Letters

Don't Appease
as a propaganda tool. I say give them as
Regarding Robert Sklar's Editor's Letter
much desert as they want and do some-
"Obama And The Jews" (June 11, page
thing productive with their time, energy
A5): Doesn't President Obama know that
and money!
throwing Israel under the bus will only
Let Obama know that scapegoating the
slow the bus down as it is hurtling toward
Jews went out with Hitler!
the United States?
Dennis R. Green
Your comments are a wakeup call to
West Bloomfield
those of us who have no clue as to the
danger that Israel, the Jewish people and
Confront Obama
America are in from politicians who are
looking at near-term political victories and
I would like to commend Robert Sklar on
his Editor's Letter "Obama and the Jews"
platitudes. At what point will they under-
(June 11, page A5). With stunning clarity,
stand that appeasement gets you nowhere?
I assume the president learned
he outlined the background of the Jewish
people's legal, historic and moral rights to
about British Prime Minister Neville
a Jewish homeland. At the
Chamberlain's signing of
the Munich Agreement in
same time, he presented a
picture of the reality that is
1938 and its aftermath dur-
going on among the radical
ing his Harvard education.
Doesn't the president
Islamists who have infil-
know that the people he was
trated Arab leadership and
speaking to want to kill us?
how this interferes with a
Consider the people in the
two-state solution.
I am very disturbed with
Arab world who celebrated
9-11; who consider Osama
the tone of President Obama's
speech in Cairo and question
bin Laden a hero; who
regard suicide bombers and
his naivete. I applaud asking
child murderers' heroes,
President Obama for full dis-
closure that the Jewish people
and who name schools and President Ob ama
streets after them.
value life as a God-given
gift to be cherished while radical Islamists
Mr. Sklar ended with "Obama chal-
lenged the Arab world to move beyond
diminish life to a means toward indoctrina-
tion, takeover and control through "martyr-
its obsession with Israel and solve its
humanitarian nightmare. But he barely
dom in Allah's name'
alluded to its incitement against Jews, its
Annette Meskin
anti-Zionist drumbeat and its shunning of
Sylvan Lake
peace initiatives"
I suggest each of us educate ourselves,
speak out to our elected officials and
Is Obama Listening?
work very hard to reverse the course that
Actions speak louder than words. In
President Obama's case, the words could
this administration has taken toward our
enemies and against Israel.
scream deceit (Editor's Letter, "Obama
And The Jews:' June 11, page A5). It's time
Ed Kohl
to open our ears and close our eyes to the
West Bloomfield
easy-to-look-at, easy sound of a poetic
voice.
We have to ask ourselves some hard
questions. We can start with why doesn't
On Point
Robert Sklar's Editor's Letter "Obama And
President Obama express his concern for
the Palestinians in the same fashion at
The Jews" (June 11, page A5) was on the
money. But you and President Obama have home as he did in his Cairo University
failed to mention one important fact: the
speech? Also, why should $200 million
or even $1 of U.S. money be given to the
Arab countries have tons of money. Let
them lift the Palestinians out of their pov-
Abbas government? Do we continue to
erty and despair and carve them a fruit-
accept this course without hard questions?
ful homeland out of the dessert, just like
It's time to open our ears and ask our-
selves what we are not hearing.
Israel did for themselves.
All this crying and moaning about how
Sandy Dubin
"oppressed" they are is a crock. They are
being manipulated and kept down strictly
West Bloomfield

Enlighten Students
Regarding Robert Sklar's Editor's Letter,
"Activism 101" (June 4, page A5), I
would like to add urgency to your asser-
tion that "calls that emanate on campus-
es ... for Israel's destruction must never
go unchallenged ..."
If we all agree that lies told often
enough become accepted as truths, then
everyone should understand the urgen-
cy to educate our youth about Israel's
historically grounded facts so they will
not succumb to the lies they will hear
on college campuses.
If we fail to adequately prepare stu-
dents to counter the dangerous fallacies
about Israel and our Jewish people, we
will lose our youth and future com-
munity leaders to those who perpetuate
anti-Israel myths and anti-Semitic lies.
It is urgent that parents, educators
and community leaders instill strong
Jewish identities in our youth, share
clear messages about Israel's right to
nationhood and direct future college
students to supportive Israel resources
in order to help them succeed as activ-
ists when they leave for campuses
across the world this fall and in the
future.

Barbara Moretsky

StandWithUs-Michigan

Bloomfield Township

Notable Closing
It was with great sorrow that I read of
the forced closing of the Ecumenical
Institute for Jewish-Christian Studies
("Lack Of Funds," June 11, page A40),
which was founded by the great Rev.
James Lyons, whom I had the privilege
to have known.
Rev. Lyons dedicated his life's work to
the promoting of Jewish-Christian rela-
tions and to the educating of the public,
especially non-Jews, in the awareness of
the Shoah.
After sharing with him an article I
wrote in commemorating the 40th anni-
versary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising,
titled "A Celebration of Freedom;'
wherein I recounted my own coming
to grips with the Shoah (which was
enhanced by listening to every word
uttered at the Eichmann trial in 1961
while living in Jerusalem), he asked my
permission to reprint it in Think Piece,
the institute's newsletter. It generated an
overwhelming amount of response.

I also featured him in an article I
wrote for Lamishpacha Hebrew Monthly
emphasizing one of his projects, which
he called "Invite A 'Goy; To Seder," a
project in which I and other members of
our Jewish community took part.
I remember how humbled he felt
when I called him a true righteous gen-
tile, which he undoubtedly was. I hope
and pray that despite the official clos-
ing of his institute, this will not mean
putting an end to Rev. Lyons' blessed
work.

Rachel Kapen

West Bloomfield

Standing Together
Muslims everywhere are shocked and
dismayed at the awful news regarding
the terrorist attack on the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
("Extremism;' June 18, page A13). I
remember the haunting images, from
my visit to Yad Vashem, the Israeli
Holocaust Memorial. I pray "Never
Again" that such atrocities are inflicted
upon any people.
The Council of Islamic Organizations
of Michigan, represented by Hajj Eide
Alawan, stood with the Jewish commu-
nity at the Holocaust Memorial Center
in Farmington Hills on Dec. 18, 2005,
to condemn the tragic Holocaust denial
by the Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad.
Muslim national organizations like
the Council on American Islamic
Relations in Washington D.C., the
Islamic Society of North America in
Plainfield, Ind., and the Muslim Public
Affairs Council in Los Angeles all issued
statements like this one:
"We condemn this apparent bias-
motivated attack and stand with the
Jewish community and with Americans
of all faiths in repudiating the kind of
hatred and intolerance that can lead to
such disturbing incidents."
Muslims stand together with our
Jewish brothers and sisters in condemn-
ing all acts of violence. Let us pledge to
work against any who promote hatred or
demonize others.

Victor G. Begg, chair

Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan

Warren

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A6

June 25 • 2009