EDITOR'S LETTER
Getting Psyched for a Better '11
ow ... we got
a lot of praise
(bashful smile)
as well as useful,
constructive feed-
back; thank you,
Detroit, for your
warm embrace.
With that said, Red
Thread won't ignore
some of its inaugural blemishes. As one
friend suggested, "For Chanukah, we're
going to get Red Thread a red pen!" (In
other words, we are painfully aware of
the occasional errant typo.)
To keep our chins up, our motto the
past month has been, "If it were perfect,
we'd have nothing to aspire to."
Conversely, as a favorite college
professor (and, apparently Jesus, too)
was fond of saying, "You live by the
sword — you die by the sword."
Speaking of swords, did I mention the
staples?
"EXTREME MAKEOVER —
DETROIT EDITION"
No matter who you are, one thing
nearly everyone agrees on is that we
are living in difficult times. Detroit, and
by extension its Jewish community,
continue to teeter on the brink even
as recent economic indicators register
modest improvements.
Therefore, we (Jews, Detroiters,
Michiganders) must find a way to
remake ourselves — or proceed down a
demoralizing path of declining popula-
tion and waning opportunities.
The expectation is we will rally. The
amount of intellectual capital contained
here (Jewish and other) is reason enough
to believe change is possible. The first
test will be how Gov.-elect Rick Snyder
(who was endorsed by our sister publica-
tion, the Detroit Jewish News) works with
the state Legislature.
If we may, a suggestion for the new
chief: Craft a plan so the state can derive
revenue from businesses without
making the cost of operating here
regressive for small-business owners
(yes, we are referring to the supremely
unpopular Michigan Business Tax).
But, I digress ... we decided to give
2010 a proper burial by ending the year
on a high note through our December
cover story, "Extreme Makeover —
Detroit Edition."This makeover story is
not about a family, its house or copious
amounts of plastic surgery.
Instead, the feature pays homage to
three casualties of circumstance who
were tasked with reinventing or starting
anew despite our ongoing "Great
Recession."
(I acknowledge the term "Great
Recession" is pretty loaded, but also kind
of poetic ... in an "1- wish-l-could-be-
nostalgic-about-how-much-the-
economy-sucked-but-I'm-still-struggling-
through-it" kind of way.)
And, yet, these folks were able to
recalibrate and carry on.
Given the frustration many of us feel
about our state's malaise, my colleagues
and I believed a story about hope was
needed to prime the pump for a better
2011.
As important, their accounts should
resonate with those Detroiters-in-exile
who nurse a latent desire to return home
but hold back fearing a lack of prospect.
And, as we hit the street this month,
it is the second night of Chanukah, a
time to celebrate the army of Judah
Maccabee kicking some ass — which
rescued Jerusalem from the secular/
pagan Hellenists. (Or, if you prefer, a
cheeky opine from a colleague on the
Maccabean army: "the Jewish Taliban" —
ouch!)
Incendiaries aside, the Maccabees
were some fierce fighters who repelled
the Seleucid Empire and established the
Hasmonean dynasty, leading a return
to Jewish practices within an enlarged
Israeli state.
Let's take a page from Judah
Maccabee and kick some ass here in
2011. (I'm telling you to drink the Kool
Aid — and become a Detroit booster —
because our future may depend on it.)
If last year was tough for you, we trust
next year will be better. Plus, you have
Red Thread cheerleading for you; and it
doesn't hurt to have a friend with a sense
of humor — how about that banana in
November's issue?
From all of us at Red Thread, we wish
you a healthy and prosperous new year.
Bryan S. Gottlieb
bgottlieb@redthreadmagazine.com
KENSINGTON °
Refined styling and
elegant details lend an
air of understated luxury
to the Kensington
collection of faucets.
Kensington handles
are cut from glistening
Swarovski* crystal that
complements the graceful
arch of the spout.
Come visit our outstanding showroom
1977 E. West Maple Road • Walled Lake, MI 49390
GROHE
ENJOY WATER'
248.669.7474
www.advanceplumbing.com
www.redthreadmagazine.com
RED Tom I December 2010 5