LETTER We II give you lots of reasons to move to The Heatherwood now! Including a Winter Move-In Special! • Enjoy the warm and cozy comforts of home without the need to bundle up! All the comforts of home are right here including on-site entertainment and activities, beauty salon/barber shop, library and much more! • ‘Enjoy the sights of winter in the safety of our scheduled transportation with- out the need to drive on snow-covered roads! • -Enjoy relaxing and carefree days without worrying about snow shoveling or .home maintenance. Its all done for you at The Heatherwood! This winter (and all year long) you can enjoy all the comforts of home at The Heatherwood: • Spacious, private apartment homes • Restaurant style dining • All Utilities (except electricity, phone & cable) • Weekly housekeeping and linen service • Month to month rent. No endowment fees. • And much more! the ATHERWOOD RETIREMENT COMMUNITY A Capital Senior Living Community 248.350.1777 22800 Civic Center Drive • Southfield, MI 48034 • www.capitalsenior.com r Present this certificate and enter to win up to $500 Somerset Collection Gift Cards. Call for complete details. *Some restrictions may apply. L -4101MIUMV-des Jr -41V -111.- -11110 111.- - 11 ■ 111.1.- 16- AUDETTE CADILLAC - ONLY 35 PAYMENTS! mo, v6, heated memory teats, rear air, a) change:, power adjustable pedals . 001 AUDETTE www.audettesaadillac.com ti $299:o a BREAKTHROUGH 6 Let the arguments regarding "gay mar- riage" be considered in the context of our nation's civil rights leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. ("The Case For Gay Marriage," Feb. 13, page 26). His memorable prayer at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial represents his under- standing, based upon centuries of Judeo-Christian philosophy, that all "men" are created equal. To paraphrase Dr. King's words at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial ... that all of God's children will live in peace and harmony. His words inten- tionally do not exclude any class of citi- zenship. We enjoy the blessings of this nation because the Constitution was written to limit the government's power to control the destiny of its citi- zens. We have grown as a nation because we have ensured that no human being can own another human being, that women have the right to vote, that the or of one's skin does not determine (Y4e's rights of citizenship, that school • regation is unlawful, and that we The special commentary by David Benkof opposing same-sex marriage misses the point ("Unholy Matrimony," Feb. 13, page 26). dtAlect taxes to support our government page 26), this is a matter of civil rights. And how any Jewish person can advocate for the denial of civil rights to another minority is beyond me. Gay men and women should have every right and opportunity that straight people have when deciding Catholicism would have been swept from our shores. The social issue of how to regard homosexuality in this country has been brewing for the past 100 years. With regard to the order of designat- ing what is holy for the purpose of faith, how can humankind know God's purposes? Have any of us thought that God should not have created lions, humans and fish. Are we not all part of the Divine plan? A classic appreciation for God's law is the reference to Leviticus and remind- ing us that it is an abomination to eat shellfish or to lie down with another man. However, the Torah also describes God's obvious appreciation for the lov- ing bond between David and Jonathan, without any feigned nuance with regard to the nature of their affection Bingham Farms Mon. & Thurs. till 9; Tues., Wed., Fri. till 6 1-888-920-5417 *12K milyr. lease, 36 mo. lease, plus tax, title, plate; all rebates to dealer. Must qualify for employee pricing and GMAC credit and Conquest. S2188* clue at signing for SRX. S2798.05" due at signing for CTS. In Support Of Gay Marriage for one another. Our generation will meet the chal- lenge of defining what is good and what is destructive for our nation. We have learned from our mistakes. We will continue to ensure that the minor- ity is protected from the majority. That is our way. Harold Kaller 7100 Orchard Lake Road, W. Bloomfield 2/20 2004 Gays Are Part Of Divine Plan Is "holiness" based upon a majority's beliefs? If so, then Judaism and LEASE PULL AHEAD EXTENDED THROUGH t FEBRUARY!! ONLY 35 PAYMENTS! edit or reject letters. Brevity is encouraged. Letter writers generally are limited to one letter per 4-6 week period, space permitting. Letters must contain the name, address and tide of the writer, and a daytime telephone number. Original copies must be hand signed. Mail to the Jewish News at 29200 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax to (248) 304-8885; or e-mail to: rsldar@thejewishnews.com arid our defense. WAIVES YOUR 1 ST MONTH LEASE PAYMENT for The Month of FEBRUARY!! Early lease turn in for GMAC leases expiring now through 8/31/04! 2004 CTS 2004 SRX We prefer letters that relate to articles in the Jewish News. We reserve the right to 811070. Here in America, holiness and kid- dushin have nothing to do with the equation of same-sex marriage. There is a separation of church and state. You cannot be married in any state without a government-issued marriage license. When two people want to dissolve their marriage, i.e., break their contract, they hire attor- neys and go before a judge. There's no need to step into a church or synagogue if one chooses not to. The state does not interfere in religions' qualification for marriage. If gay marriage becomes legal, no Orthodox rabbi will be forced to perform a same-sex ceremony, just as no Catholic priest could have been forced to marry my wife and me. As Temple Israel Rabbi Joshua Bennett so eloquently put it ("The Case For Gay Marriage," Feb. 13, to spend their lives together. This includes employer-provided medical benefits for spouses, both parties being recognized as parents and Social Security survivor benefits, among others. And to provide bene- fits, but call it something other than legal marriage, is still a denial of civil rights. Finally, marriage equality for same-sex couples will build on America's tradition of moving civil rights forward and erasing the inequities of the past. It's time we celebrated all those with a commit- ment to strengthening the family through marriage. I sign this as a happily married hetero who believes in the sanctity of marriage, and who feels that our community is made stronger when anyone who seeks marriage is able to do so under the laws of our country. David Moss Huntington Woods