10 | DECEMBER 2 • 2021
PURELY COMMENTARY
‘Miracles Exist’ –
A Letter to Danny Fenster
on his Return Home
Dear Danny,
I’m beyond delighted that you are not
seeing a tally of days you’ve been in prison
(and I’m smiling as I write this) because we
no longer have to count them. I think it’s
safe to say we’re all smiling now.
We are celebrating Chanukah (the
Festival of Lights). I think it’s auspicious
that you were freed in the Hebrew month
of Kislev; the month when we celebrate
Chanukah.
Kislev is known as the month of miracles.
The energy of Kislev is known as the
power of harmony; the harmony that
emerges after chaos.
Sound familiar?
Even more telling is that you were
freed on the 11th of Kislev. Spiritually, the
number 11 has many meanings. For those
familiar with angel numbers, 11 represents
balance, vision and fulfillment (there are
several other meanings, but they all relate
to a message from heaven).
In Gematria (the Kabbalistic method of
assigning a numerical value to single or
groups of Hebrew letters) the Hebrew letter
‘Kaf’ is the 11th letter of the Hebrew alpha-
bet. It is the first letter in the word, kavanah,
(which means intention, sincere feeling and
direction of the heart).
I can’t even begin to describe how much
all of this relates directly to what we all
have been doing for the past six months
each time we set our clocks (and our pure
intention) and gathered to pray in which-
ever way is meaningful to us as individuals.
With one common, sacred, mission in
mind (and pure love in our hearts), we gave
our faith and trust in G-d, the Universe
and pure energy, the power to travel across
oceans and bring you home where you
belong.
A few weeks ago, I wrote on the Bring
Danny Home Facebook page that I don’t
believe in coincidences. I believe that
everything happens for a reason even when
it makes no sense to us. While your past
six months were nothing short of a living
nightmare (for you and your family — and
for all of us who love all of you), we never
lost hope or our belief that this beautiful
community of people of all faiths would
make a difference.
We called, emailed, texted and posted on
every social media platform. We remained
steadfast and relentless in order to make
sure those in a position of power paid
attention and took action. Your captors
were unrelenting, but their cause was no
match for an army of kind people with
pure hearts and pure intention who always
believed that light would win over darkness.
Kislev is a month of miracles and, as we
kindle the flames of our chanukiyot and
celebrate holidays of our respective faiths,
we will think about what it means to illumi-
nate every corner of our world with light,
peace, grace and love.
Danny, Juliana, Bryan, Cara, Rose, Buddy
and your amazing, beautiful family: We
all are collectively exhaling and embracing
you as we finally and happily ditch the
‘BringDannyHome’ hashtag and, instead,
embrace the words: “Welcome Home
Danny! We love you!”
— Dina Kawer
Huntington Woods
Miraculous Chanukah
Both USA and Israel received their Cha-
nukah gifts a little early this year, with the
miraculous release of Danny Fenster and
the Israeli couple released from jail in Tur-
key after being accused of spying.
The USA and Israel
Two countries that are free,
Are sure to bring their sons from hell
Wherever that will be.
— Rachel Kapen
West Bloomfield
Judge Cohn
Danny Schwartz (Nov. 18, page 21)
describes the biography of Judge Avern
Cohn as including “a wide selection of
Cohn’s own writing on legal and especially
historical subjects.” I immediately thought
about his prodigious output of letters to
publications far and wide on topics consid-
erably more varied than law and history.
Judge Cohn is a true polymath who appar-
ently writes whenever he has something to
say. He might agree with me that writing
letters is more productive than throwing
things at the television.
I once asked him how often his letters
were accepted for publication. He seemed
surprised at the question, thought a
moment and then said, “Oh, about 40%.”
It’s an honor to say that on one occasion he
and I shared the Letters page of the same
issue of the Detroit Jewish News, his letter
about Jonathan Pollard, mine on the mid-
term Congressional races.
— Roger H. Leemis
Southfield
Corrections: The story “Open-Mic Night”
(Nov. 18, page 26) had an incorrect author
byline. The story was written by Avery
Geller, a junior from West Bloomfield at
MSU.
In “
A Link to Past Generations” (Nov.
18, page 48), Jay Saper’s aunt should have
been identified as Jeri Saper.
letters
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