1942 - 2024

Covering and Connecting 
Jewish Detroit Every Week

To make a donation to the 
DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 
FOUNDATION
go to the website
www.thejewishnews.com

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, reflecting 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: Mark Davidoff, 
 Michael J. Eizelman, Larry Jackier, 
 Jeffrey Schlussel, Mark Zausmer
 
 Executive Director:
 Marni Raitt 
 Alene and Graham Landau Archivist Chair: 
 Mike Smith
 Founding President & Publisher Emeritus: 
 Arthur Horwitz
 Founding Publisher 
 Philip Slomovitz, of blessed memory
 
 The Detroit Jewish News 
 Foundation Giving Society

 The Rebecca and Andrew Hayman Giving Fund
 Nancy and James Grosfeld
 The Honorable Bernard Friedman

 Editorial 
 Director of Editorial: 
 Jackie Headapohl
jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com
Contributing Editors: 
David Sachs, Keri Guten Cohen
Senior Staff Reporter: 
Danny Schwartz 
dschwartz@thejewishnews.com
Editorial Assistant: 
Sy Manello
smanello@thejewishnews.com 
Digital Manager:
Elizabeth King 
eking@thejewishnews.com 

Contributing Writers:
Nate Bloom, Rochel Burstyn, 
Suzanne Chessler, Shari S. Cohen, 
Louis Finkelman, Samantha Foon, 
Yevgeniya Gazman, Stacy Gittleman, 
Esther Allweiss Ingber, Barbara Lewis, 
Jennifer Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, 
Alan Muskovitz, Karen Schwartz, 
Robin Schwartz, Steve Stein, 
Nathaniel Warshay, Julie Smith Yolles, 
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: Ashlee Szabo 
 Circulation: Danielle Smith
 Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner

| Production By 
 Farago & Associates
 Manager: Scott Drzewiecki 
 Designers: Kaitlyn Iezzi, Kelly Kosek, 
 Michelle Sheridan 

6 | MAY 30 • 2024 
J
N

essay
Like Moses, We Must Defend Our Community 
M

y father’s uncle used 
to say to him that 
“every Jew should 
have a valid passport.
” My 
father has always added that 
“every Jew should have a valid 
passport and the means to 
defend them-
selves.
”
Coming out 
of the holiday 
of Passover, we 
are reminded of 
G-d’s might and 
Moses’ actions. A 
pivotal moment 
in the evolution of Moses 
becoming a leader occurred 
when he saw an Egyptian 
striking a Hebrew. He looked 
around and saw that no other 
Hebrew was coming to the aid 
of the Hebrew being struck. 
He felt the duty to protect the 
Hebrew, he looked for someone 
else to intervene, but no one 
was around. Moses then pro-

ceeded to kill the Egyptian. 
We, as Jews, have the respon-
sibility to protect and defend 
our fellow Jews. During times 
of crisis, we must not wallow or 
cower; we must learn to protect 
ourselves. As an Army combat 
veteran, I have been through 
rocket attacks in Israel as well 
as rocket and drone attacks 
in Syria. What we face now is 
much more of a looming dan-
ger that has to be acted upon 
before we lose more Jews.
The radical Iranian-
influenced ideology that 
motivated the attacks against 
my base in Syria is the same 
ideology that led to the murder 
and kidnapping of my relatives 
in Israel. This ideology has now 
led to harassment, threats and 
assaults against my fellow Jews 
on college campuses. It is not a 
matter of if someone dies from 
the radical ideology that has 
taken root in our country. It’s a 

matter of when. 
Between the ages of 19-20 
years old, I spent 259 days in 
Syria carrying a loaded rifle. 
The rifle was by my bedside 
as I slept. I was ready and pre-
pared to use lethal means in 
case of an attack against myself 
or a fellow American. I am no 
longer in a war zone, but my 
fear for my fellow citizens and 
Jews is greater than the fear 
I had for my fellow soldiers 
in Syria because of the ugly 
wave of antisemitism sweeping 
across America.
I have carried a loaded weap-
on, where permitted, every day 
since I got my CPL. I do this in 
order to protect my fellow citi-
zens and myself. When in loca-
tions where carrying a firearm 
is not permitted, I carry pepper 
spray. Our constitution guaran-
tees us the right to bear arms. 
Not everyone has to carry a 
gun, but everyone should be 

prepared to defend themselves, 
their families and the Jewish 
community. 
We have the chance to 
change the course of history by 
defending ourselves, our fam-
ilies and our community. We 
are Moses looking desperately 
around for someone to save the 
Hebrew being whipped. We 
must rise up like Moses did and 
defend our Jewish brethren. 
Moses sought someone 
else to intervene and kill the 
Egyptian. This indicates that 
he may not have wanted the 
duty or the responsibility but 
was nonetheless forced to act 
upon it. 
We must take responsibility 
because if not us, then who? 

Rachel Baker is an alumna of Frankel 

Jewish Academy. For information on 

self-defense classes, gun safety classes 

and free pepper spray for college stu-

dents, contact Rachel Baker at rachel-

bakerbtl@gmail.com.

PURELY COMMENTARY

Rachel Baker

