views
for openers
Th e State Of Th e Bagel
I
wouldn’t call myself a picky eater. I
Not too much — God forbid, I say
would call myself an I-know-what-I-
“light” amount of cream cheese. I will
want-and-how-I-want-it eater. And I not be getting regular cream cheese. I
want bagels. Daily.
will get light cream cheese. Why do I
Sorry, Mama, I know bagels are bad
ask for not too much? I am not count-
for me. This is not an article on
ing calories. I just can’t stand
how to lose weight on a bagel
having a huge dollop of cream
a day. Good luck with that one.
cheese coming out of the cen-
This is about how frustrating it
ter of the bagel.
Lox — I know smoked salm-
is that I need to choose where I
on and lox are not the same
go to get a bagel sandwich, not
thing. I know what I want is
based on quality, but based on
lox. Lox has not been smoked.
the least ignorant service.
It is just salted salmon. Who
Come on, Metro Detroit!
knows what a specific bagel
Let’s get our bagel act together! Jane Gazman
spot calls lox?! They may call
My current go-to order is salt
lox, lox. They may call lox,
bagel (toasted), regular cream
smoked salmon. They may
cheese (not too much), lox and
call lox, lox, but cream cheese with lox,
cucumber. The experience of getting
smoked salmon. Ah!!!
what I want should be measured by
Cucumber — Some places have it,
both walking out with the correct order
and walking out with my composure
others are confused why I would want
intact. Let’s break down how hard it is
anything other than a tomato, onions
to get this order right for both the chain and capers on my lox sandwich. As if I
and independent bagel shops in the
am ordering a pepperoni pizza without
area.
cheese and tomato sauce and pep-
peroni.
This brings us to the “Lox Sandwich.”
HAVE IT MY WAY?
And why I am taking time from study-
Toasted — At one of the chain estab-
ing for the bar exam to share my plea
lishments, I will be asked “how” I want
for stress-free custom bagel experiences
my bagel toasted. I am NOT ordering
in Metro Detroit. I stopped at a local
red meat! Put the bagel in the toaster
independent bagel shop this morning.
and stop talking.
The staff member took my order.
Wherever I am, typically the next
question is, “Do you want everything on
it?” In my head, I am screaming, “What
do you mean, do I want everything on
it?! I just told you exactly what I want
on my bagel and how I want it!” In the
real world, politely and calmly with a
very, tight fake smile, I say, “No, thank
you. Just the things I asked for.”
BAGEL BY ANY OTHER NAME
This morning, the staff member, as
she is making my bagel sandwich, says
to me, in a tone to educate me on my
bagel order, “You are having the Lox
Sandwich.” I, of course, panic. Because,
I am not having their Lox Sandwich.
The only common ingredient is lox. In
my head I am screaming, “I don’t care
under which code you will ring up my
order! Just don’t mess it up!”
In real life, I walk to the register and
focus on my breathing. So, of course, I
am having yet another horrible experi-
ence that will end with a great bagel.
Metro Detroit Bagel Eaters with
Distinguished Taste, we deserve great
bagels and great, knowledgeable ser-
vice! •
Jane Gazman lives in Farmington and is studying
for the Michigan Bar Exam.
letters
Politics Has
A Place At Shul
Is Jonathan Tobin, in his commentary of
June 29 “Who Loses When Synagogues
Join The Resistance?” (page 6), seriously
trying to argue that, unlike the evident
backlash against Donald Trump, Jewish
congregations of all stripes have tradi-
tionally been “non-political,” never leap-
ing into “open political activity?” How
would he classify rabbis’ open support
of civil rights campaigns and the work
of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King? Would
he argue that the constant drumbeat of
unquestioning support, fundraising and
lobbying for Israel in the Palestinian
dispute is not political? Many U.S. con-
gregations even openly urge their mem-
bers to take positions in Israeli internal
debates and facilitate their doing so.
For his information, “social justice”
campaigns have never been and can-
not be apolitical. Yes, one should draw
the line at moves such as taking public
money for religious education or cam-
paigns, contributing congregational
funds to political candidates, etc. But
rabbis are properly classified as teach-
ers rather than clergy. As such, they
deserve “free speech” rights, but right-
fully can and should be questioned by
critical congregants, who also are free
to speak out or leave if they cannot fun-
damentally reconcile with the positions
of the temple or shul.
Please do not kid us that politics,
even on divisive issues, has no place
in religious discussion, especially
when the consequences of policies
and the dubious ethics of office hold-
ers can cause untold destruction and
human suffering.
Dr. Fred Pearson
Beverly Hills
Forgotten Children
The blood of the souls of 1.5 million
Jewish children are crying from the
depths of the ashes of the Holocaust,
asking “Why is only Anne Frank’s
story repeated for generations?” “Why
is our story not told to the masses of
humanity?” “Where is our suffering
told to others?” “Has anyone seen our
shoes displayed at the extermination
camps at Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen,
Majdenek or Dachau?” “Does anyone
care about the hell reigned down upon
our shriveled and suffering bodies?”
I am a survivor of seven extermina-
tion camps and two ghettos. I have
been lecturing about the Holocaust
for the past 50 years and, most
recently, I am a regular speaker at the
Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills.
It distresses me that the stories of the
other Jewish children who were mur-
dered in the Holocaust have been for-
gotten while only Anne Frank’s story
is given notoriety. She was only one
of more than a million children who
were exterminated by the Nazis.
We must remember and memorial-
ize those who have been forgotten
and wiped off the face of the Earth.
We must discuss and educate and give
recognition to the 1.5 million Jewish
children who were “crushed to death
under the heels of the Nazi boots.”
We must remember the purity of
their souls and the beauty of Jewish
lives that might have been lived. We
must memorialize those lost Jewish
families and their generations never
realized.
Who shall now step forward to help
succeeding generations remember 1.5
million Jewish children and the Jewish
families they would have had?
Henry Friedman
Historian, Educator
My
Story
Michael Graub is a longtime
Hebrew Free Loan Board member
who believes his experience with the
agency improved his life focus.
“This agency is driven by a good,
diverse team of Board and staff who
check their egos at the door and do
what’s best for the Jewish community,”
Michael said. “This peer-to-peer model
connects with people, it is the beating
heart of HFL. When I’m on the way
home from meeting borrowers, the
type of energy I have is indescribable.
I know then, that I have helped a client
improve their life.”
Michael feels that energy translated
into positives at work as well. As a
business owner in financial services,
Michael observed human interactions
at work and incorporated the
grounding principle of HFL in a
couple of areas where it was needed.
Dignity and respect, he said, are
universal needs, and being more
conscious of them helped his business.
Michael’s experience as a small
business owner drove him to be
part of the team that created the
nucleus of the Marvin I. Danto
Small Business Loan Program.
“The Danto program is close to
my heart,” Michael said. “I fell in
love with the idea of how Hebrew
Free Loan helps individuals and
families, and I was one of several
who asked how we could move that
model into other areas. Launching
and keeping small businesses here
is one of the ways we improve the
quality of life for everyone, and
make Michigan more attractive for
new generations. The legacy we
leave behind should be a strong,
rich and vibrant community.”
Become an HFL Donor.
Click. Call. Give Now.
www.hfldetroit.org
248.723.8184
Health. A fresh start.
A good education.
The next great business idea.
Hebrew Free Loan gives interest-
free loans to members of our
community for a variety of
personal and small business
needs. HFL loans are funded
entirely through community
donations which continually
recycle to others, generating
many times the original value
to help maintain the lives of
local Jews.
6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 300 • Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301
Hebrew Free Loan Detroit
jn
@HFLDetroit
July 13 • 2017
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