views guest column guest column Federation Responds To Anti-Semitism Looking For A Few Good Men(tshen) W JOHN HARDWICK e have all heard the dis- turbing news. Since January, there have been well over 100 threats made against Jewish institutions in 33 states through anonymous emails and telephone calls. Two historic Jewish cemeteries were maliciously desecrated over the past few weeks. Millions of anti-Semitic posts and tweets have been aimed at Jewish journalists and pub- lic figures. Swastikas have appeared on buildings, sidewalks and cars across the nation. Our own community has not been immune. Both the JCC and Hillel Day Wolfe School were targeted with bomb threats. Our neigh- bors in Ann Arbor received their second bomb scare last week. Authorities are not yet certain if the ongoing threats have been coordi- nated or who is respon- sible. We can be sure, Rosenthal however, that their intent is to sow fear throughout the Jewish community and to undermine our institu- tions using terror and intimidation. While there has been no actual danger, the threats constitute a serious and deeply con- Kaufman cerning assault on Jewish society and people across America. The Federation’s first responsibil- ity is for the safety of our children and other vulnerable individuals. We are very fortunate to have one of the most capable and robust Federation Community Security Departments in the nation. This team is working in a close and ongoing partnership with local and national law enforcement, including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, and together they are diligently ensuring the pro- tection of our schools and campuses. Our response to the recent bomb scares was orderly and thorough, and only enhanced our confidence in our security measures. We want to assure the community that there is no rea- son to feel unsafe. Beyond this, how should we respond to these despicable and cow- ardly actions? The answer is simple. 8 March 9 • 2017 jn Collectively, the most important thing we can do is to maintain the life of our vibrant community. We must continue to support and cherish our congregations and day schools, our JCC and all the other institutions that sustain Jewish life in Metro Detroit. We will not be discouraged or intimi- dated, and together we will confront hatred and anti-Semitism with our indomitable passion for our unique heritage, culture and community. In the coming months, the Jewish Federation and other organizations will be hosting a variety of programs that address the issue of anti- Semitism. Topics will cover both local and overseas trends, and range from the recent threats in our community to the enduring legacy of the Holocaust. Please look for these upcoming events in your inbox and join us in exploring these critical and important challenges. We would also like to gratefully acknowledge the Federation Community Security Department, as well as the administrative and security teams at our schools and organizations that per- form daily with extraordinary commitment and profession- alism. In particular, we would like to recognize the staffs of the JCC and Hillel Day School who handled difficult situa- tions in an exemplary manner, mak- ing us all proud. As we have seen during difficult times in the past, those events that challenge us also serve to remind us that we have an extraordinarily strong and cohesive community. The Jewish Federation and its local and overseas partner agencies will continue to serve and support our Jewish community, whether we are confronting threats and difficulties or celebrating our many blessings and successes. Sincerely, Lawrence A. Wolfe, president of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit; Benjamin F. Rosenthal, president of the United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit; and Scott Kaufman, CEO of Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit J ewish Family Service’s 100 and Jewish values was not one she Mensches program is a men’s had previously contemplated. initiative established to raise “Before I participated, I had awareness of a topic often ignored thought about ways to prevent within the Jewish community domestic violence in the community, — domestic abuse. Through JFS but not in connection with any spe- social workers and its cific Jewish values,” Hannah legal assistance pro- says today. “Applying the Jewish gram, the agency is very values to my preexisting ideas aware that domestic about preventing domestic vio- abuse — whether physi- lence was an enriching experi- cal violence, harassment, ence that helped strengthen intimidation or financial the ideas I already had. threats — is sadly a fact “I think it’s especially of life within the Jewish important to emphasize the community, no different Mark Jacobs prevalence of domestic and than among the general intimate partner violence population. in communities such as our Experts estimate that local Jewish community, one in three women as people often do not talk have been victimized in some about it, assuming domestic vio- way by their domestic partner. In lence only happens in lower-class the Jewish community, the issue or urban communities.” affects all social and economic seg- This spring, 100 Mensches is once ments, from professionals to blue- again conducting the scholarship collar workers. Oftentimes, Jewish program. JFS urges all Jewish high victims of domestic abuse remain school seniors to visit our website silent and fail to seek assistance at www.100mensches.org and learn out of a deep sense of shame and a more about entering the contest. misperception that their story is an We also encourage Jewish men to anomaly within the community. join the ranks of 100 Mensches and Last year, 100 Mensches con- help define the standards by which ducted an essay contest and our community, and particularly awarded partial scholarships to our younger folks, need to emulate. three local high school seniors. A central tenet of Jewish values The 800- to 1,000-word essay was is shalom bayit or “harmony in the a response to a simple question: home.” Given the sad prevalence of How can Jewish values help create domestic abuse within our com- a future free of domestic abuse? munity — a topic often brushed All of the essays were thought- under the rug — we at JFS feel it is ful, well-researched and education- incumbent on us all to tackle this al. Last year’s winner was Hannah difficult issue head-on and to do Katz, currently a freshman at the our share to be part of the solution. • University of Michigan. In Hannah’s Mark Jacobs is chairman of 100 Mensches. case, the topic of domestic abuse CORRECTIONS: • The photo credit for the Looking Back photo Feb. 23 should have read: Photo, circa 1905, from the 1996 Detroit Historical Museum exhibition, “Becoming American Women: Clothing and the Jewish Experience in Michigan,” curated by Judith Levin Cantor. Image submitted by Joseph Colten, son of Ida Buchhalter Colten. • In the March 2 Faces & Places on page 56 about United Hatzalah, one of two national emergency medical-response organizations in Israel, the phone num- ber for Midwest/Central regional director Cari Margulis Immerman should have been listed as (216) 544-3010. Call that number to donate money toward the purchase of emergency vehicles, medical equipment and supplies.