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Greenberg's View

Why No Big Israel Day?

W

ith about 40 percent of its Annual
Campaign headed there, the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit has
an essential stake in Israel. That's why it's disap-
pointing that Detroit Jewry's chief planning and
fund-raising arm isn't coordinating a big commu-
nity-wide celebration for Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel's
Independence Day, which this year is May 12.
Federation did host an observance of Yom
HaZikaron, Israel's National Memorial Day for the
Fallen and the Victims of Terror, on Tuesday at the
West Bloomfield JCC. We praise that.
Remembrance for the brave men and women who
died protecting and sustaining Israel is paramount.
They're why Israel not only has survived
repeated Arab attacks, but also has pros-
pered since its creation as the Jewish state
on May 14, 1948. Having an ancestral
homeland strengthens our people-hood in this age
of deeper assimilation.
Federation's record of support for the people of
Israel and the Zionist cause is innovative and
enduring. Federation's four mega-missions are a
collective standard by which similar regional trips
are measured.
So why isn't there a Federation-organized Yom
HaAtzmaut celebration in Metro Detroit this year,
be it a walk or a festival or something else that's
special?
Federation must use its organizing talents and
clout to work with Jewish organizations and syna-
gogues to turn Yom HaAtzmaut into a communi-
ty-wide event with multiple venues — or encour-
age another coalition to do so. What message does
it send to our lawmakers, children and enemies

when Israel's birthday can't unite
us by the thousands?
Changes are fine: As the Jewish
community in Ann Arbor puts
together its largest Israel
Independence Day celebration
ever, it appears that Cleveland
has scaled back its Yom
HaAtzmaut festivities. While
Chicago's huge Walk for Israel
has been divided into eight
neighborhood walks, Boston
moved its big Israel event to
June.
In Metro Detroit,
Federation has post-
poned its Israel celebra-
tion until the fall when it plans to host
something that is engaging and with broad appeal
— and that also honors Detroit Jewry's vital 10-
year partnership with Israel's Central Galilee. The
intent is good; but we wonder why it could not he
fulfilled in time to mark Israel's 57th birthday,
especially because Federation leadership was talk-
ing about such a celebration last November?
In the wake of no community-wide Israel cele-
bration, thankfully we do have nice alternatives:
Yeshivat Akiva's public celebration tonight and the
Washtenaw County Federation's on Sunday. Some
smaller local events also are planned.
Just as the Detroit Federation must let others
know its holiday intentions, other communal
agencies and institutions must be prepared to join
in or take the lead in building a wide community
stage honoring Israel here in the metro area.

EDIT ORIAL

Making The Cars

B

ack in the early 1970s, a young lady with a
mission was using the paper where I worked
as her base of operations.
She was researching a book that would tell the
world how "dehumanizing" the jobs on Detroit's
automotive assembly lines were. Much better was
the Swedish system, she said, in which groups of
workers moved from job to job and always had fresh
challenges in front of them.
She was very serious about this, too. She didn't
know much about the automotive industry, but she
sure knew dehumanization when she saw it. There
was a lot of this going around back in the early
1970s.
A friend of mine said she reminded him of the
holy idiots who populated the novels of Dostoevs
and Tolstoy, completely untouched by reality in
their quest for spiritual perfection.
I thought of this writer the other day as I read
about the deepening financial woes of General

George Cantor's e-mail address is
gcantor@thejewishnews.com .

Support for Israel goes beyond the Jewish corn-
munity — and not everyone is focused on politics.
Other ethnic groups love Israel for its food, dance,
people, music, nature and history. We shouldn't
underestimate that appeal. We've worked hard to
nurture support for Israel; we have more to show
for our efforts than we sometimes think.
Federation must be prudent in how it spends our
hard-earned donations; no one is asking it to waste
money on something unsuccessful. We're asking it
to help shape a community-wide celebration of
Israel and make it successful. We certainly have the
know-how in this community, beginning with
businesses, agencies, individuals, synagogues,
Friends groups, day schools and our partner region
in Israel, which staged a Michigan-Galilee partner-
ship festival last fall that drew 1,200 people!

❑

Related story, page 28

the union-led resistance to any of it resulted
Motors and Ford. How many of those lost
in decisions to move production elsewhere
"dehumanizing" jobs does this area wish it
and the devastation of cities like Flint.
had back now?
The automakers, themselves, failed to see
When I lead tours of Detroit, I always
the
changes that were coming in American
direct the bus through the Boston-Edison
consumer
demand. They still have a hard
Historic District to show what the first wave
time
making
reliable mid-priced sedans that
of automotive money built when it hit this
can
compete
with the Honda Accord and
city around 90 years ago.
Toyota Camry.
But I always include far more modest, out-
GEO RGE
The beat goes on, and the unions still
lying neighborhoods, too. Because this is also
CAN TOR
want to blame everyone else. When military
what the money bought. This was the
Re ality
recruiters went to park their imported cars
American Dream, Detroit style. A home of
Ch eck
(with Bush-Cheney bumper stickers on
your own, tree-lined street, garage in the back,
them,
no
less) in the United Auto Workers lot
barbecue in the yard.
recently,
they
were told to get lost.
Detroit never developed the population densities
The UAW later backed down, but the public rela-
that come with apartment living and help make
tions gaffe was enormous. And the insight into the
New York and Chicago and Boston such vibrant
union mentality was revealing.
cities. But in its time, this wasn't a bad trade-off. If
When Detroit Free Press commuting writer Matt
you grew up in those urban neighborhoods of sin-
Helms
revealed that he had bought an Accord, he
gle-family homes, it was a pretty good life.
was
slapped
around by embittered readers. Even
But that was then.
though
the
deal
was better, more features he wanted
As it turned out, American autoworkers weren't
were
standard
and
the car he bought had a more
especially interested in the Swedish way of doing
reliable record, he was told that he was disloyal to
things. This writer's "dehumanization" was comfort-
his hometown and a terrible person.
able routine to them, and they didn't want to
Now that's what I call dehumanizing. ❑
change
But some change can be a good thing. Much of

.

5/12
2005

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