Metro Jewish Apartments & Services is Pleased to announce the honorees for THE 2007 EIGHT OVER EIGHTY TIKKUN OLAM AWARD SENIOR ADULT HALL OF FAME Counter-Protest Non-Jews lead effort to stop Shabbat demonstrations in Ann Arbor. Harold Berry Marvin Danto Phil Elkus Don Cohen Special to the Jewish News Ann Arbor H Ethel Goldenberg Norman Katz Eve Lieberman Jack & Miriam Shenkman Ida Nathan Sunday, May 20 Inside Handelman Hall at the Jewish Community Center 6600 W. Maple Rd. on the Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus in West Bloomfield Open to the public. 11:00 am. • Brunch $65, by Matt Prentice Restaurant Group, reserved seating. 12:30 • 14th Annual Induction Ceremony No charge (donations accepted) no reserved seating. ow can a community like ours, that rightly prides itself on being a liberal and respectful one, be silent in the face of this kind of abuse of our Jewish neighbors?" That is the question that Larry Crockett and others in the recently formed Worship Without Harassment group ask fellow Ann Arborites regarding the picketing of Beth Israel Congregation each Saturday morning for the past three years. Most Saturdays, a half-dozen to a dozen or more members of Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends hold signs against Israel ("Israel Commits Atrocities"), against U.S. policy ("Stop U.S. Aid to Israel") and against supporters of Israel ("Israel Lobby Inside"). Sometimes they videotape the worshipers as they arrive. The Ann Arbor City Council, area religious leaders and the Ann Arbor News have condemned the pickets to no avail. In an opinion piece in the Ann Arbor News in January, Beth Israel's Rabbi Robert Dobrusin said the signs contain false and hateful statements crafted to be provocative and offen- sive." As to the protesters' claim that they seek dialogue and their demand for a synagogue-hosted platform to present their views, Rabbi Dobrusin wrote that the Shabbat protests "are disrespectful, intrusive, insensitive and counter-productive to any true dialogue on this subject in this com- munity." (( Master of Ceremonies: Alan Muskovitz, from the Dick Purtan Show, Oldies 104.3 WOMC. Mistress of Ceremonies: Sherry Margolis from WJBK Fox 2 News All the funds raised at the Eight Over Eighty event benefit the JAS Quality of Life Fund. For Information/advertising opportunities contact JAS Marketing Director Pete Wurdock: 248.592.1101 • Pwurdock@jasmi.org To reserve a seat for brunch or to charge by phone: 248.592.1102 Sponsored by: MEDIA SPONSOR ■ grpt-41,1 7?, DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Matt * _ prent r II Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit WE'RE PART OF THE TEAM 22 Aprit12 • 2007 Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital • Detroit Medical Center/ Wayne State University The .A,geneies cif the letvi.sh Fecteracimt ELDE LIN Connecting People & Services V HOSPICE of michigan 1245270 Crockett, a member of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Ann Arbor, has observed the picketing a few times and found it "disgusting," saying there are proper forums and venues to demonstrate about political issues. He also suspects that Jews are being singled out in a way that other religious groups wouldn't be, and that beyond political differences anti- Semitism is likely at play. "I think if it had happened at a mainline church, it would have been over in a month; someone would have found a way to stop it," he says. An answer on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on the group's Web site also addresses the issue of anti-Semitism: "When Jews — and only Jews — are subjected to this kind of behavior, then what might the appropriate term to describe that be?" it says. Crockett urges friends of the Jewish community to show support by sign- ing an online petition, sending letters of support to the congregation and speaking out at their own religious institutions in support of Beth Israel and against protests at houses of wor- ship. To contact the group, or sign the online petition, which had 328 signa- tors at last count, visit the Web site www.worshipwithoutharassment.org. In July 2005, some Beth Israel con- gregants formed SPURN (Synagogue Protest Unacceptable! Respond Now) to encourage donations to the American Friends of Magen David Adorn, supporters of Israel's emer- gency medical service, as a positive response to the protests. To date, it has raised just under $85,000. See www.aaspurn.org for information. Economist To Speak Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss PC will sponsor a business breakfast 8-9:30 a.m. Thursday, April 26, at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. The company's Israel Practice Group will host the program to focus on oppor- tunities and challenges for individuals and companies doing business in Israel. Chair of the group is Noam Raz. The speaker will be Israeli economist and business analyst Yaacov Fisher. He will discuss the factors contributing to Israel's strong economy and will share ideas on the country's economic future. For reservations or information, call Sue Robinson, (248) 351-3000.