T

hings got a little more crowd-
ed at the Farmington home of 
Tessa Goldberg, administrative 
manager of the Jewish 
News Foundation, on 
Sunday when she wel-
comed four Maccabi ath-
letes for the duration of 
the JCC Maccabi Games.
“Since I’
m an empty 
nester and have a house, 
I thought it would be 
important to open my 
home to some athletes,” 
she said. “I signed up 
for two and they requested I take four 
because they were short on housing.”
The JCC provided air mattresses 
for the extra guests. After the games, 
unused or returned air mattresses will 
be donated to a local homeless shelter, 
Goldberg said.
Two of the boys she’
s hosting are 
from Ann Arbor: Jonah Klein, a 

13-year-old tennis player, and Jesse 
Newpol, 14, who plays on the basket-
ball team. They are looking forward to 
all the activities planned 
and to “winning!” they 
said.
The other two boys, 
also members of the 
Ann Arbor delegation, 
are friends from Israel: 
swimmers Shahaf Sela, 
14, and Gal Shumak, 
13, both from Moshav 
Nahalal.
All four of the boys 
will be competing in the Maccabi 
Games for the first time — and there 
are other firsts as well. Jonah and 
Jesse saw Little Ceasars Arena for the 
first time. “I was impressed by the 
size,” Jonah said.
For Shahaf and Gal, it was their 
first time in the United States. The 
boys spent a few days in Ann Arbor 

before coming to Detroit for the 
opening ceremonies. Both said they 
liked it very much. Shahaf is hoping 
he gets to go to a mall while he’
s in 
town. Gal is most looking forward to 
“meeting people.”
Goldberg is responsible for feed-
ing the boys breakfast and dropping 
them off at the JCC before 8 a.m. and 
making sure they’
re where they need 
to be. 
On Monday, Goldberg said when 
she dropped them off, the two Israeli 
boys joined a rabbi at the JCC and 

prayed with tefillin in front of a repli-
ca of the Western Wall. “They are 
not religious kids … they don’
t keep 
kosher … but praying with tefillin 
was important to them,” she said. “I 
think that’
s the Israeli mindset.”
Goldberg said the boys are 
busy until 9 p.m. every day except 
Wednesday, when they get out at 3 
p.m. to spend the rest of the day with 
their host families. Goldberg plans 
on taking them to the mall and then 
perhaps to a planned event at Temple 
Israel in West Bloomfield. ■

N

early 20 percent of Americans 
believe small business owners 
can refuse service to Jews and 
other minorities based on religious 
freedom.
Back in June, the Jewish Telegraphic 
Agency (JTA) reported on a recent 
poll that found that roughly 1 in 5 
Americans believe small business own-
ers have the right to decline service to 
Jews and other minorities if it violates 
their religious values.
Wayne State University legal and 
constitutional law professor Robert 
Sedler was not shocked by the data.
“It should not be surprising that 

people who are hostile 
to gays and lesbians, 
to minorities, would 
also be hostile to Jews,” 
Sedler says. “This should 
not surprise us. This has 
always been the case.
“It is not uncommon 
for businesses to use 
religious freedom as a means to defend 
their discrimination against a differing 
group,” he adds.
One example, in 2014, was when 
Hobby Lobby was under scrutiny for 
disagreeing with the Affordable Care 
Act’
s mandate to provide contracep-

tives to employees because of the fami-
ly-owned business’
 religious beliefs.
“The Supreme Court ruled to 
uphold their claim of religious 
freedom because as an alternative, 
Congress simply has the employer 
notify the insurance company that 
they’
re not covering this and the 
insurance company will then cover it,” 
Sedler says.
“What you see here is religious 
groups now using freedom of religion 
to try to deny women access to con-
traception,” Sedler says. “You also saw 
this appear in the bakery case when 
the baker complained that their reli-
gious freedom granted them the right 
to deny baking a cake for a same-sex 
couple.”
According to the Michigan 
Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) 
Director Agustin Arbulu, the MDCR 
has had 13 complaints 
since 2015 related to 
discrimination based on 
religion and, more spe-
cifically, against Jews.
“Some of these com-
plaints are still under 
investigation and we can-
not speak to the specifics 
of those cases. A number of complaints 

have been closed for insufficient evi-
dence,
” Arbulu says.
Resolution was reached in three com-
plaints — one filed against J.P
. Morgan 
Bank, which was resolved with a letter 
saying the claimant can do business 
at the location in question. Another 
complaint against Jewish Family Service 
was resolved with a settlement of $210. 
A third complaint filed against Dollar 
General Corporation was resolved with 
a welcome letter from the respondent to 
the complainant.
“There is no religion that requires 
discrimination,
” Sedler says. “These are 
people’
s own religious views. If they are a 
business open to the public or if they’
re 
an agency that contracts with the state, 
they should not be entitled to discrimi-
nate.
”
If you or anyone you know has expe-
rienced discrimination in any form, you 
are urged to report it to the MDCR.
“Individuals should contact MDCR 
if they believe they have been subject-
ed to unlawful discrimination. They 
have up to 180 days from the date of 
incident to file a complaint. To file a 
complaint online, go to michigan.gov/
mdcr and click on “File a Complaint” 
or call 1-800-482-3604,” Arbulu 
says. ■

14 August 8 • 2019
jn

Freedom to 
Discriminate?

Poll shows some Americans 
believe small businesses 
can refuse services to Jews, 
minorities.

jews d
in 
the

CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER

Robert Sedler

Agustin Arbulu

Welcome to Detroit!

Four teen athletes fi
 nd a home with Tessa Goldberg. 

JN STAFF

Shahaf Sela, Gal Shumak, 

Jesse Newpol and Jonah Klein 

— Tessa Goldberg’
s “boys” for 

the Maccabi games.

TESSA GOLDBERG