Letters
Aggravating Long Walk
We want to thank Staff Writer Harry
Kirsbaum for the wonderful article he
wrote regarding the seniors who have
difficulty going to the Kahn Building
of the Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield due to the long walk
from the parking lot to the entrance of
the building ("Going The Distance,"
July 28, page 24) .
The spaces designated as handicap
parking are a joke. Anyone who can
walk that long distance is not handi-
capped.
There used to be limited parking
spaces at the curb near the building
but, due to security reasons, the
Center eliminated them. This has been
an ongoing problem for many years
but was never addressed by the admin-
istration, even after many suggestions
were given, one of which was to put
up a railing along the walkway and
add a couple of benches along the way.
We now hope that since this issue
had been brought to the attention of
the new executive director, Mark Lit,
we will get some results.
Ethel Silbe r
Huntington Woo
Zionism At MSU
In the Editor's Notebook "Let Truth
Be Told" (July 14, page 5) about Dr.
Charles Jacobs of the Boston-based
David Project, it was asked: "Why are
so many Jewish college students so
politically inept at countering anti-
Zionism on their campuses?" While
we appreciate the nature of the article,
we find some striking differences in
our perception of the pro-Israel move-
ment on campus.
This viewpoint is seen through the
eyes of a current Michigan State
University student and provides a
much clearer picture as to the reality
of the situation on many college cam-
puses. It has been my experience that
the pro-Israel movement on campus is
stronger than ever.
Guided by Michigan State
University Hillel, my fellow students
and I are equipped to deal with all
anti-Israel propaganda and have con-
tinued to be proactive in our efforts
to spread the pro-Israel message to the
larger campus community, both
Jewish and non-Jewish. This is evi-
denced by our gigantic step forward
in the past two years.
Programs sponsored by Spartans for
Israel (a campus pro-Israel political
organization) and MSU Hillel have
aimed at educating a diverse con-
stituency of participants, creating a
renewed interest in Israel and identify-
ing and arming our students with the
power of knowledge. Partnering with
campus groups contributed to the
wide reach and success of our pro-
Israel programs on campus.
Taking our mission one step fur-
ther, Spartans for Israel and Michigan
State University Hillel sponsored a
legislative lobbying trip to
Washington, D.C., on behalf of the
campus pro-Israel movement. Twelve
student leaders, most of whom were
not Jewish, met with congressional
leaders and staff to express our sup-
port for the relationship between the
United States and Israel as well as spe-
cific pieces of legislation concerning
Iran and global terrorism.
Also, Michigan State University was
recently named the Israel Activists of
the Year at the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee's policy conference.
We are actively working to continue
our responsibility as Jews to ensure
the health and security of the state of
Israel.
What we need most is the guidance
and support of our community as we
continue to educate, support and
encourage our students to use their
voice on behalf of Israel.
Jennifer Bloom
president, Jewish Student Union
Michigan State University
East Lansing
ClothespORT going out
Thanks To Community
Thank you for your article "Final Sale"
(July 21, page 21) regarding the
Women's American ORT
ClothespORT Resale Shop closing its
doors after 40 years of service to ORT
and to the Detroit Jewish community.
Your report depicting the historical
significance and reasons for closing
was a fine example of quality and
accurate reporting.
We appreciate all the support of the
community, which sustained us over
the years and the many volunteers and
staff who conscientiously and faithful-
ly guided the store since the 1960s.
For more than 40 years, more than 1
million ORT students and teachers
have benefited from the dollars raised
by Women's American ORT. We
promise to continue to provide our
support with funds raised in other
ways with the help of cherished volun-
teers and leaders.
We will celebrate the ClothespORT
with a party on Sept. 26 for volunteers
and families who have contributed to
the store. For information, call the
ORT office, (248) 723-8860.
Michelle Passon
Michigan Region director,
Women's American ORT
Bloomfield Township
Israel's Major Presence
imagine. It's more complicated than
that.
It is the leading industrialized nation
in the Mediterranean basin. In the last
several decades, it has been the
'America" for Africans, Asians and
many Eastern Europeans who have
difficulties entering the States or the
European Union. This has resulted in
a disproportionate level of foreign
workers in the Israeli labor market.
Along with the economic ties with the
United States, Israel has a good chance
of becoming a member of the E.U.
All that and other issues make the
State of Israel a major player in the
world. Nonetheless, there are problems
and issues that the local and national
governments are unable to address by
taxation or by surcharges.
Still, the State of Israel is the home-
land of the Jewish people. No matter
what anybody says, it is the ultimate
source of our identity. We did not
return here to establish a Western
enclave.
We came back to a place from
which we were exiled. In fact, Jews
lived there for centuries when it was
an "Arab land," waiting for the
Messiah to change the situation.
Israel is a major player in the global
village but more importantly, it is a
major pillar of our national identity as
a people.
Zev Davis
Nazareth Illit, Israel
in Detroit Jewry's
Partnership 2000 region
Why Pull Out?
Of Israel's 5,500,000 citizens, 1 mil-
lion are Arabs with full citizenship.
Why force 9,000 Jews out of Gaza
in the pullout? Why make it Jew-free?
Why?
Barbara Feldman
Southfield
We Jews like to think of Israel as
something special, and it is — but not
in the way Jews outside of the country
How To Send Letters:
Jewish.com
Bolstering Hebrew
Hebrew literacy is in sharp decline in
the U.S. — and the Memorial
Foundation for Jewish Culture is
working to change that.
IN
8/ 4
2005
8
Read about it on
Jewish.com.
dotCOM SURVEY
Last Week's Results
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leave you hopeful or concerned?
Do you agree with or were you
appalled by the way Laura Bush was
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To vote, click on
JNOnline.com.
19% agreed
81% appalled
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