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The Real Martyrs Were
The Many Israeli 'Rachels'
Rachel Corrie, 24, was sent to Gaza by
the International Solidarity Movement
(ISM), an organization focused on sup-
port of the Palestinian cause. Her trip
and stay in Gaza were all financed by
ISM, which must be responsible for the
tragedy.
ISM sent to a war zone a person who
was not trained as a soldier or even
taught to understand the situation in
a war-torn area. ISM gave her, at the
most, two days of training. She did not
speak Arabic or Hebrew. Yet she was
specifically sent to be a "human shield"
without warning her or her family that,
in a war zone, injury or death happen.
ISM is clearly negligent in her March,
16, 2003, death though nobody so far
questioned its responsibility. To deny
it, they turned the table and succeeded
to enlist the family, international media
and Palestinian powerful propaganda
machine to make Corrie a martyr.
I am unhappy that the Israeli court in
its Aug. 28 ruling did not uncover the
responsibility of ISM in sending a naive,
inexperienced, good-willing person
to her death. Western media, NGOs,
legal forums, the United Nations, some
churches and ordinary public opinion
were quick to make Rachel Corrie a
martyr and myth.
Yet, these organizations ignore the
Israeli Rachels who were murdered by
Palestinian terror: Rachel Teller, 27,
blown up in a shopping mall; Rachel
Levy, 17, blown up in a grocery store;
Rachel Levi, 17, shot while waiting
for the bus; Rachel Gavish, 50 and the
mother of seven, killed with her hus-
band, son and father while celebrating a
Passover meal; Rachel Shabo, 40, mur-
dered with her three sons, ages 5, 13
and 16, in their home.
Are these Rachels less important than
the one Rachel Corrie?

Isaac Barr, M.D

Bloomfield Township

Transparency Disputed
utes do not specifically mention that
In Eagle School Sale
the demolition dollars for Eagle were
The issue of the sale of Eagle has been no longer in the total amount appro-
distorted by emotional letters from
priated.
those who support the Farmington
It is strange that no explicit men-
Public Schools Board and admin-
tion of this significant and material
istration. However, their claims are
change was made. There is a refer-
clearly absent any rebuttal of the facts
ence to a March 16, 2011, letter which
regarding the deception by both the
has yet to be made public, although
board and administration, all of which it, too, has been sought through the
can easily be checked by reading the
FOIA. Also, making this covert change
board's own documentation.
to the approved dollar amount meant
Superintendent Susan Zurvalec
that the sale of Eagle was decided on
in her July 2, 2012, letter to state
April 12.
Attorney General Bill Schuette stated,
Finally, in Zurvalec's latest letter,
"In closing, I can assure this corn-
Aug. 8, 2012, to the attorney general
munity that we have been transparent she states, "Rejection of the ICA offer
and appropriate in all our transactions on the basis of religious affiliation
regarding the sale of Eagle school:'
could have exposed the district to
Transparent? Interestingly, at the
liability." Does this mean she was
time of the sale in 2011, I had to
not concerned when the district sent
make a Freedom of Information Act
away a black church which inquired
(FOIA) request to the district to find
about Eagle or a Jewish yeshivah that
out if a vote would be held on June 14, subsequently bought the Bnai Israel
2011, to approve the sale of Eagle, as
property?
the May 24, 2011, meeting minutes
I am at a loss to see where the FPS
were not approved and no draft copy
Board and administration has been
(required by law under the Open
"transparent and appropriate," and
Meetings Act) was available. I was
I believe the "facts," not emotional
rebuffed when I asked for the infor-
rhetoric, speak for themselves.
mation.
Eugene Greenstein
Zurvalec's "Open Letter to the
Farmington Hills
Community" regarding the sale and
pending litigation and passed onto
the Attorney General also provides a
Correction
timeline of the various actions taken
In "Prism Power" (Aug. 30, page 1)
by the district. However, it conve-
optometrists Drs. Debby and Paul
niently omits critical information
Feinberg were misidentified as
like the May 3, 2011, meeting with
ophthalmologists. According to the
the Farmington and Farmington Hills
website Web MD, optometrists are
City Councils where Cheryl Cannon,
trained to diagnose and treat vision
who had been negotiating with the
conditions such as nearsightedness,
purchaser since January 2011, stated
farsightedness and astigmatism. They
as fact that Eagle along with the other
are also trained to identify cataracts,
schools (by name) were slated to be
glaucoma and retinal disease, and to
demolished.
use some medications to treat eye dis-
Zurvalec also claims that at the
ease. Ophthalmologists are medical or
April 12, 2011, board meeting it was
osteopathic physicians and surgeons
made known that Eagle was not going who treat all diseases and conditions of
to be demolished; however the min-
the eye.

Lauren Potter

On Monday, September
10, 2012, JARC and
Temple Israel will host
Lauren Potter, who
plays Becky Jackson,
a cheerleader with
Down Syndrome on the
television series, GLEE.
Lauren will speak about
bullying and making her
dreams come true.

5:30 PM -
Intimate Pre-Glow
Dinner and Afterglow
Meet and Greet

5 300/person

7:00 PM -
FREE Program

8:00 PM -
Afterglow
Meet and Greet

s 36/person

For details call
Lindsey Fox-Wagner
at 248-488-7524
or lindseyfoxwagner
@jarc.org

32 nd Annual
Fall Fundraiser

Conservative Shuls Offer Community-Wide Selichot

Leonard Felder

Detroit area Conservative synagogues
are offering a Selichot program at 9 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 8, at Congregation Beth
Ahm in West Bloomfield.
The guest speaker will be Leonard
Felder, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist who
has written 12 books on Jewish spiritual-
ity and personal growth. His new book is
Here I Am: Using Jewish Spiritual Wisdom
to Become More Present, Centered and

Available for Life.
His topic will be "Entering the High Holy Days: How to
repair your toughest relationships."
The Selichot service, the High Holy Day preparatory
prayer service, will follow.
This is a joint program of Adat Shalom Synagogue,
Congregation Beth Ahm, B'nai Israel Synagogue,
Congregation Beth Shalom, Congregation B'nai Moshe,
and Congregation Shaarey Zedek. For information, contact
Tobye Bello at (248) 357-5544.

.

\:1,..,nehanied (5Letwing

OCTOBER 23, 2012
FOX THEATRE

www.ja rc.o rg
248.538.6611

3N

September 6 * 2012

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