This Week

Cover Story/War On Terrorism

ALERT from page 15

"I believe in destiny, what is
beshert is beshert (meant to
be). When this event hap-
pened, I became so shaken, I
nearly wanted to crawl under
a table, but it didn't last."

— Erna Gorman,
Bloomfield Township

"Seeing the tragedy, the
bombings, brought back
some memories of the
Holocaust. I personally feel
that Holocaust survivors don't
take it as bad as some
Americans because we've seen
so many things happen. It's
shocking, and it's surprising. I
never thought it would happen in this country.
But I guess it did and we just have to go on."

— Jack Gun,
West Bloomfield

"In Auschwitz in November
1942, we used a safety net I
called the Auschwitz syn-
drome. We excluded every-
thing around us and just fol-
lowed our noses. You didn't -
push yourself, you didn't want
to be noticed, you just kept
thinking about the present
and. one thing, to survive.
"I believe that this syndrome has been with
me all along. When the tragedy happened, or
anything horrible happens in my life, that syn-
drome sets in and allows be to go on with my
everyday business. When I saw the second
plane zooming in; it was so horrible that I
think it set in and it hasn't affected me that
much. I could fly to Israel tomorrow with no
fear."

— George Vine,
West Bloomfield

"I'm not changing anything. I agree that the
security they are doing is a necessity, and the
inconvenience is there but we're willing to put
up with it.
We understand and we have to be patient
because what the country is doing is the proper
thing. At the Memorial Home, I'm a little
more careful opening the mail.
"Many of our members discussed the High
Holy Day services this year and there was extra
security, which I appreciated. Some of our
members were a little leery, but most of them
stood up and said, 'They're not going to
change our lives."'

— Robert Feldman,
Southfield president of the Jewish War Veterans
Memorial Home.

11/9

2001

18

writing letters to children of vic-
tims in New York.
At Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield,
students have been writing their
pen pals at the Ariel School in
Mevaseret-Tzion in Israel.
"The children there are quite
interested in life in America fol-
lowing the Sept. 11 tragedy,
and our students report back to
them," said the principal, Rabbi
Rabbi Yigal Tsaidi
Yigal Tsaidi.
His students also are express-
ing concern about the future. They've wondered:
Was this the beginning of World War III? Will there
be war on American soil? Will Detroit be a target?
Now student concerns center on the threat of
anthrax, he said.

Anthrax. Or No Anthrax?

The current rash of anthrax cases, leading to four
deaths so far and 13 other confirmed cases, has
fueled fear of bio-terrorism.
"This is the wake-up call that the government has
finally responded to," said Dr. Jeffrey Band, former
head of the special pathogens branch that handles bio-
terrorism at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.
"The threat of bio-terrorism has existed for a
number of years and our state of preparedness prior
to Sept. 11 was in relatively poor shape," said Dr.
Band, now director of the division of infectious dis-
eases and international medicine at William
Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.
He does not consider anthrax a major public
health problem, and says the threat to the average
U.S. citizen is almost nil.
"We are better prepared today," he says, referring
to rapid-response teams, "and we will become better
prepared for years to come."
Seeking personal protection, many people have
called Steve Kendler of Metropolitan Uniform in
Berkley, looking for gas masks.
"We tell them to save their money," said Kendler
of Farmington Hills. "The bottom line is if you're
not carrying it around 24 hours a day, it won't do
you any good. By the time you know to put it on, it
would be too late anyway."

on an empty-hand self-defense system of street fight-
ing created in 1948 by the Israel Defense Forces. It
teaches a person how to react instantly under stress.
"Pretty much the entire body is suitable as a
weapon," said Nick Colling, owner and the highest-
ranking instructor of Krav Maga in Michigan.
"This technique has no wasted movement and
does not involve long-term instruction just to learn
the basics," he said. "People today don't have five to
10 years to devote to a style to defend themselves."
Students of all sizes are taught how to disarm gun-
or knife-wielding attackers and escape chokeholds or
grabs under any conditions.
Classes are offered at $79 a month, and the
Academy has seen a steady increase of students since
it was first offered three years ago, Coiling said.
'At first, we offered a discount to law enforcement
members. Since Sept. 11, we've offered the same
deal to airline personnel," he said.
Another personal safety course, based on pressure
points, soon will be offered at the Franklin Fitness
& Racquet Club in Southfield.
Ethan Boardman of West Bloomfield is a CDT
instructor who teaches a system developed in 1992.
It has been taught to the FBI, Drug Enforcement
Agency and personal bodyguards, he said.
"Before Sept. 11, 1,000 people a month signed up
nationally to take classes," he said. "Since Sept 11,
about 8,000 a month have signed up."
Less rigorous than Krav Maga, CDT teaches how to
analyze a situation and techniques to use. Courses
include family protection, which trains each member
of the family — including children — to act as a unit.
For some people, an empty-hand system is not
enough.
Just ask Ray, owner of Target Sports in Royal Oak.
He said handgun sales in his store have tripled since
Sept. 11. Before the attacks, his inventory would

Pro-Active Measures

While some people have become more cautious after
Sept. 11, others have become more pro-active, learn-
ing self-defense techniques or even buying a hand-
gun to avoid being victims.
In the well-lit mirrored room of the Dragon Academy
in Livonia, three students take turns practicing a move
against a knife-wielding attacker.
With a slash attempt by the aggressor, another stu-
dent practices a quick block with a forearm and a
locking move that renders the knife harmless and
the aggressor's mid-section exposed. In seconds, the
knife lies on the mat beside the student, and the
aggressor is pinned to the floor. In real life, the
aggressor would suffer broken ribs and would proba-
bly be unconscious.
Krav Maga, Hebrew for contact combat, is based

Tony Gazzarato of Livonia and Greg Hall of Brighton
spar in a Krav Maga class.

