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PAGE 4 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE March 19, 1982
The Southern Israelite
The Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry
tuablnhed 7925
Vida Goldqar
Editor and Pubksher
Bambi Jo Eaton
Assistant Editor
Leonard Goldstein
Advertising [Rector
Luna Levy
Copy Edrtor
Esc Sol A Harrell
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The
Southern Israelite
A Prize-Winning
Newspaper
1980
1981
Better Newspaper
Contests
For safety’s sake
The tragic death this week of 12-year-old Steven Resnik after
being struck by an automobile while walking along I.aVista Road
saddens our community.
What makes it worse is that time and time again the authorities
have been asked to remedy the dangerous situation that exists in
the area. Despite the fact that LaVista Road has a number of
schools and religious institutions within a short distance of each
other, there are no stoplights or even blinkers. The road is used
like a speedway.
This is only the most recent—and the most tragic—of a
number of pedestrian-related accidents on that stretch of road.
How many more must there be before safety measures are
taken?
Who’s thirsty?
You start with an empty glass.
You Fill it to the halfway point.
Now, is that glass half-full or half-
empty?
It all depends on how thirsty you
are.
In 1956, Rosa Parks of
Montgomery, Alabama, refused to
go to the back of the bus and the
modem Civil Rights Movement
was ignited. Since that time the
^gal structure of the relationship
ibtween the races in America has
been completely transformed.
Prejudice, though diminished,
has not gone away. Many black
citizens have moved into the
American mainstream, but the
income gap between blacks and
whites is wider than ever. A
substantial black middle-class has
emerged, but at the same time the
circumstances of the under-class
which has been left behind has
grown more desperate.
Many white people look at the
glass and say that it is half-full.
Many blacks feel that it is half-
empty. It all depends on who is
thirsty.
Twenty-five years ago there had
not been any Vatican II. There had
been no attempt to purge Catholic
liturgy and catechism of the
ancient “teaching of contempt”
against Jews. On the Protestant
side, Bernhard Olson’s study of
anti-Judaic references in Sunday
School material was still a work in
process of development. Since that
time, the teaching material of both
Protestantism and Catholicism
has been largely purged of anti-
Semitic content. Yet anti-
Semitism remains.
Many Gentiles think that any ill-
will between Christians and Jews is
a part of our historical past. Anti-
Semitism is no problem here, they
say. Many Jews despair that it will
never be eradicated. Many live in
daily dread that another
Holocaust could occur, this time in
America.
Half-full or half-empty? Who is
still thirsty?
A quarter of a century ago Betty
Friedan had not yet published
“The Feminine Mystique” and the
current phase of the feminist
movement had not yet begun in
earnest.
Many men look at the changes
that have taken place and wonder
why so many women are not
satisfied with the progress that has
already taken place.
Those of us whose glasses are
Tull had better listen to those who
are still thirsty.
(Don McEvoy is senior vice
president of the National
Conference of Christians and
Jews).
Freedom of religion
Child care
New societal trends bring new needs to a community. One of
those needs is for quality child care in a Jewish atmosphere. The
Southern Israelite is cooperating with the National Council of
Jewish Women in circulating a survey designed to document the
need. We urge our readers who require child care to fill in the
survey on page 20 and send it to NCJW.
After April 25?
late reports indicate that perhaps the controversy
surrounding Egyptian President Mubarak’s proposed visit to
Israel can be worked out satisfactorily.
There’s a kicker, though...“after April 25.” April 25 is the date
Israel turns over the Sinai. Somehow, everything seems to be put
off until after that monumental show of good faith.
We’d like to see something of substance to help cement the
peace process take place before then.
by Stanley M. Lefco
Rabbi Mordecai Rotem is the
first Israel-horn and Israel-trained
Reform rabbi. Within hours of his
ordination in 1980, Chief Rabbi
Goren declared it invalid, because
Rabbi Rotem was not Orthodox.
Today, he has his own pulpit at Or
Hadash, founded in 1964 in Haifa,
a congregation of 280 families. He
also serves as director of the Israel
Movement for Progressive
Judaism.
In a recent speech before
Atlanta’s Reform congregations,
he acknowledged that it is
“glamorous” in the United States
to be noted as the first Israel-born
and -trained Reform rabbi, but the
same is not true in Israel. Israelis
would say that he must be a “real
nut."
He challenged the Orthodox
movement to provide Israelis with
a spiritual substance as opposed to
simply form. Although he was
highly critical of Orthodoxy, he
emphasized that he does not
oppose it per se hut objects to it
imposing itself on him and others.
The Reform and Conservative
movements basically are not
recognized in Israel and face
opposition from two divergent
elements. First, there are many
secularists, uncommitted Jews,
who do not really care about their
Judaism. Rabbi Rotem estimates
that 60 percent of Israel’s Jews do
not attend services on the High
Holy days. They are in effect only
Jews because they were born Jews.
He quotes'Jewish youth as saying,
“We live in Israel. That's enough.
We don't need to be practicing
Jews." Israeli youngsters, he
believes, drfn't know basic Jewish
terms and don’t care.
marriages. Although he hopes for
success, he concedes that a
favorable ruling will lead to
passage of a law by the Knesset
overturning such a decision. The
Reform movement is opposed to
establishing political parties, but it
strongly encourages lobbying and
other such efforts.
Despite the fact that the
government does not financially
support the Reform movement, it
is growing. There are now 17
Reform congregations in Israel
with roughly 5,000 to 7,000
affiliated members and 10,000
unaffiliated supporters. The
Perspective
The other opponent of the
Reform movement is the
Orthodox, which he charges with
being too involved in politics.
“Orthodoxy is getting less humane
in Israel,” he decried.
As a result of the strong
Orthodox political movement, he
is not permitted to perform
marriages or officiate at funerals
A suit is now pending in the Israeli
Supreme Court seeking recognition
of two Reform rabbis--one being
Rabbi Rotem to register
newest Reform temple has a
membership of Sephardic Jews
and is located in the suburbs of Tel
Aviv. A scouting movement has
been started and is growing. A
second kibbutz will he formed in
the next six months.
Rabbi Rotem claims that there
is religious freedom in Israel for all
religions except Judaism. Yet, as
the Reform movement grows and
its influence is felt, the time may
come when it will receive the
recognition it is seeking
Quiz Box
by Rabbi Samuel J. Fox
Why are women forbidden to
wear tefillin (phylacteries)
according to Jewish tradition?
This subject has been of
considerable discussion in
traditional Jewish literature. There
seems to be no question that,
unlike men who are obligated to
wear tefillin daily on weekdays,
women arc not obligated to wear
tefillin.
The reason is that the obligation
to wear tefillin has time
constraints they arc worn only
during the day. The question arises
as to why they arc prohibited to
wear telillin on an optional basis.
Some sources claim that since only
men are required to wear tefillin
women are prohibited to wear
them because of the Biblical
prohibition against placing male
garments on women (Deuteronomy
22:5)(E.G. L’vush, Orach Chayyim
17:2). This might evidently destroy
the required distinctiveness of
women. Wearing tefillin is
classified as a fulfillment of a
required act and not simply a
conventional fashion