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Saying Goodbye

Jewish themes dot Rosa Parks funeral; Farrakhan spews hatred.

Don Cohen

Special to the Jewish News

s

o what was the Jewish "presence" at the
seven-plus hour "National Victory
Celebration for Rosa Louise Parks" held at
the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit on Nov. 2?
The good was U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit.
The senator was well received as he told about
being the first general counsel of the Michigan
Civil Rights Commission
in 1963 (headed by
Federal Judge Damon J.
Keith who was a co-chair
of the celebration) and
how they took on the seg-
regationist mayor of
Dearborn to end discrim-
ination on public proper-
ty. "The South had Orville
Faubus and Dearborn
had Orville Hubbard:'
,
Levin said, adding later
Rosa Parks
"it is a sweet, sweet victo-
ry that the actual bus
where Rosa Parks made her stand is now in
Dearborn" at the Henry Ford.
Also good was how the Rev. Jesse Jackson of
Chicago began his speech by quoting verses from
the Book of Esther, which mentioned the Jews

often, and then proceeded to compare Mrs. Parks
with Queen Esther, lauding the two women for
risking their lives to stand up for their people. It
was also nice to hear the familiar words of Psalms
145:18, "The Lord is near to all who call upon
Him, to all who call upon Him in truth:' which
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., used to close his
address.
An uncomfortable moment for the Jewish com-
munity was the selection of John 14:1 6 for the
gospel reading and its exclusionary line that says:
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth,
and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by
me." While the event was appropriately a Christian
religious service, this verse, often used to deny an
enduring Jewish covenant with God, is always dif-
ficult to hear.
An ugly moment came from where one would
expect it: the Rev. Louis Farrakhan of the Nation
of Islam. He used the occasion to further his mes-
sianic complex comparing himself to Jesus Christ
and highlighting Jews as the enemies of Jesus. He
told the audience of more than 4,000 people with
countless others listening and watching that, "God
knows I am walking in the footsteps of the Master
[Jesus] because, if I was not, I would be loved by
those who hated Christ:'
His comment elicited a few gasps from the
audience, but there were a lot more cheers, hoots
of agreement and people rising to their feet. ❑

-

Musical Note

In a departure for the Holocaust Memorial Center, its 21st annual
dinner was held at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills
instead of downtown Detroit — and the crowd was treated to
entertainment instead of just speeches. Nadia Weinberg, above, a
native of Bloomfield Hills currently living in Switzerland, is an
international concert performer who delighted the audience with
her singing.

Name Dropping

We want to share the ultimate in Jewish geography with you. The Jewish News is on the lookout for
Detroiters with "famous" relatives.
If you have a family member who is a well-known sports figure, celebrity — or maybe even royalty,
contact Shelli Liebman Dorfman by Monday, Nov. 14 at (248) 351-5141 or sdorfman@thejewishnews.com .

Time Off OK'd

Huron Valley School District and its teacher union have reached an agreement that gives employees
three extra sick days to cover the observance of religious holidays. Previously, employees only had two
sick days. The agreement extends through June 30, 2008.
The proposal was developed by Robert O'Brien, district superintendent, who said the allotted two
sick days only covered Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, but left no other time off for other observances
or personal time off.
Any religious observance falls under the new agreement. Teachers must apply for the days off two
weeks in advance so substitutes can be found.

— Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor

REPO 'cha Don't Know

The Chanukah festival lacks the Sabbath-like restrictions that exist for other holidays.
There is one customary restriction for women, however. Can you name it?

—

Goldfein

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ale saipueo gm inueu aqJ 0141 aql 5uprip mdom wail
pamse AlieuoRrpan ale Aaql
moum 01 pei5 eq 1q5iw uawom `uoRaiedaid Aeplloy pue 5upt000 aq1 Ile ialjv :Jahtsuy

jig

November 10 . 2005

Holiday Bounty

After the holidays, dozens of volunteers showed up to help sort
grocery items donated in the Berkley-based Yad Ezra's annual Yom
Kippur Food Drive. So far, more than 31,000 pounds of items were
donated by area synagogues. Items that are not kosher are given to
Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. Cash
donations so far totaling $14,500 also came from participating
synagogues. Top, Volunteers Marc Gruber, 13, Marisa Gruber, 16,
and Andrea Gruber of Southfield read the label of a canned dona-
tion to determine if it meets Yad Ezra's dietary restrictions. Above,
Norm Levi of Oak Park weighs a bag of donated food items.

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