oints of view Obama And Israel from page 31 their own people, but also give strength to Iranian proxies Hezbollah and Hamas. Tough talk aside, Obama made it clear that diplomacy, buoyed by increasingly harsh international sanctions, is his top choice for the moment against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the cler- ics who control the Persian nation of 74 million people. To little applause, Obama said the U.S. and Israel are vigilant in monitoring Iran's nuclear edge. "Few thought that sanctions could have an immediate bite on the Iranian regime,' Obama said. "They have, slow- ing the Iranian nuclear program and virtually grinding the Iranian economy to a halt in 2011. "Many questioned whether we could hold our coalition together as we moved against Iran's Central Bank and oil exports. But our friends in Europe and Asia and elsewhere are joining us. And in 2012, the Iranian government faces the prospect of even more crippling sanc- tions:' Today, Iran is isolated, divided and under pressure. "And the Arab Spring has only increased these trends as the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime is exposed and its ally, the Assad regime, is crumbling',' Obama said. Yes, Syrian President Bashar Assad is killing Syrians in a last-ditch effort to hold power, but I'm skeptical of just how transformative the so-called revolution known as the Arab Spring ultimately will be in terms of providing a foothold for democracy over totalitarianism. "Quiet War Cries" Obama did acknowledge a solid policy on paper isn't enough: Iran's capabil- ity to go nuclear must be erased. This year's ramped-up sanctions, including a European ban on Iranian oil imports, will either compel Iranian leaders "to choose a path that brings them back into the community of nations, or they can continue down a dead-end;' Obama said. He spoke pensively about the toll of war for both America and Israel, vowed to use force if necessary to defend the U.S. and its interests, but also proclaimed "there is too much loose talk of war:" "Over the last few weeks," he said, "such talk has only benefited the Iranian government by driving up the price of oil, which they depend upon to fund their nuclear program. For the sake of Israel's security, America's security, and the peace and security of the world, now is not the time for bluster; now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in and to sustain the broad international coalition that we have built." Unsaid by Obama was that Israel no doubt will do whatever is required, including an airstrike on Iran's chief nuclear plants, if the Israeli government 32 March 8 • 2012 Commentary deems the danger from Tehran at high alert this year — any impact on the U.S. presidential race notwithstanding. Detroit delegate Hannan Lis of Farmington Hills, a Haifa native, said he thought Obama clearly assured that Israel has a legitimate right to defend itself against Us a regime threaten- ing its destruction and that he, as president, would use any option to stop Iran from developing a nuclear capability. Lis further said the Obama admin- istration's specific actions on Iran have elevated "the military, strategic and over- all security cooperation between U.S. and Israel to unprecedented levels." The Way Forward In closing, Obama talked about his per- sonal ties to Jews — "from the stories of a great-uncle who helped liberate Buchenwald, to my memories of return- ing there with Elie Wiesel, from sharing books with Shimon Peres, to sharing seders with my young staff in a tradition that started on the campaign trail and continues in the White House; from the countless friends I know in this room, to the concept of tikkun olam (repair of the world) that has enriched my life." Obama then invoked a long-ago pre- decessor who validated the fledgling Jewish state and gave it needed credibil- ity in 1948, following the Holocaust. "As Harry Truman understood, Israel's story is one of hope. We may not agree on every single issue; no two nations do and our democracies contain a vibrant diversity of views. But we agree on the big things, the things that matter. "And together we are working to build a better world — one where our people can live free from fear, one where peace is founded upon justice, one where our children can know a future that is more hopeful than the present." Midway through his 30-minute speech, the president boarded historical perspective and floated the idea that the only way to truly solve the lingering, dire Iranian problem "is for the Iranian gov- ernment to make a decision to forsake nuclear weapons." I'm fearful no amount of international pressure will bring Tehran to its politi- cal knees. So if Israel — and America — are left with no option but taking out Iran's highest-grade uranium enrich- ment facilities, the question is whether this Obarna pledge will ring hollow or echo loudly: "So there should not be a shred of doubt by now — when the chips are down, I have Israel's back." ❑ A Necessary Resource In the modern world, there's still room for Hebrew Free Loan. F or as long as I can remember, Hebrew Free Loan has satisfied a need in our community for financing life's moments. Banks don't always see our crises or milestones the way we do. I, myself, took advantage of an interest-free loan during my school- ing because it filled a need and made financial sense. It wasn't that long ago that Jews weren't "bankable" members of soci- ety. In the Hebrew Free Loan (HFL) office hangs a framed certificate from the state of Michigan recognizing the establishment of the Grmilut Chasadim (acts of lovingkindness) Society, now called Hebrew Free Loan. The certificate is dated Dec.11, 1895, but we will never know the exact date that a group of Jewish merchants came together in a Detroit storeroom because their com- munity needed financial assis- tance that the banks wouldn't provide. They created a way to help their own people through private financing, and it worked. We are the benefi- ciaries of their resolve. Hebrew Free Loan, at 117, is the Detroit area's oldest community agency, but why is it still here? Things have changed since the agency's founding: Jews moved up the economic ladder, banks invested in us, our children were educated, our businesses were thriving and things were good. How can a busi- ness model sketched out in a storeroom more than a century ago remain viable in 2012? Indeed, Hebrew Free Loan still oper- ates in much the same way it did in 1895. Donors trust us to make a dif- ference using the money they give. Board members meet with borrowers to lend money without interest. Loans repaid are recycled back into new loans. Seems kind of old-fashioned, right? Well, Hebrew Free Loan may have faded in importance with the increase in our security, but that security didn't touch everyone, and in the recent downturn, we watched much of our security erode. Banks respond to numbers, to regula- tors and to investors, but HFL is still here because it is built on responsibil- ity. This agency, as agile and fluid as the times, responds to us. Through it, we care for our own. We know, in doing so, we also may be helping our grand- children and great-grandchidren. Our The late Marvin Danto, whose family recently established the Marvin I. Danto Small Business Loan Program at Hebrew Free Loan archives are full of the names of local families who have been touched by HFL, some who might not even be here with- out help. The late Marvin Danto instilled in his family what a Hebrew Free Loan meant to him when he said that loan helped "save his family" during the Great Depression. Earlier this year, the Danto family repaid the kindness shown them a million times over by establishing the Marvin I. Danto Small Business Loan Program, in honor of a man who survived that early tur- moil to become a force in local business. It is the most recent example of community generosity that will change the fortunes of Jewish fami- lies for generations to come. Money donated to HFL helps cover a full spectrum of needs, including some we probably haven't thought of yet. We see all applicants as people first, hearing their stories on a case-by- case basis. In the current fiscal year ending May 31, Hebrew Free Loan is on target to lend more than $1.1 million. This funding comes from local residents and is given directly to friends and family mem- bers throughout our neighborhoods. Where the banks are absent, HFL is rel- evant, particularly to people who have nowhere else to turn. After four months as HFL's execu- tive director, I am only beginning to understand the remarkable generosity of our donors and the immeasurable impact our loans make in sustaining our families, our businesses and one of our nation's great Jewish communities. Join us: Visit our website (hfldetroit. org ) and give whatever you can. It may be old-fashioned, but if we all do our part, as those merchants convinced their friends and neighbors to do in that long-ago storeroom, our community will still be vibrant 100 years from now. David Contorer is executive director of Hebrew Free Loan in Bloomfield Township.