Zip, Zilch, Zero, Nada Jewish students have even been made afraid to exercise their own constitutional rights to free expression, fearing negative consequences if they sponsor programs on campus that support Israel. occupier and oppressor. Although Israel has taken huge risks and made major concessions in the pursuit of peace, these efforts are typically overlooked. There is virtually no acknowledgment of the unre- lenting terrorism that Israel has faced or of the many attempts to destroy it. Israeli leaders are compared to Nazis; Jewish symbols are demeaned; and the Holocaust is denied or twisted into an inappropriate symbol of Israeli oppres- sion. Zionism — the expression of the Jewish people's yearning for their historic homeland — is characterized as racism. This is absurd, considering that Israelis are comprised of every color of the rain- bow, and they all possess freedom of speech, of the press, of religion, and full movements. In this context, we can readi- ly understand how any activity or associ- ation that implied Orthodoxy's recogni- tion of Conservative or Reform rabbis as peers would have signaled to the Orthodox community that all denomina- tional options were equally acceptable. Today, however, the Orthodox commu- nity has become a stable, indeed growing, presence successfully retaining its youth. The ideological battle is, for all intents and purposes, over. Even as denominational lines continue to exist within the Jewish community, the only line that is thick and red divides those who ignore rising Jewish apathy and those ready to combat it. In the 1950s and indeed into the 1970s, intermarriage was statistically negligible. Today, stand- ing as it does at nearly 50 percent, inter- marriage is the greatest threat to the entire Jewish community. Indifference access to the courts. Jewish students have even been made afraid to exercise their own constitutional rights to free expression, fearing negative consequences if they sponsor programs on campus that support Israel. College administrations have for the most part silently tolerated the hate expressed toward Jews and Israel, pur- portedly to protect the rights to free speech and open debate. But schools have a legal obligation to ensure that Jewish students are protected from harassment, intimidation and discrimination, under Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. If a school violates the law, it risks losing its federal funding. Although Title VI was historically interpreted as not cov- ering anti-Semitism, the U.S. Department of Education changed its policy in September 2004 and determined that Jewish students are an ethnic group enti- tled to protection under the law Jewish students need to know their legal rights, and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights may help them. The Commission is considering issuing a pub- lication to inform students of their rights under Title VI. Jewish students need not, and should not, tolerate a campus envi- ronment that renders them afraid to be Jews or supporters of Israel. FREE Yoga for one week only at the YO GA For a schedule of classes visit our website at www.yogashelter.com OUR TEACHERS: Elaine Braden Jannell Eagan Marcy Feldman Steve Feldman Suzanne Gossett Kelli Harrington Jodi Jaffe Missy Oleshansky Caren Paskel Eric Paskel Lisa Paskel Justin Verier-Dunn Rob Woollard "Yoga is within your reach. Our Yoga is not conventional, boring or stereo-typical. We are innovators that deliver exciting, challenging and fun experiences for EVERYBODY! Come and join the thousands who are already experiencing the benefits that include, • weight loss • a supple and toned body • reduced blood pressure • a healthy spine • lower blood sugar levels • redikes stress and anxiety • more endurance and • peace of mind." Eric Paskel, Experience the difference at the Yoga Shelter! Founder New Location: Orchard Mall 6363 Orchard Lake Rd. 108 S. Main Royal Oak, MI West Bloomfield, MI 248-545-YOGA 248-538-0200 Valid for first time students only. Not valid with any other offer. Valid for Michigan residents only. 1064430 ❑ Susan B. Tuchman is director for the Center for Law and Justice, Zionist Organization of America. towards one's Jewish identity, the frequent precursor of intermarriage, is widespread among America's Jews, as is evidenced by the paltry rates of synagogue affiliation that turn up in study after study. Anyone willing to fight for Jewish survival is a de facto ally. The window is open; and it may repre- sent our last, best chance to counter the trends that have been eroding both the quality and quantity of Jewish religious life in the United States. The only question facing us is whether we help each other through by sharing ideas, resources and comradeship or hobble through by with- holding spiritual capital in the name of an ideological battle that effectively ended a generation ago. ❑ re alize esollution Don't miss out on our Health & Fitness Issue January 26 This issue will be all about getting in shape, exercise Yosef Kanefsky is the rabbi of the B'nai David- equipment and long-term Judea Congregation in Los Angeles and presi- health issues. dent of the Southern California Board of Rabbis. He is an Edah resource. for advertising: 248.354.6060 January 5 - 2006 41