Difficult months ahead: Why Israel is afraid of the Lions’ Den
October 24th, 20220 This headline in the Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post only tells part of the story: “The Lions’ Den, Other Palestinian Groups are Endless Headache for Israel, PA.” It is true that both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority are equally worried about the prospect of a widespread armed revolt in the occupied West...
Our endorsements for Nov. 8: Don’t let bigotry and misinformation divide our community
October 21st, 20220 The November election is around the corner, and because of ongoing and unprecedented attacks on civil liberties and democracy itself, we cannot emphasize its importance enough. We know these elections will not occur in a vacuum. Recently, the nation turned its attention to our community once more; but sadly, this time it wasn’t due...
Strangers behind the trees: On the death of Rayan Suliman and his fear of monsters
October 16th, 20220 Children of my Gaza refugee camp were rarely afraid of monsters, but of Israeli soldiers. This is all that we talked about before going to bed. Unlike imaginary monsters in the closet or under the bed, Israeli soldiers are real, and they could show up any minute — at the door, on the roof or, as was often the case, right in the middle...
Dearborn must embrace diversity, inclusion and freedom of expression
October 14th, 20225 By now, just about in everyone in Dearborn is aware of the book banning saga in the Dearborn Public Schools. A number of concerned citizens and parents have voiced their objections to the presence of certain books in school libraries, namely books that explore LGBTQ+ themes and lifestyles. Undoubtedly, parents should have a say in the...
Dearborn educators stand up for safe and welcoming schools
October 13th, 20220 DEARBORN – American Federation of Teachers local unions who are active in the Dearborn community released the following statement prior to the Dearborn Board of Education meeting on Thursday, October 13, at Stout Middle School. Dearborn educators are committed to providing a quality education to every single student and ensuring our...
Hamtramck schools: Esports is more than a video game club
October 13th, 20220 Will Kim is the Hamtramck High School science teacher and Esports coach. This article has been edited for style. At Hamtramck Public Schools (HPS), we encourage our students to play video games. In the fall of 2019, we launched the first HPS Esports program in district history to give students what they were asking for: A safe way...
Homeless crisis: Mental health agencies provides support
October 11th, 20220 Homelessness is a growing concern in the U.S., with many people struggling to get by in almost every community. While it's not a new problem, the number of people experiencing homelessness has increased significantly over the past couple of years. According to an organization called End Homelessness, homeless numbers grew by 2 percent...
Hidden motives: Why Lapid is not serious about a Palestinian state
October 8th, 20220 Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid threw a wrench into the works when he declared from the United Nations General Assembly podium, “An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy and for the future of our children.” The statement took many...
Resilient Neighborhoods: Delray earth upheaval incident raises concerns for Southwest Detroit neighborhood
October 3rd, 20220 By David Sands Authorities were baffled by a geological incident that caused the ground itself to buckle in Detroit's Delray neighborhood last fall. On the night of Sept. 11, 2021, the intersection of Dearborn and West Fort Street experienced a shifting of the ground that left a roughly eight-foot-high mound of earth. The upheaval...
From Exodus to Marvel: A brief history of Hollywood’s justification of Israeli war crimes
October 3rd, 20220 The introduction of an Israeli Mossad agent as the latest Marvel movie character crosses the line, even by Hollywood's poor moral standards. However, the Israeli superhero, Sabra, must be understood within the rational progression of the Israelification of Hollywood, a phenomenon that is surprisingly new. Sabra is a relatively old...
“Avenging Sabra and Shatila”: On Israeli massacres and Palestinian resistance
September 14th, 20220 September 16 marks the 40th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, the killing of around 3,000 Palestinians at the hands of Lebanon’s Phalangist militias operating under the command of the Israeli army. Four decades have passed, yet no measure of justice has been received by the survivors of the massacre. Many of them have...
38 years of being the loudest, clearest and the bravest voice for our community
September 11th, 20220 As we quietly marked the 38th anniversary of our establishment on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, we can’t help but reflect on the challenges we’ve faced, the advancement we’ve achieved and the issues we’ve reported on and overcome together as a community. Running a media publication has always been difficult, challenging and...
The road to fascism: How the war in Ukraine is changing Europe
September 11th, 20222 As soon as I landed in Rome, I discovered that I was no longer able to access any Russian media whatsoever. Unfortunately, threats by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that Europe should sever all links with “Russia’s propaganda machine” were taken seriously by the Italian government. As a journalist, having...
Helping students see through a free program at Hamtramck Public Schools
September 8th, 20220 Sarah Peslar is a clinical social worker at Children’s Hospital of Michigan Nearly 1 in every 5 children is near-sighted or has a vision impairment requiring glasses to see at school. While it goes without saying that clear vision is imperative to a student’s success in school, not every child has an opportunity to access...
Investigating the victim: On Abbas’ “holocaust” and the depravity of Israeli Hasbara
September 4th, 20220 “There was no Massacre in Jenin” was the title of a Haaretz editorial on April 19, 2002, one week after Israel ended its deadly onslaught on the besieged Palestinian refugee camp in the northern West Bank. The unwarranted conclusion by Haaretz, other Israeli media and, ultimately, numerous Western outlets was not the outcome of a......
It’s time to update the 1887 Electoral Count Act
August 30th, 20220 — Mike Shesterkin is executive director of the Southeast Michigan Sustainable Business Forum. On Jan. 6, 2021 the world witnessed the chaos that gripped our nation’s capital. What took place that day was clearly an attempt to overthrow a duly elected president. What enabled the chaos of January 6, and the brazen attempt to ignore...
Fake neutrality: How Western media language misrepresents Palestinians, shields Israel
August 27th, 20220 While U.S. and Western mainstream and corporate media remain biased in favor of Israel, they often behave as if they are a third, neutral party. This is simply not the case. Take the New York Times' coverage of the latest Israeli war on Gaza as an example. Its article on August 6, “Israel-Gaza Fighting Flares for a Second Day” is...
Superbugs are getting stronger. Our defenses are getting weaker
August 24th, 20220 – David Thomas, MS, is vice president of industry research at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. Emily Wheeler is director of infectious disease policy at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. A version of this piece originally ran in MedPage Today. Drug-resistant infections pose a growing threat to public health....
Starting out the school year strong
August 22nd, 20220 — Nabil Nagi is the interim superintendent of Hamtramck Public Schools. The article was edited for style. While saying goodbye to another incredible Michigan summer is always difficult, our team at Hamtramck Public Schools (HPS) is thrilled to see the seasons changing! It brings us that much closer to welcoming our students back into......
Israel’s premature “victory” celebration: The defining war in Gaza is yet to be fought
August 20th, 20220 For years, Palestinians, as well as Israelis, have labored to redraw the battle lines. The three-day Israeli war on Gaza, starting on August 5, clearly manifested this reality. Throughout its military operation, Israel has repeatedly underscored the point that the war was targeting the Islamic Jihad Movement only, not Hamas or anyone...
Reckless driving has become Dearborn’s epidemic
August 20th, 20221 DEARBORN — Reckless driving has no doubt become the city’s personal epidemic and the revving engines and mufflers screaming like banshees throughout neighborhoods on a daily basis are now our perennial background noise. Sadly, the number of fatal accidents, too, do not seem to be going away any time soon and the keen interest......
The problem of being insured while Arab, Chaldean or Muslim
August 20th, 20220 The problems of racial and religious animus are unfortunately ongoing challenges for Michiganders with ancestry from the Middle East or who adhere to the Islamic faith. These challenges exist despite the density of Arab and Chaldean Americans and American Muslims who reside in Southeastern Michigan. Although issues such as hate crimes...
Hamtramck: Building community at the Family Fun Fair
August 18th, 20220 — Liz Alpert, Hamtramck Public Schools school and community facilitator, contributed this article. It has been edited for style. The best part about heading back to school is getting to see friends, neighbors, teachers and staff after a long summer away. For me, catching up on what everyone has been up to is always a highlight. I......
