20 May 30 • 2019 jn Series Kickoff Toobin talks about Supreme Court for fi rst of Temple Israel lectures. W hen Hilary King became the congregation president of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, she had big ideas for the future of the congregation. She and her husband, Edan, wanted to use their influence to make Temple Israel a thought leader in the community. “We wanted to make Temple Israel more than just a synagogue, also a place of learning for the community, ” she said. Toward this goal, the Kings are sponsoring a speaker series at Temple Israel called “The Many Shades of Politics: An American Journey. ” The series will bring speakers from all different backgrounds and political affiliations to Temple Israel to engage the community in discourse about rel- evant topics. The series kicked off May 21 with Jeffrey Toobin, CNN’ s senior legal ana- lyst and writer for the New Yorker. It also happened to be Toobin’ s birthday. Toobin is the author of multiple books including The Nine: Inside the World of the Supreme Court and The Oath: The Obama White House and Supreme Court. His main interest, or “obsession” as he calls it, is the Supreme Court and how it is impacted by and impacts the politics of its day. He began his presentation by dis- cussing current presiding Supreme Court justices. He reminded the audi- ence that the current court is com- prised of five conservatives and four liberals. “The court is narrowly but clearly divided along the same lines as the American people, ” Toobin said. He also spoke of the historical prec- edent for the Supreme Court being heavily influenced by public opinion. In the 1960s, for example, Toobin said the courts, despite being evenly split, supported a very liberal agenda. He also cited how the Nixon and Reagan presidencies in the 1970s and 1980s correlated with a conservative shift in the courts and in public opinion, a shift he credits largely to former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese in 1981. Bringing it back to a more modern discussion, Toobin said we are expe- riencing a similar conservative shift today. After his presentation, he took ques- tions from the audience and signed his books in the lobby. Shelly Segall, a Temple Israel mem- ber, said, “I thought he was great. “It was very enlightening and relevant; it was everything we expected and more. ” While most in the audience seemed to like Toobin’ s presentation, some weren’ t so sure about it. “I thought it was an outdated topic, ” said Michael Ginsburg of Southfield. “I thought it was irrelevant to what’ s hap- pening today, especially considering he works for CNN. I felt like he was just trying to be non-controversial the whole time. ” Despite some mixed feedback, Hilary King was pleased with the out- come of the kickoff event. “I think it went really well, ” she said. “We are reviewing names for upcom- ing events and are excited to do it again. ” ■ JESSIE COHEN jews d in the JESSIE COHEN JN INTERN Jeffrey Toobin addresses a capacity crowd at Temple Israel. Minimally Invasive LANAP Laser T reatment for Gum Disease The laser alternative to traditional gum surgery for treating gum disease. Minimally Invasive Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation T echnique™ Gives patients a minimally invasive option to treat gum recession, eliminates discomfort and improves the smile. The Crown Lengthening Procedure Improves a “gummy” smile by removing excess gum tissue for a pleasing, natural-looking smile. Dental Implants A replacement for a natural tooth root that has the same function, permanence, and appearance. www.drnemeth.com 248.357.3100 | 29829 Telegraph Road, Suite 111 | Joseph R. Nemeth, DDS & Amar Katranji, DDS, MS Breakthrough Techniques and Impeccable Care for