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Support For J Street
Thank you Professor Citrin (Jan. 2,
page 24) for your thoughtful and timely
reminder that it is time for members of
the larger Jewish community to speak
up in support of negotiated settlements
to Israel's two most vexing problems:
Allowing the full six months for the
P5+1 nations and Iran to negotiate a
resolution is a reasonable expectation,
and though your suggested "contours of
a final status deal" may not be exactly
how it will play out, it is a realistic
starting point.
I hope those who differ with you will
be as thoughtful and reasoned in their
replies as you have been in stating your
(and J Street's) case for dealing with the
two problems you innumerate.
Gilbert R. Davis
Grand Rapids
Organizations Working
Hard To Be Supportive
Toby Citrin mentions "it is troubling to
witness the response of the American
Jewish community to the two critical
deadlines that Israel will face" (peace
negotiations and Iran) and completes
with "now is the time for Detroit area
Jews to be heard:'
His most troubling comment is "of
course, many American Jewish organi-
zations and leaders have made general-
ized statements supporting the peace
process:'
Leading Jewish/Zionist organizations
are hourly and daily supporting the
peace process by exposing the conces-
sions Israel constantly makes to move
the peace process ahead without pre-
conditions, e.g. releasing prisoners who
have committed unspeakable murders,
halting "settlement" construction, etc.
These organizations' members write
letters to the editor, meet their elected
officials exposing the media double
standards and the Palestinian Arab dis-
tortions, and educate their communi-
ties with films and lectures.
We do not compromise Israel or the
Jewish people. We assert Israel's right to
exist as a Jewish state, in peace with its
neighbors.
Does Mr. Citrin know who the
Israelis are trying to negotiate with?
"In a final resolution, we would not
see the presence of a single Israeli —
civilian or soldier — on our lands:'
Abbas told reporters in Cairo.
Arab affairs expert Dalit Halevy
explained that when Abbas speaks of
"Israelis:' he, in fact, means "Jews:'
Jews are not permitted to live inside
the PA-controlled territory, and the sale
of land to Jews is punishable by death.
There is no doubt the Palestinians
expect their future state to be Judenrein
— cleansed of Jews.
I am a member of the American and
Detroit Jewish communities, and I am
heard from every day supporting Israel,
the Jewish people and the government
of Israel.
Ed Kohl
West Bloomfield
Phony Deadlines
Toby Citrin of J Street is asking American
Jews to panic in regard to Israel over two
phony deadlines. Perhaps in J Street's
world where Israel is the impediment to
peace, these deadlines have value. But
in the real world, where the Palestinians
are the true impediment to peace, these
arbitrary time frames are as valid as the
peace plans signed and then broken by
Palestinian leadership.
In offering J Street's suggestions for
peace, Citrin ignores the fact that in the
real world, the only "robust security
arrangements" that have kept Israelis
safe from Palestinian violence have been
developed and implemented by the IDF
and Mossad.
How many thousands of missiles does
Hezbollah have aimed at northern Israel
thanks to promises of security from oth-
ers?
In the real world, there is universal
access to Jerusalem's Old City due only to
the fact that it's under Israeli sovereignty.
In the real world, Palestinian leader-
ship has made a number of things very
clear. Refugees will remain refugees.
There is no room in their hearts, on
their maps or on the ground for a Jewish
nation. They have repeatedly demanded
a one-state solution, one that's not Jewish.
And this is after already painful conces-
sions by Israel over the years.
Israel's latest concession, demanded
by John Kerry, the release of more than
100 unrepentant terrorist murderers who
were welcomed as heroes by Mahmoud
Abbas, has done nothing to promote
peace.
Will J Street or Kerry have anything to
say when these terrorists return to their
practice of murdering Israelis?
J Street ignores all of this at Israel's
peril. For Israel's benefit and for our own
benefit, American Jews should ignore J
Street.
Harry Onickel
Ferndale
Cancer Thrivers Knitters
Give Back
L
iving life as a contributing member of the commu-
nity is vital to a person's health and well-being, and
that is why the monthly knitting group of the Cancer
Thrivers Network for Jewish Women worked tirelessly all
year to create 24 lap blankets for cancer patients undergoing
chemotherapy.
The lovingly created blanket squares were sewn together
and washed so that when they were donated, the men and
women receiving them would not have to worry about bacte-
ria, which is especially harmful for chemo patients.
This community service project was part of the Jewish
Community Center's Act of Kindness Project.
Elaine Greenberg, a member of the Cancer Thrivers
Network, created the Living for Music Foundation 14 years
ago after she won her own battle with ovarian cancer. The
knitting group, co-chaired by Miriam Cohen and Sharon
Rocklin, voted to donate the blankets to Elaine's founda-
tion so they could be included in her gift bags distributed to
Some of the knitters: Sheila Levine, Oak Park; Michelle
Passon, Commerce Twp.; Silvia Marcus, Southfield;
Sandy Schwartz, Franklin; Adele Steller, Southfield;
Nancy Firestone, West Bloomfield; Miriam Cohen (co-
chair), Bloomfield Hills; Sharon Rocklin (co-chair) and
Pam Goldberg, Farmington Hills.
chemo patients.
The Thrivers are grateful for the donations of materials by
the women of our community, for the labels donated by Brian
and Audrey Klayman of Perfect Trading Co. and to Rochelle
Imber for her expert instruction.
January 9 • 2014
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