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Special Friends

T

hey're special, and not just because
they're children with special needs.
They're special because they
teach us, through the sheer force of
their courage, what it means to persevere,
achieve and inspire against daily odds that
most of us can't even fathom.
Against this backdrop, Rabbi Levi and
Bassie Shemtov's Friendship Circle has
unveiled plans for a learning and therapy
center that's devoted to children with spe-
cial needs. Ground will be broken this
spring on the Meer Family Friendship
Campus, part of the Lubavitch Founda-
tion grounds in West Bloomfield.
The ambitious plans resonate with pas-
sion and purpose. Slated to open in 2002,
the Ferber-Kaufman Life Town Center will
fulfill the dream of the Shemtovs and a
loyal group of supporters.
It will offer an indoor playground, a
lifelike cityscape and lots of caring hands
to build the children's social skills and pro-
vide therapy. It will create a non-threaten-
ing environment for good-hearted young-
sters who otherwise might attract pity to
find friendships that engage their special
gifts.
It also will give us, as a community,
another prime opportunity to realize the
mitzvah of tikkun olam. We can make the
world better not only for our special young-
sters, but also those of us lucky enough to
interact with them.
Amid the anticipation, however, we

Related story: page 10

must stay focused on the cause and not get
caught up in the hype. At stake is the
dream itself.
Let there be no mistake: The Ferber-
Kaufman Life Town Center isn't a pipe
dream. More than a dozen major donors

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We can make the
world better not
only for our special
youngsters, but also
those of us luc
enough to interact
with them.

have raised $2.65 million of the $4 mil-
lion needed to build and endow the cen-
ter. Their support assures lethargy won't
set in.
The Kotzker Rebbe once said: "Where is
God? Wherever you let God in."
You can bet God will be ever-present at
the Ferber-Kaufman Life Town Center.
God will be there, every step of the way,
spreading over our special youngsters, their
families and the largely volunteer staff a
shelter of joy, success and peace.

❑

Words Of Praise

s we sat down with our families
Thursday for Thanksgiving din-
ner, it was with a profound
sense of gratitude for the spiri-
tual and material blessings we enjoy as
Jews in 21st century America.
Despite the uncertainties — the split
decision on the American presidency and,
far worse, the violent warfare that the
Palestinians have initiated against Israel —
we have much to celebrate.
America has never been stronger nor in
a better position to help the rest of the
world move toward the peace and stability
that we enjoy. We have the material and
intellectual resources to support all of our
citizens in the quest for social justice and

Dry Bones

personal fulfillment.
American Jews in particular enjoy
unquestioned standing and security in this
society as well as the wealth, the political
clout and the communal commitment to
help shield Jews in Israel and elsewhere.
Whether the Florida tally finally gives
the nod to George W. Bush or Al Gore,
we can all take pride in how Sen. Joseph
Lieberman's candidacy marked Jewish
standing in the United States.
The bounty of the harvest season links
Sukkot and Thanksgiving, but we like to
think of them as separate moments for cel-
ebration, one very Jewish, the other
uniquely American. With the embrace of
family, American Jews can rejoice in hav-
ing the opportunity to celebrate both.

❑

,,IN
FREEDOM

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LETTERS

Lieberman
Not The First

Is Gossip
Worthy Of Note?

Joe Lieberman was not the first
Jewish candidate for vice presi-
dent ("Politics Not As Usual,"
Nov. 3, page 117).
In 1972, the Libertarian
candidate for vice president was
Toni Nathan. She received one
electoral vote. She was the first
Jew and first woman to get an
electoral vote.
In 1988, the Libertarian can-
didate for vice president was
Andre Marrou. In 1992, Marrou
was the Libertarian candidate for
president and Nancy Lord was
the candidate for vice president.
Both are Jews.
Leonard Schwartz

I must question why a review
of a book written by a man
using the name "Ehrenstein"
(claiming that he had a Jewish
father but was raised a
Catholic) was included in the
Jewish News ("Secrets of the Sil-
ver Screen," Nov. 3, page 91).
The book, except for men-
tioning a few Jewish names,
contains absolutely nothing
related to the Jewish people, its
religion or its moral and ethical
values.
The book jacket cover states
that it is "good gossip." There
is no such thing as "good gos-
sip." Whether researched or

Oak Park

LETTERS on page 40

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2000

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