Letters
Give Obama Time
As the recipient of numerous e-mails
critical of the president and his admin-
istration, particularly
regarding Israel, I feel it
necessary to respond. It
is one thing to protest
policies; it is another
to suggest there should
be a way found for the
president of the United
States to join the alleged
President
heavenly virgins, as one
Obama
writer concluded .
What exactly is the
hope of these authors? Do they assume
President Obama is ignorant of the history
of the Jewish people — that he is unaware
of the nuances that impact all future nego-
tiations with the Arab world? Many in his
inner circle are Jewish!
All this nasty rhetoric invites violence.
I have never been more frightened than
I am today, no doubt influenced by the
outpouring of widely circulated hateful
e-mail. Of course, one can delete it, but I
think it important to know that there are
those who, in their support and concern
for Israel's future, have gone overboard in
their dissent.
I am truly mindful of the enemies that
are out there. I have viewed Obsession and
The Third Jihad. My e-mail has included
truly distressing reports and videos
describing the growing anti-Semitism in
Europe. I have attended so-called peace
events where there are the typical jerks
who shout, "Death to Israel." But I am
alarmed when there are Jews who are
just as vehement, who seem ready to
overthrow our government. Who are the
leaders they perceive as wiser and more
capable?
Let us also consider that we have yet to
see a solution to the Middle East quag-
mire. I am content for now to see how
President Obama's initiatives play out. He
is the father of Sasha and Malia and our
president; I believe it is his vision to make
this a better world for all: Jew, Christian,
Muslim. Call me naive, but in ancient
times, we were asked to beat our swords
into plowshares. In the same spirit, I sug-
gest we reject the angry e-mail. These
tirades accomplish nothing. Or perhaps
they will. That scenario is really terrifying.
it ("Restaging:' June 18, page A20). How
sad. After all, Evelyn Orbach is the JET. She
gave birth to it and nurtured it through
infancy to maturity.
She was the reason so
many people were will-
ing to support JET finan-
cially. People trusted her
to present high-quality
performances. She edu-
cated thousands of chil-
dren with the Diary of
Anne Frank and the dis- Evelyn Orbach
cussions that followed.
The JET, because of
Evelyn Orbach, introduced children and
adults to affordable live theater. Although
the physical facility was a challenge,
Evelyn made it work.
To appreciate her for her many talents
and her gift of time and knowledge to our
community, she should have been made
artistic director emeritus. How dignified a
title that would be.
Judy Miller
Bloomfield Township
Yes, BBYO!
Kudos to BBYO! I was extremely
impressed while serving in my role as
mashgiach (kosher supervisor) last month
at Camp Maas in Ortonville during B'nai
B'rith Youth Organization's annual spring
convention. Throughout the weekend, I
had the unique opportunity to see a BBYO
convention from a bird's-eye view.
Director Eric Adelman and the entire
BBYO staff ensured a fun and educational
experience for all participants, including
spirited Shabbat programming.
I remain in awe of BBYO's ability to
bring so many teens together and assist
them in honing their leadership skills.
Because of BBYO's strong commitment
to leadership training, many of these
same individuals also serve as outstand-
ing camp staff during the summer once
eligible.
Kol Hakavod (congratulations) to all of
Michigan BBYO.
Rabbi Jason Miller
Tamarack Camps
Bloomfield Township
demographics and they are experiencing
serious shortages in funding with a huge
drop in property-tax revenue.
I've been a member of organizations
working within the Oak Park School
District borders for decades, first the
Chamber of Commerce and since 1993 the
Oak Park Business & Education Alliance.
I have held all officer positions on the
Alliance board and have been an active
participant in the organization, supporting
and funding student programs.
The most rewarding experiences for
my employees and me involve working
with the students. We are in and out of
the schools many times during the year
and find the students to be like students
anywhere: polite; unsure of "adults" and
rambunctious, not unlike I was at their
age in the 1970s.
While challenges or incidents occur over
the course of a long school year, there are
many more positives that deserve atten-
tion.
Please visit our Web site at www.opbea.
org to learn about the Oak Park Business
& Education Alliance and, if able, to get
involved. As a partner with Oak Park
Schools, we are continuously thanked by
the students, teachers, administrators and
the school board. We look forward to new
school board members Misty Patterson
and Maxine Gutfreund also being strong
partners in helping our community.
Kenneth Snow, president
Hagopian Cleaning Services
Oak Park
Outpouring Of Love
We want to thank Temple Israel's Rabbi
Paul Yedwab, each and every youth from
Banding Together and all of those that
volunteered and worked so hard to make
the May 24 fundraising event possible ("A
Teen Cause That Resonates," June 25, page
All).
We knew Banding Together was going
to be a big event on behalf of the Tarnas-
Fischer family, but we were truly blown
away by the love, compassion and the
expansiveness of this event.
We all enjoyed the evening thoroughly.
The wonderful idea of Banding Together
that the youth came up with is uniquely
appropriate for Evan and Emily Fischer as
their father's great love was making music.
Rob's love for the inner peacefulness and
joy that music brought is a big part of his
legacy.
We also can't forget the hundreds of
people that showed up for the event and
the many, many others that have sent in
loving contributions for our family so that
we can guide Evan and Emily into the
future that they so richly deserve.
Evan and Emily are both very intel-
ligent and caring individuals and have the
capacity and capability of finding great joy
in their lives. In their case, it takes more
than these attributes to achieve this goal.
A deep healing has to occur for great joy
to abound from their hearts. This will be
their journey.
Your heartfelt generosity in so many
ways has opened the door to a commu-
nity of people that say, "We truly do care
which will then enable them to embrace
their new life. We can envision them grow-
ing up to be active and generous members
of this community by being a recipient of
such love and generosity. With this, we are
building our future.
Our whole family feels embraced and
deeply touched. We also feel very enriched
as a family with the union of very different
personalities that makes us feel complete.
Here, we thought that we were embracing
them, but by doing so, the community
has embraced us. The blessings have been
overwhelming.
So with our deepest sincerity, we are
forever grateful for your love!
Susie and Christopher Tarnas
West Bloomfield
Correction
• In "Jonathan Aaron Is Leaving Guardian
Industries Corr (June
25, page A16), it was
implied that Aaron had
been CEO of Guardian.
The late William "Bill"
Davidson was CEO and
president of Auburn
Hills-based Guardian,
Jonathan
and Aaron was his
Aaron
assistant.
Edith Broida
Farmington Hills
JET Revisited
So the Jewish Ensemble Theatre is mak-
ing a change and Evelyn Orbach, the
founding artistic director, is not part of
A8
July 2 • 2009
Productive Schools
In response to your cover story "The 3Rs"
(June 18, page A17), Hagopian Cleaning
Services has been in business in Oak Park
for more than 50 years and we see the city
as very viable. The city and school district
have gone through tremendous changes in
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