Metro
Olive Branch?
U-M Hillel debates inviting Muslim students for prayer.
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Staff Writer
Ann Arbor
fter much discussion and a bit of
dissension, there will be no
"reflection room" in the University
of Michigan Hillel building.
Hillel staff began discussing the possi-
bility of offering space in their building
after learning the university was seeking
a prayer and meditation room for stu-
dents of all religious denominations.
"When we heard about the search,
Michael Brooks, our executive director,
floated the idea to Hillel's governing
board," said Rabbi Jason Miller, Hillel's
assistant director. "We decided if there
were students looking for a meditation
room, we would consider publicly sup-
porting them in that endeavor — not
necessarily in our building, but generally."
One reflection room exists on campus,
but is often crowded. Because Muslim
students primarily use it, one of their stu-
A
dent groups asked U-M for an additional
room.
The issue was discussed by Hillel's gov-
erning board. A motion suggested that if
a room were opened, it be offered to
Muslim students only, because they were
the group in search of space.
"The resolution that was voted on was
to extend an invitation to Muslim stu-
dents to use the upstairs classroom at
Hillel on a temporary and space-available
basis:' said Monica Woll, 20, of West
Bloomfield, the Hillel board chair. The
resolution passed "by a slim majority:'
according to Rabbi Miller.
As chair, Woll did not have a vote on the
issue, but said, "I would have voted
against it because I do not personally
believe it is in line with the mission state-
ment of Hillel.
"The [Hillel] room allotted to the
Muslim students would have been placed
alongside rooms designated for the pur-
poses of prayer and Torah study and,
therefore, could have potentially prevent-
ed Jewish students from partici-
pating in these activities due to a
feeling of discomfort:' she said.
"Because our building is fund-
ed and exists for Jewish students,
in my opinion, it is not right to
pass a motion that could poten-
tially prevent Jewish students
from participating in said activi-
ties. The motion crossed the line
if it makes even one student feel
out of place."
And it did.
"Allowing Muslim students to
pray in Hillel would cause many
Jewish students to feel uncom-
fortable," said Robert Weisenfeld, Rabbi Jason Miller and Hillel board chair Monica Woll
19, a U-M sophomore from
Westchester, N.Y.
he said.
"I believe that people in SAFE
(SAFE sponsored the 2002 Second
(Students Allied for Freedom and
National Student Conference on the
Equality), MSA (Muslim Students
Palestine Solidarity Movement on the U-
Association) and many other organiza-
M campus as well as a campaign to urge
tions hostile towards Israel — and thus
U-M to divest from American companies
Jews — would use the room for prayer:'
Katrina Aid Continues
Responding to devastation,Ioss caused by Katrina.
T
he Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit has established
the Katrina Relief Fund to provide
humanitarian aid for communities in
Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and the
Western Florida Panhandle.
To date, the effort in Detroit has raised
more than $320,000. This includes two
$25,000 grants, contributed from the
United Jewish Foundation and the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit as well
as a $50,000 grant from the Jewish Fund
and hundreds of individual gifts from the
community.
One hundred percent of community
member contributions to the Hurricane
Relief Fund are directly forwarded to the
national Jewish community organization,
the United Jewish Communities, to help
people and communities affected by the
storm rebuild their lives. The grants from
Federation, Foundation and the Jewish
Fund will be distributed in a manner
determined by the organizations to be the
best use of those funds.
78
• Donate online at www.thisisfedera-
tion.org/reliefasp
• Send a check, payable to Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, with
Hurricane Relief Fund clearly marked in
the memo line to Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, 6735 Telegraph
Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303-2030.
• Call the donor line, (248) 205-2550,
with credit card information.
• Call Jewish Family Services, (248) 592-
2300, for information on ways to help.
Lori Edelson, owner of Birmingham
Maple Clinic, a private outpatient mental
health clinic, has announced more than 20
therapists have volunteered to provide
therapy to children, adults and families
affected by Hurricane Katrina with no fee
charged. For information, call Carolyn
Batchelor, (248) 646-6659. Clinic infor-
mation is available at: wwwbirming-
hammaple.com .
BBYO will welcome any Jewish teen dis-
placed by Hurricane Katrina to take part
in BBYO programs at no cost. For infor-
mation, call (248) 788-0700. BBYO also
has established a Web site — www.bby-
ocares.org — where the organization is
selling teen-created "Hurricane Relief" T-
shirts with all of the proceeds going to the
American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
B'nai B'rith International has opened a
disaster relief fund to help hurricane vic-
tims. Information is being gathered to
determine the victims' needs and staff is
working with local agencies to provide
needed supplies.
Donations can be made through the
Web site www.bnaibrith.org or by calling
B'nai B'rith toll free at (888) 388-4224,
where credit card donations will be taken.
Any checks are to be made payable to the
B'nai B'rith Disaster Relief Fund and
mailed to B'nai B'rith International at
2020 K Street NW — 7th Floor,
Washington, DC 20006; write "Hurricane
Katrina" in the memo line.
In Detroit, B'nai B'rith volunteers,
armed with carloads of snacks, toys and
B'nai B'rith "Buddy Bears", visited the
Ramada Hotel in Southfield to meet with
disaster victims who came by bus or car
to Detroit. The "Buddy Bears" were a great
hit with all the kids; to make more avail-
able, a donation of $18 to the B'nai B'rith
local office, 6735 Telegraph Road Ste. 304,
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301, will be appre-
ciated.
Michigan Animal Rescue League has
received several truckloads of supplies,
which have been taken to Louisiana by a
network of outreach workers and other
volunteers, who return with dozens of res-
cued dogs, puppies, cats and kittens.
MARL continues to collect donations of
desperately needed cash and dog and cat
food and supplies so these rescue efforts
may be ongoing.
The Michigan Animal Rescue League is
a non-profit organization operating in
Pontiac since 1951, without the aid of city,
state or federal funding. The animals are
September 29 2005
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