44
Friday, May 24, 1985
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
R EA C I 1\1
Leon Cohan has
controversial goals in
mind as the new
president of the Jewish
Community Council.
BY GARY ROSENBLATT
Editor
eon Cohan has made a
career out of being a
behind-the-scenes
strategist, respected by
politicians and press but
virtually unknown to the public, first
as Deputy Attorney General of Michi-
gan for 12 years — longer than anyone
in the state's history — and for the last
12 years as a vice president of Detroit
Edison, where he is one of the top four
executives in a company of 11,000 em-
ployees.
Now, having been elected this
week as president of the Jewish Com-
munity Council of Metropolitan De-
troit, he becomes, for the first time, the
man out front.
And he is ready. Cohan has some
bold plans for the Council, which he
outlined in his acceptance speech and
amplified during an interview with
The Jewish News. He wants to see the
Council take an increasingly active
role within the Jewish community and
in reaching out to the non-Jewish
community, specifically making "a
special effort" to seek closer ties with
the local black, Hispanic and Arab
communities.
He knows that not everyone in the
Jewish community will agree with
him, but he is determined to push for
innovation and involvement and to
"vigorously put forth our views."
"I plan to help give the Council a
direction, set an agenda and plan for
the future," says the 55-year-old Co-
han, a thoughtful and articulate man.
"I know this job will be difficult, and a
headache at times. I'll get some people
mad at me, but I'm used to that and I
think it's worth the risks."
Cohan praised the work of the
Council, an umbrella group of more
than 300 organizations and
synagogues, and of its professional
staff and previous leaders, like outgo-
ing president David Lebenbom. But he
is aware of criticism that the Council
spends more time reacting to crises
than setting forth its own views, and
Cohan believes that "the circum-
stances in which we find ourselves call
for more." He hopes to create a
strategic planning committee to work
out long-range positions for the Coun-
cil. Cohan also plans to add new
strength to the Council by encourag-
ing young people to become involved,
by building on the strength of the
Council staff and working even closer
with the Jewish Welfare Federation.
"But we are not a community apart,"
he asserts. "We are a part of the larger
community, that of Metropolitan De-
troit and we will embark on a renewed
program of reaching out to the major
elements of the community."
Cohan plans to make use of his
close relationships with media execu-
tives and top public officials (including
the Governor and the Mayor) by meet-
ing with them to explain the work and
goals of the Council. He feels it is vit-
ally important to work,with the news
media to "foster a climate of under-
standing and credibility, and to make
certain that our views are expressed
clearly and reported fairly."
A self-confessed "media junkie"
who reads five or six newspapers a day
and listens to radio news reports
hourly, Cohan says he shares the con-
cern of many Jews who feel that media
coverage of the Mideast has been un-
fair to Israel, "but we have to under-
stand the media's problems and be as
open as possible with them. All we
want is fairness, an open door and
open-mindedness," he says. "We may
not always like a story but that doesn't
mean it's unfair."
One of Cohan's major goals is to
strengthen ecumenical bonds and to
reach out to the ethnic and racial
communities of the area, particularly
the blacks, Hispanics and Arabs, all of
whom, he points out, are larger than
the Jewish community. He acknowl-
edges that "we have several serious
differences" with the blacks, particu-
larly regarding quotas, but he feels
these should not "impede the long
sweep of our historical relationship
and alliance." He points to civic issues
affecting Detroit, from housing to
business, as areas of common concern
"where we can agree." He adds that
even on Mideast issues, most blacks
are either pro-Israel or neutral. Cohan