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Punish Terrorists
With Loss Of Land
Anyone who has studied history
knows that people who are able to
attack other people will continue to
do so until they discover that their
actions have negative consequences
— then they usually stop their violent
activities.
During the time Ariel Sharon was
prime minister of Israel, one of the
biggest problems was the terrorist
suicide bomber. At that time, I sent
Mr. Sharon a letter suggesting that the
Palestinians would think twice about
destroying themselves if there were
negative consequences.
I noticed that the families of those
"martyrs" were praised and their chil-
dren who had blown themselves up
(and others) were lauded and praised
and remembered in some special way,
whether it meant naming a street
after the bomber or making them into
heroes for the youth.
I suggested a simple solution: If the
family lived in Israeli-controlled ter-
ritory, evict them and tear down their
homes. I have a letter from one of Mr.
Sharon's advisers suggesting that they
were considering the idea. Within two
months, the bombings stopped.
What could Israel do to make the
Palestinian leadership think about
the negative aspects of their rocket
launching from Gaza? What would
happen if the death of an Israeli citizen
or visitor resulted?
Since Israel unilaterally turned over
parts of Gaza, what might happen if
there are Israeli deaths or buildings
in Israel were destroyed by rocket
attacks?
If the loss of an Israeli life or home
resulted in the loss of Palestinian
land — perhaps an acre for each death
or element of destruction — would
the Palestinian leadership react in an
appropriate manner if the land they
controlled started to become smaller?
Why not teach our opponents that

Mitzvah Day: 12/25

C

hoose your mitzvah on
Thursday, Dec. 25, when the
Jewish Community Relations
Council and the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit once again pres-
ent Mitzvah Day.
Volunteers of all ages are urged to sign
up and participate in dozens of projects
throughout Metro Detroit. Families with
children, teens, young adults and seniors
are encouraged to donate a few hours
to participate in a choice of activities,

their own actions are causing them to
lose land — land which would never
be given back.

Yiddish Limerick

Burton A. Zipser
Oak Park

Christian Group Says,
'Thank God For Israel'
On Nov. 2, we had the privilege of
attending the "Thank God for Israel
Day" at the Sheraton Hotel in Novi.
This annual event, sponsored by the
Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, is
held to educate and bring the Christian
and Jewish communities together in
steadfast support for the State of Israel.
There were 150 enthusiastic pro-Israel
supporters who attended the luncheon.
We listened with great interest to
our keynote speaker, Robert Schwartz,
senior policy adviser to the Israel con-
sul general in Chicago.
He reminded us of how interconnect-
ed the United States is to Israel histori-
cally and gave us an informed outlook
regarding the peace talks, Iran's trou-
bling effect on the region, Israel's stead-
fast points of view toward Jerusalem
and the potential Arab/U.N. indepen-
dent declaration of a Palestinian state.
He very succinctly presented the
challenges our two nations face today.
Local author and Israel advocate Dr.
Zieva Konvisser discussed her new
book Living Beyond Terrorism: Israeli
Stories of Hope and Healing. This book
shares compelling stories of 48 ordinary
people — Jewish, Christian, Muslim
and Druze — riding in buses, dining
in restaurants, shopping in markets or
studying at colleges who suddenly find
themselves in the midst of a terrorist
attack. The stories are testimony to the
inner strength and determination of
Israelis to rebuild and move forward —
and inspire each of us as we meet the
challenges in our lives.
We came away from this experience
encouraged by our Christian friends
who expressed their wholehearted
commitment to the survival of the

including visits to older adults in nurs-
ing care facilities, preparing and serving
holiday meals, and delivering toys and
gifts to families in need.
Also, interfaith sites with volunteers
from the Muslim community will again
be available to Mitzvah Day participants.
This year, participants will join
their fellow volunteers on Mitzvah
Day morning from 8-11 a.m. at MEX
restaurant, 6675 Telegraph, Bloomfield
Township, for coffee, snacks and con-
versation. Mitzvah Day event chairs

.11k
jarc

To each

Sponsor,

Volunteer

and Guest...

Turkey Day

It's November, and Thanksgiving's
the day
Far alles mir hobn, * a dahnk ** we
will say.
Mir essn*** di hindik,****
and stuffing and pie
Mir essn tzu fill***** un mir
platzn,****** oy my.
But don't feel bad, on Thanksgiving
you may.

thank you for

* Far alles mir hobn — for all we
have
** a dahnk — thank you
*** Mir essn — we eat
**** di hindik — the turkey
***** tzu fill — too much
****** un mir platzn — and we
explode

David Blaine.

— Rachel Kapen

supporting

JARC's 34th

Annual Fall

Fundraiser,

You have

helped enrich

O

C

lives and erase

barriers for

State of Israel and its people. As Psalm
133:1 states: "Behold, how good and
how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity."
Our congratulations and thanks to
Rev. Tim Munger, the Friends of Israel
Great Lakes executive director, for his
tireless efforts with this yearly program
and his dedication to Israel.

people with

Uri Segal, Friends of the Israel Defense
Forces; Margot Gardner and Irving Ginsberg,
StandWithUs-Michigan; Carol Kent, Paul
Matlin and Ed Kohl, Volunteers for Israel;
Eugene Greenstein, Zionist Organization of
America-Michigan Region

are Janet Berman, Seth Fisher and
Micki Grossman.
More than 800 volunteers are antici-
pated to come together and show the
strength of our community by taking
part in Mitzvah Day 2014. Volunteers are
asked to sign up at detroitjcrc.org/
mitzvanday2014. The registration dead-
line is Wednesday, Dec. 10. Volunteer
spots are filled on a first-come, first-
served basis. For more information, call
the Mitzvah Day hotline (248) 658-8252,
or email slippitt@jfmd.org .

❑

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@jarcdetroit

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www.jarc.org

November 27 • 2014

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