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10 | OCTOBER 17 • 2019 

letters

Kudos to Tobin
Thank you for bringing Jonathan 
Tobin, JNS Editor, to write a 
commentary for the JN that is 
factual and does not implicate 
President Trump for the rise in 
anti-Semitism in this country. In 
the past, many of your opinion 
writers have blamed President 
Trump for stoking anti-Semitism 
without any proof of their 
accusations.
In another article, two new 
Democratic House members, who 
won seats held by Republicans in 
close elections, Elissa Slotkin and 
Haley Stevens, have hesitantly 
come out for impeachment of 
President Trump. Their hesitancy, 
not mentioned in that article, may 
stem from the fact that they want 
to win re-election in districts that 
President Trump won in the 2016 
presidential election. 

— Robert Moretsky

Warren

Expect More
I am a longtime Jewish 
News subscriber, synagogue 
member and Israel supporter. 
Unfortunately, Mr. Tobin’
s 
commentary (“
American Jews 
Must Not Be Afraid to Show Up 
on the High Holidays, Oct. 3, page 
10) appeared in the JN between 
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; 
thus, many Jews had already 
decided to attend or not to attend 
services so this part of his opinion 
was wasted. 
He proceeded to note the fall in 
synagogue affiliation, indicate that 
anti-Semitism was largely shown 
in “vandalism, graffiti and verbal 
harassment,
” and described efforts 
to “unfairly implicate President 
Donald Trump in this problem.
” 
He went on to explain why our 
community rabbis have to be 
careful of what they say because of 
the political divisions within our 

congregations. Finally, he advised 
that we should just “listen, learn 
and try to bind the wounds, rather 
than make them worse.
”
I remember when people 
attended services precisely because 
they wanted to hear meaningful 
rabbinical sermons and would 
later share and discuss them. I 
believe that we must speak out 
against anti-Semitism, recognize 
the level of hatred that has risen 
in the past few years against many 
different people, including Jews, 
and expect greater leadership 
from our press, our clergy and 
our community organizations. 
A lesson to be learned from the 
Holocaust is: Don’
t count on your 
neighbors to save you. We have to 
save ourselves.

— Irma Glaser

West Bloomfield

Love the New Format
I have now read the new JN cover 
to cover. Admittedly, I read the 
whole paper backward, and I 
suspect thousands of others do the 
same. Because I tend to be quite 
old-fashioned in my reading habits 
I was certain I would be a naysayer. 
But no, I am so pleased with your 
changes. I like the format, the 
look, the whole thing. It is new, yet 
comfortably familiar. 

— Barbara Kratchman

 Bloomfield Hills

Corrections:
• The correct link for information 
on The Well’
s escape room Shaken 
Not Stirred (Oct. 10, page 18) 
is http://tiny.cc/shakennotstirred.
• In “
A Name to Live up To,
” the 
owner of The Morrie should have 
been listed as Aaron F. Belen, and 
it should have been noted that The 
Morrie in Birmingham opened 
this past summer. The location in 
Royal Oak is celebrating its third 
anniversary. 

The Jewish News
welcomes feedback from 
readers, many of whom 
commented on the essay 
“American Jews Must Not 
Be Afraid to Show Up on 
the High Holidays” by 
Jonathan Tobin on the 
JN’
s Facebook page.

Molly Blumenstein 
Langwald: I admit that 
reading the pamphlet on 
active shooters was not 
the first thing I wanted to 
see on Rosh Hashanah. I 
was pleased it was being 
addressed. For so many 
years, our children have 
to go through much 
more vivid scenarios of 
what would happen if an 
active shooter engages 
one room or one hallway. 
But to stay away from 
the High Holidays, I do 
not understand. We have 
armed guards, police 
patrolling. When I sat 
down in B’
nai Moshe, I 
was not worried about 
being massacred. I was 
praying. Unobstructed, 

unwavering prayer. 
I am truly sorry that 
some are too scared to 
pray at their temples, 
shuls or synagogues. But 
I do feel they would be 
better off praying with 
family and community 
than staying home afraid. 
The strength you feel 
when praying together 
gives you a feeling of 
safety. I think of our 
people and all they have 
gone through to have a 
hope to pray. I say, go 
to your place of worship 
for Yom Kippur, Sukkot 
and all the others. We 
must come together now 
as much as ever. Shana 
Tovah.

Eileen Cooper: We 
flew after 9/11, and we 
certainly will not be 
afraid to go to Temple. 
These who try to scare us 
cannot win.

K Marie Kathleen: Just 
get good security. 

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