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

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JULY 1
TO JULY 31

COMPLETE AND SUBMIT ONLINE:
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