M

ore than a week after
Election Day, after
Joe Biden won a bit-
terly fought contest for the state
of Michigan, members of the
Metro Detroit Jewish commu-
nity from both sides of the aisle
are as outspoken as ever about
what they feel is best for the
country and the Jewish people
as a whole.
“I’
m obviously very pleased
with the outcome,
” said Hannan
Lis, former president of the JCC
of Metro Detroit and former
board member of the American
Jewish Committee. Lis is a
prominent donor to Democratic
causes.
“I think it makes Jewish
Americans feel that they have a
friend in the White House,
” Lis
said. “President-elect Biden has
already expressed his support
for the Abraham Accords and
for the expanding of Israeli
cooperation in the Gulf. I think
he understands what Israel faces
and reflects values that have
been an American commitment
to Israel, not a partisan commit-
ment.
”
Eugene Greenstein, for-
mer president of the Zionist

Organization of America’
s
Michigan region, believes
President Trump made a “major
difference” for Jews in Israel and
America.
Greenstein, speaking in his
individual capacity, listed as
Trump’
s notable achievements
the creating of the Title VI exec-
utive order targeting antisem-
itism on college campuses,
recognizing Israeli sovereignty
over the Golan Heights, helping
to broker the Abraham Accords
and withdrawing from the Iran
nuclear deal. He’
s wary of what
he believes a Biden presidency
might do.
“If the Biden administration
moves forward and does what
it says, it puts Israel at risk,
”
Greenstein said.
The Trump campaign has
filed lawsuits in Michigan alleg-
ing voter fraud and seeking
to cast doubt on Biden’
s win
on the state. But officials have
debunked many of the allega-
tions raised in court.
Greenstein was a poll chair-
man and Republican poll
challenger at the TCF Center in
Detroit, where the state’
s final
ballots were counted.

Greenstein claimed there
was a lack of transparency and
said he saw “several” absentee
ballot envelopes with names
and numbers that were different
from those on the ballot itself.
“I’
ll just leave it at that with-
out trying to get into details,
”
Greenstein said, adding that the
absentee ballots “should’
ve been
thrown out.
”

NO ‘CLEAR EVIDENCE’
Rachel Lutz, who was a nonpar-
tisan poll challenger registered
with the ACLU, worked on
Election Day in her neighbor-
hood precinct in Elmwood Park
(on Detroit’
s near-east side)
and a little past midnight at the
TCF Center. Lutz has heard the
rumors of voter fraud but said
she hasn’
t seen any convincing
evidence.
“By putting forth allegations
without clear evidence, those
challengers who claim they’
re
there to protect our system are
actually undermining our entire
democracy,
” Lutz said.
Some alleging fraud at
the TCF Center claim that
Republicans weren’
t allowed in
to observe the ballot counting.
Lutz said that only registered
challengers can be allowed in
the room, and full capacity was
already reached by both par-
ties by the time the “Stop The
Count” protesters arrived.

Rabbi Alana Alpert, found-
ing executive director of Detroit
Jews for Justice and rabbi at
Congregation T’
chiyah in Oak
Park, believes the election
outcome is a step in the right
direction.
“It will be some time before
we heal from the terror of
Trump’
s emboldening of
antisemites and white suprem-
acists, but we can breathe easier
now that the threat of proto-fas-
cism has been lifted,
” Alpert said.
“We’
re under no illusion that
Biden’
s presidency will herald
the kind of change this country
truly needs, but we’
re grateful
to have a worthy adversary and
partner in our struggle to win
racial and economic justice.
”
Barbara Nickel, a West
Bloomfield resident and Biden
voter, is happy her nominee
won but is especially happy the
election process is over.
Nickel hopes Biden maintains
many of the outgoing presi-
dent’
s policies on Israel. “Where
Trump shines is what he’
s done
for Israel, but his fault is what
he did for the United States of
America,
” she said.
Irma Glaser, National
Council of Jewish Women-
Michigan’
s co-state policy advo-
cate, believes Kamala Harris
becoming the first female
vice president is a watershed
moment for women every-
where.
“The thing I got out of this
election is, we do have someone
for all women and young girls
to look up to,
” Glaser said. “It
doesn’
t matter which party — it
matters that finally a woman
is recognized as maybe being
capable of handling the govern-
ment of this country.
”
Referring to Harris, Glaser
said. “
A woman has finally
achieved a position of leader-
ship nearly at the top of our U.S.
government. Other countries
have recognized women as their
top leaders for much longer, but
better late than never.
”

Following Biden’s win in Michigan,
local supporters are optimistic while
opponents are holding steadfast.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

IN
THED
JEWS

Emotions
Abound After
Elections

16 | NOVEMBER 19 • 2020