DETROIT
FIFTY YEARS
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JCCouncil Redefines Delegates,
Halves Number Of Assemblies
NOAM M.M. NEUSNER
Staff Writer
News.
Socici
published by a
Charles E. Coughlin,
spiritual leader of t
Shrine of Th
Flower. The publicatio
which printed virulently
anti-Semitic material,
drew condemnations
across the nation at
time from both
and Jew.
The Jewish News
printed an excerpt from
Social Justice and even
criticized Jews who were
apathetic about speaking
out against the publica-
tion. Here's an e x cept
from Social Jus tic e at
was printed as part in
editorial back on April 17,
1942:
"Ban Social Justice and
then observe whether the
tide of anti-Semitism in
Arne:rica fades out or
flames from a prairie fire'
into an uncontrollable
holocaust.
The worst, possible in-
justice that we (Social
Justice) could do to the
Jews of America would be
to discontinue publication
of our own volition, seiz-
ing this opportunity to
blame the Jews for its
retirement. Were we to
succumb to such a satanic
temptation, the pogroms
which crimsoned the soil
of Europe would rank as a
poor second to what would
occur on the streets of
New York."
To this, The Jewish
News editorial responded
by calling for an end to
the publication while ac-
cusing it of being not only
anti-Semitic but un-
American as well.
The Jewish Welfare
Federation, meanwhile,
went ahead and set
$985,000 as its Campaign
14
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 1992
r*-0:
)0*A000
was
SidneyBerman:
Erwin was born to
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph
Kaufman; Madelynn Gail
was born to Mr. and Mrs.
Jack Broder; and Anita
Nancy was born to Mr.
and Mrs. Jay Goldberg.
Richard Kopel, son of
Di.. and Mrs. Joseph O.
Kopel of Burlingame
Ave., distinguished
himself as one of the
country's top collegiate
wrestlers by placing four-
th in the 121.-pound class
at the National Collegiate
Wrestling- Tournament in
East Lansing.
In the next week's edi-
tion, The Jewish News
reports that the govern-
ment responds to Social
Justice by banning it. ❑
he Jewish Community
Council last week
witnessed one of its
wooliest delegate assemblies
in recent memory.
The raucous April 7
meeting raised one of the
most sensitive issues facing
the Council: Just whom does
it speak for? While it claims
to be an umbrella organiza-
tion of about 270 Jewish
groups with 500 delegates,
its delegate assemblies;
which vote and make policy,
usually attract barely 50.
As a result of this anom-
aly, the Council's Strategic
Planning Committee had
proposed redefining who can
be a delegate to the Council.
The committee said many
of the Council's 500 or so
delegates were not attending
assemblies; if they did, they
rarely reported back to their
organizations.
Their suggestion: make
each organization's presi-
dent a delegate, or allow him
to appoint an alternate. That
way, the proposal said, the
Council could be confident
that delegate decisions
would be relayed to member
organizations.
"While there were excep-
tions, some delegates did not
necessarily represent an
organization. They may or
may not have known which
organization they repre-
sented," said Ann Zousmer,
who chaired the Strategic
Planning Committee.
The committee also pro-
posed reducing the man-
dated number of meetings
from four to two, with at
least one designed as an
"open forum" to air com-
plaints.
Both proposals were pass-
ed by the three-quarters
majority needed to amend
the Council's constitution.
"We are not an organiza-
tion of individuals, we are an
organization of organiza-
tions," said Council Presi-
dent Jeannie Weiner. "We
had delegates who were real-
ly representing their own
opinion, not the organiza-
tions'."
Some delegates were not
happy with the proposals.
Norman Naimark, the
president of Detroit's Labor
Zionist Alliance, said the
Council, by making organ-
ization presidents into dele-
gates and by holding only
two meetings, would restrict
the free flow of debate on
Jewish community issues.
"(The Council) is the body
that should be used to air
matters of concern for the
whole community," said Mr.
Nairnark. "Right now, there
is no such other body."
Mr. Naimark said the pro-
posal to reduce mandated
meetings is damaging.
"It's not sufficient," he
said. "There are so many
things of concern in the
community. People need to
sense there is an outlet for
their concerns."
Mrs. Weiner of the Council
said the failure of delegates
to attend made it incumbent
to change the system. Even
for the heavily advertised
April 7 meeting, only about
90 delegates showed up, she
said.
❑
JARC Units Get In On
Re-Financing Savings
ALAN HITSKY
Associate Editor
I
f you could save $1,400 a
month on your mortgage,
wouldn't you re-finance
now?
JARC thought so, and yes-
terday its executives sat
down at a mortgage closing
and signed a lot of papers —
15 times more than the
average homeowner.
JARC — the Jewish
Association for Residential
Care — took advantage of
Fifteen new
mortgages at 8.5
percent.
low-interest rates and a
helpful banker to refinance
approximately $750,000 in
mortgages on 15 properties.
They included four of its
group living homes, and 11
condominiums in its in-
dependent living program.
"Our investment com-
mittee began discussing the
proposal last summer," said
JARC Executive Director
Joyce Keller.
JARC had mortgages with
balloon payments coming
due over the next few years.
Their interest rates were in
the high 9 and 10 percent
ranges.
The new mortgages
through Franklin Bank are
at 8.5 percent, with a seven-
year balloon, and amortized
over 15 years. The new fi-
nancing will save JARC
about $17,000 this year, or
$1,400 a month.
Ms. Keller said JARC had
trouble finding a lender.
"We're not an easy customer
— somebody has to be will-
ing to hold onto the mor-
tgage and not re-sell it. But
Franklin was terrific."
Under banking rules,
JARC's homes are con-
sidered non-owner occupied,
and the mortgages are not
being signed by an in-
dividual, making the notes
impossible to sell in the
secondary financial
markets.
David Simon, chief ex-
ecutive of Franklin, said the
bank was contacted by
Eugene Mondry, a board
member of JARC and CEO
of Highland Superstores, to
help arrange the financ-
ing. ❑
Soviet Doctors Trained
As New Sinai Externs
AMY J. MEHLER
Staff Writer
A
s an internist in
Odessa, Laina Feins-
tein never doubted
her ability as a doctor. Nor
did she question the level of
her Soviet medical training.
Then she came to America.
In Southfield, Dr. Feins-
tein, 31, learned she had to
pass a long and complicated
battery of exams before ob-
taining an American
medical license.
That hurdle was a three-
part exam that tested her
knowledge of basic science,
chemistry, pharmacology
and physiology; clinical
medicine, surgery and
gynecology; and knowledge
of the English language. She
had to show proof that she
graduated from a Soviet
medical school. Only then,
would Dr. Feinstein be eli-