Left to right:
Members of the
Israeli Scouts
Friendship
Caravan 2001
perform at
Charlotte
Rothstein Park.
Beni Shoham,
of Shilo in the
West Bank,
speaks at the
service.
Message of unity punctuates concert performance.
"Arafat is not strong enough to control the
Palestinians," she said. "He's frightened to death,
even though he acts like he's the leader, and he's got
his henchmen behind him who are stronger. Israel
should take back the West Bank. I've never heard of
a war where the victors have to give back land. That
I can't believe."
Hermina Hirsch of Southfield, who has relatives
in Israel and some nieces and nephews in the Israeli
army, is worried.
"It's heartbreaking. I'm not a politician and I can't
think like a politician, but I can only hope that
peace will come. How it will come I don't know,"
she said.
Henry Sons of Southfield said Israel should act
stronger. He emigrated from the Soviet Union 22
years ago. His sister lives 50 meters from the restau-
rant in Haifa that was bombed on Sunday, leaving
15 people injured.
"We know how we have to handle our enemies,"
he said. "It is enough. We [dealt with] Hitler and
Himmler. We don't need any more of this."
Personal Tragedy
Beni Shoham of Israel, whose 5 72-month-old son
died of massive head injuries caused by a rock
thrown by Palestinian Arabs through the front
windshield of the family car in Ra'anana on June
5, told his story to the crowd as part of the service.
The West Bank incident provoked an outpour-
ing of sympathy from around the world, he said.
"What we learned is that our people are strong
and Jews around the world are supporting us," said
Shoham, who lives in Shilo in the West Bank with
his wife Bat-Sheva, granddaughter of Oak Park's
Alex Saltsman.
"The Arabs, it doesn't matter to them," Shoham
said. "They hit someone in Shilo, they hit some-
one in Tel Aviv or in Haifa. A Jew is a Jew wher-
ever he is. That is why we need your support. We
are the messengers of am Yisroel (the Jewish peo-
ple) all over the world. We are living in Israel and
we need you to continue to give us the strength to
stocks and bonds, or beginning a pen-pal relation-
continue with our lives."
ship with an Israeli in Detroit's Partnership 2000
After the service, Bat-Sheva said, "We hoped that
region in the Central Galilee.
our loss brought something forward — that some-
Hananel Edri, 17, of Kiryat Shmona, one of the
10 Israeli scouts, all 17, who performed Sunday, said
thing changed because of it. But people keep getting
killed every day now, and it's very hard to see that
it's rough being away from Israel when something
things haven't changed, and no one's doing anything
like the bombing happens.
"When we meet Americans, it shows the other
to stop the bloodshed.
"We're going to keep on building and living there,
side of Israel that they're not seeing on the news," he
because we believe it's our land," she said.
said. "It's hard to be in tough situations, but we're
Beni said the Jews just want to be left alone to live
still stable, we're still strong. And we feel together-
in peace. "We don't want to kill them or harm them.
ness with Jews here." ❑
They can live peacefully
in their villages, we'll
live peacefully in our
towns, and that's it," he
said. "This is our moth-
erland, this is our
Promised Land, we're
not going nowhere.
"This is the only
country the Jews have
"We're really proud of the
HARRY KT RSBAUM
around the world. We
response from our community to
Staf fWriter
don't have somewhere
participate in showing their solidari-
else. Anti-Semitism is
ty with Israel," said Penny
he recent violence in Israel has
increasing around the
Blumenstein, Federation president.
had little effect on the numbers
world. We have one
"The most important thing that we.
of people who have signed up for
place that God gave to
as a Jewish community, can do is to
the IsraelNow and Forever Solidarity
us, and we'll stick there.
be there. This is just the first of
Mission to Israel, Sept. 9-14.
We'll be there forever."
other trips that people will take to
According to Kellee Robinson,
The JCCouncil passed
stand with their family in Israel."
assistant mission coordinator, 58
out pamphlets that gave
people have signed up for the trip,
a crash course in Middle
and no one has cancelled.
East history, where to
The $999 fee for the Solidarity
Organized by the United Jewish
get more information
Mission includes a roundtrip
Communities, the New-York based
on the World Wide
flight from Detroit to New York
umbrella agency for North American
Web and a list of 10
to Tel Aviv, with business class
federations, the mission is planned
actions every American
upgrades available. It also
by the Jewish Federation of
Jew can do for Israel.
includes hotel, some meals, and
Metropolitan Detroit in conjunction
The list included
transportation in Israel. To regis-
Frith the Jewish Community
writing elected officials,
ter, call (248) 642-4260, ext. 141.
Council and with sponsorship from
monitoring media
the Jewish News.
reports, buying Israeli
Mission Undeterred
IsraelNow Mission sign-ups have not slowed.
❑
8/17
2001
15