LETTERS
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Women's Effort
Worthy Endeavor
Your story on Zeitouna: Arab &
Jewish Women Working for Peace &
Justice is wonderful ("Refusing To Be
Enemies," July 11, page 49).
It is remarkable that a group of
women can get together and discuss
very difficult and emotional issues
openly. Do you suppose men could
ever do the same? It may be possible
after this group has shown the way.
I congratulate the group for being
willing to publicize its existence and
to describe the discussions. As some
of the women said in the article, there
must be pressures from individuals in
both ethnic communities. I'm sure
that the communities are applauding
this wonderful effort.
Julius Dorfman
global warming at the lowest cost.
As individuals, we can take steps
to reduce energy waste in our
homes, cars, workplaces and even
our places of worship. The more
energy we conserve, the less fuel we
burn. The less fuel we burn, the less
pollution released into the air and
the less money sent overseas to hos-
tile forces.
For more tips on how you can
stop "doing things that contribute to
the waste of energy," or to read Mr.
Podesta's speech in its entirety, visit
www. m i-c o ej I . o rg
Rabbi Tziona Szajman
Congregation Beth Shalom,
MI-COEJL co-chair
Oak Park
Sara Bernstein
MI-COEJL program manager
Bloomfield Hills
Ann Arbor
Work To Cut
Energy Waste
Special Writer Don Cohen's article
on former Clinton administration
Chief of Staff John Podesta's speech
at Temple Beth El ("Energy's
Impact," July 4, page 13) captured
the essence of Mr. Podesta's message:
Protecting the environment is both
an ethical and moral imperative and
in the enlightened self-interest of
everyone who cares about peace in
the Middle East and the security of
the United States.
As partners in God's creation, we
are to "till and to tend" ( Genesis
2:15) and to safeguard the lives of
neighbors and friends. Since it is the
mission of MI-COEJL to educate
and mobilize the Jewish community
in awareness of our traditional envi-
ronmental responsibilities and the
current dangers we face, we were
thrilled at the over-capacity crowd.
What can we do to address the
waste of energy?
We can ask business leaders to
invest in promising technologies
such as hybrid engines and cellu-
lose-derived ethanol. We can press
our elected representatives to require
that replacement tires be as fuel-effi-
cient as new-car tires and to imple-
ment policies such as the carbon-
trading program proposed by Sens.
John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe
Lieberman, D-Conn., which would
enlist the magic of the marketplace
to improve fuel economy and reduce
8/ 1
2003
6
Reality Check
Welcome Effort
Thank you to Editor Robert Sklar for
the excellent reporting and analysis
that he has prepared in the July 18
and July 25 editions. His July 18
Editor's Notebook "A Song of Hate"
(page 5) covered brilliantly, with intel-
lect, depth and detail, an issue that
has been of great concern to me for a
long time: What good are "negotia-
tions," Oslo, Camp David, the road
map and similar such plans, when
young Arab children are being reared
to crave violence and engage in bitter
personal hatred against a group of
people solely because of their chosen
religion?
We as Americans and Jews want to
believe that "everyone's heart is in a
good place, let's just give them a
chance," but the reality is that many
Palestinians are rearing their children
to revile Jews and work to destroy us.
This hate is supported with
Palestinian Authority imprimatur and
United States aid.
Mr. Sklar also performs a communi-
ty service by reminding us that,
despite President George W. Bush's
optimism regarding the intentions of
the Palestinian Authority's Mahmoud
Abbas, it is that entity's own Ministry
of Education that is helping to perpet-
uate the hatred and incitement against
Jews and Israelis.
In the July 25 issue, Editor Sklar
continues the mission with "From Joy
to Despair," (page 5), which shows us
courage, determination and valor in
the face of brutal, unmitigated terror.
It is important, both for the victims
and in order to keep ourselves steely
strong as proud, determined Jews and
Zionists, that we never allow ourselves
or our children to forget, or become
confused about, what is happening to
our fellow Jews.
Mr. Sklar's work helps to make sure
that we all remain focused on the real-
ity that our enemies seek more than
land; they seek to destroy us both as a
people, and as individuals.
Eric J. Rosenberg
Farmington Hills
Details Help
Clarify Reality
My compliments to the chef, as they
say, for an excellent Editor's Notebook
("A Song Of Hate," July 18, page 5).
Too often misguided liberals and
individuals who don't pay attention to
what's going on overlook or excuse
Arab intransigence.
Thank you for describing in detail
the realities on the ground.
Dan Greenberg
making of ice cream and began their
venture in a remodeled gas station in
Vermont. The ice cream, aptly named
Ben & Jerry, gained a local following
and soon began its expansion into the
waistlines of connoisseurs throughout
New England. The company had a
policy of contributing at least 10 per-
cent of its profits to charitable causes.
Today, the company is owned by
Unilever (the same company that
owns Breyers and Good Humor), but
it remains an advocate of social causes.
David Mintz was a kosher caterer
who developed a parve sour cream
made of soy. He eventually experi-
mented with a whole range of soy-
based foods and created Tofutti
brands. Today, he still runs the com-
pany and oversees the production of
ice cream, blintzes, sour cream, pizza,
cream cheese and a myriad of other
products — all kosher and all parve.
I am fortunate to have known these
ice cream pioneers. My company
introduced these products into
Michigan, and we distribute them to
ice cream lovers throughout the state.
Seymour Greenstein
Southfield
Farmington Hills
Here's More
Of The Scoop
Take Pride In
Kadima's Role
According to your AppleTree section
The Detroit News and WDIV-TV
("Here's The Scoop," July 18, page
have recently provided the public with
71), the Jewish connection to ice
a comprehensive and informative
cream only mentioned the Dove Bar.
series of articles about the crisis in
In fact, some of the greatest ice creams mental health care in Michigan.
that tempt our palates were created by .
Our Jewish. community should take
great pride that Kadima exists for
Jews.
Reuben Mattus, who grew up in the
those with psychiatric disabilities.
Bronx, marketed Haagen-Dazs ice
Those of us who are privileged
cream in 1960 as an antidote to the
enough to know, socialize and work
with those with psychiatric disabilities
anemic-tasting alternatives that were
based on price rather than quality. He
applaud the efforts of the media to
created a high-butterfat ice cream with bring this emergency to the forefront.
It is a crisis when this very vulnera-
virtually no air whipped in and
charged $1.05 a pint. Ice cream by
ble population is at the mercy of a
law may contain up to 50 percent air
bureaucracy that appears to care little
for their well being, indeed their very
and must have at least 10 percent but-
terfat. Haagen-Dazs was formulated
lives. Despair, homelessness, prison
with 15 percent butterfat, only a min-
and even death are an everyday occur-
imal amount of air to prevent ice crys-
rence for this defenseless population.
tals and was made without any artifi-
What Nvas unfortunately not men-
cial ingredients, stabilizers or colors.
tioned in the media coverage is that
for the majority of this group, life was
In 1983, he sold Haagen-Dazs to
normal before their mental illness
Pillsbury, and today it is owned by
struck. Many of these people led pro-
Nestle. It is still made rich and dense
without any chemical additives. His
ductive lives with family, friends, uni-
widow, Rose Mattus, is involved in
versities and occupations before they
were struck down by their devastating
many Jewish philanthropic causes.
In the late 1970s, two school bud-
disease. Now instead of contributing
dies, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield,
to society, they are dependent on it for
took a correspondence course in the
their existence.