Community Spirit
When we heard about the fire at
Hechtman Jewish Apartments and that
many of our friends had lost their homes,
the residents at Teitel Jewish Apartments
were quick to respond ("Beyond The
Blaze April 17, Al 1). Although we live
on very fixed incomes, our residents
contributed $1,000 to help the Hechtman
residents. We did this because we under-
stand the value of a strong, tight-knit
community.
As members of the Jewish community,
we all know how important it is to support
each other, especially in times of misfor-
tune. I remember how the Jewish com-
munity welcomed me and my family and
helped us get settled when we first came
to this country.
In the 19 years since I've been in the
United States, I have felt the support of the
entire community on a daily basis. The
Jewish community subsidizes our meals
and day camps. The Russian community
supports our fundraisers. Nursing homes
and rehabilitation facilities contribute
funds to maintain our building. Local
emergency services are quick to respond
when one of our residents needs help.
Our appreciation and love for the Jewish
community is endless and that's why our
Resident Council was so quick to respond
when our friends at Hechtman Jewish
Apartments needed our help. The efforts
of a single person or a small group can
have an enormous effect on the greater
good.
Malka Sklarskaya, Resident Council president
Teitel Jewish Apartments
Oak Park
Learning At Hillel
When I saw the JN cover last week, I
was delighted that Hillel Day School of
Metropolitan Detroit was featured on the
front cover by the beautiful Mattler family
("50 And Counting," May 29, A15).
My husband, Tal, and I decided to send
our, children to Hillel when our oldest
child was entering first grade. Two years
have flown by and now we have two chil-
dren at Hillel (Adi and Maya) who love
what they are learning.
They love being Jewish. They break out
in Hebrew song at all times of the day.
They adore and respect their teachers.
They are learning, growing and finding
their way in the world. Whether you are a
"third generation" Hillel student, or there
beginning a first generation, Hillel is a
welcoming, warm, special place.
As a Jewish educator, I am thrilled
that my children are getting such a great,
nurturing Jewish education. And as their
"Jewish mother," I'm glad that they are
developing such a strong Jewish identity
that will, God willing, carry them through
life.
Mazel Toy to Hillel Day School on reach-
ing such an important milestone.
Lisa Soble Slegmann
Oak Park
The Right Choice
Deciding the Hillel Day School experi-
ence for your child is a difficult task,
and I smiled as I read your article "50
and Counting" (May 29, A15). I smiled
because my husband and I are so fortu-
nate that we chose Hillel.
As a public school educator and con-
tinuing advocate of public schools, many
people may wonder why our daughter
is attending Hillel Day School. I strongly
believe that every child deserves a quality
education in a clean, safe environment. I
always vote for funding and supporting
our public schools.
Before I became a parent, there was
never a question in my mind that I would
send my children to public school where
I witnessed firsthand the wonderful cur-
riculum. But when I actually became a
parent, I realized that I wanted more than
just a wonderful academic curriculum.
More than anything, I wanted my children
to become ethical and caring adults with
a strong Jewish identity. I did not realize it
at the time, but what I was looking for was
right at Hillel Day School.
Being an educator, I was initially critical
of the daily academic program at Hillel
because it included a dual curriculum.
However, I found it to encourage creative
thinking and challenge all levels of learn-
ers. My daughter is not missing anything
academically; rather she is gaining an
appreciation for her Jewish heritage and
how to carry out our traditions and values.
I am confident that she will possess the
knowledge to stand up for the rights of
Jewish people and know how to defend
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A8
June 5 • 2008
herself when challenged.
I will always be an educator and I will
always be a proponent of public schools
for our community. But I am a Jewish par-
ent first, and that will be the driving force
of my decisions for shaping my children's
lives.
Marla Golnick
West Bloomfield
Essential Compromise
It is abundantly clear that if Israel is to
remain a "Jewish state and if a resolu-
tion of the two-state issue is to occur, bold
moves must be made by Israeli leadership
(and without sanctimonious interference
from well-meaning outside Jewish orga-
nizations whose leaders are not sending
their boys and girls to the front line).
One of those moves should be that East
Jerusalem become controlled by, if not
become the official territory of, the new
Palestinian state.
The Arab residents of East Jerusalem
should become citizens, and the respon-
sibility of, and voters in, that new state.
The demographics and birth rate of the
conflicting parties point out the obvi-
ous realities and the necessity of such a
compromise. As a recent article in the New
York Times indicated: Without "a Palestine
... Arabs under Israeli control will, in
the not-distant future, outnumber the
country's Jews:'
The needed compromise is essential to
the Palestinians and perhaps even more
so to Israel.
Stuart Sinai
West Bloomfield
McCotter's Message
The Honorable Thaddeus McCotter, con-
gressman from the Michigan's 11th dis-
trict, addressed approximately 150 people
June 1 at the Holocaust Memorial Center
in Farmington Hills in an event sponsored
by the Zionist Organization of America/
Michigan Chapter.
Congressman McCotter has a long
history of ardent support for the State
of Israel and the war against militant
Islam. He currently is co-sponsoring HR
758, which asks for the Abrogation of 10
articles in the Fatah Constitution demand-
ing the destruction of the State of Israel.
Palestinian Prime MinisterMahmoud
Abbas, Israel's latest peace process inter-
locutor, is the head of the Fatah party.
The congressman has also organized
members of Congress into a new group
called the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Caucus,
which tries to educate Congress and the
American people concerning the very real
dangers facing the world.
He discussed the danger to a society
that refuses to recognize there is such a
thing as evil in the world that has nothing
to do with social or economic inequities.
He spoke of Iran and the fact that not
only must it be stopped from obtaining a
nuclear weapon, but also not be allowed to
export terrorists as lethal instruments of
negotiation.
He went on to address many other
issues of great importance to all of us
— the U.S. economy, the immigration
problem, global warning. In the process,
he displayed a depth of knowledge and
a realistic approach enthusiastically
applauded by the audience.
Jerome S. Kaufman
Bloomfield Hills
REPO 'cha Don't Know
There are five so-called "mixed cities" in Israel where Jews and
Arabs live together. Can you name them?
—Goldfein
ALEFBET'cha runs every other week.
to Copyright 2008, Jewish Renaissance Media
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