“From Baghdad
to Brooklyn”
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essay
CAROL DWORKIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Fundraising —Not for
the Faint-Hearted
H
ave you ever
collected
money? For a
fundraiser, a charity, a
school, anything.
If not, imagine if
you will: Somehow you
Rochel Burstyn got roped into rais-
Contributing Writer
ing funds for a cause.
Could be a charity
close to your heart, a condition of your
entrance to an event, could be part of
your kid’s school tuition or camp fees
… Whatever it is, you found yourself
in the lucky position of trying to raise
money for something, someone or
someplace.
So, there you are, getting quite ner-
vous. I mean, essentially, you’re going
to be calling up and asking folks to give
up their hard-earned money. You write
down what you’re going to say, high-
light the bits to emphasize and rehearse
it a few dozen times so even after you’ve
said your shpiel 50 times, you won’t
sound, heaven forbid, rehearsed.
And then off you go, calling people
one by one, slowly getting into it, and
soon you might find, like I did, that
there are four types of people:
“Yes” People: We love these people.
They’re absolute angels. They’re enthu-
siastic, generous and make our work
easy. If the world was full of Yes People,
it would be a wonderful world indeed!
Nicely-worded “No” People: These
people are apologetic: “I wish I could,
but I can’t,” “I’m sorry, but I’m broke” or
even “I’d love to when I win the lottery,
but until then I’m unable.” They’re nice,
a pleasure to call; you still feel invigo-
rated to continue down your list when
you hang up, never mind the lack of
donation. Not everyone is in a position
to give and that’s understandable.
Less Articulate “No” People: Others
are a little less wordy. Hey, no one
owes anyone else an explanation about
their personal finances, but a loud-
ly proclaimed “NO” and a hang-up
mid-rehearsed speech is, believe it or
not, actually — in its own way — also
appreciated. For one simple reason: You
can put a big NO by their name (yup,
you’ve got a list of names in front of
you) and move on. It is a little uncom-
fortable, but at least you know where
you stand, which is, I think we’ll all
agree, a wonderful thing in any rela-
tionship.
“Not Now” People: These people are
lovely, enthusiastic and kind. “I’d love
to!” they say. “What a great cause, just
… not now.” OK, well, that leads to the
natural question: When? Sometimes the
answer is “I’ll get back to you” or “Text
me/email me/call me back” or “Try me
tomorrow/next week/next month.” This
is where fundraising/shnorring /collect-
ing/ gets really awkward because run-
arounds like that feel like you’re chasing
someone down for their money. It’s
sticky, its uncomfortable and it kind of
feels like begging. Sometimes you wish
Not Now People would just say No!
As someone who recently found her-
self raising funds for a charity, I feel like
I’ve learned a loot. (Ha, couldn’t resist!)
So here are my two cents: Money talks,
but it doesn’t buy happiness. It doesn’t
grow on trees, but it does burn a hole in
your pocket. (It’s funny like that.)
As collectors, we’re doing our bit to
make a small change in the world and,
even if some of our would-be donors
give us a run for our money (literally),
it can be helpful to remember that
if, when, why, how and how much a
person donates is not personal. We
are merely the shlichim (messengers)
offering people the opportunity to do
the mitzvah of tzedakah — and there’s
nothing more worthwhile than that! ■
vein, nor merely coincidental
in the Stamps presentation. The
image depicted Hitler and an angry
Netanyahu, arm raised in similar
fashion to Hitler (rather than in a
more peaceful pose), suggesting
the two are more alike instead of
diametrically opposed figures. The
stereotypical image of Israel (Jews) as
the aggressor (as is seen in imagery
disseminated by both Hamas and
proponents of the BDS movement),
is undeniable.
President Schlissel, do not sugar-
coat the intention of this talk by
claiming that this presentation gave
equal footing to the other imagery
included in this program. Once
again, Israel, and all Jews, are being
portrayed in the same ugly and mali-
cious way that is as old as time. Your
attempt at diplomacy in this matter
doesn’t fly and you need to do better;
you need to be better than those who
continue their quest to perpetuate
their vitriolic, racist stereotypes.
letters
Response to Schlissel
In regard to the following portion
of U-M President Schlissel’s Oct. 9
response to the Stamps presentation
(“U-M Lecturer Crosses the Line,”
Oct. 11, page 16), I quote:
“The image that offended a number
of our students was on a single slide
among nearly 200 other slides that
were presented over the course of an
hour. It juxtaposed photos of Israel’s
prime minister and Hitler. Israel was
not singled out here, as imagery criti-
cal of many other political leaders was
also a part of the talk. This was the
point of the talk itself — that imag-
ery can be a powerful component of
movements aimed at social justice.”
My response to President Schlissel
and Provost Philbert:
The juxtaposition of Hitler and
Netanyahu was not simply one
of many images seen in the same
Dina Kawer
Huntington Woods
Celebrity Jews
Permit me to suggest a few edits to
Mr. Bloom’s Oct 11 “Celebrity Jews”
column (page 50):
“... Rashida Jones … the daughter of
actress Peggy Lipton, 72, and legend-
ary African American music producer
Quincy Jones, 85.”
“Musician Ezra Koenig … went to
Columbia University, where he and
three other students (one a woman)
formed in 2005 the literate band
Vampire Weekend.”
With regard to Koenig’s band, the
only fact that would have deemed
a parenthetical qualifier necessary
would have been if one of the stu-
dents was, in fact, a vampire.
Film and stage actress, singer, yoga
instructor, dancer, storyteller, Hebrew
speaker, a rabbi’s wife and mother. Yes,
you could describe Michelle Azar as a
woman of many talents and dimensions.
“From Baghdad to Brooklyn,” written
and performed by Azar, was a sell-out
success on Broadway in September
2017. Azar’s story enables her to weave
a powerful story of a family whose
different worlds collide. Her solo per-
formance attempts to understand her
confusion and eventual embracing of
the convergence of her Middle Eastern
and East European ancestors’ psyches
and experiences. Her show grapples
with these different worlds through sto-
ries, dance, and songs. Hebrew, Arabic
and Yiddish lyrics are intertwined in her
storytelling to inject authenticity and
humor.
This Nov. 15, Women of Temple
Beth Emeth will bring the unique spir-
it of Michelle Azar to the synagogue
(2309 Packard St., Ann Arbor) for her
one-woman show beginning at 7:30
p.m. Accompaniment will be by TBE
member and multi-faceted musician,
Dave Gitterman.
As a young singer and actor grow-
ing up win the suburbs of Chicago
and spending summers in Israel, Azar
inherited two cultures from her parents:
Sephardi from her father, who left Iraq
for Israel as a teenager before immigrat-
ing to America, and Ashkenazi from her
mother, who sang and performed on
stage in her native Brooklyn, N.Y.
Singing has continued to be a key
focus in her life while being a mother
of two young daughters and wife of
Jonathan Aaron, senior rabbi of Temple
Emanuel in Beverly Hills whose family
is part of the Ann Arbor’s TBE commu-
nity.
A dessert reception will follow the
60-minute Nov. 15 performance. Tickets
are available at www.wtbe.org and
will also be sold the night of the per-
formance. Adults, $20/ students, $15.
Order now to reserve seating. ■
CORRECTION
• In “Diamond Anniversary” (page 31,
Oct. 18), Rachel Shere should have
been listed as a rabbi of Adat Shalom
Synagogue and Rabbi Jacob E. Segal
should have been named fully this
way.
Debbie Feit
Farmington
jn
October 25 • 2018
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