Glenn Triest
Marty Kraar's style
has eased him into
the community.
opinions; or creating a process
himself.
Citing an example, he notes that
in formulating a strategic plan for
Federation, his responsibility is to
help formulate the issues, not make
the decisions.
Reflecting Kraar's sincere belief
that "there is only one Jewish com-
munity," he has brought the ex-
ecutives of the dozen or so agencies
that fall under the Federation um-
brella together every two months to
"look for universality in issues." This
is in addition to his regular private
meetings with these executives; He
also meets regularly with the lay
presidents of the agencies.
The two years he spent in Israel
prior to moving to Detroit helped pro-
vide Kraar with an added insight in-
to the relationship between federa-
tions and Israel, he says. "The ex-
perience didn't change my views. It
underscored my belief that we need a
strong Israel, and we need a strong
American Jewish community because
Jewish survival depends on us:'
It is a commitment to Jewish sur-
vival that launched Marty Kraar on
the road to Jewish communal service.
"I knew when I was a kid what I
wanted to do in life," he recalls.
"Growing up in Chattanooga, I ad-
to spend time studying in Israel,
which Kraar did.
During his college years, before
receiving a B.A. from Memphis State,
Kraar studied at Hebrew University
in Jerusalem, becoming fluent in
Hebrew. After a month of working
with tough Moroccan kids, he return-
ed to the U.S. convinced that "I
wanted to make a contribution to the
Jewish community in my professional
career?'
Along the way, he says, he has
been grateful for good friends, men-
tors and opportunities.
In his early years in the field,
after receiving his master's in 1965
from the University of Illinois School
of Social Work, Kraar focused on
youth in the Jewish community, first
in Houston and then in Memphis, as
a city-wide school consultant, camp
director and assistant director of the
JCC.
He soon learned that drug abuse -
was becoming a serious problem and
that Jewish youngsters had no place
to go, other than psychiatric hospitals.
So he started a treatment center in
Memphis, which grew into a 98-bed
national residential center and
school. The youngsters, a good
number of whom were Jewish, stayed
an average of eight months at the
non-profit center, and Kraar says
there was no discernible pattern as to
what type of teenager was most like-
ly to fall prey to drugs.
Kraar had planned to stay with
the center for two years but found it
such a rewarding experience that he
stayed twice as long. Eventually,
though,
he realized that he missed
mired the director of the Jewish Com-
the
Jewish
community and felt "away
munity Center. Everyone has a men-
tor and he was mine. What impress- from the action."
He 'took a position as the director
ed me was that he just seemed to be
of
the
Federation, JCC and Jewish
taking care of the Jewish communi-
Family
Service in Nashville, con-
ty. When I was about 16 or 17, I went
sidered
the
number one small city in
to talk with him one day and that
the
U.S.
in
terms
of Federation activi-
helped plan my life."
ty. After about five years there, he and
The man's name is Bill Grossman, his wife, Sherry, and daughters Anita,
and he is now director of the JCC in now 17, and Shanna, 14, moved to St.
Buffalo. Kraar recalls that during Louis where Kraar served for seven
their conversation that day, Grossman years as JCC director and then
"painted such a positive picture of a became director of the St. Louis
career in Jewish life, and he en- Federation. It was from St. Louis that
couraged me and told me how to Kraar went to Israel for two years to
prepare for it?' One bit of advice was Continued on next page
25