By COLlive and Detroit Free News
Over 1200 members of the Jewish Community of Metro Detroit gathered this past Monday for an evening of “Vision, Music and Inspiration” in honor of Gimmel Tammuz.
Organized by Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan, the event took place at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi with the participation of Shluchim from Flint, Toledo, Ann Arbor, Southfield, Bingham Farms, Farmington Hills, Novi, Commerce, Oak Park and West Bloomfield.
Keynote speaker, 1986 Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel spoke about his special relationship with the Rebbe. “I love him and I miss him,” he said.
Wiesel also recounted how the Rebbe encouraged him to get married. “On the day of my wedding, in Jerusalem, the biggest bouquet of flowers came from the Rebbe,” he noted.
Saying that the Holocaust should never be forgotten, the human rights activist called for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be arrested when he visits foreign countries because of his calls for genocide.
“We should arrest Ahmadinejad when he comes to the world,” said the 81 year-old Holocaust survivor. “Ahmadinejad said there was no Holocaust, but I will produce one. And he even says how … 6 million Jews in Israel, he wants to destroy them.”
He said that being Jewish is not at odds with being connected with the world, but enhances it.
“The more Jewish the Jew, the more universal the Jew,” Wiesel said. “A Jew feels that he must deny his Jewishness to become universal … you can’t. The more Jewish the Jew, the more you can help those who are non-Jews.”
The evening was also an opportunity to honor Jack & Miriam Shenkman, long time supporters of Chabad Lubavitch in Michigan.
The crowd watched two video clips of a personal encounter of the Shenkmans and the Rebbe during Machane Israel Development Fund meetings.
At the of the program, which included a three course dinner and chassidic musical entertainment by Chicago violinist Ruby Harris, Shluchim gave out a gift to their guests, a copy of The Rebbe’s Army by Sue Fishkoff.
It looks like this was accomplished through many shluchim working together. We have to start seeing more of this in different states.
video!!!!!!!!!!!
then theres alot about Elie Weisel’s relationship to the Jacobson family….some great stories there too!
very nice
This is probobly the biggest dinner for gimul tamuz outside ny.
As an old Talmid of the cheder I am really proud to see what is going on there.