points of view

Commentary from page 27

The objection to recognizing
Israel as a Jewish state can-
not be based on religious dis-
crimination against non-Jews.
While culturally and historically
Jewish, Israel is not a theoc-
racy. It is a secular state, and
even in those circumscribed
areas where Jewish law is
officially recognized — such
as family law — it affects only
Jews.
The very Declaration of
Independence that identifies
Israel with Jewish history and
destiny says that the state "will
ensure complete equality of
social and political rights to all
its inhabitants irrespective of
religion, race or sex," a guaran-
tee to which Israeli law has con-
sistently adhered.
The religious freedom that
non-Jewish Israelis possess in
fact far surpasses that enjoyed
by Muslim and minority Christian
groups elsewhere in the Middle
East.

Palestinian Motives

Why then are the Palestinians
so adamantly set against the
designation of Israel as what it is
— the Jewish state? It is because
Islam has never recognized the
validity of any land that has once
been Muslim falling into the con-
trol of non-Muslims, and because
many Arabs refuse to acknowl-
edge the Jewish historical link to
the land.
The Palestinian leadership
still retains the hope that large
numbers of its people, instead of
settling in the new Palestinian
state, will utilize the so-called
right of return to enter Israel.
This, combined with the high
Arab birthrate, would presum-
ably turn Israel into a second
Palestinian state.
Israel's determination to head
off this possibility by insisting
on Palestinian recognition of
Israel as a Jewish state makes
perfect sense. And world leaders
should be applauded for recog-
nizing that peace can only come
when the Palestinians — and the
Arab world, generally — give up
the dream of wiping Israel, the
Jewish state, off the map. I 1

Tell your parents about B'nai Moshe s
special family and friends membership offer.
They're going to be very, very grateful.

It's a great time to join our congregational family. Celebrate our 100th anniversary with a
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We are a friendly and welcoming Conservative congregation offering daily morning and
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We join together as a family to celebrate simchas, life cycle events and to support each other.
We offer a unique, vibrant religious school (pre-school through high-school, including Bar/
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So bring your family and friends to meet our family. You'll be glad you did!

*The $180 membership special is available only to new first-time members. Limited time offer.

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6800 Drake Road
West Bloomfield, MI

Con5re5ation

13'nai Moshe

Kari Alterman is Detroit director of the

Bloomfield Township-based office of

248.788.0600
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the American Jewish Committee.

1689920

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August 25 0 2011