frontlines >> letters }low to Send Letters We prefer letters relating to JN articles. We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Letters of 225 words or less are considered first. Longer ones will be subject to trimming. Letter writers are limited in frequency of publication. Letters must be original and contain the name, address and title of the writer and a day phone number. Non-electronic copies must be hand signed. Send letters to the JN: 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax (248) 304-8885; e-mail, letters®the jewishnews.com . We prefer email. Labor Of Love For Israel I just returned from a month-long trip to Israel — my first visit in more than 50 years. The main purpose was to volunteer on an Israeli Army base as part of the Sar-El program. In addition, I toured and visited rela- tives. The reserve base on which I worked was about 45 minutes from Tel Aviv. Our group of 16 men and women organized warehouses and packed backpacks. While the work was menial, it was valuable in that, for some of the tasks, outside con- tractors would have been used at sub- stantial cost, and for others, we were freeing up reservists' time for more important duties. We lived in army barracks and ate our (kosher) meals alongside young soldiers. We worked four-and-a-half days a week and were free to travel for the balance. Every night, we met for a short program, which included learning about the Israeli army, talk- ing with soldiers, and discussing Israeli music and culture. Our group visited an active-duty paratrooper training base and several muse- ums. On these side trips, we shared buses with Sar-El volunteers from other parts of the world — Hungary, Finland, Canada and Australia, among others. S together, and we divided our duties so that the heavier work was done by the stronger group members. My trip to Israel was not "fun" in any traditional sense. It was not a ‘`vacation." However, it was interest- ing, gratifying and inspiring. Volunteers for Israel-USA (VFI- USA) is associated with Sar-El, which administers the program in Israel. Ed Kohl and Carol Kent speak to groups and individuals about the program. Contact Kohl at (248) 420- 3729, michgan@vfi-usa.org; or Kent at (248) 865-8580, carolkent@aol. corn; or visit the website www. vfi-usa.org . Charles Soberman Perhaps a third of the volunteers were not Jewish. When asked why they had volunteered, they uniformly responded, "to support Israel." It was gratifying to see this support from people all over the world. Although some of the work was physically exhausting, all of the volunteers in our group — male and female, ages 49-82 — worked hare the joy of your simchah with the community in the JN's March 20 Celebrate! issue. We're inviting readers to send in photos from their weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, brit milah, baby namings and other ceremonies from 2013- 14 for our annual "Community Portraits" feature. Photos must be high-resolution jpgs (500k-lmb) and not taken by a professional. Email photos by March 6 to jheadapohl@ renmedia.us along with a caption that identifies the people in the photo, their city of residence, the ages of any children pictured, and the date and place of the event. Any questions? Call (248) 351- 5110. Ask Attorney Ken Gross about... Your Legal Issues Charles Soberman Bloomfield Township Will it get warmer soon? Glenn Beck Reference Missed The Mark I take issue with the letter "Column On Patterson Stepped Over The Line" (Feb. 6, page 5.) The negative por- trayal of Glenn Beck is completely gratuitous. If the writer wishes to name a news personality in that light, he would be better advised to men- tion "Reverend" Al Sharpton who is a "commentator" on MSNBC. Sharpton is the one who falsely depicted a Brooklyn, N.Y., car acci- dent (where a 7-year-old black child had been killed) as a racist homicide perpetrated by a Chasidic Jew. In 1995, the good reverend organized a deadly boycott against a Jewish- owned clothing shop in Harlem, N.Y. There, among a number of black protesters, he shrieked that a number of "greedy Jew bastards" and white "crackers" had been taking advantage of them. Not to mention what happened with Tawana Brawley, a black girl who had claimed she had been raped by police, which happened to have been a hoax. The reverend was forced to pay a fine for defamation to a police officer. I do not think that Glenn Beck in his worst moments could match that. Yes, it will. Winter is tough, ut keep the faith. The ays are getting longer and Spring training has begun in Florida. Pretty soon, well be talking about the long hard winter and enjoying warm days and sunshine. But for now, you should make the most of Winter. Use this time to tackle the projects you have been ignoring. Do you have a current estate plan that includes a Living Trust and up to date Health Care Power of Attorney? If you are facing your senior years, have you looked into proper Medicaid Planning? If you have cash assets but own real estate that is underwater, have you taken the steps to get the real estate out of your estate? If you sleep on this too long - (as in permanently) when you pass away, the bank will make a claim against your estate and guess what will happen to the savings you intended for your children? By now, it should go without saying - if you have too much debt, there are great solutions to shed it. So make Old Man Winter work for you this year - call us at Thav Gross - we're here to help and we have hot coffee. Stay warm. Dr. Edward Goldberg West Bloomfield Correction • The correct phone number for the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit's Center Day Camps in West Bloomfield is (248) 432-5578. THAV GROSS has been solving its clients' business, tax and financial problems since 1982. Be sure to tune in to the Financial Crisis Talk Center, on Radio and now on TV - Saturday's at 8:30 AM - on WDFN 1130 AM, "The Fan," and Sunday's at 1:00 PM on MyTV20. We are unique - catch the radio show & visit our websites to see why! THAV GROSS 888.235.4357 (HELP) or 248.645.1700 For information, visit us online at thavgross.com • fctalkcenter.com 30150 Telegraph, Suite 444 Bingham Farms, MI 48025 Were a premier debt relief agency helping people file for Bankruptcy Protection. February 13 • 2014 5