Letters 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 frequency 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, Ietters@the jewishnews.com . We prefer e-mail. In Pursuit Of Peace If there is anything to keep in mind in reading about settlements as a negotiat- ing item as well as the land-for-peace nonsense ("Why Can't Settlements Be Part of Negotiations:' Nov. 6, page 6), it is to never assume that what seems logical to many on the center and left here and in Israel is logical to Palestinians, especially its leaders. If not the settlements, they will find other excuses not to do what is needed. Many on the left feel both sides want peace. Even if that were true, which I doubt, the definition of "peace" is irrec- oncilable. Detente is the better term since, to the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank and Gaza, the last thing they want is any "peace" that leaves Israel alone and makes Hamas/Fatah responsible for run- ning a country. The status quo is fine for them as long as the United Nations and Western money keeps flowing to their Geneva accounts. If a serious peace is to be pursued, an interim three-state solution must be the first step. Putting both Fatah/PLO and Hamas on the same side of the table will never lead to anything good for Israel. Iry Wengrow Troy A Friend Of Israel On Nov. 3, Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, spoke to a joint session of Congress on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the same breath, she equated the two events that occurred on Nov. 9— the fall of the Wall in 1989 and Kristallnacht of 1938. She mentioned the Shoah three times and the six million Jews killed by the Nazis. She referred to Israel five times, emphasizing, "The secu- rity of Israel is non-negotiable now and forever." Chancellor Merkel, who also has spoken to the Israel Knesset, is in the forefront of stand- ing beside Israel — from her ambassador's protest of a crass Hitler billboard in Thailand to the vote in the United Nations against the Goldstone Report. Our family has traveled to Germany several times and our son recently fin- ished a year teaching in Cologne. The younger generation in Germany is not only removed from World War II, but also from the Cold War. However, under Angela Merkel's leadership, they learn both con- trition and Germany's historical and world responsibilities. It is time for us to welcome and accept the fact that Germany is a strong supporter of Israel and the Jewish people. Angela Merkel deserves our respect and admration. David C. Sloan Huntington Woods 6 November 12 • 2009 Facts Of Jewish Education The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit wishes to address the News & Views column by Associate Editor Alan Hitsky, "The Costs of Education" (Nov. 5, page 5). Federation responds to the critical needs of our community in so many ways – including emergency financial assistance, housing assis- tance, eldercare, and employment pro- grams and services. Jewish education has been, and continues to be, among Federation's highest priorities. We are proud that our support to Jewish day and congregational schools is among the highest allocated by North American federations. We continually work with our school professionals to evaluate how to best maximize the community's financial resources to deliver a high-quality Jewish educational product and to increase enrollment. The reality is that the schools need more funding as a result of increased scholarship requests. It should be noted however, the Federation's annual funding presented in the chart in the column was not cor- rect. The accompanying chart reflects the FY 2009-10 support allocated through the Federation for Jewish edu- cation in our community. The Federation's commitment is to continue to support Jewish education, which is critical to the continuity of our Jewish community and the Jewish people worldwide. Nancy Grosfeld, president Scott Kaufman, chief executive officer Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit Bloomfield Township JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT JEWISH EDUCATION ALLOCATIONS FISCAL YEAR ENDING MAY 31, 2010 Campaign Day Schools Akiva Hebrew Day School Frankel Jewish Academy of Metropolitan Detroit Hillel Day School Yeshiva Beth Yehudah Yeshiva Gedolah Yeshivas Darchei Torah Special Needs Allocation Supplemental School Scholarship Fund TOTAL 504,448 154,114 685,725 904,716 132,400 244,014 10,000 502,664 $3,138,081 Sakwa/Frankel Challenge Funds Other * Projected Total 75,000 255,000 251,200 400,000 10,000 75,000 197,948 371,976 547,525 627,413 56,745 182,673 250,000 $1,316,200 $1,984,280 777,396 781,090 1,484,450 1,932,129 199,145 501,687 10,000 752,664 $6,438,561 Notes * Other includes: Shiffman Family Tuition Assistance Fund grants, grants from the Jewish Education Trust and projected income distributions from Millennium and other Federation Funds held on behalf of the day schools. Distributions will be determined over the course of the year based on actual earnings, additions to the funds, and donor agreements. Elusive Peace Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is correct in his stance against Israel's enemies. His first and main statement is total acceptance of Israel's existence by all nations. This will never happen. Therefore, there will never be peace in the Middle East; there is no need in repeating other conditions because it can- not happen. This is what the enemies of Israel want. Leon I. Schoichit Farmington Hills Fawning Over Obama Your editorial comment ("Obama Groping',' Oct. 29, page 41) that "Obama's insistence [on an Israeli settlement freeze] just sort of turned to vapor" only confirms the same fawning attitude toward Obama that you exhibited during the election campaign. Obama's insistence not only has not vaporized, it also continues to provide unjustified legitimacy to the Palestinian demand that a total settlement freeze must precede any discussions with Israel. What else could have been anticipated? From the day it was uttered, this was obvious to anyone not slavishly committed to the arrogance of Obama and his crew. Will it take the destruction of the State of Israel to get you to clearly criticize Obama with words more directly focused than to characterize his statement as "the politics of illusion and pointless symbol- ism," a characterization that could equally be applied to much of the Obama rhetoric? Haven't you learned anything from the past nine months? Robert Epstein West Bloomfield Fixing Health Care Eight years ago this week, I was diagnosed with cancer. Prior to that, I earned a degree in economics and master's degrees in pub- lic health and finance. And I thank God for the American health care system. Does the system have flaws? Certainly — nothing humans create is perfect. Should we try to make it better? Of course. Will turning the whole system over to poli- ticians help? Absolutely not! Look at what happens when the gov- ernment gets too involved: Bureaucrats make decisions that ought to be made by patients with their doctors. Under-fund- ing results in longer waiting times, more restrictions on obtaining needed treat- ment, less research/innovation to find new cures and higher mortality rates. In recent years, the governments in Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Vermont took over significant parts of their health care systems. They promised it would improve service and lower costs. But they delivered neither. In fact, costs exploded. By all means, let's tell our senators and representatives to address the specific problems that prevent a very small por- tion of our population from obtaining health insurance. A government-controlled system is bad for our health, bad for the deficit, and bad for our future. Kerry Greenhut West Bloomfield