Gabby Giffords from page 22 Continuing Debate The Jerusalem Post was the first publication to state emphatically that Giffords' Jewishness should not be questioned. In fact, in its editorial "Learning Judaism From Giffords," the Post wrote, "With all our desire for a universally accept- ed definition of 'Who is a Jew?' that would unify the Jewish people, we cannot ignore the complicated real- ity that many 'non-Jews' are much more Jewish than their 'Jewish' fel- lows. Congresswoman Giffords is one of them. In her In the Mix blog at the New York Jewish Week, Julie Wiener wrote of how Giffords' Jewishness is shining a spotlight on the "Who is a Jew?" debate. In an article titled "Plight of the Patrilineals," Weiner cited blogger Kung Fu Jew, who posted his angry rant on the JewSchool blog about how Giffords is "Jewish enough for the Jewish community to own a sideshow of the media circus. Jewish enough to be our martyr, it seems, but not Jewish enough to be treated equally in life." Kung Fu Jew has a point here. I'm sure many synagogues will offer prayers of healing for Giffords on Shabbat and recognize her as a Jewish member of Congress, yet they would be violating their own religious policy if they ever called her to the Torah for an aliyah honor. I really wish we had a consensus on what determines Jewish status through lineage, even if only in the non-Orthodox Jewish community. Certainly, we cannot continue to make an exception for athletes, celebrities and politicians of Jewish patrilineal descent. I'm in agree- ment with the Jerusalem Post on this matter. If Rep. Gabrielle Giffords considers herself Jewish because her father is Jewish and she lives a Jewish life, then she's Jewish. May Rep. Gabrielle Giffords — Gavriela bat Gloria v'Spencer — be granted a speedy and complete recovery. E MONEY! Modify your mortgage rates as low as 2%*! PAYMENT RELIEF Citibank - West Bloomfield $317,000 mortgage 5.625% $2,597/m Modified to 2% > $1,771/m Monthly savings $826! Wells Fargo - Oak Park $114,598 mortgage 5.63% $1,127.61/m Modified to 2% > $865.83/m Monthly savings $261.78! 0 MST WaMU - Franklin $555,000 mortgage 6.38% $4,205/m Modified to 2% > $1,823/m Monthly savings $2,382! Wells Fargo - Southfield $214,000 mortgage 5.125% $2,239/m Modified to 2% > $1,684/m Monthly savings $555! Chase - Southfield $160,800 mortgage 6.50% $1,878/m Modified to 2.25% > $1,221/m Monthly savings $657! Bank of America - Farmington Hills $259,000 mortgage 6.0% $3,454/m Modified to 2% > $2,241/m Monthly savings $1,213! Aurora - Huntington Woods $334,757 mortgage 6.75% $2,909/m Modified to 2% > $1,4561m Monthly savings $1,453! Rabbi Miller of Farmington Hills is a "Rabbi Without Borders" who serves as 10111 , 1 •Whether you are up to date on payments or delinquent. •Take advantage of government programs •Short sale and foreclosure counseling available •FREE CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION Call Jewish Housing Association and save thousands of dollars every year 1.800.458.0404 *Not all borrowers will qualify for this interest rate. Loan modification approval is completely dependent on the borrower's investor and specific situation. JHA makes no guarantee of results. the year-round rabbi of Michigan-based Tamarack Camps. He is the founder and director of Kosher Michigan, a kosher certification agency, and the president of Access Computer Technology, an IT and social media consulting com- pany. This article first appeared on the Huffington Post. JHA Jewish Housing Association 27777 Franklin Road, Suite 1700 Southfield, MI 48075 1.800.458.0404 www.jhamd.org Jewish Housing Association of Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit WE'RE PART OF THE TEAM A Michigan non profit organization 1643310 January 27 2011 23