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JCC Teen Center
issue knows that segregation based on
Can't Discriminate
race, religion, or ethnicity is illegal in
The JN cover story "It's 10 p.m. ... Do
the U.S.; which is to say, parents and
You Know What Your Teens Are Up To?" teens were well-aware that the JCC
(June 7) had several noble objectives,
didn't practice segregation.
namely raising parents' awareness of
Further exposing religious intoler-
"the presence of teens who appear to
ance within our community, the report
be high on drugs or alcohol" at JCC
also states that one teenager was "dis-
Teen Center dances. If the writer had
turbed by how many non-Jewish teens
focused on these issues alone, I would
were at a dance he attended in the win-
have no problem with the report.
ter, estimating that the number of non-
However, the report went on to explore
Jews was almost double the number of
some prude teenagers' concerns with
Jewish attendees?'
other teens overdoing public displays
Jews have been the victims of reli-
of affection (PDA) and non-Jews' atten- gious intolerance for centuries. We've
dance at these dances.
been enslaved, incinerated, gassed and
Not only does framing PDA as a
even denied admittance to country
serious issue make PT seem like a high
clubs. But apparently for this teen,
school tabloid, but seriously investigat-
when people of other religious faiths
ing how and why these dances are not
want to party with him, he says he's
segregated based on religious faith leads disturbed. I say, regardless if you're
a reader to believe s/he has been trans-
circumcised or baptized, communed
ported to Birmingham, Ala., circa 1960.
or conservative, then you're welcome to
Raising the non-Jewish teenagers'
come party with us Jews.
attendance at this party as a seri-
Zak Witus
ous concern goes against the essence
Huntington Woods
of modern Jewish culture, and such
examples of religious intolerance cannot Shamir Saw Importance
be tolerated. The reporter writes that
Of Hebrew Day Schools
"teens — and perhaps some of their
Thank you for printing the Jerusalem
parents — were expecting attendees at
Post obituary of Yitzhak Shamir in
the dance to be Jewish and likely were
the July 5 JN (page 48). I first met for-
not aware the JCC does not restrict most mer Prime Minister Shamir in 1999
of its events according to religion?'
when I embarked on a project with
I'd like to counter this reporter's
him to help make accessible to the
speculation with a less outrageous one: English-speaking masses a book called
Almost everyone concerned with this
Conversations with Yitzhak Shamir,

Bais Chabad Torah Center
Seeks Legal Fund Donations
Dr. Dov Schuchman, president of Sara
& Morris Tugman- Bais Chabad Torah
Center in West Bloomfield, has sent a
letter to supporters seeking contribu-
tions to help pay attorney fees for the
lawsuit filed against it by Chabad-
Lubavitch of Michigan seeking title to
its building and affirmation of its hier-
archal authority. Chabad of Michigan
is seeking to enforce rabbinical court
decisions that it says gives it control of
the synagogue.
In the letter titled "Help Save Our
Shul," Schuchman writes, "Thirty-seven
years ago Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg
began a quest to bring "Torah and
light" to West Bloomfield, Michigan ...
"Sadly, Rabbi Berel Shemtov of
Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan, has
filed a lawsuit against the Torah Center,
its board of directors and Rabbi
Silberberg to turn title of the building

and control of shul operations over to
his corporation. The lawsuit ignores
the fact that congregants and donors
raised the funds on their own, to build
and maintain the shul for the past 35
years ...
"Prayers are needed.
"But we are also asking congregants,
friends and donors, anyone who has
benefited from the Torah Center in
any way, or has a relationship with
the Silberberg families, to make a tax-
deductible donation [specified for] the
Torah Center Legal Defense Fund at
SaveTheTorahCenter.com
"The future of the Torah Center, as
we have known it, is at stake

Booklet Helps Save
Children From Abuse
"Smarter Kids — Safer Kids:' a booklet
on the B'nai B'rith International web-
site, can be downloaded for free.
It includes information about online

an interview with the former prime
minister.
Since then, I had the honor of form-
ing a personal friendship with Mr.
Shamir, and my wife and I would visit
with him whenever traveling to Israel.
Mr. Shamir stated to me that he
wanted to convey two very important
and related ideas for the Jewish people
of the diaspora:
• The importance of aliyah
• The importance of Hebrew day
school education.
Mr. Shamir's own words in
404
Conversations with Yitzhak Shamir •
speak for themselves. On page 136 he
stated:
"I attribute my aliyah to Israel as
a direct result of my Hebrew educa-
tion. After I completed my studies in
Hebrew day school, I could not imagine
my future anywhere else but Eretz
Yisrael. I had to come here.
"We need to establish [Hebrew day]
schools in every place where there is a
large concentration of Jews. This effort
has to be worldwide. I suggest that
most of the charities for Israel should
be designated for Hebrew education in
the diaspora.
Hebrew day schools in the diaspora
will also help curtail the rampant
assimilation affecting many Jewish
communities around the world."
May his memory be blessed!

David Aisner

West Bloomfield

security, practical information about
what to do when alone at home, what
to do if a child is lost or when he or she
is faced with a situation that involves
improper actions by someone they
know.
There are role-playing exercises and
guided discussions that parents and
guardians can use as a starting point to
teach their children about how to stay
safe.
The guide has been used in school
assemblies and parent groups. It is
a tool that every parent should have
about a subject that can be difficult
and uncomfortable to discuss. Often
parents are surprised to learn that their
children can be easily manipulated by
offenders or misplace their trust.
Download the booklet at www.
bnaibrith.org/prog_serv/saferkids .
cfm. Contact the B'nai B'rith Center for
Community Action at cca@bnaibrith.
org or (212) 490-3290.

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