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Editorial
Iran Threat Stands Above Flap Over Speech
I
ran is the world's most dangerous
regime, intones Israel ambassador to
the United States Ron Dermer — and
he's right.
"Iran is the greatest sponsor of terror-
ism in the world, perpetrating or ordering
attacks in 25 countries on five continents
in the last four years
alone he said in an
Israel Bonds speech in
Florida.
In the Jan. 25 speech,
Dermer told how
Iran has "devoured"
four Arab capitals
— Baghdad, Iraq;
Ron Dermer
Damascus, Syria; Beirut,
Lebanon; and Sanaa,
Yemen — and is "hun-
gry" for more. Iran also is responsible for
the murder of hundreds of American fight-
ers in Iraq and Lebanon. It also should be
held responsible for the bombing of the
Israeli Embassy and a Jewish cultural cen-
ter in Argentina in the 1990s, Dermer said.
Iran did all this without having a nuclear
weapon. That capability would escalate the
danger. Even America then would be in the
nuclear crosshairs of the Islamic Republic.
Debate rages over whether Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with prod-
ding from Dermer, a Florida native and
former Republican Party activist, should
The civilized world, spurred by Israel,
must keep Iran squarely in its sight lines.
have accepted U.S. House Speaker John
Boehner's invitation to address the GOP-
controlled Congress about Iran so close
to Israel's March 17 election and without
going through President Barack Obama.
By doing so, Netanyahu and Dermer,
in a contentious diplomatic gamble that
has outraged some Democrats, effectively
snubbed Obama's position of no new sanc-
tions while world powers negotiate with
Iran over nuclear limits. Meanwhile,
past campaign operatives of Obama are
busy lobbying in Israel apparently against
Netanyahu's re-election. Dermer's analysis
of what a nuclear-empowered Iran would
mean, however, is a far more important
consideration for the West.
Target Israel
The intercontinental ballistic missiles that
Iran is building will have the capability
of carrying nuclear payloads that could
hit Europe and at least the eastern U.S.,
if Tehran wanted to ignite another world
war. But Iran already has missiles that can
reach Israel. It was widely reported that
Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
tweeted in English that Israel must be
destroyed.
In the interim, Iran is busy flexing its
stealth might against the Jewish state.
"Iran has used Hezbollah, Hamas,
Islamic Jihad and other proxies to fire
thousands of rockets and threaten Israel
from Lebanon, Gaza, the Sinai and the
Golan Heights. Iran's regime is both com-
mitted to Israel's destruction and working
toward Israel's destruction:' Dermer under-
scored.
At issue in the international community
is whether an Obama-backed proposal
over Iran's nuclear program would go far
enough. Dermer maintained the proposal
between Iran and the P5+1 nations of
America, Russia, China, France, Germany
and Britain would leave Iran "as a nuclear
threshold state" instead of dismantling its
nuclear weapons capability.
The issue is too pivotal to Israel's exis-
tence to allow contention over Netanyahu's
March 3 speech to overshadow the likely
content of it: the prime minister's vision for
achieving dismantlement. Directly related
is Obama's desire to limit new sanctions
amid P5+1 negotiations with Iran over
uranium enrichment, which is central to
developing a nuclear bomb.
Staying Focused
It's unclear exactly what Netanyahu hopes
to gain by addressing Congress other than
trying to muster support for further sanc-
tions given the dynamic existential danger
to Israel an Iran flush with an advanced
nuclear framework would represent.
While Congress and the White House
strongly support Israel in the arenas of
defense, intelligence and bucking anti-
Israel resolutions at the United Nations,
there's no consensus on Iran sanctions.
Whether Netanyahu speaks before
Congress or cancels his appearance under
political pressure is a purely secondary
matter. Foremost, the civilized world,
spurred by Israel, must keep Iran squarely
in its sight lines and not dance around
reasoned confrontation, diplomatic or oth-
erwise. Iran's ruling clerics remain intran-
sigent even as President Hassan Rouhani
spouts transparency.
As Dermer put it before that pro-Israel
crowd in Florida: "And we will survive the
evil that we face today. But we will not do
it by bowing heads and by hoping that the
storm will pass. We will do it by standing
tall and by confronting the storm with
faith and courage
❑
Guest Column
Shedding Light On Teen Mental Illness
T
een mental illness so often hides
behind a veil of secrecy – often
rearing its ugly truths only in
tragedy. As a community we
have a challenge: We must
be willing to openly support
a dialogue on teen mental
health. This discussion should
mirror the openness with
which we speak of other
health issues, without hesita-
tion and hushed voices.
Our children should not
have to suffer behind closed
doors, nor should they have
to shamefully hide their diag-
nosis from friends. The fami-
lies who love them should
be able to find a supportive community
that allows them to share their strug-
gles. Depression, anxiety and bipolar
disorders should be spoken about within
our community without stigma, shame
or fear.
What would our community look like
30
February 12 • 2015
if a child could say, "I'm struggling; I'm
hurting; please help me" to a teacher, a
counselor, a friend?
Might the 31.9 percent of
our youth age 13-19 who have
an anxiety disorder feel sup-
ported? Or, the 14.3 percent of
youth age 13-18 who suffer a
mood disorder share their feel-
ings of pain? What about the 3
percent of our 13-18-year-olds
who have eating disorders?
Only one-third of our teens
who experience a major
depressive episode receive
treatment for depression. As a
community, we need to craft a
better response to these stag-
gering numbers.
Let us shed light on the subject,
change the community's attitude toward
teen mental illnesses and health issues.
Let us help our families find comfort and
resources when they are struggling to
care for their child.
What might it look like if our teen pro-
fessionals, teachers, counselors – those
who come in continuous contact with
our teens – are required to attend basic
mental health first aid training, just as
they are required to go through basic
first aid?
They should be trained to recognize
symptoms of mental illness or crisis and
have the tools to suggest or seek the
appropriate professional care. We are
trained to recognize and assist in acci-
dents or crises involving the physical
body, but not crises involving the mind.
Our community has too many teens
suffering with mental illness, yet we are
paralyzed by silence. Together, we must
create a safe environment that allows
teens in mental crisis to speak up and
receive proper treatment. We must help
them heal. We must empower them. We
must help them understand that they
are not alone.
We are the mothers, brothers,
fathers, nieces, nephews, grandparents,
cousins, friends of teens who are suffer-
ing from mental illnesses. Please join us
on Sunday, March 1, when we gather as
a community to begin shedding light on
teen mental illness.
Join the growing movement of
Americans who promote mental well-
ness for the health and well being of our
teens. ❑
Wren Beaulieu-Hack is chairperson for Jewish
Federation's Youth Professional Council support-
ing teen youth professionals. She is also chair-
person for the conference.
The Dark Secret Behind Teen
Mental Illness: Shedding Light on
Mental Health" facilitated by Cheryl
Chodun, former reporter.
1-3 p.m. Sunday, March 1, at the
West Bloomfield High School,
4925 Orchard Lake Road.
$5 in advance; $10 at door.
For information, contact Danielle
Longo at longo@jfmd.org .