1
Opinion
A MIX OF IDEAS
Editorials are posted and archived on JNonline.us .
George Cantor's Reality Check column will return next week.
Greenberg's View
stevegagreemberg-artcomp
Editorial
A Dome To Live By
T
he U.S. House, with strong sup-
port from the Michigan delega-
tion, overwhelmingly approved
President Obama's request for $205 mil-
lion in additional aid to Israel for a short-
range missile defense system. The money
is above the $3 billion in annual defense
assistance that Israel already receives from
the United States.
The Iron Dome Short Range Artillery
Rocket Defense System would have the
capacity to reduce the threat of terrorist
rocket attacks from neighboring lands
— from as close as Gaza to as far as Iran.
The bill authorizes the president to aid
Israel in acquiring and maintaining the
Iron Dome system to intercept short-range
rockets, missiles and mortars. It affirms
that the U.S. "remains committed to
Israel's qualitative military edge" against
terrorist organizations, especially Hamas
to the south and Hezbollah to the north,
which are funded by Iran and Syria.
Each of the two domes (one in Israel's
north, the other in the south) can stop
missiles with a range of 2.5 to 45 miles.
The domes will shield against Kasaams
from Gaza, Katyushas from Hezbollah in
Lebanon and longer-range missiles from
Syria and Iran.
The shields are a badly needed com-
ponent to assuring Israel's security. The
bill's findings aptly reinforce Israel being
"a close and indispensable ally of the
United States" and deserving of "all nec-
essary assistance to defend itself"
Perceptively, the bill sees regional stabil-
ity and lasting peace between Israel and
the Palestinians — as well as U.S. national
security interests — hinging on Israel
ensuring the safety of its population.
We applaud the 13 Michigan repre-
sentatives who voted aye for HR 5327,
the U.S.-Israel Rocket and Missile Defense
Cooperation and Support Act. The bill
passed on May 20 by a vote of 410-4.
"When I was in the city of Sderot
last summeC said Rep. Gary Peters, D-
Bloomfield Township, "I saw innocent
children playing in armored playgrounds,
an effect of rockets shot into Israel by ter-
rorists in Gaza. Israelis should not have to
live in fear."
Michigan's 15-member congressional
delegation extended almost near-unani-
mous support. Joining Peters in sup-
port were Democrats Bart Stupak, Mark
Schauer, Dale Kildee, Carolyn Kilpatrick,
Sander Levin and John Dingell and
Republicans Thaddeus McCotter, Fred
Upton, Mike Rogers, Candace Miller, Vern
Ehlers and David Camp. John Conyers,
D-Detroit, voted no. Pete Hoekstra, R-
Holland, was among 16 U.S. representa-
tives who did not cast a vote.
The Democratic leadership of the U.S.
House framed the passage in terms sug-
gesting unstinting support for Israel,
part of a friendship push after several
weeks of tensions between the Obama
and Netanyahu governments over Israel's
settlements policies.
"With nearly every square inch of Israel
at risk from rocket and missile attacks,
we must ensure that our most important
ally in the region has the tools to defend
itself' said Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif.,
the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee.
The bipartisan backing of HR 5327 is
a reminder of the respect that Israel typi-
cally commands on both sides of the aisle
and in both chambers of Congress.
The measure, initiated by Rep. Glenn
Nye, D-Va., moves to the Senate.
We trust that Michigan Senators Carl
Levin and Debbie Stabenow will help
quickly spur its passage there so a joint
bill can be hammered out for the presi-
dent' signature. Cl
Protect The Equilibrium
N
o doubt about it: We live in
challenging and unpredictable
times. On the heels of one of the
most unsettling economic transitions in
the last century, all corners of our com-
munity are struggling to find their balance
and struggling to find their path forward.
Confronted by increasing cost and
increasing demand for services, while
absorbing a reduction in philanthropic,
Federation, private foundation and United
Way support, the boards and professional
leadership of our agencies and synagogues
are up against an incredible challenge:
To survive this economic upheaval while
maintaining their relevancy to their own
constituents and to the community at
large.
Layer on top of these issues in our own
community the growing demand from
civic and arts institutions, the university
system and the demand from national and
international organizations, all of which
depend on the strong history of Detroit
Jewish community support,
and you have a very troubling
landscape.
Given these dynamics, the
boards of the institutions that
collectively support and guide
our community are, and will,
continue to make necessary
and tough decisions.
The Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit has
always played a very important
role when the community
is making such decisions. It
recently initiated a very important col-
laboration process to formally assess
opportunities for synergies in operations
and service delivery.
However, let's be honest about it: Not all
agencies in our community are constitu-
ent agencies of Federation. Synagogues
are independent and even Federation
agencies are, in fact, separate legal enti-
ties with separate boards populated with
deep-thinking and passionate
members.
Bottom line: There is no com-
mand and control structure in
our community. The institutions
in our community can, and will,
make certain decisions from
time to time that, while in their
own best interest, might not fit
neatly into the best interest of
the collective. But that's nothing
new That has always been the
dynamic nature of our com-
munity.
The mitigating factor against what
might otherwise be an untenable series
of independent, institutional-based deci-
sions that could weaken our community
as a whole is an unspoken, yet relentless,
respect for what I would call the power
of our equilibrium: the equilibrium that
somehow manages to provide the right
mix of funding and services over the long
term that keeps our community strong
to serve those most in need. It's the equi-
librium that empowers us to take care
of our people at home while responding
consistently to support our people globally.
Even when there is a jolt to the system, the
system finds its new equilibrium.
Somehow over the past 100-plus years,
that equilibrium has survived as agen-
cies have morphed, as synagogues have
merged and as the geography of our
neighborhoods has changed. And through
all the evolutions and revolutions, our lit-
tle shtetl is still one of the most powerful
philanthropic powers in the world today.
Let's get ready for more change because
it's coming. However, while we contem-
plate the alternatives and analyze the
options, let's protect the equilibrium that
makes us who we are: Jewish Detroit! CI
Mark Davidoff is president of the Jewish
Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
and former executive director of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
June 3 2010
23