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Opinion

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Dry Bones SUM SLOPE

Editorial

Finding Our Way an- Again

T

he Pesach story tells us that
Moses and B'nai Yisrael, the
Children of Israel, wandered in
the desert for 40 years. It was a way to
purge a generation reared under pharoah's
slavery and transform it into one that only
knew freedom. In modern times, we tend
to view that biblical wandering in the con-
text of the Israelites having lost their way
— if not geographically, then spiritually.
For many Americans older than 50, the
civil rights movement was the "North Star"
that galvanized blacks and Jews in a corn-
mon cause. In the 1940s, black leaders like
W.E.B. Du Bois aided in the creation of a
Jewish state and the rescue of Jews from
the Holocaust. During the tumultuous
1960s, many Jews, led by Rabbi Abraham
Joshua Heschel, fought for civil rights by
organizing voter registration drives and
marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy.
But black-Jewish partnerships waned
in the face of more militant black power
movements and the urban riots that tore
apart many cities and regions, including
Detroit, 40 years ago.
There has been an array of attempts
to rekindle black-Jewish relations since
then, including noble initiatives by B'nai
B'rith, the Anti-Defamation League, the
Jewish Community Relations Council

and the American Jewish Committee. But
the path has been a political briar patch
of twists and turns. From the civil rights
agenda emerged affirmative action. Jews,
recalling decades of quotas that limited
opportunities in education and business,
found the policy problematic. When some
challenged it, the black and Jewish com-
munities found themselves at odds.
The Six-Day War between Israel and the
Arab states of Egypt, Syria and Jordan in
1967, and its euphoric aftermath for Jews,
led to the Jewish state's administration
and occupation of the disputed territories.
Concurrently, opponents branded Israel
an occupying aggressor. Blacks and oth-
ers saw Jews as Israel's apologists even
though some Jews in South Africa were
instrumental in ending apartheid in that
country, and even though American Jews
were strongly anti-apartheid.
Moreover, as the 20th century marched
on, Jews tended to view all evangelical
Christians, whether black or white, with
suspicion. Jews looked behind the evan-
gelicals' fervent support for the State of
Israel and only saw themselves as targets
for conversion and role players in a bibli-
cal prophesy about the Christian view of
eschatology — the violence of the End of
Days and the return of their messiah.
Roughly 40 years after heading into the

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desert of black-Jewish
relations, perhaps blacks
and Jews are ready to form
a new "win-win" coalition
built around education
and economic empower-
ment.
In Detroit, Dan Gilbert
THEY'RE ALSO
of Quicken Loans/Rock
RECOMMENDING
THAT
Financial fame has
THE
STAR
OF
DAVID
overseen the creation of
ON THE FLAG. . .
Bizdom U., a yearlong
entrepreneurship boot
camp that provides
real-world training to
stimulate business devel-
opment.
Moreover, Jewish
Detroiters who have
www.drybonesblog.com
moved to the suburbs
have "adopted" their
former schools in Michigan's largest
kah ladder created by Maimonides. While
city and are providing support, mentor-
the highest form of tzedakah is do so
ing and even funding. Charter schools
anonymously, improving the plight of oth-
(Doug Ross is a good example of Jewish
ers — in this case through creating jobs
leadership in this area) also are playing
and nourishing self-sustenance — still
a greater role in providing a viable and
matters.
necessary alternative to a Detroit public
At a time when our regional economy
school system that graduates only 25
is distressed, this "win-win" is the rising
percent of its students, the lowest of any
tide of Detroit, which will lift all ships
major American city.
— including the one dedicated to bring-
ing blacks and Jews closer together.
For Jews, the win is rooted in the tzeda-

❑

Reality Check

From Bereznitz With Love

W

hen they crossed the Horyn
River bridge and took their
first steps into the streets of
Bereznitz last summer, the seven travelers
shed a few tears. You can hear the quaver
in Irwin Elson's voice as he narrates what
he is seeing in his digital camera.
They had journeyed from Michigan to
this village in Ukraine, which was once
part of a group of shtetls that were almost
two-thirds Jewish, because it is where
their forebears lived. For one reason or
another, mostly because of jobs in the new
auto industry, many Bereznitzers chose to
settle in Detroit in the early 20th century.
Trips of this kind are increasingly com-
mon since the fall of the Soviet Union
opened up Eastern Europe to Jewish
pilgrimages. But the Bereznitz group
returned home determined to do more.
They want to gather up progeny of the
original Bereznitzers to celebrate what
they accomplished in their new homes
and organize another trip back.

"There is so much negative
news about Detroit these days,
and this is such a positive story
about the city's history;' says Dr.
Rick Stoller, one of the organiz-
ers of the group.
"These people came here with
the clothes on their backs and
made wonderful lives in Detroit
for themselves and their chil-
dren;' says Elson.
Those of you with long memo-
ries may recall the Bereznitzer
Society. It was headquartered in an old
bank building on Linwood and Davison,
right across the street from the Avalon
Theater.
"We found the original constitution
from 1932, which was written in both
English and Yiddish:' says Stoller. "They
were banding together as a benevolent and
social group to help each other with burial
costs and also to assist those who had
stayed behind"

Bereznitz is in the north-
western part of Ukraine,
about midway between Kiev
and Warsaw, so close to the
border that it was constantly
shifting between Russia and
Poland. The largest town in
the area was Sarny.
It wasn't far from Stollin,
where another group of Jews,
led by a famous rebbe, also
left for Detroit and built
a shul on Elmhurst and

Linwood.
"Almost all of those who stayed behind
died in the Holocaust;' says Elson. "They
were gathered in Sarny and in August 1942
they were rounded up and murdered in a
nearby forest. We visited the mass grave.
It has memorials in Russian — with no
reference to the fact that they were Jews
— and in Hebrew."
This is still a fairly impoverished part
of Europe, where oxen tilling the fields is a

common sight. But the group that visited
Bereznitz said many of the houses are well
kept up and the occupants were welcom-
ing. Some of the homes may date to the
time their own people lived there.
Stoller hopes to have a reunion of
Bereznitzer descendants this spring. The
society suspended its meetings more than
40 years ago, but if your family belonged
to the organization he would like you
to contact him. His e-mail address is
Ricky1947@hotmail.com.
"We want to collect some of their child-
hood memories;' says Elson,"and, most of
all, to celebrate the legacy of our parents
and grandparents."
This is the time of year, after all, for
remembering when we were strangers in a
strange land and how we came to a better
place. And, in that regard, a sussen Pesach
to everyone.

❑

George Cantor's e-mail address is

gcantor614@aoLcom.

iN

April 17 • 2008

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