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 How to Send Letters We prefer letters relating to JN articles. We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Letters of 225 words or less are considered first. Longer ones will be subject to trimming. Letter writers are limited in frequen- cy of publication. Letters must be original and contain the name, address and title of the writer and a day phone number. Non-electronic copies must be hand signed. Send letters to the JN: 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax (248) 304-8885; e-mail, letters@the jewishnews.com . We prefer e-mail.