COMMUNITY
HEIDI PRESS
News Editor
G
Bertha Bletstein affixes the mezuzah with the encouragement of
Rabbi Sherman Kirshner last Sunday at the dedication of the new
classroom wing at Congregation B'nai Israel of West Bloomfield.
Glenn Triest
Center Elects Maddin
Richard J. Maddin has been
elected president for a second
term of the Jewish Communi-
ty Center.
Serving on the executive
committee for 1989-1990 are:
Sidney Freedland, chairman,
executive committee; Linda
Lee, first vice president; Irwin
L. Elson, vice president; John
E. Jacobs, vice president;
Marion Handleman, vice
president; Eric Lutz,
secretary; Rita Haddow,
treasurer; Harry Eisenberg,
Jerald Kaufman and Robert
Citrin, members at large; and
Lawrence Jackier, of counsel.
Newly elected to serve on
the board are: Richard Agree,
Lisa Applebaum, Jerome M.
Ash, Robert A. Berlow, Rena
Friedberg, Dorothy Gerson,
Robert Jackier, Joel E. Jacob,
Richard Maddin
Alan Kaufman, Sharon Lip-
ton, Mel Raznick, Levi Smith
and Allan Steinmetz.
Bar-Ilan Friends Honor
Lakers At Annual Dinner
The Detroit Friends of Bar-
Ilan University will honor Ir-
ving and Beverly Laker at
their annual dinner Sept. 13
at Congregation Shaarey
Zedek. The Lakers will be
named Honorary Fellows of
Bar-Ilan and will be honored
"for their exemplary service
both to the university and to
the entire Jewish communi-
ty." Laker has been actively
involved with Bar-Ilan's
Detroit affairs throughout
this decade and in 1981
chaired the university's an-
nual dinner.
He was recently elected
president of Congregation
Shaarey Zedek. He is a past
president of its men's club and
of the Zionist Organization of
America, Detroit District.
Beverly and Irving Laker
Mrs. Laker has also been in-
volved with Bar-Ilan's ac-
tivities for a number of years.
In addition, she is vice presi-
dent of the Women's Aux-
iliary of the Jewish Home for
Aged.
For information about the
dinner, contact the Bar-Ilan
office, 423-4550.
reater Detroit Sec-
tion, National Coun-
cil of Jewish Women,
this week distributed the
revised edition of its Metro
Detroit Access Guide,a direc-
tory of private and public
sites which provide facilities
and easy access for the
handicapped.
The spiral-bound, paper-
backed guide lists informa-
tion on agencies, colleges and
universities, government ser-
vices, hospitals, hotels,
libraries, museums, places of
worship (Jewish and non-
Jewish), recreation,
restaurants, theaters and
arenas and transportation.
Within these divisions are
charts detailing parking, en-
trances, interior access,
restrooms, elevators and
telephones.
The accessibility level of
each is denoted either by the
handicapped symbol (a stick
figure seated in a wheelchair)
or by a circle with a line
through it (for non-access). A
column of remarks describes
special conditions, such as if
there are no grab bars in a
restroom.
The book took 2 1/2 years to
complete, said Penny
Blumenstein, vice president
of public affairs, under whose
auspices the project was com-
pleted. Nearly 200 persons,
mostly NCJW members, as
well as individuals who ser-
vice the disabled surveyed
and reported on various sites
throughout the tri-county
area. A committee of 11 com-
piled the information and
prepared it for printing. -
"It was a completely
volunteer operation,"
Blumenstein said. "That's
one of the things NCJW is all
about."
Funding for the access
guide came from NCJW fund-
raising, such as its May movie
gala, and from corporate
sponsorship. One of the cor-
porate sponsors, Xerox Corp.,
went beyond a cash donation.
The company's volunteer
group, set up to benefit
charitable causes, helped
secure the Galleria Officentre
in Southfield at which this
week's Distribution Day took
place, provided refreshments
and printed materials. The
book's $1 fee will also be used
to help defray the cost of prin-
ting the 15,000 copies.
Unlike the premier edition,
this year's guide has a travel
wheelchair dimensions. "If I
could get through some of
these places, anyone can," she
said. Michelle Sills, who is
able-bodied and Bockoffs co-
chairman, said working on
the book changed her life. "I
can't walk into a place
without noticing if it's ac-
cessible," she said. "I look at
things differently now."
Sills helped gather informa-
tion for the book and sell it at
the fund-raiser. Her physician
husband will place it in his of-
fices for his patients to see.
Although the first book,
which came out in 1982, was
distributed free of charge, the
new version has a $1 price
tag. Blumenstein said in-
dividuals took the first guide,
usually more than one at a
time, and left them unused.
The price "gives it a sense of
worth," she said.
Wendy Wagenheim and
Laurel Portner were in charge
of the distribution. Other
members of the steering corn-
mittee are Lillian Chinitz,
Bonnie Kowal, Lynne Loren,
Fran Stern, Liz Warnick and
Ann Zousmer.
Blumenstein sees many
changes being made on
behalf of the handicapped, in-
cluding new legislation and
public awareness. The guide
was updated to incorporate
these changes. "People are
more sensitive to (the needs
of) the handicapped today
than they were before," she
said.
The Metro Detroit Access
Guide is available at the
NCJW offices, 30233
Southfield, Suite 100,
Southfield, 258-6000. They
can be ordered by telephone
for $1 plus postage and handl-
ing. CI
section. It lists addresses and
phone numbers of agencies
that handle travel for the
disabled.
According to Blumenstein,
the Detroit Section got the
idea for the book from the
Cleveland affiliate. It is not
unusual for NCJW sections to
borrow ideas from each other,
she said.
METRO
DETROIT
ACCESS
1 I GUID
1
Revised Ecktion
The goal of the book is to let
handicapped people know
that they don't have to be
homebound. "We wanted to
create a mindset," she said.
"We wanted to let handicap-
ped people know that they
could go out." But, she warn-
ed, the book is not a definitive
listing. "We wanted to give
that population a resource for
places they may want to go
to," she said.
Several
committee
members are handicapped or
have limitations, Blumens-
tein said. Steering committee
co-chairman Barbara Bockoff,
who is wheelchair bound, was
used as an example for
Newman Is Honored
Albert Newman of Birm-
ingham was one of two
leaders of the American 'Tech-
nion Society (ATS) to be
awarded an honorary fellow-
ship from Technion-Israel In-
stitute of 'Technology.
Newman is a member of the
ATS national board of direc-
tors. Newman is also a
member of Technion's inter-
national board of governors
and a member of the board of
the ATS Detroit Chapter.
Newman was honored "for
extraordinary leadership and
dedicated efforts on behalf of
the university, world Jewry
and the State of Israel."
A pace-setter in the Israel
Albert Newman
Bond Campaign, Newman is
the 1989 recipient of the
David Ben-Gurion Award.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
37
I'd
NCJW Prints Updated Edition
Of Access Guide For Disabled