I Operation Cast Lead
Yes, Israel! from page Al2
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Allison Bloomberg, 10, of Farmington Hills, and Atara
Krakoff, 11, of Southfield, hold up their signs.
On A Mission
Hannan Lis shared reflections from the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
recent 2008 Family Mission to Israel, which
he co-chaired along with his wife, Lisa, and
Linda and Kenneth Gold. "The start of the
fighting in Gaza came during our second
day in Israel," he said. "The operation in
Gaza gave the participants an immediate
and unplanned insight into the reaction of
Israelis to a national emergency. Our par-
ticipants got to experience how the entire
country united behind the Israel Defense
Forces and the people residing in the
south. Israelis refused to allow Hamas to
interfere with their daily lives. Our mission
continued as planned and to our delight,
we kept running into many other groups
touring the country."
Shaarey Zedek's Rabbi Joseph H.
Krakoff also participated on the mission.
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Rina Bergman, 17, of Farmington Hills,
sings "Shir l'Shalom" (A Song for Peace).
"Having talked to Israelis personally, I can
tell you they are upset and angry;' he told
the large crowd in his invocation. "They
did not want this battle. They simply
wanted a partner for peace'
He questioned what other choice there
was.
"Hamas unilaterally declared an end to
the cease-fire and launched 80 rockets at
Israel on Dec. 25:' he said. "Like any other
nation, Israel must protect her citizens
and be clear that terrorism will not be
accepted now or ever. The time has come
to weaken the morale of Hamas and its
followers in a region where almost every
home is a potential Hamas stronghold.
Israel cannot back down until her survival
is assured beyond any shadow of a doubt."
The rabbi led a prayer for the elimina-
tion of terrorism, the safety of those under
Hamas' rocket fire and the strength and
Writing With Care
Letters provide a simple way to show
big support for Israel's soldiers.
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer
A
midst stacks of flyers, bro-
chures and supportive staff
members of rally sponsors,
the foyer of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek in Southfield was the site of a
campaign to gather letters to be sent
to Israeli soldiers.
"A lot of people have said they want-
ed to write to the soldiers, so a project
was created to provide the stationery
and then deliver the mail," said Rabbi
Leiby Burnham, associate director of
the Jean and Theodore Weiss Partners
in Torah adult education program of
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah.
The innovative letter-writing initia-
tive is a venture of Partners in Care
— a division Partners in Torah — in
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January 15 • 2009
Ai
conjunction with Friends of the Israel
Defense Forces (FIDF). "Partners in
Torah provides a Jewish educational
opportunity; Partners in Care provides
the opportunity of activism," Burnham
said. "Our mission is limud, laasot, to
learn and to do.
And for rally participants who wanted
to do, specially printed stationery was
on hand, as was Partners in Care pro-
gram coordinator, Rachel Leah Black,
who collected the composed letters.
Beyond the rally site, Black said the
hope is for 5,000 letters to be written
and delivered to the Michigan chapter
of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
with the help of area agencies and
schools.
"We've contacted many of them and
several are already on board, including
Jewish Family Service and (Yeshivat)
Shaarey Zedek Cantor Meir
Finkelstein performs songs of
peace and hope at the rally.
resolve for those fighting to defend Israel.
Continuing Support
Detroit's special connection and deep
commitment to the people of Israel is
nothing new, Federation President Nancy
Grosfeld reminded the crowd, recapping
recent local celebrations honoring Israel's
60th anniversary of statehood.
"Now we gather under different and dif-
ficult circumstances to once again show
our solidarity and support:' she said. "We
come together to express our strength as a
community ... and our resolve that we are
here and will always be here for Israel."
Grosfeld described Federation's "proud
tradition of providing unwavering support
for Israel." She listed Detroit's recent Israel
missions and donations to Israeli commu-
nities in traumatized regions, stressing the
importance of supporting Federation so
Akiva, who want to involve every stu-
dent."
And Partners in Care will do more
than provide paper and the delivery of
the letters to those interested. "Our
goal is to share information with the
Detroit Jewish community about the
IDF (Israel Defense Forces)," Burnham
said. "Our rabbis will come to the
school or the facility to talk about the
soldiers. We want there to be a connec-
tion with our brothers and sisters in
Israel, so their heart is in the writing."
The letter campaign is Partners in
Care's second project; the first, taking
place this past September, involved
a canned food drive for Yad Ezra,
Michigan's kosher food pantry.
"People want to give, and many
aren't able to give the same way they
used to," Black said. "But they under-
stand the writing is a way of giving.
"Just think of the Israeli soldiers in
Gaza opening a package of letters that
say, 'Thank you. The Detroit Jewish
community stands behind your Black
said. "They don't even know where
Detroit is; but they know we care about
them." LI
Hy Safran of Franklin listens to a
speaker.
critical needs at home and in Israel may
be met.
For Uri Segal of West Bloomfield the
purpose of the rally hit home, eliciting
strong memories of the eight years he
lived on Kibbutz Kfar Aza, bordering the
Gaza Strip. Sporting a lapel pin that over-
lapped an American flag and an Israeli
flag, he said, "While I was there, I could
see Gaza from my window. We had no fear
back then, but now the kibbutz is being
shelled from Gaza."
He often returns to the kibbutz and
other parts of Israel, where he has fam-
ily and friends. "Israel's military and the
government waited and waited, and finally
they took the right action. There is a time
for peace and a time for war. But even a
justified war is ugly."
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More Coverage: JNonline.us.
Rachel Leah Black staffs the Partners
in Care letter-writing station.
For information about Partners
in Care, or to send a letter to an
Israeli soldier, call (248) 583-2476.
Letters may also be deposited
at the JCC in Oak Park and West
Bloomfield, where stationery is
available at the front counters.