Erika Bocknek of Farmington Hills
with her husband, Andy Bocknek,
and children Ethan, 5, and Lielle, 18
months old

“I was thinking about this
question the morning my
family and I went to the Jew-
ish Food Festival. My husband
and I really were looking
forward to listening to Rabbi
Rachel Shere’s talk on ‘What’s
Jewish about Food?’ but with
our 5-year-old and 1-year-old
in tow, I think we managed to
hear about fi ve minutes.
“What we did hear was an
eloquent perspective on the
apparent discordance that we
thank God for the abundance
of food and yet there are
many, many people around
the world who are hungry,
and the message was that we
need to partner with God to
help distribute food to people
who need it.
“Later in the day, when I
asked my 5-year-old what he
most wanted for the world,
he said, ‘For everyone to have
enough food and no one to be
hungry,’ which made me real-
ize he really was listening to
the rabbi’s words! Personally,
I wish for the world greater
compassion … so I’m grate-
ful to friends and community
leaders who can help parents
like me plant those seeds!”

— Erika Bocknek, Farmington Hills

“I wish for complete free-
dom and safety for the Jewish
people. To be able to walk
through the world unmolest-
ed, without jeers and whis-
pers, rocks or hatred thrown
our way. I am wishing that
each child will return always
to their parents’ home, burst-
ing through the door with

laughter and joy, complete
and intact. That no parent
or sibling or spouse should
ever look out the window to
see the approaching news
of death, hear their child’s
name called up on the radio,
stand next to a tallit-drapen
body, their lips never to
chant Yisgadal V’yisgadash
because their loved one has
been struck down by zealots
of hate.
“I am wishing for our young
people to take the Torah into
their arms and their hearts,
to know it, what it means, to
understand it and what a gift
it is from HaShem.
“As Rosh Hashanah ap-
proaches, I wish we would
know each other better than
we did at the time we stood at
Sinai together, that we would
truly be united, brethren in
arms, standing for one an-
other, to do as we would like
to have done to ourselves.
“We are illuminated, ma-
jestic, magnifi cent, humbled,
generous, ready — this is our
time — this is the moment.
Open our mouths — hear us,
guide us as we speak.”

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FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES
MICHIGAN CHAPTER

— Shelley Dube, Farmington Hills,
DJ on Voice of Peace Radio

“My wish is that we learn
to look out for the best op-
portunities for the whole and
not for the best opportunities
for the individual. Tough to
do because we seem to be
genetically primed to attempt
to outdo our neighbor. Nev-
ertheless, we should not give
up.
“Perhaps we could start with
our elected leaders, even at
the local level, demanding
they communicate meaning-
fully with each other to deter-
mine and place what is best
for the people ahead of what
is best for themselves.”

— Mitch Parker, West Bloomfield,
spiritual leader of B’nai Israel
Synagogue of West Bloomfield

2123100

DEAR FRIENDS,
SHANAH TOVAH U’METUKAH!
MAY YOU BE WRITTEN AND
SEALED FOR A GREAT YEAR
FILLED WITH HAPPINESS,
PROSPERITY
AND GOOD HEALTH.

Save the Date

Gala Dinner

20 TH ANNUAL

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2016

Keynote Speaker

Brig. Gen. (Res.) Joshua Shani

Lead Pilot in Operation Entebbe Rescue Mission

Host Co-Chairs

Shari & Alon Kaufman

Lisa & Gary Shiffman

Congregation Shaarey Zedek

(248) 926-4110

For more information, please contact:

michigan@fidf.org


www.fidf.org

THEIR JOB IS TO LOOK AFTER ISRAEL. OURS IS TO LOOK AFTER THEM.

2119990

September 29 • 2016

45

