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Don’t Forget B’nai Israel
I was delighted to read Barbara
Lewis’s article “Common Thread”
(Dec. 6, page 18). Though not so
unusual, seven synagogues current-
ly are led by women. It was indeed
good to learn that seven congrega-
tions in the Detroit area are led by
women presidents. This is indeed
good news, but I it seems like I have
some more.
Barbara Lewis somehow neglected
to mention one more synagogue, my
very own Congregation Bnai Israel of
West Bloomfield, whose co-president
is Joanna Abramson, a lawyer in her
day job, who definitely deserves to
be included. A Conservative congre-
gation originated in Pontiac, B’nai
Israel has a female president for the
first time in its history.
— Rachel Kapen
West Bloomfield
Small but Mighty
I have the privilage of working with
two women who have given selflessly
to our Congregation B’nai Israel for
more than 10 years.
Our current executive
director Linda Jacobson
has served as our con-
gregational president
as well as our current
executive director. Our
Joanna
current
co-president Jo-
Abramson
Arthur M. Horwitz
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OUR JN
MISSION
6
anna Abramson has served our syna-
gogue while running a high-pressure
law firm with her husband Jay. At
B’nai Israel we look at inclusion of
all not as an anomaly but what we
do everyday. I hope in the future the
JN will remember that there still are
small synagogues left that exist in the
midst of the mega-synagogues and
temples.
— Robert Kimmel
Co-President, B’nai Israel
Remember
Or Chadash, Too
I enjoyed Barbara Lewis’ article “Seven
Synagogues Currently Led by Women”
in the Dec. 6 edition of the Jewish News
but must point out an oversight: the
omission from the list of Congregation
Or Chadash, an Orthodox congrega-
tion in Oak Park, where Deb Kovsky
serves as president. (Full
disclosure: I serve with
Rabbi Azaryah Cohen in
the rabbinic leadership
of the congregation.)
Indeed, not only does Or
Chadash have a woman
Deb Kovsky
as president, it is — as
far as I know — the only
Orthodox congregation in Michigan
that can make that claim.
Of course, this is not surprising, as
one of Or Chadash’s founding precepts
is that women have a key place in the
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synagogue. At Or Chadash, women
recite Kaddish in the presence of a
minyan, recite the prayer for the gov-
ernment and for the Israel Defense
Forces, open the ark and are invited to
deliver summaries of the week’s Torah
portion and haftarah.
Upon Or Chadash’s
founding more than two
decades ago, its very first
president was a woman,
Susann Codish. Not so
coincidentally, when
Susann taught Hebrew
Susann Codish
Bible at Yeshivat Akiva,
Deb was her student
in high school. Deb has mentioned
on many occasions how honored she
feels to be following in her teacher’s
footsteps as an Orthodox woman and
leader.
— Eliezer Finkelman
Oak Park
What Spurred
Anti-Semitism
Regarding the “What Spurred An-
ti-Semitism?” letter in the Nov. 22
issue: The “real influence behind
the catastrophe that our country has
become” is the eight years of the past
administration.
That’s the administration that facili-
tated the Iran Agreement.
It’s the one that gave more than $150
billion in cash to the anti-Israel/Jew
hating, genocidal Iranian regime.
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It’s the one that bushwhacked Israel
every chance it could while endors-
ing anti-Israel groups like Black Lives
Matter and Antifa.
Then there are the media that con-
tinually stoke the fires of hate.
Women’s March leaders Tamika D
Mallory’s and, yes, Linda Sarsour’s
anti-Semitic rhetoric are also behind
the catastrophe, assisted by NCJW’s
Nancy Kaufman and HIAS boss Mark
Hetfield who refuse to condemn
anti-Semitism.
Bill Clinton sharing the stage
with Farrakhan and Sharpton at the
Franklin funeral and the abhorrent
behavior of the senators from one
party at the Kavanaugh hearings have
contributed to what our country has
become.
It is shameful that most people don’t
know who Sarsour is, but there’s no
avoiding Farrakhan; and both of their
statures are growing with the addition
of Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar to
the political picture of one party.
The “glaring omission of the real
influence behind the catastrophe that
our country has become” is right
before us and those of us “immersed in
political news and opinion” absolutely
know the real culprits.
It is not the current Israel-support-
ing president of the United States.
— Ed Kohl
West Bloomfield
continued on page 8
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