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Keynoter
George W. Bush
reflects on Israel,
education and what
he's doing now.

I

Robert A. Sklar
Contributing Editor

arkening to the belief that America
is Israel's closest ally, former
President George W. Bush on
Sunday night reminded Jewish Detroit of a
core theme of a speech he gave before the
Knesset during his presidency — that "the
people of Israel have the right to a decent,
normal and peaceful life, just like the citizens
of every other nation"
Speaking before a sold-out crowd of 2,600
at Yeshiva Beth Yehudah's 100th-anniversary
dinner at the Marriott Renaissance Center in
Downtown Detroit, Bush further reminded
that anti-Semitism should be condemned
in all forms, "whether by those who openly
question Israel's right to exist or by others
who quietly excuse them"
Drawing on excerpts from his 2008
Knesset speech celebrating Israel's 60th
anniversary of modern statehood, Bush
talked about how "the fight against terror
and extremism is the defining challenge of
our time" — "it is more than a clash of arms;
it is a clash of visions, a great ideological
struggle"
He continued that "the killers claim the
mantle of Islam, but they are not religious
men;" they "serve no higher goal than their
own desire for power" and "reserve a special
hatred for the most ardent defenders of lib-

12

November 20 • 2014

JN

erty, including Americans and Israelis"
The 43rd U.S. president said he quoted
from "one of my more memorable speeches"
rather than address current foreign policy
because he didn't want to undermine or criti-
cize President Barack Obama.

In deference to the YeshivSs 100 years of
instilling Jewish and secular studies, Bush,
an unabashed Christian, said to the throng
of school supporters: "Thank you for what
you do for education. We can't survive as a
nation unless we educate our kids. I love the
mission of honoring a great religion and rec-
ognizing there's a benevolent God — and not
being afraid of saying that"
Earlier in the evening, U.S. Sen. Debbie
Stabenow of Michigan
shared similar sentiments,
saying: "We can say most
assuredly that the Torah
and the ethical teachings
that are a critical part of
the Yeshiva's curriculum
have had a significant
Sen. Stabenow impact not only on the
students, but also on help-
ing build and shape this
wonderful community"
In August 1914, inside Mogain Avrohom
Synagogue on Farnsworth, not far from
today's Marriott Renaissance Center, Rabbi
Judah Leib Levin began a school that later
became the Yeshiva. The early years saw the
students meeting every day after regular
school to study Hebrew. In 1923, the growing
school, then 35 students strong, moved into
Beth Tefilo Emanuel Synagogue on Twelfth
Street to experience a full day-school cur-
riculum.
The school became known as Yeshiva Beth
Yehudah in 1925 following Rabbi Levi's
death. Continued moves followed continued
growth for Michigan's oldest and largest

Courtesy Yes hiva Beth Yehuda h

President Bush: "I love the mission of honoring a great religion and recognizing there's a benevolent God — and
not being afraid of saying that."

In 1947, students say the Pledge when
the Yeshiva shared space with Mogain
Avrohom synagogue, which by then had
moved to Cortland in Detroit.

Jewish day school. The boys' school moved
to Lincoln Road in Southfield in 1976. The
Os' school moved into the former B'nai
Moshe Synagogue in 1991. The Meer Early
Childhood Development Center moved to
Oak Park last year. Today, overall Yeshiva
enrollment is 910.

Beyond Washinqton
Daniel Loepp, president and CEO of Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, lead corpo-
rate sponsor for the $250-a-plate Yeshiva
dinner, introduced President Bush. Loepp
recalled how dinner speakers have included
Cabinet members, vice presidents, senators
and other national dignitaries.
Alluding to his Texas ranch, Bush intoned:
"I've come from the Promised Land to the
Land of Promise" He called Detroit, recover-
ing from municipal bankruptcy, "an impor-
tant city in our country"
From the same dais that his wife, Laura,
and his brother, Jeb, former Florida governor,
spoke from in past years, Bush said while he
doesn't miss Washington — the fame and
power aside — he enjoyed writing the new
anecdote-filled book titled 41 — A Portrait of
My Father.
"This is a story about an awesome father
who set such a good example," Bush said

about George H.W. Bush, the 41st president,
"that two of his sons were willing to go into
public service:'
Bush added, "If you admire somebody as
much as I admire him, the words 'I love you,
son or 'You've done well, son matter more
than any policy advice anybody could give"
Bush, 68, also reflected on newfound
moments as a painter, a hobby inspired by
one of his heroes: British statesman Winston
Churchill.
"When you get to be an aging baby boom-
er like I am," Bush said, `don't be afraid to try
things. Live life to the max"

Bush singled out the Yeshiva Boys Choir,
always a dinner highlight, pointing to
its energy and excitement under Rabbi
Yerachmiel Stewart's direction.
When choir member Nissim Farhy dedi-
cated "with gratitude and appreciation" the
final song to "our 43rd commander-in-chief'
Bush strode to the dais and shook the fifth-
grader's hand, leaving the boy with a lifetime
memory.
Yeshiva President Gary Torgow gave the
former president the gift of a handcrafted
Haggadah.
Detroit mayor Mike Duggan soaked up the
aura of a former president and the Jewish
community, gathered in a
Downtown ballroom,
regaling the legacy of the
Yeshiva.
`We are indeed fortu-
nate that the Yeshiva is
producing Torah scholars
and students of high eth-
11111
ics
and morality," Duggan
Mayor Duggan
said. "It should be, and is,
an appropriate example for all educational
institutions to emulate and to replicate"

❑

More dinner photos in an upcoming JN.

