1 Opinion
VIEWS
Urging A Communa Response
ekiah gedolah! Wake up,
Jewish community of
Metropolitan Detroit!
"These are grave times," as JN
Editor Robert Sklar warned in
his Editor's Letter, "A
Disquieting Sermon" (Dec. 1,
page 5). What a banner time for
Jew- and Israel-bashing locally!
Notorious anti-Semite Rev.
Louis Farrakhan didn't miss
another opportunity to malign
Jews at Rosa Parks' Detroit
funeral; a local imam wont to
rant against Israel heinously
justified Iran's president's geno-
cidal proclamation to wipe
Israel off the map; yet another
University of Michigan divest-
ment campaign was launched
to defame Israel, this time by
professors.
If these despicable demon-
strations of anti-Semitism
aren't enough to jolt our con-
sciousness, consider the SOS
from two U-M Jewish students:
"The barrage of anti-Israel
activity on campus is
Millions of Jewish
exhausting, and the
dollars have been
pro-Israel students on
pumped into good-
campus are at a loss:'
will outreach. The
they wrote in the IN
road to brotherhood
("We Need Communi-
we finance and pave
ty Support," Dec. 1,
is too often a one-way
page 56). That these
street when those
student leaders feel so
with whom we build
embattled and alone
Linda S tulberg bridges do not
in their defense of
Corn m u n ity
denounce terrorism,
Israel is a sad com-
Persp ective
bigotry and incite-
mentary on our com-
ment against Jews.
munity's lack of an effective
Worse, when we pander to and
response to the relentless prop-
legitimize as "moderates" the
aganda campaign to demonize
hate-mongers bent on our
Israel in the media and in aca-
destruction, we strengthen and
demia.
accelerate their evil designs.
The imperative now is for our Beyond the absence of mutuali-
communal organizations to re-
ty of respect, the diversions of
prioritize and re-deploy our
money and energies by our out-
resources for Jewish welfare
reach initiatives drain resources
and security.
from advancing Jewish inter-
For in our zeal to do tikkun
ests.
olam (repair of the world),
Most troubling is our com-
we've become so obsessed with
munity's failure to aggressively
saving the world, we've forgot-
combat the anti-Israel bias
ten to save our own.
infiltrating public schools. A
Explaining Our Priorities
ver the last few weeks,
there have been letters
to the JN reacting to the
Jewish Federation of Metropoli-
tan Detroit's special focus and
priority placed on day school
education. Each of the letters has
advocated for support for differ-
ent forms of Jewish education,
including informal education,
adult education and congrega-
tional education.
There also have been calls for
the Federation to continue advo-
cating and providing support for
the elderly and other vulnerable
populations in our community.
Of course, we agree with much
of what has been said. Our
Federation continues to provide
major funding for a variety of
important programs for infor-
mal Jewish education, the elderly
and for vulnerable populations.
The Jewish Federation has
0
52 December 15 = 2005
established a number of priori-
ties, which were developed
through a community priority-
setting process about seven
years ago, including support for
certain vulnerable populations
and day school education.
First, it is important to recog-
nize that the Federation contin-
ues to support, with significant
dollars, the vulnerable popula-
tions in our community.
Approximately one-third of our
local allocations provide vital
services to at-risk populations,
such as the frail elderly, persons
with special needs and families
experiencing financial and emo-
tional crises. Some of our largest
allocations are made to local
agencies that provide social
services to our at-risk popula-
tions. Thirty-six percent of our
local allocation supports advoca-
cy and aid to at-risk populations
comprehensive report analyzing
the influence of Arab petrodol-
lars in shaping pro-Islamic,
anti-Israel and anti-American
education at universities, high
schools and middle schools was
featured in Jewish newspapers
nationally. The Islamic buy-out
of academic curricula drives
the debate not only on campus-
es, but also in the press, in
Hollywood and, most ominous-
ly, in the halls of Congress.
We Must Act
How are we defusing this tick-
ing bomb? Though local par-
ents recognized this escalating
threat years before it became a
"story:' their appeals to com-
munal organizations were not
seriously addressed. Requests
to the Jewish Community
Council of Metropolitan Detroit
to staff a professional curricu-
lum monitor were turned
down.
Our community must adopt a
the University of .
Michigan, and B'nai
Birth Youth
Organization (BBYO).
in our community
We also provide
compared to approxi-
support for youth par-
mately 16 percent of
ticipation in Israel
our local allocation for
experiences, such as
support of day school
the Teen Mission to
education.
Peter M. Alter
Israel and for the
In addition to the
Corn m unity
Birthright Israel pro-
Federation's annual
Persp ective
gram. We recognize
allocation, the Jewish
the importance of
Fund has generously
informal education
provided support for numerous
experiences for our youth and it
services, including in-home
is important part of our alloca-
services for the elderly, trans-
tion process. Over the last five
portation for medical appoint-
years, our support in these areas
ments and financial support for
has increased dramatically, while
at-risk families.
national funding support has
diminished.
More Support
Third, in a recent nationwide
Second, the Federation also con-
review of federation support for
tinues to support informal edu-
the congregational school sys-
cation, through the Fresh Air
tem, Detroit was listed as one of
Society and Camp Tamarack, the a handful of leadership federa-
Hillels of Metropolitan Detroit,
tions. Federation's Alliance for
Eastern Michigan University,
Jewish Education provides out-
Michigan State University and
standing support and services to
cogent plan to repel the spread
of anti-Israel malignancy in our
schools. Is the urgency of the
entreaties from our university
students of so little conse-
quence to us? We spend hun-
dreds of thousands to help dis-
advantaged minority youth, but
we can't find a mere fraction of
that to rescue our own children
(also minority youth).
How can we expect non-Jews
to support Israel when Jewish
students are conflicted because
they are subjected to an
unremitting torrent of anti-
Israel indoctrination? U-M's
Mideast studies center, federally
funded to train K-12 educators
how to teach about the Mideast,
is reportedly a hotbed of anti-
Israel animus, which, according
to the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency, has won acclaim from
the Saudi-backed Dar al Islam
teacher training institute in
New Mexico. That U-M history
professor Juan Cole, whose anti-
the congregational system,
including for family education,
special education and profes-
sional development, as well as
scholarship support to 2,000 stu-
dents in synagogue schools. The
Alliance receives an annual allo-
cation of more than $1 million.
In addition to support from the
Annual Campaign, special funds
have been created, such as the
Hermelin Davidson Center for
Congregation Excellence and the
Mandell and Madeleine Berman
Millennium Funds to augment
teacher training and family
Jewish education, most of which
goes through our congregations.
We are also proud that the
Florence Melton Adult Mini-
School currently enrolls more
than 500 adults, compared to
100 registered in adult education
five years ago, making Detroit's
program one of the largest adult
education programs in the coun-
try. In addition, we provide
almost a half a million dollars
for scholarship needs at our con-