Calendar 16 Obituaries 110 Candlelighting 10 Online 29 Community 82 Opinion 35 Crossword 106 Sports 66 Engagements 78 Synagogues 70 Food 63 Torah Portion 70 For Openers 10 Weddings 79 COLUMNISTS George Cantor 10 In Last Gag Columnist Harry Harry Kirsbaum 87 Kirsbaum remembers a terrorist's Danny Raskin 60 numbers: page 87 Robert Sklar 5 Gail Zimmerman 48 The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520) is published every Friday with additional supplements in January, March; May, August, September, November and December at 29200 Northwestern Highway, #110, Southfield, Michigan.Periodical Postage Paid at Southfield, Michigan and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send changes to: Detroit Jewish News, 29200 Northwestern Highway, #110, Southfield, MI 48034. News Digest: Security Stepped Up In N.Y. New York/JTA — Security was stepped up at synagogues and Jewish neighbor- hoods in New York City this week. The move was taken amid fears of retaliatory strikes on Jewish targets after Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin on Monday in Gaza. New York City's police chief, Raymond Kelly, said there were no spe- cific threats behind the efforts. Gay Marriage Backed New York/JTA — The Reconstruction- ist Rabbinical Association endorsed civil marriages for same-sex couples. The rabbinical arm of the Recon- structionist movement unanimously approved a resolution urging "full and equal civil marriage for gay men and lesbians." Reconstructionism, which according to the National Jewish Population Survey represents 3 percent of the 4.3 million religiously active Jews nation- wide, was the first movement to ordain gay rabbis in 1984. In 1993, the move- ment approved religious rituals for gay unions. Hitler Controversy Melts Berlin/JTA — A Berlin wax museum that opened in January closed this month following controversy over a figure of Hitler. The operator of the museum, Inna Vollstadt, received notice from her landlord after a slew of articles in Israeli and German newspapers drew atten- tion to the exhibit. Vollstadt said Hitler was just one of the attractions, but critics warned that More Israel and national news at www.jevvish.com the Hitler figure might attract people to the waxworks for the wrong reasons. French Monitor Anti-SemitisTri Paris/JTA — The French government and the country's leading Jewish organi- zation will jointly monitor anti-Semitic Web sites. Following the third meeting of the cabinet committee on anti-Semitism on March 18, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin announced the creation of a direct Internet liaison between the CRIF umbrella organization of French Jews, Internet providers and the Central Office Against Criminality over the Internet. The government also announced a study to examine how young children pick up anti-Semitic sentiments. House Bill Backs Fence Washington/JTA — Top congressmen introduced a bill on March 18 backing Israel's West Bank security barrier. The bill criticizes the Palestinian Authority for bringing the matter of the security fence, which in places cuts into the West Bank, to the International Court of Justice at the Hague. "In going to the ICJ, the Palestinians have yet again shown their preference for scoring propaganda points instead of doing the hard work needed to achieve peace," said one of the bill's sponsors, Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y. Bush Defends Israel Washungton/JTA — Israel has a right to defend itself, but must consider the consequences of its actions, President Bush said. Bush was asked to comment on Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin. 'Any country has a right to defend itself from terror," he . said. "Israel has the right to defend her- self from terror, and as she does so, I hope she keeps consequences in mind as to how to make sure we stay on the path to peace." Bush said he still supports a two- state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and was sending a high-level team to the Middle East next week to "keep the process alive."" Crittenton Care Starts with Crittenton People. For years we've been building a firm foundation on the commitment to compassionate health care. This commitment now supports the newly-renovated state-of-the-art Crittenton Hospital Medical Center. Our expanded facility allows us to provide services that meet the ever-changing needs of the community, including advanced medical procedures. Crittenton's health care professionals have the tools needed to offer the highest quality care. It makes our staff more efficient and offers our doctors more time to spend with their patients. And the best part of this world class health care facility...? Over 1,500 Anti-Semitic Acts New York/JTA — More than 1,500 anti-Semitic incidents were -reported nationwide in 2003. The Anti-Defamation League's annu- al Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents tracked 1,557 reports of Jews or Jewish institutions being targeted, with 40 per- cent involving vandalism and the rest harassment or threats. New York led 43 states that suffered anti-Semitic acts — it saw 364 — fol- lowed by California and Pennsylvania. The highest reports of anti-Semitic incidents typically correlate .with the states with the most Jews. The frequency of anti-Semitic inci- dents was slightly higher than in 2001. "There's good news that it stayed the same, and bad news that it stayed the same," said the ADL's national director, Abraham Foxman. "The levels continue to be disturbing and unacceptable." The full audit is available at detroitjewishnews.com 1101 W. University Drive Rochester; MI 48307 (.RITTF.NTO SP1TAL 3/26 2004 iLt