52

Friday, March 22, 1985

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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The expanding list
of Jewish singles
organizations are
filling a void in
Detroit for all ages.

401111116.)

BY SANDRA MAURER

Special to The Jewish News

A recent singles party by Connections was held at the Wildflower.

MEAT MARKET ALTS

H

ave you ever noticed that
the topic of conversation
between Jewish singles in-
evitably turns to the pur-
suit of the elusive Jewish
single? Many Jewish organizations
offer the opportunity for singles to
meet each other but there seems to
have been a certain stigma attached to
these groups that are currently avail-
able. The most common complaints of
"seeing the same old faces in the same
old places" and "being meat-markets"
seems to have alienated many and
forced them to find other forms of
socializing such as singles bars and
other organizations which cater to a
"mixed crowd."
Bev Lubin, a public relations/
account executive, puts the issue into
perspective. "I have the stereotype
that people who frequent these groups
are creeps. But I know logically that's
not true. You can't generalize.
"I think part of that is an excuse
not to go. Maybe there is a feeling of
insecurity about going someplace
where there's lots of people, all on the
make to one degree or another, and
you don't know anybody.
"Also, age has a lot to do with it.

After a certain point, you get tired of it
all and look for other outlets to meet
other people. Ultimately, you depend
on friends and family for fix-ups or be-
come involved in a project you like and
meet people in that way, by chance,
where you have something in com-
mon."
The major problem, however,
seems to be the lack of concern on the
part of the participants to change
these faults.
Harley Berger, 33, an advertising
executive, points out that "Everyone
seems to want to be instantly
entertained and when the program
doesn't meet their expectations, they
fall away and stop attending. And at
the same time, the groups are volun-
tary and very few people contribute to
the planning of the group to make it
more to their own liking."
Alan Cohen, co-chairman of the
Community Network of Jewish Sing-
les, agrees. "Singles are apathetic and
don't want to help out or lend their
ideas to the group. I firmly believe that
if people get intimately involved with
the group, they will enjoy it more."
However, the state of these groups
is slowly changing. A new influx of

singles has entered the scene. This is a
result of the mobility of our society, an
increase of divorced singles and a new
crop of young persons who are coming
of age.
The organizations themselves are
adapting. A long awaited awareness of
the needs and interests of singles in
our community has come about and an
effort is being made to try and over-
come the negative stereotypes.

The Community Network of
Jewish Singles is by far the largest of
these groups. Under the auspices of
the Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield, the Network has the
funding and the facilities to offer a di-
versity of programs and social events
for singles age 25-45. The Network
was formed 2Y2 years ago to fill the
void that existed in the Jewish com-
munity at that time.
Bruce Tabashneck has been head-
ing the Network since its inception.
"The CNJS tries to appeal to people by
their interests — not everyone likes
dances." Tabashneck also states that
"the ideas for our calendar come from
volunteers who are invited to attend
all planning meetings. In this way, the