COMMUNITY

SUSAN GRANT

Staff Writer

A

University of Michigan students staged a major rally on the Diag last week in behalf of freedom by Jews in the
Soviet Union. Speakers called for free emigration, freedom of religion and an end to intimidation of Soviet
Daniel M. Rosen
Jews.

Walk For Solidarity On May 6
Marks Israel's 42nd Anniversary

The Jewish New American
Committee, Soviet Jews who
have immigrated to Detroit,
will be among the groups par-
ticipating in the community-
wide Walk for Jewish
Solidarity, May 6 in West
Bloomfield.
Committee
members
Michael Foxman, Yefil
Feldman, Simeon Olkihovsky
and Leon Sakin will recruit
other new Americans for the
walk. They also will create
banners, mail flyers in Rus-
sian and register walkers.
Sponsored by the Jewish
Welfare Federation and the
Israel Anniversary Commit-
tee, the walk will celebrate
Israel's 42nd anniversary and
the exodus of hundreds of
thousands of Soviet Jews.
Registration will begin at
10:45 a.m. at the west aux-
iliary parking lot of the
Jewish Community Center,
with the walk following, rain
or shine, at 11:30. The
3.3-mile event will include a
rest stop at Temple Israel.
Persons who prefer a shorter
distance may participate in a
mini-walk. Pre-registration is
encouraged, and hats will be
distributed to the first 3,000
who register.
Prior to the walk, the Young
Adult Division of Federation
will have a 10 a.m. brunch at
Camp Ruth II at the Center.
YAD members, children and
friends will register and walk
as a group. There is a fee for

the brunch.
In the week following the
walk, there will be a
phonathon for Operation Ex-
odus, a worldwide campaign
to bring out Soviet Jews and
resettle them in Israel. Of the
$420 million national cam-
paign, Detroit's commitment
is $16.5 million.
On May 14, Shoshana Car-
din, chairman of the National
Conference on Soviet Jewry,
will speak at an Operation
Exodus fund raiser in the
home of 1990 Allied Jewish
Campaign Chairman Paul
Borman.
In September, a Detroit-
sponsored Exodus Mission
will be conducted for con-
tributors of $5,000 or more to
the 1991 Allied Jewish Cam-
paign. The trip will take
place Sept. 6-16, with three
pre-mission Eastern Euro-
pean options — Poland,

Hungary and the Soviet
Union. The groups will con-
vene in Israel for meetings
with government officials,
study sessions, touring and
socializing with Israelis and
Soviet olim.
Monies raised by Operation
Exodus will go for transporta-
tion, housing, job training
and language instruction.
Israel will gain from the in-
flux of Soviet Jews. The need
for housing, schools and roads
will create new jobs for
Israelis.
About 200,000 Soviet Jews
are expected to immigrate
this year. The cost of resettle-
ment of one person in Israel
is $5,000. Israel has made a
$3 billion commitment; world
Jewry will contribute another
$600 million.
For information about the
walk, call Federation,
965-3939, Ext. 149.

Remembrance Day
Activities Set

Jewish Welfare Federation
President Mark Schlussel
will speak at the community-
wide observance of Yom
HaZikaron, the Day of
Remembrance for Israel's
fallen soldiers, 6 p.m. April 29
at Congregation B'nai Moshe.
Sponsored by the Israel Pro-
gram Center, in cooperation

with
Federation,
the
ceremonies will include the
presentation of colors by 42
Jewish organizations. The
Hillel Day School choir
and students from Akiva
Hebrew Day School, the Com-
munity Jewish High School
and Young Judaea will par-
ticipate.

master's degree pro-
gram to train Jewish
communal leaders is
on hold until the Jewish
Welfare Federation can ap-
prove the funding.
Through Project STaR:
Service, Training and
Research in Jewish Com-
munal Development, the
University of Michigan's
School of Social Work
planned to offer a profes-
sional leadership program in
Jewish Communal Service
in September.
Project STaR Director and
University of Michigan so-
cial work professor Armand
Lauffer said the training
program was first discussed
as a long term project two
years ago when he and
former Federation Executive
Vice President Marty Kraar
decided the university and
Jewish organizations should
work together.
Since its formation in
June, 1988, Project STaR
has helped Jewish organiza-
tions work with foreign pro-
fessors on local projects and
provided training sessions
for community leaders.
Now, after receiving a
three-year $205,100 Wexner
Foundation grant, Lauffer
had hoped to begin the
master's degree program to
train Jewish community
leaders this fall.
To get the program off the
ground this year, Lauffer
also needs a three-year,
$240,000 grant from Federa-
tion to help pay for student
stipends and other program
expenses. However, on
Tuesday Federation officials
tabled a decision on the
grant.
Federation Executive Vice
President Robert Aronson
said the decision was
delayed for one month be-
cause board members want-
ed more information about
the program before they
would commit the money.
Before the meeting, Mon-
son questioned whether the
board would approve the
program because the com-
munity has other needs like
helping the Soviet Jews.
If approved next month,
the program can still begin
in the fall, Aronson said.
Lauffer has already
planned the five semester
program that combines a
master's degree in social
work and 18 credits in

Judaic studies and Jewish
communal service. The pro-
gram blends classroom
studies and practical work
experience in the Jewish
community. Although there
are similar programs on the
East and West coasts,
Lauffer said this would be
the first in the Midwest.
Already 10 people, in-
cluding college students and
community volunteers who
want to be professional Jew-
ish leaders, have applied,
Lauffer said.
To enroll, students must be
accepted to the School of So-
cial Work. Then they must
meet the leadership program
qualifications, which include
one year of Hebrew or
Yiddish at the university
level or passing a proficiency
exam, and a Judaic studies
background. University and
Federation officials will de-
termine which students are
accepted.
Lauffer is looking for peo-
ple who do more than meet
the program's qualifications.
"We need people who can
go beyond the everyday
management, someone who
can envision more than one

If approved next
month, the
program can still
begin in the fall.

way of doing things," he
said. "They have to be risk
takers and entrepreneurs
with a real commitment to
the Jewish community."
Aronson said in addition to
financial support of the pro-
gram, Federation is working
with Lauffer and School of
Social Work Dean Harold
Johnson to make sure the
program has the right
students and to convince
local agencies to invest in
the program.
"If placement isn't right,
the program won't work and
the students won't be
happy," Aronson said. "We
need to make students feel
they are important. Federa-
tion has to make them feel
like we have a stake in their
field."
"We need to get the com-
munity to appreciate the
communal service worker.
The community must under-
stand that what we do is im-
portant."
Lauffer said "The Jewish
community has done a lousy
job of recruiting new
leaders."

❑

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

47

AlaV

Program Seeks To Train
Future Jewish Leaders