Camel riding was among Adat Shalom's Israel mission activities.

I and others went out for our morn-
ing run through neighborhoods that we
didn't know. We frequented restaurants
in the evenings and went shopping with
the same regard for safety that we
would exhibit when visiting a city in
the United States. We did what the
Israelis did with none of the pre-trip
apprehensions that we all had felt
before we arrived.
We headed out with the realization
that the fear of random events — be it
drive-by shootings, car accidents, mug-
gings or bombings — can be paralyzing
if one views them out of context.

We have all returned to our pre-trip
jobs and family activities. At a recent
Shabbat dinner that I shared with other
trippers, it was clear that the experience
had awakened strong feelings in all of
us.
I, for one, feel infused with the glow
of what has been accomplished in
Israel, what Eretz Yisrael (Land Of
Israel) stands for and can represent for
all of us (Jew and non-Jew) and feel
energized by a sense of what I might
contribute to this tremendous effort.

Thanks To Them

An adventurous itinerary was put
together by Yitzhak Sokolof of Keshet
Educational Tours and Rabbi Daniel
Nevins of Adat Shalom, with input
from various members of the group.
Many things contributed to the suc-
cess of our trip — however, credit
must go to Yitzhak, our guide Danny
Ehrlich and the Israeli youth leaders
Tali Meyerson, Anat Adler and Harel

have been, and remain, a rich source
of moral values and ethical guidance.
Nevertheless, these concepts also pro-
vide fertile grounds for divisiveness.
The First Amendment to our own
Constitution clearly recognizes the
need for a clear separation between
church and state.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Abe
Fortas, writing in 1968, noted that
the amendment "mandates govern-
mental neutrality between religion and
religion, and between religion and
non-religion." This neutrality has
brought our nation great benefits.
In ensuring that those who choose
to observe a religious lifestyle are
afforded the freedom to do so, the
amendment has encouraged high lev-
els of synagogue and church affiliation
and attendance.

Sharabi for their contributions as
organizers, leaders and for their desire
and ability to communicate their love
of Israel and Judaism to us.
They were able to integrate the two
in a natural and strikingly matter-of-
fact way that seems to take so much
conscious effort here in Detroit.
— Steven Dunn

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Further, by guaranteeing freedom of
speech — ensuring that all people,
including candidates, are free to speak
about religion — we are blessed with
a relative lack of friction between eth-
nic and religious groups. One has only
to look at the rivalries that exist in
Sudan to appreciate how fortunate we
are.
The prophet Isaiah declared
emphatically that God desires sub-
stance over form, action over rhetoric.
This fall, I hope voters will bring all
of their sensibilities — including reli-
gious sentiments, if they choose — to
bear in examining the substance of the
candidates' positions and will choose
the party whose vision reflects their
own values and their own interpreta-
tion of what constitutes God's will. ❑

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