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With great delight, we saw another kind of history be-
ing made through Neighborhood Project events that are
bringing together the residents of Oak Park and South-
field—nearly 280 of them purchasing homes with interest-
free loans from United Jewish Charities. At its tentative
beginning, none of us could have imagined the success
of this program in only two years.
As we travel the country, others frequently ask us
build upon new knowledge of our relationship with a
maturing Jewish state.
Even without a study, we know there is reason to be
proud of our community: the agencies that spread a net-
work of caring; the synagogues that provide the ethical
and spiritual framework for our Jewish identification; the
organizations that express our philanthropic, social and
educational interests; the links with Israel that remain firm
where this extraordinary quality of commitment comes
from. We assure them it is not a byproduct of Detroit's
despite the strains of politics and economics. What
strength lies in our partnership!
water supply but rather of a sense of tradition—and pride.
Truly, this has been a year for making history. And
each of us has played a role in shaping it.
Still, we dare not be so self-assured in forecasting the
future. That future will depend upon our ability to involve
more individuals in the Jewish community, to train them
as lay and professional leaders, as participants and sup-
porters. We have made great strides in leadership
development. It will remain for the next administration to
carry this vital program forward.
Conrad L. Giles, M.D., President
In seeking to know more about ourselves, we will be
aided by the findings of an ambitious study of the Jewish
population of metropolitan Detroit, which is about to
begin. This study will enable us to allocate our resources
where they are most needed and to plan for coming
generations. All of our community agencies and institu-
tions will benefit.
Israel will benefit, as well. We believe the survey will
affirm that our people still look to Israel as a focus of our
concern and support. But from this survey we hope to
Martin S Kraar, Executive Vice-President