Letters Dem For Knollenberg I am a Democratic woman and member of the Michigan Education Association. But, I will cross party lines to vote for U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg R-Bloomfield Hills ("Hot Ninth!;' Sept. 11, page A13). Our community would not have the West Bloomfield-based Friendship Circle, which helps autistic children, had Congressman Knollenberg not secured initial federal funding for the program. He supports the Detroit-based Karmanos Cancer Center's research to find a cure for this terrible disease. As a mother, I know that Joe has worked with local schools and hospitals to improve our public education and health systems. He has secured over $1 billion for Israeli refugee resettlement, which has resulted in over 1 million Jews escaping oppressed situations to make a new life in Israel. Israel is safe, secure and Jewish because of Congressman Knollenberg's leadership. There are times when political par- ties are less important than the per- son. This is one of those times. I am a proud"Democrat for Congressman Knollenberg. Jacquelyn Bell Birmingham Yes, Obama Like Israeli military and political leader Moshe Dayan, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D- Ill., believes, "If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends, you talk to your enemies!' Unlike eight years of failed Bush- McCain foreign and economic policies, Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, has the clear head, keen intel- ligence and fierce determination to be the friend and ally Israel will need over the next tumultuous eight years. On Aug. 13, at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said, "Barack Obama has a stellar voting record on Israel!' So while Jewish Americans can rest easy that Israel will be in Barack Obama's safest and most secure of presidential hands, so will the needs of our Jewish communities across America that face growing hard- ship in an economic crisis of proportions not seen in 100 years. Only one candidate, Barack Obama, pledges to fund the issues critical to Jews in the United States, including equal pay for women, health care for uninsured children, pro-choice, mental health parity, embryonic stem-cell research and tax cuts for 95 percent of Americans. U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the Republican candidate, is a "no" vote on these issues, and his running mate, Sarah Palin, is even more conservative and has no foreign policy experience. There is one choice on Nov. 4 and that is Barack Obama, with the additional secu- rity of knowing Joe Biden, his vice-presi- dential candidate, is the heartbeat away. Marcie Lipsitt Franklin Excise Racism We have recently been hearing, directly and indirectly, that many in our Jewish community will not vote for Democratic presidential nominee Barak Obama because he is African-American. Our thoughts here are not related to partisan politics, but rather what this says about us, as Jews. How many of us have personally expe- rienced, or learned of our parents' experi- ences of discrimination simply because we were Jews — nothing more. Given our history, for us to judge a political candi- date, or make any such important deci- sion on anything other than merit and character, is shameful. Our country is in trouble. Please, let us not make it worse by voting against a person for the wrong reasons. Vote on the basis of political, social, economic ideas — not on such an ugly basis as race. We are enjoined by scripture to pur- sue justice, to not stand idly by. With the holidays approaching it is again a time to look inside ourselves — to examine our choices, and to turn away from using the same hateful reasons that have haunted our people through the ages. Robert Cohen, executive director Beverly Hills Jewish Community Relations Council It ► `at"46.1iiIiiii by Senior Staff Writer Shelli Liebman Dorfman (Sept. 25, page B6). You captured the essence of what I do and why per- fectly! You were very professional and it showed through in the article. Richard Mukamai Farmington Hills Candidate Endorsements The IN will consider letters that endorse candidates for president, U.S. senator, U.S. representative and state representative, but they should focus on the candidate you prefer, not dwell on the candidate you are not supporting. Letters of 150 words or less will be considered first. Submission of a letter does not guarantee that it will be published. No candidate-related letters raising new issues will be published after Oct. 16. Correction The Opinion piece "A Language To Transcend Differences (Sept. 25, page A76) by Rabbi Hayim Herring mistakenly included a photo of Rabbi Jason Miller. Here are the proper identifications: Rabbi Herring Rabbi Miller nLEMET 'cha Don't Know What is the second most visited Jewish holy site in Israel, after the Western Wall in Jerusalem? - Goldfein of Metropolitan Detroit Dem Games? I applaud Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's desire to attend last week's "Stop Iran" rally in New York City to protest the U.N. visit of Iranian President Mahmoud September 25 * 2008 it JCPA Web Address Thank you for your extensive coverage of the Jewish Community Relations Council- organized protest of Iranian leader Ahmadinejad's U.N. visit ("Denouncing Destruction:' Sept. 25, page A30). Thanks also go out to Hillel Day School, the Frankel Academy and Yeshivat Akiva for their students' attendance and participa- tion in the local event. The Jewish com- munity will not be silent in the face of a U.N. member's blatant anti-Semitism and threats against Israel and the United States. There was, however, one small error in the coverage. The Web address of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the umbrella for Jewish community relations councils nationwide and the national coordinator of divest-from- Iran/divest from terror initiatives and of the Iran Monitor publication, is: www. jewishpublicaffairs.org . Martin Kotch How to Send Letters 4. 4 44:* Kerry Greenhut West Bloomfield Paula Weinberg 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. Non-elec- 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. A8 Ahmadinejad. Clearly, Iran, actively developing nuclear weapons, is a threat to Israel, the entire Middle East, and the world at large. But Gov. Palin, the Republican vice- presidential candidate, did not appear at the rally. Why not? Apparently, Democrat leaders decided it did not want U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton sharing the stage with her. It forced rally organizers to rescind the governor's invitation. Don't Democrats see the danger repre- sented by Iran, or are they playing parti- san political games with our (and Israel's) security? Are they are more opposed to the Republican Party than they are to an Islamic Republic of Iran armed with nuclear weapons? In any case, it is a sad sign of the demise of a formerly great party. Does it also indicate how they plan to govern if elected this November? i■ rt&A ■ ab.M.4 ■ 411;lisi•liAfr..Aaiii Bloomfield Township Captured Essence I just wanted to thank you for such a beautifully written article "Shofar Artisan" jelpoA Jeg uowNs !qqe8 leleqqe1 palled Apnls ipoRsAw aqi lo Japunol aquo BANE( ame9 Jaddn aqi :Jamsuv ALEFBET'cha runs every other week. v Copyright 2008. Jewish Renaissance Media 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. 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