OUR COMMUNITY
30 | MAY 20 • 2021
Business Bridge (now the
Michigan Israel Business
Accelerator), and his wife,
Lisa, recently returned from
an Israel visit with their chil-
dren and grandchildren in
Tel Aviv.
Lis said the barrage of
rockets coming from Gaza is
evidence of a “mistake” Israel
has made in allowing money
from Qatar to flow into the
region that was supposed
to go toward humanitarian
efforts but is used instead by
Hamas to buy weapons and
build terror tunnels.
“Sometimes in the Middle
East, you do things because
you don’t have a choice,” said
Lis, referring to relinquish-
ing control over Gaza. “After
15 years, the realities of who
is in Gaza is catching up with
us.
“Israel has a caretaker gov-
ernment, and this was seen
as a weakness by Hamas,” he
continued. “Israel has been
caught with its pants down
because it underestimated
the willingness of Hamas
to use the opportunities in
Jerusalem to its advantage.
The mixture of Jerusalem
Day, (the end of Ramadan)
observances on the Temple
Mount and the disturbanc-
es on a housing court case
there created a perfect storm.
It was a chance for Hamas
to prove to the Palestinian
people that Hamas and not
the Palestinian Authority is
the real power broker in the
region.”
Lis said he is grateful
for the rocket-intercepting
power of the Iron Dome,
“which is working beyond
anyone’s expectations,”
and also the support that
Michigan Congressional rep-
resentatives such as Brenda
Lawrence, Elissa Slotkin and
Sen. Gary Peters, who have
expressed Israel’s right to
protect itself.
Jonathan Gold
of Novi said he
feels “frustrated
and sad” about
the situation and
worries for his
friend Talya, who
lives with her
husband and three young
children in the coastal town
of Netanya.
On one of her posts, Gold
said, she wrote that she
was driving home alone at
night and thought to herself:
“What if the sirens go off and
I can’t get home to my babies
and they don’t know where
I am? It makes me so sad to
know that when the sirens
go off (on Yom HaZikaron
or Yom Hashoah), the first
thing my 4-year-old son asks
is, ‘Do we need to go into
the mamad (safety room)
again?’”
Making the best of the
situation, Ilanit Atias’
cousin Metar Atias sings
with her father, Yaakov,
who plays the guitar
inside their safe room.
Jonathan
Gold
continued from page 28
Hillel Annual Gala
W
ith limitations
due to COVID-
19, Hillel Day
School is reinventing this
year’s annual event with its
first-ever Drive-
In Gala Sunday,
May 23, at 6 p.m.
in Temple Israel’s
parking lot.
Hillel will
celebrate Sheri
and David Jaffa as
its Dream Maker
honorees for
their support of
Hillel and the
larger Jewish
community.
Jessica Alter
(class of 1993)
and Sen. Jeremy
Moss (class
of 2000) will
receive this year’s
Distinguished
Alumni Awards.
The funds
raised at the
Drive-In Gala
will benefit Hillel’s tuition
assistance program that
currently provides $3.2
million in scholarships
to more than 56% of its
families.
The community can
also support Hillel by
participating in a raffle to
win three incredible prizes
— a $10,000 tuition credit
for one child for the 2021-22
school year, a Peloton Bike+,
and $1,500 in Somerset
Collection gift cards. Raffle
tickets are $25 each or five
for $100. The winners will be
announced during the event.
A silent auction featuring
a number of unique items,
one-of-a-kind experiences,
gift certificates and
handmade classroom
projects is also online,
and bids can be made now
through the day of the event.
“We are very much looking
forward to celebrating
Sheri and David Jaffa, the
outstanding alumni, and the
incredible dedication of our
faculty and staff who have
persevered and ensured that
learning never stopped at
Hillel,” said Head of School
Dr. Darin Katz.
“The Jaffas are quiet,
humble leaders in our
community. Their two
daughters, Skylar Elbinger
and Sabrina Kaufman, both
attended Hillel and they are
the proud grandparents of
five, all of whom attended
or attended Hillel. Their
commitment to Hillel
over the years has been
extraordinary and we are
looking forward to giving
them the honor they
deserve.”
To learn more about the
2021 Drive-In Gala, purchase
raffle tickets or bid on silent
auction items, visit https://
one.bidpal.net/hdsgala2021/
welcome.
Jessica
Alter
Sen.
Jeremy
Moss
Sheri and
David Jaffa
INTEREST-FREE LOANS FOR
MICHIGAN JEWISH RESIDENTS
APPLICATIONS OPEN
JULY 1
TO JULY 31
COMPLETE AND SUBMIT ONLINE:
jewishcollegeloansmi.org