10 July 4 • 2019
jn
views
letters
WSU Police Chief Does
Outstanding Job
We read with interest about the Law
Enforcement/Federation Security
training that took place recently in
Israel, as reported by Wayne State
University Police Chief Anthony
Holt (“Bring Security Strategies From
Israel to Wayne State,
” June 20, page
8). Allow us to take this opportunity
to share with the community the out-
standing job that Chief Holt and his
team do securing the campus and the
Midtown Detroit area.
As our Hillel is a visible Jewish
presence in the heart of Wayne State’
s
campus, Chief Holt makes sure that
our students are well protected and feel
safe at all times. This includes plain-
clothes patrols on a regular basis and
a uniform presence at times of height-
ened tensions.
We are grateful to Chief Holt and his
police force who continue to keep our
students’
safety a priority.
Sally Krugel & Miriam Starkman
Hillel of Metro Detroit
Friends Forever
There is something special when it
comes to making and keeping friend-
ships from elementary, intermediate
and high school. Friendships that last a
lifetime, no matter how long the time
in between seeing each other or the
distance that separated us.
Exactly what that magic is, I haven’
t
the slightest clue. In the end, you know
it when you feel it.
Former Michigan Sen. Carl Levin
was one of my many friends while
attending Central High School in
Detroit.
I had lived in the same duplex in
Detroit from the time I was born until
I left for the Army in 1954. We attend-
ed the shul on Humphrey and Holmur.
Many of my friends were members of
AZA, Louis Marshall 604, which was
part of the parent organization, B’
nai
B’
rith. It was a Jewish organization for
Jewish teenagers. At the time, there
were Jewish ice cream parlors like
Zukins on Dexter Boulevard. And
the many Jewish delicatessens in the
neighborhoods, like the Lefkofskys
Deli where I would get my corned beef
sandwich with a pickle once a week
after I collected all my Detroit Times
paper route money.
In 1956, circumstances caused me
to leave Detroit and join my sister in
Los Angeles, Calif. Because of my close
relationship with one of our friends,
Joey Weiss, who passed away a few
years ago, I was able to stay informed
with what the others were doing with
their lives.
Over the years, I returned to Detroit
a handful of times to visit friends.
Then, in the 1980s, the duplex I lived
in, along with other homes in the
neighborhood, became “crack” houses.
During the 2000s, my home and others
were demolished because of the drug
trafficking in the area. When I visited
last, my neighborhood was desolate
and looked like a war zone.
That sets the stage for my five-day
trip to Detroit a few weeks ago.
I visited with the Levins and oth-
ers for probably the last time. At age
85, it becomes much more difficult
to travel. The Levins took us to their
Reconstructionist Congregation in the
Downtown area where we thoroughly
enjoyed their services and the challah
and bagels afterward.
Carl and his wife, Barbara, took
us on a grand tour of a revitalized
Downtown Detroit. It was incredible to
see how this wonderful city is coming
back to life.
What was breathtaking was the
newly created International Riverwalk
along the Detroit River. One end starts
at Belle Isle, where my father (Moishe
Wasserman), a cake baker for many
years in many of Detroit’
s Jewish bak-
eries, took my younger sister, Jeannie,
and me while he took his daily nap.
Benny Wasserman
Los Angeles, Calif.
Bowled Over By Story
Thank you so much for your recent
article recognizing Aaron Radner for
his bowling accomplishment. “Perfect
Times Two,
” (May 16, page 24). Our
family especially appreciates the time
and effort Steve Stein put in to recog-
nize this unique performance. Aaron
has received so much positive feedback
as a result of the story. Perhaps a 900
series is in his or another bowler’
s
future! I also appreciate the new for-
mat for the sports section. There is a
litany of individuals dedicating them-
selves to achieve “lifetime goals” and it
is a great service you provide to publi-
cize these milestones. I look forward to
reading about new accomplishments
every week.
David Radner
Bloomfield Hills
LET US DESIGN YOUR DREAM KITCHEN
LaFata Cabinets manufactures high
quality custom cabinets right here in
Southeast Michigan