I UP FRONT
Proposals For JCCouncil
Face Delegate Opposition
to take on a constitutional fight;' he
told The Jewish News as the
DAVID HOLZEL
p
Staff Writer
erestroika ran into some
stiff opposition last week.
This time it was new
Jewish Community Council Presi-
dent Paul D. Borman — not Soviet
leader Mikhail Gorbachev — who was
rebuffed in his attempt to restructure
the 50-year-old community relations
organization.
The Council's delegate assembly
met May 26 at Adat Shalom
Synagogue to vote on a slate of of-
ficers and a package of constitutional
changes recommended in the Coun-
cil's strategic plan.
Borman ran unopposed to succeed
Leon Cohan in the Council's top lay
position. The turnout was light.
Seventy-six delegates cast their
ballots, one more than a quorum in
the 300-member umbrella
organization.
The vote on the constitutional
changes was an anti-climax to the two
years of research and discussions
which led to the strategic plan, in-
itiated by Cohan when he took office
three years ago.
Borman chaired the organization
and structure -subcommittee which
drew up the proposals.
Only six of 11 constitutional
changes recommended in the plan
were presented to the assembly for
consideration. Five of the changes
were approved and one was
withdrawn in the face of opposition
from delegates.
Borman cited a week-long illness
as his reason for not putting the five
changes up for a vote. "I didn't want
assembly ended.
But some delegates speculated
that Council leaders were worried the
amendments would be rejected by the
assembly.
In the weeks leading up to the
assembly some community members
began to publicly oppose the changes,
arguing that they would make the
Council less representative.
One proposal would have
established 13 permanent members of
the Council's board of directors
(formerly known as the executive
committee). Another would require a
two-thirds vote of delegates to change
the agenda of the delegate assembly.
Anne Blumofe and Berta Billet helped launch Older Americans Month last week at the Jimmy
Currently, a majority is necessary to
Prentis Morris Jewish Center in Oak Park.
change the agenda.
Two amendments would have
altered nomination and election of of-
ficers and the board of directors. The
final amendment required a two-
thirds, rather than three-fourths, vote
to pass constitutional amendments.
what the Tbrah says about living, get-
Presentations by Republican Ron
ALAN
HITSKY
ting along with people, knowing who
na Romney and Democrat Nancy
I am, and Jewish values," says Rabbi
Austin-Schwartz preceded the Associate Editor
Tolwin. lb fill the knowledge gap, the
assembly's business meeting, which
eard those catchy ads on
rabbi is expanding his fledgling
didn't begin until 9:15 p.m., 45
the radio? Aleynu wants to Aleynu network, offering free week-
minutes later than planned.
improve your Hebrew or get
"I suggest we not take (the con- you involved with a weekly study ly classes in offices and homes.
Aleynu — "It's Up lb Us" — is an
troversial changes) up tonight;' Bor- group.
outgrowth of two havurot that have
man announced to the assembly. He
Rabbi Alon Toiwin knows you left
said he would present them for discus- school years ago. He knows you're been meeting for two years in
sion at another delegate assembly in busy and don't have lots of time. He Southfield, Bloomfield Hills, West
the fall, followed by a meeting of the also knows that you think about Bloomfield and Oak Park. The groups
board of directors and a vote of the Jewish issues: teaching the kids meet for six to eight weeks in each
location and have attracted up to 70
assembly.
about tzedakah and Jewish
persons each week.
Conceivably, a final decision on identification.
Funded by local individuals, in-
the five amendments not proposed
"A lot of people feel they missed
Continued
on Page 16
out (in their Jewish education) on
Continued on Page 16
No Time For Jewish Study?
Aleynu Has A Better Idea
H
ROUND UP
Caterers Rent To
Nation Of Islam
New York (JTA) — The
Jewish owners of a kosher
catering facility in Queens,
who unwittingly rented their
hall to a group honoring Na-
tion of Islam' leader Louis
Farrakhan as their guest
speaker, have pledged their
entire proceeds from the din-
ner to Jewish charity.
Allen Sherel, co-owner of
Terrace in the Park, said that
"every penny that we make
from this dinner we're going
to give to Jewish philan-
thropy."
Sherel and partner Stanley
Lewin rented their Flushing
Meadows Park facility to a
group calling itself "Con-
cerned Citizens for New
York," an alliance of black
businesspeople who the two
men later learned were hav-
ing Farrakhan as their guest
speaker.
Senate Adopts
Hate Crimes Bill
Washington (JTA) — A
"hate crimes" bill that would
impose criminal penalties for
damage to religious property
and injury to persons in the
free exercise of their religion
was adopted by the U.S.
Senate by a voice vote
recently.
The bill, similar to one
adopted by the House last Oc-
tober, for the first time makes
damage to religious property
a federal crime. Those found
guilty could face fines up to
$250,000 and/or
imprisonment.
The bill now goes to the
House-Senate conference
committee and must be sign-
ed by President Reagan
before it becomes law.
U.S., Israel
Sign Accord
Washington (JTA) — Israel
and the United States signed
a $5.6 million cooperative
agreement to provide Israeli
training and technical
assistance to developing coun-
tries.
The agreement implements
a section of the Memorandum
of Agreement between the
two governments, which calls
for the U.S. Agency for Inter-
national Development and
the division of international
cooperation in Israel's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Mashav in Hebrew, to "meet
periodically to coordinate and
facilitate, as appropriate, pro-
grams of cooperative
assistance to developing coun-
tries."
Agency Reduces
Aliyah Offices
Tel Aviv (JTA) — The
Jewish Agency is cutting
back drastically on its aliyah
operations in North America,
according to Ma'ariv's New
York correspondent, Ron
Dragoni, who reported that it
will close nine aliyah offices
in major cities by the end of
this summer and will recall
aliyah emissaries and other
staff.
Moshe Nativ, head of the
Jewish Agency's operations
in North America, said offices
will begin closing next month
in Montreal, Toronto, Boston,
Philadelphia, Washington,
Cleveland, Atlanta, Miami
and San Francisco.
Nativ said that 17 out of
140 Jewish Agency represen-
tatives in the United States
and Canada will be called
home shortly, and more dur-
ing the course of the year.
"Those who claim that
there are too many aliyah en-
voys are correct," Nativ said.
The move is expected to result
in a savings of more than $1
million a year.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
5