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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