6 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 

essay
A Message from Federation: 
Invitation to Forum on Anti-Semitism

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W

e’
ve said goodbye to 
the festive lights of 
Chanukah and move 
forward into the first days of our 
secular calendar. Before we close 
the books on 2019, however, we 
want to offer a sincere thank you 
to every one of our supporters, 
volunteers and participants who 
continue to make the work of 
the Jewish Federation possible.
We are grateful to report that 
2019 was a year of exceptional 
generosity and commitment. 
Thanks to more than10,000 
donors, we were once again 
able to raise and distribute the 
resources necessary to take care 
of those in need and support 
Jewish life throughout Metro 
Detroit, as well as in Israel and 
around the world. 
We continue to change and 
evolve with the times, but 
— because of you — Detroit 
remains one of the most vibrant 

and cohesive centers for Jewish 
life to be found anywhere.
We must also acknowledge 
the challenges that emerged 
over the past year. In partic-
ular, anti-Semitism has risen 
throughout the world and we 
have seen, for the first time in 
history, continuous acts of vio-
lence perpetrated against Jewish 
people living in the United 
States. The Tree of Life syna-
gogue in Pittsburgh, Chabad of 
Poway in San Diego and now the 
heinous series of assaults in New 
York, culminating in the attack 
on a rabbi’
s residence in Monsey: 
These murderous acts of anti-Se-
mitic violence signal a terrible 
new paradigm in our society and 
demand a sustained response to 
protect our Jewish homes, busi-
nesses and houses of worship.
Security for our community is 
a central priority for the Jewish 
Federation. Our expanded com-
munity-wide security team col-
laborates closely with local orga-
nizations as well as with local 
and national law-enforcement 
entities — including the Secure 
Community Network, a national 
homeland security organization 
working on behalf the American 

Jewish community.
Beyond security measures, 
education and ongoing com-
munication are essential in this 
effort.
For this reason, we invite our 
entire community to a forum 
on anti-Semitism and our local 
response, to be held at Adat 
Shalom Synagogue on Thursday, 
Jan. 23, at 7 p.m., in partner-
ship with ADL Michigan and 
JCRC/AJC. There, we will hear 
from local leaders, clergy and 
law enforcement professionals 
on their efforts to confront 
anti-Semitism and security con-
cerns. 
We wish to offer our deepest 
sympathy and support to all 
those affected by these crimes, 
and we look forward to a time 
when hatred and bigotry are 
finally eradicated. Until then, 
one thing is certain: Standing 
together as a strong and proud 
community, we will not be 
deterred from living active and 
joyous Jewish lives. 

Beverly B. Liss is president of the 
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan 
Detroit and Alan Jay Kaufman is pres-
ident, United Jewish Foundation of 
Metropolitan Detroit.

Beverly Liss
 Alan Jay 
Kaufman

ANTI-SEMITISM 
& SECURITY FORUM
The forum will include a panel discus-
sion with local rabbis, school adminis-
trators and community leaders discuss-
ing how the recent rise in anti-Semitism 
— including lethal attacks on Jewish 
institutions in other communities — 
has affected our synagogues, Jewish 
schools and community. A second panel 
will feature security professionals and 
local law enforcement, along with the 
directors of ADL Michigan and JCRC/
AJC to discuss security, as well as 
actions community members can take. 
David Kurzmann, senior director of 
community and donor relations for the 
Jewish Federation, will moderate. 
Professor Howard Lupovitch of 
Wayne State University will open the 
event with remarks about the new 
wave of anti-Semitism, its historical 
context and the impact of recent events 
on Jewish life in the United States. An 
audience Q&A with the members of 
both panels will follow the discussions. 
Panelists include:
• Rabbi Azaryah Cohen, Frankel 
Jewish Academy
• Rabbi Jen Lader, Temple Israel
• Rabbi Asher Lopatin, JCRC/AJC
• Special Agent Joseph P. Lupinacci, 
FBI Detroit Division
• Carolyn Normandin, ADL Michigan
• Rabbi Yisrael Pinson, Chabad in 
the D
• Gary Sikorski, director, JFMD com-
munity-wide security
The event takes place Jan. 23, at 7 
p.m., at Adat Shalom Synagogue. The 
event is free, but seating is limited. 
Attendees should register in advance at 
jewishdetroit.org/forum. 

Why the Jews?
Thank you for publishing Rabbi 
Aaron Starr’
s column “Why the 
Jews?” (Jan. 2, page 6) on the 
causes of anti-Semitism and 
what Jews should do about it. 
Rabbi Starr says it all except as 
pointed out in David Schraub’
s 
separate column on current 
right-wing anti-Semitism in the 

Jan. 2 JN. We need to stop point-
ing fingers and follow Rabbi 
Starr’
s direction.

— Harvey Bronstein

Southfield

Volunteers for Israel

Volunteers for Israel (VFI) 
has several new programs that 
combine volunteering on an 
IDF Base in Israel with touring 

on the weekends. I was on the 
Volunteers for Israel Advanced 
Program from Dec. 6-22.
We worked on an Air Force 
base the first week and a para-
trooper base the second week. 
The soldiers and commanders 
expressed appreciation that we 
had come from America to help 
them. 
For me, it was a gratifying 
experience.
The tours on the weekends 

were wonderful as well. We went 
to the Machane Yehuda Market 
in Jerusalem for a food-tasting 
experience, visited a Herodian 
Fortress in the Judean Desert and 
went stargazing in the Negev.
I enjoyed the combination of 
volunteering and sightseeing. For 
me, it was a one-of-a-kind expe-
rience.
Volunteers for Israel is asso-
ciated with Sar-El, a nonprofit 
that administers the program in 
Israel. Volunteers typically spend 

letters

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