Essays and viewpoints

Sometimes the most difficult issues to face are the ones in the direst need of attention.

Child abuse and neglect are indiscriminate and complex problems. They seep into every corner of society without regard to race, gender or socioeconomic status. They’re also challenging and uncomfortable topics for many to openly discuss because the subject matter — the destruction of innocence — is a dark and weighty talking point for polite conversation.

However, there is no better time than the present to continue addressing the need for these conversations because prevention now brings hope for a brighter future for all of us.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and for the past 40 years, Children’s Trust Fund of Michigan has been the only statewide agency solely dedicated to ending cycles of child abuse and neglect by supporting local councils in all 83 counties that strengthen families through education, awareness and programming.

I have been blessed to dedicate a significant portion of my time to area nonprofits striving to help children and families. Children’s Trust Fund has always held a special, personal place in my heart because of the work it performs to provide hope and happiness across Michigan. So, when I was asked by the governor to serve on CTF’s board of directors in March 2020, I jumped at the opportunity to play a part in producing positive outcomes not only for individuals and households but for society as a whole as well.

Unfortunately, the negative ramifications of abuse and neglect extend far beyond the boundaries of childhood. Numerous studies have shown the ripples of adverse childhood experiences stretch into adulthood, creating even further societal ills such as repetitive cycles of violence, drug abuse, and mental and psychological consequences.

It’s why the importance of early, often and unyielding prevention efforts cannot be understated — and it also highlights why prevention is an issue where we all have a shared invested interest.

But what can we do as individuals?

The first step is simply awareness. CTF

has a valued partner this year in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to help spread the message that prevention matters. There are a variety of events taking place in local communities across the state to highlight Child Abuse Awareness Month, and our hope is that you take note of them. The second step is to get involved and take an active role. One way to get involved is by volunteering or donating to programs and services offered in your community. Another is to take part in CTF’s 20th annual Amy Tattrie Pam Posthumus Signature Auction Event

Loepp on May 17. The annual gathering is being held virtually as well as in-person this year at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing. The more we talk about and implement child abuse and neglect prevention, the less power the issue holds as an uncomfortable and awkward topic. It’s time to open the lines of communication and have a dialogue of empathy, understanding and action. Every voice matters.

Amy Tattrie Loepp is chair of the Children’s Trust Fund board of directors. The CTF’s 20th annual Pam Posthumus Signature Auction Event is set for May 17 at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing. For more information, visit michigan.gov/ctf/.

Museums are bearers of history. By housing the artifacts and documents of the past, we ensure that the truth, both noble and horrific, of what humanity has done remains shared and accessible. We at Holocaust museums around the world have a particular mission. The stories we tell are ones of destruction and pain, and of the nobility of upstanders who risked their lives to do what was right and help others. We not only aim to educate, to honor our survivors’ wishes that their stories are not forgotten, but to make a better future where the stories we tell are no longer repeated.

So it is with sorrow that we see yet another atrocity in Ukraine, 80 years after the “Holocaust by Bullets” in which Jewish men, women and children were shot and buried in shallow graves. We are angered by today’s stories of children with their hands zip tied and buried in shallow graves. We are angered by the horrific reports of rape and wanton destruction of lives by the Russian army.

These are war crimes, and if we, as the bearers of history, do not speak out, then we have failed in our mission.

We call upon our governments around the world to do more to stop these atrocities and assist those who have been brutalized. We support the International Criminal Court’s investigation of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Seventeen museums from four countries across the world released this joint statement condemning Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld of The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills was one of the signatories.

At a Tel Aviv cafe on the morning of April 11, I overheard a couple talking about the terrorist surge responsible for the fact that the normally packed establishment was as relatively empty as the adjacent Carmel Market. On such a beautiful day, and with Passover fast approaching, both venues ought to have been teeming with Israelis taking a time out from grocery shopping to sip espresso in the sun. But the shooting spree the week before at one of White City’s popular pubs, as well as other deadly attacks by Palestinians and like-minded Arab Israelis, has people on edge.

This makes perfect sense. Less logical was the conclusion that the husband and wife reached about the perilous situation.

In their view, the greatest threat to their safety at the moment is not a potential assault from residents of the Palestinian Authority or their Arab-Israeli brethren. The danger lies, rather, in the slippery trigger fingers of Israeli security forces and members of the general public in possession of firearms.

The conversation turned to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s recent call on licensed gun owners to carry their weapons. That this directive came on the heels of heroic acts by armed civilians against terrorists on a rampage didn’t enter the discussion.

They cited two examples, both of which occurred on April 10, to justify their fears. The first involved the shooting to death of an unarmed Palestinian woman in the town of Husan. The second

JNS.org was the killing of a JewishIsraeli man at an intersection near Ashkelon.

It’s not clear whether the spouses had bothered to learn the details of each case. Their unified position, which they indicated by nodding and

continued on page 10

PHOTO BY NOAM REVKIN FENTON/FLASH90/JNS.ORG

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“R emember me,” were the last words that my grandfather, Wolf Gruca (z’l), uttered to my children before he died in 2021 at the age of 101. “Remember” was the challenge Grandpa gave us each Passover when he spoke of his own slavery at the hands of the Nazis.

Sadly, not just my Zaydie but also the entire generation of survivors is passing. As we prepare to mark a Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) for which few survivors remain, we are forced anew to confront the question, “What does it mean to remember?” And, as part of that question, we must

wrestle with the commandment of “Never again.” Congregation Shaarey Zedek of Southfield is setting these sacred tasks before the community in marking this year’s Yom HaShoah. We are innovating a new experience to explore meaning more than mourning, and to move from memory to empowerRabbi Aaron ment. Titled “To Remember,

Starr To Remind,” and rooted in the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Hitkansut ceremony, we will not only listen to the stories of survivors, but we will seek the lessons learned by their descendants.

Al Kaline died nearly two years ago on April 6, 2020. The former Detroit Tigers superstar wore a Detroit uniform from 1953 through 1974 and many of us saw him on the field in each of those years. During that span, Kaline accumulated many awards and a lot of memorabilia.

More than a year after his death at 85, the Kaline family, honoring Al’s wishes, disposed of more than 400 of his personal items bringing in more than $1.64 million via auction. Kaline’s collection included gloves, batting and fielding, and Gold Gloves for being the best defensive outfielder. There were plenty of bats, balls, jerseys, trophies and even his golf clubs. Kaline’s 1984 World Series ring (he was a broadcaster at the time) went for $87,000. That means mine, with the name Cohen on it and not real gold like Kaline’s, would probably fetch $87.

Kaline played with — or saw from the broadcast booth as a color man with George Kell — all of the former Tigers who died in the past year. I saw them play and got to know most of them shmoozing while on the baseball beat.

Of course, the one that impacted us the most was Bill Freehan, Kaline’s teammate on the 1968 team that beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1968 World Series. Freehan was 79 when he died last August after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for several years. After his 15-year career as a player (1961-1976), he was a frequent visitor to Tiger Stadium and even stopped in my office a couple of times always wearing a great smile.

Tom Matchick, who died at 79, had a six-year big league career and spent three years with the Tigers. Mostly a reserve infielder, he appeared in 80 games for the ’68 Tigers and batted .203. Pitcher Paul Foytack made it to 90 and made the majors with the Tigers in 1953 and spent the next 10 years in Detroit. He loved to talk about his claim to fame in 1963 with the Los Angeles Angels when he gave up four consecutive home runs. Foytack

returned to Detroit after being released and pitched batting practice while holding down a regular job. He was fun to be around and popular with his teammates and writers and always could be counted on for quips and quotes. Johnny Groth lived to experience his 95th birthday and Irwin Cohen broke in with the Tigers in 1946. When I saw my first big league game in 1950 from the lower left field grandstand, I sat between left fielder Hoot Evers (my favorite player) and Groth, considered one of the best center fielders in the game at the time. Groth was traded in 1952 but reacquired in the late ’50s and played alongside Kaline for three seasons. One of the nicest people in the game and a very religious Catholic who had 10

We will sing, and we will pray. Most of all, we will ask what our obligations are some 80 years after the close of World War II.

For some of us, “Never Again” means making every effort to protect Jewish lives and to embrace Judaism. We help Israel defend itself against terrorism and nuclear weapons, and we battle against antisemitism at home and abroad. Our synagogues and our homes offer children and adults alike a joyful, relevant and intellectually rich Judaism, and we focus our charitable giving and acts of lovingkindness on our fellow Jews because, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” (Pirkei Avot 1:13).

For others, the legacy of the Holocaust inspires a universal approach to pursuing justice and caring for the needy. We battle against all forms of discrimination, and we seek to empower and give voice to those historically underprivileged. We remember what it is like to be strangers and slaves, orphans and refugees, and so we seek to remedy the plight of all who fall into these categories because, “If I am for myself alone, what am I?” (Pirkei Avot 1:13).

While Jewish values demand the pursuit of all these efforts, our time is limited and our resources finite. In addition to the above ongoing crises, we respond as well to the war crimes committed by Russia against the Ukrainians. Reality dictates, however, that we must prioritize our initiatives as the voices of those murdered in the Shoah call to us: “If not now, when?” (Pirkei Avot 1:13). The Holocaust’s legacy must help to shape our communal agenda and our individual choices. What does it mean to remember and how do we fulfill the commandment, “Never again”?

After my grandfather’s death, my then-13-year-old son Caleb wrote, “Vividly, I recall his exact words as we were about to hang up: in his old, Polish accented voice, he said to my brother and me, ‘Boys, remember me … Remember me.’ From that point on, I promised myself I would always remember him. Not the Holocaust survivor, not the miraculous 101-yearold man, but my Zaydie. My Zaydie. His legacies, his stories and everything he worked for in this country of opportunity. So, what is the power of memory? Having the person live on throughout your family’s generations. I want my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to remember my Zaydie; to tell his stories and pass on his legacy: ‘Remember me.’”

Legacy is family, friends and community. Legacy is also a call to action. Zaydie, we remember.

daughters and one son, Groth watched his pennies and was able to spend his retirement years living in Palm Beach, Fla.

Tigers first base coach Kimera Bartee went to Omaha last December to spend the holidays with his father. While there, he collapsed and couldn’t be revived. The 49-year-old Bartee was one of the nicest, kindest men to ever wear a Tigers uniform. Bartee was with the Tigers as a player when Tiger Stadium hosted its final game on Sept. 27, 1999, and is the answer to the trivia question, who was the last Tiger player to bat in Tiger Stadium.

While we hope the departed Tigers are in a higher league, we can expect the 2022 Tigers to go higher in the standings. The 2021 Tigers won 77 games and lost 85. The 2022 team is capable of turning that record around. Manager A.J. Hinch has a lot more to work with this season, which should translate into some very exciting months ahead for fans and downtown businesses.

New impact players are Javy Baez and rookies Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson. Baez, who ended last season with the Mets and hit 31 home runs, was signed as a free agent by the Tigers. A flashy fielder who can play shortstop and second base, his bat, glove and speed give the team more excitement.

Rookies Greene and Torkelson may not be with the team all season, but they already proved themselves at all minor league levels to be headed for superstardom. Both are capable for hitting for a high average and hitting 30

Rabbi Aaron Starr is a spiritual leader at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield. “To Remember, To Remind” will take place on Thursday, April 28. It is open to the entire community, free of charge, and will be led by the Congregation Shaarey Zedek clergy and members of the CSZ family. For more information or to RSVP, call (248) 357-5544.

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When I was 9, I wore a Star of David necklace. It was a nice necklace, and I wore it everywhere, even when I went to the park. I did have an interesting experience with it once. I had been playing on the swings when a girl came up to me. She told me my necklace was pretty. I said thank you, then she asked what it was. This question confused me because I thought everyone knew what it was. After I finished explaining my necklace, she asked me what it meant to be Jewish.

The question made me pause. I had attended Jewish schools my entire life, and I was unable to immediately respond. I tried my best, and despite not knowing how to explain it well, I think I did a decent job. Sometimes when I wear a Star of David today, I think back to that time at the park. Since then, I have learned to explain Judaism to anyone who wants to know more. It’s hard to be the first Jewish person someone has met because sometimes they ask very broad or difficult questions. When I explain Judaism to someone, I think of a phrase I have heard, “you don’t have to explain your identity to anyone.” However, I disagree with that statement.

Despite how many incredible and accomplished Jews there are, many people do not know what it means to be Jewish. I always try my best to explain to people what Judaism is, and I hope that other Jews will too. It is our responsibility to teach others about Judaism.

People can make assumptions or hear misinformation and assume those are facts. After all, we only make up less than 1% of the people in the world. The Jewish people are such a small group that it is the job of each of us to represent Judaism. This doesn’t mean we have to wear a particular item or be perfect Jews, but we have to know who we are.

So, how do we represent Judaism? We can do this by sharing our culture and traditions. Sometimes explaining why you participate in particular customs can make a world of difference in understanding. When a friend asked what Rosh Hashanah was, I explained that it was the Jewish New Year, what it meant to me, and I let her try some apples and honey. She liked the taste, and she went home with the knowledge of what it was. Hopefully, if someone else does not know what Rosh Hashanah is, she can now explain it to them.

Rebecca The more we represent Chynoweth Judaism and share it, the less stigmatized our practices and beliefs become. It feels great when a non-Jew understands why I can’t be at an event because of Shabbat or a holiday. Representation leads to understanding and empathy from the rest of the world. It is vital to our survival and prosperity as a people.

Rebecca Chynoweth is a senior at Frankel Jewish Academy.

FEAR TERRORISM continued from page 6

sighing at each other’s comments, was that the specifics were irrelevant.

Such an attitude, though far less rampant in Israel than the far-left would have one believe, provides fodder for the foreign press. This is not to say that publications like the Guardian and the New York Times need any help crafting headlines and concocting news stories that completely distort reality. But it sheds light on the tendency of Israeli liberals, like their counterparts abroad, to place blame where it doesn’t belong.

Unable, as an eavesdropper, to set the record straight in real time, I am taking the opportunity to do so here for anyone who has a similarly false sense of the above events.

Let’s start with the first instance, which took place at a makeshift checkpoint. Widowed mother-of-six Ghada Ibrahim Ali Sabateen charged at Israel Defense Forces soldiers in a suspicious manner and refused their order to halt. Following standard procedure, the soldiers first shot in the air. When Sabateen ignored the command, they shot her in the leg.

As soon as she fell to the ground, the soldiers administered first aid and called an ambulance. Palestinian medics quickly arrived and rushed her to the Al-Hussein Governmental Hospital in nearby Beit Jala, where she died of blood loss from a torn artery in her thigh.

If anything, this incident illustrates the care that the IDF troops took to avoid killing Sabateen, whose behavior indicated that she was seeking to die that afternoon as a “martyr,” rather than by suicide due to deep emotional problems. Now her family is eligible for a hefty monthly stipend from the P.A.

The second tragedy in question was equally unavoidable. Though it would subsequently emerge that the victim was not

DETROIT TIGERS continued from page 9

or more home runs. We can’t expect those numbers this year but should next season. I expect that one of them will be the American League’s Rookie of the Year.

Greene, a lefthanded batting outfielder, and Torkelson, who played third base before being moved to first base, will replace Miguel Cabrera, who will mainly be a designated hitter.

Last season, the Tigers had three players who totaled 67 home runs. Eric Haase and Jonathan Schoop, had 22 each while Robbie Grossman hit 23. This season it’s a good bet the three new Tigers could hit more than 67 homers.

The Tigers also shored up pitching and catching. These moves could push the Tigers into the post-season playoffs. While the playoffs aren’t a sure thing this season, Tigers fans could expect that for the next several seasons. Greene and Torkelson just need some major league experience. There are a couple of good free agents available, and if the Tigers feel the team is close to contention, management will dust off the checkbook and lure one or two with the knowledge that in 2023, Detroit will be one of the best teams in the major leagues.

Happy days are here again for Tigers fans, and those who sit in the outfield will be rewarded with many more home run souvenir baseballs via Tigers players.

Author, national columnist and public speaker Irwin J. Cohen headed a national baseball publication for five years and interviewed many legends of the game including Hank Greenberg. After accepting a front office position with the Detroit Tigers where he earned a World Series ring, Cohen went on to write 10 books including the iconic, “Echoes of Detroit’s Jewish Communities: A History.” He may be reached in his dugout at irdav@sbcglobal.net.

a terrorist, but rather a patient who had escaped from an institution for the mentally ill, his death wasn’t the result of some frivolous error.

In the first place, he was wearing pants resembling military fatigues and waving what later turned out to be a toy pistol. Secondly, he assaulted a female IDF soldier at a bus stop and grabbed her rifle, spurring witnesses on the scene to shout, “Terrorist! Terrorist!”

At this moment, IDF Binyamin Brigade Commander Col. Eliav Elbaz happened by and called out in Arabic to the perpetrator to put down the weapon. It was only after the man ignored the command and kept running that Elbaz shot him dead.

Even if the above IDF actions hadn’t been taken under the current circumstances, with a Ramadanspurred terror wave that claimed the lives of 14 innocents in the space of less than three weeks, they would have been completely justified. Contrary to the aspersions cast by external or internal ill-wishers, Israelis are far from trigger-happy.

Indeed, it’s the jihadists who should be feared, not the men and women in uniform — or jeans — defending against them.

Ruthie Blum is an Israel-based journalist and author.

Teachers are often the unsung heroes who inspire our children to greater heights and whose lessons often last a lifetime. The Jewish News wants to honor the best-of-the-best teachers in our community — in elementary, middle and high school.

To nominate a Jewish teacher or a teacher at one of Metro Detroit’s Jewish day schools, send an email to jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com with “Best Teachers” in the subject line. Include the teacher’s name, school, grade/ subject and why you think they deserve to be recognized. Then look for our “Educators of the Year” in the May 19, Cap & Gown issue.