points of view >> Send letters to: letters@thejewishnews.com Contributing Editor MTc;n0hign NEI Transforms Region And Embraces Diversity a;@M:fib . S rael st b s tress its missile defense shield. The Iron Dome is but a starting point in Israel's I Editorial t's a fantasy to think Hamas won't target ian human shields to elicit global outrage. Israel for another round of rocket and mortar Because of that, Operation Pillar of Defense con- shell attacks — or worse. Bluntly put, it's not sisted strictly of strategic air strikes. This Israel in Hamas' DNA or charter to change its stripes Defense Forces (IDF) tactic not only limited the and suddenly work toward a lasting Palestinian death toll, but also took peace with the Jewish state, its arch- out a lot of llamas' sophisticated enemy. rocket stockpile. The U.S. State Department has named Hamas, which rules the Gaza Matter Of Morals isa Strip, a terrorist organization. No Many Israelis are frustrated, said wonder: The 25-year-old organization Israel's new consul general to the considers "martyrdom death" fight- Midwest, Roey Gilad, because ing Israel the supreme achievement; Operation Pillar of Defense didn't that's why young Palestinians in the take dead aim on Gaza City, the hold- prime of life are willing to literally ing place for llamas' arsenal, which blow themselves up killing Israelis. includes more menacing medium- During the fragile cease-fire and long-range rockets and missiles. between Israel and Hamas that took effect on But Israel was clearly hesitant to commit ground Nov. 21, it behooves Israel to scrutinize the forces that would be compelled to engage Hamas effects of Operation Pillar of Defense, strengthen terrorists hiding near mosques, schools, hos- its Iron Dome and other defense systems, and pitals and other highly populated civilian loca- assure its emergency alerts and bomb shelters tions. The Netanyahu administration feared the are the best they can be. You can bet Hamas is high price in lives and public outcry. using the tenuous downtime to rearm via Gaza "Using human shields is Strip tunnels connecting to Iran and Libya — a the most immoral thing to situational powder keg in a Middle East rocked do in a war," Gilad told a by regime change and grassroots rebellion. gathering of 20 Jewish lead- In 2007, Hamas emerged victorious in a Gaza ers hosted by the Jewish election and staged a violent coup, ousting the Community Relations Council of Metropolitan opposition Palestinian Authority, which was Detroit on Dec. 5. "War left to govern only the West Bank. Since then, should have some legal Israel has been peppered with more than 13,000 framework; Hamas is play- rockets and mortar shells authorized, or at least allowed, by Gaza City. ing a game that is com- pletely immoral:' This assault, of course, began after Israel pulled up settlement stakes in 2005 and left Gaza That should surprise no one, however. Hamas with everything but its greenhouses. Former is a terror-monger, notwithstanding its elevation Prime Minister Ariel Sharon hoped the residents through a "popular" election in which the people of Gaza could tap into the greenhouse potential; of Gaza responded to Hamas' social service pro- visions, ignoring its barbaric military wing. instead, Hamas destroyed the greenhouses, deeming them unfit vestiges of the evil Zionists. Despite some well-documented mistakes in Israel learned from ill-fated Operation Cast Operation Cast Lead and Israel's forced con- Lead in December 2008 — when ground tinued occupation of the West Bank to prevent forces entered Gaza and were drawn into a high Palestinian acts of terror, the IDF, as Gilad Palestinian casualty count because of llamas' stressed, "is a moral army and Israel is a moral penchant for not-so-discreetly deploying civil- state:' Security on page 41 40 December 20 • 2012 ince its inception in 2008, the New Economy Initiative (NEI) has sought to leverage $100 million pooled from 10 lead- ing philanthropic and business organizations to reshape and redefine the economic landscape of Detroit and southeast Michigan. This unique collaboration, aligning the expertise and resources of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Max & Marjorie Fisher Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Hudson-Webber Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the McGregor Fund, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Skillman Foundation, has been propelling a transfor- mation of the area's economy – with emphasis on reclaiming its entre- preneurial and innovation-driven roots – while also tackling its top-down, heavy-industry/automotive culture. In its heyday, Detroit was the Silicon Valley of America; a place where creativity, innovation and calculated risk-taking were as much a part of the environment as busy factories belching smoke while churning out automobile parts. Detroit symbolized the opportunity inherent in "the American Dream" and attracted inventors and raw muscle from around the country and the world. Entrepreneurial minorities and immigrants turned slag captured from blast furnaces into paving material for road beds; scrap metal from factories into global recycling enterprises; oil- soaked rags into linen supply companies; pushcarts selling sandwiches into restaurant chains. But over the years, the region failed at incubating new businesses as established ones aged, educating its workforce for the jobs of tomorrow, and keeping a welcome mat out for enterprising and hard-working new- comers. Launched just as the region's auto-centric economy and flag- ship city were hurtling toward contraction and bankruptcy, the NEI could have become a "too little, too late" attempt to salvage the status quo. Instead, the NEI has leveraged its investments in ways that are jump- starting sectors of the region's economy while embracing and engaging often-overlooked minority, ethnic and immigrant communities. A key beneficiary of the NEI's vision has been New Michigan Media (NMM). Conceived in 2008 by Wayne State University Professor Hayg Oshagan as a way to harness the individual voices of ethnic and minority media into a strong collective, New Michigan Media's founding members – Michigan Chronicle, Arab American News, Latino Press, Detroit Jewish News and Michigan Korean Weekly – have established common ground on an array of domestic issues, many relating to entrepreneurship, immi- gration and small business development. Embracing the important role immigrant, minority and ethnic com- munities play in driving the region's economy, the NEI has supported New Michigan Media with a grant enabling business entrepreneurs from each community – almost 150 in total – to be identified, featured and celebrated. Posting their stories via the NEI-funded Southeast Michigan Start-Up website exposes their hard work and success to the region. While NEI's vision is delivering obvious benefits to Detroit and southeast Michigan, some of these benefits are less apparent but no less important. Through its investment in New Michigan Media, NEI is addressing one of the region's most nagging obstacles – a diverse but segregated culture. And that investment in New Michigan Media has cre- ated a special dividend. New Michigan Media members are now working together as colleagues and friends, bringing our communities together with each other and the region, and creating a model for collaboration unique in America. ❑ This New Michigan Media editorial represents the collective viewpoint of Bankole Thompson, senior editor, Michigan Chronicle; Osama Siblani, publisher, Arab American News; Elias Gutierrez, publisher, Latino Press; Arthur Horwitz, publisher/ executive editor, Detroit Jewish News; Tack-Yong Kim, publisher, Michigan Korean Weekly; Dr. Hayg Oshagan, executive director, New Michigan Media.