Front Lines NOTEBOOK JNenline Jewish Legal Eagles Impact Mayoral Drama In May, 400 workers — mostly undocumented Guatemalan immi- At least four local Jews had a prominent influence on the court grants — were arrested by the U.S. Immigrations and Customs hearing for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick last week at the Frank Enforcement. While Agriprocessors is a private business not offi- Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit. cially representing any Jewish organization or denomination, it is Presiding was Wayne County Circuit Judge David Groner. Attorney a high-profile Jewish business, owned and operated by Orthodox William Goodman, who handled many lawsuits filed on behalf of U.S. Jews. Because of the nature of the arrests and the role played by detainees at Guantanamo Bay, represented the Detroit City Council. Agriprocessors in the workers' plight, the AAOM wants Jewish orga- Todd Flood, a former Wayne County assistant prosecutor who now nizations respond generously and visibly to help alleviate a serious practices in Royal Oak, represented the mayor in one of the criminal humanitarian crisis in northeast Iowa. matters. Herschel Fink is the First Amendment attorney for the Detroit St. Bridget's Hispanic Relief Fund estimates the cost of providing Free Press, which broke the mayor's text-message scandal in January. basic needs for these families over several months at about $700,000. On Sept. 4, Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to felony charges in his perjury The fund started by the Ann Arbor Orthodox Minyan has collected case and no contest to one count in his assault case stemming from more than $3,000. allegations that he shoved a sheriff's detective. He resigned as mayor, Contributions may be made online at www.annarborminyan.org effective Sept. 18. He will have served six years in office. using PayPal. Click on the "Donate to the Postville Relief Fund" but- "I lied under oath:' Kilpatrick told Groner at the Sept. 4 hearing. ton. Donations also can be made by check made out to the AAOM and Under terms of his plea deal with Wayne County Prosecutor Kym marked for the Postville fund. Checks should be sent to Ann Arbor Worthy and State Attorney General Mike Cox, Kilpatrick will spend Orthodox Minyan, 1606 Brooklyn, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. All funds four months in jail, forfeit his law license and his state pension, pay up collected will be sent St. Bridget's to provide basic services to the to $1 million in restitution and serve five years on probation. He has families of the workers. promised not to run for office while on probation. For more information, contact Robert Savit at rssavit@gmail.com . Standing before Groner, Kilpatrick admitted that he lied under oath - Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor in a police whistle-blower trial last year and in an earlier deposition in which he denied he had an extramarital affair with Christine Beatty, Helping In Gustav's Path his then-chief of staff. In the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, Jewish Funds for Justice's (JFSJ) "I did so with the intent to mislead the court and jury, to impede Hurricane and Redevelopment Fund will accept donations to help and obstruct the disposition of justice," Kilpatrick told the judge. with relief efforts for the latest hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast. In remarks from the Detroit City-County Building that night, JFSJ has been on the ground in the region since September 2005 according to the Detroit Free Press, Kilpatrick said: "I want to empha- after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and has established relationships size tonight that I take full responsibility for my own actions, for the with local communities. JFSJ's work focuses on the needs of low and poor judgment that they reflected. I wish with all my heart that we moderate-income communities. The organization supports small could turn back the hands of time and tell that young man: 'Make bet- business and community-based partners, groups that have earned the ter choices: But I can't:' trust of their communities and are well positioned to give voice to and - Robert Sklar, editor address unmet needs of low-income residents. Donations to the Hurricane Recovery and Redevelopment Fund can Michelle Obama's Cousin Is A Rabbi be made online at www.jewishjustice.org . Donations to the fund will A recent story in the Forward reveals a fact that hasn't gotten much support grantmaking, community investment and volunteer service press: Michelle Obama's cousin is a prominent black rabbi. in those areas most impacted by Hurricane Gustav and that are still Obama, wife of Democratic presidential nominee Barak Obama, working to recover from the 2005 hurricanes. and Rabbi Capers Funnye, chief rabbi of Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken - Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation on Chicago's South Side, are first cousins once removed. Funnye's mother, Verdelle Robinson Funnye, and Michelle Obama's paternal grandfather, Frasier Robinson Jr., were brother and sister. Funnye, the Forward reports, is well-known in Jewish circles for acting as a bridge between mainstream Jewry and the much smaller, Conservation Tips and largely separate, world of black Jewish congregations, sometimes Water known as black Hebrews or Israelites. He often has urged the larger • Be sure to turn off all faucets when done and turn off – com- Jewish community to be more accepting of Jews who are not white. pletely! One drop per second from a water faucet equals 200 He says he has not been involved in the Obama campaign, but has gallons per month, 2,400 gallons each year. Leaky faucets are donated money. expensive! The Forward says Michelle's famous relative provides an ironic twist • Skip showers on days when you do not need one. to Obama's much-analyzed relationship with the Jewish community • Install a tank dam in each toilet. in this presidential campaign. Jewish political organizers, voters and • If the toilet is not a low flush design, drop two quart plastic donors played an essential role in Obama's rise to power in Chicago, bottles filled with water in the tank. but the senator has struggled to overcome suspicions in some parts of • Reduce the number of toilet flushes. the Jewish community, including skepticism about his stance on Israel • Catch warm-up water from showers and use on gardens. and discredited-but-persistent rumors that he is secretly a Muslim. ECOJudaism - Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor Aid To Postville Workers The Ann Arbor Orthodox Minyan (AAOM), with the support and cooperation of Beth Israel Congregation, the Reform Havurah, the Jewish Cultural Society and the Jewish Federation of Washtenaw County, has organized a relief fund to help the former workers from the Agriprocessors' kosher meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa. A8 September 11 • 2008 • Turn off water while brushing teeth and shaving. • Only run dishwasher when a full load. • Keep a container of cold drinking water in the refrigerator. Please contact Michigan Coalition on the Environment & Jewish Life for global warming presentations: (248) 642- 5393, ext. 7, or mi-coejl@jfmd.org . Source: Michigan Coalition on the Environment & Jewish Life This Week www.JNonline.us Latest From Israel Want the most current news from Israel? Check our streaming news from Ynetnews.com for continu- ous updates and longer news, opinion and feature stories. And look at the center of our homepage for an Israel story that changes twice daily. Just visit JNonline.us and click on a scrolling story on the left. What Have I Got To Lose? Check in on Story Development Editor Keri Cohen's quest for fitness and weight loss. There's a lot to learn along the way, as she says in this new blog post. Only at JNonline.us . Go to the right side of the homep- age and click on the box that says What Have I Got To Lose? 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: Is Israel making too many concessions under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's peace initiative? Visit the JNonline.us homepage, below the left menu, to cast your vote. Last week's question: Was Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin the best choice for the Republican nominee for vice president? Last week's poll results: Yes: 35% No: 65%