Ken Gold of West
Bloomfield, David
Segaloff of Ann
Arbor and Martin
Baum of Detroit
look at the damage
at the Park Hotel in
Netanya, where a
suicide bomber
killed 29 people
during a Passover
seder there.

Photo by Debbie Hill

Walking Among Heroes

Detroit Mission goers get feel for stress, grace of Israeli life threatened by terrorism.

DON COHEN

Special to the Jewish News

Jerusalem

Ell

XII

5/24
2002

16

ifteen years ago, Leo Hollander visited
Israel to enjoy the country and deepen his
connection to the Jewish state. But this
time it-wasn't what Israel could do for
him that brought Hollander to Israel.
"I'm here to support my people ; " said Hollander
of Southfield. "I'll do sightseeing on another occa-
sion. Once I made up my mind to come, I never
wavered."
For Hollander and the other 46 participants on
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
Solidarity Mission, May 19-24 — and for the hun-
dreds who have participated in the three missions
during the past 15 months — the goal was to literal-
ly be there for Israel. The Detroit delegation made
up almost a third of the 175 people on the nation-
wide United Jewish Communities Israel Now
Solidarity Mission.
The first two days of the mission underscored the
stress, but also the grace-under-pressure Israelis
exhibit daily. Terrorism — its threat and aftermath
— was an underlying theme.
At the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Institute, terrorism
expert Ehud Sprinzak gave the group an analysis of the
common threats Israel and the Western world face.
"Israel has been alone, or almost alone, in the
fight against terrorism," Sprinzak said, but he is con-
fident the European Union will join America and
Great Britain in understanding that this is their
fight, too. "Israel is in the forefront of understand-
ing the nature of the new threat. Israel is on the side
of the angels."

Recognizing there is "no 100-percent effective
counter-terrorism," Sprinzak nevertheless believes
"we will be successful in the fight against terrorism
because we are just, and because we represent the
struggle of organized, civilized society. It may be dark
now and for a while, but it is going to be brighter."
The group took this sobering, but upbeat message
with them to the modest Tel Aviv headquarters of
NATAL, the Israel Trauma Center for Victims of
Terror and War.
NATAL Chairperson Judith Recanti, who recently
spoke at Detroit's April 28 Israel solidarity rally,
explained that when NATAL was started in 1997,
peace seemed close, and they expected to serve pre-
vious victims. Now, the upsurge in terrorism has
them struggling to meet demand. NATALs toll-free
hotline receives up to 50 calls a day, requiring

immediate attention and regular follow-up for vic-
tims as well as their parents, children, siblings,
friends and neighbors.
In addition to the hotline, NATAL maintains a
clinical center, social and therapeutic clubs, a Web
site and a community. outreach team.
"Let's do something now This is an important
response to terror," Nathan Roth of Oak Park told the
group as he started an impromptu collection for
NATAL that was immediately turned over to the staff.

Children Touched By Terrorism

Upon arriving in Jerusalem, the group went straight
to the Western Wall before discussing issues and
Israeli public opinion with the new editor of the
Jerusalem Post and a Hebrew University professor.

Howard
Rosenberg
(white shirt) of
Bloomfield Hills
and Ken Gold,
left, join students
from the Tali
Frankel School
in Jerusalem in
a dance.

