metro
Building On Success
Religiously diverse teens get together to build community.
Teen Panel: Jenna Silverstein, 17, Novi, Athraa Hannawa, 18, West Bloomfield and Harminder "Harry" Bhogal, 16, Wixom,
all of Walled Lake Western; Brandon Grodman, 17, West Bloomfield and Anam Khan 14, Commerce Township, both of Walled
Lake Northern; Sydney Glanz, 17, West Bloomfield and Christian Ayar, 17, West Bloomfield, both of Walled Lake Central.
Harry Kirbsaum
Contributing Writer
M
isconceptions of, and tolerance and acceptance for
religious and cultural beliefs were the key ingre-
dients in a teen forum held for 150 high school
students at the Walled Lake Consolidated School District in
Walled Lake, on Feb 9.
The forum was part of "Building Community:' a joint
Jewish/Chaldean initiative organized by Jewish News publish-
er Arthur Horwitz and Chaldean News co-publisher Martin
Manna, and moderated by morning radio personality Mojo
of Channel 95.5-FM.
Panel members included Father Anthony Kathawa, Mother
of God Chaldean Catholic Church in Southfield; Rabbi
Michael Moskowitz, Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield;
Imam Mohammed Almasmari, Muslim Unity Center in
Bloomfield Township, and seven students from Walled Lake
area high schools.
Mojo prompted the student panelists to talk about miscon-
ceptions.
Chaldean student Athraa Hannawa of Walled Lake Central
said the perception that "You guys all own liquor stores,
you're not going to go to college, you're just going to get mar-
ried and pregnant and be a housewife, just like your parents
are right now" is wrong. She said her parents work hard so
she can go to college.
Brandon Grodman of Walled Lake Northern said he gets
tired of people thinking "You're Jewish, so you must be filthy
rich." He said that his parents studied hard and worked hard
to achieve their level of success, which isn't filthy rich.
Anam Khan of Walled Lake North said she started wear-
ing a hijab at 13, and although she hears some people talking
about faith behind her back, her friends are more accepting,
but never ask her about her religion.
The crowd also found out that Chaldean, Jewish and
Muslim parents would prefer their children to marry within
the faith. According to Moskowitz, whose temple's families
are about 40 percent intermarried, "The majority of Jewish
kids that you know are learning openness and acceptance.
Even with that openness, your parents often say, 'Yeah, marry
someone Jewish.'"
They also learned that it is easier being gay in a Reform
synagogue.
Being gay "would be hard because it goes against the Bible
24
February 23 c 2012
said Christian Ayar, a Chaldean from Walled Lake Central.
"Especially from the older generation who follows the reli-
gion so strictly:'
"In our religion it is considered a sin, but that doesn't
change the person',' said Imam Almasmari. "It's a sin like any
. other sin?'
Moskowitz said the traditional Orthodox community
would be less accepting, "but within the liberal Jewish com-
munity, we're a very open community. I've done commitment
ceremonies for two men and two women." He also cited that
in 1991 the Reform movement began to ordain openly gay
and lesbian rabbis.
"The reality is that the three of us [clergy] come from a
liberal perspective as far as our openness," said the rabbi.
"We all have people within our faith communities— Jewish,
Catholic and Muslim — that are much more extreme and are
much less tolerant of people within our own faith and out-
side of our faith, too:'
Almasmari said, "The best place to practice our religion
is in America. I was in Yemen for school for 10 years, and we
don't have the freedom of religion in an Islamic country in
the same way that we have in the United States."
Through a show of hands, an overwhelming majority of
kids attending thought that the forum changed their percep-
tions of other cultures and made them more accepting, but it
wasn't enough. Some said they thought it should have been
done in a larger forum, and some agreed that a comparative
religion/culture classes should be offered in their schools.
Mojo also said that next year, African-American students
would have seats on the panel.
❑
Sign Up For Birthright
Trips To Visit Israel
Young adults ages 22-26 who have never
been to Israel can sign up now for Taglit
Birthright Israel trips.
Expected departure dates are the weeks
of May 13 and June 24.
For information, contact Kimi
Sugiyama, (248) 642-5617 or sugiyama@
jfmd.org
Israel Peace Week
On State Campuses
Pro-Israel students at 75 universities
across the U.S. and Canada are showcas-
ing Israel's commitment to peace by
participating in the third annual Israel
Peace Week (IPW) movement through
March 9. Michigan schools participating
include University of Michigan, Michigan
State University and Western Michigan
University.
IPW is a grassroots initiative to coun-
ter anti-Israel propaganda with a simple,
positive message: Israel wants peace and
has demonstrated its willingness to make
painful sacrifices for peace.
The campaign also outlines options
for peace, existential threats to the Jewish
state, and the values and accomplishments
of a thriving Israeli democracy in an oth-
erwise despotic region.
At WMU, in addition to advocacy train-
ing, students will hold a Save a Child's
Heart fundraiser and collect signatures
for a pro-Israel petition. MSU students
will also conduct a Save a Child's Heart
fundraiser, and students at U-M will host
Israeli rappers Hadag Nahash in concert.
Apply Now For JDC's
Jewish Service Corps
The American Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee (JDC) is now accepting applica-
tions for its 2012-2013 Jewish Service Corps
(JSC) through March 15 at www.jdc.org/jsc .
JSC is a yearlong, paid, professional oppor-
tunity for recent college graduates and
young professionals to travel overseas and
play a hands-on role in addressing global
Jewish and humanitarian challenges.
JDC currently has 25 JSC fellows serving
in 11 countries: Argentina, Ethiopia, China,
Germany, India, Israel, Latvia, Russia,
Rwanda, Turkey and Ukraine.
Student Animators,
Storytellers Sought
The Jewish nonprofit production company
G-dcast is taking applications for Studio
G-dcast, a summer artists' residency to
take place at the Contemporary Jewish
Museum in San Francisco.
Over Aug. 12 17, six student animators
and six storytellers will come together for
an intensive residency that combines art
and Jewish learning.
Admission to the program will be com-
petitive. Apply by March 9: www.g-dcast.
com/studio.
-
Teens who attended the forum said it made them feel
more accepting of other cultures.