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>> Send letters to: letters@thejewishnews.com

letters

Bernard Friedman, Rozie Friedman, Harold Friedman, Carol Kent, Marek Kalinowski,

Halina Kalinowski, Paul Friedman, Denise Andreski, Stan Meretsky, Jim Andreski

Volunteers From U.S.
And Europe Aid Israel

12/15/15 at 6:30PM
Fishbones

29244 Northwestern Highway

Southfield, MI 48034

Tell or bring a friend!
Accessible to people
With disabilities.

Light meal served.

Parking will
Be validated.

Nine of us "Detroiters" traveled to Israel
as Volunteers for Israel/Sar-El volunteers
and linked up with fellow Detroiter Carol
Kent to volunteer on an Israeli Army
base.
After visiting Tel Aviv, we went to the
IDF base as Sar-El volunteers.
We were three miles from Gaza. There
were 10 volunteers ... four of us girls. We
completely cleaned out three huge ware-
houses.
My body never hurt so much, and my
heart was never so full. We really worked
hard ... all of us.
The soldiers were so grateful and
couldn't get how much we got out of
doing the work.
The four girls slept in one small room.
We laughed at night and got really close.
The others were from England, Poland
and Fort Lauderdale.
The guys were a riot and nights were
fun.
Got to Jerusalem and saw the actual
ambulance that my husband, Bernard,
and I donated. Wow! It is used a lot and
has a medical team on it. They were great
people.
Volunteers for Israel-USA (VFI-USA) is
associated with Sar-El, a nonprofit orga-

nization that administers the program in
Israel.
Volunteers typically spend two or
three weeks living and working alongside
Israelis at an army base, Israeli Defense
Forces warehouse or service base. The
program offers a way to contribute to the
State of Israel in a very direct way.
Ed Kohl and Carol Kent, the Great
Lakes regional directors for the states of
Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin, are
available to speak to groups and individu-
als about the VFI/Sar-El program.
For information, call or email Ed Kohl
at (248) 420-3729, michgan@vfi-usa.org ;
Carol Kent at (248) 865-8580, carolkent@
aol.com; or visit the VFI-USA website
www.vfi-usa.org.

Oct. 21, both FBI Director James Comey
and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh
Johnson admitted they do not currently
have the ability to properly screen and
conduct sufficient background checks on
Middle Eastern refugees.
In part, from the "Preliminary
Findings of a House Homeland Security
Committee Review," the FBI director on
the challenges of screening Syrian refu-
gees said, "We can query our databases
until the cows come home, but nothing
will show up because we have no record
of that person ... You can only query
what you have collected:'
FBI Assistant Director Michael
Steinbach said, "The concern in Syria is
that we don't have the systems in places
on the ground to collect the information
... All of the data sets, the police, the intel
services that normally you would go and
seek that information [from], don't exist:'
National Intelligence Director James
Clapper stated, "We don't obviously put
it past the likes of ISIL to infiltrate opera-
tives among these refugees:'
"There are no real controls," one
European diplomat explained. "[The
authorities] take fingerprints, accept
whatever identification they provide — if
they have one — and send them on their
way:'
Common sense dictates that it is
time to call a halt to bringing in Middle
Eastern refugees until proper vetting is in
place and working.

Irving W. Ginsberg, Ph.D.

Farmington Hills

Rozie Friedman

West Bloomfield

There Is No Way
To Vet Refugees

In response to the letter from the Jewish
Community Relations Council "JCRC
Backs Settlement Of Syrian Refugess in
U.S." (Nov. 26, page 8), letting emotions
override facts and rationality is an unnec-
essary risk to the safety and security of
American citizens.
During congressional testimony on

Loan Corporation
A Fantastic Idea

As an engineer, I was intrigued by the
fantastic concept of the Ideal Detroit Loan
Corporation ("Bypassing The Bank," Nov.
12, page 12). I have enticed my children
and colleagues to join Ideal. All of my
grandchildren and many nieces and
nephews are also members.
Your story was excellent.

!soak Itkis

Southfield

Space is limited.

continued from page 5

Please RSVP
by calling
1-866-682-7491

NOVART I S

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

East Hanover, New Jersey 07936-1080
© 2013 Novartis 1/13 T-XMG-1234308

20151490

8 December 10.2015

Brigade who lost an arm in a Hamas ter-
ror attack near the Gaza Strip security
fence, and wounded U.S. Marine Corps
veteran Gunnery Sgt. (Ret.) Edward
Schrank, whose life was saved when he
was diagnosed with a potentially termi-
nal brain tumor during treatment for
serious head trauma he sustained in the
line of duty.
"During my time in Israel, I saw how

much our two militaries have in com-
mon," Schrank told the crowd, which
included many veterans of both armies.
"The United States and Israel share so
much in our passions and our core val-
ues — and those who want to see our
values destroyed:'
It is important that Israel's soldiers
know that the Jewish community — in
Detroit and across America — stands

with them. We must show them that
we appreciate their sacrifices and sup-
port their well-being in whatever ways
we can during and after their difficult
service defending Israel and Jews world-
wide. *

Gary Shiffman is president of Friends of the Israel

Defense Forces (FIDF) Michigan Chapter. He lives in

West Bloomfield with his wife, Lisa.

