Cover Story

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mg terrorism, Detroit Jews

DAVID SACHS
Senior Copy Editor

"It will always have a personal affect
on me. I'll always see the faces of these
children.
Robin had decided to go to Israel to
celebrate his wife Susan's 50th birth-
day as well as their 25th wedding
.anniversary. He wound up being
joined by Susan's brother, Joel
Rosenberg of Bloomfield Hills, and
sister, Linda Rosenberg Chess of
Houston, as well as het parents,
Harold and Shirley Rosenberg of
Farmington Hills.
All six of the Rosenberg clan linked
up in Israel with Linda's son, Mark
Chess, who works in a venture capital
firm in Tel Aviv.
Robin, one of five Detroiters on the
mission visiting Israel for the first
time, said, "Since my father died in
January, I wanted to put his yarmulke
in the Western Wall and say Kaddish."
His sons Adam, 21, and Daniel, 20,
will be coming to Israel in two weeks
as part of the March of the Living pro-
gram, which visits death camp sites in
Poland prior to touring Israel.
"I feel better about them coming to
Israel now," he said.

"

Jerusalenz

T

he elementary school
teacher unexpectedly
turned the tables on the 24
Detroit Jews visiting her
class in Israel's Central Galilee, the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit's sister region.
The teacher encouraged her class of
10- and 11-year-olds to ask questions
of the two dozen Detroiters — part of
500 Jews on United Jewish
Communities' Dec. 3-6 IsraelNow sol-
idarity mission — who had been ply-
ing the kids with questions about
Israel for 10 minutes.
When the encounter was over, Neal
Robin of Farmington Hills offered
"high-five" hand slaps to the kids as
they filed past him. One girl
approached him and asked, "Are you
afraid to be in Israel?"
"No," Robin responded. "Are you
afraid?"
"Yes," said the child.
"You don't have to be afraid — we'll
always be here for you," replied Robin.
"Then she put her little hand in
mine and gave me a big smile and I
was almost in tears.
"I'm a different person after this
trip," he said. "I'll never feel the same
way again — sitting at home, hearing
of terrorism in Israel.

12/14
2001

14

Terrorism At Onset

The mission's Detroit contingent was
sponsored by Federation in coopera-
tion with the Detroit Jewish News and
the Jewish Community Council of
Metropolitan Detroit.

During the week, mis-
we re vicious. Laden with
sion-goers broke bread
nails, screws and nuts,
with everyday Israelis and
they blew shrapnel into
gained insight about their
the bodies of the mainly
workaday lives. But the
teenage Israelis hanging
Detroiters also offered
our on a Saturday night.
moral and economic sup-
Ten died and 175 were
port to a nation reeling
injured, many severely.
from terrorist atrocities
Hours later in Haifa, a
and_ a tourism meltdown.
suicide bomber boarded a
Since the latest
bus and detonated him-
Palestinian intifada
David Sachs
self, murdering 15 com-
(uprising) began in
muters.
September 2000, suicide
Amid scenes of the
bombings aimed at destroying Israelis'
destruction on the TV news, four
peace of mind have been more brazen
Detroiters decided at the last minute
and frequent.
not to go.
Due to safery concerns, tourists have
But for two dozen others already
abandoned Israel in droves. A 90 per-
packed for Israel, the terrorist threat
cent drop-off in tourism caused vast
only strength-ened their desire to go on
unemployment across the society- — as
with the trip.
Israelis cope with ongoing fear. Still
everyday life goes on, as the two dozen
A Firm Resolve
Detroiters learned.
As it turned out, the Detroit contin-
Joel Rosenberg, who, like brother-ih-
gent's trip ended uneventfully, terror-
law Neal Robin was a first-time travel-
ism-wise. But the mission started our
er to Israel, said before their departure,
very differently — under a tremen-
"We feel that with what's going on, it's
dous terrorist threat.
more important to go. Just to show
Just hours before the Detroit contin- that they can't stop us.
gent was to take off for Israel Dec. 2,
"It kind of steels your resolve. We
suicide bombers struck Jerusalem's
feel stronger about it than we did
popular Ben Yehuda Street shopping
before."
pavilion and also blew up a crowded
_ His mom, Shirley Rosenberg,
bus in Haifa.
agreed. "We brought travelers checks
The three bombs that exploded
to spend over there, because their
minutes apart on the Jerusalem street
economy is suffering so much. And