18 | OCTOBER 24 • 2024
labeled Jews as vermin.
Members of the Jewish community
directly confronted Fakih on her
“defiant and unremorseful” stance.
They asked her to correct her path,
to apologize for calling all of them
“scum,
” criticized her for the hypocrisy
of saying that she was labeled, and for
gaslighting them all by closing out her
remarks with a quote from the famed
Holocaust survivor. Some demanded
that she immediately resign or that the
board should take action to remove
her.
From a legal standpoint, the board
cannot remove her immediately,
according to Trustee Neal Barnett,
who spoke to the JN on the morning
of the meeting.
“I agree that she shouldn’t be on the
board after this,
” Barnett said. “But
only the governor can legally remove
her. And there’s not enough time left
for the governor’s or the attorney
general’s office to do due diligence to
conduct a proper investigation. By
the time that investigation would be
complete, her term would be over.
”
There is talk in the Jewish
community of mobilizing to convince
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to take this
step. Under censure, Fakih can still
conduct regular business on the board,
but the mark will be on her permanent
record, according to Bloomfield
Township officials.
Rabbi Tzvi Muller of the
Birmingham Bloomfield Shul,
located in Bloomfield
Township said, “This
evening meeting’s positve
result was spurred by a
grassroots movement
of local residents who
shared their concern with
their neighbors. Several
days before the meeting, I received
dozens of phone calls and emails from
township residents who were horrified
by Stephanie’s posts and were planning
on attending Monday night’s meeting.
“I believe what impressed the
township trustees was that so many
of their constituents showed up and
expressed revulsion with Trustee
Fakih’s actions.
”
#EndJewHatred
Director of Mobilization
Adar Rubin considered
the evening a success.
“We saw a powerful
display of unity within
the community, as
our Metro Detroit
Jewish residents bravely spoke out
and demanded accountability for
Stephanie’s disgraceful social media
post,
” Rubin said in an emailed
statement following the censure vote.
“We thank the Jewish Federation
and our partner organizations who
mobilized alongside our activists to
attend yesterday’s contentious hearing.
We applaud the Bloomfield Board of
Trustees for speaking out against her
remorseless Jew-hatred and forcing
a censure. It is now vital that Gov.
Whitmer and Attorney General Nessel
take necessary action to enforce her
removal from the Board.
”
PUBLIC COMMENTS WENT ON
FOR NEARLY THREE HOURS
To maintain decorum during the
hours of public comment, Walsh
sternly cautioned the room to keep all
remarks to the allotted three minutes,
to have limited reaction from the rest
of the room and to maintain civility at
all times.
In all, more than 100 people, most
with a pro-Israel stance, offered their
comments. They accused her of insult-
ing their entire family, poisoning and
dividing the community, and giving
the public a license to hate Jews.
Some expressed hope that by listen-
ing to them, Fakih would acknowledge
her mistake and ask for forgiveness.
Instead, Fakih sat defiantly and did
not apologize.
The public comment section
OUR COMMUNITY
“BETWEEN THE PROPAGANDA LEFT
ON PEOPLE’S DRIVEWAYS, THE
VANDALISM AT FEDERATION, AND
NOW THESE STATEMENTS, IT’S THE
FIRST TIME I FELT LIKE THIS IS HOW
NAZI GERMANY STARTED. I GREW
UP FEELING VERY COMFORTABLE
IN THIS COMMUNITY. I NEVER FELT
ANTISEMITISM; MY JEWISH, MUSLIM
AND CHALDEAN FRIENDS ALL HUNG
OUT TOGETHER IN HIGH SCHOOL. MY
KIDS ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL NOW.
I FEAR FOR THEM.”
— AMY OPPERER BRODE
Adar Rubin
Rabbi Tzvi
Muller
continued from page 17