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J Street — A True
Pro-Israel Group
I wholeheartedly support the view-
point expressed in the commentary
"J Street Is For Real" by Kenneth
Knoppow and Rene Lichtman (July
21, page 33). Jews are a people who
challenge the opinions and conten-
tions of others. However, when one
side is less than truthful about verifi-
able facts, it goes too far.
As someone who attended the J
Street conference last February, I can
say with certainty that any discus-
sions about the boycott-divestment-
sanctions (BDS) movement were out
of concern for Israel's continued exis-
tence as a Jewish state. Everything
discussed at this conference was sup-
portive of Israel.
J Street, in my opinion, is truly
the pro-Israel organization because
without peace in the region, Israel's
viability cannot be assured.

Joel Waldbott

Oak Park

With 'Friends'
Like J Street ...
The recent commentary "J Street Is
For Real" by Kenneth Knoppow and
Rene Lichtman (July 21, page 33) did
not answer pointed criticisms detailed
in Zionist Organization of America-
Michigan Executive Director Kobi
Erez's earlier commentary "J Street,
For Real?" (July 7, page 25).
Mr. Erez noted that J Street
arranged meetings between mem-
bers of Congress and Judge Richard
Goldstone, promoting Goldstone's
later debunked charges against Israel.
Mr. Erez pointed out that J Street is
funded by anti-Israel activists like
George Soros and that J Street hosts
anti-Israel BDS (boycott-divestment-
sanctions) proponents. Mr. Erez
observed that J Street opposes sanc-
tions against Iran.
The J Street defenders present no
credible defense. Instead, they name-
call the Israeli government "right
wing" and "extremist" and dismiss J
Street critics as "the extreme right:'
"ludicrous" and anti-"peace and
as practitioners of "defamation,"
"demonizing," "nonsense" and "distor-
tions."
The J Street defenders profess to
favor "discussion" but offer dogma
and invective. They succeeded in
demonstrating one thing — with
"friends" like J Street, Israel will
never lack enemies.

Cheryll Israel

Farmington Hills

J Street Also
Supports Israel
Thank you for printing the commen-
tary "J Street Is for Real" (July 21, page
33). For too long, your paper has given
the impression that only the Zionist
Organization of America was the
national group supporting Israel.
Truth be told, it and its president
have supported the right wing in Israel
only. Hopefully from now on, your
(our) paper will be more balanced.

Bernard A. Schiff, vice president

Ameinu Detroit

Huntington Woods

J Street Backers Use
Buzzwords To Frighten
The writers of the commentary "J
Street Is For Real" (July 21, page 33)
refer to J Street's critics as "extreme
right:' "theocratic," "extremist" and "far
right" — all buzzwords designed to
frighten liberal Jews.
J Street sides against Israel's build-
ing in Judea and Samaria along with
most of the world. Do any other
countries accept Israel's unsolicited
advice in determining their domestic
policy? Israel's non-lethal separation
barrier, which has saved thousands of
lives, is also opposed by much of the
rest of the world. These opponents
are no different from those who have
opposed Judaism for the past 3,000
years.
J Street's position on Operation
Cast Lead shows that they do not
respect Israel's right to defend itself.
"Real friends" don't hinder Israel's
self-defense by downgrading Israel's
existential struggle against Hamas as a
"political conflict." Kassam rockets are
not political tools; they are military
weapons.
The commentary writers "... believe
that Israel has been unfairly singled
out at the U.N.... However ..."
In this case, there is no "however,"
not when the grossly misnamed U.N.
Human Rights Council, stocked with
some of the world's worst human
rights violators, has Israel perma-
nently on the agenda, while ignoring
real abuses.
Israel also has been unfairly singled
out by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP),
a group working hard in the BDS
(boycott-divestment-sanctions) move-
ment against Israel, while falsely bill-
ing itself as representing mainstream
Jewish opinion.
J Street allows JVP to participate
in one of its workshops and labels
this as serving "the long-term
health and vibrancy of our com-

munity." I am confused as to how
anyone cooperating in the delegiti-
mizing of Israel is healthy for the
Jewish community.

Harry Onickel

Ferndale

Schulman Fund's Role
In Launching Teen2Teen
As chairs of Federation's Stephen
J. Schulman Millennium Fund
Committee, we were very pleased to
read Robert Sklar's article "Talking
2 Teens" (June 30, page 21) about
the importance of engaging teens in
Jewish life.
We agree with him that they are
our Jewish community's future. And
we appreciated his acknowledgment
of the role that the Schulman Fund
played in helping to launch the suc-
cessful Teen2Teen section.
The Schulman Fund provides seed
money for new initiatives and pro-
grams that support Jewish teen com-
munal involvement and leadership
training as well as funds to strengthen
youth groups' capacities to offer such
opportunities.
Recognizing the value of the
Teen2Teen project, the Schulman
Fund partnered with the Jewish News,
expecting that over time the grant dol-
lars would be replaced with advertis-
ing and other revenue. With changes
in the economy, the committee under-
stood that achieving this goal was dif-
ficult so it not only continued funding
longer than originally anticipated, but
it increased its support over the last
four years.
The committee is proud of what
the Jewish News accomplished with
Teen2Teen and that the Schulman
Fund was able to help make this pos-
sible.
However, in part due to a decline
in available funds, the committee
recently made the difficult decision
that the Schulman Fund must con-
tinue to be a source of seed funds to
encourage promising new initiatives,
and that it could no longer fund

Teen2Teen.
We hope that another benefactor
will now step forward to help the
Jewish News continue Teen2Teen as
a valuable engagement tool for our
Jewish youth.

Penny Blumenstein and Robert Gordon

L to R: Regina lutkiewicz
Mary Roy and Maxine Lipton
making candy

Gila, Regina, Mary and

Maxine who live at

JARC's Samuels Home

think their trip to

Hershey, PA was

"one of the best trips

we've ever taken".

Besides the usual

sightseeing, the highlight

of their vacation

was making their

own candy bars at

Chocolate World. it was

quite a "sweet" time!

Whether as a volunteer

or donor, your generous

support will benefit the

men, women and

children JARC serves.

A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES

OCTOBER18 I FOX THEATRE

Schulman Millennium Fund

Committee Chairs

Letters on page 6

31"' ANNUAL FUNDRAISER

July 28 • 2011

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