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I feel as if I read weekly about the prais-
es of the Holocaust Memorial Center
(HMC) in Farmington Hills ("For
Future Generations," July 9, page 24).
Unfortunately, this emperor has no
clothes and someone needs to say it.
Allow me to make several points:
It is a Jewish fantasy that the HMC
(and similar multi-million-dollar institu-
tions around the U.S.) will prevent anti-
Semitism and another Holocaust. In the
typical weak-kneed Jewish approach, we
think we can defend ourselves by writ-
ing checks instead of really defending
ourselves (which we are still fearful of
doing 60 years after the Holocaust).
Although benefactors are entitled to
do what they wish with their charitable
dollars, it is a tragedy that there are
those who would donate their money to
an institution that spends millions on a
dead Judaism rather than a living
•
Judaism.
The Detroit Jewish community has a
first-class holocaust center but no living,
breathing Jewish library (the two that
existed in the past — at the Jewish
Community Center and the Midrasha)
have been mothballed for years).
The Detroit Jewish community has a
first-class Holocaust center but has never
had a viable fleishig (meat) kosher
restaurant (communities with Jewish
populations far less than Detroit's
100,000 have managed otherwise).
The Detroit. Jewish community has a
first-class Holocaust center but a Jewish
day school in the same town as the
HMC charges $12,000-plus for tuition
and has raised its tuition well in excess
of 10 percent per year for the last three
years. Imagine how many Jewish chil-
dren could study a living, breathing
Judaism for the $18 million spent on
the HMC.
Although I did not coin the terms,
"there's no business like Shoah business"
and "out of the ashes come some great
careers" are pithy statements of what is
wrong with the HMC.
David Arm
West Bloomfield
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I was disappointed that your "State Of
The JCC" article was totally unbalanced
(June 25, page 16). As I read the details,
I couldn't believe that nobody questions
this.
According to statistics, there are
90,000 Jews in our community. The
Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit has 4,000 mem- -
bers, which, I imagine, means there are
10,000 users at best. The JCC, which_
offers, I believe, luxury services, runs on
a budget of $10 million. Only half of
the operational costs are covered by fees.
Additionally, the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit raised $30 million
for JCC renovations. That's a lot of
community dollars so that 10,000 peo-
ple can get some exercise in a Jewish
environment.
What is the substantive gain for the
community other than a Jewish health
club? Wouldn't we save the community
millions of dollars each year if we just
offered subsidies for lifetime member-
ships to Fitness USA? All the other JCC
activities can take place at area syna-
gogues.
Meanwhile, a staggering 80 percent of
kids have zero involvement in Jewish
educational programs after their bar-bat
mitzvah.
In the past half century,. the American
Jewish community has witnessed the
greatest assimilation in history. Don't we
need to rethink how we've been doing
business?_Shouldn't we be shifting our
resources to formal and informal Jewish
education for teens, such as those
offered by educational youth groups,
summer camps and Israel trips and
Jewish high schools, all of which have
proven effectiveness?
I think the Jewish News should be a
catalyst for a debate on this issue.
Perhaps it would lead to a purposeful
change.
Rebecca Fried
Oak Park
Israel Support Bright
Thank you for publishing the JTA
article by Matthew E. Berger on U.S.
Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.
("Potential Friend," July 9, page 20).
It is clear that Israel will have good
friends in the White House no matter
which ticket wins. Sen. Kerry has a
perfect pro-Israel voting record in his
20+ years in- Congress.
As the article points out, Senator
Edwards is also a strong friend. And
President George W Bush and Vice
President Dick Cheney have consis-
tently supported the policies of Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
I believe that a Kerry administration
might be more pro-active in attempt-
ing to bring the Israelis and
Palestinians together, as were
Presidents Carter and Clinton. But no
matter who wins this election, it is
clear that the United States will
remain a staunch ally to Israel.
Harvey Bronstein
Southfield