THE JEWISH NEWS
THIS ISSUE 60(P
SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY
AUGUST 25, 1989 / 24 AV 5749
Milwaukee's Robert Aronson
To Direct Detroit Federation
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
Milwaukee Executive Vice Presi-
dent Robert Aronson on Tuesday was
named executive vice president of the
Jewish Welfare Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit.
Aronson, 38, succeeds Marty
Kraar, who is leaving Detroit to head
the Council of Jewish Federations, the
umbrella organization for federations
throughout the United States and
Canada. Aronson is expected to begin
his new job in November.
Aronson has served in his present
position for two years. Previously, he
was the Milwaukee federation's ex-
ecutive director for four years.
He started his Jewish communal
career in 1975 as the Milwaukee
federation's campaign director. In
1980, Aronson moved to New York as
a community consultant for the CJF.
Two years later, he was named direc-
tor of campaign planning services
director for CJF, where he served un-
til returning to Milwaukee to take the
executive director position.
"In my 14 years in the Jewish
communal business, Detroit always
appeared to have a fabulous Jewish
community," Aronson said. "I'm ex-
cited. Detroit is just one of those
places known for Jewish communal
work. So many national leaders have
come from Detroit."
During his six years in
Milwaukee, one of Aronson's major
concerns was developing a central
Jewish Community Center campus.
Today a $20 million facility there
houses seven Jewish agencies, the
JCC, two day schools and a nursery
school.
He said his first priority in
Detroit will be learning about the
community and its relationship with
Bridge
Over
Troubled
Waters
The story of Jerry and Jacqui
Kaufman's disillusionment with
Conservative Judaism is one of
the movement's challenges as it
enters its second century.
the Federation. He has no specific
goals for Detroit.
"The worst thing you can do is
come into a new job with an im-
mediate plan for change:' he said.
The board of governors
unanimously approved Aronson's ap-
pointment, which followed the recom-
mendation of a nine-member search
committee chaired by by David Page.
The search took three months.
"He's a mentsh," Page said. "Any
one of our three finalists could have
handled the job. We picked the person
we felt would be the best."
Page said dozens of people ex-
pressed interest in Detroit's leading
communal job. He said committee
members identified candidates and
several people approached them about
the job.
"The heartening thing here is
that so many people were interested
in the job because of the reputation
Robert Aronson: New leader.
Detroit has in being one of the
leading Jewish communities in the
world:' Page said.
"He is intelligent and articulate,"
said Federation President Dr. Conrad
Giles. "He is experienced with a
Jewish vision." Dr. Giles holds the
Federation's top lay leadership
position.