New bedfellows
Ther&^s probably no better example of the maxim that politics makes strange bedfellows than the alliance which has been forged between Jews, Israel and various evangelical groups.
Historically Jews have been a wee bit uncomfortable with the Protestant fundamentalists — and there has been good reason for it. Evangelical movements have tended to slide into an anti-Semitic mold: the reasons for this are complex and relate to the partibularist reading of the "Old Testament.'*
In the last decade however, a startling alliance has beenxreated between Israel and a large number of evangelicals for whom the State of Israel has acq^ir^4^messianic-lik^ resonances.
Because of their millenarian vLews about the second coming of Jesus, certain groups of evangelicals have become champions of Israel's rights in the Mideast.
In Washington, AIPAC (American-Israel Public
Affairs Committee) now approaches Congressmen with a contingent of evangelicals as part of its representative arm because there is a perception that the evangelicals add a clout to Israel's pleading.
In Israel liiH-ry Hurwit2, a recent Begin-Shamir media advisor with the Prime Minister's office, always worked closely with the evangelicals and counts them ampng Israel's strongest supporters.
Are the evangelicals pledging their troth to Israel because they have a hidden agenda? Is the support for the Jewish State merely a tactic to facilitate conversionist activities?
With the insensate hatred now being concen-^ trated on Israel from so many quarters it is refreshing to view one group of former antagonists now holding qiit the hand of ^iendship to Jews^; Neither Israel nor the Jewish people cah afford the luxury of probing ultiniate motives.
-> mm.
iltBTVltfriMK.
Letters r^rjeseM flte writer's andddinotnecessa^ outholuJkigiuoifj^^
to thank '7%e^^w^^^ coverage of the
Rainbow Day Commemoration last June(/W'!fi, JurieiS). We appreciate the space you gave us to announce and describe the purpose and content of that special day.
Unfortunately, at the last moment^ guest speaker Prof: Irwin Cot^r was unable to ahend.,^-substitute program was or^^^ ized, which hopefully was informative to those whoiittended.
Although we believe that nuclear disarmament is the most important issue of the day, we acknowledge the fact that many in the community dot not-Bgree: W<^ appreciate pages of /^B whi|K enable us to express oUr views to the Jewish coniinunity at-Iarge. '
WjB loolcjforward to future contact with JWBmd know that' the Newspaper will continue to 1}& a valuable resource ^ the Vancouver Jewish community.
DR.L.BARZELAI, Chflinnaii, Jewish Disarmament Comniittee
pear Mr. Kaplan:
It is my belief that the article introducing new Schara Tze-deck Rabbi ModecaiFeuerstein and his wife to our community i^JWBt Aug. 30), did not do Justice to the talents and schplarly achievements of Shayndel Feuerstein.
have been acquainted with MrsV Feuerstein period of time, but have already seen her take her place in this community as a scholar of some noter She is currently cbmplet-. iiig hCr PhVOl in romanqe languages at Harvard university, where she also lectured for eight years. In addition, she has studied Torah in Jerusalem with Nechama Leibowitz, the preeminent female Biblical scholar. ' A
In Vancouver, Mrs.'Feuerstein has been sought out as lecturer in diverse aspects of practical and metaphysical Jud and its Torah applications. ; :
purely siich a respected newcomer to pur community merits mention other than being the wife of a Rabbi or the mother of three children. •
SHARON SIMON DISEND
ByPHILIFKMNRfAN
*'How the press killed Hassan and brought him back to life" was the unusual headline over a len^hy story.on an overseas news page of.The Times of London recently. The strapline over the headline was: - Truth suffers in reporting Lebanon,*" and the piece appear«dio be niatnly an investigation intothe manner in which a false allegationabout the Israeli Army gained worldwide currency.
DEADLINE: THURSDAY at 9:00 a.in.
Bulletin Oflit«: 879-657S .
Waekdays 8:30 ajn. t»4:a0p,m. ' CtawdSturChiy.
jvro Cdfiy 0oii«i J«Mrti Oemmuflity Centre dmnA one* i wwtf *t tfMdiim
.Ibrffitr^iourdrafNiffi
•ocMtofi. WorM FMmtlon of JtwMi
attoQ* Ethnic PnMwFMsnrtlon. of CviMta.^
tfiWEO JiV: iflA. JCN8. ImmI Sun PtHMm. RaHgiduft Nmvs SMvloe
AWAWOtr Oowrnrawit of linM AwanJ of ExMKano* 1068: 8mot«r Award Finalist 1974: Smolar Award Winner 1970 ;.8fflOiar AwantFlnalitt 1002.
8M»nd CUM Mail RagMaten 14^^^ iSSN 0021^€870.?A
8utocfip«on«:.Canada |».75 m VMT. MJS. $26.BS par yoar: other eountriea I29JS0 par year. Fbraign ainnafl rataa on raquett
Copy inint Iw aubmitted by deoiUine. typed ttouble ipaced. on 000 aMa of paper. Copy; typed fa ^apH^i latfem ia diacwded. thare ia a diaroe tor photo
" CO mod on. mattera of ■ Jewish intarest iMit The BuRetfa is not responsible forunabi-icHed publicity, nunuacrfpts, and photos.
The Bulletin asaumea no responsibility for opinions eatprassed in artides by con-tributino writers orin Letters tott;e Editor. At tha saifie fime its columns «ie open to diffsientviewsss well as to rebut oTMctiiy
maccuraciee fa daimocrst{e free fxpras-Mon. This newipepsr also rsssrves the right fa Ms sole discretion to niect news and/or'fsaturss and/'or totters and/or^, yaitiaing which iideams obiectionable
in the evem of a typographical error adMTtising goods at Isse than the proper pric^ Jewish was»w Bollstfa win ftirolsh tatters to the adMitiser stating the comet price, but goods rosy not be sold «t the price prirttsd and the difrersnoe chaiiBiad to the newspaper. TIM Builetfaie not responsible for the Kaahruth of produota or estsMishrnentsadv^^ ita.pagas.^ ,
It indeed was such an investigation and was welcome. But that was not mam/v what it was, though its presentation made it appear so, at least to the hasty reader. Essentially it was a retraction by TTie Times of a Renter report published in its own columns last June 20 that a child had been killed by Israeli soldiers in Nabatiya, South Lebanon.
By the paper*s admission, the editor had within a week of that date received a (private) letter from the rsraeli Embassy drawing his attention to a very different version, published in the Israeli daily Maariv, according to which the child had been only slightly injured.
This recent headline might more aptly haVe read-How the Times took two months to check and correct a serious error."^
Philip Kleiiiinfiii*s column anglyziiig the media is a regu-iiur ligature of the London Jewish ChronJcle.
The article began by pointing out correctly that South Lebanon was a difficult place for journalists and that the Beirut-based^ news agencies had to rely on local contacts th^re. It then reproduced the Renter report, which quoted Nabatiya residents ,a$ saying;a seven-year-old boy, Hassan Ali Kahil, had been shot dead as Israeli soldiers searched for gunmen who had attacked theni, ' "
- The same day, Agence France-PresseqiiOied^adi^^ as saying substantially the same ttnhg.^Hbweyerv th^ A^ agency United Press International quoted confl^^ .what had happened, as did a further Reuter dispatch from Tel AviVi not referred to in 7^ Tlfmer of Jirhe 20.
On July 7 Robert Fisk, The Times's Beirut eprrespondent, went to Nabatiya and discovered Hassan Ali Kahil, aged three not seven, alive.
COMMENTARY-^Page.6
By DR. DAVID OEFFEN
Most visitors to IsraeUhesedays normally pay a brief visit to RachelVTdmb^ located in Pethlehem on Hebron Road, For centuries Jews have paused there to offer prayers and link themselves with the love, beauty and piety of Rachel, fourth of our matriarchs and only one buried in a separate tomb.
The question has often been raised as to why Rachel was singled out ifor such special homage and why it is that she has become a dominant symbol marking the return of the Jewish people to its homeland. '
Key to solving this Biblical-question is found in the ^a/^^ from Jeremiah chapter 3 which is read on the second day of Rash Hashona. In order to comfort the Jews, as they went into exile as arresult of the Babylonian conquest and destruction of
the Firsi^^^
stopping at the tomb of kachel' to pour put their hearts.
D^ David Geffen^ regular JWB cbiitribufdr> discusses Haftoraii on Rosh Hashona, tiricen from Jereniiah prophet of dooin>< ; ;; •. ^- ■
Jeremiah writes, ''Rachel weeps for her children and she will hot be comforted because Uje^ are nOt^.^^^^^^K '
Thfoiigh the centuries these words, chanted annually on Rosh Hashoha haVe reinforced the longing of Jews for both a spiritual and physical return to Israel; In this sense, Jeremiah was perhaps the quintessential Zionist prophet.
Rpsh Hashonais that hbliday which best typifies the spiritual and ethical dimension of our return to Israel, While each of the pilgrimage festivals had an agricultural basis for their observance, Rosh Hashona has applied its universal character tothe fulfillment of a/f>a/i. If aliyah was to take on the most signifi-' cance for the individual Jew, it had to be suffused with a different set of characteristics. The themes of i?o*/ii^fl5/io/ia, justice and mercy, have best exemplified what is necessary for the oieh.
The Haftorah for the second day of Rpsh Hashona was purposely selected by the rabbis as a way of challenging the individual, at the beginning of the New Year, ifioT only to examine and assess himself,, but also to seriously consider the meaning of returning to Eretz Yisrael, "He that scattered Israel doth gather him and keep him as a shepherd does his flock*'.
Powerful images are putforward by Jeremiah whose message resounded giving encouragement to the Jews throughout the ages: "For I will tiirn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrow", v
In ouf own lifetime we have^^w^^ State of Israerand the ingathering dWev« Here iii Israel the words of Jeremiah ring out on Rosh^kashona, stressing the necessity to inculcate into Israel spcietytJie themes of justice, mercy, of loving Ici^ ti-uthv whichiare the;
foiindation stones of bur continued
^ Israel must be ethically sound and spiritually alert to all the" tests ^vHTch a young Society must face. The resounding call for Tzedek, tzedek tirdof-r^'^Jmice^^^ shall you piirsiie'V must ever be one of the hallowed axioms of Israeli life. Moreover, we say to our creator in Jeremiah's words "Turn thou me and I shall be turned .after that being.turned I repented''. * '
On the second day of J?<w/i Hashona as you listen to the Haftorah, be attentive to the words of Jeremiah — words of comfort and hope, a call to restoration which rang in the ears of the Jewish people throughout the centuries, a restoration which has come to fruition in our generation.
Just as our matriarch Rachel, we weep for our Children and hope that in time they will all return td_ the landchdsen in the past, rebuilt in the present and looking ever to thefjiture. That is the eternal Zionist message reiterated annually as a N^w Year of hope and ultimate fulfillment begins., wzps