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Meeting Broader Objectives

S

hmoozing is a popular component of
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit's annual meeting. Reports by
the president and chief executive offi-
cer, and honoring the Butzel Award winner,
provide the main reasons for being there, but
talking communal shop with other community
leaders is a draw, too.
Next Tuesday night's forum will offer the
added lures of being held in Yeshivat Akiva's
bright new schoolhouse and the opportunity to
hear guest speaker Dr. Ron Wolfson, a dynamic
national authority on Jewish education.
Notably, the evening will mark the first
combined annual meeting of Federation and
its real estate/banking arm, the United Jewish
Foundation.
But amid the well wishes, handshakes and
deserving honors, we urge Federation, the
Detroit Jewish community's emissary, to weave
into the program its blueprint for action this
new year of 5760. That would be a significant
stride toward the annual get-togethers becom-
ing better attended by Jews who aren't neces-
sarily activists. Specifically, we should strive to
broaden the appeal of the meetings beyond the
inner circle of activists who typically attend.
Within that backdrop, we applaud Federa-
tion for the fine tribute it historically gives the
Butzel honoree. This year's choice, David Page,
is of the caliber of past awardees with his Jew-
ish leadership, devotion to the Jewish people
and service to the general community. He rich-
ly represents the ideals of the late Fred M.
Butzel, a humanitarian whose legacy is
ingrained in the texture of our community.
The action blueprint we envision might
include:

IN FOCUS

• Significant changes planned for Federa-
tion's Annual Campaign (formerly the Allied
Jewish Campaign), including this year's fund-
raising goal and local-versus-overseas allocation
projections.
• Concrete ideas for using the $25 million
Jewish Life Fund, half of the $50 million Mil-
lennium Campaign for Detroit's Jewish Future.
Much has been said about how day and sup-
plemental schools and teen trips to Israel will
benefit, but what's in store for other Jewish life
experiences, such as cultural events, holiday
celebrations, college programs and informal
learning opportunities?
• An insightful update of how the city of
Southfield, our all-important bridge between
the Jewish community campuses in Oak Park
and West Bloomfield, is faring in terms of Jew-
ish population, culture and resources.
• A meaningful.glimpse at how our commu-
nity might interact with United Jewish Com-
munities, the New York City-based successor
to the United Jewish Appeal, United Israel
Appeal and Council of Jewish Federations,
especially since Detroit's Joel.Tauber heads its
executive committee.
Possibilities for the action blueprint abound.
Clearly, there's value to Federation's annual
meeting, to the Detroit Jewish community
knowing that at least once a year there's a
chance to conduct business and present acco-
lades.
But the dividends can be greater for more of
us by not only carrying on the wonderful tra-
dition of hailing our newest Butzel winner at
the meeting, but also breaking some important
new ground for the Jewish community at
large. II

Left, enjoying a sukka made by fam-
ily and friends are: standing, Dr.
Marvin Trimas, Jay Korelitz, Kurt
Trimas, Marsha Trimas; seated,
Mara and Lucie Rosenthal and
Paula Korelitz The Rosenthals,
Congregation Shaarey Zedek mem-
bers, are daughter and 17-month-
old granddaughter to the Korelitzes.

At right, Dr. Trimas, an Adat Shalom Synagogue shofarist, blows
the shofar in the Korelitz sukka.

Sign Of The Season

The 10x10-foot sukka that stands in the Farmington Hills
yard of Jay Korelitz, a Temple Israel member, "is halachically
correct, with vines and evergreens and no nails or plastic," he
said. "It's a lot of fun and, most of all, it's a mitzvah." The
hut, sporting gourds and pumpkins from the Korelitz family
garden, is used for meals, Torah study, and even sleep if the
weather's right. Extra greens are at hand so visitors can stick
them into the walls, say the Shehechiyanu, and be a part of the
sukka's construction — "a nice, warm touch," Korelitz said.

Combating Online Hate

T

wenty years ago, neo-Nazis,
white supremacists and
other assorted bigots were
limited in their audiences.
Their propaganda was crude, and they
had almost no access to mass media.
Not so today. On the World Wide
Web, the vilest hate group can put up
a slick, attractive homepage that looks
every bit as good as the best corporate
and media sites. The pathetic practi-
tioners of organized hate, once isolat-
ed, now link up through the miracle
of electronic mail, building globe-
spanning networks that allow them to
transcend their tiny presence in any
particular geographical area.
For example, children searching the
Web for research materials on Martin
Luther King Jr. are likely to be direct-

ed to a professional-looking site run
by a notorious anti-Semitic, anti-black
hate group, as a Simon Wiesenthal
Center official described to Congress
last week. And, of course, any high
school kid with access to a chemistry
lab can build bombs designed to kill
and maim with step-by-step instruc-
tions from other sites.
But censorship is an odious
response, one that corrodes the demo-
cratic principles that have been so
good to Jews and other minorities.
Yet, to avoid that deadly medicine, the
Internet industry must get serious
about policing itself. This is a com-
mercial medium, as Wiesenthal Cen-
ter officials pointed out. So why
shouldn't it be expected to use the
same kind of discretion that newspa-
pers use when selling advertising? No

,

Internet providers
must monitor their
content the way a
newspaper does.

mass circulation newspaper would sell
a half-page ad to the Aryan Nation to
attack non-whites and Jews. Why
should Web providers ignore such
communications industry precedence?
We don't want to see heavy-handed
government controls. We do want broad
support to enable law enforcement
agencies to increase surveillance of hate
sites and the groups behind them.

When links to criminal activity are
found, prosecution must be vigorous.
And most of all, parents must be
much more aware of what their chil-
dren are looking at. Some will find the
Anti-Defamation League HateFilter
Software package helpful, but even that
is no substitute for close parental super-
vision. Private groups that patrol the
Web should be encouraged to expand
their efforts. The Wiesenthal Center,
the Anti-Defamation League, the
Southern Poverty Law Center and oth-
ers are our first line of defense. We
applaud their efforts to expose the
haters even while trying to avert a dra-
conian government response that
would reward the bigots by undermin-
ing something the extremists despise:
American democracy. 1-1

9/24
1999

Detroit Jewish News

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