Jews in the D

 JANUARY 23 • 2020 | 31

Nazi Salute

Flint councilman under fi
 re for rude gesture.

CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER
F

lint Councilman Eric Mays is 
under fire for comparing Council 
President Monica Galloway to 
“Hitler” and performing a Nazi salute
 at the council’
s general meeting on 
Monday, Jan. 13.
Mays directed the comment “you ain’
t 
got to be like Hitler,” toward Galloway 
and then proceeded to perform the Nazi 
salute and stomp his feet. 
Following the incident, Galloway con-
tinued with the meeting and Mays had 
excused himself. 
On Jan. 15, a special City Council 
meeting was called where Galloway 
issued an apology about the inappropri-
ate behavior from the Jan. 13 meeting 
and her lack of leadership to immediately 
address the issue at hand.
At that same meeting, Mays did not 
apologize for his comments or actions 
and instead backed his comments. He 
insisted that he would do the same thing 
again if someone else in power, such 

as Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley, who he 
mentioned in his comment at the meet-
ing, was acting like a dictator.
Steven Low, executive director of the 
Flint Jewish Federation, learned about 
the incident early Tuesday morning, Jan. 
14, in an email from a very concerned 
non-Jewish member of the community.
Although Low’
s initial reaction was 
dismay and outrage that Councilman 
Mays “could be so insensitive and igno-
rant,” he was also not surprised.
“Eric Mays has a long-standing repu-
tation for self-serving grandstanding and 
obstructionism at City Council meet-
ings,” Low said. “Frankly, he has shown 
no remorse and has repeated this behav-
ior and has even tried to justify it. He 
has also stated that he is not interested in 
rethinking his behavior.”
Even though what Mays said was 
disheartening, Low states that “both 
members of the Jewish and non-Jewish 
community have been outraged but not 

surprised that Mays was behind these 
actions.” 
Low was also disappointed because 
Council President Galloway did not 
immediately address the behavior nor 
eject Mays from the meeting. However, 
Low did have the opportunity to speak to 
Galloway on the phone and in person.
“She was very apologetic and is 
resolved to take action to address Mr. 
Mays’
 behavior,” Low said. “In addition 
to her issuing a public apology, I offered 
to arrange for a visit for the entire City 
Council, including Mr. Mays, to the 
Holocaust museum near Detroit.”
Low hopes that this incident will lead 
to some training for the City Council on 
how to better handle civil discourse and 
serve the public’
s interest.
“I certainly hope that the City Council 
will take the time to learn more and 
become better educated about the 
Holocaust and the harm that follows 
when trivializing it,” Low said. 

Samitt Preliminary Exam Waived

 
The case against Sean Samitt, who was 
arrested last month for falsely reporting 
he was stabbed in an alleged anti-Se-
mitic incident, was moved to Oakland 
County Circuit Court following his 
appearance before 48th District Court 
Judge Diane D’
Agostini on Jan. 14. 
 Both Samitt’
s attorney, Steven I. 
Moss, and Oakland County Prosecutor 
Micah Wallace agreed to waive the pre-
liminary exam originally scheduled for 
that day. Moss declined comment on the 
case.
On Dec. 15, Samitt told police he 
had been stabbed by a man in the 
parking lot of Temple Kol Ami in West 
Bloomfield, where he worked as a can-
torial soloist and music teacher. He 
claimed the attacker expressed anti-
Semitic and anti-immigrant epithets 

before stabbing him with a knife. 
While investigators found no signs 
that Samitt had been attacked in the 
parking lot, they did find bloody tissues 
and a knife with blood on it inside the 
synagogue. After police discovered fur-
ther inconsistencies in Samitt’
s story, he 
admitted he had stabbed himself and 
fabricated the story about the attack 
in order to get out of his contract with 
Temple Kol Ami.
On Dec. 20, Samitt was arrested 
and charged with one count of falsely 
reporting a felony, which is a felony. He 
pleaded not guilty and was released on 
bond, which was paid by his mother. If 
convicted, Samitt could face prison time 
of up to four years. 

— Ronelle Grier, Contributing Writer

People over 50 who attend religious ser-
vices and pray may notice better memory 
performance, a new study led by U-M 
psychology doctoral candidate Zarina 
Kraal found. 
“
Attending religious services may pro-
mote social engagement with religious 
peers, and social engagement has been 
positively associated with cognitive out-
comes,” Kraal said. 
Separate from social benefits, religious 
attendance may be linked to better cogni-
tive health through stimulating cognitive 
activities unique to religious services. 

Michigan Minds: Religious 
Involvement and Cognitive Health

