12 | MAY 18 • 2023 

PURELY COMMENTARY

A Night of Contrasts

What a night of contrasts.
I am an elected member of 
Franklin Village council and a 
board member of Temple Israel.
On May 4, Rep. Rashida 
Tlalb, who due to redistricting 
now represents my Village of 
Franklin, came to speak here.
I had the second question 
using the backdrop of recent vile 
antisemitism in our neighboring 
area of Bloomfield Hills that 
received national coverage.
Recognizing her Muslim her-
itage and well-known stance for 
a one-state solution and history 
of denouncing Israel, I asked 
how I could reconcile her repre-
sentation to my constituents — 
many Jewish citizens.
I spoke not as Councilman 
Seltzer but as Franklin citizen 
Seltzer. 
She did her best deflecting 
about the violence against 
Palestinian people while I coun-
tered with unspeakable terror 
in the tiny State of Israel — the 
only democratic state surround-
ed by hostility. 
And so, we bobbed and 
weaved and she told me she 
had “many Jewish friends” 
and I didn’t have to vote 
for her, which is an obvious 
trite response, and as patient 
and professional as we both 
remained it was a circular “dis-
cussion.
”
Then I had to exit (to a 

mixed crowd of appreciative 
and scornful people, mostly 
outside of the village from 
Redford and Southfield, nearby 
communities now represented 
by Tlaib) to attend a speaking 
event by noted former New York 
Times reporter Bari Weiss at 
Temple Israel and interviewed 
by Franklin author and radio 
personality Mitch Albom.
What a contrast as Weiss, a 
gay, liberal notable writer and 
reporter, detailed her experience 
of antisemitism and her deci-
sion to depart a gem of a career 
at the legendary New York Times 
where being Jewish should be a 
safe space and among friends.
Instead, she related personal 
experiences how the continuing 
media pressure by many inter-
nally and externally to further 
denounce Israel led her NY 
Times stories being either ele-
vated to front page or dismissed 
depending on whether they fit 
the narrative. She told how that 
began to affect her, and how 
antisemitism is being elevated 
from college campuses through 
mainstream media and how 
liberal media dominance has 
changed to a once unthinkable 
drumbeat against Israel and 
Jews.
Look her up and read her 
The Free Press daily news site at 
bariweiss.com or her book How 
to Fight Anti-Semitism on this 
subject.
Suffice to say it was an 

intriguing evening on a subject 
of great concern to me and to 
many.

— Michael Seltzer 

Franklin

Israel Is 75
Yom HaAtzmaut is Israel’s 
Independence Day. I painted my 
nails blue and white, the colors 
of the Israeli flag as well as the 
colors we usually wear in honor 
of this special day. It’s my own 
personal, fun tradition that I 
started two years ago.
Israel is celebrating 75 years 
as a Jewish country. Yom 
HaAtzmaut is Israel’s 75th 
birthday, and mine, by proxy. 
Although my birth date is in 
March, both Israel and I were 
born in 1948! My mother linked 
our birthdays each year, so this 
is my celebration, too. 
Life granted me extra reasons 
to make this a day of celebration 
for me. This is the day that I 
met my Israeli husband, Mickey, 
at a Yom HaAtzmaut celebration 
at the JCC in suburban Detroit. 
And this is the day on which, 
in 2015, I received a special 
gift: the birth of my grand-
son, Amichai “
Ami” Barack 
Goldenberg. 
Three wonderful events to 
joyously mark on this day.
We often enjoy being in 
Israel at this time of year. We 
mark Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s 
Memorial Day, at a community 
ceremony with Mickey’s fam-

ily on Erev Yom HaZikaron. 
The following day, we visit the 
cemetery where Mickey’s Uncle 
Nissim, a terror victim, is buried 
and take part in the ceremony 
for those who died before the 
creation of the State of Israel. 
On Yom HaAtzmaut, we have 
a festive barbeque with family 
and friends, music and song in 
the backyard of Mickey’s family 
home in Ramat Gan since 1934.
This year we celebrated Ami’s 
eighth birthday and participated 
in celebrations with his com-
munity and his school, Epstein 
Hebrew Academy, in St. Louis. 
A celebratory day, l’
dor v’
dor.
Am Yisrael Chai!
Happy 75th birthday to Israel 
and me! 

— Beverly Kent Goldenberg

Hadassah Greater Detroit

CORRECTION: 
The story “Israeli Street Artist 
Tags the Walls of Hillel Day 
School” (May 4, page 36) was 
written by Lauren Cohen, who 
also took the photos.

letters

Mir hobn alle in Sinai gevayn
Un Moishe Rabeinu mir hobn 
 gezayn.
 Un Na’se v’nishma as 
 one we did say
 Mir zogn dos mein kinder 
 
 
 
 till this very day.
Ober yetzt is Shavuos, tzu 
 shul darfmen gayn.

 Translations:
Mir hobn alle: we all
gevayn: have been
Moishe Rabeinu: 
 Moses our rabbi
mir hobn gezayn: 
 we have seen
Na’se v’nishma: We will do, 
 and we will heal

Mir zogn dos: 
 That what we say
Mein kinder: my kids
Ober yetzt: But now
tzu shul darfmen gayn: 
 to synagogue we must go.

By Rachel Kapen

Yiddish Limerick
Shavuot

