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Pam Torraco grew up in New York, attended college in Ohio, and chose the University of Michigan for her Master's degree. "I've always found people and their individual stories interesting and I always wanted to help others in some way so I studied social work," Pam said. "My first job was at Henry Ford Hospital and my welcome to Detroit was the riots that began shortly after I arrived!" She stayed, worked at the Detroit Health Department and Kingswood Hospital, and then enjoyed a long and satis- fying career in long-term intensive individual and group psychotherapy which she practiced with a group in Southfield. Now retired, Pam still orders her life like someone who loves to learn. She studies Hebrew and Italian, and volunteers, including her time as an HFL Board member. "My professional background makes it easy to relate to people who come to HFL," Pam said. "I'm already accustomed to confiden- tiality, and hearing people's stories. I'm familiar with putting people at their ease quickly and establishing a rapport, and trying to work through seemingly insurmountable issues. I have a great respect for those who know they're in trouble and seek help, whether the difficulty is emotional or financial. Hebrew Free Loan i s a good place, well run and supported by people who really want to help. When I tell friends I work with HFL, they are impressed and appreciative of the good we do." We Provide Loans. We Promise Dignity. Health. A fresh start. A good education. The next great business idea. Hebrew Free Loan gives interest- free loans to members of our com- munity for a variety of personal and small business needs. HFL loans are funded entirely through community donations which continually recycle to others, generating many times the original value to help maintain the lives of local Je ws. Click. Call. Give Now. www.hfldetroit.org 248.723.8184 Hebrew Free Loan Detroit 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 300 • Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301 @HFLDetroit My Story My Story 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 December 29 • 2016 5 for openers Under The Big Top T hough we might hear of the child- hood ambition to run away and join the circus, there are not many who availed themselves of that desire. The longing is, however, one explanation for the preponderance of circus vocabulary we use. If you are a busy working mom or head of a business, etc., you may feel that your day is a three-ring cir- cus. It is up to you, as ringmaster, to keep it all flowing smoothly. You will not, of course, tolerate any clowning around. You will often be called upon to juggle appointments, walk the tightrope in han- dling people and feel as though you spend many waking moments with your head in the lion's mouth. The menagerie of your base of operations keeps the spotlight on various "acts." Have you ever received free tickets to attend an event? If so, you may not have known these are often referred to as Annie Oakleys. To promote her appear- ances, Annie would often shoot bullets though tickets to prove her marksman- ship and then offer these to spectators to attend the show. Sometimes we are faced with a sales- man, politician or other often long-wind- ed presenter. He regales his audiences with ballyhoo. This comes from the prepared talk originally used by side-show barkers to attract crowds. If you have experienced a presentation that has lots of hype but little substance, it may be referred to as a dog-and-pony show. Such acts were common under the big top. You cannot these days pass a fast-food place and not be aware of the use of the term "jumbo." We are so used to oversiz- ing food items. The term came from the elephant so named by P.T Barnum, the man of circus fame. (A reminder: He also said, "There is a sucker born every minute." Tie that in to fast food if you wish.) If someone is grandstanding or if your seats are in the grandstand, that is a car- ryover from the circus when those grand- stand seats were nearest the ring. You see, you do not have to stroll down a midway, munching on cotton candy to have what you say be reminiscent of the big-top days. * Sy Manello Editorial Assistant two views: I am concerned that in the coming years we may face a potential ero- sion of our democratic institutions and a time in America when the separation of powers, which we thought was so ingrained in our democracy, will be challenged. How will members of Congress and presidential appointees balance loyalties to their party and president with fealty to democracy and country? Will President-elect Donald Trump and his advisers operate as part of the bipartisan continuum in foreign policy that has shaped our post-World War II international system or dismiss our international obligations and alliances? The president-elect can be unpredictable and inconsistent at times. Looking at specific policies, I am perplexed why he sees same-sex marriage as set- tled law but takes the opposite perspective on Roe v. Wade. Overturning Roe v. Wade would be an assault on a woman's fundamental right to choose, leaving millions of women without access to safe abortions, jeopardizing the health and sometimes lives of count- less numbers of them. I see some hope in Trump's reversal of some previous positions: He wants some parts of Obamacare to continue and has pulled back on promises of mass deportation. These changes should not be rejected as "flip flops" but instead embraced and encouraged as a move toward responsible decision-making and governance. My hope is that as president, Trump will be repeatedly outspoken and passionate in rejecting every form of anti-Semitism, bigotry and racism, leaving no doubt of his intent. My greatest hope is that once the power and responsibilities of the office rest on the president-elect's shoulders, he will provide the assur- ance and stability that Americans and our allies require, demonstrating that the rhetoric and promises of a divisive campaign are not the prin- ciples of governance. * Ron Halber is the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. Ron Halber JTA Worst Fears, Best Hopes For A Trump Presidency M y highest hopes for a Trump administration are the same as for any incoming presidency: four or even eight years of peace and prosperity. And there is a path for getting there as the post-election stock market boom has suggested. If Trump successfully prunes back regulatory overreach, reforms the tax code and finds a way to encourage businesses to keep their capital in the U.S., then we might see a return to 3-4 percent economic growth rather than the anemic growth we have seen in this century thus far. On foreign affairs, other nations may fear Trump's unpredictability and be wary of confronting the U.S. abroad. The Trump administration also won't be pressing for externally imposed peace deals between Israel and the Palestinians, which could allow for breathing room to emerge and also allow Israel to continue to develop improv- ing relations with Middle Eastern nations such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia as well as other emerging partnerships with China, India and Japan. On the worst fears side, I have been disturbed by some of the anti-Trump hysteria questioning the legitimacy of the election. Eight years of protests in the streets and gridlock in the Senate won't do anyone any good and will keep America divided after future election cycles as well. Of course, things will likely fall between these two poles, as highest hopes and worst fears typically end up being dashed in favor of reality. That reality is what voters will have to assess 1,400 or so days from now in the next presi- dential election. * Tevi Troy is a presidential historian and former White House aide in the George W. Bush administration Tevi Troy JTA