An Extraordinary Family Event to Help Children with Disabilities and Their Families Editor's Letter U) C z Walking Together For Israel M ark Segel learned it's not easy organizing a Jewish communal event. Conflict with other scheduled events, questions about sponsor- ships, the need to recruit volunteers, even the matter of whether to serve a kosher or non-kosher lunch — all have proven to be hurdles. "I learned my lesson the hard way:' he acknowledged. He's hoping to make amends by staging a grassroots communal celebration of Israel's independence, which occurred 58 years ago on 5 Iyar. This year, Israel Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut) falls on May 3. Thanks to Segel's determination, Detroit Jewry will have an Israel Independence Day Walk on Sunday, May 7. The West Bloomfield walk will step off at 1 p.m. from Temple Shir Shalom, following a 12:30 kosher community lunch. It will head west for 1 1 /4 miles along Walnut Lake Road to Temple Kol Ami, then return to Shir Shalom for an Israel Festival. The event is not a fund-raiser. "I felt that a visible showing of support for Israel would be healthy for the Jewish community:' Segel said. "It isn't often that Jews can feel proud of who they are, what they stand for and how important Israel is to us and the world." The Southfield insurance agent/financial adviser added, "I believe there are many - Jews in this community who want this public display of Jewish pride for Israel:' I do, too:. . I don't know if Segel's idea is the answer given the decline in participation at Federation's Yom HaAtzmaut walks after attracting hundreds if not thousands of participants during the 1990s. Did that decline suggest waning local interest in Israel? Or did the walk just need a more engaging reason for being? If ever there was a time for such a grand show again, it is now = 5 1 /2 years into a Palestinian reign of terror that has killed more than 1,100 people in Israel. Imagine the statement that a walk of 500 or more people could make as reinforcement of why we as a community doggedly support Israel through Federation's Annual Campaign. . A Clarion Call I'm eager to see how the community responds to Mark Segel's call to march. A lousy turnout would say a lot about us — either we can't take a few hours on a spring afternoon to march for our ancestral homeland, or a walk with logisti- cal, weather and security issues requires much more time to pull off. - Segel has synagogues, orOnizations and individuals on . his planning team. They're providing vital know-how and clout. Segel is a proud Zionist. He and his wife, Cathy, visited Israel in 1983. They came home reinvigorated as Jews. Over the years, he became active in the Zionist Organization of • America. In 2003; he volunteered on an Israeli army base D it) through the fine organization Sar El. Segel practices what he preaches. He has worked alongside some of our community's most devoted Zionists to educate, promote and defend. In March, he enlisted Kenneth Levin, author of the Oslo Syndrome: Delusions of a People Under Siege, to address the ZoMs Metro Detroit chapter. Like Segel, I am infuriated that Israel is under attack from divestment efforts, campus hatred, widening anti-Zionism, Muslim fanatics in Europe, U.N. resolutions and Palestinian terror. "I felt it was worthwhile to take a stand and go on the offensive Segel said. 1 • z 0 0 z The Iran Factor The same day that Segel outlined his plans for an Israel walk, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sharpened his anti-Zionist rhetoric by proclaiming that Israel was "heading toward annihilation" and that it was a "perma- nent threat" to the Middle East. He said Israel's "existence has harmed the dig- nity of Islamic nations." He vowed that the biblical land of Palestine — Israel, Gaza and Judea/Samaria — "will be freed soon" but didn't say how. If those verbal daggers weren't enough on the heels of Tehran's declaration that it successfully has enriched uranium, thus enhancing its hope to develop Mark Segel nuclear firepower, Ahmadinejad again questioned and belittled the 'Holocaust. Whether a walk is the best concept to expresS solidarity with Israel is open to debate. But I can't help but think that Ahmadinejad's rant will give the walk that -Segel is planning a reason for being. We've survived as a people for more than 3,300 years because we've never lost our sense of unity amid adversity. Then came .the Palestinian suicide bombing in Tel Aviv during Pesach that killed nine Israelis and wounded at least 60 — an attack that Hamas, the Palestinian Authority's rul- ing government, not surprisingly deemed legitimate Remember, the walk•isn't just for us. It's to let the non- Jewish community know there are Jews eager to display their support for Israel. On the morning of May 7, the Detroit Jewish News will host a run, walk and diaper dash to fight hunger. This Race for Hunger will be held on the Farmington Hills campus of Oakland Community College. All proceeds from the $18 preregistration will go to the Berkley-based Yad Ezra kosher food bank and the Detroit-based Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. Walking to repel hunger in the morning and walking to support Israel in the afternoon —exercise aside, May 7 promises to fill you with the ruach, the spirit, that is at the core of what it means to be Jewish. ❑ Preregister for the Race for Hunger at www.jncarathon.com . Call Mark Segel to sign up for the Israel Independence Day Walk rn • 0 CD a 3 7 ( 8 0 U) X T CARNIVAL AND ARCADE GAMES BASKETBALL LASER TAG ROPES COURSE GIANT SLIDE FACE PAINTING 1N-LINE SKATING ENTERTAINMENT D. BROWN OF STAR TRAX tam CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP AND TICKET INFO: 4111 248.538.6610 X418 and lunch: (248) 208-2773. renafriedberg@jarc.org April 27 • 2006 5