points of view

EDITORIAL BOARD:
Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz
Chief Operating Officer: F. Kevin Browett
Interim Editor: Alan Nasky
Contributing Editor: Robert Sklar

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Publisher's Notebook

Editorial

Jews Have
Served Nobly

Revitalizing
Metro Detroit

One 'Immigrant' At A Time

A

For the sake of our own future
and our children, let's start by
changing the narrative for
our region.

Editor's note: The following is an
abridged version of the keynote
address delivered May 20 at the
Greater West Bloomfield Michigan
Week celebration and community
service awards event.

F

or our time together
this morning, I plan on
challeng-
ing you to help
change the Greater
West Bloomfield
area, Detroit and
Southeastern
Michigan one "immi-
grant" at a time.
And in the coming
moments, you'll
learn more about the
"immigrants" I have
in mind.
But first, let me
tell you about a little
place in Alabama called Dothan.
How many of you have heard of it?
Been there? Until the fall of 2008, I
hadn't heard of it either. But that's
when a modest advertising cam-
paign from Dothan hit the pages
of the Detroit Jewish News and
other Rust Belt Jewish media. In
the campaign, Dothan's 50-family
strong Jewish community extolled
the virtues of their town's quality
of life (only 90 minutes to beaches
on the Gulf of Mexico!) and quality
of Jewish life (one synagogue and
not even another one you wouldn't
set foot in!). They also offered
$50,000 relocation grants to
families. Well, guess what? Dothan
attracted 11 new families, expand-
ing their Jewish community by 22
percent.
Remember this example, folks.
Because I'm going to come back

28

May 26 • 2011

to it to remind us of how just one
"immigrant" can change the trajec-
tory of an entire community.

Setting The Stage
So if little Dothan has the vision
and chops to do this, what about
us in the Greater West Bloomfield
area, Detroit and Southeastern
Michigan? Well, first we
have to overcome our
own negativity. Need an
example? Listen to this
typical exchange between
a parent and child:
Child: "There are no
jobs here and my friends
have all moved away to
Chicago and New York."
Parent: "You're right.
There's nothing here for
you. I don't blame you for
wanting to leave. And, if I
were in your position, I'd
leave, too!"
Children have always left this
area and will continue to do so.
But why are we reluctant to make a
case to them for staying or return-
ing? Especially when we know
that in some cases, their departure
means we will be leaving, too, to be
near the grandchildren.
But, you push back, there are no
jobs for them here. Let's dissect that
declaration.
What do you mean by jobs? If
you are referring to full-time, full-
benefit, work-for-30-years-and-
get-your-gold-watch jobs, you're
right. But I have a little secret for
you ... those jobs are becom-
ing extinct everywhere else in
America, too. Many of today's and
tomorrow's jobs are the result of
linking independent contractors
(1099s) and boutique businesses

with each other in pursuit of
opportunities.
What do we mean by here? Are
we talking about West Bloomfield?
Metro Detroit? The most dynamic
work-creating market in Michigan
is in and around Ann Arbor. Aside
from an array of startup busi-
nesses, it also is home to hundreds
of independent contractors and
boutique businesses. Ann Arbor is
not in another solar system. From
where we are gathered today in
West Bloomfield, it is equidistant
to downtown Detroit and Aim
Arbor.
So what we should really be
saying to our children, especially
those who have moved away, is
"there are many interesting
and unique work opportuni-
ties throughout Southeastern
Michigan."

Embracing Opportunity
For anyone taking notes, research
Ann Arbor SPARK. It is the job
creating and matching juggernaut
created by Rick Snyder before
he became governor. SPARK
recently hosted its second job
fair in Chicago to bring talent to
Southeastern Michigan with the
lure of hundreds of immediate job
openings in desirable fields. It has
created job fairs in other cities,
too. SPARK'S research affirms that
candidates most likely to pursue its
positions have personal or school
ties to Michigan.
Remember the "immigrants" I
referred to earlier? Well the ones I
have in mind are our children.
For the sake of our own future
and our children, let's start by

Publisher's Notebook

on page 29

s so many other brave Americans have done, Jews
have given their lives in defending this great land
of ours. On Memorial Day, this year celebrated on
Monday, May 30, it's important to remember and proclaim
that Jews, too, have fought and died to preserve our cher-
ished liberties.
Never let the anti-Semitic canard that Jews have never
served in the U.S. Armed Forces take root. Jews-haters still
persist in espousing their vitriol even as most people in large-
ly Christian America embrace Jews as fellow citizens.
The story of Jews serving to protect the freedoms that
New World settlers came to enjoy goes back to 1654. That's
when Asher Levy, one of the original 23 Jewish settlers in
New Amsterdam, demanded and secured for himself and
fellow Jews the right to stand guard at the stockade.
From colonial times to today, Jews — despite being just
a fraction of the population — have valiantly prowled the
front lines defending America.
The first Jew to die in the War for Independence was
Frances Salvador, a South Carolina plantation owner. He
was killed in a British-incited Indian confrontation on
July 31, 1776, less than a month after the Declaration of
Independence. In 1896, 120 years later, a group of Jewish
Civil War veterans organized the Hebrew Union Veterans,
which evolved into the Jewish War Veterans of the USA.
JWV not only answers prejudice toward, and the healthcare
needs of, Jewish soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, but
also assists the U.S. Office of Special Investigations in track-
ing Nazi war criminals. It supports strong U.S.-Israeli rela-
tions by sponsoring two Allied Veterans' Missions to Israel
each year.
The Hebrew Union Veterans was founded in response
to the lie that Jews had not fought in the War Between the
States. The reality is that Jews served on both sides of the
Mason/Dixon Line — about 10,000 in all.
Estimates peg the number of Jewish men and women
who responded to America's call to serve in World War II
at more than 550,000. About 11,000 were killed and some
40,000 were wounded. Jews earned 52,000 combat honors;
three received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Gen.
Maurice Rose was among hundreds of Jewish generals and
admirals. He commanded the U.S. 3rd Armored Division in
France. In 1945, he was killed on a patrol.
Jews served as well in the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam
War and the Persian Gulf War.
At least 42 Jews have died in the ongoing battles in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
The New York-based National Museum of American
Jewish Military History is hosting the first national service
honoring the Jewish fallen heroes of Iraq and Afghanistan.
In what the museum hopes becomes an annual event, the
museum is asking synagogues to read the names of the
fallen this Shabbat.
That request is noble and the Shabbat backdrop is per-
fect. Let us remember our Jewish war dead in the spirit of
the holiday that honors the memory of all American war
heroes. El