The Folly from page 42
inbred in the Nation message
with Farrakhan "the standard
bearer and bigot in chief,"
Foxman pronounced in a March
1 statement.
"For the past two years:'
Foxman said, "Farrakhan has put
anti-Semitism front and center
on the agenda, so that it is now
a drumbeat heard across the
organization. And perhaps what's
more disturbing is that despite
his anti-Semitic rants, he has not
been made a pariah in his own
community. What does it take for
him to stop being a pied piper of
hatred?"
Well put.
Farrakhan has a long his-
tory of anti-Semitic and racist
comments. But as all mad men
with persuasion, if not power,
are wont to do, he dismisses
his detractors in hopes that the
truth stays adrift.
Let this "explanation" soak in:
"Some of you think that I'm just
somebody who's got something
out for the Jewish people:' he
declared at the Saviours' Day
gathering, this year held in
Rosemont, Ill.
"You're stupid. Do you think I
would waste my time if I did not
think it was important for you to
know Satan? My job is to pull the
cover off of Satan so that he will
never deceive you and the people
of the world again?"
Mindset In Desrepair
In a 2010 letter to the ADL and
other Jewish groups, Farrakhan
sought dialogue to "repair"
the damage caused by alleged
Jewish mistreatment of blacks.
The important role of Jews in
the civil rights movement and
in continuing to improve black-
Jewish ties reinforces the disin-
genuousness of Farrakhan's dis-
tortion of history, which is long
on conspiracy theories about
Jews and Israel.
I applaud fair-minded blacks
like Metro Detroit's Rev. Glenn
Plummer, who discredit the
Farrakhan worldview.
But there's real danger in Rev.
Farrakhan continuing to draw
crowds primed to absorb his
prejudice — his "truth." His
worldview is still intoxicating to
many vulnerable, wayward or
indoctrinated blacks. 1_1
Guest Columnist
Jewish Communal Unity Demands Ethical Values
he worst of times we are all too
familiar. A decaying economy
coupled with a declining popula-
tion has left our local community with
many questions. As we grapple to come
up with fruitful answers, our Detroit
Jewish community remains steadfast
toward keeping "the communal lights
on."
Over the past several years, the
Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit's Annual
Campaign has stayed on tar-
get where other communities
throughout the country have
faltered. From a business
standpoint, the Detroit Jewish
community is weathering the
storm; and though there have
been hard corporate-type
decisions to make regarding
staffing, budgets and program
development, from a purely
budgeting standpoint, we can
proudly say, "Nice job!" And it truly is a
remarkable job, indeed.
But we must be very cautious and
equally cognizant of the fact that the
Detroit Jewish community is not a busi-
ness. Businesses compete for market
share, for units and for dollars. No matter
whether consumers buy a product or hire
a contractor, the businesses in question
focus on the bottom line, which ultimately
yields the profit margin. Too often, ethics
and values are not what drive businesses.
In the end, money and numbers drive the
business and account for financial suc-
cess.
!Vs About Process
The measure of greatness of a Jewish
community is its people and their person-
al interactions with each other. We have
a great Jewish community, but
at times, we act too much like
a business, competing for num-
bers and dollars without being
driven by ethics and values.
Too much attention is paid to
profits, not enough to process.
Our communal infrastruc-
ture is composed of agencies,
synagogues and educational
institutions. These entities are
entrusted not only maintain
financial stability, but also fos-
ter personal growth and devel-
opment. The lines defining business sol-
vency and moral solvency are becoming
all too blurry.
Synagogues worry about increas-
ing their membership units, while not
addressing current member needs.
When a child of one Jewish school
leaves to attend another Jewish school,
it is viewed as a loss to the competition.
Enrolling in a Jewish day school means
you are signing a child up
for an education, not a club
CLEAN UP
membership.
Our agencies and organi-
zations
must act responsi-
IS THE GUY WHO HAS
bly
and
be concerned with
TO SWEEP UP AFTER
the
process
and treatment
THE ELEPHANT.
of the constituents they
represent as well as the
people they employ. Too
many times in this commu-
nity, we have seen profes-
sional leadership discarded
without a moment's thought
(=a
4Z,
about their dignity and
self-esteem. In business,
we may dismiss someone
for not performing a job
properly; certain guidelines
are followed and the person
is let go. In Judaism, we
are supposed to be con-
cerned about maintaining
the dignity of the individual
throughout the process,
even though he or she may
be about to lose his job.
Dry Bones
AND AFTER THE
ISRAEL APARTHEID
WEEK CIRCUS . . .
Behavior Matters
In Judaism, it is mandated that we act
with ethical behavior. Morality is not
restricted only to our deeds, but also
includes our consciousness of thought,
emotion, intention, attitude and motiva-
tion. We are Jews; and it is expected
that we act with Jewish ideals and val-
ues in mind. We are bound by derech
eretz, the code of proper behavior that
binds us to each other as human beings
and as Jews; we are judged and mea-
sured in how we treat each other.
Our community can work, and has
worked, together respectfully with
great outcome. The recent Super Raffle
brought together four powerhouse agen-
cies in the Jewish community – JARC,
Friendship Circle, the JCC and JVS. They
harnessed their collective energy and
fundraised dollars for a second success-
ful year.
Federation's Community Collaboration
Initiative works on coordinating pur-
chasing power for Federation agencies
and institutions, which has resulted in
cost and time saving for all parties.
A new program in the community
has been developed by a group of lay
leaders to assist in matching college
internship opportunities in the commu-
nity with local businesses; area campus
Hillels play a major role in the outreach.
The program, which I advise, is called
CSI: College Student Internships (www.
CSInternships.com).
The community should embrace pro-
grams like CSI, not feel threatened by it.
Creativity and commitment should be
commended, not repelled or treated as
suspect. Working to create a community
program is not meant to compete with
community; it is meant to grow com-
munity. Respect must be maintained
throughout the process; it is a measure
of our community's success.
The best of times are yet to come for
our Jewish community. But unless we
adhere to the Corporate Compliancy
Manual found in our Jewish Ethics
Handbook, we may not be around to
enjoy them. Li
Karen Alpiner of Franklin has served the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit in several
capacities. She is now fundraising chair for
Hillel of Metro Detroit. She manages the Office
of Neal Alpiner, MD, PLLC; is vice president of a
healthcare management group; and serves as a
consultant to business start-ups. Contact her at
karenalpiner@comcast.net.
DryBonesBloq.com
March 31 . 2011
43