LUP FRONT'

Lubavitch Classes In Homes
After $250,000 Blaze

KIMBERLY LIFTON

Staff Writer

T

he Farmington Hills-based
Lubavitch Center's elemen-
tary school is temporarily
holding classes for its 100 students in
teachers' homes in the aftermath of
a fire last Sunday that officials said
gutted two offices and caused at least
$250,000 in damage.
Rabbi Yitschak Kagan, director of
the Michigan Lubavitch Foundation,
said a space heater apparently ig-
nited the fire shortly before noon. He
said a fire alarm sounded, forcing
about 200 students, teachers and ad-
ministrators to evacuate the building
at 28555 Middlebelt Rd. No one was
harmed.
"I turned around in my office and
saw smoke," said Rabbi Berel Shem-
tov, whose office is next to the room
where the fire began.
The fire was contained within an

hour, and Lubavitch authorities im-
mediately contacted families of school
children to advise them where
students should meet. Classes resum-
ed on Monday.
"It is an eerie feeling when you
have kids in a building and fire
breaks out. Thank God no one was
hurt," Rabbi Kagan said.
Some documents were destroyed,
but most records and the center's com-
puter system were saved. The school
wing was damaged by heavy smoke.
Classes will continue in private
homes at least through January, Rab-
bi Kagan said. He met this week with
insurance adjustors and builders to
evaluate damage. The center should
be open within two months, Rabbi
Kagan said.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Kagan said the
Lubavitch Center may rent tem-
porary office space at the
Maple/Drake Jewish Community
Center.

Rabbi Kagan inspects fire damage in Lubavitch Center hallway.

UAHC Moving 'Expeditiously' On Temple Shir Shalom

reviews by the UAHC's regional
bodies.

RICHARD PEARL

Staff Writer

T

emple Shir Shalom's efforts
for accreditation with the
Union of American Hebrew
Congregations (UAHC) are pro-
ceeding on schedule, according to both
temple and UAHC officials.
"We are acting upon it, we are do-
ing it as expeditiously as possible,"
said Rabbi Allen Kaplan, the UAHC's
New Congregations Committee staff
person at national headquarters in
New York.
His committee is forwarded ap-
plications for final approval following

the regional and national committees.
Both Shir Shalom Rabbi Dannel
Schwartz and Temple President
Robert Feinman said they had heard
of no objections to the temple's re-
quest for membership in the UAHC.

The regional body for the Detroit
area is the Northeast Lakes Council,
headed by Rabbi David Hagen in
Cleveland. The region covers an area
stretching from Buffalo, N.Y., to
"No one that I know of has ob-
Michigan.
jected," said Rabbi Schwartz. The new

The regional New Congregations
Committee takes into consideration
such things as the structure of a con-
gregation, its constitution and its
financial status, said Rabbi Kaplan.
"For instance, we have to know is
it truly a Reform congregation, or is
it an Orthodox congregation?" He
said there are lay members on both

congregation was formed in June,
1988.
"If anyone had filed a formal ob-
jection, we would have been notified,"
said Feinman. "There are no sum-
mary methods of rejecting an applica-
tion. The only way of turning down an
application is by holding a hearing at
which we can answer objections, if I

understand the process correctly."
Feinman said the temple now has
about 500 family memberships.
According to Rabbi Schwartz, the
temple, based in an office building in
West Bloomfield, applied for member-
ship with the national Reform Jewish
accrediting body last November. In

addition to starting the accreditation
process, the application allowed the
congregation's youngsters to par-
ticipate • in MSTY, Michigan State
Temple Youth organization.
"The kids can join as observers
once the congregation applies for ac-
creditation," said the rabbi, who said
he believes the accreditation process
takes about six months.

ROUND UP

Hadassah, Curie
To Study Cancer

Jerusalem (JTA) — Two
world leaders in the fight
against cancer, the Hadassah
Medical Organization and the
Curie Institute, have signed
an historic agreement to
undertake joint research into
the disease.

The agreement, the first the
Curie Institute in Paris has
ever entered into with
another institution, calls for
physicians and researchers
from the institute and
Hadassah to join in basic and
clinical research, short- and
long-term exchange of key

joint
and
personnel
conferences.
Dr. Constant Burg, presi-
dent of the institute, said the
first step in implementing the
agreement will be an ex-
change of scientific and
medical staff. A committee of
representatives from the in-
stitute and Hadassah will
determine future areas of
cooperation.

Mertz Closes
Ten Mile Store

One of Detroit's two
supliers of kosher bread has
closed its store in the Dexter-
Davison Shopping Center at
Ten Mile and Coolidge.

Mertz Bakery, which con-
tinues to operate at Nine Mile
and Coolidge with its bakery
and Cafe Katon, has no plans
to re-open its bread-baking
facility elsewhere.
Owner Leo Mertz said the
bakery reached a settlement
with the developers of a new
shopping center at the Ten
Mile-Coolidge site "and decid-
ed to close now, rather than
when the developers need the
land" later this year.
The Ten Mile store, which
opened in 1959, produced
pareve bread and other bak-
ed goods for the public and
caterers. The Nine Mile store,
because of Cafe Katon, pro-
duces milchig products.

U.S. And Israel
Build Missile

Tel Aviv (JTA) — Israel Air-
craft Industries and the
Lockheed Aircraft Corpora-
tion in the United States have
joined forces to produce the
Arrow, an Israeli-designed
anti-missile missile.
The Israeli company receiv-
ed a $158 million grant from
the United States last year to
develop the weapon. IAI and
Lockheed signed a contract
for its joint production.
The deal is the second an-
nounced this week involving
American use of Israeli
military technology.
The U.S. Army placed a $30

million preliminary order for
a mine-sweeping plow design-
ed by an IAI subsidiary for at-
tachment to the American
Abrams and Patton tanks.

Highjacking
To Be Series

Rome (JTA) — The 1985 hi-
jacking of the Italian cruise
ship Achille Lauro will be
made into a three-hour, two-
part mini-series.
According to Il Messaggero,
the series will be jointly pro-
duced by RAI, the Italian
state television; France's
TF-1; Beta-Taurus of West
Germany; and the American
Tribune Network.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 5