Some of the demonstrators along Orchard Lake Road`
Organizations Choose Other Routes To Inform
Keri Guten Cohen
Story Development Editor
hree major local Jewish organiza-
tions chose not participate in the
West Bloomfield demonstration in
support of Israel that drew 375 people
on short notice. Instead, they focused
on disseminating information about the
flotilla incident to the Jewish and non-
Jewish communities.
"Jewish Community Relations
Councils and Federations around the
country agreed that a rally was poten-
tially counterproductive and not the
way to go because it could be misinter-
preted by the general community," said
Robert Cohen, JCRC executive director.
"Our goal is to generate understand-
ing, sympathy and support for Israel in
the non-Jewish community and when
you are talking about Palestinian sup-
porters who were killed under these cir-
cumstances, members of the non-Jewish
community could feel it was unseemly to
have a rally. The most important thing is
not to be talking to ourselves, but to get
the right message out."
To that end, as soon as reports came
in of violence and deaths within the
T
flotilla, the JCRC immediately issued a
statement picked up by local print and
broadcast media, made its leadership
available for news media interviews and
sent e-mail blasts to the Jewish commu-
nity with updates and calls to write let-
ters to media and government officials.
Kari Alterman, local American Jewish
Committee director, agreed with the
decision not to join the demonstration.
"Our concern was that, while it's
always important for the community
to stand together in support of Israel,
there is a need to be sensitive about
the messages we can and cannot con-
trol. I was concerned that it could be
reported in the media that we came out
to support Israel's killing of the nine
members on the flotilla who offered vio-
lent resistance to IDF soldiers."
AJC kept its supporters abreast of
news about the flotilla, sent letters to
the media, monitored the Arab press and
Arab reactions and its immediate past
president, Ken Gold, appeared on WJBK
Fox 2's Let It Rip and more than held his
own with Osama Siblani, publisher of the
Arab American News and organizer of
anti-Israel demonstrations in Dearborn
last week and during previous conflicts.
Betsy Kellman, Anti-Defamation
League Michigan regional director, said
her organization "feels an educated
community is the best resource."
ADL provided e-mail blasts of key
talking points, directed people to its
website, conducted conference calls
with community leaders and board
members and sent out a security bul-
letin to all Jewish organizations and
institutions in Michigan.
After meeting together, the leaders
formulated a response that would pro-
vide the community with reliable infor-
mation about the flotilla incident.
JCRC, AJC and ADL plus the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit,
in cooperation with StandWithUs-MI,
Greater Detroit Chapter of Hadassah, and
Zionist Organization of America-MI spon-
sored a community briefing by confer-
ence call with Orli Gil, Israel's consul gen-
eral for the Midwest. The hourlong call on
June 7 drew more than 50 listeners.
Most notable among Gil's comments
was the little-reported fact that Egypt,
as a partner in the Gaza blockade, had
offered for the ships to come in to El
Arish, an Egyptian port in Sinai, for
goods to be inspected and then trans-
ported overland to Gaza.
Gil emphasized that getting the
humanitarian aid to Gaza was the goal.
"From the very beginning," Gil said,
"there has been no shortage of human
goods or basic goods in Gaza. This
was not a love boat, but a hate boat.
Clearly, we didn't expect this kind of
behavior from peace activists."
In answer to a listener's question,
Gil reinforced the close relationship
between the U.S. and Israel.
"We do feel very strong support in
Congress for major interests of Israel and
have not felt a deterioration of this," she
said. "Support is sound. I do welcome
any help I can get from you people in
Michigan and other communities in work-
ing with Congress. I thank you for all your
efforts and ask you to go on with it."
To show support directly to Israelis,
Federation's Partnership 2000 steer-
ing committee has created an e-mail
address that will allow Detroiters
to send messages of support to our
community's "family" in the Central
Galilee, also home to three of the
seven IDF commandos wounded in
the flotilla raid. Send messages to
MlPartnership2000@jfmd.org .
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June 17 • 2010
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