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THE BOSTON JEWISH TIMES Write the vision and make it plain upon tables. HABAKKUK2 2 VOL. XLII, NO. 40 THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1987 12 TAMMUZ 5747 TWENTY-FIVE CENTS Israelis And Americans Differ On Super Plane By Susan Bloch BOSTON The conflict over Israel's national pride in its super-sophisticated Lavi fighter, jet and the enormous cost of continuing its development reached new heights last week. While the Israeli Cabinet was debating the issue, several thousand employees of the Israel Aircraft Industry demonstrated outside the prime minister's office. Earlier last week, Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin made a hurried, low-profile trip to Washington to discuss the plane's future with U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. At issue for the politicians in Israel is the loss of thousands of jobs and the resultant economic problems which would ensue if the project were abandoned. In an election year, the collective voice of the workers will make itself heard at the polls. The Cabinet has been unable to make a decision, although the Israeli military has recommen- ded the Lavi be scrapped. The army fears production costs will be so high that billions will be diverted from the development Who Is A Jew Redux By Samuel Seidner JERUSALEM � The symbolic wedge that has been lodged between Israel and the bulk of American Jewry is about to receive another hammer blow here and many observers feel the log is about to splinter. Orthodox interests in Israel have tried to amend the Law of Return for some years. Their goal is to administer conversions to Judaism, a growing phenomenon in the Diaspora. There were an estimated 10,000 conversions to Judaism in the United States alone last year. Some Orthodox rabbis feel that these conversions are legally imperfect because they were performed by Reform and Conservative ratfbis in the United States who don't comply with halachic strictures. As a result, there is a rapidly growing population of young people who regard themselves as Jewish, but have questionable lineage as far as the rabbinate of the State of Israel is concerned. Thus far, there has been only a handful of converted Jews who have presented themselves to Israel as new immigrants under the Law of Return. One of the most prominent has been Shoshana Miller, a Reform convert from Colorado whose case erupted onto the frontpages of Israeli newspapers when the then Minister ot the Interior, Yitzhak Peretz, resigned rather than allow her application for Israeli citizenship. Ms. Miller later returned to America where she now serves as a cantor at a Denver temple. The Orthodox strategy, originally devised by the Lubavitch movement, was to amend the Law of Return, attaching the phrase according to halacha to the sentence referring to converts. This required a Knesset vote, of course, and the motion has been defeated three times, but by margins sufficiently narrow to encourage further attempts. Now, the issue is apparently headed toward another showdown; this time the outcome will be more influenced by internal Israeli politics than ever before. Many feel tne amendment will pass despite the anguished protests of American and international Jewish organizations. Strangely, it is the Labor Party's initiative for an international peace conference that is the catalyst for another debate in the Knesset on the status of converts. The Labor Party, under the leadership of Shimon Peres, favors a peace summit. The Likud Party, under Yitzhak Shamir, opposes it. To overcome opposition from Likud, Labor has endeavored to bring down the government, See Who Jew page 7 What's That About Fraternite? ' JERUSALEM - Mayor Teddy Kolek will not attend the Bastille Day celebration of the French government this year, according to Israeli daily Maariv. The reason is that two separate celebrations, one for Arabs and one for Jews, are being planned in honor of the occassion. The Arab celebration will be held at the French consulate in East Jerusalem. The Jewish celebration will be held at the Alliance Francaise in West Jerusalem. of other essential weapons. The IAI has said it would cost over $1 billion in indemnifica- tion fees to suppliers and subcontractors if the project is curtailed. The treasury ministry, however, estimates that abandonment would cost only $400 million. In Washington, State Department spokesman Charles Redman said, "We've made it clear that the United States has serious concern over the cost of continuing the Lavi and the effect such cost would have on our ongoing security assistance program for Israel." Against this backdrop, Rabin met with Weinberger, who is reported to have said that the United States would do its best to compensate Israel for scrapping the Lavi. Rabin reportedly asked for approval to purchase 100 of America's most advanced fighter plane, the F- 16C, "off the shelf," which means at the rate charged NATO countries. Informed sources said that Weinberger was prepared to consider the proposal as well as increasing U.S. military aid to Israel to cover the estimated $400 million to abandon the project. Another alternative which Weinberger reportedly said "would not be excluded," is the possibility that the Lavi would be built in the United States with Israel providing component parts. It is the avionics of the Lavi which make it such a sophisticated and advanced weapons system. The American military establishment is said to be very interested in Israel's avionic technology. Foreign Minister Peres, who has spoken in favor of continuing the Lavi project, is reported to have suggested that Israel look to "private sources" to help in the funding. This is interpreted to mean seeking support from some of the ancillary companies that are involved in the production. An editorial in the Intermountain Jewish News suggested an original approach: appeal to Diaspora Jews to fund the new plane. The paper argues that "The Lavi is not just the Lavi. The Lavi is Israel's chance to prove to itself that it can employ all those Jewish minds See Super Plane page 7 Judaism Takes Center Stage At Protestant Confabs By Samuel Seidner BOSTON � Jews had a pretty good month in June, batting two for three in the Christian Theological League. The United Church of Christ, a major Protestant group with about 1.7 million members, passed a declaration which affirmed the validity of Judaism. This motion, the most positive and unambiguous ever passed by a Christian sect in America, put Judaism on an equal theological footing with Christianity. There are ten important Protestant denominations in the United States. The United Church of Christ is numbered among the ten. The group does extensive missionary work in the Middle East, including the West Bank area occupied by Israel. In addition to passing the declaration at a regular scheduled meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, the group adopted a working document regarding Jews. The paper calls for churches, educators and seminaries to "(re)-examine and (re)-evaluate the image of Jews, Judaism and the State of Israel." Most commentators on interfaith relations regard the declaration by the United Church of Christ as a "home run." In Biloxi, Mississippi, the United Presbyterian Church beat off a bitter pro-Palestinian faction and issued a "special report" on Jews called "A Theological Understanding of the Relationship Between Christians and Jews." The Church, which is the fifth largest Protestant denomination i Statement By [United Church Of i Christ On Jews We in the United Church of i Christ acknowledge that the |Christian Church has, | throughout much of its history, denied God's continuing covenantal relationship with the Jewish people expressed in the faith of Judaism. This denial has often led to outright rejection of the Jewish people and to theologically and humanly I intolerable violence. Faced with this history from which we as Christians cannot, and must not, \ disassociate ourselves, we ask for God's forgiveness through i I our Lord Jesus Christ. We \ pray for divine grace that will ; enable us, more firmly than ever before, to turn from this path of rejection and persecution to affirm that Judaism has not been superseded by Christianity; that Christianity is not to be understood as the successor religion to Judaism; God's covenant with the Jewish people has not been abrogated. God has not rejected the Jewish people; \ God is faithful in keeping j covenant. I in the United States with about 3.1 million members, invested six years in preparing a policy statement about Jews. Then, in protracted debate at the Biloxi annual meeting, the statement was watered down to be acceptable to critics of whom there were many. A reference to Israel in the original paper spoke of "the irrevocability of God's promise of land to the people of Israel." That was changed to say "The State of Israel is a geopolitical entity and is not to be validated theologically." Nevertheless, the statement condemned anti- Semitism and those Christian- linked movements which preach "a theology of racial purity, anti- Semitism and violent overthrow of the government in the name of Jesus Christ." One Jewish veteran of the interfaith wars said the United Presbyterian Church's statement had "potential." For Jews it was a infield single. The Rev. Bailey Smith, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, has a theological problem with Jews. His 1980 comment that "God Almighty doesn't hear the prayer of a Jew," has already immortalized him in the Theological Hall of Fame. Last month, while addressing the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists in St. Louis, Rev. Smith again turned his attention to Jews. "Unless they repent and get born again, they See Center Stage page 7
Object Description
Title | The Jewish Times |
Alternative Title |
Boston Jewish Times The Jewish Weekly Times |
Publication Date | 1987-07-09 |
Publisher | Grand Rabbi Y.A. Korff |
Volume | 42 |
Number | 40 |
Frequency | Weekly |
Spatial Coverage |
Allston Brighton Brookline |
Subjects |
Newspapers--local editions Jewish newspapers--new england |
Language | English |
Access | Open access |
Rights | User has an obligation to determine copyright or other use restrictions prior to publication or distribution. Please contact the archives at reference@ajhsboston.org or 617-226-1245 for more information. |
Source | American Jewish Historical Society-New England Archives, New England Historic Genealogical Society |
File Format | jpeg |
Description
Title | The Jewish Times |
Alternative Title |
Boston Jewish Times The Jewish Weekly Times |
Publication Date | 1987-07-09 |
Volume | 42 |
Number | 40 |
Access | Open access |
Source | American Jewish Historical Society-New England Archives, New England Historic Genealogical Society |
File Format | jpeg |
Page Number | 1 |
Transcript | THE BOSTON JEWISH TIMES Write the vision and make it plain upon tables. HABAKKUK2 2 VOL. XLII, NO. 40 THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1987 12 TAMMUZ 5747 TWENTY-FIVE CENTS Israelis And Americans Differ On Super Plane By Susan Bloch BOSTON The conflict over Israel's national pride in its super-sophisticated Lavi fighter, jet and the enormous cost of continuing its development reached new heights last week. While the Israeli Cabinet was debating the issue, several thousand employees of the Israel Aircraft Industry demonstrated outside the prime minister's office. Earlier last week, Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin made a hurried, low-profile trip to Washington to discuss the plane's future with U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. At issue for the politicians in Israel is the loss of thousands of jobs and the resultant economic problems which would ensue if the project were abandoned. In an election year, the collective voice of the workers will make itself heard at the polls. The Cabinet has been unable to make a decision, although the Israeli military has recommen- ded the Lavi be scrapped. The army fears production costs will be so high that billions will be diverted from the development Who Is A Jew Redux By Samuel Seidner JERUSALEM � The symbolic wedge that has been lodged between Israel and the bulk of American Jewry is about to receive another hammer blow here and many observers feel the log is about to splinter. Orthodox interests in Israel have tried to amend the Law of Return for some years. Their goal is to administer conversions to Judaism, a growing phenomenon in the Diaspora. There were an estimated 10,000 conversions to Judaism in the United States alone last year. Some Orthodox rabbis feel that these conversions are legally imperfect because they were performed by Reform and Conservative ratfbis in the United States who don't comply with halachic strictures. As a result, there is a rapidly growing population of young people who regard themselves as Jewish, but have questionable lineage as far as the rabbinate of the State of Israel is concerned. Thus far, there has been only a handful of converted Jews who have presented themselves to Israel as new immigrants under the Law of Return. One of the most prominent has been Shoshana Miller, a Reform convert from Colorado whose case erupted onto the frontpages of Israeli newspapers when the then Minister ot the Interior, Yitzhak Peretz, resigned rather than allow her application for Israeli citizenship. Ms. Miller later returned to America where she now serves as a cantor at a Denver temple. The Orthodox strategy, originally devised by the Lubavitch movement, was to amend the Law of Return, attaching the phrase according to halacha to the sentence referring to converts. This required a Knesset vote, of course, and the motion has been defeated three times, but by margins sufficiently narrow to encourage further attempts. Now, the issue is apparently headed toward another showdown; this time the outcome will be more influenced by internal Israeli politics than ever before. Many feel tne amendment will pass despite the anguished protests of American and international Jewish organizations. Strangely, it is the Labor Party's initiative for an international peace conference that is the catalyst for another debate in the Knesset on the status of converts. The Labor Party, under the leadership of Shimon Peres, favors a peace summit. The Likud Party, under Yitzhak Shamir, opposes it. To overcome opposition from Likud, Labor has endeavored to bring down the government, See Who Jew page 7 What's That About Fraternite? ' JERUSALEM - Mayor Teddy Kolek will not attend the Bastille Day celebration of the French government this year, according to Israeli daily Maariv. The reason is that two separate celebrations, one for Arabs and one for Jews, are being planned in honor of the occassion. The Arab celebration will be held at the French consulate in East Jerusalem. The Jewish celebration will be held at the Alliance Francaise in West Jerusalem. of other essential weapons. The IAI has said it would cost over $1 billion in indemnifica- tion fees to suppliers and subcontractors if the project is curtailed. The treasury ministry, however, estimates that abandonment would cost only $400 million. In Washington, State Department spokesman Charles Redman said, "We've made it clear that the United States has serious concern over the cost of continuing the Lavi and the effect such cost would have on our ongoing security assistance program for Israel." Against this backdrop, Rabin met with Weinberger, who is reported to have said that the United States would do its best to compensate Israel for scrapping the Lavi. Rabin reportedly asked for approval to purchase 100 of America's most advanced fighter plane, the F- 16C, "off the shelf," which means at the rate charged NATO countries. Informed sources said that Weinberger was prepared to consider the proposal as well as increasing U.S. military aid to Israel to cover the estimated $400 million to abandon the project. Another alternative which Weinberger reportedly said "would not be excluded," is the possibility that the Lavi would be built in the United States with Israel providing component parts. It is the avionics of the Lavi which make it such a sophisticated and advanced weapons system. The American military establishment is said to be very interested in Israel's avionic technology. Foreign Minister Peres, who has spoken in favor of continuing the Lavi project, is reported to have suggested that Israel look to "private sources" to help in the funding. This is interpreted to mean seeking support from some of the ancillary companies that are involved in the production. An editorial in the Intermountain Jewish News suggested an original approach: appeal to Diaspora Jews to fund the new plane. The paper argues that "The Lavi is not just the Lavi. The Lavi is Israel's chance to prove to itself that it can employ all those Jewish minds See Super Plane page 7 Judaism Takes Center Stage At Protestant Confabs By Samuel Seidner BOSTON � Jews had a pretty good month in June, batting two for three in the Christian Theological League. The United Church of Christ, a major Protestant group with about 1.7 million members, passed a declaration which affirmed the validity of Judaism. This motion, the most positive and unambiguous ever passed by a Christian sect in America, put Judaism on an equal theological footing with Christianity. There are ten important Protestant denominations in the United States. The United Church of Christ is numbered among the ten. The group does extensive missionary work in the Middle East, including the West Bank area occupied by Israel. In addition to passing the declaration at a regular scheduled meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, the group adopted a working document regarding Jews. The paper calls for churches, educators and seminaries to "(re)-examine and (re)-evaluate the image of Jews, Judaism and the State of Israel." Most commentators on interfaith relations regard the declaration by the United Church of Christ as a "home run." In Biloxi, Mississippi, the United Presbyterian Church beat off a bitter pro-Palestinian faction and issued a "special report" on Jews called "A Theological Understanding of the Relationship Between Christians and Jews." The Church, which is the fifth largest Protestant denomination i Statement By [United Church Of i Christ On Jews We in the United Church of i Christ acknowledge that the |Christian Church has, | throughout much of its history, denied God's continuing covenantal relationship with the Jewish people expressed in the faith of Judaism. This denial has often led to outright rejection of the Jewish people and to theologically and humanly I intolerable violence. Faced with this history from which we as Christians cannot, and must not, \ disassociate ourselves, we ask for God's forgiveness through i I our Lord Jesus Christ. We \ pray for divine grace that will ; enable us, more firmly than ever before, to turn from this path of rejection and persecution to affirm that Judaism has not been superseded by Christianity; that Christianity is not to be understood as the successor religion to Judaism; God's covenant with the Jewish people has not been abrogated. God has not rejected the Jewish people; \ God is faithful in keeping j covenant. I in the United States with about 3.1 million members, invested six years in preparing a policy statement about Jews. Then, in protracted debate at the Biloxi annual meeting, the statement was watered down to be acceptable to critics of whom there were many. A reference to Israel in the original paper spoke of "the irrevocability of God's promise of land to the people of Israel." That was changed to say "The State of Israel is a geopolitical entity and is not to be validated theologically." Nevertheless, the statement condemned anti- Semitism and those Christian- linked movements which preach "a theology of racial purity, anti- Semitism and violent overthrow of the government in the name of Jesus Christ." One Jewish veteran of the interfaith wars said the United Presbyterian Church's statement had "potential." For Jews it was a infield single. The Rev. Bailey Smith, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, has a theological problem with Jews. His 1980 comment that "God Almighty doesn't hear the prayer of a Jew," has already immortalized him in the Theological Hall of Fame. Last month, while addressing the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists in St. Louis, Rev. Smith again turned his attention to Jews. "Unless they repent and get born again, they See Center Stage page 7 |
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