THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION
OF AMERICA
Metropolitan Detroit District

knows that soon, he could
be facing his first real test
in his position: the propos-
ed movement of the Fed-
eration office from its
downtown location to the
suburbs. He worries about
offending those who
believe in Detroit.
Consider what has
happened in Mr. Aronson's
short time here. A Federa-
tion demographic study
has shown that a commun-
ity once believed to have
some 70,000 members ac-
tually comprises more than
95,000; Operation Exodus
clicked into full gear with

"At this point, I
can evaluate
myself and say
that I think things
are going well'
Bob Aronson

this community raising
$19 million; and now the
Federation has purchased
land in Farmington Hills
for a future move.
"These are very exciting
times for us," Mr. Aronson
said. "Milwaukee is a well-
developed and sophisti-
cated community, but I
wasn't prepared for the
magnitude of activity here
in Detroit and just how
much the Federation is in-
volved with the commun-
ity.
"I think there's a great
deal of cross-pollination
between the Federation
and many different
segments of the Jewish
community. I, for example,
can't remember getting so
many invitations to speak
before synagogue groups.
In this position I have to
represent the Jewish com-
munity both inside and
out. Detroit's Jewish Fed-
eration plays a significant
role in national and inter-
national federation policy
making."
Detroit is considered a
major player because of its
numbers and because of
the millions it raises, he
said. And because of that,
Mr. Aronson said he has to
be careful when he speaks
on a national issue, because
more people are listening.
"It's thrilling for me, but
it also makes me very ner-
vous," he said. "It's funny,
because when I started

working here, I felt the
same sort of nervousness
that I had when I was mak-
ing $4,000 in Milwaukee.
In Detroit, there is a great
respect of the role of the
professional staff and for
the role of the top profes-
sional leader. It's a breath
of fresh air for me.
"And because I've been
there, I have this built-in
level of respect for the pro-
fessional staff," Mr. Aron-
son said. "And I realize
that I am the guy here in
charge. There's a lot of
pressure that is taken off of
me because of the level of
professional that works
here. It makes life easier for
me."
"The tradition of this
community of outstanding
professional leadership has
been continued with Bob
Aronson," Dr. Conrad
Giles, Federation's immed-
iate past president, said.
"This is a very challenging
time to be a Jewish com-
munal worker. We are con-
scious of the impact that
decisions that are made in
Detroit might have in the
world. It drives us in part
to be in the forefront of na-
tional and international
leadership, and it is Bob's
job to have a vision beyond
our community." To be
successful at his position,
one must act as if he has an
MBA, an MSW and a PhD
in sensitivity training, Mr.
Aronson said.
He said he measures his
success by keeping his of-
fice door "open and safe."
"The doors are open to
the community, to the lay
leadership and to the
employees," he said.
"Listen, as a leader you
may think you are doing a
great job, when actually
things are lousy. If the
community doesn't feel it
can come to you or trust
you, then you are caught
up within yourself, and
that cannot happen. The
pronoun 'I' has no place in
Federation life.
"At this point, I can
evaluate myself and say
that I think things are go-
ing well. The smell of
change is in the air around
here. One of the reasons
why we consider a move is
that we want the Federa.
tion to be more user friend-
ly and accessible to the
general Jewish commun-

THE MOST EAGERLY AWAITED
MUSICAL EVENT OF
THE FALL SEASON

PLAN NOW TO ATTEND:

Sunday, November 4, 1990, 7:30 p.m.
Masonic Temple Auditorium

FABULOUS STAR-STUDDED SHOW

YEHORAM GAON,

World-Acclaimed Actor,
Singer

Israel's foremost pop musical
artist, Yehoram Gaon played
the lead in "Kazablan," Israel's
longest running hit musical.
He has recorded 27 albums
and is the top star of Israeli
radio, television and motion
pictures.

THE RUSSIAN RHYTHMS OF KOLAN

Stars of "From Russia to Israel With Love," Kolan is a folklore ensemble
of Israel famous for its rich repertoire of Russian, Yiddish, and Hebrew
songs. Led by Avi Shilo and featuring the renowned Yelena Levinsky,
the group is made up of four singers and a pianist, all recently arrived
Russian emigrants to Israel.

MAX SOSIN master of ceremonies
MACK P1'1 . 1 musical conductor

FOR RESERVATIONS PHONE 569.1515

or write to the

ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA
Zionist Cultural Center

18451 W 10 Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48075
Rabbi M. Robert Syme, President Metro Detroit District
Sidney Silverman, National President, ZOA

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

27

