Imagine
a world
without
hate.
Barbara and Carl Levin
The Levin brothers, Sandy, 9, and Carl, 6, by the family Pontiac in Detroit
Sander, now 81, was elected to the
House in 1982 and is now the ranking
Democrat of the House Ways and Means
Committee. These Detroit Central High
School graduates — Sander was presi-
dent of his class and Carl served as trea-
surer of his — grew up sharing a room
and came to share a passion for public
service. They are the longest-serving
congressional siblings.
Before arriving in Washington,
Levin served as general counsel of the
Michigan Civil Rights Commission and
as assistant attorney general for the State
of Michigan. He served in the Detroit
public defender's office before winning
two four-year terms on the Detroit City
Council, including a stint as its president.
In the Senate, Levin has embraced a
resourceful dignity over a roughshod
style. The lawmaker has been a defender
of and an ambassador for families —
fighting for the auto industry, protecting
corporate whistle-blowers, holding Wall
Street accountable, pushing lobbying
reform, assuring support for our men
and women in uniform, and among
things locally, restoring the Great Lakes
and landing federal dollars to transform
the Detroit riverfront.
In heading up the Senate Armed
Services Committee, Levin has tapped
into the statesmanship of Winston
Churchill, one of his heroes, to become
an influential voice on U.S. national
security and international diplomacy.
Just last week, Levin teamed with senior
committee member Sen. John McCain,
R-Ariz., to urge the president to con-
sider recommendations to "ease the suf-
fering of the Syrian people and protect
U.S. national security interests:'
As chairman of the Senate Permanent
Subcommittee on Investigations, Levin
has sought the truth on behalf of
American families. He led probes of the
2008 financial crisis as well as of credit
card fraud and the Enron collapse.
He'll devote the next two years to pol-
icy issues, he says, that will determine
the course of our economy and security:
offshore tax loopholes, the economic
comeback, political campaign funding
and military readiness.
On that last point, Levin had the pres-
ence to insist, "We need to pursue rapid
transfer of responsibility for Afghan
security to the Afghans. And as our
troops come home, we must do a better
job of caring for those who bear both
visible and invisible wounds of war."
Indeed, our soldiers, often unsung,
deserve the best care we can provide as
they reintegrate into society.
Worth Emulating
The National Jewish Democratic
Council captured Levin as a wonder-
ful role model, declaring he "will leave
behind a proud legacy that should serve
as an example to future generations of
young Jews forging careers in public
service:' I hope Levin accepts the chal-
lenge of this legacy and gives time to
mentor young people; many so desper-
ately lack direction, motivation and the
will to not be intimidated.
Clearly, what we
need more of today
are engaged parents,
like Bess and Saul
Levin, to encourage
their children to be
willing to answer the
once-noble calling of
Rabbi Krakoff
public service. Carl
Levin has been one of
the few to avoid the mudslinging and
serve so nobly — always maintaining
what Shaarey Zedek Rabbi Joseph H.
Krakoff calls "a profound commitment:'
"an inspiring devotion" and "a strong
ethicial and moral compass:'
Michigan, indeed the country, will
be poorer for his retirement, but richer
for his 36 years of Senate service. His
replacement will have Levin's enduring
shadows of excellence and admiration
to continually contend with, keeping
the bar of promise and hope high.
❑
Join the Anti-Defamation
League for a
film presentation of
'Michigan Is
In Our Blood'
U
S. Rep. Sander Levin of
Royal Oak calls his younger
brother, U.S. Sen. Carl
Levin, "a civil bulldog with a fierce
feeling about
the people of
the state of
Michigan."
Growing up in
Michigan put the
state front and
center as the
brothers have
Rep. Levin
mined the halls
of Congress.
"Michigan is naturally in our
blood," Sander told the JN.
"Constituents aren't numbers to
Carl," Sander said. "He has always
cared about people individually.
That has been his impetus, his
motivation. Carl has been able to
get into the shoes of a lot of peo-
ple and run on their behalf. And
that is what he intends to do now."
That was manifested just
recently, Sander said, as Carl dug
in his heels as discussions bubbled
up about JPMorgan Chase's
"London Whale" trading scandal
last year and also about a current
auto-industry trade issue.
"We talked about both and he
moved instantaneously," Sander
said. "We moved together."
Togetherness has enveloped
their relationship.
When Carl leaves the Senate,
their pattern of daily life for more
than 30 years will change. But
they'll stay close. As Sander put
it: "One way or another, we'll
always work together."
the other son
Wed., April io • 8 pm
as part of the
LENORE MARWIL
E]
THE CENTER
JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
France, 2012, 105 minutes, French,
Hebrew, Arabic with English subtitles
Joseph is the son of a prominent Israeli
officer and a physician. He's a bit of a
dreamer who has lived an easy life, though
now he's preparing to enter the military.
When Joseph takes a routine blood test,
he learns he is not his parents' biological
child. In fact, he will soon discover that he
is an Arab whose biological parents live
on the West Bank and are raising a child,
Yassin – whom they will soon discover
is actually an Israeli. The boys were
switched at birth.
"The Other Son" is a provocative,
thoughtful film that traces the unlikely
bond formed between the two boys as
they try to navigate through a challenging
situation.
* Winner Best Director Award Tokyo International Film Festival
* Winner Tokyo Grand Prix Tokyo International Film Festival
Tickets are now
on sale at
THE BERMAN
248.661.19oo
theberman.org
❑
- Robert Sklar
AL
100
IN
Imagine a World Without Hate
1813640
100 Years of Impact
March 28 • 2013
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