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Anti-Israel Advertisement
Opposes U.S. Interests
An ad against military aid to Israel, one
of our staunchest allies, appeared in the
Detroit News and Free Press on Aug. 1
and 4.
The ad is part of a global Boycott
Divestment Sanctions effort whose goal
is to delegitimize Israel and lead to its
socio-cultural and economic ostracism
and isolation as part of a long-term
campaign designed to undermine the
viability of the Jewish state.
Among other things, it spreads false
accusations to erode the American
Israeli Alliance and support for Israel
worldwide.
Yet, as President Barack Obama has
rightly observed, "A strong and secure
Israel is in the national security interest
of the United States"
Here are some facts that should be
kept in mind whenever a call for a boy-
cott of Israel rears its ugly face:
• It is not widely known, yet 75 per-
cent of U.S. military aid to Israel must
be spent in the United States, which
directly benefits the American worker.
• The U.S. spends $250 billion a
year to keep American troops protect-
ing allies around the world, from the
European NATO countries to Saudi
Arabia and South Korea.
The $3 billion spent on Israel boosts
the U.S. economy, protects our interests
and does not include any American
troops on the ground. No American ser-
viceman has ever had to be dispatched
to protect Israel.
In contrast, unstable Egypt alone gets
$1.5 billion a year, with additional aid
going to Jordan and other countries in
the region.
The Arab world has called for Israel's
destruction starting before its rebirth
in 1948. The Palestinian and Arab lead-
ers have continuously rejected offers to
settle the conflict. The Hamas and Fatah
charters call for Israel's destruction and,
from birth, Palestinian children are
taught to hate and destroy Israel and the
Jews.
Israel is the only country in this very
dangerous and important part of the
world that is America's staunch, demo-
cratic and reliable ally. The ad is wrong-
headed and against America's national
interest.
Kobi Erez, executive director
Zionist Organization of America
-Michigan Region
Support For Arts Must Be
Jewish Communal Priority
On July 18, the Jewish News published a
guest column by Joshua Ford, associate
executive director at the Washington,
D.C., Jewish Center, lamenting the trend
of reduced funding for art and culture
in Jewish communities (page 37).
This case made for the arts as a
Jewish communal priority raises the
same issues, challenges and justifica-
tions that secular arts communities have
dealt with for decades.
All too often the arts have been mar-
ginalized and deemed peripheral to
other community basic needs, such as
jobs, safety, healthcare, social services
and education. The challenge has been
to effectively demonstrate the relevance
of arts and culture and their centrality
to all aspects of society, human needs
and everyday life.
After many years of arts advocacy,
we have finally reached a time when
corporate boardrooms are defining "cre-
ativity" and "innovation" as must-have
skills for a competent workforce and
future business growth. Foundations,
municipalities and government units
are at last increasing investment in arts
and culture to ensure thriving creative
communities. It is my hope that the
Jewish community will remain in front
of this curve in their customary leader-
ship role, not behind.
Funding for social service needs
and arts and culture is not an either/or
proposition. Both are essential to ensure
a thriving community with a strong,
educated Jewish voice. Art and culture
are at the core of who we are as a people
in the same way that we are morally
and historically bound to care for one
another.
I encourage Jewish leadership across
the country who are setting Jewish
funding priorities to remember how
strongly Jewish people have historically
valued culture and to better under-
stand how the arts intersect with every
aspect of Jewish communal life, from
social services, senior life and economic
development to the education of future
generations.
Without creativity, there can be no
future. It is at the very core of survival,
whether it is for the Jewish people, our
local Jewish community, the city of
Detroit or the state of Michigan. This is
worth standing up and fighting for!
Barbara Kratchman
Bloomfield Hills
FJA Issue Is Overblown;
We Should Offer Support
Everyone should agree by now that the
dispute at the Samuel and Jean Frankel
Jewish academy is way overdone.
The letter in the Aug. 8 issue ("Should
FJA Board Decide Who Is Jewish
Enough?", page 5) correctly points out
that the academy is a community jewel.
I have visited many times, and I know
that my friends the late Jean and Sam
Frankel would have been extremely
proud.
Where the letter is wrong is to accuse
the academy board of deciding "Who
is a Jew." This is a preposterous claim
harking to the Holocaust. The board
has simply backed its head of school,
Rabbi Eric Grossman, on his decision to
require someone who teaches one spe-
cific class to be Sabbath observant. The
school's admission policy welcomes all
Jewish denominations.
While I have told Rabbi Grossman
that I disagree with his decision, the fact
is, it's his decision. Rabbi Josh Bennett
of Temple Israel has taught many classes
at the academy, and I know he loves
teaching young adults.
However, we can't be running our day
schools and other Jewish agencies by
letters in the Jewish News. This is not a
blog.
It would be a terrible precedent to
have the JN stir up and report public
opinion on every issue with the express
purpose of overturning every decision
that we don't like.
Let's be proud of the academy and
move on.
Harvey Bronstein
Southfield
Will Palestinian State
Give Israel Security?
Kenneth Bandler and Morton A.
Klein are both correct in their Point/
Counterpoint columns (Aug. 8, page
30). That's possible because they are
answering two different questions.
The two-state solution solves the
Palestinian problem, which is their
statelessness due to the rejection by
their brethren. As we can plainly see
demonstrated in the quasi-state of Gaza,
it does not solve the problem of Israel's
security.
Concessions have consistently dimin-
ished security for Israel, and a popular
definition of insanity is doing the same
thing over and over and expecting dif-
ferent results.
Continued on page 6
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August 15 • 2013
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