SUMMARY
Marching in
a Salute to Israel Parade should be a great experience for a 16 year old
sophomore girl, and if you happen to also be a Girl Scout of Jewish descent
trying to earn a badge for community service marching in the parade would seam like
a big plus. The girl in question, Erica
Belkin, had no idea some people saw it as trying to bring attention to the
plight of the Jewish people throughout the world. Soon she was receiving e-mail from the
National Girl Scout office stating “Aside from the safety concerns it would not
be appropriate for girls to be in uniform at this event, since it could be seen
as advocating the Israeli side of the current conflict” (qtd. in
Habermam). After receiving many inquiries
from different news sources and some advice from different Girl Scout troops,
Ms. Belkin decided to march in the parade. With a little pressure from a few
newspapers, the National Girl Scout office changed their stance on the issue,
therefore supporting Ms. Belkin's choice to be in the parade in uniform. Saying a person's spirituality and
governmental theory are of personal and confidential nature.
Haberman,
Metropolitan
Desk New York Times Online. 1 May 2002.
Accessed on
< http://www.nytimes.com/ >.