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When Embarrassment
Is A Blessing

A

Armed with water bottles (run-
few months ago, I got a call
ners carry water bottles, right?) and
from my friend Rachel. “I saw
an optimistic attitude, we went to
that Detroit Chesed Project is
the informational meeting later that
looking for volunteers to help raise
night. You could imagine
money for this charity by run-
our surprise when the lead-
ning in a marathon. Let’s do it,”
ers of Team TAV (It Takes A
Rachel said with excitement.
Village, a project of Detroit
All I could think of was how
Chesed Project) presented the
incredibly awful my running
information about the Detroit
experiences had been in the
Free Press Marathon. The two
past. I mean, running after
options available included a
toddlers is exhausting enough
half-marathon at 13.1 miles or
… running a marathon?
a full marathon at 26.2 miles.
However, my weak spot is
Shayna Pearl-
Um, what? 13.1 miles was
charity. This particular charity Bennish
the minimum? Oh, no.
is close to my heart because in
If it hadn’t been for my
the past it has helped me get
absolute fear of embarrass-
through a rough time.
“Well, how far do you have to run?” I ment I would have gotten up and
walked out right then. I mean, me, a
asked with caution.
middle-aged woman with no running
Rachel assured me that 5K wasn’t
experience or desire to run who still
really that far and that we could prob-
has quite a bit of baby weight (and
ably even walk for part of the time. In
donut weight, too) to lose run a mara-
addition, it would be something fun to
thon?
do with a friend. As we talked about
I was clearly the least in-shape
getting matching hats and shoes, the
person in the room (or at least that
idea became more appealing. Rachel
had just had her eighth baby, and I had is how it felt). But I took the infor-
mational packet and went home and
recently lost 50 pounds. OK, a mara-
signed up in a daze. I connected with
thon seemed doable.

the “real” runners and they told me
what shoes to buy, which app to use
and how to get started.
Wow, was this really happening? I
slowly (OK, OK, very slowly) began the
training with walking-jogging inter-
vals a few times a week. Today, as I
continue to train for the Detroit Free
Press Marathon in October I am grate-
ful that my embarrassment of walking
out helped me to commit myself to
doing something new and outside of
my box — and surely outside my com-
fort level. It is a great feeling knowing
that you can achieve something you
didn’t think was achievable when you
put in the hard work.
While I don’t think I will ever be a
“real” runner, and I definitely won’t be
giving up my love for donuts any time
soon, I am enjoying my weekly runs
and the clear brain I feel when I’m in
the zone. But, more than that, I am
proud that I can help raise money and
awareness for a local charity that is
more than worthy of my support.
A little embarrassment can go a
long way in the right direction, when
given the chance. •

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Where Were The Dems?

Why was there no Democratic lead-
ership at the opening of the United
States embassy in Jerusalem on May
14, 2018?

Ed Kohl
West Bloomfield

IfNotNow Is No
Friend To Israel

Rabbi Jeffrey Falick is proud of the
anti-Israel group IfNotNow (May 10,
page 8). He is proud of their joining
Israel-hating groups like Students for
Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice
for Peace in protesting the “Israeli
occupation.”
According to the Palestinians, all
of Israel is “occupied territory.” While
IfNotNow may or may not agree with
that assessment, the fact that they
protest Israel on the basis of a false

claim of occupation makes them
a convenient tool of all Israel/Jew
haters. With Israel’s uprooting all of
Gaza’s Jewish communities in 2005
and Palestinians controlling 97 per-
cent of Judea and Samaria, it’s obvi-
ous that there is no occupation.
On IfNotNow’s website, you can
watch a video that seems to hold the
American Jewish community respon-
sible for President Trump’s moving
the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Don’t
white supremacists also claim Jews
control our government?
IfNotNow refers to the Jerusalem
embassy as “Trump’s Embassy of
Occupation.” They’ve also called for
a “Rally Against Israeli Violence on
Gaza.” Meanwhile, Hamas-controlled
rioters are violently attacking Israel
and Israel’s border using rocks, slings,
guns and Molotov cocktails, which
are being floated into Israel on kites

decorated with swastikas. Then there
are the thousands of tires Hamas has
burned in order to shield the Gazan
rioters.
IfNotNow, as all Israel haters do,
blames all the suffering in Gaza on
Israel. They ignore Hamas and the
fact that Gazan rioters have burned
the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom
crossing where trucks carry goods
from Israel into Gaza.
IfNotNow’s video calls for a divided
Jerusalem. Recall that Jerusalem was
only divided for 19 years when it was
under Jordanian occupation, which
was a real occupation. Just as they
want to re-divide Jerusalem, IfNotNow
is working hard to divide American
Jews from Israel.

Harry Onickel
Ferndale

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jn

May 24 • 2018

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