points of view >> Send letters to: letters@thejewishnews.corn Editorial Be Informed In Sizing Up 14th District Candidates A ugust primaries do mat- ter. They choose major party candidates for the November general election and direct public attention to pressing issues of the season. Such is the case in the 14th Congressional District, a new, piv- otal district that crosses Oakland and Wayne counties. It's a true regional dis- trict that links our urban core in Detroit to suburbia as it wends it way from southwest Detroit, Downtown Detroit, the Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods to Southfield, Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield, Keego Harbor and Pontiac. On Aug. 7, district voters will whittle to one candidate the five Democrats running: U.S. Reps. Gary Peters and Hansen Clarke, Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence, former state Rep. Mary Waters and attorney Bob Costello. Both Peters and Clarke are incumbent representatives, but not in the new 14th, jaggedly drawn by the Michigan Republican Party and signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder. There's no district incumbent, yet several high-profile candidates, making the primary critical. Government contractor John Hauler is the only Republican. Attorney Leonard Schwartz is the Libertarian candidate. Diverse and opinionated as we are, Jews still have a political agenda that echoes in areas that embrace equal rights and social justice, not just for- eign policy: • Religious issues — such as church- and-state separation, autopsy limits and kosher food fraud; • Senior issues — such as select- ing and funding services (the Jewish community has a higher percentage of elderly than the population as a whole); • Labor issues — such as workplace discrimination because of ethnicity or gender; • Human rights issues — such as European anti-Semitism, sub-Saharan Africa genocide and Third World hunger; • Education issues — such as tuition- funded school vouchers and support for public education to fight illiterate, troubled teens. • Other homefront issues — such as immigration-related profiling and healthcare costs. Vulnerable Jews are at risk locally — older adults who are frail, have a disability or have a fixed income; our special needs community; breadwinners who have lost their job or their home; young families turning to Federation and its stressed agencies for help. Jewish voters must look for candi- dates who grasp how Jewish communal services blend with public and private funds as well as volunteer efforts. Foremost on the Jewish agenda is congressional support for the U.S.- The Civic Engagement Coalition, including the Jewish Community Relations Council, hosted a July 1 forum, moderated by Detroit Free Press Editorial Page Editor Stephen Henderson, foreground, at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, Southfield. Featured were 14th District contenders Bob Costello, John Hauler, Brenda Lawrence, Gary Peters and Mary Waters. Candidate Hansen Clarke did not attend. Israel relationship, notably continued security assistance as Israel confronts a nuclear arms-minded Iran, a Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt, and the rearming of Hamas and Hezbollah. America also is integral in striving to restart talks between Israel and the Palestinians as well as striving to mitigate the United Nations and other international efforts tilted against Israeli interests. Congressional issues with a Michigan bent are plentiful: spurring business growth; retraining displaced workers; monitoring the fragile auto industry; providing federal support for regional initiatives such as an Ann Arbor-Metro Airport-Detroit rail line or a form of mass transit to create the climate for generating more jobs in the city; developing the aerotropolis concept to transform the Metro-Willow Run airport corridor into an economic powerhouse; building stronger ties with Canada as we grapple with the need for both a new bridge and rail tunnel. Meanwhile, we in Southeast Michigan particularly are pushing to attract more young professionals, who we desper- ately need more of. The Jewish commu- nity has been especially hard hit by the flight of young adults to trendy urban hotspots. Further, Congress must be resolute in fighting Islamist extremism and deceptive mosques that endanger the West, Israel and Jews everywhere; in upholding such arrowheads of liberty as religious freedom, civil rights, a free press and free speech; in joining with others in the nonprofit sector to retain the charitable gift tax deduction incen- tive; and in strengthening Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, namely government aid for long-term care, prescription drug coverage and aging- in-place. Supreme Court nominees are always a high priority. So is tax reform. More than ever, we need congres- sional representatives who not only comprehend the high stakes of foreign affairs, but also the pulsating local con- cerns of their constituents. D' The JN's 14th District endorsement appears next week. Commentary Taglit Birthright: A Big Success At 13 W e recently were privileged to lead the first Birthright Donor Fundraising Mission to Israel. What follows is our description of our trip and the Taglit Birthright Israel experience. This fundraising mission was clearly different from many. Certainly, there were the usual site visits, but what set this trip apart from all the others was the opportunity to connect with the Taglit Birthright Israel partici- pants. Our group encountered them on a daily basis, experiencing Israel through their eyes, feelings and per- sonal stories. These young adults eagerly talked about the meaning of this trip for them. While many feelings were dis- cussed, the one word repeatedly used 24 July 12 • 2012 was the word "transformative." Each participant, diaspora Jew and Israeli, believed their lives and connection to one another and Israel had been posi- tively changed forever. The history of Taglit Birthright Israel is now fairly well known. Thirteen years ago, philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt shared a dream. Their dream was the controversial thought that 10 days in Israel for Jewish young people between the ages of 18 and 26 would actually have a lasting impact on the participants and the Jewish world. In this, the bar mitzvah year of Taglit Birthright Israel, no one can possibly chal- lenge the wisdom of their plan. Thirteen years later, 300,000 dias- pora Jews and 60,000 Israel Defense Forces members have experienced this transformational journey. Clearly, lives have been changed both here and in Israel. Moreover, as a result of a 10-year longitudinal study, we have clear scientific documentation of its positive impact. Not only has this dream become a reality, but also the Jewish world has more than just anecdotes to justify the need for continuing widespread support of this program. Leonard Saxe and Barry Chazen of Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., have provided us with a detailed study of the first decade of Taglit Birthright Israel. Their results show increased and continuing commitment to Judaism, decreased intermarriage rates and positive feelings about the centrality of Israel in the participants surveyed. However, science and dream fulfillment are not enough. Because of a funding shortfall, less than half