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Travelling through the Languedoc region of France several weeks ago, in a portion of the country not generally regarded as having many Jews, (in fact, it is right in the heart of Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front stronghold--the ultra-right party, whose anti-Semitic stances are notorious, received 14.4 percent of the vote in the recent national elections), I encountered a religious Jew on a train. One single, solitary religious young man returning to his home in Montpelier for Shabbat. As I found out later, a rabbi, he had been , living in Montpelier for two years struggling to create a religious environment for the small (but growing) percentage of the tiny Jewish community he could interest.

Clearly, the job had been difficult at best. Classes are offered, speakers brought in and minyanim held on Shabbat and Yom Tov mornings. When I asked why he continued to care and attempt to build a community, he sighed and simply replied, ?Jews must be strong to survive and to fight back (against anti-Semitism). To be strong, they must learn how to be Jews.?

Four thousand miles from home, I was struck by the irony that here I was, in a small city with perhaps 3,000 Jews, and the prime concern of this rabbi was to educate Jews -- to make more of them aware of their religion, their history and their backgrounds. Whether they were, in practice Orthodox, Conservative or Reform was of far less concern -- and I would guess, rarely even discussed.

In the meantime, back home, in a city with perhaps two million Jews, more emphasis is placed on who you are (even within the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform there are factions) than educating people about what ?being Jewish is?. More concern seems to be expressed about which label should be attached than to the problem that more than 2 out of every 5 Jews marry outside their religion.

This, perhaps more than anything else, is the raison d'?tre of The Jewish Review. A not for profit, volunteer newspaper, we are guided by halakha in our attempt to provide a forum in which all Jews (and non-Jews) can be educated about Judaism, the religion and culture, How does traditional Judaism deal with issues raised by modern society: legal and medical ethics, politics and government and change. We believe all views are tobe raised and heard. Without discussion there can be no opportunity for understanding. Our concern is neither to make religious Jews out of those who aren't nor to justify the need for halakha--those truths for us, are self-evident. Rather, we seek to be a voice for those who truly believe that ?Jews must learn how to be Jews? in order to be strong morally, ethically and religiously.

Unlike other Jewish publications, we are comfortable without a label, and hope we are not one. We hope that all of our issues, like this one, will draw from both religious and academic circles and that our readers will continue to participate in the growth of The Jewish Review by contributing letters and articles, patronizing our advertisers and finally. by subscribing to the newspaper.

May we all be written into the Book of Life for a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

Harris Z. Tilevitz