First Round

I Letters

Home Bound

L

aid up for
most of the
weekend
because of a bad
back, I couldn't
avoid the Internet
or television.
I even have sym-
pathy for the pain
HARRY
that Michael
KIRSBAUM Jackson is going
through and will do
Columnist
almost anything to
get some relief,
except those hot-air balloon rides with
12-year-old boys.

Still Bill

representatives and ad executives from
that lofty moral perch of his, he just
couldn't help but running and re-run-
ning the same 30-second spot of Paris
during those segments. I think he
digs her.
Paris Hilton will get a further boost
of press time when I Want to Be a
Hilton, premieres on Jun. 21 on
NBC.
Not satisfied with just witnessing
the family dynamics of the famous
siblings Nicky and Paris and their par-
ents, Kathy and Rick (who serves as
executive producer), 14 female con-
testants will have to battle each other
in contests of taste
and etiquette, with a
grand prize of a
$200,000 trust fund
for one year.
No word on
whether making sex
videos, like Paris has
done, is considered
good or bad taste,
but I'll tune in for
that answer.

On Friday's The
O'Reilly Factor on Fox
News Channel, Mr. Bill
spoke eloquently on the
sad case of Natalee
Holloway, the 18-year-
old student who disap-
peared in Aruba.
"This is a cautionary
tale that could happen
in New York City,
Fly Me
Miami Beach, any-
Paris: The fast-food factor.
According to a story in
where. If young girls
the online edition of
party in public, they had better be
the
British
newspaper
The
careful. Predators are everywhere.
Independent,
the
G8
industrial
democ-
Think back to when you were 18
racies
are
considering
imposing
a sup-
years old. Did you do dumb things? I
plemental
tax
on
airlines
to
pay
for
did. Plenty of them," he said during
aid to Africa.
his "Talking Points" segment.
Sorry, I give to many charitable
"But today, the stakes are much,
causes, and if I want to give money to
much higher, because discipline is
poor African countries, I'll contact
broken down in many places.
Bob Geldof.
Violence and anti-social behavior is
Right now, I'd just like to fly as
much more intense than it once was."
cheaply
and quickly as possible. I'll
Right, Bill, her disappearance is due
put
up
with
Northwest Airlines,
to lack of discipline.
which stopped serving those tasty
In recent weeks, wedged between
pretzels on June 9 and will soon stop
stories of illegal aliens crossing into
offering complimentary magazines,
the United States from Mexico, those
saving
$565,000 a year on magazines
traitors who write about Gitmo pris-
alone.
oner abuse for Newsweek and Natalee,
I've also heard rumors that to fur-
The Factor highlighted a number of
ther
cut costs, they've eliminated the
segments featuring Paris Hilton wash-
co-pilot position — the first-class
ing a Bentley autobile in her com-
passenger with the most frequent-flyer
mercial for Carl's Jr. restaurant fran-
miles will get to sit up front, holding
chises in the West — and how they
a
kiddie steering wheel. And for those
might pay a price for running such a
unfortunate
souls seated in the back
sudsy and provocative ad for a family
row,
better
learn
how to use the bever-
burger joint.
age
cart
—
you're
the flight crew.
While Bill was scolding Carl's Jr.
You're the first on and last off the
plane anyway, so what does it matter? ❑

IN Harry Kirsbaum's e-mail address is

hkirsbaum@thejewishnews.com

6/16
2005

6

Beyond The Spotlight

Our 10 Commandments

As a 13-year member of the Hebrew
Free Loan Association board, I want
to compliment you on your Editor's
Notebook ("Uplifting Loans," June 9,
page 5). You really captured the
essence of HFLA — the low profile,
the dedication, the hidden members
of our community who are struggling
to deal with extreme circumstances.
When I started with HFLA and
began doing the interviews, I expect-
ed to find that people had gotten into
bad situations through their own
poor decision-making. What I have
learned instead is that people are very
often caught sideways by life despite
doing everything "right."

I am the part-time religious director
at the Fleischman Residence in West
Bloomfield.
I read the Editor's Notebook about
native Detroiter Leah Stern (May 26,
page 5) with interest since A) I have
family in Israel and, B) two families
whom we know from Oak Park-
Southfield are going on aliyah this
summer.
These are young couples with
young children. I don't know what
each of the breadwinners will be
doing for their livelihood. After all,
how many rabbis does Israel need!
Both wives in these families have
lived in Israel as youngsters-teens, so
they have a realistic idea of what
they're in for.
As for Leah's situation, as described
in the article, taking a cut in salary to
one-quarter of what she made in the
States — I don't know how people
pull it off, other than to realistically
live by the old joke "How do you
make a small fortune in Israel?"
Answer: "By taking a large fortune
with you!"
To someone like Leah, who wanted
to live the idealistic dream and settle
in Israel, it's not so funny — not if
you want to live above the national
poverty level!

Is it a coincidence that the Supreme
Court of the United States is conven-
ing to discuss whether the display of
the 10 Commandments in an
American court of law is a violation
of the First Amendment to the
Constitution, just days after the Feast
of Pentecost, the Jewish celebration of
the giving of the Torah to Moses at
Mt. Sinai?
What hangs in the balance is
whether the 10 Commandments
comprise a universal document of all
the races and nations of the world
and therefore does not stand in viola-
tion of the principles of separation of
church and state — or whether it is a
sectarian document of one particular
faith that would manifest an estab-
lishment or a preference for one
unique faith as the recognized faith of
this nation.
An unbiased evaluation of the 10
Commandments, known as the
Decalogue, would suggest that this
portion of the Scriptures is unequivo-
cally a Jewish document, intended for
no other nation. But Christian
exegetes, from the inception of
Christianity, have tried to obliterate
the Jewish character of this theodicy
by various means, creating the
impression that it was addressed to all
faiths and all times. This simply is not
so.
The Decalogue appears twice in
Scripture: Exodus 20:1-17 and in
Deuteronomy 5:6-21. In both sources,
the first commandment makes it clear
that the Almighty identifies Himself
as the One who has "taken you out of
Egypt, a house of bondage."
Who were those who were slaves to
Pharaoh in Egypt for 430 years? Were
they Catholics, Baptists,
Presbyterians? No. It was the Jewish
people, the descendants of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob.
These texts were authored by the
God of Israel. They are addressed to
the nation of Israel. They are not uni-
versal nor are they intended for every
race and nation. The Decalogue
belongs in a synagogue, not in an
American court of law.

Rabbi Avie Shapiro

Rabbi Jack Goldman

Scott Leemaster

Franklin

Aliyah's Challenges

Southfield

West Bloomfield