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69
ADL, JCRC Praised For
Backing Rights Of All
A copy of the U.S. Constitution and
American history flash cards are
part of the toolkit I use to tutor
immigrants wishing to become citi-
zens. It pleases me immensely when
my students discover the meaning
of the "rule of law" and the rights
that apply to all people.
For decades, American Jews have
been at the forefront guarding the
rights of minorities. The combina-
tion of Jewish ethics and democ-
racy has allowed American Jews to
live the most privileged lives in our
history.
Recently, close to home, it was the
ADL and the Jewish Community
Relations Council that were present
at the Farmington Public Schools
Board of Education meeting to
defend the right of the Islamic
Cultural Association to purchase
Eagle Elementary School.
There were also a large number
of Jews who came to protest the
sale of the school to be used by
Muslims. I wonder if these objec-
tions would have been raised if a
Coptic, Armenian or Hindu group
had wanted the school.
Many years ago, I attended a
meeting that included the mayor
of Farmington Hills, the school
superintendent, the police chief and
Richard Lobenthal of the ADL. The
issue then was increasing ethnic
diversity in the community.
It was Jewish leadership that
brought the group together to
develop ways of dealing with the
changing population in the pre-
dominantly white, Christian suburb.
This meeting led to the formation
of an ethnic forum, which has
grown, adapted and continues to
welcome new ethnic and religious
groups.
Surely, the Jewish community can
continue to fight against irrational
fear so that we can calmly include
Muslim children and their families
in our neighborhoods.
We need to remember that it was
not so long ago that we were the vic-
tims of intolerance.
I commend the ADL and JCRC for
recognizing that stereotypes, fear
and prejudice do not advance com-
munity building.
ADL, JCRC Are Wrong
On Muslim School Sale
I attended the Farmington school
board meeting on June 14 where
a topic was the "sole-buyer" sale
of Eagle Elementary School to an
organization (Islamic Cultural
Association) whose supporters gave
conflicting statements of what the
property would become: cultural cen-
ter, religious school, house of worship.
Protesters focused on the lack
of transparency and underhanded
process used by the board to sell the
property without ever publicizing or
putting the property on the market.
Ultimately, the board secretly negoti-
ated and sold Eagle Elementary to
an organization associated/affiliated
with the Council on American-
Islamic Relations (CAIR), an unin-
dicted co-conspirator in the convic-
tion of the Holy Land Foundation
[which provided funds to Hamas].
While statements of fear were made
by a few protesters, most objections were
with the board's process of sale.
My main problem, however, is
with the JCRC and ADL. These
organizations have consistently
embraced and cooperated with
Muslim organizations that, under
the guise of tolerance and human
rights, preach anti-Semitism and
call for the destruction of Israel.
Robert Cohen of JCRC and Betsy
Kellman of ADL, along with a mem-
ber of CAIR and the board, unfairly
castigated and labeled as "bigots"
those (mostly Jewish because of
demographics) protesting the
process of the sale, the lack of
economic analysis, the conflicting
statements of future property use
and their justified fear.
How ironic and repellent that JCRC
and ADL, primarily funded by Jews,
support the construction of facili-
ties by organizations sponsoring an
appearance by a virulent anti-Semite
like Norman Finkelstein. If we rely
on the JCRC and ADL for protection
against unfounded criticism, intimi-
dation and blatant anti-Semitism, we
are lost.
Jews must call the JCRC (and the
Jewish Federation, which funds it)
and the ADL to tell them no more
contributions until they begin to
put the interests of the Jewish com-
munity and the U.S. first!
Jeannie Weiner
Irving Ginsberg, Ph.D.
West Bloomfield
Farmington Hills
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June 23 • 2011
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