metro
CHARLES COLMAN
Congratulations on
your graduation
with honors from
Columbia Law School.
Sending love and best
wishes as you start your
new position as an
Acting Assistant Professor
at NYU Law School.
Love,
Grandma Beverly Colman
& Grandma Eleanor Minkoff
!4.
May all your dreams
come true!
You have been such a joy
in our lives!
Love,
Mom, Dad, Danielle, Ari,
Safta, Saba, Adi
& Jacob
BRYAN BROWN
May all your dreams come true.
We are so proud of you!
Love,
Bubbie Helen, Zadie Fred
Bubbie Fran and Zadie Ron
er all your aunts, uncles & cousins
14 May 30 • 2013
Farrakhan In Detroit
Jewish groups outraged by Nation of
Islam leader's anti-Semitic remarks.
I
Robin Schwartz
Contributing Writer
M
aking reference to "Satanic
Jews" and the "Synagogue of
Satan" during a recent visit
to Detroit, controversial Nation of Islam
leader Louis Farrakhan drew harsh criti-
cism from several Jewish organizations.
It was Farrakhan's first trip to
Detroit since 2007, when he addressed
50,000 people at Ford Field. On May
16, he spoke at New Destiny Christian
Fellowship Church
in Detroit. The
next day, he visited
Fellowship Chapel,
a Detroit church
led by Rev. Wendell
Anthony, presi-
dent of the Detroit
Louis
branch of the
Farrakhan
NAACP. Farrakhan
also spoke to mem-
bers of the Detroit City Council at their
invitation and paid a prison visit to former
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who
he defended and depicted as a victim of
white racism. Kilpatrick is awaiting sen-
tencing on federal corruption charges; he
could face up to 20 years in prison.
"I know he didn't do everything right:'
Farrakhan is quoted as saying. "Do you
think white folks in office weren't playing
a little on the side?"
A number of prominent black leaders
attended the various speeches, including
Detroit City Council members, Anthony
and U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.),
prompting the Jewish Community
Relations Council, the Anti-Defamation
League and the American Jewish
Committee to issue this joint statementt:
"While JCRC, ADL and AJC are
outraged but not surprised by Louis
Farrakhan's virulently racist and anti-
Semitic comments in Detroit last week,
we are especially distressed that a num-
ber of Detroit's community leaders —
including a sitting member of Congress,
the head of the Detroit NAACP and
members of the Detroit City Council —
listened to Rev. Farrakhan spew his hate-
ful rants in the sanctuary of a church and
failed to respond afterwards.
"Together we are reaching out to non-
Jewish communal organizations, asking
them to join with us to underscore a
basic truth: Silence in the face of hatred
— but especially silence by leaders —
helps promote the racism that continues
to divide and cripple Detroit:'
At Fellowship Chapel, Farrakhan is
quoted as saying he loves President
Barack Obama but, "he surrounded
himself with Satan... members of the
Jewish community"
He countered those who say he's hate-
ful, by saying, "Why do they say that
Farrakhan is anti-Semitic? I'm 80 years
old. I've never been arrested, not even for
spitting on a sidewalk... Is there a Jewish
synagogue I've defaced?"
That comment drew cheers.
Before Farrakhan's visit, Heidi Budaj,
ADL-Michigan Region director, wrote
to Detroit City Council members about
their invitation to Farrakhan to speak at
the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center.
"Although we acknowledge the signifi-
cant challenges Detroit faces, providing a
platform to an individual with a history
of promoting anti-Semitism and bigotry
is not a solution," Budaj wrote. "Minister
Farrakhan has espoused bigoted and
anti-Semitic rhetoric over the past 30
years as head of the Nation of Islam:'
Following the Detroit appearances,
Budaj issued a press statement saying
Detroit leaders should have spurned, not
embraced, Farrakhan. She indicated none
of the leaders who attended his speeches
immediately condemned the Nation of
Islam leader's anti-Semitic remarks.
A week later, on May 23, Conyers
issued this statement: "Last Friday, I
attended a speech by Minister Louis
Farrakhan at Fellowship Chapel in
Detroit. During this speech, Minister
Farrakhan made unacceptable racist,
anti-Semitic and homophobic state-
ments, which I condemn in the stron-
gest possible terms.
"It was my expectation that Minister
Farrakhan's speech would focus on
the many challenges facing the City of
Detroit. In previous days, he had dis-
cussed efforts to revitalize our city by
purchasing property and investing in
blighted neighborhoods. Regrettably, he
used this opportunity to promote views
that have no place in civilized discourse.
"The fact that Minister Farrakhan has
engaged in important charitable work
aimed at expanding economic opportuni-
ties for underserved communities does
not excuse these statements:' he wrote. "I
sincerely offer my apologies to my con-
stituents and others who also may have
been offended by the minister's words:'
At press time, attempts to reach Rev.
Anthony for comment were unsuccess-
ful.
❑
Go to www.adl.org to see a full
report on Farrakhan's speeches.