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August 09, 2002 - Image 6

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2002-08-09

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

LETTERS

We porrefre ie lcetttleertsteth
rsatBrreelvaitty
Jewish News. We reserve the right to
e to encouraged.
Letters must contain the name, address and title of the writer, and a daytime
telephone number. Original copies must be hand signed. Mail to the Jewish News
at 30301 Northwestern Highway, Suite 200, Farmington Hills, MI 48334;
fax to (248) 539-3075; or e-mail to: rsklar@thejewishnews.com

Humble Gift
Inspiring Gesture

At last! A - philanthropist who wishes
to remain anonymous donates $20
million to the Jewish Academy of
Metropolitan Detroit and, in addi-
tion, with the only stipulation that it
is not to be used for construction
("Breathtaking Gift," July 19, page
18). Kudos to him.
Aside from his making a very gen-
erous gift for a good cause, the
donor isn't seeking any pats on the
back, his name on a building or
honors at a dinner with a plaque,
etc. To me, a big added plus is his
stipulation that it not be used for
construction. Every Jewish charity or
non-profit organization that receives
a large donation immediately needs
a larger, more grandiose building.
His donation is for a very good
cause. Mainly through Jewish educa-
tion can Judaism endure.
Celia Cowan

Huntington Woods

Teratology Service
A Community Plus

I belatedly read your article
("Community Outreach," Feb. 8,
page 32) covering numerous recent,
wonderful programs that have
received financial support from the
Jewish Fund; needless to say, I was
tremendously impressed.
I'm not sure just how "recent" the
list is because there was a project to
which the Fund contributed that was
of particular importance to me, but
which I do not believe received any
coverage in any previous report.
Over a period of approximately six
years, the Benard L. Maas
Foundation engaged in an ongoing
effort to structure a program at
Children's Hospital . of Michigan,
which is thankfully in place and
functioning, titled the Michigan
Teratology Information Service.
The program provides guidance to
women in the area who are either
pregnant or anticipating pregnancy
and who have unfortunately come
under the influence of any or all of
the following: alcohol, tobacco,
street drugs or prescription drugs.
This program is an effort to enable
the mother-to-be to deliver a healthy
and normal child.

It was our feeling that the Detroit
area was greatly in need of this type

8/ 9

2002

6

of program, which already was func-
tioning in approximately 20 other
locations in the United States.
The Maas Foundation, after a long
and strenuous effort, finally succeed-
ed in obtaining financial support
from other sources to join us in
moving the project forward. They
were the Kellogg Foundation, Joe
Dumars Foundation and Children's
Hospital, as well as the Jewish Fund.
Hiram A. Dorfman

The BenchMark Campaign is
designed to educate and involve the
Jewish community in the confirma-
tion process of the men and women
nominated to federal courts.
National Council of Jewish Women
is the leading pro-choice organiza-
tion in the Jewish community and is
committed to ensuring the future of
reproductive rights for all. Mr.
Besser's article fully describes the
reasons NCJW is committed to save

Bloomfield Hills

Roe vs. Wade.
NCJW's BenchMark Campaign is a
resource for the Jewish community
to learn more about the nominees.
An individual can log on to the
BenchMark Web site,
www.benchmarkcampaign.org and,
with the click of a mouse, inform
senators of one's opinion about a
nominee for federal judge. Besser
quoted Sammie Moshenberg, direc-
tor of NCJW's Washington office,
who cautions that President George
W. Bush may have the opportunity
to fill 30 percent of federal appellate
court seats and, possibly, between
one and three U.S. Supreme Court
justices.
You are asked to join NCJW
members by advocating for a federal
judiciary that holds firm to the con-
stitutional principles so essential to
maintaining our democratic way of
life. NCJW invites the Jewish com-
munity to log on to wvvw.ncjw.org
for information regarding other
timely issues, including support of
Israel. Take action. Let your legisla-
tors know your thoughts by using
the NCJW Web sites.
Florence Herrmann
president,
NCJW Greater Detroit Section
Southfield

Israel Strike
On Target

So President George W. Bush has
described Israel's pinpoint military
strike that killed Hamas leader, Salah
Shehada, as heavy-handed. I don't
remember President Bush depicting
a recent U.S. air strike in
Afghanistan that killed scores of
civilians attending a wedding as
heavy-handed.
Shehada was personally responsible
for the killing of large numbers of
Israeli citizens by masterminding
suicide bombings. Israel had the
same obligation to its people to
exterminate Shehada as the U.S. has
to kill Osama bin Laden. Does any-
one really believe that if President
Bush had bin Laden in his crosshairs
and could kill him at a potential cost
of 14 innocent civilians, that he
would do anything different than
[Israeli Prime Minister] Ariel
Sharon?
While the loss of innocent lives is
tragic, hunting down terrorist chief-
tains remains the top priority for all
free people.
Raymond Dubin

I was told to go home and turn on
the radio; the riot that began on
Belle Isle (by rumor) had spread in
all directions. Cars with families in
them were burned and overturned. It
was race against race. Uninvolved
whites and blacks stayed home.
On the national news, Walter
Winchell screamed: "Our country is
at war. Shame on you, Detroit." And
a shame it was. It needed the
National Guard to bring it to an
end, resulting in unbelievable dam-
age to Detroit in property and life
and reputation.
When the riot was over, we bought
a small grocery store where I grew
up and my parents still lived: the
Fenkell area. We had it for three
years. We were protected by our cus-
tomers and we had no problems. It
seemed the city was healing and
there wouldn't be such a tragedy to
come upon Detroit again.
When the riot in 1967 became
known, most people stayed home
and hoped it wouldn't get to or
beyond Six Mile Road. When it
became known that it began over a
raid by Detroit Police over a black
men's card game with drinks, it was
hard to believe that the police used
such poor judgment. Of course,
there were great losses to businesses
and some areas never recovered.
To Detroit's credit, as respected
and beloved as was the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr., his assassination
brought much shock and grief, but
Detroit stayed sad and calm.
Washington, D.C., got the brunt of
that horrible act in April 1968.
Surely, I'm not the only one who
remembers these vital points of
Detroit history.
Gert Left

Southfield

Farmington Hills

Talk To Lawmakers
Via NCJW's Sites

In Washington Correspondent James
D. Besser's column, "Christian
Support" (July 19, page 22), he
referred to a possible break in the
legislative logjam over federal judi-
cial nominees with the confirmation
of the appointment of Lavenski R.
Smith to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals.
He further described the ambitious
undertaking of the BenchMark
Campaign by the National Council
of Jewish Women (NCJW).

Remember The
Riots Of 1943

The Detroit riots of 1967, remem-
bered in your article "Remember
The Riots" (July 26, page 14), are
not the Detroit riots that this senior
citizen remembers well.
It was in the early 1940s and
World War II was going full blast.
The Blue Stars in windows became
Gold Stars. I had a little girl and was
pregnant. I went to 12th Street and
Hazelwood to get a bus.
Two men who worked at a store
there and knew me said, "Where are
you going?"
"Downtown," I answered.

University Attack
Is A New Low

After the recent bombing at the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem, it is
clearer than ever how little regard
and value Palestinians have for
human life("No Safe Haven," Aug.
2, page 14).
They will massacre anyone, any-
where, sending their children off on
suicide missions and dancing in the
streets delighted with their "success-
es" and their $25,000 cash bounty.
Yet, they cannot be missed wailing
in the streets, when inadvertently
one of their own children are killed

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