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Declining Detroit
Will the city of Detroit overcome its massive budget deficit and junk
bond rating?
"I'm not sure it will;' said Stephen Henderson, editorial page edi-
tor of the Detroit Free Press during a question-and-answer period
after the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at the Max
M. Fisher Federation Building in Bloomfield Township on Jan. 15
(see related story: A23).
"I'm not sure that anyone who is in charge is aware of what needs
to be done Henderson said. "The city still maintains an infrastruc-
ture for too many people.We're not generating enough tax revenue to
maintain that."
The Detroit resident stressed the eroding commercial tax base.
"Business taxes subsidize residential services in every healthy city
in America," Henderson said. "And we don't have that right now in
Detroit."
The solution lies in first shrinking spending "pretty aggressively:'
Henderson said. "No one's even talking about that. So I'm not sure the
city will survive in the sense that it will avoid bankruptcy or receiver-
ship. We're probably closer to that now than we ever have been."
Henderson also lamented the lack of young, smart, energetic
leaders in the city — ones with charisma. "The difference between
Detroit and Chicago is that young people from other cities move to
Chicago and then make contributions either politically or economi-
cally to that community. That's what we don't have here in Detroit."
We have a whole generation of Detroiters who have grown up and
moved away and they haven't been replaced by professional-caliber
peers from other states. "So we do have a real leadership problem:'
Henderson said.
Consider the field of Detroit mayoral candidates. "It's almost a half
generation or a full generation older than it should be at this point:'
Henderson said.
It may take another two election cycles for another young leader
to emerge and be elected mayor like Kwame Kilpatrick was when he
was just 31.
"What makes me somewhat hopeful:' Henderson said, "is the
influx of new people into the city. The city is still nominally losing
population, but there's also an immigration of young diverse groups
of people who are making Detroit their home and hopefully will
stay."
Excellent Educators
Nominate your favorite teacher within the Detroit Jewish commu-
nity for the Klein Education Award, given annually to two teachers to
attend a national conference or program of their choosing.
Diane and Emery Klein of Southfield created the honor in 2006
through an endowment to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit. The award recognizes "the dedication and creativity of those
teachers who demonstrate a love of Jewish learning and bring their
talents and energy to the classroom."
Nominations are accepted from rabbis, teachers, administra-
tors and parents. Forms are available on the Federation Web site:
Jewishdetroit.org/kleinaward . Or contact Dale Rubin: (248) 203-
1520, rubin@jfmd.org .
Lingering Issues
The terror in Mumbai last November topped the Anti-Defamation
League's annual list of top issues affecting Jews in 2008. Other high-
ranking issues were Barack Obama's historic election as U.S presi-
dent, Iran's nuclear threat and Israel's 60th anniversary of statehood.
"The past year has proven a decidedly mixed picture, with historic
breakthroughs and damaging setbacks:' said Abraham Foxman,
ADL national director. "The devastating attack in Mumbai targeting
Westerners and Jews reinforces the grave threat that terrorism poses
to the world, while the global economic crisis once again brought
out those who blame all the world's ills on the Jews. Israel celebrated
a major milestone, but faces threats in numerous forms."
A8
January 22 • 2009
The other top issues, in order, were: the global economic crisis,
anti-Israel bias at the United Nations, Catholic-Jewish relations,
Jewish-Hispanic ties and immigration, and the state of social issues.
In detailing the top issue, the ADL said: "The devastating assault
against a number of high visibility targets in Mumbai, India, including
an attack on the Chabad house that killed the rabbi, his wife and four
other victims, was a tragic reminder that terrorists often single out
Jews wherever they may be in the world. As seen after the 9-11 attacks,
the 'big lie' was again disseminated in an ugly rumor that the Israeli
security agency, Mossad, was responsible for the Mumbai attacks."
Biblical Sourcing
In citing the historical event that caused Jews to observe the 10th
day of Tevet on the Hebrew calendar as a day of fasting, mourning
and repentance, the JN ("Recalling Jerusalem Under Siege," Jan. 8,
page Al2) cited what happened that day in year 3336 (425 BCE).
That's when the armies of the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar
laid siege to Jerusalem.
Thirty months later — on 9 Tammuz 3338 (423 BCE) — the city
walls were breached. On the ninth of Av that year, the Holy Temple was
destroyed. The Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia for 70 years.
A JN reader wondered about the year 423 BCE being cited for
when the Holy Temple fell. Generally, the IN has cited the year that
secular historians use: 586 BCE.
Being that actual years on the Jewish calendar were cited (3336 and
3338), we chose to use the actual secular equivalent to those years.
"423 BCE is the date based on traditional sources — the Tanach,
the Talmud, midrash — which is the firsthand account of the people
who experienced these events;' Chani Benjaminson of Chabad.org
told the JN.
— all notes by Robert Sklar, editor
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Kitchen Tips
•Increase energy efficiency of your refrigerator and freez-
er. Keep these large appliances away from heat sources
(direct sunlight, furnace and radiators) and other applianc-
es (oven, stove and dishwasher) that can make them work
harder to stay cool. At the same time, check the tempera-
ture settings. Keep your refrigerator temperature between
35F and 38°F and the freezer compartment at OF for maxi-
mum efficiency and safety. www.doe.gov ; www.pepco.com
•Look for Energy Star-qualified refrigerators. For example,
a 2004 model uses less than half the electricity of a 1994
unit. Generally, smaller refrigerators use less energy so pick
the size that fits your storage needs. www.energystar.gov
•Maintain your refrigerator and freezer for better use. Clean
the refrigerator heating coils regularly. When you clean them,
check the condition of the coils and components at the back
of the unit. Keep the rubber door seals clean and tight. Foam
seals degrade over time; replace them when needed.
Jewish Thought On The Environment
"And I will establish My covenant with you; neither shall all
flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; nei-
ther shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth."
– Genesis 9:11
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, copyright 2009
866-583-2422
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