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.