4 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 

statement
Condemning Antisemitism

T

he Religious 
Leaders Forum of 
Metropolitan Detroit 
expresses its solidarity with 
the Metropolitan Detroit 
Jewish community and 
condemns, in the strongest 
terms possible, all manner 
of hateful and violent words 
and acts against our Jewish 
brothers and sisters and their 
houses of worship. 
The recent spate of 
antisemitic incidents 
across our country and 
in our community is vile 
and entirely antithetical 

to our respective faiths’ 
teachings. We hereby affirm 
that attacks, hatred and 
discrimination against any 
person on the basis of his or 
her religious identity have 
no place in our country or 
community. 
In years past, the 
Religious Leaders Forum 
has condemned instances 
of Islamophobic and racist 
bigotry in our community. 
Recent attacks on Jews 
require us again to speak 
out forcefully. Any attack on 
one of us shall be deemed 

an attack on each of us. We 
will continue to promote 
tolerance and respect for one 
another. Nothing short of 
this is acceptable.
The Religious Leaders 
Forum of Metropolitan 
Detroit believes that the 
significant moral and social 
values espoused by their 
respective religious groups 
are important considerations 
for the entire community. Its 
leaders share an unshakeable 
belief that God is bountifully 
at work in our community. 
Its members join together to 

foster mutual respect for one 
another and work together 
to utilize their collective 
influence for the betterment 
of the Metropolitan Detroit 
civic community. 

Rabbi Asher Lopatin, Executive 

Director, Jewish Community Relations; 

Rabbi Robert Gamer, President, 

Michigan Board of Rabbis; and Rabbi 

Harold Loss, Temple Israel, belong to 

the Religious Leaders Forum, a group 

of senior clergy leaders who work 

together to foster mutual respect and 

work toward a Metropolitan Detroit 

community that thrives in compassion 

and peace.

PURELY COMMENTARY

RELIGIOUS LEADERS FORUM OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT

student’s corner

The Imperfect Sneaker
I 

love sneakers. I’m always 
looking for the latest 
and greatest designs; and 
if a celebrity or sports star 
endorses them, it’s an even 
bigger deal! I even keep the 
boxes that they 
come in because 
it increases their 
value. When 
“Yeezys” were 
introduced in 
2015, I could not 
wait to get a pair. 
I was excited to show them off 
to my friends. My dad and I 
even got the same pair. 
Fast forward to 2022 and the 
hateful, ignorant, antisemitic 
rhetoric that Kanye West (also 
known as “Ye”) started spewing 
made my Yeezys not so special 
anymore. This public figure 
played a large role in making 
the shoes such a success. In 
2020, Forbes Magazine even 

described them as “one of the 
greatest retail stories of the 
century.” 
I no longer wanted to wear 
them, and it started to really 
bother me when I saw other 
Jewish people still wearing 
them. Now I know that I can’t 
control what other people 
wear, after all, they are just 
sneakers. 
However, just like being 
a good role model is shown 
by holding the door open for 
someone, not swearing and 
maybe even letting one of my 
grandmothers hold my arm 
when going down the stairs 
so they don’t fall, I see being 
a role model as not wearing 
my once-treasured sneakers 
anymore. To me, they now 
symbolize hate and intolerance. 
Adidas did make the 
decision to terminate its 
relationship with Ye, end 

production of the Yeezy- 
branded products and stop 
all payments to him. This is a 
step in the right direction — a 
public company denouncing 
hate and discrimination. 
However, I feel that as Jews, 
it is our responsibility to take 
a stand and to remember that 
material possessions are just 
that. We must take it one step 
further. 
We can all interpret Jewish 
values in different ways. 
Whether at home, at school 
or on a Tamarack summer 
experience, Jewish values have 
been central to my upbringing. 
Kindness, compassion and the 
courage to do what is right are 
always in the forefront, and 
that is why I have chosen to no 
longer wear my Yeezys. I hope 
you will make the same choice 
and encourage those who do 
not to rethink their decision. 

Sell them and use the money 
to do something fun with your 
family or donate the proceeds 
to a Jewish charity whose 
mission is to educate and 
inspire Jews to love, support, 
understand and cherish their 
rich history. I’m happy to give 
you some suggestions. 
At the heart of our religion 
is the idea of tikkun olam, 
making the world a better 
place. It is my hope that 
through advocacy, education, 
involvement in our community 
and participation in Jewish 
rituals, I will be the positive 
role model needed to change 
any antisemitic narrative that I 
encounter. 
By the way, I’m still looking 
for the perfect sneaker. Let me 
know if you find it. 

Zachary Elbinger is a sophomore at 

Frankel Jewish Academy

Zachary 
Elbinger