points of view >> Send letters to: letters@thejewishnews.com Guest Column Editorial Charitable Giving Part Of The American Way A Students film video in support of Israel. D Ann Arbor uring Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel's lat- est defensive strike against the terrorist organization Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, there were many University of Michigan students who wanted to do something to mobilize support for Israel on the campus. We had seen quite a bit of one-sided news media cov- erage of Israel as well as negative talks about and demon- strations against the Jewish state on campus. In addition to a successful November pro-Israel rally on the Diag, at which more than 150 students attended, we felt there was more to be done. During a weekly I-LEAD (Israel Leadership Education Advocacy and Dialogue) meeting of about 20 students, while discussing ways to advocate for Israel just after Operation Pillar of Defense, a few of us came up with the idea to make a video to show support for Israel on campus. I-LEAD is a pro-Israel, Hillel-affiliated group on campus that strives to provide an engaging environment where thought-provoking conversation and education can take place regarding the modern-day State of Israel. From conception to completion, the two-minute video took one week; it included the involvement of 40 students. There are 13 Metro Detroiters featured: Alyssa Adler, Jessica Curhan, Daniel Elkus, Michele Freed, Ariel Halpern, Nicole Hertzberg, Stephanie Horwitz, Rachel Klein, Eli Newman, Celia Shecter, Leah Sternberg, Ariella Yedwab and Emily Zussman. Setting The Stage We had three main objectives for this ambitious and nec- essary video project. First, we wanted to show University of Michigan students there are many students who support Israel on campus. While presenting our support for Israel, we chose to focus on concrete objective reasoning such as free speech and the freedom of religion — qualities of Israel that too often are overlooked. Second, we wanted to inspire and reach out to other univer- sities and colleges through the "I Support Ulsrael" campaign, encouraging students on other cam- puses to also show their support for Israel by creating their own videos. We hope that by encouraging other groups of students to make videos with a similar pro-Isra- el message, they would ultimately become part of a spiral- ing nationwide campaign of campus support for Israel. Lastly, we wanted to show the Israeli citizens, who are our family and friends, that we support them. Moving Forward The project has received overwhelmingly positive reac- tions in Israel as well in the United States. Friends in Israel have shared the video online. And students on campus who were not even involved in the video have shared it on Facebook and have encouraged their friends on other campuses to partake in the "I Support Ulsrael" campaign. We hope our actions trigger a domino effect of Israel support on the U-M campus. And we look forward to seeing the videos created by other students, in Michigan and elsewhere, as part of an expanding "I Support Ulsrael" campaign. ❑ Jeremy Borison of Cleveland and Michele Freed of Ann Arbor are sophomores and Stephanie Horwitz of West Bloomfield is a senior at the University of Michigan. Go to www.youtube.com , type in "I Support Israel®Umich" and look for "I Support Ulsrael ®UMich". s debate in Washington intensifies over the potential reduction of the tax deductibility of charitable contributions to help fight off the federal deficit, the fact remains such gifts are the financial lifeblood of most religious organizations. To further limit those gifts inevitably would hurt the most vulnerable Americans the hardest. Congress and the Obama administration owe it to the people to consider all options as part of federal budget talks. Perhaps there's a need and a means to require more scrutiny to assure claimed contributions indeed have been properly vetted; the federal government would surely benefit from that exercise by unmasking illegitimate claims. But in the final analysis, there must be a more prudent way to get the budget in line other than effectively attacking the very gifts that support the social safety net cast far and wide in the wake of America's battered economy. Government incentives to encourage donations to qualifying organizations should be increased, if possible, not lowered. Consider how vital contributions are to the Detroit Jewish community, from Federation's Annual Campaign, dubbed Step Forward, to the hundreds of other worthy organizations that depend on tax-deductible gifts to stay afloat and serve so ably to keep Jewish recipients out of poverty's jaws. William Daroff, a leader of the umbrella Jewish Federations of North America, put it well: "When many of our neighbors are still in severe economic distress, and when Hurricane Sandy clearly shows the need for charities to lead where the government cannot, it is the absolute wrong time to place a stumbling block in front of our ability to help those in need." Against this backdrop, Jewish leaders have joined forces with a faith-based coalition that includes Muslim and Christian groups to demonstrate the depth and breadth of religious organizational interest in sustaining humanitarian and poverty-focused assistance programs. Giving is central to religious life in America. It's a mitzvah of the highest order. It crosses religious boundaries. It's an essential component to making the world a better place. The deductibility of charitable contributions has been a cornerstone of the U.S. tax code. It should remain so. Remind your U.S. senators and representatives of that. StepForward ❑ December 13 • 2012 35