THE JEWISH NEWS
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY
JANUARY 4, 1991 / 18 TEVET 5751
Jewish Federations Begin
Cutting Services, Staff
ALIZA MARCUS
Special to The Jewish News
A
cross the United
States, from San
Francisco to New
York, from Buffalo to
Phoenix, the accents of Jew-
ish federation officials may
be different, but the words
they use are the same:
Retrench. Restructure.
Merge. Maximize resources.
Avoid duplication.
In other words, cut back on
services and staff.
Detroit may be the excep-
tion, but for other Jewish
communities, money is
suddenly tight, thanks to a
widening recession, growing
demand for local services
and the pressing needs of
tens of thousands of Jews
emigrating each month from
the Soviet Union.
As the proceeds are tallied
up from the United Jewish
Appeal's enormously suc-
cessful Operation Exodus
campaign, which set out to
raise a whopping $420 mill-
ion in 1990 to resettle Soviet
Jews in Israel, some federa-
tion officials are finding
Continued on Page 18
Burial Society
Makes Changes
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
A
fter 27 years, Mark
Klinger has bid
farewell to Ira Kauf-
man Chapel to become
managing funeral director
for Hebrew Benevolent
Society, Chesed Shel Emes,
one of a handful of non-profit
funeral parlors in the coun-
try.
In his new position, Mr.
Klinger, 54, will supervise
funeral arrangements and
will meet with bereaved
families. He said he was ex-
cited about the management
opportunity.
"Our Jewish funeral prac-
tices have served us well for
thousands of years, but we
can also promote a more pro-
fessional and contemporary
method of operation at the
chapel, while continuing to
preserve custom," Mr. Kl-
inger said. "That is my ob-
jective."
Mr. Klinger replaces
longtime funeral director
Alan Dorfman, who worked
at the chapel for 22 years.
Also joining Hebrew
Benevolent is Robert Bodzin,
40, who has been named
business manager and asso-
ciate funeral director.
Although he is not a state
certified mortician, Mr. Bod-
zin, formerly general man-
ager of Sunrise Supply and
Kramer Food, holds a degree
in mortuary science. He
plans to take his board ex-
ams in March.
"This really represents a
return to my original career
path and earliest profes-
sional experiences," Mr.
Bodzin said.
Rabbi Boruch Levin, Heb-
rew Benevolent's executive
director, said Mr. Dorfman's
departure was in the best in-
terest of both parties. The
Chesed Shel Emes board last
summer opted not to renew
Mr. Dorfman's contract.
Mr. Dorfman said he could
not comment until his con-
tract with Hebrew Memorial
expires on Jan. 7. He has re-
tained an attorney, Larry
Jackier, who said his client
is weighing his options.
Mark Klinger has
replaced longtime
funeral director
Alan Dorfman.
Rabbi Levin said Chesed
Shel Emes is reorganizing to
take on a new team ap-
proach to management.
This, he said, will afford him
more time to visit with
bereaved families.
Hebrew Benevolent Socie-
ty was started at the turn of
the century to provide Jew-
ish burials.
"Our facilities are
available to all Jews, tradi-
tional and liberal, affiliated
and non-affiliated," Rabbi
Levin said. "All rabbis are
welcome to officiate here.
I'm Orthodox, Mark is Con-
servative and Bob is a mem-
ber of Temple Israel.
"We hope these moves will
help us serve the entire
community more fully and
efficiently," Rabbi Levin
said. ❑
A Justice
Department
unit is still
prosecuting
war criminals.