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By MICKEY GERELICK "The Generation Gap"—a nev/ phrase in frequent use—a new label (or an old problem. It means many things to many people. It means drugs and beards and protest marches. It RSSSRS rebellion—against hynocracv. acainst old ideas and against "The Establishment." It means young people not trusting anyone over 30, and people over 30. in anguish about tho younger generation. But it's only the label that's new. "You don't understand" has always been a lament between parents and children. I've heard my children say it to me. I remember saying the same thing to iny parents. Some sav tiie answer is comnmnciation. "Tell It lilie II Is."' And that is the theme of this New Year's edition.
Telling It in Articles I mot this slimmer with a groui) of our young people, mostly college students who had volunteered to help with this edition. We decided to tackle two specific areas of the complex Generation Gap. First, the young people wanted the opportunity to."communicate* some of their ideas—"to fell it like it is"—from their standpoint. They asked for, and were granted, the opportunity to express themselves on a variety of sub-
jects of their own choosing, with no holds barred. They do not ask for agreement with all their ideas. They simply want to be heard—to explain why they feel as they do. Their views are expressed in by-lined columns throughout this issue. I urge you to read all of them carefully and draw your own conclusions a» to whether nr not our young people are on the wrong track.
Telling If in (puestiotis and Answers Secondly, there is the more specilic area of a "Jewish Generation Gap." Parents are terrified by youth's apparent rejection of Judaism. Youth replies that Judaism has nothing meaningful to offer. This Is a real gap, because both generations are not only expressing Inaccurate views —they aren't even talking about the same things. In my discussions with the young people I found that most were not as alienated from Judaism as we've been led to believe. I found that much of what they were rejecting—what they found meaningless—was some of the "busy work" of organized Jewish life that didn't relate to the real problems of the world. Somewhere in the discussion someone voiced the opinion that "Judaism is out-dated; it has no relevance to the things that bother me and the problems I face." And the theme for the page ads was born. Each page ad of the theme starts with a question posed by one of the young people. For an-
swers we turned to Judaism. The answers are in tha form of quotations gleaned from the Bible, from the Talmud and from modern Jewish sources. Certainly these are not all the- answers, nor are they necessarily the best answers Judaism has to offer. It is simply an attempt to show the relevancy of Jewish law and philosophy—even to young moderns in 1968. Having urged the old, to listen to the young— I now urge the young to give careful consideration to the thoughts expressed in these page ads. Tho Questions are yours. The answers come from Judaism. Are they relevant?
Telling It in Drawings The illustrations for the page ads came from our young people. They were given no instructions about what to draw, and no suggestions other than to use their artistic talents to "tell it like it Is." The illustrations are. the expressions of some of the feelings our young people have about themselves, about their problems, about the world in which they live. Is it good art? Are they honest expressions? Do they mean anything? The conclusions again are yours. The generation gap cannot be bridged easily. It was not our intention that this edition would serve that purpose. Bridging the gap takes understanding based on communication. Communication begins with the attempt to "tell it like it Is."