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Hamtramck Vote Wrong

Putting the issue of the Muslim call
to prayer to a public,vote in
Hamtramck was the wrong thing to
do ("Not Just Noise," June 4, page
5).
America is a constitutional repub-
lic, not a pure democracy. The
founding fathers understood that
pure democracy is just formalized
mob rule. Instead of this, they
declared that we are endowed by our
Creator with certain inalienaile
rights. Those rights are codified in
our Constitution and not subject to
a simple majority vote.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice
William Douglas said: "Freedom of
religion also means freedom from
religion." As such, the residents of
Hamtramck have the right to be free
from being forced by amplification
to listen to an overt religious state-
ment. The call to prayer is no differ-
ent that a Christian missionary at
your window yelling through a bull-
horn: "Jesus is the Messiah!"
You don't get to pick and choose
which laws you will follow. We have
laws against trespassing so that we
may pursue happiness without
unwelcome intrusions, and this right
of privacy is not superseded by the
right to free speech. We all have a
right to free speech, but the right to
speak does not include an obligation
for others to listen.
Dennis L. Green

Detroit

Reagan Liberated Jews

I must have missed something in
James D. Besser's commentary about
former President Ronald Reagan
("Reagan's Mixed Jewish Legacy,"
June 11, page 28).
The article nowhere mentions that
Reagan was a great champion of the
cause of Soviet Jewry. Natan
Sharansky and many others might
still be rotting in some Gulag if
Reagan had not made Soviet Jewry
an issue.
• I remember standing on the Mall
in 1987; I was never prouder to be
an American Jew. Given the impact
our demonstration had, it was a
giant slap in the face of America's
visiting guest from the Soviet Union.
The Reagan administration's accept-
ance of our right to protest and its
endorsement of our cause only made
the day more special.

6/18

2004

6

Reagan kicked open the door and
our dream came true: More than 2
million Jews came to Israel and the
West.
To not mention Reagan's involve-
ment with the cause of Soviet Jewry
is a contemptible omission.

Gilbert Borman

Bloomfield Hills

Warm Reagan Memories

It was truly a sad day with the pass-
ing of Ronald Reagan ("A. Caring
President," June 11, page 22).
With great deal of pleasure, I recall
being present at one of the proudest
and most memorable events hosted
by President Reagan. It occurred on
April 11, 1983, while I was attend-
ing the first-ever gathering of
Holocaust survivors in Washington,
D.C.
We were addressed by President
Ronald Reagan, who, in his own
inimitable fashion, stated, "Tonight,
we stand together to give thanks to
America for providing freedom and
liberty and for many here tonight a
second home and second life.
"The opportunity to join you here
this evening as a representative of
the people of the United States will
be, for me, a cherished memory. I
am proud to accept your thanks on
behalf of our fellow Americans and
also to express our gratitude to you
for choosing America, for being the
good citizens that you are and for
reminding us of how important it is
to remain true to our ideals as indi-
viduals and as a nation."
No matter your political affilia-
tion, it made us all proud that an
American president would greet us
with such warm and welcoming
remarks. His words still ring loud
and clear today. It made us all better
Americans.

Sam Offen
West Bloomfield

Recounting History

In the otherwise fine article on June
4 on the persecution of Robert
Goldstein during World War I
(AppleTree, "The Sad Spirit," page
31), AppleTree made a few historical
mistakes.
•
The article states that "[a]fter
Wilson ... died, the country voted a
Republican in[to] office ..." Wrong.

It is true that Wilson was not func-
tioning very well at the end of his
presidency, but he did not die until
1924. Warren Harding, Republican
candidate for president, was elected
in 1920.
Moreover, the country was barely
Democratic in 1916 when Woodrow
Wilson was re-elected to a second
term in a very close election; one
sign of this is that the Republicans
regained control of Congress two
years later, in 1918, midway during
Wilson's second term.
Moreover, Prohibition was not
"ushered in" after a Republican was
in office but in 1919, when Wilson
was still president, but after the
1918 Republican return to power in
the Congress; this a sign that the
country was returning to its "nor-
mal" conservative majority after the
more progressive era earlier in the
century.

Leon H. Warshay.

Detroit

daughter will be entering kinder-
garten at Hillel this fall. I look for-
ward to praying in the Shulman
Chapel and just walking the halls
again, this time as a parent.
If you haven't been to Hillel lately,
I encourage you to visit. The future
of the Jewish community is alive
and well there.

Marianne Milgrom Bloomberg

Farmington Hills

Cover Piece Well Done

Your cover story "Too Close To
Home" (June 4, page 16) is superb
— well thought through and sensi-
tively presented. All your hard work
came through in the article.
On behalf of the board and mem-
bers of Temple Israel, I would like to
thank Staff Writer Harry Kirsbaum
and the Jewish News for your interest
in and concern for our community.

Cantor Daniel Gale

Bay City

The Beauty Of Hillel

As an alumna of Hillel Day School
in Farmington Hills, I was so happy
to see your story about fellow alum
Dr. Karen Cash getting married at
the Rudolph Shulman Chapel at
Hillel with the ceremony officiated
by Rabbi Michele Faudem, rabbi in
residence at Hillel and'also an alum
of the school ("Back To School,"
May 21, page 107).
The chapel, for those who have
not seen it, is a beautiful space
where the students of Hillel pray
every day. The chapel is also a place
where the Hillel community comes
together to celebrate lifecycle events
like bar and bat mitzvah Torah read-
ing (on Mondays and Thursdays).
Those celebrations are among my
favorites, as families join their Hillel
family for these simchahs.
The chapel is also a place of com-
fort for mourners reciting Kaddish.
It is that sense of klal yisrayel, com-
munity and family that really makes
Hillel a unique and special place.
When I was a student at Hillel in
the 1970s and early 1980s, we
prayed in the gym, the lobby, any-
where. We didn't have this sacred
space to pray in, as the kids do now.
Thanks to the good people who sup-
ported Hillel's capital campaign in
the 1990s, the school has all the
amenities that it could want.
I am especially excited as my

Fun, Merit Of Scouting

Mazel tov to Josh Rubin on becom-
ing an Eagle Scout and for a great
interview and article ("Ecology-
Minded Eagle Scout," June 4, page
9). Only 2 percent of all Boy Scouts
become Eagle Scouts, which makes
this a great accomplishment.
As Josh pointed out, Boy Scouting
is great! While being a Boy Scout,
you have so much fun on campouts,
hikes, bike trips and learning great
things while earning merit badges.
But besides earning awards and
enjoying Scouting activities, Boy
Scouts of America strongly encour-
ages community service. Our troop
was the honor guard and escorted
65 Holocaust survivors at the
Holocaust Memorial Ceremony in
Lansing and even toured the
Michigan Capitol. We also partici-
pated in a Synagogue Good Turn
Day, a Yom HaZikaron [Israel
Memorial Day] ceremony and the
Red Cross blood drive.
As you see, Scouting builds good
Americans, good human beings and
good Jews. Boy Scouting is very
cool!
Max Olender

patrol leader, Boy Scout Troop 364,
Adat Shalom Synagogue Men's Club
Farmington Hills

