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Help Free Alan Gross
From Castro's Prison
I am hoping you have heard about the
plight of my friend, Alan Gross.
Alan went to Cuba to bring laptop
computers and cell phones to the
Jewish community. On his last trip,
he was thrown in a Cuban prison cell
where he has sat since Dec. 3, 2009. He
was not tried until March 2011, was
found guilty of acts against the Cuban
government and sentenced to 15 years
in prison. The U.S. State Department is
negotiating for Alan's release but after
more than two years, the efforts have
been unsuccessful.
Two things are being done to help
my friend: A petition was created on
the White House website to try to
get some action by the White House
to bring Alan home. You can view
the petition on wh.gov/DJO, click on
"Create an Account" and follow the
instructions to sign it. The petition
needs 25,000 signatures by Jan. 24 to
be reviewed by White House officials
and receive a response.
Second, we were given a link to the
Jewish Issues Outreach Team at the
White House. Messages sent through
that link will go directly to the appro-
priate staff at the White House so
they can learn how many people are
concerned about Alan and want him
home. Those people can speak up on
Alan's behalf. That link is: www.white-
house.gov/webform/contact-american-
jewish-issues-outreach-team.
Please sign the petition and send
emails on Alan's behalf. Alan and his
family need this nightmare brought to
an end.
Lenny Levy
Gaithersburg, Md.
Imam Should Not Have
Spoken At Synagogue
Given the irrefutable warnings from
the national ADL regarding Tanzeem-e-
Islami/Islamic Organization of North
America and its leader here, Imam
Elturk, there is no excuse for the local
ADL leadership to have so utterly
failed to heed the warnings of its par-
ent organization and to now so bra-
zenly try to shift blame.
Here is what the national ADL wrote:
"Despite its effort to 'mainstream' itself,
IONA maintains its official ties to
Pakistan and remains committed to its
goals and extremist ideology"
"Tanzeem-e-Islami," which describes
itself as part of a movement to establish
a global Islamic state, or the "khhafah,"
has a long record of anti-Semitism:'
This is more than just not properly
vetting a speaker. This is willfully
exposing our community to danger in
outright defiance of the clear warn-
ings from the parent organization. The
Michigan executive director of the
ADL no longer has the credibility and
standing to serve our community. The
ADL here has totally abdicated its mis-
sion, and we must let the national ADL
know this in no uncertain terms.
The ZOA and the rabbis who signed
the letter to the Jewish News are trying
to shift blame to save face. No blogger,
no letter-writer has been uncivil. They
have only exposed the truth, a truth
the ZOA, the rabbis, the JCRC, ADL and
AJC don't want us to know.
No matter how they try to shift in
the wind, there is one and only one
issue that matters and that should be
the foremost responsibility of everyone
— the security of our children. Words
and actions in support of legitimizing
a radical Islamist organization and
its leader have undermined our com-
munity.
Sylvia Ginsberg
Farmington Hills
Leaders Must Stand Up
To Radical Islamists
How is it that the same rabbis who ser-
monize about the dangerous rise of the
Muslim Brotherhood across the Arab
world are oblivious to the penetration
of Muslim Brotherhood affiliates in
our own community?
How is it that the same groups that
devote themselves to defending Israel
are silent when it comes to defending
Jewish interests in our own backyard
and on our own Michigan campuses?
How could it be that so many of
our religious and organizational lead-
ers are betraying us, lining up to be
mouthpieces for dangerous groups
that are even tied with organizations
identified by the FBI, U.S. law enforce-
ment, our courts and our government
as linked to Hamas, a designated terror
organization whose charter calls for
the destruction of Israel and the mur-
der of Jews?
It's time that Jewish organizations
stop cowering before Islamists and
stand up for the safety and security
of our own community. Shame on
Congregation Shaarey Zedek, the local
ADL, AJC and ZOA for all giving legiti-
macy to the head of a radical, Pakistani-
based Islamist group, even when they
all had information at their disposal
from the national ADL that doing so
would only help to give this virulently
Ask
Financial Crisis
Attorney
Ken Gross
abo
anti-Semitic group the mainstream sta-
tus it needs to achieve its goals.
Philip Mintz
Farmington Hills
Sadly, It's Not The Same
Israel That I Remember
Kudos to Robert Rockaway in his
commentary "A New Israel?" (Jan. 5,
Page 24) for telling the truth about
Israel. The country has made an ugly
transformation from being vibrant,
generous and open to an intolerant
and bigoted nation. Israel has become
a "little America" with many of the
same flaws, but few of its virtues. It has
become arrogant and intolerant, rife
with racial, social and ethnic inequal-
ity without, in too many cases, some of
America's virtues such as safety, well-
being, mobility and generosity.
I disagree with Mr. Rockaway, how-
ever, on placing the blame entirely
on the Netanyahu administration.
Corruption in Israel has been rampant
for at least 20 years: A president is
in jail for rape, a prime minister has
been indicted for corruption and bribe
taking, military heroes and govern-
ment leaders are investigated for real
estate scams and influence peddling.
The army has acknowledged exces-
sive use of force in some instances
and has been accused of using banned
gases, collective punishment and
carpet-bombing in other cases. There
is serious violence and rioting over
conflicting values by religious zealots
and extremists.
My daughter and grandkids live in
Israel. My parents are buried in Israel.
I lived and studied in Israel. We've
gone from snickering at the Arabs, but
still respecting their humanity and
culture, to largely hating them and
refusing to recognize or empathize
with their pain and suffering. I am
not a "self-hating Jew" nor do I fail to
see the injustice and barbarism of our
enemies. I recognize their threats and
anti-Semitic attitudes.
Maybe Israel is no worse than any
other "civilized" nation today. Maybe
most nations would act like Israel if
faced with the same danger. But if I am
to support and aid that country, I must
have pride in its behavior and trust in
its integrity. I no longer have that pride
or trust. It sickens and disheartens me
to see Israel sink too often into the
moral morass and misguided intoler-
ance that seems so contrary to its
founding spirit.
Isaac Scheyer, M.D.
Farmington Hills
The Clock is
Ticking
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1698020
January 19 • 2012
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