10 | SEPTEMBER 17 • 2020
community greetings
We Are Built for This Moment
Views
T
his has been a year like no
other.
Without a doubt, we are
living in a unique and difficult
moment in our
history. The global
COVID-19 pan-
demic has affected
every dimension of
our daily lives, dis-
rupting our social,
professional, educa-
tional and spiritual
pursuits. Worst of
all, of course, is the
human toll it has
taken, the friends
and loved ones lost
and the families
wracked by grief.
It is said that a
crisis reveals who we are, as indi-
viduals and as a community. And
if there is any good news to be
taken from the pandemic, it can
be found in the way that Jewish
Detroit has responded.
From the earliest days of the
outbreak, our communal leaders
and institutions came together to
make sure that our most vulner-
able individuals were protected.
They worked tirelessly to pro-
vide kosher meals and delivery
services to seniors and others in
need, emergency aid to struggling
families, vocational training for
growing numbers of job seekers
and protective gear for frontline
workers.
This has been the most collabo-
rative effort in recent times, unit-
ing individuals from every corner
of our community, every orga-
nization and stream of Judaism.
We have seen an outpouring of
concern and generosity, not just
for local Jews but for our broader
community as well.
The Jewish Federation is
proud to play a central role in
this response. Our COVID-19
Emergency Campaign raised $7.6
million for critical funding to
protect individuals and families
as well as the Jewish organiza-
tions that are the heart and soul
of Jewish life. Just as importantly,
we are actively coordinating the
response effort, working shoulder
to shoulder with agencies, schools
and congregations throughout
Jewish Detroit on a daily basis.
That is why we say: Jewish
Federation was built for this
moment. We’
ve been taking care
of our community for more than
100 years. And thanks to the sup-
port of more than 10,000 donors,
we will continue to meet the vast
and growing needs of all who are
counting on us. As we look back
across the year, we’
re deeply grate-
ful for each and every person who
has volunteered, contributed or
taken part in the response effort
in any way.
Now, as we turn to the new
year, we know that uncertainty
will persist. The challenge is far
from over. Despite this, we will
never lose confidence in the
strength and vibrance of Jewish
Detroit. The year ahead will
surely be filled with challenges
and with loss, but it will also have
times of joy and celebration, con-
nection and meaning.
For those that may find them-
selves in need, know that your
Jewish community is here for you
(jhelp.org is a good place to start).
With the support of our extraor-
dinary community, we are Here
for Good.
May you have a meaningful
holiday and a healthy, peaceful
and joyful new year.
Beverly B. Liss is president of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Alan
Jay Kaufman is president of the United
Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan
Detroit.
the JCRC/AJC is a partner.
• In New York, the Guardian
Angels announced that it would
begin patrolling Crown Heights
in order to protect Jewish neigh-
borhoods. Curtis Sliwa, the
founder, announced the decision
and stated, “We have a moral
obligation to make up for histori-
cal antisemitism.
”
• The U.S. and Israeli Air Force
held its first ever F-35 training in
Israel.
• Congress introduced the U.S.-
Israel Military Capability Act to
deepen security cooperation with
Israel.
• The Jewish community came
out strongly in support of racial
equality following the George
Floyd murder, which included
statements from a host of Jewish
organizations, along with numer-
ous articles, webinars and demon-
strations.
• Israel celebrated 72 years of
independence.
• Locally, the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit had a
record annual fundraising cam-
paign, more than $34 million and
more than 10,000 donors, and
expanded its extraordinary work
providing the community with
emergency financial assistance,
food and housing, mental health
support, Jewish education and
much more.
• Last but not least, we’
re still
here! Approximately 2,600 years
after the destruction of the First
Temple, when our small band
of ancestors were either killed,
captured or sent scattering to the
winds, Jews are surviving and
thriving as we enter 5781.
We lost 6 million people a
mere 75 years ago, and today our
entire world population is down
to about 0.2% of the whole —
roughly the size of Buenos Aires
— and yet we are alive and well,
with our own strong country
and a steel will to meet the future
with immense Jewish pride and
determination. This feat alone, in
and of itself, is nothing short of a
miracle.
None of these items erase
the very real danger to Israel
today, nor the troubling spike
in antisemitism. Israel has not
known a true day of peace since
1948, and antisemitism has been
around since time immemorial.
Let’
s not sugarcoat this.
But in a world filled with hate
and violence against Jews, we
must know — and teach our chil-
dren — that there are also won-
derful and heartwarming exam-
ples of success and solidarity, and
the Jewish people remain solid.
We need not be dejected as
we look to the new year. We can
look to all the wonderful things
around us, reject pessimism and
choose to go into 5781 with hope,
that essential Jewish value and the
namesake of the Israeli national
anthem, “Hatikvah.
”
Golda Meir would be very
proud of us if we did.
L
’
Shana Tovah!
Mark Jacobs is the AIPAC Michigan
chair for African American Outreach, a
co-director of the Coalition for Black and
Jewish Unity, a board member of the
Jewish Community Relations Council/
AJC and the director of Jewish Family
Service’
s Legal Referral Committee.
Beverly B.
Liss
Alan J.
Kaufman
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