i
_ Letters
Physician
in treatment of
colitis pa - dents
Letters from page 6
A Living History
Wrong Message
In his fine Editor's Letter "More
Than Preservation" (Dec. 7, page 5),
Robert Sklar suggests the story of our
extraordinary community and the
people who have made it great is still
being written.
The Leonard N. Simons Jewish
Community Archives thanks Mr. Sklar
for pointing out that the archives —
housed within the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit and the
Reuther Library at Wayne State
University — is more than a fascinat-
ing record of our past.
He understands that the archives is
a living history and that each of us has
a vital part to play in its telling.
Every day, we lose more of our
immigrant generation, of our World
War II veterans and our Holocaust
survivors — our parents, grandpar-
ents and great-grandparents — whose
remarkable stories will be lost forever
if we don't record them now.
The Simons Archives encour-
ages families to interview their aging
relatives on audiotape or videotape
through its "History Begins at Home"
program, offered in cooperation with
the Jewish Community Center's David
B. Hermelin ORT Resource Center.
These taped memories become a
part of a family's permanent record
— a cherished legacy for those yet to
be born — and a part of our commu-
nity archive.
I'm writing to express my disappoint-
ment in Robert Sklar's "Editor's Letter"
titled "Redefining Philanthropist" (Dec.
14, page 5). His comments focus almost
entirely on the "giving" aspect of phi-
lanthropy, centering on young adults
capable of giving major gifts to Jewish
agencies/institutions and talks very
little, if at all, about the reasons we give.
According to the dictionary, philan-
thropy means "the love of humankind"
and has nothing to do with financial
donations. In a true sense, we are all
philanthropists; and all levels of giving
(time, talent and treasure) help with
tikkun olarn. The heavy emphasis on
a small segment of our community
taking the place of the Max Fishers
and David Hermelins of the world
is the completely wrong message to
send, especially to those who feel like
that can't make a difference unless
they are large donors.
I suggest that Mr. Sklar might want
to write an editorial that focuses on
the mission of organizations and how
anyone can become ingrained in the
fabric of tikkun olam, by being true
philanthropists, not just major givers.
Charlotte Dubin
chair
Sharon Alterman
director
Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community
Archives
Bloomfield Township
For a "History Begins at Home" brochure
that lists basic interview questions and other
information, call the Leonard N. Simons
Jewish Community Archives at (248) 203-
Gary Dembs
immediate past president
Association of Fundraising Professionals
Greater Detroit Chapter
Huntington Woods
Answering
Israel's Critics
The Charge
Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad has written: "The peoples
of the Middle East have ... borne the
brunt of the Holocaust. By raising the
necessity of settling the survivors of the
Holocaust in the land of Palestine, they
have created a permanent threat in the
Middle East ..."
Meet one of the faces of success
Jason Bodzin, M.D., is a surgeon at
the Henry Ford Medical Center —
West Bloomfield and Henry Ford
Hospital in Detroit. He is board
certified in general surgery, and a
member of the Henry Ford Medical
Group. He has a special interest
and expertise in the management
of inflammatory bowel disease
(IBD).
Dr. Jason Bodzin chose his medical
specialty after observing a very
special need. Working as a student
in pediatric surgery, he cared for
many children requiring intra-
venous feeding. His expertise led to
receiving consultations while still an
intern and resident. Once his train-
ing was complete, he became the
leader of a nutrition support team,
handling the same situations in the
adult population. Many of these
patients suffered from Crohn's
disease and ulcerative colitis.
IBD is caused by an immunological
imbalance in the gastrointestinal
tract, resulting in an abnormal
response by the body's immune
system that interprets some foods
and other materials as invading
substances. It attacks these "for-
eign" objects and produces chronic
inflammation. While only the colon
is inflamed in ulcerative colitis, the
entire digestive tract is susceptible
to Crohn's disease.
Over nearly three decades in medi-
cine, Dr. Bodzin has been a pioneer
in Detroit for the intravenous food
source known as total parenteral
nutrition. This liquid nutrition is
vital to the nourishment of patients
during treatment for IBD, when
they may be unable to consume
food normally.
1491 or e-mail salterman@jfmd.org .
Encouraging Step
I want to congratulate you on Robert
Sklar's Editor's Notebook "Redefining
Philanthropist" (Dec. 14, page 5). Your
perspective on philanthropy and the
responsibility of young, financially
successful members of the Jewish
community is both welcomed and
enlightening.
Hopefully, it will also encourage
others to step up and be the "now gen-
eration:' not the "next generation."
The Answer
Ahmadinejad's purpose in making this
charge is to deny the legitimacy of Israel
and the historic Jewish claim to the
land. And his hosting of the Holocaust
deniers' conference this month, posing
as a defender of free speech by giving
those crackpots a platform, was a trans-
parent trick unmasked by students in
Tehran last week who derided him as a
dictator busy closing impertinent news-
papers, jailing journalists and purging
outspoken professors.
Although the causes of IBD are not
fully understood, there are definite
genetic factors in the development
of these diseases with multiple
cases present in extended families.
Dr. Bodzin, working with the
University of Chicago genetics lab,
contributed to the discovery of a
gene associated with Crohn's dis-
ease in the Chaldean population.
It's estimated that one in every 200
Americans has IBD, but it could be
twice as many, as it's probably
underreported.
Although IBD
is often consid-
ered "unmen-
tionable," and
embarrassing
to discuss with
physicians, Dr.
Bodzin stresses
it's important
to do so.
"People with
IBD have a significantly higher risk
of developing colon cancer than the
general public," he says. "It's criti-
cal to be vigilant and patients
should be closely monitored by
their physicians."
Dr. Bodzin says that Crohn's and
ulcerative colitis are chronic dis-
eases, often needing ongoing care
for a lifetime. Even with surgery,
complete cures are not often
attained in Crohn's disease, but
treatment can improve the quality
of life. New medications and surgi-
cal procedures show great promise.
"A primary goal in my surgery
practice is to avoid permanent
ileostomy or colostomy," says Dr.
• Bodzin.
More than 80 percent of his prac-
tice is devoted to Crohn's and coli-
tis patients, and those with other
complicated gastrointestinal prob-
lems. The balance of surgeries is
for more common problems such
as hernia or gallbladder operations.
Dr. Bodzin serves on the board of
the local chapter of The Crohn's
and Colitis Foundation of America
(CCFA). He and his wife, Pearlena,
reside in Southfield. The family is
affiliated with Congregation B'Nai
Moshe, where Pearlena is a past
president, and Young Israel of
Southfield. She is also a member of
the Jewish Community Council
and past president of the
Ecumenical Institute.
The Bodzins have a son, Gordon, a
surgeon in California, and a daugh-
ter, Beth Raz, who heads the early
childhood education at Akiva
Hebrew Day School.
Michelle H. Passon
ORT Michigan Region director
— Allan Gale, Jewish Community Council of
Bloomfield Township
Metropolitan Detroit
For more information or to make an
appointment call 1-800-HENRYFORD or
visit our Web site www.henryford.com
December 21 2006
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