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We Deliver Adult Jewish Education
Speaking Up For Israel
earn Something New in 2016
A SAMPLING OF CLASSES
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at U-M
fail to silence Jewish student.
0- WINTER 201 6
TOTAL BEGINNING HEBREW
Instructor: Nira Lev
Monday afternoons beginning January 11
Instructor: Aron Kaufman
Monday evenings beginning January 11
Stacy Gittleman I Contributing Writer
E
CONCEPTS IN JUDAISM: WORSHIP AND BELIEF
Instructor: Rabbi Joseph Klein
Wednesday evenings beginning January 13
THE FIERY AND THE FALLEN: ANGELS AND DEMONS IN JUDAISM
Instructor: Dr. Justin Sledge
Monday evenings beginning January 25
JUDAISM'S 10 BEST FOODS (JEWISH KITCHENS IN DETROIT)
Instructor: Rabbi Ariana Silverman
Thursday evenings beginning February 4
WORLD RELIGIONS FROM A JEWISH PERSPECTIVE
Instructor: Dr. Mitch Parker
Thursday evenings beginningFebruary 4
THE TEACHINGS OF THE TALMUD
Instructor: Rabbi Rod Glogower
Tuesday mornings beginning February 9
FROM SINAI TO SEINFELD: THE HISTORY OF JEWISH HUMOR
Instructor: Ruth Bergman
Monday mornings or evenings beginning February 29
0- SPRING 201 6 --o
ISRAEL: A SHARED COUNTRY, A DIVIDED PEOPLE
Instructor: Ruth Berman
Wednesday mornings beginning March 2
AND THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS...LESSONS FOR
YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TO LIVE BY!
Instructor: Rabbi Michele Faudem
Sunday mornings beginning March 6
A PSYCHOLOGIST'S LOOK AT THE BIBLE: LIARS,
TRICKSTERS AND VILLAINS
Instructor: Dr. Mitch Parker
Thursday mornings beginning March 17
THE BOOK OF EXODUS: TEXT AND TEXTURE
Instructor: Rabbi Joseph Klein
Monday evenings beginning March 21
JEWS ON THE SILVER SCREEN
Instructor: Professor Howard Lupovitch
Tuesday evenings beginning March 22
WEIRD AND WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT THE PASSOVER SEDER
Instructor: Ruth Bergman
Thursday evenings beginning March 31
MODERN ISRAELI ART AND MUSIC
Instructor: Rabbi Aaron Bergman
Monday afternoons beginning May 2
CONFESSIONS OF A JEWISH MOVIEGOER
Instructor: Elliot Wilhelm
Wednesday evenings beginning May 4
For a catalogue of all the classes call 248-205-2557
or visit jewishdetroit.org/feded
F jr Good
^Jewish Federation
xpressing
relief that the
University of
Michigan's Central
Student Government
(CSG) Ethics
Committee had
cleared his name on
Dec. 7 of charges of
hate speech because
he spoke out at a
pro-Palestinian
demonstration, Jesse
Arm, a CSG student
Jesse Arm
representative, said he
looks forward to "get-
ting back to work on making campus
a better place for all students:'
"Freedom of speech is of critical
importance, and all students should
recognize that truth:' Arm told the
JN shortly after the ethics committee
hearing — the first time in the CSG's
history a student serving in a student
governmental position had ever been
brought up on an ethics violation.
"I hope that, in the future, all
students will be able to engage in
respectful dialogue freely without fear
of repercussions for their ideas:' he
said.
Under the charges brought up by
the pro-Palestinian group Students
Allied for Freedom and Equality
(SAFE), Arm faced possible removal
from his student governmental seat
for emotionally, but peacefully, criti-
cizing their Nov. 19 demonstration.
The demonstration featured SAFE
members costumed to look like Israeli
soldiers pretending to harass others
at a mock checkpoint in front of two
large, wall-like signs that included a
dove targeted in a rifle's crosshairs and
the words "To Exist Is To Resist:'
Arm told the JN, "I objected to
the use of that phrase in particular
because I believe it to be a plainly
regressive way of looking at the con-
flict no matter what side you are on.
To exist is to coexist. To exist is to dia-
logue. To exist is to compromise. To
exist is to strive toward peace:'
The incident occurred on the
same day Jewish students on campus
learned of the terrorist murder of
Jewish American Ezra Schwartz in
Israel, though campus media reports
that the timing by SAFE
was a coincidence.
Arm, who passed the
demonstration on his
way to a class, spoke out
and offered his contact
information to later dis-
cuss the issue, but a SAFE
representative was not
interested in continuing a
dialogue.
The Ethics Committee
reviewed the incident,
which was documented
in a video presented by
SAFE.
SAFE'S own video, however, proved
that Arm acted appropriately — and it
wound up supplying the evidence that
exonerated him.
The Ethics Committee concluded,
"Arm should not be penalized; and
members of student government have
the right to speak passionately ... and
advocate on behalf of the causes they
believe in. [Arm] remained well inside
his First Amendment rights and ... he
never attempted to speak on behalf of
Central Student Government or even
mentioned the governing body:'
To justify their ruling, the CSG
cited Article VIII, Section 1 of the
Constitution of the Student Body
of the Ann Arbor Campus of the
University of Michigan, which states
that "no authority, academic or civil,
shall infringe on a student's freedom
of speech, freedom to peacefully
assemble, or freedom to demonstrate
grievances:'
The Ethics Committee also stated
"SAFE has the right to continue to
discuss these important issues, just
as Representative Arm should have
the right to continue to speak freely
and participate in dialogue. ... This
expression cannot be censored; the
emotional responses that students
have are real and valuable:'
Tilly Shames
'UNFOUNDED
COMPLAINT'
Leading up to the
hearing, Hillel
Executive Director
Tilly Shames in
a statement said
that she had "faith
OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT
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December 17 • 2015
JN
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