Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 22 January 2003 — Page 17

January 22. 2003 NATS

The Art of Observation

Teen Scene

Why we must be ready

Bat mitzvah memories

By RABBI ALLEN H. PODET No one wants war, least of all military people, who will be the first to pay for it. There is a myth — well, it is a myth today, once upon a time it was a truth — that the

military consists largely of minorities and that they are looked upon as expendables, as cannon fodder. Not so. Has not been so for a long time now, ever since the services became an all-volunteer force and, therefore, a rather selective one. The Army is in large part white males, not of the lower class but of the middle classes. That is certainly true of the Navy. Further, whites and minorities join for different reasons. The whites join for adventure, responsibility, serious executive experience, direction, patriotism, not necessarily in that order. Minorities join for education and training, definitely in first place. Then they add all the other reasons, not least of all equal treatment. All of them, all groups, are attracted by a marvelous and generous pension plan, total health benefits, and a nearly paternalistic care package, unequalled on the outside. They are not fools, they are certainly not social rejects, and they are not seeking martyrdom. If they look with equanimity, perhaps even favor, on the possibility of a war in Iraq, as they do according to late polls, it is not because their chaplains beat the drums of Holy War for them. It is because they would rather not wait until Mr. Hussein delivers his packaged smallpox to the Super Bowl. It is because they can well imagine that one blow in the right place could take out well over 50,000 Americans and that, as those who study criminal activities say, the “motive, means, and opportunity" are in place to do so. The opportunity has to do with the presence of a large

and partly organized Islamic community in America that includes Islamic extremists who have demonstrated a willingness to die if only they can kill some Americans in the process. Their hatred (of us) exceeds their love (of themselves, or of life).

ement: motive. As a nation, and as a culture, we simply do not wish to face the fact that, in the eyes of Islamic extremists, we are Satan. We want to think that this description, so often repeated, is just hyperbole, that no one really means it seriously.

We eat swine [well, not all of us]. We scoff at the true faith [actually, we scoff at all faith, but that does not save us in the eyes of those who damn us], we are false even to our own religions, let alone to Islam. We are corrupt top to bottom. We are violent in our cities to a point absolutely foreign to an Islamic city.

We must also admit, painful as it may be, that there seems to be a considerable Islamic host community that was silent when we expected it to be outraged. There was more rage expressed by Muslims in America about Israel blowing up a terrorist's empty house than about Saudi Arabs destroying the World Trade Center. The Islamic community in America has not been a hostile environment for “sleepers," antiAmericans, dangerous people. The means of destruction is the easiest part. Enough biologicals to wipe out a small city can now be carried in a briefcase. Cities like New York and Seattle have virtually unprotected water supplies, within easy access. The equipment to produce such bio-weapons can be hidden in an average private basement. Which is one reason, by the way, why a few UN teams searching an enormous country like Iraq are very unlikely to find anything unless they have an informer. As for nuclear weapons, that technology is public and even found on the Internet. We do not need a physical plant the size of the Manhattan Project any more: a suitcase can transport a nuclear weapon. And our borders are notoriously porous. Which leaves the third el-

But the evidence is that it is meant very seriously. Our morals, in the eyes of those who hate us, are corrupt. Our streets are unsafe. Our women all dress like whores, showing bare arms and faces. They travel alone, they go to places with men not their blood relatives or husbands, they drive, they eat with men. They present Satan's own threat to the morality of Islamic men. And we practice every kind of sexual abomination and perversion, openly, defying the law of God, laughing at unnatural acts even from our pulpits. Clearly, such a religion is a religion of falsehood and lies. We eat swine [well, not all of us]. We scoff at the true faith [actually, we scoff at all faith, but that does not save us in the eyes of those who damn us], we are false even to our own religions, let alone to Islam. We are corrupt top to bottom. We are violent in our cities to a point absolutely foreign to an Islamic city. We represent, in short, a totally un-Islamic, even antiIslamic, force of devastating corruption. And we are successful. We are rich, we are content to be as we are, prattling on about "freedom" and in freedom's name tolerating filth and abuse and decadence. We seem for incom-

By JULIE COHEN This past weekend I got a chance to go to my cousin's bar mitzvah. My family somehow

piled into the car and drove to St. Louis without getting in a single fight. Now that is impressive. On Saturday morning we attended services at my cousin's Conservative congregation. My family and I took part in the service and watched my cousin do an amazing job as the bar mitzvah. As I followed the service, my thoughts drifted to the day that I became a bat mitzvah. 1 didn't realize how long ago it was until I did the math. It has been four years. Now to some of you, that might not seem like a very long time. But to me, it seems like forever. It feels like just yesterday that I was up on the bimah reading my Torah portion, Toledot. In fact, I still remember every word of it. I remember so many details of that day. It was toward the end of November; it was cold, but there was no snow, even though I wished there was because it would have made the whole weekend a lot prettier. I wore a brown dress with a matching jacket. The color almost perfectly matched my

hair. I had a special tallit that my best friend's mom handmade for me. I wore a ring that my grandparents gave to me which had my birthstone on it. The service seemed to go so fast, it barely felt like an hour, yet it was really over two. All of my friends and family were there, and that made me feel really special. The party was so much fun. Even though it wasn't the most important part of the weekend, it really was a highlight. I got my hair done, and it was up and curly and very elegant for a 13-year-old. I had a theme to my party: it was called "Julieville." We had tons of decorations which transformed the room and really made it feel like my own. My friends came, and so did my sister's friends, and my parents' friends, and my grandparents' friends, and the list goes on. It was a pretty rockin' party, and I had a lot of fun. Even though it flew by so fast, I know my bat mitzvah is something 1 will remember for the rest of my life. It wasn't a beginning or an end, it was more of a milestone, a place where I could stop and take a minute to smell the roses before I continued on the journey of Judaism. 1 feel really lucky to have become a bat mitzvah, and to be here for all of my family's b'nai mitzvot, and I feel really lucky to understand the meaning behind such a special occasion. Jiilir Cohen welcomes reader comments at [email protected].