Letters

Athletes Learn, Take Action
When athletes came to Detroit for the JCC
Maccabi Games Aug. 17-21, it wasn't only
to compete in sports. More than 1,300
athletes gathered to learn about the crisis
in Darfur and the moral obligation of the
Jewish people to help combat the genocide
in Sudan and around the world ("Caring
And Sharing," Aug. 28, page A18).
Featured speaker at the rally was Jacob
Atem, one of the 20,000 "lost boys" of
Sudan, who told his personal story of liv-
ing through the war in Southern Sudan
and escaping to the United States. Atem's
parents were killed when he was 6 years
old and he had to walk 1,000 miles
through lion and crocodile country in
order to escape death and slavery.
The athletes also had the opportunity to
sign postcards to Congress urging an end
to the genocide and learned how to take
action by making a commitment in their
home communities to volunteer in pro-
grams like Will Work for Food
(www.willworkforfood.org). The day con-
cluded with a march from Temple Israel
to the Jewish Community Center, both in
West Bloomfield, complete with signs and
banners, to show collective support for
ending the genocide in Darfur.

Sharon Milberger

Maccabi Darfur Rally site coordinator

Farmington Hills

More Than Games
Earlier this year, I was beckoned to act
as chairperson to coordinate meals to be
provided and served at the recent JCC
Maccabi Games 2008, the third-largest
athletic Olympic-type event in the world.
The challenge for Matt Prentice of
Bingham Farms as the caterer and me:
months of detailed planning in order to
serve 3,300 athletes, coaches and delegates
more than 21,000 kosher meals.
Matt and I approached the task like a
military operation, the equivalent of feed-
ing an Army battalion at each meal and an
entire Army brigade when completed. All
the while guiding and working with the
225 dedicated and energized volunteers
donating their time to JCC Maccabi Meals
Central.
The Jewish communities throughout the
country know of the generosity of Metro
Detroit; when called upon, it is always
swift in offering time, energy or donations.

The volunteers were a mixture of some of
the wonderful stories that came out of the
Games. The buffet lines needed to move at
a swift pace to the comical frustration of
Matt and I. Some of the volunteers would,
in a motherly fashion, nudge to make sure
that all of the athletes were eating "enov"
and would henpeck and ask:"Vould you
like dis cherry tomato, or dat von"?
The vast array of food choices could
not have been provided without the
tremendous generosity of our local com-
munity and merchants. Special thanks
to Sherwood Foods, the Must fam-
ily, the Schostak family, Coca-Cola, US
Foodservice, AJR-the Epstein family,
Kroger and especially the Matt Prentice
Restaurant Group as well as many others.
We wanted to do a great job and leave
a lasting impression of Detroit with their
stomachs, in addition to the world-class
events of the Woodward Dream Cruise, a
great opening ceremony at the Palace of
Auburn Hills, a vibrant downtown Detroit,
Comerica Park, a riverfront to show
off, and a tremendous sendoff from the
Michigan State Fairgrounds in celebration
of Israel's 60th birthday — and Detroit
succeeded,
I was given a unique opportunity to
watch kids from all around the world
bonding from meal to meal. Competition
was put aside and friendships were
formed. A week most of us will never
forget.

Bennett S. Terebelo

Southfield

Teen2Teen's Impact
Our daughter Gabriella has had the privi-
lege of working for the JN's Teen2Teen as
a staff writer since June 2007. Since that
time, she has been on the cover of the IN
(when she interviewed a World War II vet-
eran), on the cover of Teen2Teen itself and
in Teen2Teen Extra. She has been pub-
lished as a reporter on assignment, both in
print and online.
Whenever she sees her name associ-
ated with the JN and T2T, she's happy and
proud of the work she did and the people
she talked to.
With the JCC Maccabi Games in
Detroit, our family hosted visiting ath-
letes, giving Gabriella the opportunity
to write from a host-family perspective.
She wrote about host family night, an

How to Send Letters

We prefer letters relating to JN articles. We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Letters of 225 words or less
are considered first. Longer ones will be subject to trimming. Letter writers are limited in frequency of publication.
Letters must be original and contain the name, address and title of the writer and a day phone number. Nonelec-
tronic copies must be hand signed. Send letters to the JN: 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI
48034; fax (248) 304-8885;
e-mail, letters@the jewishnews.com . We prefer e-mail.

A6

September 4 • 2008

athlete's birthday during the games, a
Day of Caring and Sharing event and
concluded with the fair, working tire-
lessly at the Teen2Teen booth, both inter-
viewing and photographing fairgoers.
She did not want to leave and abandon
the booth, working over five hours. That
alone showed her level of commitment she
had to Teen2Teen. We are very happy she
is able to have this journalistic experience
that may evolve into a career later in her
life.
Thank you for giving her the opportu-
nity to participate in the meetings, discus-
sions and writings for the Jewish News.

Elliott and Anna Ring

Oak Park

Diligent Volunteers
Thanks to the JN and Special Writer
Elizabeth Applebaum for the article
about me and some of the more than
2,300 volunteers who helped make the
2008 JCC Maccabi Games a huge success
("Volunteer Central," Aug. 14, page A24).
This community "love in" could not have
happened without their contribution.
However, there was another integral
component of the Games that was not rec-
ognized. Few worked harder or more dili-
gently than the two housing chairs, Sandy
Matz and Cheryl Kirsch, who accom-
plished the daunting task of placing over
2,000 visiting athletes in home hospitality.
My personal compliments are extended
to them for their achievement and con-
tribution to the success of the 2008 JCC
Maccabi Games.

Donna R. Sklar

2008 JCC Maccabi volunteer chair

West Bloomfield

Memory Moments
As a coach at the recent JCC Maccabi
Games, I was touched by the moment of
memory for the athletes who died at the
Munich 1972 Olympiad.
During the opening ceremony in
Beijing, there was no such mention and
many Jews were upset by this omission. I,
too, was struck by the absence of recogni-
tion for the Munich tragedy by the world
Olympic community; however, perhaps we
can not ask for that which we do not give.
At our own Maccabi Games here in
Detroit, there was no mention of the tragic

accident in Israel that occurred on July 14,
1997. A makeshift bridge collapsed and
one athlete from the Australian delega-
tion was killed and dozens of others were
wounded. Although this was an accident
and not a terrorist act, a life was lost dur-
ing the games.
We all select and choose our moments
of memory and each is precious. Let us
choose broadly and carefully.

Isaac Kolton

Farmington Hills

Job Well Done!
On behalf of the Food Committee, we
would like to thank all the volunteers who
kept the JCC Maccabi Games athletes fed
through multiple shifts and long hours.
Yasher koach!

Esther Tuchklaper, Gerald Sukenic

JCC Maccabl Games

West Bloomfield

Another Kind of Maccabi
While thousands of kids were in Detroit
shooting hoops, swinging golf clubs
and noshing on kosher hot dogs, six
Detroit teens were making their way to
Minneapolis for the third JCC Maccabi
ArtsFest.
Accompanied by Terry Hollander
of West Bloomfield, they were joined
by more than 200 teens from North
America and Israel to participate in
artistic events, which included musical
theater, video filmmaking, writing, corn-
puter animation, vocal performance,
photography, dance and playing in a
rock band. Each discipline had a profes-
sional artist-in-residence and assisted
them in preparing for a Thursday eve-
ning performance.
They stayed with host families, explored
Minneapolis, participated in a day of car-
ing and sharing and built lasting relation-
ships with Jewish teens who share their
interests.
I was proud of Detroit for hosting
such a successful Maccabi event, but I
was equally proud of the six teens who
traveled to Minneapolis to represent the
Detroit Jewish community in a different
kind of Maccabi.

Judy Goldsmith

Huntington Woods

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.

