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Jerusalem/JTA

authors of this report in the U.S.
Consulate in Jerusalem (on the
he annual U.S. State
Palestinians) and in the U.S.
Department report on
Embassy in Tel Aviv (on Israeli
human rights is impor-
actions) parrot the claims of
tant in documenting systematic
highly political NGOs.
violations in Darfur, China, Iran,
Groups such as Adalah,
Russia and elsewhere. For this
Mossawa, HaMoked, B'Tselem,
reason, the lack of credibility
the Public Committee Against
Gerald
and professionalism reflected
Torture in Israel (PCATI) and
Steinberg
in the chapter on "Israel and
Human Rights Watch are the
Special
the Occupied Territories" in the
real
authors of this chapter. With
Commentary
publication for 2006 (released
the exception of HRW, these
March 6) is particularly disturbing and
NGOs (non-governmental organizations)
seriously undermines the credibility of the are funded by European governments,
rest of the report.
radical church groups and similar donors.
While the State Department's version
As NGO Monitor's carefully referenced
recognizes the context of terror and the
and detailed studies show, these NGOs fol-
legitimacy of Israeli self-defense, and is
low a highly politicized agenda that views
far more balanced than the farcical United the Palestinians as perennial victims and
Nations reports, this publication is still
Israel as guilty of "war crimes;' "racism'
highly flawed. The main reason is the
and "violations of international law." These
almost total reliance on allegations made
organizations apply double standards that
by the large number of non-governmental single out and demonize Israel, following
organizations active in this conflict zone.
the strategy adopted at the infamous NGO
Instead of doing their own research on
Forum of the 2001 U.N. Conference on
these complex human rights issues, the
Racism in Durban, South Africa.

T

This strategy includes false allegations
of human rights abuses, selective or dis-
torted interpretations of international law
and use of inflammatory rhetoric. These
groups cannot be considered "reputable
international organizations" or "credible
NGOs;' as the State Department claims.
For example, the 2006 report includes
numerous references to petitions brought
to the Israeli judicial system on behalf of
Palestinian groups or individuals by "rep-
utable NGOs." Many of these are dismissed
— as in the case of PCATI's case against
targeted killings aimed at Palestinian ter-
rorist leaders — but the main result is to
influence public opinion by reinforcing the
image of Israel as guilty of "war crimes."

The political biases that underlie these
NGOs' activities and distort their factual
claims and interpretations of international
law are very visible. Mossawa and Adalah
routinely refer to Israel as "racist" and call
for changing the Israeli flag and national
anthem, "abolishing the Jewish elements
of Israel" and implementing a "right of

return" for millions of Palestinians claim-
ing refugee status.
And PCATI is the sole source for the
State Department claim that the Israel
Security Agency used "torture" in 20 per-
cent of its interrogations. No evidence or
sources are provided, and the report failed
to note that members of PCATI's staff and
board campaign for radical causes, such as
the "Free Tali Fahima" campaign. Fahima
was convicted for assisting Zakaria
Zubeidi, a Palestinian terrorist and head
of the Al-Aksa Brigades in Jenin.
HRW is another example of a powerful
NGO that lacks credibility and balance
on Israel. The State Department report
repeats HRW statements that "claimed
that between May 30 and June 20, IDF
forces attacked Palestinian medical emer-
gency personnel on at least six separate
occasions in Gaza, including two attacks
by missile-firing drone aircraft."
HRW's reports are based on "eyewitness
testimony" of Palestinians and selected
journalists, and strip away both the con-
text and the numerous examples in which
Palestinians have used medical vehicles

over a generation ago.
As I finished reading my
Jewish News, I saw an ad pre-
viewing upcoming Jewish
Theological Seminary of
America events. Dayna Fidler
(Hillel Class of 1998) was
highlighted as a featured
"Seminary Shabbat" speaker
at Congregation Beth Ahm in
West Bloomfield. Dayna is a cur-
rent student of the JTS William
Davidson Graduate School of Jewish
Education in New York.
As impressive as it is to read about
these Hillel connections in one week of the
Jewish News, it is even more remarkable
that the accomplishments of Hillel students
and alumni appear in nearly every issue of
the paper. Hillel alumni possess a diverse
array of talents and have made innumer-
able contributions to our community.
Three students from Hillel's class
of 2003 alone have been accepted to
Harvard University; should they choose
to enroll, they will join two additional
Hillel alumni who attend its law school.
Many Hillel alums enjoy careers as local
Jewish communal professionals, hold-
ing positions that include development

director of Detroit's Anti-
Defamation League, Adat
Shalom Synagogue Religious
School director, director of
mission outreach and develop-
ment for the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit and
Temple Israel program director.
Hillel Day School also counts
as its own a Pulitzer Prize-win-
ning journalist, a winner of
the distinguished University
of Michigan Hopwood Award, a judge of
the Oakland County Circuit Court, rabbis,
feature and documentary filmmakers,
Hollywood actresses and University of
Michigan basketball team members. This
is just the tip of the Hillel iceberg.
Of course, sending a child to Hillel is,
no doubt, a long-term investment. But it
is one of the safest investments a parent
can make. Because when you invest in
Hillel, you invest in the time-tested ideals
and values that have sustained the Jewish
people for millennia.
And week after week, as I read the
Jewish News, it becomes increasingly evi-
dent just how good a deal our students,
their families and the Jewish community
receive. I I

Baseline Concerns

Hillel Day School's Expanse

A

s Hillel Day School's director
of admissions, as well as the
mother of two Hillel Day School
graduates, I feel particularly proud when
I flip through my Jewish News every
Thursday night. Most any week of the year,
the achievements of our Hillel students,
past and present, pop up among the pages.
The March 15 edition was no exception: It
is clear that some of the brightest minds,
kindest hearts and deepest souls in our
community have received their academic,
religious and moral foundations at Hillel
Day School.
The first Hillel connection I noticed was
in the feature story "What About Beth."
Beth Schwartz, who wrote the March 19
episode of the new ABC-TV hit show "What
About Brian',' is a 1994 Hillel graduate in
addition to being a University of Michigan
alumna, where she majored in Judaic stud-
ies and screenwriting. Beth fondly remi-
nisces about writing her first television
episode ( for "Beverly Hills 90210") in her
Hillel sixth-grade drama class.
As I continued leafing through the
paper's pages, I recognized several
familiar faces in "Long Lost Friends."
Story writer and Hillel alumna Jennifer
Rosenthal (Class of 1996) shares some

26

April 5 • 2007

reflections from a recent Hillel reunion.
Attendees commented: "Hillel made me
the person I am today. I want my children
to one day go to Hillel and have the feeling
of community I had ... We were not only
classmates, we were family." The lifelong
ties formed among Hillel students are
unmistakable. Hillel alums frequently
reconnect as college roommates and stand
up at one another's weddings. They even
marry each other!
As I continued reading the paper, I
came across references to even more Hillel
students. In "Turning On Tzedakah,"
one of the four students highlighted was
— you guessed it — a current Hillel stu-
dent. Eighth-grader Eden Adler continues
to participate in a West Bloomfield-based
Fleischman Residence knitting group that
she originally joined prior to becoming a
bat mitzvah.
I also discovered Hillel connections in
"Reaching Rochester',' which discussed the
new Oakland University minor in Judaic
studies largely funded by the Schostak
Family Foundation. Schostak brothers
Bob, David, Tvi and Mark are all Hillel
graduates — graduates who have given
their children the opportunity to share in
the Hillel experience they participated in