Febraury 14 • 2019 5
jn
A
fter a recent visit to my dentist (Hi, Dr.
Krawitz!), I was struck by the number of idi-
oms I found in our language that employ the
reference to teeth or dental items. So, chew on this.
A common weed, the dandelion, gets its name from
the French dent de lion (tooth of the
lion) for the shape of the “petals.” Dent
in French is tooth; hence: dental, den-
tist, etc. Now you do not have to give your
eye teeth to know that etymology.
Are you at all aware of the absence of
unicorns? They are as scarce as hens’
teeth.
When you are adamant about something,
you may fight tooth and nail to get your
point across. You may have to grit your
teeth and remain strong in the face of an argument. You
find, however, that once you sink your teeth in, you may
win the argument by the skin of your teeth.
Brace yourself when you find that you are on the
cusp of a discovery. It may require you to bridge the
gap caused by ignorance of others; then you may win a
crown of superiority.
Have you noticed that protestors often come armed to
the teeth with everything but reason? That realization can
set one’
s teeth on edge.
Having to explain yourself many times may make you fed
up to the teeth. However, do not fly in the teeth of conven-
tion but rather, take time to re-explain. Yes, you may feel
like approaching a truly stubborn person with a kick in the
teeth; teaching someone can often seem like pulling teeth.
One way to engender distrust is to be discovered to be
lying through your teeth. Encountering such individuals
may encourage you to put some teeth into a decision and to
treat others with utmost care.
When all is said and done, remember that if you are true
to your teeth, they will never be false to you.
■
continued on page 10
views
for openers
With a Toothy Grin
SY MANELLO
Editorial Assistant
guest column
Why Henry Ford Bigotry Story Matters
Editor’
s note: This column was printed
in the issue of The Dearborn Historian
that Mayor John O’
Reilly ordered
scrapped because it contained a report
on Henry Ford’
s anti-Semitism that
O’
Reilly said would hurt the city’
s efforts
at inclusion. McGraw wrote the column
to explain to readers why the quarterly
magazine was addressing the subject.
W
ith its growing African-
American community, a
large Middle-Eastern popu-
lation and immigrants from a variety of
countries, Dearborn is growing increas-
ingly diverse. The Dearborn of today is
almost unimaginable
from, say, the Dearborn
of 1980.
Such diversity is
reflected in the public
officials who represent
all or large parts of the
city: State Sen. Sylvia
Santana is an African-
American woman.
State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud and
Wayne County Commissioner Sam
Baydoun are Arab Americans. Mayor
John O’
Reilly is a white man and U.S.
Rep. Debbie Dingell is a white woman.
It’
s a varied cast of characters, and
a reflection of an evolving America
in which women and minorities are
increasingly visible in public life.
The trend is further illustrated by
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, from
next door in Detroit, a person well
known in Dearborn and one of the first
Muslim women elected to Congress.
Her 13th Congressional District is next
to Dingell’
s 12th District.
The emergence of minorities taking
their rightful places has come with a
price, and part of that price is fear of
demographic change among some
white Americans and a nationalistic
backlash around the world. And a
big part of that backlash is a rise in
anti-Semitism.
The Anti-Defamation League record-
ed a 57 percent rise in anti-Semitic inci-
dents in the United States in 2017, com-
pared to the previous year — including
assaults, vandalism, bomb threats and
anti-Semitic literature on college cam-
puses.
In 2017, neo-Nazis marched in
Charlottesville, Va., chanting “Jews
will not replace us,
” and one anti-Nazi
protester died. In October, a gunman
killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh syna-
gogue. “Growing Anti-Semitism Stuns
American Jews,
” read a headline in the
New York Times.
That brings us to Henry Ford.
In this issue, The Dearborn Historian
carries a special report on Henry Ford’
s
anti-Semitism. I wrote it. It’
s not a
happy story.
The magazine is running the report
because of the current climate of
anti-Semitism and because January
mark[ed] the 100th anniversary of
Ford buying the Dearborn Independent
weekly newspaper, the platform for his
attacks. We’
re also publishing the report
because we believe local history publi-
cations should strive to tell the whole
truth about our past, no matter how
unpleasant, and connect local events to
what’
s happening in the greater world.
While many people know vaguely
that Ford had anti-Semitic beliefs, I
think it’
s fair to say most people have
no idea that, as the article details, his
anti-Semitic publishing effort was so
vast in scope and had such a powerful
impact, or that his publications from
the 1920s are enjoying a renaissance
today among extremist websites and
online forums.
In general, Metro Detroit and its
institutions tend to treat Ford gently
when it comes to his dark sides. But
historians and other experts have
BILL
MCGRAW
For information,
contact Tracey Proghovnick
(248) 661-1836
jslmi.org
All We Need Is Love
Living Your Best ...
Jewish Senior Life
Jewish Senior Life is far more than
a place to live. It’s six beautiful
residences where older adults can
embrace life and community in a
secure and supportive environment.
JSL is proud to provide inclusive residential communities, programs and services. We
welcome all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, disability,
gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, familial status and marital status.
When people spend time with their
decrease-even if the relationship isn’t
perfect.
Being in love is good for your heart.
The decrease in blood pressure has to
do with familiarity, sense of security and
comfort between partners. Couples have
lower rates of heart disease than their
single counterparts.
Being in love boosts your immune
system. Everything from hand-holding,
massage and frequent sex, leads to a
healthier life style. Love can take many
forms and is more than romance. The
love between a parent and child, friends,
siblings, love between humans and their
animal companions, or love for oneself
that develops after years of self-loathing
is healing. We get annoyed by irksome
habits of loved ones, but for better or
worse, when you are in a relationship,
you’re agreeing to put up with people’s
schtick. Everyone has schtick. If you
can both accept each other’s, you’ve
got magic!
People in relationships live longer.
I’m convinced my father achieved ripe
old age, because he was engaged in a
senior community with the love of a
good woman. He also exercised
regularly, ate healthy foods and sipped
a dry martini daily.
Love is good for your mental health.
The love hormone, oxytocin, plays a role
in decreasing depression. Sleeping next
to someone we love helps bond people
to each other, feel safer, resulting in
quality stress-reduced sleep.
Jewish Senior Life is home to many
loving couples who respect each other,
support each other and care about quali-
ty of life. They tell me it’s easy to laugh off
the little things that happen. And with all
the little things, they are laughing quite
a lot. Laughter heals us body and soul.
Love solves everything. Choose Love!