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A Big Thank You
For A B.I.G. Week
StandWithUs-Michigan (SWU-MI)
expresses sincere appreciation to
our entire community for patron-
izing merchants who stocked quality
products from Israel during the Feb.
25-March 3 "Buy Israeli Goods Week"
campaign intended to help boost
Israel's economy.
We are especially grateful to Hiller's
Market, Borenstein's Judaic Books and
Music, Coby's Judaica, Farm Fresh
Market, Milk & Honey, One-Stop
Kosher and Quality Kosher Catering
for their advertising support in addi-
tion to stocking Israeli products.
This week, a divestment campaign
at Stanford University prompted
StandWithUs to join a petition drive
to halt it. The boycott, divestment and
sanctions (BDS) movement, which
instigated this action on the Stanford
campus, sought to strike a blow to
Israel's economy and force Israel's
government to make dangerous con-
cessions.
One strategy StandWithUs uses to
counter the effects of the numerous
BDS's anti-Israel actions on college
campuses and in communities is its
ongoing partnership with the Buy
Israel Goods website. Its purpose
is to encourage everyone to pur-
chase Israeli products all year-round
because destructive BDS actions are
ongoing.
Passover is a perfect time to con-
tinue strengthening Israel's economy
while shopping, something everyone
can do.
To find local and online stores
that carry quality Israeli products,
search the product categories on the
Michigan page found at www.
buyisraelgoods.org . Friends and rela-
tives in other states can find their
merchants by locating their city or
state on the B.I.G. home page.
For information about how you can
help, contact SWU-MI at (248) 325-
5306 (office voicemail) or
standwithusmichigan@gmail.com.
Barbara Moretsky, president
StandWithUs-Michigan
West Bloomfield
Flint Federation Leader
Says City Is Revitalized
I can certainly sympathize with
Sandra Bernhard. Whether due to
childhood perceptions not "squaring
up" with adult perceptions or to genu-
ine change over time, a return to one's
childhood home after many years can
be jarring.
Of course, Flint is not the only met-
ropolitan area where neighborhoods
have declined, sometimes precipi-
tously. There are many such neigh-
borhoods in St. Louis, from where I
moved to the Flint area almost two
years ago. Detroit, too, has many such
neighborhoods. What is unfortunate
is that the article, which appeared on
the front page of the Detroit Jewish
News, seemed to imply that all of Flint
has similarly declined.
Flint does face ongoing challenges
and is currently managed by an emer-
gency manager, but this is far from
the whole story. Flint is coming back.
There are many beautiful neighbor-
hoods and housing is recovering.
Downtown is being revitalized —
there are restaurants, galleries, clubs
and events like the Crim and Back
to the Bricks that draw people from
across the country.
The Jewish community is smaller
than 30 years ago but still vital. The
Jewish Federation hosts a number of
diverse events each year that are well
attended by both the Jewish and non-
Jewish community, including our Don
Riegle Community Service Awards
Event and the Karen Schneider Jewish
Film Festival.
This year, we are celebrating the
Year of Jewish Anniversaries and
marking the 95th, 85th, 75th, 30th,
25th and 25th anniversaries of
Congregation Beth Israel, Temple Beth
El, the Flint Jewish Federation, the
Ivriah, Jewish Community Services
and Chabad of Eastern Michigan,
respectively, and which has been
commemorated with an article in
the Journal of the Michigan Jewish
Historical Society.
Our tradition teaches that we
should look for the good — not the
bad. Please consider that next time
you visit and write about Flint.
Steven Low, executive director
Flint Jewish Federation
Obama's Actions Show
He's No Friend Of Israel
In the March 7 issue of the Jewish
News were two letters stating that
"Obama has been a great friend of
Israel." If he is such a great friend,
how come he pushed through Chuck
Hagel's nomination as defense secre-
tary?
During Hagel's pathetic appear-
ance before Congress, among the
things discussed were his opinion
that Iran's election was legitimate.
Then came his remarks regarding the
"Jewish lobby" and its "intimidation"
of Congress. Plus, he was one of two
senators who voted against extending
the Iranian sanctions bill.
Besides all that, he voted against
calling Iran's Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps a terrorist group, refused
to acknowledge Hezbollah as a ter-
rorist organization and stated that
a military strike on Iran was "not a
viable, feasible, responsible option!'
He also said that a nuclear Iran might
be tolerable even in the face of Iranian
President Ahmadinejad saying that
Israel should be destroyed.
In addition, he refused to sign
a letter submitted by Sen. Charles
Schumer asking the United States'
Arab allies to recognize Israel. That
was followed by an endorsement of
him by an Iranian propaganda orga-
nization, who referred to Hagel as
being "anti-Israel" and stating that he
"has consistently opposed any plan
to launch [a] military strike against
Iran!"
And this is the man that Obama
endorses as secretary of defense? As
we know, Obama picks those people
who agree with him. Does that sound
like something a friend of Israel would
do? Of all of the qualified people to be
secretary of defense, is that the best
that the U.S. president would select?
In 2008, when addressing AIPAC,
Obama said: "And Jerusalem will
remain the capital of Israel, and it
must remain undivided." Since then,
however, Israel's "friend" has consis-
tently backed away from that pledge.
In 2011, Obama pressed Israel to
negotiate with the Palestinians on
the basis of the 1967 lines calling
for mutually agreed land swaps. As
Charles Krauthammer describes:
"President George W. Bush gave a
written commitment that America
supported Israel absorbing major set-
tlement blocs in any peace agreement,
opposed any return to the 1967 lines
and stood firm against the so-called
Palestinian right of return to Israel."
Notice it was put in writing that
Israel was not to return to the 1967
lines. Obviously, Obama has ignored
that written statement. Is that any way
to treat a "friend"?
Dr. Edward Goldberg
West Bloomfield
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March 14 • 2013
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