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Proud Of Jackier
Welcome to Campaign 2004, where
mass mailings were common and auto-
mated robocalls as common as dinner-
time solicitors. So why the uproar about
Larry Jackier's personal appeal in sup-
port of President Bush ("Unwelcomed
Contact," NOV. 5, page 17)?
Larry Jackier did nothing wrong.
Strong leaders don't stand mute when
Israel's future is at stake. They speak out.
Jackier was among a host of community
influentials backing Bush, largely based
on the president's strong record on
Israel. An ardent Zionist and altruistic
Jewish leader, Jackier is certainly quali-
fied to speak to this issue.
Jackier waited for his term as
Federation president to lapse before
publicly supporting Bush. Area rabbis
with active pulpits threw their weight to
oppose controversial Proposal 2. Jackier
qualified his "Support Bush" appeal as
personal," adding the disclaimer that it
was sponsored by a political action corn-
mittee. Why would the JNdignify accu-
sations that Jackier involved Federation
when everyone knows that voter lists are
circulated by both political parties?
Why would the JNamplify charges
that attack the integrity of a man whose
reputation has been earned by word and
deed in service to our community? Sour
grapes make for sour reporting!
Long after this, no one will remember
what Jackier said or did in this instance.
But we will remember how he made us
feel: proud of a leader willing to put his
name and convictions on the line to
safeguard klal Yi srael (the people of
Israel)!
Alex Skoczylas
West Bloomfield
"
Jackier Message Offensive
I was one of the recipients of Larry
Jackier's prerecorded telephone call
made on Oct. 31 ("Unwelcomed
Contact," Nov. 5, page 17). I was
offended by two things. First, Jackier
jnonline
identified himself as the immediate past
president of the Jewish Federation.
Second, after identifying himself Jackier
stated that a reason for voting for
President Bush was that nine out of 10
Arab Americans were voting for John
Kerry.
In an e-mail to ladder, I asked him
what his response would have been if
the Klu Klux Klan, the White Citizens
Council or the Michigan Militia advo-
cated voting for Bush because 3 out of 4
Jews were voting for Kerry. Jackier
responded by saying he was sorry if I
WaS discomfited by his message. That
response is simply not satisfactory.
As a separate matter, I accept the fact
that the Federation vas in no way
responsible for releasing a list used for
the phone call. I feel that in view of the
problems created by the calls, Jackier has
an obligation to find out how the list
was compiled for all to know.
Richard Lenter
Bloomfield Hills
Jackier Call Welcomed
As a pillar of our community dedicated
ro the welfare of the Jewish people,
Larry Jackier has every right to advocate
for politics and policies that promote
Israel's security. His "contact"
("Unwelcomed Contact," Nov. 5, page
17) was most welcome; it was the
unconscionable vilification of him that
was not.
In an automated call for President
Bush, Jackier made it painstakingly clear
that his was a "personal appeal" paid for
by a political PAC. Never did he imply
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit was involved. Jackier simply
stated that he was a past president of
Federation. In op-eds by Mandell
Berman and Max Fisher, the JNdeemed
it appropriate to note their credentials as
Federation past presidents. l'he paper
was replete with campaign endorse-
ments by former Federation officers and
communal leaders.
Unlike Kerry supporters who improp-
jewsh.com
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Palestinian elections are sched-
uled. Does that mean we will see
a change? Micah Halpern doesn't
think so. Not in our lifetimes.
Read about it on
vvvvw. detro itj ewishnews. co in
11/19
2004
6
For online advertising, call
erly distributed political literature inside
Federation buildings, Jackier did not
abuse Federation facilities. Nor did he
abuse donor lists.
Responding to disgruntled Kerry sup-
porters, Federation broadcast an e-mail
reiterating its apolitical standing.
Moreover, Jackier, whose love of
Federation and community supersedes
even his own pride, publicly apologized
to those who misconstrued his message.
Nonetheless, the /Nand others turned
Jackier's robocall (one of dozens by both
parties) into an inquisition. Calls and
campaign mailings in a presidential elec-
tion are hardly newsworthy. The JN
made a controversy of a non-issue by
spotlighting the accusations of a few in
an unfairly slanted article.
Rather than impugn a devoted Jewish
leader, why didn't the JNprofile Jackier's
reasons for making his personal appeal?
This paper seemingly had no interest in
Jackier's message (none of which was
printed); it only wanted to kill the mes-
senger.
There are thousands in this communi-
ty proud of the messenger and his mes-
sage. It should come as no surprise that
Jackier, whose heart and soul are with
Israel, would make an appeal for the
president he feels has been Israel's best
friend in the White House.
Linda B. Stulberg
Farmington Hills
JN Thinking Skewed
You attacked the premise of a letter
writer who accused you of siding "with
the Arabs against your brothers and sis-
ters in Israel" in the JNsupport of John
Kerry for president (Editor's Notebook,
"The Jewish Vote," Oct. 29, page 5).
While I would not go as far as that letter
writer, I have some sympathy for that
argument.
While numbers demonstrate that a
minority of Jews voted for President
Bush, most polling demonstrated that
among Jews who state that Israel is one
of their top voting interests, President
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Bush did much better than that.
There are many of us in the commu-
nity who, while not joining in that let-
ter writer's attack, believe that your edi-
torial board, along with many Jews in
America, are so eager to push the inter-
ests of the Democratic and or Labor
parties that they will ignore or rational-
ize trouble spots that relate to Israel.
The letter writer is absolutely correct
in stating that the newspaper's editorial
board has an "inability to separate
promises from deeds." Your editorials
regularly quote facts and statements
from Kerry's Web site. We have the
deeds of the courageous President Bush
against the words of an also-ran senator
from Massachusetts who never cared
about Israel or us as Jews until he need-
ed to hone his national aspirations. You
do, indeed, confuse the statements and
promises of John Kerry with the history
and deeds of George Bush.
You write, "To intimate that the JN
endorsement somehow is contributing
to conditions that could breed another
Holocaust is bunk." If we are not, as a
community, smart enough to realize
that we have an unusual force for good
in the White House in a time of great
peril to European Jewry, then maybe
your letter writer is not so far off
Also, the commentary in the article
attacking the phone call of community
icon Larry Jackier was outrageous
("Unwelcomed Contact," Nov. 5, page
17). There is no evidence whatsoever
that that good and decent man ever
touched any kind of Federation mailing
list. Yet you allow people to "put it out
there" that that might have happened.
His denials were treated as non-starters.
While there is free speech, and you do
want to report what the public says,
how about applying to the Left the
same editorial standard that you do to
those of who are hawkish on Israel and
supportive of the Iraq War (even when
there are problems) and President Bush?
Eric J. Rosenberg
Farmington Hills
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