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National Council of Jewish Women
Greater Detroit Section

for openers

Another Jewish Candidate

I

t is with a heavy heart that I
announce I’m suspending my cam-
paign for the presidency of the United
States (pause for collective sigh). The
results of the Super Tuesday primaries put
me in the unenviable position of being the
first candidate in our nation’s history to
accumulate a negative delegate count.
I knew then that the handwriting was
on the wall; which is ironic because hand-
writing on walls has been one of the more
affordable forms of advertising for me
— that and gluing campaign posters over
already existing garage sale signs.
Admittedly, Muskovitz for President
also failed miserably in the Iowa caucuses.
Why? Because of a typo in our media
buy, we spent our entire Iowa campaign
advertising budget in Idaho. While embar-
rassing, I am proud of the fact that we now
have decent name recognition in Idaho;
so that’s at least one out of our 53 states
where I can say I made an impact.
Despite what I thought was a decent vet-
ting process, it’s clear that I didn’t end up
surrounding myself with the most expe-
rienced political strategists. My campaign
slogan should have given me a clue: “I Will
Make America and the Detroit Lions Great
Again.” The Muskovitz for President cam-
paign also lacked technological expertise.

For example, the use of rotary telephones
made reaching potential voters cumber-
some and extremely time consuming,
especially because so many of the people
on our list had phone numbers with a lot
of zeroes and nines.
While tremendously disappointed, I’m
proud to say that I can walk away from
my bid for the White House without ever
having gone negative against my political
rivals. Of course, I wish I could say the
same thing about my family who ran a
series of scathing ads against me, pointing
out many of my faults that include a lack
of organizational skills and my habit of
procrastinating.
Which reminds me, a big thank you to
JN Story Development Editor Keri Guten
Cohen for giving me an extra day to write
this column.
There is a silver lining. During a “sus-
pended” campaign, federal law continues
to recognize me as a candidate until I
“officially” announce that I’m no longer a
candidate and I pay my campaign bills and
workers. So my fellow Americans, don’t
count me out just yet. And, to my devoted
staff, let me just say the checks are in the
mail.
Who knows, perhaps there will be some
circumstance that will force me to re-enter

Join NCJW/Greater Detroit
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Making A
Difference

Alan Muskovitz

the race; like maybe if all the candidates
we currently have to choose from stay in
the race. But I can say this without hesita-
tion, if Bernie Sanders drops out I am
definitely back in. I mean, the temptation
to be the first Jewish president is just too
tempting. That being said, if I do indeed
have the honor of becoming our nation’s
first Jewish president, I can promise you
that I will throw the best inaugural balls
and less expensive, too, because I plan on
re-using all the themed decorations from
my kids’ bar and bat mitzvahs. The only
hurdle I’ll probably face is whether the
Secret Service will allow me to use Star
Trax for valet service.
Thank you, and may God bless you and
may God bless America!

*

Alan Muskovitz is a writer, voice-over/acting tal-
ent, speaker, emcee and a regular guest host on the
Mitch Albom Show on WJR AM 760. Visit his website
at laughwithbigal.com and “Like” Al on Facebook.

editorial

Donating Is Important, But So Is Investing Time

G

iving of oneself to help the less
fortunate, not just donating
money to a worthy cause, is
considered so integral to Jewish life that
it’s viewed as a very special mitzvah. It
requires a higher-level investment.
Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers)
teaches how “the practice of charity is
one of the pillars on which the world
rests.”
It’s easy to donate money; and most
worthy causes welcome a cash infusion.
It’s harder to give of oneself; a commit-
ment of time and a willingness to fail
come into play.
Jews historically have dug deep into
their spiritual soul to find a way to
supplement financial gifts with personal
outreach.
The Feb. 18 issue of the JN reported
on two wonderful examples of Jews
building charitable bridges of outreach

between suburbia and Detroit:
• “The Joy Of Reading” told about
Friends of MacDowell efforts to build
literacy at their former elementary.
The article relates that “the volunteer
group has been one piece of stability in
a school that seen its share of turmoil”
and how alumni tutors enjoy being with
the kids — nurturing a love of read-
ing and literature, sharing memories of
“their own school days at MacDowell” as
well as doing a little fundraising.
A similar script has played out over
the years, to varying degrees, between
other Jewish alumni and their Detroit
elementary schools, notably Pasteur,
Bagley, Glazer, Schultz, Hampton,
Vernor, Vandenberg, Winship and oth-
ers. Enough volunteers and sustained
energy is always a challenge, though.
• “Spreading The Love” recounted
how Project Healthy Community, a

Temple Israel and Melvyn Rubenfire
family initiative, assists families down
on their luck in the neighborhoods
surrounding the Northwest Activities
Center in Detroit, once our Jewish
Community Center.
Project Healthy Community helps ele-
vate the standard of living, from nutri-
tion to education to health to camping
and more, for qualifying families. Over
the past 3½ years, the inter-community,
interracial and interfaith nonprofit has
brought in sharp relief how we as a
Jewish community can inspire a team
approach to turn grass-roots dreams
into productive reality.
Not every act of giving reaps a big
dividend. But standing pat won’t yield
even a small return. Successful outreach
clearly requires stepping up — conscien-
tiously, even daringly — and not fearing
having to regroup and try once more.

*

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MISSION:
The National Council of Jewish Women
(NCJW) is a grassroots organization
of volunteers and advocates who turn
progressive ideals into action. Inspired
by Jewish values, NCJW strives for
social justice by improving the quality
of life for women, children and families
and by safeguarding individual rights
and freedoms.

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2057590

March 3 • 2016

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