oints of view >> Send letters to: Ietters@thejewishnews.com Editorial Know Your Congressional Candidates V oting is not a privilege; it's a responsibility. Voting rights are precious, but voting knowledgeably is more valuable to our nation's wellbeing. Informed votes arise from considered thought, not by whim. This election season boasts an array of important and tangled issues con- fronting candidates for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House. Do your homework. The General Election is Nov. 4. Check with your local clerk for availability of absentee ballots. There's no denying that Jews rally around a pepper pot when it comes to political discourse. Foremost, we want Congress to stand strong with Israel, the Jewish state. We want leaders that defend the unique relationship between the U.S. and Israel, a beacon of democ- racy and hope in a region roiling amid Islamist extremism, Palestinian terror, Iran's pursuit of nuclear arms and wide- spread Jew-hatred. Israel's security must never become a political pawn. What Matters American Jews have a collective agen- da that also features echoes of social justice and equal rights we at the JN repeat every national election cycle: • Religious issues – such as church- and-state separation; deceptive mosques with alleged terrorist ties; autopsy limits; and kosher food fraud. • Labor issues – such as workplace discrimination because of ethnicity or gender. • Human rights issues – such as civil rights, free speech, a free press and religious freedom in America; anti- Semitism in Europe; genocide attempts in sub-Saharan Africa; and Third World hunger. • Education issues – such as support for court-approved special services for private and parochial schools as well as support for public education to fight illit- erate teens and failing urban districts. • Healthcare issues – getting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, dubbed "Obamacare," to work more beneficially on behalf of users. With many Jews in the ranks of health- care providers, the PPACA doubly affects the Jewish community. • Eldercare issues – such as the vari- ety and funding of senior services, like income and health security, to promote aging-in-place. Notably, the Jewish community has a higher percentage of seniors than the population as a whole. Detroit Jewry cares deeply about its seniors but can't possibly meet all of their needs; federal grants and programs are essential supplemental sources of support. • Immigration issues – As Jews, our heritage gives us a particular under- standing of what it means to be a stranger in a strange land. Most of our refugee forbears arrived with nothing; many achieved success in seeking the American Dream. Fair and reasonable immigration reform should be a hall- mark of Jewish community activism. Jews typically look toward candidates who share an affinity for people who are vulnerable or at risk – for example, anyone who is frail, has a disability, has a special need or is economically stressed because of sincere factors. Still, Jewish communal services and their niche audience – like other ethnic arrangements – thrive only through a blend of public and private funding and volunteer support. Tax support is not bottomless. Michigan Jews want Washington rep- resentatives who buy into Detroit's rise from bankruptcy. A vibrant Detroit would help create the job prospects and urban buzz to draw young profes- sionals living elsewhere and keep them here. Federal programs and grants are central to revitalizing Detroit, certainly its schools, police and mass transit, but also its social services and infrastruc- ture. In deciding who should represent the Great Lake State on Capitol Hill, Michigan voters further should con- sider who would best help: • Grow Michigan's high-tech startup sector and improve the economic cli- mate for the state's defense contrac- tors and auto companies. • Expand our state's inpatient medi- cal tourism, by which Michigan serves as a hub for domestic and internation- al patients seeking specialized medical care. • Develop a rail line or another form of mass transit that links Ann Arbor, Detroit Metro Airport and Downtown Detroit to spur a Midwest economic corridor in Southeast Michigan. • Resolve the disputes that have stalemated construction of a new bridge over, and a new rail tunnel under, the Detroit River, an interna- tional crossing. Vote smart on Nov. 4. Study up before you line up alongside a candi- date for Senate and House in the 114th United States Congress. ❑ Guest Column Standing Strong As A Jew W hen you think of the teenage generation, who do you see standing before you: the lead- ers of tomorrow or those of the future? Think of yourself as a teenager, a 15-, 16-, 17- or 18-year-old. Did you ever imagine you would be where you are today? When you look out into the Jewish community, what do you see of the youth standing before you? I bet you see them taking "selfies," texting their friends or not eating their food because they need to take a picture first. You might see them rebel- ling against Judaism and anything their parents or the older generations support. You might not even see anything stand- ing before you because the teenagers of our Jewish community dropped out after their b'nai mitzvah. I see something different. I see a great challenge to get my fellow peers and our communities engaged in their youth. I see this because standing before this challenge, I see myself. As a teenager, I can honestly say I would not have continued with my Jewish life if it weren't for youth engagement from my community. I have had the great blessing of having a youth organization in my life called NFTY. North American Federation 62 October 2 • 2014 of Temple Youth has brought many things into my life. It has brought a meaning- ful, nurturing community in which I can explore my Jewish identity. It has brought healthy, innovative programming that expands my views. Most importantly, it has brought me my future. NFTY has brought me lifelong friends, a lifelong connection to Judaism and lifelong discov- eries of myself. When the older genera- tion sees a teenager standing before them, they don't always say they see the future. I have found NFTY is a community that builds leaders of tomor- row — and today. I am proud to say I am a teen leader in the Jewish world. Through the lovely community I have found via NFTY, I have grown into a leader for my temple, my Federation, my youth group and now as NFTY-MI regional presi- dent. I am just one of 20 regional presi- dents that help lead, along with the North American NFTY board, 7,000 Reform Jewish teens in a strong, ever-evolving movement of youth engagement across North America. As a 17-year-old from Waterford, only a few people care about my voice, my beliefs, my opinions and my values. As an NFTYite, along with my 7,000 Reform teen peers, I have a strong voice for my social justice opinions, my values and my beliefs. It is encouraged, and extremely important, that through this youth movement a NFTYite's voice is heard. A 17-year-old girl from Michigan can rise in the rankings of the Reform movement and change things on a global scale because it isn't just her standing before the world; it is the Reform Jewish youth of North America standing up collectively. That makes a difference. There is a quote from Talmud B'rachot 28b: Da lifnei mi atah omeid. "Know before whom you stand." I stand before you as an NFTYite, a Jewish teen who has found herself through youth engagement. I stand before you as a leader with a mission to build a safe, strong Jewish community by empowering peers through inclusion out- reach and engagement. I stand for the leaders that were made through NFTY. I stand for the Jewish teens that elected me. I stand for the unengaged, disengaged and under-engaged teens. I stand for the leaders of tomorrow who just need the opportunity to lead. I stand to provide opportunities to all Reform Jewish teens to experience the wonderful community that I have. I stand to change that face of youth engagement on all levels. I stand here to serve at the need of our Jewish community to help it evolve to new heights. When an adult looks at a Jewish teenager standing before them, what do they see: The future? Who knows, but the selfie- taking teen only needs to be given the value to grow. Da lifnei mi atah omeid. Know before whom you stand. You stand before the future of tomorrow. Who will they be? ❑ Rebecca McDonald, 17, of Waterford is a Waterford Mott High School senior. She attends Temple Beth El in Flint. For more information about NFTY or youth engagement in general, contact Becca at mi-president@nfty.org or visit the website www.nfty.org/mi.