Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/671794
April 28 • 2016 5 viewpoints » S e n d l e t t e r s t o : l e t t e r s @ t h e j e w i s h n e w s . c o m continued on page 6 for openers Where Did You Come From? C lothing made of deer hide. Eagle feathers in his hair. Watching boats hop through rolling surf. Watching the boats' bows strike sand. Watching arriving humans stepping from boats, weapons in hand, planting flags in the turf, shouting claims of ownership to this or that king or queen. He watched immigrants step onto his land. He was one of "the People." Anthropologists tell us that's what they called themselves. "The People." Before the immigrants started calling them other names. First, Columbus, driven by determina- tion, misled by wayward navigation and believing he'd sailed around the world to the Far Eastern lands, called them Indians. Now, with arrogance and the mindless- ness of political correctness, we call them Native Americans even though America didn't exist when they were native to this soil. One of the People was quoted by Dee Brown in his book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee as saying, "The white man made many promises to us. He only kept one. He promised to take our land and he took it." An area in South Dakota is known as the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre, supposedly the last confrontation between the U.S. Army and "the People" who were here before anyone else and who were then gathered up and con- fined. No wonder we might fear immigrants. Could they be just like us? But think about what we might have missed without immigrants. If Isaac Stern's parents had not moved with their young son from Ukraine to San Francisco, Americans might never have heard his violin. Legendary Carnegie Hall might have been demolished for construction of an office building if he hadn't been here to lead the fight to save it. We might never have heard Tel Aviv- born Itzhak Perlman's violin nor seen him conduct the Detroit Symphony Orchestra if he hadn't moved to the U.S. from British Palestine to study his instrument. If Max Frankel hadn't come to America from Germany in 1940 to attend Columbia University and work part- time at the New York Times, we might never have read his coverage of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution nor watched his rise to the executive editorship of his newspaper. We might never have heard Russian- born Al Jolson sing "Mein Yiddishe Momme." We might never have heard what many consider the most popular holiday songs ever, all written by Russian Jews. "White Christmas" and "Easter Parade" by Irving Berlin and "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts roasting on an open fire …") by Mel Torme. We might never have heard second- generation Jews such as Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman blend traditional European music with the excitement of American jazz. If Italian-born Frank Capra hadn't been brought to live in Los Angeles at age 5, we might never have seen movies he grew up to direct, including 1930's It Happened One Night, 1934's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, 1936's You Can't Take It with You and 1947's It's a Wonderful Life. If the Jewish family Gershowitz had not moved here from Ukraine, we might never had heard George Gershwin's music. If not for immigrants, we never could have claimed Einstein's revolutionary theories of physics as the work of an American. We might never have stood in the entry hall of the Detroit Institute of Arts and marveled at Detroit Industry, the fresco conceived and executed by Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, depicting the city's manufacturing base and labor force of the 1930s. And how many of us might now be liv- ing in some other country if our parents or grandparents or great-grandparents had not been immigrants? * Norman Prady, 82, is a journalist and author living in Berkley. letters Norman Prady How UM-Dearborn Defeated BDS Vote Thank you for your coverage of the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UM-D) defeat of two Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions resolutions by the Faculty Congress ("BDS Vote," April 14, page 24). On behalf of Hillel of Metro Detroit (HMD), it's important to note that such overwhelming success comes from developing great partnerships; and we are very grateful to have such partnerships. We are proud of the work conducted by HMD Executive Director Miriam Starkman, who understands the importance of devel- oping and nurturing critical relation- ships fostered on trust, open dialogue and facts. Credit goes to Chancellor Dan Little and his senior leadership, Professor Jamie Wright and several UM-D stu- dents who unhesitatingly spoke out against these proposals. Locally, David Kurzmann from the Jewish Community Relations Council and Heidi Budaj from the Anti-Defamation Leaague were tremendous, providing behind-the- scenes support while recognizing it's important for campus situations to be addressed by members of the campus community. Furthermore, Professor Kenneth Waltzer of Academic Engagement Network gave us talking points that were instrumental in the discussion. While BDS issues are not how Hillel of Metro Detroit likes to spend its time and energy, this outcome was a best-case scenario for when it arises. The relationships we have established allowed us to develop and implement a successful strategy, even with the limited time frame we were given. We should all be proud our community is positioned for such achievements. — Sidney Katz, president Board of Governors Hillel of Metro Detroit Palestinian Watchdog Dispels Anti-Israel Lies StandWithUs-Michigan is proud to have brought Bassem Eid to our com- munity and equally proud that Greater Detroit Hadassah partnered to host his recent presentation ("Palestinian Watchdog," April 14, page 10). 30150 Telegraph, Suite 444 Bingham Farms, MI 48025 Ask Attorney Ken Gross about… Your Financial Issues THAV GROSS has been solving its clients' business, tax and fi nancial problems since 1982. Be sure to tune in to the new Law and Reality – Saturday mornings to 10 AM on WDFN 1130 AM Radio and Sunday's at 11 AM on TV20. Your Legal Issues thavgross.com lawandreality.com Yes, I can. Tax problems are stressful – they cause loss of sleep and enormous pressure. The biggest mistake people make is ignoring them. 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