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Hear The People

Council executive director David Gad-Harf's participation
t considers itself the public affairs voice of the Detroit
in a June 10 protest against alleged U.S. military mistreat-
Jewish community, but the community at large wasn't
ment of the Muslim holy book, the Koran. The rally took
allowed to make comments to, or hear deliberations of,
place at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, the
the Jewish Community Council board last week.
mosque led by Imam Hassan Qazwini.
I don't understand why. You can't represent the people, no
By sharing the podium with Qazwini, Gad-Harf gave the
matter how diverse your board membership is and how robust imam mainstream credibility he doesn't deserve and which
its discussions are, unless you welcome public discourse of the
he uses at our expense. Imam Qazwini's record of anti-
issues. Giving feedback only to the executive director, the pres- Zionism, his claims of inordinate Jewish power and his
ident or a board member isn't always enough.
mosque's hosting of Lebanon Liberation Day replete with
When the Detroit Jewish News called
cheering of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which the U.S.
the Bloomfield Township office of the
and Israel call a terrorist organization, should have been
Council, we were told that a reporter
enough for the Council to stay away.
could not attend the Sept. 7 board
When I asked Wagenheim last Friday about the reversal
meeting. We could, however, have a
of her decision to allow a public presence during Council
reporter outside the meeting room at 9
deliberations, she cited "genuine concerns" expressed by
p.m. to catch board members as they left several board members who felt having an audience result-
the two-hour assembly. Without the
ed in a "chilling effect" at the Aug. 4 meeting. So the offi-
benefit of witnessing what happened,
ROBERT A. how could we ask prob-
ing questions? Would a
SKLAR
representative group even
Editor
Moreover, the Council must
stick around to talk to
embrace and engage more of the
the press after a long evening?
Let there be no doubt: The community
community. It must never think
has a right to know how the Council makes
its doing all that it can to be our
decisions.
The Council has a proud history as a
representative voice.
common meeting place for diverse commu-
nity thought leading up to thoughtful, rep-
resentative action. But the community has
.
changed. We're more divided than ever, politi-
cers felt it was in the Council's "best interest" not to allow
cally and religiously. As different as the current 54 directors guests to hear deliberations this time around. She said a
are, the Council must commit to building even more of a
new committee would develop an official policy on guests
representative board as positions become open.
at board meetings.
Moreover, the Council must embrace and engage more
I suggest that the Council, as the Jewish community's
of the community. It must never think it's doing all that it
public affairs voice, not only allow guests to be present for
can to be our representative voice.
board meeting reports, but also allow public comment near
The Council lists 200 member organizations but they
the end of this segment of the agenda. The president could
don't all think alike. What's urgent or veiled for one group
apply city council-type limits on time and against disrup-
isn't for another. A unified position is becoming less possible.
tion, slander or derision.
On July 7, the JN published a letter from Council
Also, I encourage the Council to open deliberations to
President Wendy Wagenheim inviting the public to attend
public scrutiny, sooner than later. The Council is funded
a board meeting "to observe the Jewish community's most
almost entirely by the Jewish community; Federation
representative organization in action."
tapped its Annual Campaign for 90 percent of the
"No other Jewish organization," Wagenheim wrote, "has
Council's current $522,000 operating budget. Unlike other
the same depth of debate on the issues of the day, with a
Federation agencies, the Council positions itself as the peo-
rich diversity of opinion, as the Jewish Community
ple's voice. Reasonable guidelines surely could be framed to
Council."
facilitate controlled public and press
She added that dissenters "will be
viewing of the most significant parts of
heard and respected."
Points To Ponder
Council agendas. Board members
So a few guests showed up for last
should not waver just because there s an
week's board meeting. They heard
audience.
Council reports on the Council of
Does the Jewish
I trust that Council's committee look-
American-Islamic Relations, on Detroit's
Community Council speak
ing at board meeting participation won't
embrace of the Rev. Louis Farrakhan,
for you?
freeze out allowing watchers.
and on President Bush and the U.S.
Federation's Web site states that the
Supreme Court vacancies. The guests
Should the Council open its
Council "works to safeguard and
then were asked to leave, before lengthy
board meetings to the
advance Jewish interests, promote Jewish
discussion of the public display of the
public?
values and advocate on behalf of Jews in
10 Commandments.
Metro Detroit, in Israel and around the
Guests also missed board action
Do we as a community
world."
rejecting a motion by three board mem-
have one voice,
Restricting JN coverage of board meet-
bers to "issue a public apology to the
even on Israel?
ings and stilling the voice of the people
community for the lapses in processes
at them is not what the Detroit Jewish
and policies," referring to former
community is all about.

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