EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
2002 QX4
The Warmth Of A New Beginning
I
n the chilly hours of uncertainty following the
Sunday night fire that raced through the Detroit
Jewish News offices, I was warmed by the spirit
and hope of our staff— my second family.
At the height of the blaze, ruled accidental by investi-
gators, there we were, huddled in the night under a
smoky sky, watching helplessly as our "second home" was
crumbling in the wind-swept flames: Some prayed.
Others cried. Many shared fond memories — everything
from a good laugh to the satisfaction of a job well done.
I've been a journalist for nearly 30 years and have cov-
ered countless fires, but this was the first time I became
part of the story — an eerie feeling, to say the least.
Everyone vowed to press on. The building that had
housed the Jewish News and Style magazine since 1989
now was a charred hulk. But our determination to pub-
lish during this trying time grew - by the
moment.
The fire's fury humbled the building,
also the corporate offices for Jewish
Renaissance Media (JRM). But the Jewish
News, what we like to think of as the
heartbeat of Detroit Jewry, didn't flinch.
The people who produce the newspaper
ROBERT A. vowed to do whatever it took to come
out this week — and not break a string
SKLAR
of
publishing every Friday for nearly 60
Editor
years in service to Detroit Jewry.
Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken
Glass on Nov. 9-10 in 1938, which helped ignite the
Holocaust, came to mind for Gina Horwitz, assistant
store manager for Jewish.com , a JRM subsidiary, as she
watched the firefighters on Sunday break windows in
hopes of controlling the flames.
"I screamed," said Gina, wife of Jewish News publisher
Arthur Horwitz. "I thought of my mother, Berta Wesler,
who escaped Dortmund, Germany, at age 11 on the
Kindertransport. The glass and
flames — it got me thinking of
all the things inside the build-
ing. It was such an invasion.
The Jewish News is like a home
away from home for so many."
Stunning Outpouring
If I could have, I would have
bottled the energy emanating
from those who had gathered at
the fire and given it to the
brave firefighters — people like
us, but who were risking their
lives so none of the nearby
Gina Horwitz
buildings were sucked in by the
vortex. I was that sure the ener-
gy would have doused the
flames.
One by one, other members of the media who were
there to cover the story expressed their sorrow to me
and told me how moved they were by our resolve.
Clearly, our inspired sense of standing behind our
friend, mentor and publisher, Arthur Horwitz, had res-
onated against the backdrop of singed beams, broken
glass and an unbending belief that, somehow, we'd be
back to work tomorrow.
Somehow, that helped make what unfolded with a
vengeance before our eyes palpable.
Many people from the community also rushed to our
side, elated no one was hurt, but fearing for our future.
They also brought a caring hand, a kind heart and their
prayers that the blaze wasn't an anti-Semitic or terrorist
act. -
Philip Slomovitz, the founding publisher and editor
who saw his dream for a vibrant, independent local
Jewish newspaper come true in 1942, in the wake of
Hitler's insanity, surely would have been pleased by the
integral role the Jewish News continues to play in the
community. We've never wavered in our commitment to
coverage, insight and perspective as the voice for Detroit
Jewry.
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Color Of Fire
As we tested the patience of the firefighters by continual-
ly crossing the fire lines, I was mesmerized by the shoot-
ing flames. They were red and
gold, the hues of aish, of fire.
God came down on Mount
Sinai "in fire," the midrash
relates. It teaches that God's
Torah is fire (Aish-Dat), that if
you come too near, you get
burned, that if you stay too far
away, you get cold.
I knew God was with us
Sunday night. It was as if
heard God say, "Let us rise up ,
together from the ashes."
Rabbi Alon Tolwin is head of
the Birmingham-based Aish
Center, which has held weekly
lunch-and-learns at the Jewish
News for 13 years. The study
sessions have drawn many from
the community.
Rabbi Tolwin teaches how fire, representing the
Torah, burned on the altar of the ancient Temple in
Jerusalem and that "every aspect of our lives" is used to
keep the fire of God burning.
"Fire is powerful and scary, but it can be comforting
and constructive," the rabbi said.
As our staff regroups and the community rallies on
,our behalf with countless heartfelt offers of help, I can't
help but think Rabbi Tolwin is right:
We as a community should consider using Sunday's
fire as a springboard to revisit some of our highest-pri-
ority communal issues, including Jewish education, sup-
port for Israel, spiritual growth and senior needs.
We not only would have the opportunity to rebound
together from what happened Sunday, but also grow
together from the "fire" that is Torah, the balance point
to who we are as Jews and which has given us our
tenacity as a people.
By doing this, even in the chill of despair, I know that
we — together — would find the fiery, precious
warmth of God's blessing. ❑
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