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Temple Beth El seventh-graders
create quilted tribute to the Kotel.
S
eventh-graders at Temple Beth El, in collaboration with artist-
in-residence Marilyn Kaczander Cohen, created a large three-
piece quilt that depicts the Kotel (Western Wall) with various
types of Jews praying there — men and women, religious and secular
Jews and Israeli soldiers, all united but praying their private thoughts.
In addition, you can see pieces of prayers stuck into the Wall, green-
ery, shadowing and embellishment.
The quilt was dedicated during Monday Night School on Monday,
May 12, at the Bloomfield Township temple, and now hangs in the reli-
gious school wing upstairs on the wall that faces Jerusalem.
The collaborative artwork, made using fabric collage technique, with
components sewn and fused onto the fabric, also will be displayed at
Washtenaw Community College during July's Greater Ann Arbor Quilt
Guild Quilt Show on July 26 and 27.
West Bloomfield Battleground
Many incumbents are calling it quits in West Bloomfield as 10 Jewish
candidates seek election to four-year terms at the Aug. 5 primary.
Township Clerk Sharon Law, Treasurer Denise Hammond, Jewish
Trustee Robert Sher and Trustee Deborah Macon will not seek re-election.
No Republicans are running to fill Law's position, but Democratic
candidates are Sheryl L. Mitchell, Heddie J. O'Connor and Cathy
Shaughnessy.
Jewish Democratic incumbent Trustee Stuart Brickner is seek-
ing Hammond's post along with Jewish Democrat Teri Adelberg
Weingarden. Jewish Republican Jason Feld is unopposed on the
Republican side.
Jewish Democrat Supervisor David Flaisher will be opposed by
Democrat Michele Economou, while Republican Jeff Matte is unop-
posed on the GOP ticket.
Four candidates will be elected to the board of trustees from among
Jewish candidates Larry Brown, Gene Farber, Steven Kaplan, Howard
Rosenberg, incumbent Robert Spector and Scott J. Winnick, plus John
Cyrus Mohyi.
The general election is Nov. 4.
- Bill Carroll, special writer
Update: U-M And Pluto Press
Time is getting short for the University of Michigan to make a deci-
sion regarding the distribution agreement between the U-M Press and
Pluto Press.
Pluto is the self-designated "radical" publishing house from
London, England, that publishes extensively on Israel, Palestine and
Middle East issues with a decidedly anti-Israel, anti-Zionist and even
anti-Semitic perspective.
U M Press is the academic press of the university. It has until May
31 to take action to sever its distribution of Pluto publications if it
wishes to end the relationship during the next six months.
Local directors of American Jewish Committee, the Anti-
Defamation League, B'nai B'rith, the Jewish Community Relations
Council and StandWithUs met May 7 with Peggy McCracken, dean of
U-M Rackham Graduate School, to discuss the impending deadline.
McCracken heads the U-M Press oversight committee that will
make the decision to keep distributing Pluto books or end the con-
tract. The five Jewish organizations have previously addressed the U-
M Board of Regents and met with U-M President Mary Sue Coleman
about the issue.
The Jewish leaders were told a decision about the contract with
Pluto would be made by the end of the month — and not deferred as
-
A8
May 22 • 2008
Seventh-grader Emily Novick of Detroit created the soldier in this
distinctive quilt with her Temple Beth-El Monday Night School
class.
The costs of creating the quilt were borne primarily by the Jewish
Federation's Deroy Testamentary Foundation's Artists in the Schools
Program, along with some matching monies from Temple Beth El. The
quilt is a symbol of the unity of the Jewish people, the importance of
Jerusalem and Israel to Jews everywhere, the power of collaboration
and the value of art education in our religious school communities.
- Keri Guten Cohen
story development editor
Latest From Israel
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E-Newsletter
it was six months ago. While non-committal because of ongoing work
of the committee, McCracken nonetheless assured the directors that
their concerns — reiterated at the meeting and previously sent in
writing — were being thoughtfully considered.
Another encouraging sign was a change made earlier this year in
guidelines that requires any publication distributed by U-M Press to
adhere to the same academic standards that U-M publications do.
This content-neutral requirement makes it unlikely that the Pluto con-
tract can be renewed without a tremendous amount of work because
Pluto books, like most European publishers, do not conduct the rigor-
ous double-blind reviews of the complete book that is the American
standard.
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- JN staff report
Sports And Jewish Life Contest
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Lenny
Krayzelburg will serve as honorary lead judge of
the 4th annual Sport and Jewish Life essay contest
sponsored by the Center for Sport and Jewish
§Watth'
Life. This year's contest is timed with the summer
Olympic Games in Beijing and the quest of ath-
-
- , ,_
• ,
letes all across the globe to reach this event.
Lenny
The topic, "What does it take to succeed in
Krayzelburg
sports?" is one with which Krayzelburg is quite
familiar. The Ukranian-born swimmer took gold in swimming in
both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.
Whether in the Olympics or Little League, high school or college
athletics, or in recreational pursuits, finding success usually involved
cultivating certain practices and traits as well as certain commitments
and values. Essay entries will be asked to discuss what is needed to
bring success and why. Entrants can share their own personal stories
or discuss the experiences of others in their own lives or what they
have observed regarding high-profile athletes or sports in general.
Essays should incorporate a discussion of Jewish values, teachings
from the Torah or other Jewish texts or practices as well as any other
literature or films of interest.
Entries will be judged in three categories: grades 6-9. grades 10-12,
and college students and others. Entrants in each group whose essays
are considered to be the best will be awarded U.S. Savings Bonds.
Deadline for submission of essays is June 23, 2008. For contest
application forms or more information, go to www.CSJL.org , or con-
tact the Center at JewishSports@gmail.com .
- Ken Guten Cohen
story development editor
Celebrations!
Find weekly listings of births,
b'nai mitzvah, engagements,
weddings and anniversaries
as well as past simchahs all
online. They are all bundled
under each week's publica-
tion date.
Just visit JNonline.us and
click on Lifecycles on the
left.
Online Poll
This week's poll question:
Should America seriously
consider attacking Iran to
stop its nuclear arms
development?
Visit the JNonline.us
homepage, below the left
menu, to cast your vote.
Last week's poll results:
Are you worried by devel-
opments in Lebanon, with
Hezbollah threatening the
Lebanese government?
Yes 53%
No 47%