LETTERS
We prefer letters that relate to articles in the Jewish News. We reserve the right to
edit or reject letters. Brevity is 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: rsldar@thejewishnews.com
Kever Avot
Special Mitzvah
On Sunday, Sept. 15, I went to Hebrew
Memorial Cemetery in Clinton
Township as part of the Kever Avot
(Graves of our Ancestors) program co-
sponsored by Temple Israel and Ira
Kaufman Chapel. We arrived in a series
of buses, which took seniors to various
destinations. A volunteer was assigned to
each person.
We sat together on the bus and chat-
ted. We all received a bottle of water, a
sandwich, a bag of chips and a juice box
— also a memorial service in English
and Hebrew.
Not only were we assisted on and off
the bus, but when we arrived at the
cemetery, the plots were marked off. My
volunteers walked with me to my hus-
band's and parents' plots, and read the
service with me. A wheelchair was avail-
able if needed.
I commend the group that sponsors
this yearly service and the volunteers
who gave of themselves. The thanks of
the community go out to these wonder-
ful people.
Faye Bloom
corresponding secretary
Teitel Jewish Apartments
executive board
Oak Park
Shulman Helps
Overcome Cuts
Our community today is much better
off, and so are many of our family mem-
bers, because of the commitment of state
Rep. Marc Shulman of W
_ est Bloomfield
to helping those most in need.
Until 10 months ago, I had never met
him. I called him and asked for 10 min-
utes of his time to talk about Oakland
County's 18 percent cut in funding to
JVS and JARC's clients with develop-
mental disabilities and chronic mental ill-
ness. Two hours later, our community
had a tireless behind-the-scenes worker.
After countless meetings with represen-
tatives from local, county and state com-
munity mental health agencies, all on his
personal time, Rep. Shulman was able to
secure $3 million in additional funding
for mental health needs. He even made
sure that a significant amount of these
new dollars were earmarked for Jewish
agencies and our clients.
If that wasn't enough, he has spent the
last year convincing the Michigan
Legislature that the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitah Detroit should receive a
direct line-item funding from the state
9/2 7
2002
6
budget. Due to his efforts, our Jewish
community, and therefore our local agen-
cies, will receive an additional $250,000
this year, with that amount most likely
doubling next year.
This was something that he personally
accomplished almost singlehandedly,
without the help of Federation.
We have had Jewish state legislators
before, but none that have made the
impact in Lansing and locally as Rep.
Shulman has done. He is committed,
accessible and willing to lead and educate
both [political] parties in Lansing about
the wonderful accomplishments of our -
Jewish community. Rep. Shulman, we all
thank you for the impact that you con-
tinue to have on our community's most
vulnerable population.
Dennis S. Bernard
Today, my husband came home from
the Health Club at the Jewish
Community Center in West Bloomfield
and informed me that the Health Club
has been renamed the Club at the J.
Are we ashamed or too sensitive to
put our Jewishness up front when we
should be proud to put the full name on
our wonderful Jewish organizations and
institutions?
Debbie Iwrey
West Bloomfield
Beshert Connection
Assisting Singles
I am writing in response to last week's
article regarding online Jewish dating
services ("Cyber. Dating," Sept. 13, page
immediate past chair, JVS 102).
Southfield
This certainly is an important service
offered to the Jewish community. One
very successful network that was not
mentioned was Temple Israel's Beshert
Connection.
Founded in 1997, the Beshert
The meaning of the Kol Nidrei prayer is
Connection
is a non-event-driven singles
not in the simple translation. If it were,
network
that
enables Jewish singles to
-certainly such a dry legal formula would
meet
in
a
non-threatening,
mutually
not become -the identity of an entire
agreeable
fashion.
service nor bring out so much emotion
Having gone online in August 2002
among Jews.
and open to the entire Jewish communi-
The stirring and eerie melody, which
ty, Beshert Connection serves Jewish sin-
can be traced back to 15th century
gles
ages 21 and over and has more than
Spain, is believed to have begun in the
700
members
in the Detroit area.
secret Yom Kippur services held by Jews
The
name
fits
perfectly since <I>besh-
who converted to Christianity to avoid
ert<P>
means
a
relationship
that is
persecution. According to my teacher
"meant
to
be."
The
Beshert
Connection
and colleague the late Chazzan Samuel
has helped bring about 29 marriages so
Rosenbaum, "For them, the recital of
far, with many more to come!
Kol Nidrei is particularly painful since it
Please be sure to check us out at
reminded them of the price they had
Wwvv.beshertconnection.com
_
paid for their lives" (from his book To
Kari
K
Provizer
Live as a Jew -- 1969 Ktav publishing).
director,
Family
Life
Center
Cantor Howard Glantz
Kol Nidrei's
Real Meaning
Temple Israel
West Bloomfield
Ad.at Shalom Synagogue
Farmington Hills
Downplaying
Our Jewishness
It seems to me that we are diluting our
Jewishness for the sake of brevity and
hopefully not for any other reason.
It began with your paper becoming
JN, though Detroit Jewish News is writ-
ten above in much smaller print.
A short time ago, we were mailed invi-
tations and saw and heard numerous ads
asking us to support JVS and purchase
tickets to see Jay Leno at Detroit's Fox
Theatre. Nowhere did the word "Jewish"
appear because the Jewish Vocational
Service is now called JVS.
Boycott Call
Is Misguided
Does Community Views writer Berl
Falbaum know what he is asking for
when he suggests a boycott of Hadassah?
("Boycotts Are Effective Tools," Aug. 30,
page 38.)
Hadassah gives life and hope to many
thousands of people and provides life-
giving support for people regardless of
their background. Hadassah serves all
people of the Middle East regardless of
their political and national ideologies. _
Hadassah's projects — Hadassah
Medical Organization, Hadassah
College of Technology, Hadassah Career
Counseling Institute, Youth Aliyah
Villages, Young Judaea and Hadassah's
environmental work with Jewish
National Fund — provide needed serv-
ices in Israel. Indeed, Hadassah's history
is the history of Israel.
We welcome a dialogue with Berl
Falbaum regarding our difference of
opinion regarding boycotts. Our demo-
cratic values demand it. To suggest a
boycott that would hurt so many is
absurd. Hadassah needs membership
and support more than ever. Let's not let
our differences of opinion cause us to
lose sight of our goal to support Israel.
Deena Lockman
vice president, community relations and
marketing,
Greater Detroit Chapter of Hadassah
West Bloomfield
Rabbi Pachter
Earns Plaudits
We would like to take this opportunity
to commend Rabbi Elliot Pachter and
Congregation B'nai Moshe for allowing
us to bring to the congregation the mes-
sage of the Israeli victims of terror.
How appropriate that on the holiest
day of the Jewish year, Rabbi Pachter
recognized the significance of reaching
out to our family in Israel. By relin-
quishing his pulpit to us, Rabbi Pachter
allowed us to impress upon the congre-
gation the vital mission of Mishpacha
Achat-One Family. Adopting a family
that has been victimized by terror pro-
motes the recovery and rebuilding of
shattered lives in the most practical way.
Clearly, both the rabbi and the con-
gregation recognize the immediate needs
of the victims and their families. The
warm and positive response with which
our message was received is a strong
indication that the congregation and its
leadership have a clear-cut commitment
to the message of Kol Israel arevin ze
ba'ze — the people of Israel are responsi-
ble for one another.
In addition, we would like to ap-
plaud Hillel Day School for being the
first institution in our community to
recognize the responsibility to actively
participate in tikkun olam by support-
ing Mishpacha Achat. Undertaking the
commitment, both educationally and
financially, of adopting a family victim-
ized by terror, places the school as a
leader and role model in our commu-
nity.
Daphna Feldman
Malka Littman
West Bloomfield
Faye Krut
Farmington Hills