Staff Notebook
Jewish Outrage
Twenty Jewish Detroiters have signed a letter written
by Southfield's Abraham Pasternak to the French
ambassador to the United States in response to the
outbreak of anti-Semitism sweeping France.
Stores were vandalized, synagogues were burned
and Israeli soccer players, guests of the French govern-
ment, were beaten up by
French citizens, Pasternak
wrote.
'All of these incidents
occurred under the watchful
eyes of the French authorities.
Is this the French-style
Kristallnacht?" he asked. "Is
ours not the country of the
Enlightment, of the revolu-
tion, of liberty, equality and
fraternity?"
Abe Pasternak
"Why do you let your citi-
zens burn the American flag?"
he added. "What has that great country ever done to
harm the French people? Many Americans gave their
lives in the two world wars to keep alive the spirit of
the French Revolution."
French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin responded to
the anti-Jewish wave, Pasternak wrote, by stating, "It
is extremely difficult to guarantee safety at all places
where Jews gather."
That's certainly how Jews in Tel Aviv feel, Pasternak
wrote in conclusion.
— Robert A. Sklar
Advising The U.N.
• lek
4/26
2002
12
A Harvard University professor
with Oak 'Park roots is switch-
ing to Columbia University this
summer to have more impact
on the world scene.
Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, 47, is an
Oak Park native who graduated
from Oak Park High School in
1972. He earned his undergrad-
uate and graduate degrees at
Harvard, in Cambridge, Mass.,
and was hired as a full professor
Dr. Jeffrey Sachs
of economics after earning his
Ph.D. in 1980.
. He has headed Harvard's Center for International
Development, and is best known for helping Bolivia,
Poland, Russia and other Latin, Asian and African
governments move toward free-market economies.
He was highly critical of International Monetary
Fund policies that contributed to the economic col-
lapse in Asia during the late 1990s, and he has helped
raise funds for AIDS relief in developing nations.
Dr. Sachs is moving to Columbia University in
New York City to head the Earth Institute, which
advises the United Nations on climate change, sus-
tainable development and communicable diseases. He
already serves as an adviser to U.N. Secretary-General
Kofi Annan.
Dr. Sachs is married and has three children. His sis-
ter, Andrea, also is in New York, working as a
reporter on the publishing beat for Time magazine.
Their mother, Joan, lives in West Bloomfield. Their
late father, Theodore Sachs, was a prominent Detroit
labor attorney and general counsel for the Michigan •
Democratic Party and the state American Federation
of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations.
Alan Hitsky
Teen Yellow Pages
When teen-agers are depressed, conflicted or in trou-
ble, they frequently need more help than parents or
schools can provide. However,
they usually don't have the expe-
rience to know where to go for
that help
Members of the National
Council of Jewish Women,
Greater Detroit Section, saw the
need for a reference book to
guide teens to social service
agency hotlines, sanctuaries, hos-
pital emergency rooms and other
services in Oakland County.
After months of research, the
organization has published its first
Teen Yellow Pages.
The organization printed 50,000 copies of the 34-
page booklet, at a cost of about $13,000, said project
co-chair Marsha Zucker of Huntington Woods.
"There's nothing else like it in Oakland County," she
said.
While major funding for the project came from the
NCJW Detroit Section, private donations also
helped, she said. Along with Zucker, project co-chairs
were Sandra Leshman of West Bloomfield and Joyce
Blum of Southfield.
About 47,500 copies of the Teen Yellow Pages have
been distributed so far. They went to schools,
libraries, Common Ground Sanctuary,.the Women's
Survival Center, Oakland County Probate Court and
similar local sites.
"People are calling for more copies for their agen-
cies," Zucker said. "The Common Ground Teen Line
and SPACE [NCJW's non-sectarian support service]
have both reported an increase in calls since the book
came out."
The Teen Yellow Pages measures roughly 5 inches by
3 3/4 inches. "We wanted it to fit into the back pock-
et of a pair of jeans, so kids could carry it around,"
Zucker said.
In addition to sources of help, the booklet also
includes advice on such topics as how to identify
signs of suicidal depression and "The Law and You."
And, yes, on the very first page, the authors of the
Teen Yellow Pages advise talking to other "people in
your life who can listen and be helpful." And "par-
ents" lead the list.
— Diana Lieberman
Kosher Eating
Oak Park will see the closing of one kosher restaurant
and the opening of another — all in the course of
three days.
Taste of Class, a three-year-old casual dining eatery,
will close its doors Sunday, April 28, after serving its
final meals from 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Owner Chuck
Ehrenreich cites high operating expenses as the reason
for the restaurant's closing.
On Wednesday, May 1, Miriam's Place will debut
at the Oak Park Jewish Community Center in an area
recently renovated for the short-lived Soup Bowl Deli.
Owner Miriam Ehrenreich will bring expertise
gained as manager of Taste of Class to the 60-seat
casual, deli and family dining restaurant.
Made-to-order and pre-cooked meals will be pre-
pared by former Taste of Class chef John Murdock.
Miriam's Place will be open Monday-Thursday, 11
a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-8 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.;
and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
— Shelli Liebman Dorfinan
New Arrival
After a six-month battle with the U.S. Immigration and
Naturalization Service, Orna and Reid Willis finally got to bring
their baby home from Cambodia.
In October, Koun Nga, a 3 '/2-month-old, was referred to the
Willises for adoption from a Cambodian orphanage. Completing
all the paperwork and extensive interviews, the Commerce
Township couple should have been able to pick up their daugh-
ter in February (Jewish News, Feb. 8, page 14), but an INS inves-
tigation of illegal baby trafficking put a halt to all Cambodian
adoptions.
After numerous letters to U.S. government officials, the
Willises were finally able to gain custody of Koun Nga on April
8 in a ceremony at the orphanage.
"She was quiet and listless for about a day or so," said Reid.
"She didn't cry, which made it even sadder. But, in a day or two,
she began to attach to us."
The couple has named her Nina, now 9 '/2 months. "She's
healthy and alert and fun and funny, and I just get choked up
every time I talk about her."
— Harry Kirsbaum
Shirr Bilik, 22, holds her new baby
sister, Nina Willis, shortly after her
arrival from Cambodia.