THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Detroit's Project Renewal Making an Impact in Ramla

When Detroiters at a re-
cent United Jewish Appeal
gathering marched through
the city of Jerusalem with
1,000 Israelis, they were
joined by residents of
Ramla, Detroit's Project
Renewal twin city. They
carried a banner proclaim-
ing: "Detroit - Ramla: One
Family." It symbolized a
unique partnership.
Since its creation four
years ago, Project Renewal
has helped the Ramla resi-
dents create a renaissance
in their city. The program is-
a worldwide partnership
plan to help Israel uplift the
lives of her disadvantaged
minority. Ramla is only one
of 160 neighborhoods desig-
nated for assistance.
Under the Detroit chair-
manship of Irwin Green and
Jane Sherman, the program
is helping reverse the prob-
lems of neglect and resi-
dents' lack of self-
confidence. It is the sense of
working together that has
made the difference. Mis-
sions such as the recent
Kulanu always include
Ramla as a stop on their
tours through Israel.
The following article
on Ramla was excerpted
from the Israel
Economist:
*_* *
Seven years ago the
community of Ramle began
a program geared toward
organizing and motivating
the residents of the
neighborhoods. Ten women
worked two hours a day on
what was destined to be-
come a celebrated form of
community organizing in
Project Renewal.
Beni Aflalo, director of
the Project Renewal Com-
munity Centex, remembers
that "at that time there was
little money, few activities
and even fewer pos-
sibilities." However, the
women referred to as the '10
ladies' were undaunted.
Within a year they had
begun an irreversible proc-
ess.
Vocal, local committees
had been established, and
residents were demanding
improved physical condi-
tions- and increased activi-
ties. The next seven years
brought the development of
a community infrastruc-
ture, the renewal of some
buildings and new roads.
Finally, three years
ago, the community em-
barked on a major boom.
Detroit, under the banner
of Project Renewal, be-
came Ramle's partner in
its renaissance. Being
designated a Project Re-
newal neighborhood has
not changed Ramle's
goals — but it has pro-
vided the means of realiz-
ing those goals.
The original program was
designed to work out of the
small Community Center
and to reach people far from
the Center. It focused on the
residents' individual and
family needs. However,
from Day One, the goal was
to develop a program that
functioned wholly within
the neighborhood — not
across town. The dream was

-

to employ local residents
who would awaken and ac-
tivate the community to ad-
dress group problems, not
just individual problems.
The dream also included
the establishment of youth
programs, pre-school pro-
grams, after-school activi-
ties, adult education
classes, neighborhood spon-
sored improvement proj-
ects, .a local orchestra and
professionals available to
intervene in troubled fam-
ily situations. This dream
has been realized. It is giv-
ing birth to greater expecta-
tions.
Today, the program
boasts two community pro-
fessionals and 14 neighbor-
hood para-professionals.
The
para-
professionals, officially,
work half-days. How-
ever, Dina Shlomo, a
proud community para-
professional corrects this
misperception when she
says, "Some days I work
four hours, six hours or
eight hours . . . whatever
it takes to get the job done
for that day."
But she is as definite as
the other community work-
ers about the unending na-
ture of her work. "There's no
such thing as being finished
. . there is always more to
do."
Commitment and com-
munity prestige have dri-
ven these women to per-
suade, urge and push their
more laconic neighbors into
action. Their salaries are
minimal. Their payment is
in seeing a' vital commu-
nity, with social activities,
civic spirit, and neighborly
residents.
Shlomo recalls, "Before,
neighbors didn't even both
speaking to one another;
now they're working to-
gether for a common goal.
It's like another world."
The psychology of the
neighborhood demands a
strategy of organizing the
community which is
guided by the words,
"slowly, slowly." These
words are impressed on
the minds of community
workers.
An example of the
"slowly, slowly" approach is
evidenced in a project of
which the community
workers are especially
proud. Says Shlomo, "Look
— just look at the railings.

They say it all."
The wrought iron railings
that graciously surround a
block of apartments are a
syrribol of neighborhood
pride. They also symbolize a
useful tool for community
renewal and organizing.
More blatantly, they mark a
division between attractive
front yards and the
garbage-strewn courtyard.
A supervisor, Daniel
Goldberg, recounts the
story of the railings: "They
used to keep the inside of
the houses clean because
they felt only the houses
were theirs. Then the sense
of community grew a bit and
they fixed up the outside of
the houses. Then we
thought of the railings to
enclose the front yards. Now
you see the beautiful grass
and gardens. Next, we have
to think of a new tactic to
clean up the courtyard."
The railing innovation
also represents an impor-
tant concept of Project
Renewal. Project Re-
newal will not just give
railings to residents. The
people must decide that
they want them enough
to pay one-half of the
cost. Then, they must be
willing to install the rail-
ings themselves.

para-
For
the
professionals, It took in
numerable home visits and
organization meetings to
instigate the change. The
railings are an obvious
physical improvement. Yet,
more fundamentally, they
represent a change in men-
tality. This change keeps all
of the community workers
going.
Goldberg says, "I came
here for only a couple of
months and I've stayed two
years. At university, I
thought about change; here
I can make changes and see
the result."
The responsibility for the
changes rests largely on the
shoulders of the para-
professionals. Aflalo points
to the increased value of
neighborhood housing to
illustrate just how effective
those changes have been.
"Three or four years
ago you could have
bought an apartment for
one-half of what it would
cost you today. Now
there are people who
would like to live here
and can't. The residents
just are not leaving. Even
people who could afford
to move to other places
are staying and enlarging
and improving their

1

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apartments."
The program is far from
finished. Not everyone is
involved in changing the
conditions of their collective
fate. Not everyone is happy
with their living rooms, let
alone their front yards.
However, for many resi-
dents, the - para-
professionals have effec-
tively penetrated the bar-
riers of alienation. A grow-
ing number of people have a
new hold on their destinies.

Friday, December 10, 1982 7

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