LITTERS

to the school's failure. The fact that
Akiva has made many upgrades and
enhancements to its secular programs
was not mentioned. And on and on.
Medicine may be necessary for
Akiva, which has been, and remains,
the only Jewish high school in Detroit
for boys and girls. Publishing the
wholly negative and slanted story is
like a mistakenly high dose of pharma-
ceutical: perhaps intended to cure, but
foolishly toxic. The Jewish News
should not pretend to be a doctor
with a scalpel when it acts like a
butcher with a cleaver.
Steven Borzak
West Bloomfield

Sharing More
Than Just Space

It was with sadness that I read
"Worlds Apart" (Jan. 8). It did not
accurately reflect the current state of
affairs regarding the American-New
American relationship at Teitel Apart-
ments.
The American Teitel residents have
felt overburdened by the high cost of
medical insurance and medications
that, in addition to ailments that
befall them at this stage in their lives,
make for a frustrating situation. They
see the New Americans get more ben-
efits than they do and it matters little
that it is due to the very low income
of the latter and that it is part of the
welfare system.
However, at the interview where I
was present, both the Americans and
the New Americans agreed that liv-
ing at Teitel is like living in one big
family where anything may happen
and where everyone cares for one
another.
I would like to shed some light on
the group of New Americans who
happen to live at Teitel. The circum-
stances in the former Soviet Union
forced them to forge strong survival
skills. In their past lives, they worked
as doctors, engineers, lawyers, teach-
ers, librarians and so forth. They
came to the United States at the age
ranging from early 70 up to 80 with
no language skills or physical
strength to become gainfully
employed.
They have to go through an accul-
turation process just like the families of
the American residents had to do when
they first arrived in the United States.
There is an added challenge of both
populations in adjusting to the imme-
diate culture of congregate living.

From the residents' words and
actions, it is obvious that the Ameri-
cans and the New Americans share
more than just space at Teitel; one just
has to be patient an allow oneself to
see it.
Ida Kogan
resident services coordinator,
Teitel Jewish Apartments & Services
Oak Park

Teitel Has
Togetherness

These are some reflections on the
Old/New American resident relations
at Teitel Apartments ("Worlds Apart"
Jan. 8).
Teitel has a resident who volunteers
teaching the English language to the
Russians. It is a very rewarding pro-
ject. Students are advancing because
they want to learn and they get
lessons privately, one-on-one, with
complete attention. They benefit from
that a lot and they are very apprecia-
tive.
Teitel has a convenience store for
the senior residents, Russian and
American. There are wholesale prices
with no profit. Both Russians and
Americans volunteer their time for
selling.
Teitel's New Americans formed a
choir. They are doing terrific. It is
really music to your ears to make all
happy. They sing in Russian, English
and Yiddish, at no charge; this is vol-
unteering.
There's a beautiful tradition with
two Russian young ladies: Zara, age
10, and Ethel, age 3. One, her head
covered, does the honors of lighting
the Shabbat candles and saying the
Shabbat prayers. The 3-year-old wor-
ships her big sister and her eyes peek
through the candles with happiness.
What a sight!
You see, in Russia it was forbidden
to practice Judaism. Now, they have
the pleasure of being a relative of a
Teitel resident.
Teitel's togetherness during the
snowstorm was wonderful to see. The
storm really scared the seniors; we
can't go out in zero temperatures.
Well, the New Americans can really
cook. They shared the goodies and
fruits and vegetables. It put a bright
light on the snowstorm. Bless them
all.
Helen Ritter
Teitel resident
Oak Park

What Does Settling
Really Entail?

Amos Perlmutter, in The Jewish News
of Jan. 8 ("Welcome To Palestine"),
notes the need for the U.S. "to warn
Arafat that negotiations over the Pales-
tinian state and Jerusalem will not
start until final negotiations begin."

IlitraVatTZEV IM IltZVt

hearings on admission of refugee
children and the reluctance of some
Jewish leaders to go on record in sup-
port.
Shocking? But 50 years later, where
is our united opposition to statements
that settlements in Judea and Samaria
are obstacles to peace? Where is our
opposition to the flawed Oslo and
Wye accords, to pressure for more
land concessions in the face of the
Palestinian Authority's failure to
implement their promises to stop
incitements, terrorism and an inde-
pendent declaration of statehood?
Now is the time for a united front
to stand behind Israel and to send a
clear, unequivocal message to Con-
gress.
Bertha Weil
Royal Oak

,/

N

Some More
Special Guys

But Robert Satloff, in the New
Republic of July 1998, has outlined the
shift in the administration's policy
from non-recognition of Palestinian
statehood by Ronald Reagan, George
Bush, Jim Baker and Warren Christo-
pher, to the apparent de facto recogni-
tion with Hillary Clinton's May 1998
advocacy, never officially contradicted
by the White House.
Some reasons for the shift were sug-
gested by James Besser ("Worries In
Washington," Jan. 8). I would posit
another factor in this shift: disunity in
American-Jewish public opinion. This
is not without precedent.
FDR's seeming indifference to the
rescue of imperiled European Jewry is
an example. Granted, FDR's para-
mount goal was winning the war
against Naziism; possibly he was reluc-
tant to arouse latent and overt anti-
Semitism.
Yet the bitter rivalry and disunity
among American Jewish organizations
were likely factors in his all but ignor-
ing the plight of many who could
have been saved.
In Charles Coughlin, the Father of
Hate Radio, Donald Warren writes,
"Given the evident disunity in the
Jewish community, it was difficult for
the Roosevelt administration to take
any lead ..." in discussing House

I would like to thank The Jewish News
for "Some Very Special Guys" (Jan. 8),
which described our winter camp.
I would like to point out what I
feel to be one of the most inspiring
factors of this special program. That is
the broad base of community support.
This support came from organizations
and private individuals. In addition to
World Wide Financial, mentioned in
your article, the Max M. Fisher Foun-
dation made a generous grant that
makes the Boys Volunteer Club possi-
ble. The Jewish Community Center
has consistently made its facility our
home. Some other individuals who
made it come together are Elliot and
Denise Baum as well as Howard and
Robin Schwartz.
Also, as pointed out in the article,
our volunteers come from a very wide
range of backgrounds and schools.
While our volunteers come from all
of the community day schools and
from some public schools, a special
mention should be made of Mindy
Nathan and Rabbi Michael
Moskowitz of Temple Shir Shalom,
and Rabbi Karmi Gross of Akiva
Hebrew Day School, who invited us
to speak to their teens to encourage
them to join us. I believe that this ele-
ment of community unity that our
organization engenders may actually
be its strongest point.
Rafi Rosenberg
director
Boys Volunteer Club
Daniel Sobel Friendship Circle
West Bloomfield

r

1/22
1999

36 Detroit Jewish News