60 Friday, July 22, 1983

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

1•S

Jewish Communal Service in U.S. Has a Detroit Perspective

By ALAN D. KANDEL

ogy and case work.

eration can be shaped by a
These seven groups are
grand design, and in re-
linked under the banner of
sponse he points out that
the Conference of Jewish
the evolution of the Federa-
Communal Service, which
tion from a narrow base to
sponsors an annual Ameri-
its undertaking of larger re-
can conference, the quar-
sponsibilities has been
terly "Journal of Jewish
pragmatic, responding to
Communal Service" and an
community pressures and
international conference in
changing priorities.
Israel every three years.
As it moves beyond tradi-
tional functions of fundrais-
To commemorate its 80th
ing, budgeting and commu-
anniversary, the conference
DR. SLAWSON
nity planning, Avrunin
recently published a two-
suggests tests to be applied
volume work, "The Turbu-
lent Decades, 1958-1978," lobbying efforts on be- aimed at evaluating the im-
which includes over 125 ar- half of improved public pact of change on the Fed-
ISIDORE SOBELOFF
eration role.
ticles distilled from 1,600 welfare standards.
ference presidents — the
"What is distinctive
WILLIAM AVRUNIN
Is there cement that-
published in the journal.
late Morris D. Waldman,
They cover every facet of about Jewish social work binds together all these former
conference
1927; Dr. John S. Slawson,
Jewish life. What an admix- that would justify separate articles? A former con- presidents, William -Kahn
1939; and the late Kurt
Jewish
services?"
This
ference
president
and
ture of issues faced the
and Bernard Olshansky,
Peiser, 1942.
Jewish community in those question is treated by the veteran professional "The one constant through
Following them came
late
Harold
Silver,
who,
in
leader, the late Sidney Z. these years was the corn-
20 years!
former Jewish Welfare
1962, predicted: "Increas- Vincent,
observed, mitment of the Jewish
In
these
pages
are
Federation Executive Di-
ingly the Jewishness of our
references to the Six-Day communal services will be "There have been many communal worker to the
rector Isidore Sobeloff,
War and the Yom Kippur identified by the simple fact attempts to explain the concepts of Klal Israel and
1944; the late Harold
War,
Vietnam and social that they are performed for mystery of Jewish surv- the dignity and worth of
Silver, executive director
each human being."
protest,
the peaking of Jews by the will and direc- vial over the millenia . . .
of the Jewish Family
the
civil
rights move- tion of organized Jewish whatever the over-all ex-
"The Turbulent De-
Service, 1946; and the
planation — theological cades," then, focuses on key
ment, the beginnings of groups."
executive vice president
or secular — the Jewish themes that guide Jewish
Russian refugee migra-
emeritus of the Federa-
Samuel Lerner, executive genius for organization
tion
and
domestic
growth
communal professionals,
tion, William Avrunin,
director of the Jewish Fam-
in public support of so- ily Service, joins in a sym- as a community ... must concern for creative Jewish
1966.
cial welfare programs — posium on the Jewish poor figure prominently . . . in survival, sound organiza-
No other period in Ameri-
all
viewed by profession- and the role of the Jewish any theory of survival."
tion and respect for human-
can Jewish history can
53—ENTERTAINMENT
As emphasized by two ity.
als
in
terms
of
their
im-
match this one for the
family agency. He under-
pace on American scores that the Jewish poor
number of Jewish com-
BIRTHDAY PARTIES
Jewish
life.
munal workers. It is esti-
and near-poor have been too
And other Special Occasions.
The creative thinking of long neglected and that,
mated
that
throughout
the
' 273-6716
Detroit professionals, past government support not-
country there were 73 such
Clowns, juggling, magic, workers in 1902; the and present, may be seen in withstanding, ways can be
JERUSALEM — A new
music dance, Puppets, number was 12-15,000 by
these pages. A leading found by the Federation and
only a limited number of
authority on intergroup re- agency together to provide method for the early detec-
balloon sculpture.
1980. To enhance their
tests per day, at a relatively
tion of cancer in humans
lations, Dr. John S. Slaw- financial assistance.
high cost.
skills, Jewish communal
son, labeled social discrimi- Isidore Sobeloff analyzes has been developed by a
professionals have formed
PAUL'S MAGIC
In the wake of the de-
team of scientists led by
nation as central to the the many historic conflicts
separate groups represent-
velopment of the new
Prof. Uriel Bachrach in the
Birthday parties for
problem of anti-Semitism in American Jewish life
ing the community centers,
method for identifying the
related to the absence of from which philanthropic department of Molecular
community organizations
children under 10.
marker, a new, less expen-
Jews from major positions motivation can flow. Why Biology at the Hebrew Uni-
and fundraising, education,
sive instrurAnt for carry-
in the economic structure. does someone give to Feder- versity's Faculty of
community relations, voca-
ing out the test was de-
851-5318
Medicine.
The consequence of social ation and what does the
tional -guidance, gerontol-
veloped at the Department
The method is now un-
exclusion, he declared, ren- Federation stand for, he
of Biomedical Engineering cj
dered the Jew sociologically asks? "He belongs — and he dergoing clinical testing at
in the Hebrew University's
a second-class citizen.
gives — because Federation Hadassah Hospital in Ein
Faculty of Medicine. The
In an essay on Jewish is an instrument for good Karem. The detection test is
newly developed instru-
1 75 1 5 W. 9 Mile Rd.
values, Dr. Slawson defined and he wants to help," based on the presence of ment enables the carrying
chemical "markets" in the
as the essence of Jewish Sobeloff says.
out of a large number of
Suite 865
integration acculturation
urine tests per day. .
Issues seem to be losing urine of persons who have
to American society without their cutting edge in contracted cancer.
Southfield, Mich. 48075
Once the reliability of the
loss of identity, a viewpoint Jewish life, posing a risk
Plea for Syrian
that challenges all Jewish to the federation move- method is proved, the scien-
professionals today.
tists
hope
it
will
be
possible
Jews
in Cable
ment, he feels. "The
Irwin Shaw, former abstract idea of a federa- to carry out tests among the
NEW YORK (JTA) —
executive director of the tion and of an evolving population on a broad scale
The Committee for the Re-
Jewish Community Center, community wins logical for the early detection of
scue of Syrian Jews has sent
details early efforts to make support; but reasonable- cancer, and to refer persons
a cable to Premier
Israeloa focal point of Center ness doesn't carry with it in whom the marker is
Menahem Begin urging
programming and depicts wild enthusiasm," he found for medical examina-
him "to link the withdrawal
tions to verify the findings
the role of Shlikhim (Israel concludes.
of Israeli troops from the
and
locate
the
possible
emissaries). The establish-
William Avrunin dwells
Damascus highway (in
nent of the Israel Culture on administration, commu- cancer.
Lebanon) to Syrian Jewry's
The
marker
employed
Department and Hebrew nity organization and fi-
freedom."
language program is de- nances. He notes wryly that by the researchers con-
sists
of
a
group
of
chemi-
scribed, but Shaw does not "Money is a subject which
shrink from noting inherent many people, including so- cals called polyamines.
German Cited
difficulties. He remains cial workers, have difficulty In 1971 scientists of the
BONN (JTA) — The
convinced, however, that discussing objectively and National Institutes of
chairman of the Jewish
the Center has a major role rationally." The relation- Health in the United
community in West Ger-
to play in strengthening ties ship between professionals States found that almost
many, Werner Nahmann,
all
cancer
patients
between American Jewry and lay leaders challenges
was awarded one of the
and the people of Israel.
Avrunim, who points to secrete polyamines in the
highest state decorations
urine.
It
was
sub-
Paste in old label
A former executive di- sociological changes which sequently discovered
here, the Federal Service
rector of the Jewish have brought to the fore of that these basic mate-
Cross for his role in the re-
Community Council, Dr. Jewish communal leader- rials, which regulate
surgence of Jewish life in
Isaac Franck, declares ship greater affluence, bet-
Germany after World War
DNA functions, are also
that Jewish communal ter education and more as- present in the blood and
II.
institutions and agencies similation into the Ameri-r
spinal fluid of cancer
have two essential pur- can culture — trends that patients.
Maimonides stressed the
poses, to play a role in the must be understood and
Following the discovery
importance of fresh air to
survival of the Jewish dealt with by professionals.
in the United States, a
good health. Rammazini, a
people and to take part in
Avrunin describes the method was developed for
famous Italian physician of
the moral advancement federation movement, the identification of
the 17th Century, chided
of the general commu- which began as a voluntary polyamines in the urine.
NAME
the Jews of Venice for their
nity. He challenges agen- association of community However, the instrument
"unhygenic" mode of life,
cies to serve Jewish service agencies, as an idea with which the test was per-
Effective Date
mentioning their habit of
interests while extending that has worked. He asks formed was quite expensive
keeping the windows open
the concept of tzedaka to whether the future of Fed- and was able to carry out
day and night.

(Editor's note: Kandel
is director of planning
and budgeting for the
Jewish Welfare Federa-
tion of Metropolitan De-
troit.)
When definitive histories
of the American Jewish
community are written, at-
tention will be paid to the
Jewish communal worker,
Jewish professional
and Jewish social worker
whose role contributed sig-
nificantly to the growth of
the nationwide social serv-
ice and welfare institutions
as we know them today.
Inevitably, further atten-
tion will be devoted to
Jewish professional asso-
ciations and organizations,
notably the Conference of
Jewish Communal Service,
now in its 84th year.
The conference has drawn
heavily on Detroit Jewish
communal leadership. The
dean of Michigan Jewry, the
late Fred M. Butzel, a
layman, served as confer-
ence president in 1918. Sev-
eral former executive direc-
tors of the Jewish Welfare
Federation served as con-

HU Research Team Develops
New Cancer Detection Test

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