1 0 E 1112 L ftl aTg
F
To Reflect To Atone
As we gather with family and friends to observe
the holy period of the High Holidays, it's the per-
fect time to take stock of where we've been as a
community and where we should be heading in
the new year ahead.
We're a richly diverse community of 96,000 in
metro Detroit— with another 7,000 Jews who
live in Ann Arbor and 6,000 Jewish students at
the University of Michigan. The Detroit Jewish
News readership area has much to be thankful for
and much in need of repair — spiritually, organi-
zationally and servicewise.
The beauty of the week between Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur lies in inspiring us to
move from reflecting on our shortcomings in
months past to casting them aside on Tashlich,
then seeking God's forgiveness on Yom Kippur,
which begins on Shabbat evening, Sept. 24.
Eshanah tovah tikateivu v'techataymu. May you
and yours be inscribed and sealed in the Book of
Life this High Holiday season.
Shabbat shalom!
Robert A. Sklar, editor
Over The Hill
r
or those of you who jumped
to the conclusion this article
would be another of my rants
about senior citizens — WRONG!
The title refers to a rising configura-
tion as opposed to what I am going to
discuss: the word flat.
The word does have some positive
connotations;
but, for the most part,
SY
the
associations
with the word are
MANELLO
negative ones.
Editorial
Those who are dieting or just look-
Assistant
ing for a nice taste treat, try flatbread.
It comes in various flavorings and can
be a nice change from everyday crackers.
At one time, many of us lived in a flat — an apart-
ment. It could be one of four (a "four-flat" was a com-
mon construction around the city) or one of any other
configurations of living area divisions.
MERE 'cha
Don't Kno
20 0 4
— Goldfein
9/17
32
Since 1985, the United States
Germany, Poland and Austria.
Commission for the
Miller proposed a memorial at
Preservation of America's
Buchenwald, Germany's "Little Camp,"
Heritage Abroad has been nego-
which housed mostly Jews.
tiating bilateral agreements with
The former East German government
European countries to preserve
built a memorial to the main camp, but
Holocaust and cultural heritage
buried the Little Camp.
sites.
Miller proposed, then raised funds for
On his way Sept. 8 to
a memorial to the Little Camp, dedicat-
Washington, D.C., to deliver
ed in April 2002.
the commission's report to
"The completion of every project is
President George W. Bush, corn-
special, the dedication ceremonies are
mission chairman Warren Miller
occasions for smiles, but mainly tears,"
spoke at the Holocaust
he said. "When we dedicated the memo-
Memorial Center in Farmington
rial to Little Camp, 1,000 people —
Hills.
many ordinary German citizens —
'Around the world, Holocaust Warren Miller: Remember the past. turned out for the ceremony on a cold,
memorials and museums attract
windy day with heavy rains.
millions and educational programs continue to expand
"It's reassuring to see the young and old together,
their outreach," he told a group of 100.
remembering the past with shame or grief, or learning
"Holocaust education is becoming part of school cur- about the past for the first time," he said. "These expe-
ricula in many countries," he said. "The question is no
riences address the greatest concern of the survivors,
longer whether future generations will know what hap-
that what they experienced, in the scope and the enor-
pened; the question is will they learn from the darkest
mity of the injustice that was perpetrated, will not be
moment of mankind and give meaning to the words,
forgotten."
`Never Again.'"
Since being appointed in June 2001, Miller has nego-
-- Harry Kirsbaum, staffwriter
tiated agreements with 13 countries, including
The proliferation of exercise studios today attests to
the fact that so many yearn to achieve a flat stomach or
to sharply define those six-pack abs (some of us look as
if we have a 12-pack or have been working on one).
The new plasma TVs contribute to the flat look so
that this entertainment unit can be as close to the wall
as possible. (Remember the olden days when the TV
was a rather large piece of furniture — not the screen,
but the whole machine.)
Many women today prefer flat shoes (they used to be
called sensible shoes in our mothers' day). These, at
one time, were just "ballerina slippers" and were a
"hot" fashion item in the 1950s.
What could be more pleasing than to choose and
plant a flat of flowers?
Then, we come to the reverse of the coin and realize
that "flat" can have some drawbacks. For example,
recall the last time you had to fix a flat (tire). It was
usirAlly raining or in the middle of a heavily trafficked
street or on a busy highway far from home and you
Yiddish Limericks
The holiday of Shavuot follows Passover by seven
weeks. Which Jewish community celebrates a holi-
day seven weeks after Yom Kippur?
2004
Holocaust Preservation
uroA lake slaw& uanas pars Jo AvpHog alp saie.rq
-app A.Trunururoo Tigrmaj trertIoppg aril, uramstry
The World Court decided to state
Its verdict on Israel's fate:
Security fences
Aren't legal defenses.
The ruling's meshugeh ahf tate*!
— Martha Jo Fleischmann
* insane (literal: dead crazy)
without a spare.
We eschew flat food; and yet, I do not believe that
food should be painful. That does not mean I'm for
bland, but jalapenos are definitely out.
If you've been riding the roller coaster of the stock
market lately, maybe you'd prefer a flat market for a
while. However, that won't make you any dough. It
may cause you to whistle a flat note or just quit flat out
before you are flat broke and find that you fall flat on
your financial face.
If you insult someone, you could be struck with the
flat of the hand, signifying an imminent duel. If you
really please someone and perform well and live in a
monarchy, you could be knighted with the flat of a
sword.
Returning to the "hill" of my title, let me leave with
this riddle: Why is a blotter like a lazy dog? A blotter is
an ink-lined plane; an inclined plane is a slope up; a
slow pup is a lazy dog. (Such effervescent humor could
never be described as flat!)
Do You Remember?
September 1974
United States District Court Judge Roger D.
Foley in Las Vegas said that Meyer Lansky, 74-
year-old ailing reputed underworld figure, may
never stand trial on charges of illegally skimming
$36 million in profits from the Flamingo Hotel.
The judge observed that the case would proba-
bly lie dormant until either the defendant dies or
government counsel "acts responsibly and dis-
misses the indictment."
— Sy Manello, editorial assistant