Front Lines WEI WaH swfdE DIGEST DETROIT JEWISH NEWS JNonline.us Advertising Sales War Vet Honored Posthumously Detroiter Ben Shiffman, one of the last surviving Jewish war veterans of the Spanish-American War, will become a member of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA/Joseph L. Bale Post 474 based in Oakland County. The war effort extended from 1898 to 1902. A posthumous installation is sched- uled for May 17. Shiffinan died in 1969 in his eighties. Jan Durecki, archivist at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township, called the box of Shiffinan's memorabilia provide by his grandson Doug Shiffman of Farmington Hills — pictures, newspaper articles, awards, certificates, army caps, an American flag — a treasure trove. The installation program will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at Language School Needs Help In less than two years, a church basement program in Pontiac led by a Cuban-born Jewish woman has grown from 60 adult students learning English to more than 120. The Hispanic Education and Life Skills Project (HELP) at St. Michael's Catholic Church is run by Dr. Ann Mandelbaum of Franklin. Al Swerdlow of Farmington Hills is one of her volunteers. Publisher/President Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Sales Director: Keith Farber kfarber@renmedia.us Account Executives: Ann G. Abrams, Jan Haskell, Melissa Litvin, Heidi Martin, Rick Nessel, Dharlene Norris Senior Sales Assistant: Kim Metzger Temple Beth El. Refreshments will be served. Reservations are requested; call post commander Alan Nathan of Farmington Hills: (248) 432-7260. Keynoter Jan Durecki will speak on Jewish war veterans in the Spanish-American War, including those involved with Admiral George Dewey and the Ben Shiffman, on right, at a JWV function sinking of the battle- ship Maine in Havana the two Iraq wars to join the Bale post. Harbor. The unsolved explosion that The application form appeared page sank the ship on Feb.15, 1898, precipi- A6 of the IN on April 9; call Nathan for tated the Spanish-American War; 266 more information. men died in the initial blast. Nathan also urges Jewish veterans of — Robert Sklar, editor Swerdlow said that part of the program's growth is due to the poor economy Unemployed men and women are com- ing to HELP to improve their English skills. Founded to assist adult women in the Hispanic community, the group now includes Asian students. Five of the stu- dents have now passed their U.S. citizenship test. HELP is expecting to receive its 501(c)3 non-profit status within a month JN Cap & Gown Section The annual Jewish News recognition of top Jewish high school seniors will be published May 21. The deadline for editorial list- ings of a student's achieve- ments is May 1. The dead- line for congratulatory advertisements is May 13. For complete information for both listings and ads, go to JNonline.us and click on the Cap & Gown button on the right side of the home page. and is seeking volunteers with grant- writing experience and additional teachers. Swerdlow said HELP also needs updated computers and software. "Everyone is looking for computer training," he said, "so they can get jobs." For information about HELP, call Dr. Mandelbaum, (248) 787-6207. — Alan Hitsky, associate editor Quotables "Some Jews arriving at Ellis Island underwent unethical medical exams and many were slated for deportation. Due to language barriers and legalities, they were rarely able to defend themselves. They also faced impossible working conditions and exploitative employers. "Today's immigrants are facing hardships remarkably similar to our ancestors'. Too frequently, they are met with hostile policies, racially motivated agendas and an unwelcoming atmosphere. This is simply wrong — we remember from our own history where this mentality and actions based on it can lead. "As Jews we are commanded not to enslave, wrong or oppress strangers:" — Lauren Bastlen, a community organizer with Jewish Community Action (www.jewishcommunityaction.org) in St. Paul, Minn., which is spearheading Progress by Pesach along with the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. Quoted in a JTA commentary released April 2. Our JN Mission April 16 • 2009 Creative Services creative@thejewishnews.com Creative Director: Deborah Schultz Contributing Graphic Designer: Lindsay Schwartz Production By VERTIS INC. Site Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Iris Dembeck, Beth Farley, Kathleen Kargula, Jeffrey Meyer, Pam Sherevan, Michelle Sheridan Photography Staff Photographers: Angie Bean, Armando Rios Editorial Editor: Robert A. Sklar rsklar@thejewishnews.com Associate Editor: Alan Hitsky ahitsky@thejewishnews.com Story Development Editor: Keri Guten Cohen kcohen@thejewishnews.com Arts Editor: Gail Zimmerman gzimmerman@thejewishnews.com Senior Writer: Shelli Liebman Dorfman sdorfman@thejewishnews.com Senior Columnist: Danny Raskin dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net Columnists: George Cantor, Robin Schwartz, Steve Stein Copy Team: Senior Copy Editor: David Sachs dsachs@thejewishnews.com Copy Team Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@thejewishnews.com Platinum: Editor: Lynne Konstantin lkonstantin@thejewishnews.com Executive Editor: Gail Zimmerman gzimmerman®thejewishnews.com Young Adult Advisory Board 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 continuity. We desire to create and maintain a challenging, caring, enjoyable work environment that encourages creativity and innovation. We acknowledge our role as a responsible, responsive member of the community. Being competitive, we must always strive to be the most respected, outstanding Jewish community publication in the nation. Our rewards are informed, educated readers, very satisfied advertisers, contented employees and profitable growth. A6 Business Offices Customer Service Assts.: Maya Brodsky, Jan Shale Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner Collections Analyst: Hazel Bender Gayle Friedman Gold, Jordan Glass, Robin Schwartz, Brad 'Bubba" Urdan Published by: Jewish Renaissance Media Chairman: Michael H. Steinhardt President/Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Chief Operating Officer: F. Kevin Browett kbrowett@renmedia.us Controller: Craig R. Phipps Editorial Director: Robert A. 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