World

Visions Of Hope

D. Dan Kahn honored for his support of ORT school.

A

Jewish philanthropist from
Bloomfield Hills contributed
$500,000 to Women's
American ORT to renovate the ORT
Yad Lvovich Comprehensive High
School in Netanya, Israel.
The school, which was established
in 1949 and has 1,500 students will
now include the D. Dan and Betty
Kahn Science Building.
Kahn is founder of Production Tool
Supply in Warren. His late wife, Betty,
mother of four and grandmother of
seven, died in June 2004.
Kahn has dedicated his energy and
financial resources to ORT and other
Jewish causes, including the Technion-
Israel Institute of Technology, where
he serves on the national board, and
the Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit, whose West

Bloomfield building is named for him
and Betty. His support extends to the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit as a Millennium Campaign
donor. He is past chairman of the
Metro Detroit Israel Bond Campaign.
"While my professional success may
have been obtained in the tool indus-
try," Kahn says, "if there is one tool
that enables an individual to rise
above his circumstances, it is educa-
tion."
This year, Women's American ORT
Michigan Region honored Kahn for
his longstanding leadership and sup-
port of the global ORT program. He
was cited at the annual Visions of
Hope event on May 3.
"D. Dan Kahn is the personification
of the ORT mission: overcoming
severe financial hardship, striving to

Behind The Mk

News anchor strives to tell.

DON COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

A

ITN

5/12

2005

38

aron Brown wanted to talk to
the 250 people at the
Women's American ORT 6th
annual "Visions of Hope" event just
as much as they wanted to hear the
Emmy Award-winning anchor of
CNN NewsNight.
CNN's lead anchor of breaking
news and special events was the fea-
tured speaker at ORT's strolling din-
ner and program on May 3 celebrat-
ing D. Dan Kahn's many business
and philanthropic achievements and
his recent contribution to establish
the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Science
Building on ORT's Lvovich campus
in Netanya, Israel.
The event was held in the Jewish
Community Center in West
Bloomfield that bears the Kahn
name.
Brown told the group his wife said,
"It's about time," when he told her he
would be speaking to a Jewish service
agency. CNN has a policy, with
which he disagrees, that prevents
news staff from talking to groups
related to what they cover.

"I think we should talk with any-
one and everyone who cares about
what we do. In truth, I miss talking
to you all," he said, referring to the
Jewish community. "I am part of
you all. It is important to see me as
a person, not just someone on TV."
He explained that he wanted to
talk about the "glorious and fun," but
first needed to tell about the "difficult
and personal."
"There is no group harder on me
than organized Jewish groups,"
Brown said. "This is not true of Jews
generally; they embrace me and there
is pride. But some of the nastiest mail
I get is from members of organized
Jewish groups. They want me to be
something I can't be. They want me
to be the Jewish anchorman. I am an
anchorman who is Jewish."
The friction surrounds coverage of
Israel.
"The story from the Mideast is a
horribly complicated business," he
said. "Too many times people on
both sides don't believe the other side
has a story to tell."
Brown's straightforward and per-
sonal approach was well received May
3, but some audience members didn't

learn, working hard to achieve
success and ultimately giving
back to the community that
inspired him," his children —
Patti Aaron, Mark Kahn, and
Andi and Larry Wolfe, chairs
of the honorary committee of
the Visions of Hope event —
said in a statement.
D. Dan
Kahn's gift to Women's
American ORT helps to reno-
vate and refurbish Yad Lvovich, which
was one of ORT's first schools in
Israel. The school is a hodgepodge of
edifices erected over the years. Some
can be renovated; others must be
replaced.
Yad Lvovich students have always
included new immigrants and Israelis
from disadvantaged backgrounds, all
of whom require more attention than
they could receive in other schools.
The continuing challenge has been to
impart skills so these students can
thrive in Israel's ever-evolving econo-
my.
Yad Lvovich's curriculum focuses on

computer programming, elec-
trical system design, environ-
mental studies, tourism and
the humanities. It has 1,500
students in seventh grade
through high school.
Yad Lvovich's infrastructure
is dated and Netanya, where
Kahn the school is located, has been
a frequent target of terrorists.
Some funds directed toward
the school infrastructure had to be
diverted to provide for the students'
welfare.
ORT Israel has made a commitment
to upgrade Yad Lvovich. World ORT
pledged $20 million to cover the
costs.
Yad Lvovich is one of ORT's 237
schools in 100 countries. It is estimat-
ed that 25 percent of Israel's work-
force has attended an ORT school.
Women's American ORT anticipates
providing major support for the cam-
paign for ORT Yad Lvovich. ORT's
Michigan Regional Office can be
reached at (248) 723-8860.

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buy his equating Israel and
uzz mistakenly ended up in St.
the Palestinians.
Paul instead of St. Louis,
"The Jews, with all of the
and how his favorite place in
suffering across the ages,
New York is Ellis Island
have never made statements
because "you don't get a
to kill a people that they
piece of your own life until
disagreed with," said Larry
you get it," Brown told
Snider of Southfield, who
about a CNN segment he
also didn't agree that the
Aaron Brown
did in 2003 about Rachel
Palestinians deserve an equal
Zelon.
voice in the news. "If he
Zelon is "not especially reli-
reports both sides, he should lead
gious but has an overwhelming sense
with the point that the Palestinians'
of her Jewish identity," said Brown,
goal is to kill the Jews and take it
describing her as he might describe
from there.
himself. Zelon, the vice president of
program operations for the New
York-based Hebrew Immigrant Aid
Giving Voice
Society, had been in Iraq on a mis-
Brown's reading of Jewish history and
sion to rescue the remaining 10 or
the values he got from his family and
12 elderly Iraqi Jews. At the end of
rabbi in St. Paul, Minn., compel him
Brown's segment, he showed a 90-
not to silence the stories that people
year-old man Zelon brought to Israel
tell.
talking by cell phone to a woman he
"Think for a moment how differ-
had fallen in love with.
ent our history would be if all those
Brown proudly described the story,
times we were oppressed and hurt,
which he reported on CNN, as his
in the worst of those moments, we
most powerful story in 30 years."
had no voice, no one heard us," he
"There is a war going on, it's insane
said. "I will not be the person who
over there, people are being kid-
denies a voice to those who have no
napped and bombs are going off, and
power."
Zelon is going door to door to find
"It is a fundamental Jewish value,"
these people," he said admiringly.
Brown insisted. And non-negotiable.
"One courageous person can make
"If you want the rest of the package
an enormous difference. They can't
you need to accept that from me."
solve every problem, but they can
After telling how his maternal
change the world."
Russian immigrant grandparents

"

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