Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE August 8, 1986
The Southern Israelite
The Weekly Newspoper For Southern Jev'w
Since 1925
Vida Goldgar Luna Levy
Editor and Publisher Associate Editor
Leonard Goldstein Eschol A. Harrell
Advertising Director Production Manager
Lutz Baum
Business Manager
Published every Friday by The Southern Israelite, Inc
Second Class Postage paid at Atlanta. Go (ISSN 00388/ (UPS 776060>
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Southern Israelite, P 0 Box
77388. Atlanta. GA 30357
Mailing Address: P O Box 77388. Atlanta. Georgia 30357
Location: 188 15th St.. N.W.. Atl.. Ga. 30318 Phone (404)876-8248
Advertising rates available upon request.
Subscriptions: $23.00, 1 year; $41.00, 2 years
Member oi Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Religious News Service;
American Jewish Press Assn . Georgia Press Assn . National Newspaper Assn
Know your candidates
The experts who keep track of things are predicting that the
turnout for Tuesday's primary elections will be low.
We hope they’re wrong. We’ve never really understood why so
many voters are unwilling to make the slight effort needed to stop
by the polls, especially at primary time. After all, this is our first
opportunity to register our choices in an election year. In races
with multiple candidates striving to represent their party come
November, this is our chance to have a part in the selection
process.
There’s an even more important reason to vote Tuesday. In a
column by the editor in our issue of July 25, there was voiced
concern about five candidates appearing on the Democratic ticket
who are affiliated with the extremist philosophies of Lyndon
LaRouche. These concerns are voiced clearly this week on the
following page in a letter to the editor from the chairman of the
Fulton County Democratic Party.
We urge our readers to read that letter carefully; to write those
names down or commit them to memory; then vote FOR
ANYONE ELSE.
Good advice
This week marked the 41st anniversary of the dawning of the
atomic age when a 20-kiloton bomb like none ever seen was
dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Today, all these years
later, victims in the thousands are being added to the list.
Most of us who recall that event probably rejoiced because it
brought the end of World War II. Only much later as control of
atomic bomb capability spread to other nations, did the full
impact of what had been unleashed through the Manhattan Pro
ject register.
This week, Hiroshima’s Mayor Takeshi Araki, who survived
the Aug. 6, 1945 bombing, said. “We...rededicate ourselves anew
to the cause of peace.”
Was it a miracle?
by Roberta Scher
At the close of Shabbat services
on Feb. 8. 1986. the rabbi an
nounced a most important e\ent
for Atlanta Jewry; a group of scribes
would be visiting our city during
the upcoming week for the purpose
of checking mezzuzot. Only once
every few years do we have such a
convenient opportunity to ensure
that we are performing a mitzva
correctly—to be certain that the
scrolls inside of our mezzuza cases
are kosher (paper intact, words leg
ible. letters properly spelled, etc.),
and that these mezzuzot are not
"pussel," non-kosher, which of
course must be replaced. The group
of scribes would be headquartered
at the AJCC on Peachtree, and
they would be performing their
service Sunday through Wednes
day of that week.
...and Thou shall write them on
the doorposts of thy house and
upon thy gates...
And so down they came that
Sunday afternoon—all the mezzu
zot from all the doors inside and
out! We had missed the mezzuzot
check two years ago, but this time
we were determined to avail our
selves of the service. With all of the
scrolls tucked into a box in the car,
at four o'clock on Sunday after
noon. I drove off to the downtow n
Center...only to discover that 1
would have to leave our scrolls to
be picked up the following day.
Although I was disappointed that I
would not be able to observe the
tedious, exacting process of review
ing our scrolls, I was pleased (and
surprised) that so many Atlantans
were interested in having their mez-
zuzot and tefillin checked for kash-
ruth.
With my mezzuzot remaining at
the Jewish Community Center, I
returned home. I drove into my
garage around 5. parked the car,
and entered the house. Only 15
minutes later came a knock at our
front door; a young teenager neigh
bor recited words 1 shall always
remember; “Do you know what’s
going on in your garage?" And
then he told us about the smoke...
We gathered the children, called
the fire department, and ran from
the house.
Though my neighbors say it was
only minutes, it seemed like eter
nity until the fire trucks arrived;
but even minutes were too long.
Before our eyes that Sunday even
ing of Feb. 9. the interior of our
house, most of the contents, and
my parents' dog were lost in the
flames and smoke. The black clouds
that rose from the house could be
seen for miles.
Miracle? Were our mezzuzot re
moved so that they would be saved
from the fire?
Mystical? Did the flames erupt
because our home was not pro
tected by the blessings of the mez
zuzot which had just been removed.’
Malfunction? Was the tragedy
caused by just a human error or a
garage mechanic who had recently
repaired the three-year-old Olds-
mobile. Had the carelessness of an
auto repair worker caused this car
parked in our garage to erupt into
flames and explode? And was the
lack of the mezzuzot “on our door
posts and upon our gates” only an
unexplainable coincidence.
These are questions about w hich
we will always wonder.
Looking back over the past feu
months as we undergo this trying
(to say the least) time, our emo
tions run the gamut. We feel ex
haustion at all of the salvaging,
cleaning, rebuilding, shopping, and
redecorating that has to be done.
We are grateful for the concern
and caring of our dear friends,
family, and neighbors who were
there to help us when we needed it;
we are grateful to live in this ever
growing, but still close-knit city of
Atlanta. We are thankful that all
five of us are safe and here to tell
our story.
We are currently living at a tem
porary residence as our house is
being rebuilt. We hope to return to
our home in September (please G-
d). At that time the Scher family
will have a celebration, but defi
nitely not a “housewarming.”
On intermarriage
by Stanley M. Lefco
Egon Mayer is a professor of
sociology at Brooklyn College and
president of the Association for the
Sociological Study of Jewry. He
was born in Switzerland and raised
in Budapest. Hungary. During the
1956 Hungarian Revolution he and
his family emigrated to the United
States. He holds a B.A. degree
from Brooklyn College, an M.A.
degree from the New' School for
Social Research, and a Ph.D. from
Rutgers University.
Under the sponsorship of the
American Jewish Committee, he
recently addressed a group on the
status of intermarriage. He began
by noting that the United States
has a Jewish population of 5.5 mil
lion. Until just a few years ago, the
figure most often used was six mil
lion. However, Mayer claimed that
demographic studies have shown
neither significant growth or di-
minishment of this number.
He did express concern on the
rate of intermarriage. Denver, for
example, has a high intermarriage
rate in which six of every 10 Jews
are marrying non-Jewish partners.
He pointed out that this number is
steadily increasing. Another ex
ample he cited was the experience
of B’nai B’rith in preparing for its
100th anniversary: it could not
locate one Jew ish descendant of its
founders.
Mayer stressed that the first issue
was a religious one, for intermar
riage clearly violates Jewish law. A
second issue was the question of
child-rearing. Parents want and
hope that their children will reflect
their personal values. Intermar
riage, however, brings two cultures
into conflict with one another W'ith
their diverse as well as similar sets
of values and perceptions.
Intermarriage does not have to
result in a loss of Jewish identity
and, in turn, the number of Jews,
cautioned Mayer.
Conversion is always a viable
alternative. He cited statistics w hich
showed that one-third of those
who intermarry will convert. A
third of this group convert after
marriage. Yet, in those situations
where there are no conversions,
only 25 percent of the children
identify themselves as Jews. Where
there is a conversion, 85 percent of
the children identify as Jews. Stu
dies have also shown that where
there is no conversion, the likeli
hood of the marriage resulting in
divorce is five times greater than in
a marriage in which there has been
a conversion.
Conversion itself raises another
problem. Among the different
movements within Judaism, there
is conflict as to what constitutes a
valid conversion. Some argue that
conversion for the sake of mar
riage only is invalid. Since it is evi
dent that many conversions occur
because of marriages, it is likely
that a segment of the Jewish com
munity will not recognize the con
verted spouse as Jewish. That leads
to another problem when the cou
ple has children. Are they Jewish?
The Reform Movement has at
tempted to deal with this in some
measure by adopting patrilineal
descent: a child, whose father is
Jewish, will be considered Jewish if
he is raised as a Jew.
When questioned on rabbis per
forming intermarriages, Mayer took
a very strong position. He believes
that performing such services clear
ly violates Jewish law. It is a dis
service to the community and to
the couple if this is not explained to
them. Rabbis, he nevertheless be
lieves, have a duty to make the
community a welcome one for in
termarried couples.
He chided those who believe
rabbis should perform intermar
riages. The gain to be expected that
a Jew will remain Jewish if the
rabbi marries a couple in an inter
marriage ceremony is slight. As he
noted, some non-Jews converted
after the marriage. Mayer observed
that Jews tend to be comfortable
about being Jewish; although, this
does not carry over to the religious
side. Unfortunately, Jews are want
ing when it comes to a knowledge
of religion, and, therefore, they
find it difficult, if not bordering on
the impossible, to explain Judaism
to non-Jews.
He commended Jewish organi
zations in their efforts to bring
Jews together in the hopes that,
partly as a result, there would be
more Jews marrying Jews. He be
lieves the next step is for these
organizations to make non-Jews
more acceptable to Jews.
In our next article, we'll review
Charles Silherman's views on inter
marriage in his book, "A Certain
People. “