OTHER VIEWS

A House Of Outreach

Ann Arbor
11 he JN letter to the editor
"Filling The Void" (Sept. 17,
page 6) asserts that "tradition-
al and mainstream Jewish outreach is
largely absent from college campus-
es," a view that differs from my own
experience at the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor. The author,
Jonathan Shill, notes that he has
attended seven different universities,
where outreach has usually been con-
ducted by "groups that are perceived
as not being mainstream or that oth-
erwise broke off from mainstream
Judaism ..."
I would like to direct attention to
the campus outreach programs of
Chabad-Lubavitch, which is both a
traditional and mainstream move-
ment within Orthodox Judaism.
Currently, Chabad has onsite campus
Chabad houses in more than 70 cam-
puses in the United States. These stu-
dent centers are run by husband-and-
wife teams, who as shlichim (emis-
saries) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe are
dedicated to serving the students 24-
7 as their sole enterprise.
Twenty-five years ago, I was a stu-
dent at the University of Michigan,
and my encounter with the campus

7

Nacha Sara Leaf is a clinical social

worker and mother of seven who resides
in Oak Park.

Chabad House was nothing short of a
transformational life experience.
Following an initial outreach effort
by Rabbi Aharon Goldstein ("Are you
Jewish?"), I began to frequent the
Chabad house and quickly became "a
regular" there.
A young woman seeking spiritual
meaning in life, my thirst was
quenched by the embracing combina-
tion of stimulating classes, warm
Shabbosim spent at the Goldstein
family home, meaningful and authen-
tic holiday experiences and the cama-
raderie of other young people like
myself, fellow seekers on the Jewish
path.
In fact, just a few short months
after my initial involvement, I met a
very "special friend" at the Chabad
House who would become my life-
time partner — my husband.
Together, we shared an exciting jour-
ney as baalei teshuvah (returnees to
observant Judaism) that took us from
Ann Arbor, to study in yeshivot in
Israel and finally to marry there and
raise a family in the holy city of
Safed.
How about that for successful cam-
pus Jewish outreach!

Enriching Times

Scores of students have passed

through the Ann Arbor
wife, Chanchi, involve them-
Chabad House since its
selves with campus outreach
inception in 1975. Of course,
(while his parents mainly
not every student underwent
devote their efforts to the
a complete "Jewish transfor-
non-student Jewish popula-
mation," but, surely, each was
tion). Speaking with Rabbi
somehow enriched through
Alter recently, I became aware
the experience. This is all the
of the dynamic role he and
NACHA
more significant in light of
his wife play on campus.
SARA LEAF
widespread communal angst
A full array of classes on all
Community
about rampant assimilation
aspects of Judaism are offered
Perspective
and a shrinking Jewish popu-
throughout the week, with
lation.
guest speakers featured to lec-
For nearly 30 years, the
ture on diverse topics of con-
Ann Arbor Chabad House has been a
cern to young Jews. Weekly Shabbat
virtual fortress against the ravages of
meals are provided to the students
apathy, indifference and lack of
with the rabbi and his family in
Jewish knowledge now being
attendance, providing valuable expo-
addressed by all sectors of the com-
sure to authentic traditional Jewish
munity. It should be acknowledged
family life. Rabbi Alter has led six
that campus Chabad emissaries were
student groups to Israel (the last trip
avant-garde pioneers in the kiruv
was in May with 43 students in
(Jewish outreach) movement long
attendance).
before it became a popular trend
Jewish holidays are a time when
emulated by the many other educa-
Chabad House really shines in its
tional groups that have since devel-
efforts to bring the spirit of the holi-
oped innovative programs for student
days to the campus!
outreach; each of these worthy
This Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Alter
endeavors is deserving of merit in its
blew the shofar for over 400 students
efforts to strengthen Judaism.
in dorms and on campus. Chanukah
At present, the Ann Arbor Chabad
is an especially joyous time, with
House tradition continues into the
hundreds of menorahs distributed
second generation. Twenty-nine-year-
and tables set up on campus to serve
old Rabbi Alter Goldstein (whom I
sizzling, hot latkes to the students (a
first knew as a little boy!) and his
few years ago my own teenaged son

Bush Doesn't Measure Up

R

egarding Mayor Koch's
explanation of his endorse-
ment of President George
W. Bush in spite of his disagreement
with Bush's domestic policies ("Vote
For Bush Against Terror," Sept. 10,
page 66), a fact check is called for.
• A. Are we safer than we were
before 9-11?
Bush did not persevere in
Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden and
the Taliban leadership were not cap-
tured. Although much of the Al
Qaida infrastructure was destroyed
and some of the leadership killed or
captured, the number of terrorists

Norman Tepley is a West Bloomfield

resident.

JN

10/1

2004

36

and, according to the State
Department, the number of terrorist
incidents worldwide is growing rap-
idly. The Taliban are regaining power
in much of Afghanistan.
The president says that because we
are keeping the terrorists busy "over
there" they cannot attack us here!
Not so! Al Qaida found time and
resources to attack a train in Madrid
last March; it has cells in the U.S.
The Bush administration has not yet
implemented protections that a pru-
dent administration, not hell-bent
on tax cuts and military adventures,
would have started years ago.
We are still not inspecting all ships
docking at our ports for the impor-
tation of nuclear, chemical and bio-
logical devices. We have not yet

made our trains, subways and
The war in Iraq has indeed
buses safe from terrorists.
removed Saddam Hussein, a
Our airliners still lack anti-
sworn enemy of Israel, but at
missile defenses. We have
what price? Bush and his
fewer police on the streets
neo-conservative advisors
than before 9-11 and soon
who plotted this war antici-
will have more assault
pated the result Would be a
weapons.
democratic Iraq, a model for
At the same time, the weak-
the rest of the Arab world,
NO RAN
ening of our health care and
not the uncontrollable insur-
TE PLEY
social service infrastructures
gency that has actually
Corn munity
will complicate our recovery
resulted.
Per pective
from the next attack. Mayor
The best that anyone can
Koch should recall that the
now realistically hope for is a
first attack on the World Trade
Shiite theocracy. Such a result would
Center was 8 1/2 years before 9-11.
inevitably lead to the emergence of
The terrorists operate on their delib-
fundamentalist regimes in other
erate timetable.
countries in the region. However,
• B. Has the Bush administration
given that Baathists and Kurds will
really been good for Israel?
not want to live under Shiite rule; a

