-THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, November 22, 1985
•
Larry and Shelly tackier
juggle their fast-paced schedules for
community and family.
COMMUNAL
COMMITMENT
for people to sit in their living rooms
and get a real perspective on the
complexities surrounding Israeli life.
The people are what keeps me going
back time and again. Through them
I relive the excitement of my first
trip."
Sheri and Chuck Schiff were
two of 125 participants the Jackiers
and other leaders led on a "Koach"
(strength) non-solicitation mission to
Israel last April.
"They were so informative, and
so enthusiastic," Sheri praises. "Our
trip converged with Yom HaAtzmaut
celebrations, so you can appreciate
how hectic things were in Israel. But
the Jackiers, who were our bus lead-
ers, kept everything upbeat and fas-
cinating. They're our people," she re-
flects, "who've really become like
teachers."
It was Shelly who, in 1978, or-
ganized and went on to direct the
operations of the Israel Information
and Resource Center for six years.
That entity offered Detroiters first-
hand information on cultural, social
and economic affairs of the Jewish
state which had not previously been
accessible.
During that association, Shelly
also chaired the Israel Independence
Day celebrations of 1980 and 1981.
Nominated by the Jewish Commu-
nity Center, she received a 1980 Na-
tional leadership Award from the
Jewish Welfare Board for excellence
in community service programming.
And, in 1984, she was a major force
behind • the Detroit area's first Cul-
tural Arts Tour to Israel as well as
the "Step-Up to Israel" conference,
which, in addition to exploring
aliyah, highlighted travel, business
and commerce, and volunteerism.
That event, says Shelly, was the real
impetus for starting a Detroit
branch of the Israel-American
Chamber of Commerce.
"Shelly coordinated the Informa-
tion and Resource Center," explains
Larry today, "because she felt there
was a genuine need for the service
which no one had attempted to in-
itiate. Once she got it moving and
laid its foundations, she was com-
fortable turning the idea over to var-
ious existing agencies. It was an
ideal evolution."
Some of the functions were ab-
sorbed by the Jewish Community
Center's Cultural Arts Department,
some by the Aliyah Department, and
still other facets were integrated
into the new Jewish Information
Service, which is sponsored by sev-
eral Federation agencies.
Larry's contributions on behalf
of Israel have been immeasurable,
according to Federation Executive
Director Michael Berke. He offers a
striking example:
"As chairman of Project Re-
newal in Detroit, Larry has been a
major reason we have been able to
accomplish so much in Agash Bilu,"
Detroit's predominantly Sephardic
"sister" neighborhood in Ramla,
designated by UJA to be one of Is-
rael's most disadvantaged areas.
"Larry," Berke continues, "has
worked diligently and professionally
to ensure that the programs and
buildings which have been supported
by contributions from Detroiters
have been well carried out. I feel
very fortunate to have worked with
him because he has represented De-
troit as well as any individual possi-
bly could."
Enthusiasm, dedication and ac-
tion are the words colleagues,
friends and acquaintances seem to
most often associate with the Jac-
kiers. People are frequently tempted
to speculate at the drive behind
their boundless energy.
"It would be more appropriate to
ask, 'What doesn't Shelly do?' " says
Bela Greenbaum, a hostess of WCAR
Radio's Cafe Shalom who has known
and danced with Shelly for over ten
years.
"After a grueling day in Cleve-
land, where we had performed and
worked till late at night, all of the
group was exhausted," Greenbaum
recalls. "But at 2 a.m. Shelly got
down on the floor of our hotel room
and started doing exercises. I don't
know how she always manages to
revive herself, but in all the years
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