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Jews Shouldn't Be
Complacent Targets
The bombs fly overhead in Israel but
Iron Dome missiles intercept them. So
why should we worry?
Hundreds of Jews are trapped by pro-
Palestinian protesters in a Paris syna-
gogue. Hey, but that's France for you.
Europe will never change.
Three young Jews are murdered
in Israel, but the young Palestinian
murdered by Jews shocks the world,
inspiring David Horovitz to write that
"ongoing rule over the Palestinians ...
is blackening our hearts" (July 10, page
26).
The media floods us daily with the
high death count in Gaza vs. low Israeli
death count, and we answer, "What do
you expect from the anti-Israel press,
right?"
Mark Jacobs is spot on when he
writes (July 17, Page 41), "Israel's crisis
is our crisis ... Doing nothing besides
lending moral support is no longer an
option:'
Intense anti-Israel hatred is spread-
ing through almost every nation on
Earth, fueled by radical Islamists, and
yet we Jews feel safe and complacent in
our American homes.
We must no longer be blase when
someone is murdered because they're
Jewish.
We need to feel every single bomb
blast randomly scattered in Israel as
if those deadly weapons were directly
targeted toward our homes, designed to
blacken us with soot, dust and death.
Arnie Goldman
Farmington Hills
Carol Kent during a recent stint
with Sar-El in Israel
Volunteers Help IDF
Behind The Scenes
Regarding the 'Anxious, But Proud"
article (July 17, page 18), we applaud
the brave, dedicated Lone Soldiers who
risk their lives in harm's way protecting
our Israeli brothers and sisters dur-
ing this time of war and any time they
serve.
We wish them safety while they fight
for all of us and the Jewish people, and
we appreciate their family's dedication
and strong upbringing in the Zionist
tradition.
We remind readers of the JN of an
alternate service that supports the
Israeli Defense Forces and these brave
warriors. Sar-El/Volunteers for Israel.
Volunteers typically spend two or
three weeks living and working along-
side Israeli soldiers at an army base,
IDF warehouses or service bases.
Currently, there are hundreds of
Sar-El volunteers, many of them
young people, from the United States,
Canada, Europe, Russia and Australia
replenishing medical and field sup-
plies as well as servicing vehicles and
other equipment for the soldiers in
the field. The IDF uses these supplies
immediately, as they are ready for dis-
tribution.
Volunteer assistance will also be
needed in the fall to replenish all the
supplies prepared previously by Sar-
El/VFI and being used for this war.
Volunteers will also be asked to help
prepare for future IDF needs.
The Sar-El/VFI Program offers a
way to contribute to the State of Israel
in a very direct way. The program
accepts volunteers between the ages of
17 through senior citizens.
For information, call or email Ed
Kohl at (248) 420-3729 or michgan@
vfi-usa.org; Carol Kent at (248) 865-
8580 or carolkent@aol.com ; or visit
the VFI-USA website, www.vfi-usa.
org.
Carol Kent, Paul Matlin, Ed Kohl
VFI regional directors
Teen Mission Participant
Praises 'Awesome' Trip
I would like to thank the Detroit Jewish
Federation for the awesome 2014 Teen
Mission. As a participant, I would
describe it as a once-in-a-lifetime expe-
rience.
I experienced many activities that I
could never imagine that I would par-
take in. I was also able to make many
new friendships that will last a lifetime.
Through this trip, I developed a con-
nection to my religion, along with a
love for Israel, which I am proud to call
my home.
In addition, the Federation did an
outstanding job of taking care of our
safety. Throughout the trip, our well-
being was always taken into consider-
ation, and I never had any doubt that
I was in good hands. When the deci-
sion was made to send us home, they
worked diligently to make sure every
last member of the mission had a safe
voyage home.
This was a very special trip, which
would not have been possible without
the hard work of the entire Federation
leadership and staff.
Tim Kaplan, 17
Teen Mission 14 Participant
West Bloomfield
Shortened Teen Trip
Sends A Bad Message
It is ironic that the Jewish News'
front-page headline of July 17 reads
"Standing With Israel," while on page
14 the reader learns of the Detroit Teen
Mission to Israel returning home dur-
ing the present crisis.
While I can understand the con-
cern for the safety of our youth, the
vast majority of North American tour
groups are staying the course and
continuing their journeys in Israel. I
have friends on tours in Israel with
NFTY, USY, Ramah, NCSY, BBYO and
Birthright and volunteering for Magen
David Adorn. Undoubtedly, there have
been more deaths in Detroit than in
Israel since the start of the current
conflict.
Yet, this is not the first time
Federation has displayed timidity. In
2006, Detroit's Teen Mission was one of
the only North American tour groups
to return home early when the Second
Lebanon War broke out.
How can we sustain our own nation
if this is how easily we are willing to
leave it in the dust? How are we as a
people supposed to remain undeterred
and resolute in our principles if this is
how easily we are shaken? What mes-
sage does this send to diaspora youth?
Could not the teens' itinerary in Israel
have ensured their safety yet sent a mes-
sage of solidarity with the Jewish people
in Israel? Might not volunteering on an
army base or other institution for the
duration of the trip have sent a better
message than "cut-and-run?"
But, even more disturbing are the
comments many of the teens displayed
on the Internet in the past few days after
they returned to the safety of Michigan
making light of the situation in Israel
with bad-taste puns and displaying little,
if any, sympathy, much less empathy, for
our brothers and sisters in Israel.
If this is the primary reaction of our
community youth after returning home
from a two-week journey in the Jewish
homeland, then we have a very serious
communal problem. Our teens had a rare
opportunity to experience Jewish history
firsthand. If our teens can look these hor-
rors in the eye and still come back bereft
of any meaningful lessons learned, what
is the point of conducting these trips?
Jesse Arm
West Bloomfield
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July 24 • 2014
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