STONE'S JEWELRY views letters Nikki and Hillel FIND YOUR PERFECT MOTHER’S DAY GIFT 6881 Orchard Lake Rd. on the Boardwalk (248) 851-5030 www.stonesfi nejewelry.com Ea[`a_Yf%?jgofHjg\m[] ;]jlaÚ]\Gj_Yfa[Hjg\m[] >j]k`Hj]hYj]\>gg\k ?Yj\]fHdYflk>dgo]jk Live Entertainment Kids Zone Kmf\Yqk$1Y&e&*h&e&EYq/l`G[lgZ]j*1l` Dg[Yl]\gfF&Gd\Ogg\oYj\Y[jgkk^jge:ggl`HYjc I agree with Edwin Black (Replacing the U.N.,” April 20, page 8) that the “anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, undemocrat- ic and diplomatically dysfunctional” United Nations should be replaced with something better. I am still bitter that on Dec. 23, 2016, Samantha Power and the U.S. went along with this tarnished institution and abstained from its resolution declaring Israeli settlements illegal under international law, demanding that Israel cease construction in the West Bank and other territories cap- tured in the 1967 Middle East war. It was a slap in the face to Israel and to Jews around the world. But no mat- ter how much we shake our heads, I, unfortunately, believe the U.N. is here to stay. Instead of dismantling it, we need courageous people in the U.N. to stand up for Israel and human rights. Thankfully, the new U.N. Ambassador, Nikki Haley, has vehemently spoken out against the double standards of the human-rights-violating dic- tatorships that want to punish and decimate Israel. She has spotlighted the constant bias against Israel and pleaded for human rights everywhere, focusing instead on the brutality of countries such as Syria and Iran. The real hero of the U.N. before Nikki Haley, and now standing with her, is Hillel Neuer, the executive direc- tor of UN Watch, who has been a con- stant observer and a voice for justice and human rights for more than 10 years. He is a thoughtful and outspo- ken critic, calling out double stan- dards of countries that accuse Israel of “apartheid,” the same countries that forced their Jewish citizens into exile and now are doing the same with Christians and other minorities. In March, after PLO, Qatar, Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and other Arab regimes accused Israel of “apartheid,” Neuer took to the U.N. floor and listed the number of Jews there had been in Algeria, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Iran and how many there are now (zero). He guest column 5/7 Opening Day 6/25 Chef Clash Sunday 9/17 Harvest Festival BirminghamFarmersMarket.org 8 May 4 • 2017 10/29 End of Season Celebration Birmingham Farmers Market jn 8/13 Corn Festival BhamFarmMkt cried out these haunting words to the world, “Where are your Jews?” Neuer wrote after this memorable moment: “Despite the Palestinian, Egyptian and Pakistani attempts to silence me, we silenced the entire U.N. Human Rights Council. And now, in less than two days [March 23], the video — exposing their terrible lies, hypocrisy and moral inversion — has been seen 1.4 million times around the world and still counting. In a room of darkness, we must light a candle of truth.” Amen. Arnie Goldman Farmington Hills JCRC/AJC Clarification We thank the Detroit Jewish News for informing its readers of our commu- nity’s response to the recent anti-Israel activity at the University of Michigan- Dearborn (“Anti-Israel Ploy” April 27, page 26). While the distribution of bogus parking tickets with an anti-Israel message was both offensive and shocking, we were pleased to see the effective response led by the school’s Jewish students and organized by Hillel of Metro Detroit’s Miriam Starkman and Neil Cantor. Hillel empowers Jewish students by creating community and marshalling resources and relationships, such as that with UM-Dearborn Chancellor Dan Little, who is a friend of the Jewish commu- nity and of Israel. The anti-Israel instigator on that campus, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), is no partner for com- munity relations and dialogue. SJP rejects Israel’s right to exist, opposes a negotiated peace and is hostile to the Jewish community. Unfortunately, the story misstated our position on part- nering with SJP. JCRC/AJC has not and will not interface with such a group. David Kurzmann Executive Director, Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC continued from page 5 meeting, from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, will focus on planning and sign making. Visit Motor City Freedom Riders on Facebook to RSVP. On May 18, the Regional Transit Authority is hosting its board retreat to discuss the future of regional tran- sit. We’ve been continually frustrated by the RTA Board’s unwillingness to be public about where individual voting members stand on putting the measure back on the ballot, so this will be a very important fact- finding opportunity for us to chart our course moving forward. The retreat is open to the public to sit in on, and it will be at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, May 18, at the Lawrence Technological University in Southfield. To get involved with Detroit Jews for Justice’s transit work or to connect with DJJ leaders attending the May 12 rally, email community organizer Eleanor at eleanor@ detroitjewsforjustice.org. • Martin Baum is a Bloomfield Hills attorney.