Front Lines
NOTEBOOK
iNenline
Eye On Palestinian Media
I
The following day, the campus paper, The South End, published an
tamar Marcus, director of Palestinian Media Watch (www.pmw.org .
opinion
piece by Students for Israel member Tova Schreiber of Oak Park
il), an Israel-based organization that analyzes Palestinian society
about
the
Marcus program and the ARA disruption. Her piece was titled,
through its news media and educational system, spoke locally about
"Racism:
Alive
and Well at Wayne State University'
how the Palestinian.media is an impediment to peace. He appeared at a
The
program
was sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Nov. 15 program at Wayne State University in Detroit.
Sta f photo by Angie Baan
and StandWithUs-Michigan, which brought
Following Marcus's presentation, several mem-
Marcus
to town. SWU, a pro-Israel advocacy
bers of the unofficial student group Anti-Racist
group,
has
been critical of some of the university's
Action (ARA)-Wayne State monopolized the
programming
and student-sponsored activities
time set aside for questions. About a half-dozen
relating
to
Israel
and the Middle East.
people, some reading from prepared statements,
DETROI
On
a
positive
note,
WSU had scheduled an open
launched into diatribes lasting as long as five
STANDS W IT H
house
Tuesday
at
the
Jewish
Community Center
minutes condemning Marcus, the U.S., Israel,
- ISRAEL
in
West
Bloomfield
for
prospective
students and
Zionism, colonialism and imperialism.
T
DIVESTMEN
their
parents,
touting
the
growing
Jewish
presence
WSU Law School student Steven Migliore of
wistg
on
campus,
including
the
active
Hillel
of
Metro
Commerce Township challenged how the session
4:41,
Detroit and the highly regarded Cohn-Haddow
was being conducted. Playing off Marcus' talk, he
Center for Judaic Studies.
Steven
Migliore,
right
foreground.
tried to ask a question about conflict on campus
Marcus also spoke in the evening on Nov. 15 at a
being an "impediment to peace!' Interrupted sev-
documentary, Obsession: Radical
screening
of
the
honestreporting.com
eral times, he was not able to ask his question; he was shouted down after
before
500 people at Temple Israel in
Islam's
War
Against
the
West,
saying he was the only Jewish student who had tried to ask one. •
West
Bloomfield.
Marcus
is
featured
in
the
film. It was announced that
,
'
Migliore
said,
describing
about
half
of
"I couldn't believe the attacks'
copies
of
the
film
will
be
sent
to
members
of
the Michigan Legislature
the audience of 90 as "very combative."
courtesy
of
an
anonymous
Temple
Israel
member.
Migliore, a vice president of the Jewish Law Student Association,
- Don Cohen, special writer
also is active in a new group, the Middle East Law Student Association.
Comprised of Jewish, Chaldean and Muslim law students, the group is
"trying to break down barriers between groups of students:' he said.
Johanna's Law Passes House
Passage of "Johanna's Law" in the U.S. House of Representatives brings
the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act one step closer to
reality. Named after Johanna Silver Gordon, a health-conscious former
Southfield teacher who died from ovarian cancer, the law first was pro-
posed three years ago by her sister Sheryl Silver of Bloomfield Hills, who
has been a tireless advocate for its passage.
Thousands of women in the United States each year are diagnosed with
a gynecologic cancer, learning that their symptoms — including heart-
burn, bloating and constipation — prior to their diagnoses were common
symptoms of these cancers. A pervasive lack of knowledge about gyneco-
logic cancer symptoms leads to lengthy delays in diagnosis.
Every 6.5 minutes, a woman in the U.S. is newly diagnosed with ovar-
ian, uterine or another form of gynecologic cancer. In the last 10 years
Hope in Jerusalem
Passing through on a four-day tour of Michigan and Illinois, Nadim
Sheiban, an Israeli Arab and project director of the Jerusalem
Foundation, touted the programs that are making strides towards uni-
fying the diversity of Jerusalem.
The Foundation, founded 39 years ago by then-
Mayor Teddy Kolleck, now is an organization with
a $30 million annual budget that works with the
Israeli government to improve the lives of all citi-
zens.
One-third of all households in Jerusalem and
more than half of the children live below the pov-
erty line, said Sheiban, who has a background in
social work."We influence the lives of thousands of
Nadim Sheiban
residents in Jerusalem!'
With three different educational systems in
Jerusalem — Palestinian, Israeli and ultra-
Orthodox — the Foundation reached 15,000 students last year, he said.
Seeing a need for educating Palestinians, three years ago the
10 November 23 2006
alone, more than 250,000 American women have lost their lives to these
diseases. Nearly 30,000 more are predicted to die this year.
Johanna's Law would create a federal campaign of education regard-
ing the risk factors and symptoms of gynecologic cancers, designed to
improve early detection and lower the death toll from these cancers. Early
detection is the key to successful treatment. The five-year survival rates
for the most common gynecologic cancers are 90 percent when diagnosed
early, but the survival rates drop to 50 percent or less for cancers diag-
nosed later.
The next step for Johanna's Law includes passage in the Senate, where
42 senators already are co-sponsors.
Silver said her sister would have been pleased that the law passed the
House on her mother's 91st birthday.
For more information, contact Silver, founder and president of the
Alliance for Women's Cancer Awareness, at Sheryl.Silver@yahoo.com .
- Ken Guten Cohen, story development editor
Foundation turned an empty new building in East Jerusalem into a sci-
ence-based high school that teaches to 1,000 students. They brought
together Israeli and Arab experts from Technion-Israel Institute of
Technology and Haifa University, invested money for a new staff, a new
curriculum, laboratories, libraries and computers.
They also rewrote the curriculum for the some other elementary
schools.
The Foundation also funds computer clubs, public libraries, a Jewish-
Arab youth orchestra and programs that teach Israeli children conver-
sational Arabic, teach ultra-Orthodox men practical job skills and teach
science and other subjects to ultra-Orthodox students.
Some 35 different programs dealing with diversity and coexistence are
funded through the Foundation, Sheiban said. Research has found that
70 percent of those who participated had a positive change in attitude, he
said. "It's really. encouraging."
"Every Israeli has a political sprit from birth',' he said. "You can't be
neutral, but I'm trying on a professional basis to touch the lives of people
there and try to help them survive and see the future. Maybe, in the future,
peace will come to Jerusalem. People will be ready.''
- Harry Kirsbaum, staff writer
This Week
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Winning Essays
More than 130 local students
entered the JCC Jewish Book
Fair's high school essay con-
test tied to a kick-off speech
by author Elie Wiese]. The
topic: Why is Elie Wiesel's book
Night relevant today? Read the
winning essays.
Just click on Web Extras on
the menu on the left.
Last week's poll results:
Democratic senators are split
on a resolution calling for
some troop withdrawals from
Iraq within six months. Do you
agree with U.S. Sen. Carl Levin,
D-Mich, that it's the best strat-
egy?
Yes 44%
No 56%
Visit the JNonline.us homep-
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This week's poll question:
Are you offended when you
see nativity scenes on public-
owned property like city halls?
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