Politics and religion collide - Pickets offend members of Beth Israel congregation

Politics and religion collide Pickets offend members of Beth Israel congregation

They fan out on the sidewalk along Washtenaw Avenue, carrying large, blue-and-white signs reading "Free Palestine," "Stop U.S. Aid to Israel," and "Universalism not Zionism." They number a dozen or so. And they've been protesting each Saturday - the Jewish Sabbath - in front of the Beth Israel Congregation for more than six months.

The weekly protest has been staged by a fledgling group known as Jewish Witnesses for Peace and friends that includes Jewish and Palestinian members. The group's leader said the effort marks the best time and place to convey its message. But the protests are sparking anger in the Jewish community - because of the time and the place.

"The issue is not the Israeli-Palestininan conflict. The issue is how civic discourse is conducted in Ann Arbor," said Jeff Levin, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Washtenaw County. "We think you cross a serious line when you decide to have a picket at a house of worship on the Sabbath. They've blurred the distinction between religious worship and political activism."

On a recent Saturday, as a small group of congregants approaches, the protesters say "Shabbat Shalom," urging a peaceful Sabbath.

A man in the group replies "Excuse me, you're blocking my way," as he asks the protesters to move off the sidewalk.

"You feel you're running a gauntlet," said longtime Beth Israel member Sara Mendel. "The idea of targeting a place of worship. ... There's somehow this feeling that Jews can be targeted. ... This is a very bigoted, extremist, terrorist-supporting group."

Henry Herskovitz, who leads the protesters, said what they do is a "very respectful, silent vigil."

"I wear my suit, I starch my shirt, wear a tie, attempt to be as respectful as possible at the synagogue," he said.

A retired mechanical engineer who considers Beth Israel "my synagogue" though he is not a member, Herskovitz said he began the protests because he was prohibited from sharing his message before the Beth Israel congregation.

He said he will stop only if Beth Israel holds weekly sessions on his list of topics or signs a draft resolution by Ann Arbor's Human Rights Commission to suspend military aid to Israel until it ends its occupation of Palestinian territories.

"It's the responsibility of the leaders of the synagogue to decide how issues are addressed," Dobrusin said. "Herskovitz and his group have many venues in this community to make their stand heard. ... We have the right to decide how issues are presented" in the synagogue.

Herskovitz said he began the group after going to the West Bank in December 2002 and working in a refugee camp, seeing Palestinian hardship first-hand. He said he tried to share his stories with the city's synagogues but was rebuffed.

"Our goal is to stop U.S. aid to Israel. Aid to Israel is supported by the U.S. Congress and by AIPAC, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee," Herskovitz said. "To get them to reduce their influence on Congress, we need to find their support group, and that's mainstream Jews and where do they go? To synagogue on Saturday."

The group also protested outside Hill Auditorium before the Israel Philharmonic concert on March 20 and has joined in anti-Iraq occupation rallies. Herskovitz has talked at Ann Arbor City Council meetings, and members of his group distributed fliers earlier this year urging a boycott of Hiller's Markets because of owner Jim Hiller's stated support of Israel and policy of sending profits from Israeli-made products back to Israel.

Hiller declined to comment for this story. Earlier this month, he placed an ad in Detroit Jewish News rebutting the fliers.

"Hiller's Markets will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the country of Israel, its citizens and their right to determine their own policies and their destiny," the ad stated. It will appear in the Washtenaw Jewish News in April, said Susan Ayers, editor of Washtenaw Jewish News.

Herskovitz said he chose Beth Israel because it is the "middle" synagogue in town, compared to others that are Orthodox and Reform.

"Thank God we live in a country where people can do this," Dobrusin said, but the congregation has been offended and intruded upon by the protest.

"The synagogue is our congregants' home. Having people stand outside with no regard for traditions of the Sabbath is horrible and offensive," he said.

Beth Israel member Aaron Ahuvia, who is involved with the Jewish peace group Brit Tzedek v'Shalom and the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Havurah, an alternative Jewish congregation, said the picketing is counterproductive.

"It immediately frames the dialogue in a hostile, antagonistic way," Ahuvia said. "It gets people talking about how, frankly, they hate the people (standing) outside Beth Israel."

Joyce Kornbluh, who helped start the Ann Arbor area Jewish Voices for Peace and Justice a year ago to participate in anti-Iraq War demonstrations, said the protests are neither strategic nor successful in advancing the dialogue. She also is unhappy with the name Herskovitz chose for his group, because of its similarity to her group's name.

"They are confrontational and don't discuss nor impart information," Kornbluh said. "The interesting thing is I share some of (their) very deep moral and political concerns. ... But I don't think these complicated political matters can be solved by picketing or vigiling on the Sabbath."

As for whether the group is having an impact on opinion in the Jewish community, Levin said "contrary to what they've tried to do, they've actually strengthened support for Israel among the Jewish community."

Herskovitz admits he has not seen his group growing as fast as he had hoped. About the same number of people show up for vigils now as did six months ago; Herskovitz says it is fear that keeps people from joining. Yet, his followers defend him.

Farouq Shafie, one of two Palestinian-Americans in the group, said he supports "a man of passion. Henry Herskovitz. This guy cares about the oppressed."

The vigils, Shafie said, "are in support of telling the most important Jewish congregation that you need to open up and confront the issue ... to discuss the occupation and the issue of recognizing that not everything Israel is doing is right."

"We are Jews who are horrified with how Israel is treating the Palestinians. ... We can't rest on Saturdays while Israel, in our name, is being so barbaric to Palestinians. My daughter (Laurel) says we'll stop protesting on Saturdays when Israel stops brutalizing the Palestinians on Saturdays."

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2 posted on 04/03/2004 2:32:54 PM PST by Support Free Republic (If Woody had gone straight to the police, this would never have happened!)

Of course, if a pro-Life group protested in front of a church that's tolerant of abortion, the police would have been there in a heartbeat to shoo them off the property and papers across America would be going on and on about the "hateful," "intimidating" and "unreasonable" actions of the pro-Life movement.

But a bunch of nutjob Leftists appeaseniks pull this stunt and they get a free pass.

Funny, isn't it?

I ain't laughing.

3 posted on 04/03/2004 2:37:38 PM PST by Prime Choice (Hm? No, my powers can only be used for Good.)

That's pretty stupid behavior. The Jews of Ann Arbor have no relationship with Israel whatsoever... what's the point of harassing people only because of their religious affiliation? The Far Left is INSANE!

Herskovitz said he began the group after going to the West Bank in December 2002 and working in a refugee camp, seeing Palestinian hardship first-hand.

Sure, he goes and sees the self-imposed 'plight' of the palistinians. Did it occur to him that in order to have a balanced view of the situation that he should try cleaning up the bloody remnants of slaughtered Isreali children?

This sounds like extortion for some reason

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