I Front Lines NOTEBOOK JNenline This Week Citizen Fire Spotter Robert A. Sklar Editor B Jonah Stiennon receives a civilian oy Scout Jonah Stiennon, a West Bloomfield High 12th-grader, was hon- ored Sept. 18 as a Citizen Fire Spotter for helping prevent potential danger in the Farmington Hills area. On June 21, Jonah was in a car headed for an Upper Peninsula canoe trek when he spotted a wisp of smoke from a telephone pole along Orchard Lake Road. He informed the driver, Miriam Foner Gould, summer camp adult leader, and encouraged her to turn the vehicle around. That's when he discovered the pole was actually on fire. www.JNonline.us He called 911 and stayed on the scene until the Farmington Hills Fire Department arrived, closed the road and called Detroit Edison. The fire soon burned through the pole, causing it to snap and drop electrical lines to the ground. Jonah, 17, soon will earn the rank of Eagle Scout. He is a member of Troop 364, chartered by the Men's Club of Adat Shalom Synagogue, Farmington Hills. "Had it not been for you observing the haz- ard, confirming your suspicions, notifying emergency responders and remaining nearby to warn bystanders, this situation could have easily resulted in serious injury or loss of life',' read the civilian citation from the Farmington Hills Fire Department. citation from Farmington Hills Fire Chief Richard Marinucci. Be Joyful r Not Drunk Be A Star! Buy A Star, T he Detroit Jewish News and the Janice Charach Epstein Gallery at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield invited Jewish artists to give their interpretations of Jewish stars. Fourteen area artists responded with 18 Jewish stars in various media. Their donated stars appeared in the Sept. 13 Rosh Hashanah issue of the IN and have been on display at the JCC. On Oct. 7, the stars will be auctioned as part of the IN's ongoing campaign against hunger. Proceeds will benefit Yad Ezra in Berkley, Michigan's only kosher food pan- try, and Gleaners Food Bank of Southeast Michigan. The auction is open to the community, and many of the artists will be in attendance. A preview of the art will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the JCC gallery, followed by the auction at 4. All donations are tax-deductible. Mark Lit, execu- tive director of the JCC, will serve as auctioneer. Terri Steam, gallery director, coordinated the exhibition and auction. For information, call Stearn at (248) 432-5448. List of contributing artists: Eileen Aboulafia, West Bloomfield Joyce Brodsky, West Bloomfield Jacqueline Goldstein, West Bloomfield Sandra Gross, Troy Lori Halberstadt-Zuroff, Southfield Margaret Kelly, Grosse Pointe Arlene Kingston, West Bloomfield Cynthia Leven, Huntington Woods Mark Lit, Commerce Lynn Halper Rosen, Bloomfield Hills Deborah Schultz, Plymouth Lesley Serri, West Bloomfield Rachel Siegel, West Bloomfield Edie Simons, West Bloomfield II Artwork by Arlene Kingston It's a day to rejoice. Tonight and tomorrow, Oct. 4-5, as we celebrate Simchat Torah, the end of the annual Torah cycle and the beginning of the next cycle, let us enjoy dancing with the Torah and all the other festivi- ties associated with honoring the most sacred of our texts, while de-emphasizing alcohol. The Orthodox Union's anti-drunkenness efforts are part of its "Safe Homes, Safe Shuls, Safe Schools" campaign. The initiative seeks to ensure that Jewish youth can find a safe environment in the main intersections of their lives. "The reality is that no one should overindulge in alcohol on Simchat Torah as it is not conducive to the spirit of the day:' says the OU in a letter to synagogues, parents and teachers within the Orthodox community. "Even adults should be careful that their celebrations do not go counter to the appropriate decorum of our synagogues. But when it comes to our youth, we must be extra zeal- ous for additional matters of safety and law." It's a simple message but one that should resonate throughout the Jewish community always. It's not just an Orthodox issue. - Robert A. Sklar, editor Legal Topics To Air Birmingham attorney Henry Baskin and the Oakland County Bar Association will air legal issues on Detroit's longest-running public affairs program, Due Process, which is broad- cast 5:30 p.m. Fridays on WTVS-Channel 56/PBS Detroit Public Television. Due Process' 40-week run will embrace such topics as immigration, foreclosure, elder law, Social Security, divorce, wills and trusts, debt- or/creditor, health insurance, foreign trade issues, veterans rights and benefits, privacy issues, bankruptcy, intellectual property, real Henry Baskin estate, homeowners law and more. For 20 years, Baskin hosted Due Process on WDIV-TV Channel 4 and was rebroadcast on public TV stations statewide. "I'm delighted for the opportunity Detroit Public TV has extended to present Due Process during a prime access time Baskin said. - Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor 10 October 4 0 2007 E-Newsletter Desire notification when stories that interest you in particular are posted on JNonline? It's easy to des- ignate the kinds of stories you like when you sign up for your personalized e-newslet- ter. Only at JNonline.us . Just click on Newsletter on the menu near the top of the page. Celebrations! Find weekly listings of births, b'nai mitzvah, engagements, weddings and anniversaries online as well as past sim- chahs all online. They are all bundled under each week's publication date. Just visit JNonline.us and click on Lifecycles on the left. Latest From Israel Want the most current news from Israel? Check our streaming news from Ynetnews.com for continuous updates and longer news, opinion and feature stories. And look at the center of our Homepage for an Israel story that changes twice daily. Just visit JNonline.us and click on a scrolling story on the left. Last week's poll results: Do you plan on building or visiting a sukkah during Sukkot? Yes 72% No 28% This week's poll question: Should Columbia University have invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak? Visit the JNonline.us homepage, below the left menu, to cast your vote.