6 | JUNE 17 • 2021
PURELY COMMENTARY
1942 - 2021
Covering and Connecting
Jewish Detroit Every Week
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DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
FOUNDATION
go to the website
www.djnfoundation.org
The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520)
is published every Thursday at
32255 Northwestern Highway, #205,
Farmington Hills, Michigan. Periodical
postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and
additional mailing offices.
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Detroit Jewish News,
32255 Northwestern Highway, #205,
Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334
MISSION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will be of service to the Jewish community. The Detroit Jewish
News will inform and educate the Jewish and general community to preserve, protect and sustain the Jewish
people of greater Detroit and beyond, and the State of Israel.
VISION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will operate to appeal to the broadest segments of the greater
Detroit Jewish community, refl
ecting the diverse views and interests of the Jewish community while advancing the
morale and spirit of the community and advocating Jewish unity, identity and continuity.
DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205,
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
248-354-6060
thejewishnews.com
Publisher
The Detroit Jewish
News Foundation
| Board of Directors:
Chair: Gary Torgow
Vice President: David Kramer
Secretary: Robin Axelrod
Treasurer: Max Berlin
Board members: Larry Jackier,
Jeffrey Schlussel, Mark Zausmer
Senior Advisor to the Board:
Mark Davidoff
Alene and Graham Landau Archivist Chair:
Mike Smith
Founding President & Publisher Emeritus:
Arthur Horwitz
Founding Publisher
Philip Slomovitz, of blessed memory
| Editorial
DIrector of Editorial:
Jackie Headapohl
jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com
Associate Editor: David Sachs
dsachs@thejewishnews.com
Social Media and Digital Producer:
Nathan Vicar
nvicar@thejewishnews.com
Staff Reporter: Danny Schwartz
dschwartz@thejewishnews.com
Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello
smanello@thejewishnews.com
Senior Columnist: Danny Raskin
dannyraskin2132@gmail.com
Contributing Writers:
Nate Bloom, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne
Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Shari S.
Cohen, Shelli Leibman Dorfman, Louis
Finkelman, Stacy Gittleman, Esther
Allweiss Ingber, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer
Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz,
Robin Schwartz, Mike Smith, Steve Stein,
Ashley Zlatopolsky
| Advertising Sales
Director of Advertising: Keith Farber
kfarber@thejewishnews.com
Senior Account Executive:
Kathy Harvey-Mitton
kmitton@thejewishnews.com
| Business Office
Director of Operations: Amy Gill
agill@thejewishnews.com
Operations Manager: Andrea Gusho
agusho@thejewishnews.com
Operations Assistant: Ashlee Szabo
Circulation: Danielle Smith
Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner
| Production By
Farago & Associates
Manager: Scott Drzewiecki
Designers: Kelly Kosek, Kaitlyn Schoen,
Michelle Sheridan
Danny Fenster’s
Imprisonment
We have an international news
story unfolding in our local
community. On May 24, local
journalist Danny Fenster was
taken into custody in Myanmar,
where he has been working
as an editor for the magazine
Frontier Myanmar. He was on
his way home to Detroit to visit
family when this happened
at the airport. There were no
charges filed and there has been
no communication with him
since.
We are now into week two,
when the Jewish News went
to print last week, it had been
10 days and this story was
picked up by CNN, the AP,
NPR, national and local news
stations, yet in our local Jewish
News, the story was relegated to
page 37. It is a disappointment
to many of us in the community
that it was not a cover story.
Danny’s mission as a journalist
is to report free and honest
journalism. Honor Danny and
what he stands for and give him
the press he deserves.
#bringdannyhome
— Davida Robinson, Franklin
Jo Rosen, West Bloomfield
Beth Silver, Huntington Woods
Beth Brandvain, Farmington Hills
Editor’s Note: Print media
unfortunately lags behind in
fast-breaking news stories due
to time required for layout,
printing and mailing. Our
continuously updated website,
thejewishnews.com, featured
our first story about Danny on
May 26 and a follow-up story
on June 2 before the June 3 JN
could reach subscribers. Under
our magazine-style format, most
cover stories are developed weeks
in advance. We are deeply con-
cerned about the imprisonment
of this local Jewish journalist
and will continue to publicize his
cause and strive for his release.
Horrifi
c Vandalism
We unequivocally condemn the
cowardly and despicable act of
vandalism at the Florida Holo-
caust Museum on May 27. The
abhorrent graffiti and hateful
rhetoric that defaced the mu-
seum is an act of antisemitism,
hatred and violence targeting
Jews.
We will not be intimidated or
waver in the mission of each of
our organizations to educate on
the dangers of unchecked hate.
Holocaust education increases
empathy, improves open-mind-
edness to differing viewpoints,
and creates a greater sense of
social responsibility and will-
ingness to stand up to negative
stereotyping and discrimina-
tion.
The lessons of the Holocaust
remain relevant today because
Nazi Germany’s ultimate hatred
shows how far human beings
are willing to go to destroy
those who are different from
themselves. We need to under-
stand what happens when
hatred and prejudice is not
stopped.
Hundreds of thousands of
people visit our museums each
year. The most important lesson
we teach about the Holocaust
is that history is made through
a series of choices and that
every choice has a consequence.
Choices by individuals have
power. At a time when hate
crimes and antisemitism are on
the rise, we fervently encourage
everyone to denounce antise-
mitic and all hate speech, hate
groups and acts of violence.
— Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO
Holocaust Memorial Center
Farmington Hills
Correction: The story “Better
Together” (June 3, page 20) was
written by Dr. Melissa Ser, CJE,
Director of Education of Adat
Shalom Synagogue.
letters