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Commencement Address
To The Rainbow Room
Rainbow Room
teacher Adrienne
Gersten with
Phoebe and Ben
By Ben Falik
T
o my knowledge, Temple Emanu-
El in Oak Park and its sister
schools do not have commence-
ment speakers upon whom they bestow
honorary pre-kindergarten degrees.
But if they did, I’d like to think I
would be on the short list, assuming
Dora the Explorer or Mitch Albom were
unavailable.
Were I to find myself on such an
esteemed dais, here’s what I would
say to the Rainbow Room, the Temple
Emanu-El Preschool Class of 2016:
Good morning to the Olivias and
everyone else.
Every morning, after I drop Phoebe off
at school — sometimes too early, some-
times too late, sometimes with no lunch
— I drive down to Southwest Detroit and
get to work with two members of the
Rainbow Room Class of 1998.
Almost 20 years ago, Alex Chmara and
Rachel Klein sat right where you were
sitting, possibly wearing scrunchies and
plaid, both of which were quite popu-
lar at the time. Like you, their parents
bragged about them on the phone and
took lots of pictures, albeit on two differ-
ent devices.
And like you, they had their commu-
nity’s support and myriad opportunities
to grow up safe and strong.
Alex and Rachel chose to spend this
year as Repair the World Fellows and are
going on to other forms of world repair.
After graduating from college, Alex
returned to elementary school, pouring
his energy, compassion and creativity
into a Project Healthy Community after-
school program at Schulze. He showed
the kids in Northwest Detroit that they
can do great things — and that we expect
nothing less.
After studying in Israel, Rachel has
worked in Mexicantown (north of
Canada) to help the international refugees
and asylum seekers living at Freedom
House. She has coordinated speakers
including Sen. Carl Levin on subjects
including urban planning, all to help the
residents develop a sense of place here.
Alex is heading to Wayne State to
get his master’s in social work. Rachel
will work as a community organizer
with MOSES (Metropolitan Organizing
Strategy Enabling Strength), on cam-
paigns to address social justice issues.
Alex and Rachel learned a thing or two
about making the world a better place
— just like you did — in the Rainbow
Room. That mitzvot come in all shapes
and sizes. That the oppression and libera-
tion Jews experienced in ancient Egypt
commands us to help liberate oppressed
peoples everywhere. That you can have
Shabbat on Friday mornings if it means
songs, smiles and grape juice.
Unlike the people Alex and Rachel
have worked with this year, you are not
strangers in a strange land or students at
a school that doesn’t have funding for art
or music. All the more reason to dedicate
yourselves to understanding other peo-
ple’s problems and helping them develop
the tools to solve them.
Of course, we have problems of our
own. Phoebe, the first time I wrote about
you, your mom was 39 weeks pregnant,
it was very cold and the economy was
a shambles. A lot has happened in the
past five years, including you being born
shortly thereafter and kicking our asses
ever since.
Where we live, the houses have
become more valuable, the commu-
nity swimming pool is open, and we
have many excellent Middle Eastern
restaurants to choose from. Not too far
away, people are losing their homes and
wondering if the water is safe to drink.
In the Middle East, families like ours are
searching for safe places for their kids to
grow up and their parents to grow old.
I don’t think you’re too young to
understand how important you are to
our community — and how important
this community is to you. We’ve got a lot
riding on you. Chances are, you’ll have to
leave to realize that you are a product of
here: the seasons, the accent, the pop.
You will always be from here — of
here — and uniquely situated to make
here better.
Mazel tov and wear sunscreen.
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commentary
Eyewitness To Terror
L
ast night, June 8, I went to
and screaming. We quickly
dinner with a friend in Tel
got up and started to run away
Aviv’s Sarona Market, a
from the gunshot sounds and,
place I have gone dozen of times
as we were running away, I
before. Sarona is a wonderful
saw people running toward
place filled with bars, shops,
the action and gunfire. My
restaurants and parks visited
friend and I made it to safety,
by young couples, families and
and I stood watching people
Deena Martin
tourists from all over.
frantically making phone calls,
After we finished our meals,
among them young girls look-
my friend and I decided we didn’t want
ing scared and confused. It was a terror-
dessert next door at Max Brenner’s, so
ist attack.
we went to sit in an open area across the
I share this story not to be praised for
street, as we usually do. A moment later being brave; I am not brave. The man I
we heard a pop, thinking it was simply
saw running toward the shooter — he
kids playing with firecrackers, then next is brave.
we heard rounds of fire.
I tell this story to share the reality of
I looked up and saw people running
what happens in Israel every day. It is
true that shootings happen every day all
over the world, but it’s different in Israel.
In Israel, it’s an attack by terrorists who
are shooting us, stabbing us, kidnapping
us because we are Jewish, because we
are living in our homeland.
Don’t let the media bias influence
your ideas on Israel; talk to people who
are here, who live the reality every day
in Israel so you will understand what it
is like to be hated in your own land.
I, more than ever, strongly stand for
Israel, now and forever.
*
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June 16 • 2016
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