2004 Volvo V70 15

LETTERS

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Defending Israel

Last time, they gave us the disastrous
"Oslo peace process." This time, the
very same "experts" and big Jewish
establishment organizations want our
support for their current campaign to
drive the Jews from Gaza. They want
every last Jew moved out, to turn their
homes and farms and schools over to
Jew-haters. This, they tell us, will
move the peace process forward."
How will surrendering land to a
vicious enemy bring peace when your
enemy believes with all his heart that
every part of your land was stolen
from him, when he regards every such
surrender as proof of your lack of will
and clear progress towards getting it all
back?
This is not rocket science. So long as
Israel's enemies preach the grotesque
myth that the whole land of Israel
really belongs to the Arabs, that
"Palestine" is as much the heart of the
Arab world as Damascus, Cairo or
Baghdad, their hate for Jewish Israel
will just grow and spread. Our big
Jewish organizations, rather than
pushing to make Gaza judenrein (com-
pletely rid of Jews), ought to tend to
their real business: protecting the
world's Jews, especially from defama-
tion. Most of those who most hate
Israel have been swept up by a lie.

"

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2005

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among them, to show them how to
bake a challah. He worked at the shop
every night until he was 74, when the
doctor ordered him to retire.
My oldest daughter keeps up the
tradition, here in Israel, baking her
own picot, rolls and pastries for family
and friends. There isn't a day goes by
when I come to visit and there isn't
something in the oven. I guess some
traditions are passed on from mother
to daughter; but in our case, it was
from great-grandfather to great-grand-
daughter.

Zev Davis
Nazareth Illit, Israel
(in Detroit Jewry's
Partnership 2000 region)

Hebrew Comes Alive

I just returned from an amazing 10-
day trip to Israel with my 12-year-old
son, Jared. I was overwhelmed to hear
how well my son spoke Hebrew. He
spoke it constantly while we were
there. He was my personal interpreter
everywhere we went.
He talked to people, to store own-
ers, to people in restaurants. He spoke
to family members that we have there.
He wasn't ever shy about it. He was
even comfortable enough to ask to
Michael Ellias Dallen join a bunch of kids in a park playing
Detroit basketball. Everyone commented on
how well he spoke and couldn't believe
that he learned so much from his day
school education alone.
Tradition Of Challah
The highest form of nachas that I
could have had was when we were at a
The article on baking challot
naval base in Ashdod with the soldiers
("Challah Connection," March 24,
having
a party in honor of my niece's
page 52) reminds me of the challot of
bat mitzvah. He took the microphone
my youth — the challot baked by my
in front of 400 soldiers and in
grandfather, the late David Mertz. He
Hebrew, unrehearsed, introduced him-
learned his craft in Poland, where he
self and said where he was from and
apprenticed, and eventually married
how happy he was to be there. He told
the boss's daughter, my grandmother.
how he collected and brought 200
At the close of World War I, he
CDs from friends at school and family
decided to leave "the old country" and
and was happy to donate them for
move to Germany, the venue of many
everyone there to enjoy.
Polish Jews who regarded it as a step
It was an amazing experience for
up. He took his pans, rented an oven
him to actually see and be at so many
and when he had saved enough, he
historical sites and places that he has
called for my grandmother to come to
learned about throughout his school-
get married.
ing. I have always been happy with the
He owned a bakery in Dortmundt
Judaic studies that my children have at
until he left for Detroit in 1937.
Hillel Day School of Metropolitan
Eleven years later, he opened his own
Detroit, but I couldn't have known the
shop and it became a community
extent to which they master the lan-
institution for close to 40 years. In his
guage until I experienced the ease in
later years, he invited some girls from
which
he spoke it there.
Beit Yaakov, my oldest daughter

