ry

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NOTEBOOK

JNen ine

This Week

Be Neighborly

I

www.JNonline.us

t was a neighborly talk in high circles.
One of American Jewry's most-influential religious lead-
ers was one of four keynoters at the interfaith gathering at the
Democratic Party's nominating convention last week in Denver.
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, the New York-based
executive vice president of the Orthodox Union,
used this faith platform to address the sacred
responsibility to our neighbor. He encouraged trans-
lating feelings of loving your neighbor to action that
clothes, feeds and provides.
Responsibility to our neighbor, he said, includes a
call for redressing the inequities to the religious worker
Rabbi Weinreb
in the workplace, freedom of choice in education and
fashioning a culture defined by loving kindness.
Weinreb defined our neighbor as "not merely the person who lives
next door to us or across the street or even down the lane
"Our neighbor may be very distant from us:' he said.
Our neighbor may be a victim of a tsunami, the Darfuri slaughter
or war.
"Our neighbors may be distant from us culturally," Weinreb said.

"They may be different from us ideologically. They may be different from
us in their color, in their race, in their language, in their behavior, in their
dress, but they — each and every one of them — is our neighbor."
Our rabbis teach us that to love our neighbor means to feed and clothe
the poor, heal the ill, console the bereaved, comfort the traumatized and
help the oppressed. "Behavior, action, is what counts;' Weinreb said.
He talked about excising violence and inspiring compassion in our
culture, finding meaningful, equitable work for the jobless, educating
the ignorant and supporting religious harmony among faiths.
"We must educate those who are challenged by poverty, by cultural
deprivation, by disability, by illness, by prejudice, by intolerance, by learn-
ing difficulties, and by emotional hindrances — we must educate all those
who are challenged, whatever they are challenged by',' he said.
He added, "And we must allow, especially in this pluralistic, diverse
and multicultural society, we must allow for freedom of choice in
education so that our neighbor can instill in her children the values of
her faith, the language of her people, the culture of her ancestors, the
traditions of her family, while not blocking their path to full participa-
tion in the society at large' ❑

Birthday Celebration Kickoff
It's been 60 years since the first 30 students attended classes at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek's
Beth Hayeled Nursery School
at their Chicago Boulevard
location in Detroit. The school,
which now includes 180
youngsters, will kick off a year-
long anniversary celebration
at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, at the
synagogue's Southfield facility.
A sports-themed, picnic-
style barbecue, complete
with ballpark foods like hot
Three generations of past and
dogs, hamburgers and grilled
current Beth Hayeled students:
chicken, includes a magi-
Back row: Josh Geller, 4, of West
cian, juggler, giant inflatables
Bloomfield, Jennifer Morse Mattler
and music by StarTrax Event
of Bloomfield Hills, Barbara Morse
Productions of Southfield.
of Franklin, a member of the first
A family-friendly Kabbalat
Beth Hayeled class, and Rachel
Shabbat service honoring past
Morse Geller of West Bloomfield
and present directors and staff
with her daughter, Isabelle, 2.
of the school will follow din-
Front row: Mattler siblings, Ari,
ner. Cost: $36 per family; $12
8, Morgan, 10, and Erin, 6, of
per adult. For reservations, call
Bloomfield Hills.
Tobye Bello, (248) 357-5544.

lators that Mumford could loan to its students. The calculators usually
cost $100 apiece, but a local sale through Sept. 13 may reduce the cost
to $50. And Malley has offered to place one of his own programs on
the calculators and teach the students and staff how to use them.
To contribute, checks should be made out to "Mumford High School
Calculator Fund" and sent to: Many A.C.T., 6400 Farmington Road,
Suite 222, West Bloomfield, MI 48322.

A Calculating Effort
Helene Kaufman of Huntington Woods is a full-time speech patholo-
gist at Detroit's Mumford High School. Last January, her son Shane
offered to provide an in-service to Mumford teachers in preparation
for the ACT portion of the Michigan Merit Exam.
Shane is the owner of Malley A.C.T. tutoring service in West
Bloomfield. One of his English/reading specialists accompanied him.
Malley was shocked to find that Mumford's students do not have
access to programmable, scientific calculators when practicing and
taking the math portion of the test. The ACT recommends that stu-
dents bring and use them.
Malley A.C.T. has begun a fundraising drive to purchase 300 calcu-

- Robert Sklar, editor

- Alan Hitsky, associate editor

Continuing To Inspire
The late Miles Levin was honored posthumously with the 2008
Sarcoma Foundation of America's Leadership in Courage Award.
Levin, who died of rhabdomyosarcoma in August 2007 at age 18,
had taped his acceptance speech, which was heard in part during the
recent ceremony in New York. ABC News journalist Bob Woodruff
presented the award to Miles' parents, Dr. Nancy and Jon Levin of
Bloomfield Hills.
Miles also shared the podium with Woodruff, a fellow Bloomfield
Hills Cranbrook Kingswood School graduate, at his June 2007 gradua-
tion ceremony, where Miles gave the commencement speech.
"The Leadership in Courage Award is the highest award presented
by the Sarcoma Foundation of America," wrote Dr. Mark Thornton, the
agency's president, in a statement. "It is given annually to a sarcoma
patient who, through his or her public or private actions, writings or
personal efforts, resulted in the inspiration to other sarcoma patients
that they do not have to be physically, emotionally or spiritually
defeated by sarcoma or a diagnosis of sarcoma. Miles Levin embodies
all that and more."
Miles' Royal Oak William Beaumont Hospital-affiliated Carepages.
corn blog (www.carepages.com: "LevinStory") reached 24,000 readers.
Miles also was interviewed on the nationally syndicated Cable News
Network television show Anderson Cooper 360.
Said Jon Levin this week, which marks the first anniversary of Miles'
death, "We appreciate that through the award Miles continues to be
remembered. This honor helps fulfill his wish of his life having an impact:'
To read Jon Levin's words about his son Miles, go to jnonline.us .

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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:
Was Gov. Sarah Palin of
Alaska the best choice for
the Republican vice presiden-
tial candidate?
Visit the JNonline.us
homepage, below the left
menu, to cast your vote.

Last week's question:
Was U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden
of Delaware the best choice
for the Democratic vice pres-
idential candidate?
Last week's poll results:
Yes: 55%
No: 45%

- Shell! Liebman Dorfman, senior writer

September 4 s 2008

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