Preserving
Democracy
IDF general speaks of
terrorism's challenge.
Don Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
W
Lisette Benjamin of Farmington Hills holds an Israeli flag.
r
:5
Geoff Rottman, Frankel Jewish Academy Dovid Morris, 5, of Southfield and Buttercup the Clown of Ecorse at the Hadassah
junior; Zev Neuman, Frankel freshman;
Fun Fair
Ami Tzur Nachshoni, Yeshivat Akiva;
and Ben Luger, Frankel freshman
The importance of a strong Israel for American Jews is one rea-
son Annette Kaufman of West Bloomfield participated in the walk
with her husband, Barry.
"Our position as Jews here in the United States would not be what
it is without Israel," she said. She said she tells Jews who don't feel
a strong connection with Israel that "there are no more 'little Jews'
because of Israel. The image of the 'little Jew' doesn't exist anymore:'
Rabbi Meir Nachshoni of West Bloomfield, an instructor at
Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield, attended with his son, Malachi. An
Israeli in his second year of three as a shaliach (emissary) from the
Jewish Agency for Israel, he was pleased to see the strong show of
support.
"It gives power to Israel when Jews and non-Jews come together.
It helps make Israel confident and know they have the support to
do what they need to do',' he said.
Following the walk, the KidsKlez Band of Michigan performed
for an appreciative audience. Zach Schenk, 13, and his brother Josh,
15, of Troy play string bass with the group. They visited Israel last
year on a Congregation Shir Tikvah congregational trip.
"It was nice to be here because Israel is an important country,'
Zach said. Favorite memories of Israel are walking down Masada
and traveling in the Golan Heights. "It's good everyone came."
Pastor Glenn Plummer of the Plymouth-based Fellowship of
Israel and Black America (FIBA) attended with some of his congre-
gants and spoke after the walk.
Cornetta Lane, a Wayne State University student from Detroit,
visited Israel twice with the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC) and is returning later this year as part of a
Christian trip.
"I can't wait to go back:' she said. "I can't wait to experience the
Bible, the activities and the land. It's important for me to be here to
show people that we support Israel," she said, adding she's looking
forward to floating in the Dead Sea.
Pat Harris of Detroit also attends Pastor Plummer's Ambassador's
of Christ Church and has been to Israel twice. She advises other
Christians to visit Israel to "feel the presence of the Holy Spirit there."
"I love Israel;' she said. "I think it is beautiful and the people are
beautiful."
e gained our indepen-
dence but we haven't
gained our freedom,"
said Israeli Brig. Gen. Aviv Kochavi
in a confident but sobering talk
sponsored by the Michigan Friends
of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
as part of the Israel celebration
May 6 at Temple Shir Shalom. His
statement reflected his experi-
ences as an IDF commander in
the Gaza Strip and the surround-
ing area as well as a thinker with
degrees in philosophy and public
administration.
"The challenges we are about
to face have grown dramatically,"
Kochavi said. "For many, the
struggle is not about land and
resources any more, but a struggle
whose roots go back
to deep beliefs and
ideology. The jihad
factor transforms
the conflict from a
rational basis to an
irrational one."
Kochavi also
Aviv Kochavi
spoke of the chal-
lenge that democra-
cies face in fighting the "collage"
of low-level attacks, taking the
conflict to "a higher state of com-
plexity."
"It's a question of how democrat-
ic societies can defeat terrorism,"
he said. "[Terrorists] exploit the
moral standards of a democratic
society. The response will not be
on a large scale, and there is never
an all-out response." Holding fast
to democratic standards is critical,
he said, adding that the response
of democracies "is very important
and at the core, but we can not
allow its destruction."
He said several factors provide
"a very fertile soil for the jihad to
flourish," such as the inability of
the weakening Arab nations to con-
trol the "energizing jihad," the ene-
my's desire to maintain the conflict
rather than win the war and the
globalization of the conflict.
Asked how soldiers feel about
the war last summer, he said
"tactically, the soldiers feel they
completed the mission," but noted
that it wasn't enough because the
"strategic mission" of eliminating
the threat from the north was not
successful.
-
Don Cohen, special writer
May 10 2007
15