Staff Notebook which individual, he said. Safire, who likes both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, reminded the crowd of 600 that when Netanyahu was prime minister, every- one thought that Sharon was more "right wing." But now the roles are reversed, he said. "Democracy in action." — Harry Kirsbaum Luckerman Wins Award jr ewish News Staff Writer Sharon Luckerman earned a second-place award in the Inland Press Association's 2002 Local News category for her story, "The Power Of E-Mail," which ran Sept. 21, 2001. The story told of a widely circulated e-mail alleging that employees of the Sheik restaurant in West Bloomfield cheered while watching the Sept. 11 terror- ist attacks on television. The owner of the Sheik denied the allegations. The Inland judges said Luckerman's story provided "deeper insights concern- ing the delicate nature of Jewish-Arab relations in the United States in a new era of intolerance and bigotry." Her story competed among entries from newspapers with circulations Sharon between 10,000 and 25,000. The awards Luckerman were presented Oct. 28 in Chicago. . — Keri Guten Cohen Zack Wins Commission Seat s a social worker, Helaine Zack of Huntington Woods spends her days making a difference in A the lives of individuals and families. Beginning in January, she'll be able to make a dif- ference for everyone in Oakland County as the 22nd District county commissioner. "Our mental health and substance abuse legislation is a mess," said Zack, a Democrat who won a deci- sive 84-16 percent victory over Republican opponent Eurick Crayton Jr. in the Nov. 5 election. "I look forward to working with oth- ers to re-do the system, or to make the current system work better," Zack said Responsible spending also ranks high on her list of priorities. "I intend to get in there running to work on the 2004 budget," she said. Zack's district includes Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak 7,4 Township, Oak Park and four southern Helaine precincts of Southfield. Zack — Diana Lieberman Lubavitch Women's Organization's animated dolls. Tobocman Coasts To Victory Weekday Shabbat Spirit teve Tobocman, 32, didn't campaign much in his Nov. 5 run for Michigan state repre- sentative from Detroit's 12th District. At least not after the Aug. 6 Democratic primary, when he edged out incumbent Rep. Belda Garza by a margin of less than 200 votes. "It was pretty much a done deal after the pri- mary," said Tobocman, who took 90 percent of the vote in the traditionally Democratic dis- trict versus 10 percent for his Republican chal- lenger, Chester Calka. "I campaigned in the sense that I went to com- munity meetings Steve Tobocman and stayed involved in vari- ous community groups," Tobocman said. "On Election Day, we were at the polls." Tobocman comes from the nonprofit sector. He's executive director and co-founder of Community Legal Resources in Detroit. He recently took his seat in Lansing for a leadership vote, and calls the House surroundings "quite a work environment." — Harry Kirsbaum T o mark their first birthday, the animated dolls that have been the focus of the Shabbat candle-lighting display in the lobby of the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield since last December have taken on an additional "job" on their days off. "They are available for rent for birthday parties, bar and bat mitzvahs and synagogue and other events," says Miriam Amzalak, who coordinates the display through the Lubavitch Women's Organiza- tion (LWO) of Metro Detroit, where she is presi- dent. "They look like real people and inspire the feeling of Shabbat." The soft, fabric-covered dolls, whose arms raise and lower to cover their eyes, are available for rent at a fee of $75, plus a refundable security deposit. Rental cost includes delivery, set up and pick up. The two dolls are part of a display manned by LWO volunteers. They answer questions and distrib- ute complimentary Shabbat candlesticks, candles and information, including the candle-lighting bless- ing and times for lighting candles. The mother-daughter dolls work at the JCC once a month on varying days, with their next "workday" Monday, Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are available for rent from Sunday through Friday after- noons. But because their hands wave through the use of electricity, they are not available on Friday nights or Saturdays. "On Shabbat they rest," Amzalak says. To rent the dolls, contact Amzalak, (248) 967- 5056 or amzalak@juno.com — Shelli Leibman Dorfman Equal Bias To Vandalism s terling Heights police reported two vandalism Safire Speaks In Ypsilanti incidents Nov. 8. In the first incident, a Star of David was painted on the windshield and "Jew" was sprayed on the side of a Detroit Bagel Factory truck near the company store at 15 Mile and Dequindre. The inci- dent happened overnight Nov. 7-8. By the time police investigated the report, a company employee had cleaned off the paint. Earlier that night, police said a building near 16 Mile and Dequindre had "F... Arabs" sprayed on a wall. Police Lt. Michael Resse believes the incidents were isolated pranks done by a juvenile. "We don't have anything like this regularly," he said. — Alan Hitsky 11/15 2002 14 N ew York Times conservative political columnist William Safire stuck to the Bush administration line in a Nov. 11 speech at the Jewish Federation of Washtenaw County's "Main Event" campaign fund-raiser in Ypsilanti. Safire talked tough on the war on terrorism and the Iraq situa- tion, and called the relationship between Israel and the United States "extraordinarily strong." The choice for Israelis in the William next election is not between which Safire party — Likud should win — but S Corrections • The Nov. 19-24 performances of Rick Miller's MacHomer, featured in the story "Shakespeare With A `Simpsons' Twist" on page 70 of this issue, were canceled at Detroit's Music Hall Center after the JN Arts & Entertainment section went to press. • In "The Goldberg Clan Cooks" (Nov. 1, page 112), the following facts are corrected: Arlene Goldberg worked at Jewish Family Service. The family cookbook was suggested by a niece. The cousin was Kenny Sahn, not Goldberg.