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Reader Likes JN Local
And World News Coverage
I want to tell you how much I appreciate
your coverage of events around town,
locally and the world.
I appreciate your printing the let-
ters to the editor in the past several
weeks from the coverage on the Eagle
Elementary controversy to the contro-
versy of the imam who spoke at Cong.
Shaarey Zedek on Sept. 11. It shows me
that you have the courage to not shy
away from controversy, and so I am bet-
ter informed for it.
Also, in the Nov. 3 paper, I appreci-
ate your printing the commentary by
David Bedein ("The Consequences
Of Palestinian Statehood:' page 36)
as well as Allan Gale's information on
terrorist-free investing with avijorsch.
corn ("Standing Guard:' page 36) and
finally, the information on the Jewish
civil rights group and its campus hot-
line (page 24). Having a daughter in col-
lege, this is most directly related to my
personal situation.
So, again, kudos to you! Keep up the
good work!

Ruth Katsnelson

West Bloomfield

Has Israel Become Too
Violent ••• Too Normal?
On Nov. 4, Israel commemorated the
16th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin's
assassination. He was murdered by Yigal
Amir, a right-wing Orthodox Jew and
a follower of rabbis who called Rabin a
traitor and advocated his murder.
This event served to remind the
country that existing within the body
politic are extreme rightists, religious
and secular, who use violence and
threats to intimidate their critics. In
1994, Dr. Baruch Goldstein, a Brooklyn-
born physician entered the Cave of the
Patriarchs in Hebron and machine-
gunned to death 29 Muslims at prayer.
Some Orthodox and secular Jews still
praise and honor him.
The dream of the early Zionists was
that the Jewish state would become a
normal" nation like other nations.
Over the past four decades, Israel has
become normal with a vengeance. The
horror and tragedy is that this normal-
ity encompasses religious and political
hatred and violence, and racist and
non-democratic legislation.
This is not the kind of normal nation
that the founders and young soldiers,
who shed their blood in Israel's wars,
believed they were creating and defend-
ing.

"

Dr. Robert Rockaway

Arsuf, Israel

Hillel Of Metro Detroit Plans
Additional Campus Tours
Thank you for your coverage of Hillel
of Metro Detroit's (HMD) Hidden Jewel
Tour at Wayne State University ("A
Detroit Jewel: Nov. 3, page 20).
HMD has also recently held events
for the Jewish community on two of our
other campuses, Oakland University
this fall and University of Michigan-
Dearborn last year — and looks for-
ward to continuing to do so.
It is our pleasure to introduce com-
munity members to all six of the college
campuses we serve and especially to
our students, since our local students
are the ones most likely to remain in the
Detroit area.

Elaine C. Driker, president

HMD board of governors

Detroit

Miriam Starkman

HMD executive director

Farmington Hills

Giving Thanks For Recent
'Thank God For Israel Day'
On Sunday, Nov. 6, we had the privilege
of attending and speaking at "Thank
God For Israel Day."
This annual event, sponsored by the
Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, is held
to educate and bring the Christian and
Jewish communities together in their
steadfast support for the State of Israel.
There were 200 enthusiastic pro-
Israel supporters who attended the
luncheon. Peggy Shapiro, the keynote
speaker and the Chicago Community
Coordinator of StandWithUs (SWU),
gave an emotionally charged message,
standing with Israel connecting the
Jewish people to Israel historically, bibli-
cally and spiritually, and linking the
Christian and Jewish communities by
their common history and destiny.
Her lessons about the consequences
of silence by good people during the
Holocaust pointed the path to what
Jews and Christians can do together to
protect Israel, the Jewish people and
ultimately the world.
We came away from this experience
encouraged by our Christian friends,
who expressed their wholehearted
commitment to the survival of the
State of Israel and its people. As Psalm
133:1 states: "Behold, how good and
how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity." And it was more than
pleasant to be together and to stand
together in unity.
Our congratulations and thanks to
Rev. Tim Munger, the Friends of Israel
Great Lakes executive director, for his
tireless efforts with this yearly program

i www.jarc.org

and his dedication to Israel.

Uri Segal, Friends of the IDF

Margot Gardner, Susan Craft, SWU/Mich.

Andre Douville, Walk for Israel

Eugene Greenstein, Rae Sharfman, ZOA/Mich.

Margaret Barko, Holocaust Memorial Center

Ed Kohl, Volunteers for Israel

Biden's Flip-Flop On Pollard
Reflects Poorly On Obama
In "Biden's Future Son-In-Law Is
A Jewish Doctor (Nov. 10, page 30),
Philadelphia blogger Laura Goldman
was quoted as writing, "Maybe that will
shut up some of Obama's Jewish critics!'
Recall, that in reference to Jonathan
Pollard, that Vice President Biden said,
"President Obama was considering
clemency but I told him, over my dead
body are we going to let him out before
his time!" Biden added, "If it were up to
me, he would stay in jail for life'
In 2007, Biden gave an interview to
Shalom TV supporting Pollard's release.
It has been postulated that the reason
for his flip-flop, according to that New
York Times journalist Helene Cooper,
was that Biden "took a punch meant for
his boss."
That being the case, Ms. Goldman's
blog will not cause me to "shut up."
Ironically, in the item below that, former
New York Mayor David Dinkins asked
for Jonathan Pollard's release.

Clay Barbour from the Blumberg
Home proudly holds the etrog and
lulav in celebration of Sukkot,

JARC's Independent Living

Program held its annual

autumn picnic at Three

Cedars Farm in Northville.

Forty people took part in the

fun event which included

fantastic food, a hayride,

corn maze, bonfire, cider

and donuts and a celebration

of Sukkot. The group all

agreed, "it was the best

picnic ever!"

Dr. Edward Goldberg

West Bloomfield

Prominent Rabbis Among
Teachers At Sh'ma Detroit
On Sunday, Nov. 6, a day that will long
be remembered by those who attended,
hundreds of people from all corners
of our community gathered at Sh'ma!
Detroit.
They had the chance to learn with
wise rabbis (including Book Fair speak-
ers Rabbi Joseph Telushkin and Rabbi
Berel Wein), expert educators and
talented members of our community
tackling topics that included God, Torah,
interpersonal skills, parenting, prayer
and more.
This event succeeded because of the
support of 56 local community part-
ners, the vision and implementation
of our capable committee, our many
volunteers and our hard-working, able
and dedicated professional Jewish
Community Center and Federation's
Alliance for Jewish Education staff
under the leadership of Judy Loebl.
Thank you to all who attended and all
who made it happen.

Sue Birnholtz and Cheryl Guyer

co-chairs, Sh'ma! Detroit

Whether as a volunteer

or donor, your generous

support will benefit the

men, women and

children JARC serves.

Help JARC continue...

15arrirc.

DONATE
TODAY

atjarc.org/donate

and help us reach
our goal for 20.11.!

Bloomfield Township

November 17 2011

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