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