6 | JUNE 17 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY 1942 - 2021 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week To make a donation to the 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. Postmaster: send changes to: 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