Opinion
A MIX OF IDEAS
Dry Bones GENERATIONS
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George Cantor's Reality Check column will return next week.
HIZBULLAH'S CHIEF \
JUST MET WITH
ASSAD AND IRAN'S
AHMADINEJAD IN
SYRIA/
Editorial
Repudiate Divestment
W
hile relatively milder than
some divestment resolu-
tions targeting Israel, the
University of Michigan-Dearborn Student
Government's Feb. 25 call to divest is
grounded in bias and fallacy.
Resolution No. 2010-003 asks the U-M
Board of Regents to form an advisory com-
mittee to recommend immediate divest-
ment from companies directly involved in
the "ongoing illegal occupation" because
"we deem these investments to be pro-
foundly unethical and in direct conflict
with the mission of this university"
The resolution seems to call for a boycott
only of companies doing business in the
West Bank or that supply goods to Israel's
military. Unclear is whether the "occupa-
tion" also refers to the whole of Israel.
The Student Government will initiate
a petition drive urging U-M regents to
empower an advisory panel to determine
if any university investments are question-
able and subject to reversal.
Nowhere do the students mention that
Israel's military presence continues due
to Palestinian suicide bombings of Israeli
civilians and the lack of any Palestinian
movement toward real peace.
In making its baseless case, the Student
Government cites U.N. General Assembly
Resolution 194. That resolution maintains
that holy places and religious buildings
and sites in "Palestine" (undefined) "should
be protected and free access to them
assured, in accordance with existing rights
and historical practice" — ignoring that
Israel has a law that protects holy places.
The Student Government resolution
further claims that all Palestinian refu-
gees who want "to return to their homes
in Israel" should be allowed to do so;
refugees who opt not to return should be
compensated for property loss or dam-
age. Of course, unlimited return would
disrupt the Jewish majority in Israel, the
ultimate goal of Islamic extremists. The
compensation claim sidesteps that hun-
dreds of thousands of Arabs chose to leave
when Israel declared statehood in 1948
and found itself at war with invading Arab
nations.
Does the Student Government also
support reparations for Jewish citizens of
Arab countries who were booted out — or
worse — after Israel was created?
The Student Government goes on to
argue that Israel, "the occupying power:'
has failed to protect the rights of the "occu-
pied population" and furthermore is guilty
"of war crimes and crimes against human-
ity" as assessed by the U.N.'s Goldstone
Report, hardly a model for an impartial
accounting of Israel's 2009 incursion into
the Gaza Strip to slow llamas rockets from
landing in southern Israel.
The resolution suggests that the uni-
versity "is known to have several million
dollars of investment in corporations
that sell weapons, goods and services to
Israel:' These corporations include BAE,
Raytheon, Boeing, General Electric, United
Technologies, Lockheed Martin, General
Dynamics and Northrop Grumman,
among others. Israel, in
turn, "uses the weapons,
goods and services
inhumanely," claims the
resolution.
The resolution cor-
rectly claims "there are
serious moral and ethi-
cal questions concerning
the conflict between
Israelis and Palestinians','
but characterizes Israel
as the instigator. In a
meager attempt to be
balanced, the resolution
considers "any uni-
versity investments in
entities contributing
to human rights viola-
tions by either Israelis
or Palestinians" to be
inappropriate. This is the only hint that the
Palestinians hold any fault.
The official university response stated
the resolution is protected by free speech:
"The university values a vibrant and active
student life. However, the students do not
speak for the University of Michigan. All
students are welcome and encouraged to
work with our Student Activities Office to
present other perspectives:'
The Jewish Community Relations
Council of Metropolitan Detroit considers
the resolution a demonization of Israel.
It adds, "There is no acknowledgment
that the Palestinians contributed in the
past, and contribute even now, to the
IT'S LIKE TOJO
AND IL DUCE
MEETING WITH
DER FUHRER!
LOOKS LIKE EVEN
THOSE OF US
WHO 'REMEMBER
HISTORY ARE
CONDEMNED TO
REPEAT IT.
www.drybonesbloLoom
refugee problem:' That's a burning issue
the Israelis and Palestinians already have
agreed is best left to negotiation.
Divestment calls have come and gone
over the years with all sharing the ulterior
motive of saddling Israel with the yoke
of aggressor in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, certainly in hopes of weakening
Israel's resolve to fight on. The intent of
divestment calls has never been to stimu-
late a political climate that could bring
lasting peace.
U-M regents would never give cred-
ibility to any student or faculty resolution
that essentially would unleash yet another
divestment witch hunt. ❑
Four Questions About Hunger
E
very spring, Jews celebrate the
holiday of Passover, declaring in
our seders the words from the
Haggadah, "Let all who are hungry come
and eat; let all who are in need come share
our Passover."The Talmud suggests that
the four cups of wine we drink during the
Seder are to represent God's four promises
to the people of Israel: "Tell the children
of Israel: I am Adonai! I will take them
out ... I will rescue them ... I will redeem
them ... and I will take them as my peo-
ple and I will be their God" (Exodus 6:6-7,
JT Pesachim 10:1).
During the Child Nutrition Seder at 10
a.m. Sunday, March 14, at Yad Ezra, 2850
W. 11 Mile, Berkley, those four glasses of
wine representing God's four promises to
the people of Israel will become a declara-
tion of our community's four promises to
eradicate hunger: increase education and
awareness, make
giving dual meaning
hunger personal,
to each of the tradi-
increase advocacy
tional items it holds.
and expand com-
Symbols such as the
bitter herb, which
munity organizing.
This year, our
traditionally reminds
Jews of the bitterness
liberation narra-
tive will be infused
of slavery, this year
will awaken us to the
with new mean-
ing. The Jewish
bitterness suffered
by others. The green
Council for Public
Robert Cohen and Lea Luger
Affairs (JCPA) and
vegetable, which
Community View
MAZON: A Jewish
traditionally reminds
us that it is spring in
Response to Hunger
are working with Jewish communities
Israel, will now also highlight the impor-
across the country, including Detroit, to
tance of good nutrition and the disparity
organize Child Nutrition Seders, translat-
in access to healthy food.
Today, 14.6 percent of households in the
ing Passover's message of freedom and
renewal into an opportunity to advocate to U.S. struggle to put an adequate amount
end childhood hunger in America.
of food on the table. This translates to 17
million children living in food-insecure
We have transformed the seder plate,
households; 1.1 million children are out-
right hungry, unable to eat well-balanced
and regular meals throughout the year.
President Obama has set an ambitious
goal for the nation to end childhood hun-
ger by 2015. This goal is feasible and is
something we should all work together to
make a reality.
The Detroit Jewish community is doing
its part. In addition to joining JCPA and
MAZON's national effort to raise aware-
ness and encourage activism, we will hold
our own Child Nutrition Seder at Yad Ezra.
The seder will be led by Rabbi Yisrael
Pinson and we will be joined there by U.S.
Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township
and other federal, state and local officials.
This powerful educational program will
make hunger personal and provide an
opportunity to advocate for real solutions.
We invite you to attend.
Hunger on page 41
March 11 * 2010
39