dp.

OPINION

HAVE A
CHILD
WITH A
DISABILITY?

YOU ARE
NOT ALONE.

JARC's Children and
Family Division

Incorporating the Keshet Program

Is Here for YOU

JARC is proud to announce the
expansion of its services to children
with any disability and their families.

WE OFFER:

-

• Parent to parent networking
• In-home respite care
• Life planning based on the
needs of the child and the
family
• Resources and referrals
• Social opportunities for the
whole family
• Newsletter with information
of interest to parents
• Informational forums
• Support groups

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Monday, March 9 6:30-8:00 p.m.
JCC Maple/Drake

Family concert with Chaim
Fogelman. Co-sponsored by JCC
Special Needs Department, the Jewish
News and Daniel Sobel Friendship
Circle. No charge. Underwritten by
World Wide Financial.

Thursday, March 19 7:00 8:30 p.m.

-

Coffee and Conversation at the home
of Barbara Jonas. An opportunity for
parents to discuss issues regarding
their children. The focus will be on
children with autism.

Wednesday, March 25 and
Wednesday, April 1 7:00 p.m.
JARC office

"Advocating at Your Child's
Individual Education Plan" by
Katrina Moye of United Cerebral
Palsy, an advocacy agency for
people with disabilities.

For more information on
JARC's Children and Family Division,
call Shirlee Wyman Harris at
248-352-5272.

3/6
1998

30

28366 Franklin Road
Southfield, MI 48034

The Real Promise Of America
Is In The Eyes Of Its Immigrants

T

he lobby of the Jewish Fam- fondest dream: achieving U.S. citizen-
ship. He was not alone in his quest
ily Service was wall-to-wall
for national identity.
with people waiting to file
In metro Detroit, there are many
applications for naturaliza-
thousands
of individuals who are also
tion. We assisted 435 people with
stateless.
These
refugees come to us
their applications that day. Through
from
all
of the republics of
the crowd, a woman
the
former
Soviet Union,
approached me.
from
Iraq,
Bosnia,
Iran and
She was diminutive, dig-
wherever
else
people
are per-
nified and beautiful as she
secuted
for
their
beliefs
stood there in a simple black
and/or affiliations.
dress; flawless skin without
They come seeking free-
cosmetics; thick, wavy, short
dom
from fear. From the
white hair.
first
day
of their arrival, they
Leaning on her son's arm,
anticipate
the day of their
she asked if she could be the
naturalization.
first applicant even hours
RACH EL S.
To be a naturalized Unit-
before her scheduled
YOSKO WITZ ed States citizen is not an
appointment. She and her
Speci al to
easy task. It is a privilege
husband had decided to nat-
The Jew ish News which one earns. It requires
uralize and scheduled their
that individuals prepare well
appointments.
for
this
responsibility.
The law clearly
He had died suddenly the night
states
that
to
naturalize
one must
before. Yet, she was
keeping their promise.
She was taking care of
their scheduled busi-
ness; then, she and
her son would make
funeral arrangements.
At that moment, I
learned the meaning
of United States citi-
zenship.
Citizenship is not
about benefits, it's
about belonging. It's
not about allocations,
it's about allegiance.
To be a U.S. citizen
means to give loyalty
to unique ideals. It
means voting and
paying taxes. It means
being part of some-
demonstrate the ability to read, write
thing very special.
and speak English as well as demon-
The man who did not live to even
strate
knowledge of U.S. history and
apply for citizenship died as a stateless
government.
This knowledge and skill
person. He was officially a man with-
must
be
satisfactorily
proven to an
out a country. He never realized his
immigration officer through written
and oral responses to questions and
Rachel S. Yoskavvitz is director of
conversation.
immigration and naturalization services
People work hard to prepare for
at Jewish Family Service.

these examinations. They study. They
attend classes at Jewish Family Service.
These classes are a gift from the
community to the community. Fund-
ed by the Federation, the Emma
Lazarus Fund and the Jewish Fund,
the JFS classes provide an intense
eight-week course in United States
history and government. Each stu-
dent attends nine hours a week of
class and is also matched with an
individual tutor for additional review
and practice with English, reading
and writing.
In the 14 months since this pro-
gram began, only three of our gradu-
ates have failed to pass their citizen-
ship exam.
It is true that our JFS program has
been recognized by HIAS as the
model program in the country. How-
ever, we have a secret weapon, our stu-
dents. They love this country and are
motivated to officially be recognized as
Americans.
This past week,
the February gradu-
ates of the course
were treated to a
day in Lansing to
observe government
in action. A biparti-
san group of Michi-
gan legislators, led
by state Rep. Patri-
cia Godchaux and
Sen. Gary Peters,
hosted 30 of us. It
was a very moving
experience.
Where else but
in the United States
would immigrants
be warmly wel-
comed by govern-
ment officials in the state Capitol?
During the graduation ceremony, each
student spoke of his love for this
country.
As one elderly decorated World
War II veteran so eloquently stated:
"This day, I will remember all of my
life."
God bless America! ❑

LETTERS

nity is being treated fairly, he refers to
the airing of "Jihad in America,"
which created an outcry from the
Middle Eastern community.
In an effort to appease the Jewish
community and regain dollars lost
because of cessation of contributions,
Mr. Antoniotti wrote, "We expect

to be in a better position to know
whether adequate and honest
efforts have been made by the pro-
ducers to educate rather than to
inflame."
The issue is not whether the pro-
grams were intended to educate or
inflame since neither of the films was

intended to inflame. "Jihad in Ameri-
ca" was a documentary about Arab
determination to destroy Israel. The
outcry from the Middle Eastern com-
munity was due in part from a com-
munity that was ashamed that such an
organization existed; the remainder of
the outcry was from the part of the

