Letters

Camping's Worth
Kudos to Rabbi Aaron Starr and his col-
leagues for joining the cause for Jewish
camping. I was delighted to see Rabbi Starr
("Creating a Home Feb. 7, page A31) focus
on the importance of Jewish camping,
Jewish continuity and Jewish identity.
We are grateful for the tremendous sup-
port the many rabbis of our community
provide to help train our staff, consult on
a variety of issues, serve on our board of
directors and come to camp to enrich our
Judaic programs and visit with children
and young adults from their congregations.
Tamarack Camps, established by the
Fresh Air Society in 1902, provides enrich-
ing Jewish camping experiences for chil-
dren and families, independent of financial
ability, building a vibrant community. We
are proud to have Jewish children from
all economic levels enjoy our enhanced
programming and facilities, provided by
quality staff, while building self-confidence,
independence, meaningful friendships and
a strong Jewish identity.
As a member of the Foundation
for Jewish Camping and the Jewish
Community Center Association, Tamarack
Camps remains dedicated to integrating
Jewish programming into everyday camp
experiences, as well as to its founding
principal that no Jewish child be denied a
Jewish camping experience due to financial
need.
Our important partnership with the
rabbis of the Jewish community of
Metropolitan Detroit helps Jewish camping
become Jewish continuity.

Jonah Geller

executive director

Tamarack Camps

Oakland County

against the Jewish state. Apparently, ifs OK
if it's Jews who are suffering and dying.
But Israel starts to defend the land and
people and suddenly there is an outcry.
Suddenly, voices in the European Union,
the United Nations and the Bush admin-
istration are making a moral equivalence
between terrorists who attempting to mur-
der innocent men, women and children and
a democratic nation attempting to protect
itself from the murderers.
The moral bankruptcy and the hypocriti-
cal double standard is outrageous. Would
America or any other nation permit daily
bombardments of its land and people
without trying to stop the terrorists? The
Arabs are waging a genocidal war against
the Jewish state and the Jewish people. At
least the decent people who understand
and sympathize with this existential threat
to Israel should raise their voices.
Where are the good people? Where is the
outcry? Where are those voices who shout,
"Never again?" because it is happening
again.

or Israel. I daresay he's probably right. But
the problem, as has been observed, is not
that he needs to be suspected of agreeing
with Pastor Wright. It's that Obama didn't
think it sufficiently important to disagree
with him by getting up and leaving his
church.
Israel is fighting a losing battle in the
world arena precisely because the great
majority of the world's politicians, intellec-
tuals and news media figures, though not
necessarily against the Jewish state, think
like Obama that the attack now taking place
on its legitimacy isn't worrisome enough to
warrant their doing anything about it.
This isn't so much a question of Barrack
Obama's public relations as it is one of his
private understanding and conscience.
Perhaps four more years in the Senate will
help these to mature some more.

Marilyn Fishman

West Bloomfield

Crossing The Divide
I would like to share some thoughts about
your cover story "Hot Suburbs" (Feb. 7, page
A13).
Our oldest daughter began first grade at
Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit
in Farmington Hills this year. We make the
commute, with a carpool of four families,
from "the Woods" and Ferndale to Hillel five
days a week, twice a day. We have found the
commute manageable and totally worth-
while. Our daughter is enveloped in a com-
munity of caring, Judaic learning, fun and
support from the moment she arrives there
to the moment she leaves. On the road, we
wave at the many other cars driving from
east to west for the same purpose.
On Saturday mornings, our family corn-
mutes west again, to Congregation B'nai
Moshe in West Bloomfield. There, we join
another warm and welcoming community
on a weekly basis. Once again, there is a
steady flow of westward traffic on Saturday
mornings — so much so, that some of us
even carpool to shul with regularity.
I think your article was a nice nod to
what I value about the eastern Metro
Detroit suburbs — made obvious by my
choice to live there. I live in a community
with sidewalks for our children, neighbors
who look out for our house when we are
out, nearby family relatives, caring diligent
community employees, well taken care of
properties and good friends around.

Douglas Miller

Franklin

Help Is Utmost
I received so many calls and comments
regarding your article "Jewish Denial,
Recovery"(Jan. 31, page A27). Everybody
said that the article was written beautifully.
Thank you for respecting all of my wishes.
The main purpose of the article was to
see if we could help other Jewish alcoholics
and addicts and, judging from the respons-
es, your article was a rousing success.
Thank you for helping bring awareness
to the Jewish community that there is treat-
ment for this devastating disease.

Dr. Jay Kutinsky

Never Again?
Israel, after enduring more than 2 1/2 years
of almost daily missile barrages deliberately
targeting civilians, has finally, although
timidly, attempted to defend her citizens by
fighting back.
The missiles have been slamming into
homes, businesses and schools at up to
50 per day. The damage is extensive, with
many casualties, a few deaths and hundreds
of thousands of people in shock. But voices
have been still for the past 21/2 years since
Israel left Gaza, and nobody has raised
a stink about the escalation in terrorism

Farmington Hills

Obama's Associations
Consider the sorry case of Jeremiah Wright,
the pastor of Democratic presidential can-
didate Barrack Obama's congregation, the
United Church of Christ.
Wright has reportedly called Jews blood-
suckers and recently presented Nation of
Islam leader Louis Farrakhan a lifetime
achievement award in a gala ceremony
("Obama: A Friend Of Israel," Feb. 7, page
A27).
Obama says he has nothing against Jews

Our JN Mission

However, I think it's important to note
that the east-west divide is really an old
image for Metro Detroit Jews. It exists from
the days before 1-696, when a trip west took
45 minutes on a good day. I don't think it is
necessary to continue to define our Jewish
community as split between east and west.
There are so many parts of our Metro
Detroit Jewish community that draw people
from all around regardless of their address.
And the subtle cultural differences of our
living communities are just the things that
add color to our larger community and that
allow us each to find the right home for our
families.

Daniella HarPaz Mechnikov

Huntington Woods

Peters: Better Choice
I have been following the letters of pro-
Knollenberg stalwarts in their praise of
the congressman ("Joe's Wide Support:'
March 6, page A6). That support appears
to be because of his pro-Israel stand in
Congress.
It is a given that any politician with a
large Jewish voting block, will of course,
be pro-Israel. As a Republican, Joe
Knollenberg, R-Farmington Hills, follows
the Republican line: continued war in Iraq,
pro-Guantanamo repression and a sus-
tained veto of any progressive measure that
President Bush dislikes.
With Democratic opponent Gary Peters,
we have a friend of Israel without Joe's
Republican baggage.

Marvin Fink

Northville

Good Going, George
I always look forward to George Cantor's
clever, entertaining and timely columns.
His column "Words From The Wise"
(Feb. 21, page A25) shows his way with
words and getting it right, which I think
was his best.
I don't know if he can top this, but I
encourage him to keep up the good work.

Saul Arsht

Farmington Hills

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