Sachse Not Building
JCC Teen Center

Thank you for writing a great article
about the new JCC Teen Center ("A Place
Of Their Own," March 20, page B1). It is
definitely time for our community to have
a place for teens to hang out.
It has been a goal of the Jewish
Community Center of Metropolitan
Detroit for many years to reach out to the
youth of this community and provide a
great venue for them.
With the explosive growth of the
Frankel Jewish Academy, the 2008 Detroit
JCC Maccabi Games and the new Teen
Center, we are on our way to a sustained
youth program at the JCC.
I have been on the board of the JCC for
more than 15 years. When I agreed to take
the position of president, I was, and still
am, totally committed to the mission of
the JCC.
I also am the owner of Sachse
Construction. Upon my acceptance of
the presidency, I made it very clear that I
would not allow Sachse Construction to do
any work at the JCC buildings throughout
my term.
I announced this at many board meet-
ings and expressed my position to the
leadership of Federation and the JCC. I
never wanted there to be any perception of
conflict of interest.
In last week's Jewish News article,
you mistakenly announced that Sachse
Construction is the builder for the Teen
Center project. This is not true.
It is not known who will be doing the
construction at this time; but we do know
that it will not be Sachse Construction.
I assume the Jewish News staff makes its
best efforts to ensure that the information
it publishes is accurate to the best of their
knowledge. I do not feel they did their best
this time.
No one from the Jewish News called me,
the architect or JCC Executive Director
Mark Lit to verify this information. When
wrong information is published, it can
cause real damage to those involved. In
this case, it did.
My commitment of separating my
professional career from my community
obligations has always been paramount to
me. Your error could put this in question
for some of your readers.
I hope the Jewish News staff learns from

this error and will make improvements in
their checks and balances to be sure they
have accurate information before publish-
ing.

Todd Sachse, president

Jewish Community Center

of Metropolitan Detroit

West Bloomfield

Stopping Hatred

I just read "Waking The Moderates" about
Dr. Zuhdi Jasser's address (March 20, page
A30).
My thoughts turned to Senator Barack
Obama's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah A.
Wright Jr., and his televised rants ("The
Wright Way',' March 20, A28). One can
draw a chilling parallel between Rev.
Wright's hate speech and the Islamist
clergy who inculcate hate for Jews in the
little kids.
The only way we will ever see racial har-
mony in the U.S. and peace in the Middle
East is for this inculcation of hate to stop.
On both sides of the world.
Now if only I knew how to do that.

Steve Slater

Waterford

Bar-Ilan's Assets
My husband, Jason, and I have just
returned from an incredible week as
participants in Bar-Ilan University's 2008
Vision with a Mission; we were among 30
participants from the Midwest and south-
ern Florida.
Every institution pitches its particular
mission, uniqueness, etc., but, upon closer
inspection, you find in that many cases
it's simply not there. Like many other
Detroiters, I learned that this is not the
case with Bar-Ilan University in Ramat
Gan.
It's easy to highlight the incredible
physical growth and beauty of the new
northern campus, but our missionaires
were much more impressed by the qual-
ity of the faculty and students who use
these modern facilities. We met world
experts in nanotechnology, brain science
(the Fetter Brain Research Center), IT
engineering, strategic and security mat-
ters and highly successful Bar-Ilan alumni
all in one week and, frankly, we were over-
whelmed.

Our JN Mission

The Jewish News aspires to communicate news and opinion that's useful, engaging, enjoyable and unique. It strives
to reflect the full range of diverse viewpoints while also advocating positions that strengthen Jewish unity and con-
tinuity. We desire to create and maintain a challenging, caring, enjoyable work environment that encourages creativ-
ity and innovation. We acknowledge our role as a responsible, responsive member of the community. Being competi-
tive, we must always strive to be the most respected, outstanding Jewish community publication in the nation. Our
rewards are informed, educated readers, very satisfied advertisers, contented employees and profitable growth.

A6 March 27 • 2008

Israel, the Jewish people and, perhaps
most of all, our Detroit community can
take great pride in the existence of Bar-
Ilan University and in the plethora of great
minds that work throughout the country.
To see and be deeply moved by all of
this and, of course, the emotional pleasure
of being in Israel, made the week one of
the most memorable in my and my hus-
band's memory. I hope that Jewish News
readers will take the opportunity to learn
about this tremendous asset of our people.

In Search Of Roots
I am trying to trace the family of my
cousin Harry Albert, born June 1906 in
London, England.
In 1930, he was a wholesale dry goods
salesman living with his parents, Jacob
and Rachel, at Ferndale St. in Boston. I
believe that he died in October 2001 in
Southfield and hope family members are
still in the area.
I ask anyone with relevant information
to contact me at paulkozo@aol.com .

Pearlena Bodzin

Paul K. Hattori

Midwest chair

London, England

Bar-Ilan University

Vision with a Mission

Southfield

A Bold Leader

I want to commend you on your uplifting
Editor's Letter on "Coasting to Prosperity"
(March 6, page A5)). Finally, there is rea-
son to be hopeful that Michigan has the
"right stuff" to rebuild its economy and
prosper.
I have been fortunate to live in
Farmington Hills for many years and also
watch Vicki Barnett's career from city
council member to mayor. Her leadership
skills are unquestioned, and I have been
impressed with her clear-spoken style and
creativity.
In government, we don't often see lead-
ers who are willing to stick their necks
out and propose bold strategies like, for
instance, an eight-state regional coopera-
tion pact, for fear of not being re-elected.
Ms. Barnett has always struck me as a
visionary who puts her community first. I
look forward to hearing more about the
North Coast Project.

Jan Goldfarb

Corrections

• In "County Bound?" (March 20, 2008),
instead of a photograph of Steven
Schwartz, candidate for the Democratic
nomination for the Oakland County
Commission seat representing Farmington
and the west half of Farmington Hills,
a photo of his associate, lawyer John
Schipper, was run in error. Here are the
correct photos:

John
Schipper

Steven
Schwartz

• In "All in the Family" (March 13, A31),
the story says Lena and Lilly Epstein both
are single. Lilly is engaged to Alexander
Stotland, who works at Madden, Hauser,
Wartell, Roth, Heller & Pesses, PC.

Farmington Hills

t ••

nLEFZIET rcha Don't Know

It is said that where there are two Jews there are sometimes
three organizations. Who did the press recently report is the
world's oldest Jewish club organizer?

— Goldfein

qnp
ys!pp!A Jatta-ls.g
papunoosnf ay aiaym tadwuyitt lo 176 ItameN paij :JaMsuy

-

s,awoH uongs

ALEFBET'cha runs every other week.

C. Copyright 2008, Jewish Renaissance Media

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