Celebrating 50 years of growth with the Detroit Jewish Community
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HE JEWISH NEWS
MAY 29, 1992 / 26 IYAR 5752
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Days Of Decision
Begin On Sunday
PHIL JACOBS
Managing Editor
arvey never sought
help from anyone
before, especially a
Federation agency. That was
before the recession. That
was before Harvey, 54, was
laid off from his sales job.
Now, this Southfield
homeowner, unable to find
another job, needs help pay-
ing his mortgage and put-
ting food on his table.
The ultimate irony for
Harvey is that for many
years he gave to the Allied
Jewish Campaign. Now, he
needs to ask Jewish Family
Service and Jewish Voca-
tional Service for help.
Harvey is not alone. With
the needs of the Jewish
community pressing the
constituent agencies of the
Jewish Federation's Allied
Jewish Campaign like never
before, some sort of immedi-
ate fiscal action was
necessary.
H
The Days of Decision are
upon us. Federation needs to
know how much money is
coming in to the Campaign
so that it can accurately
allocate to its agencies. In
years past, Federation would
have a formal closing of its
annual Campaign in early
spring, while continuing to
solicit thousands of donors
through the end of the year.
Last year, though, the
Campaign fell about
$900,000 short of its
predicted final achievement,
at a time when Federation
asked its agencies to
prioritize budgets and to be
more fiscally attentive.
Days of Decision are a
window of time — from May
31 through June 5 — when
Federation will close the
Campaign. Constituent
agencies will limit board or
lay activity during this time
so they can participate in a
massive, intensive pledge
and fund-raising effort.
Continued on Page 20
Answers Sought
After Tragedy
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Assistant Editor
his wasn't supposed to
happen.
Michael Binder
seemed to be the epitome of
everything good the Jewish
community had to offer. He
graduated from a local Jew-
ish day school, regularly
studied Torah, had a wife
and 3-year-old son and a
good job. He was, friends
said, a gentle and sensitive
man.
Last week, Mr. Binder shot
and killed his wife, Linda,
then drove to Chesed Shel
Emes cemetery where he
took his own life. It was a
shock not only to those who
knew the Binders, but to the
many convinced that this
sort of nightmare just
doesn't happen to Jews.
"This is extremely rare in
the Jewish community,"
said Congregation Beth
Achim Rabbi Emeritus
Milton Arm, who presided at
Linda Binder's funeral. "But
T
half century
A
since the Holocaust,.
united Germany is
struggling with many
of the same demons it
faced in the 1930s.
we can never know the dark
side to the human mind."
Mr. Binder, an attorney,
attended Yeshiva Beth
Yehudah and Wayne State
University, from which he
graduated with highest
honors. His father, Harold,
was a Holocaust survivor.
After the war, Harold
Binder came to the United
States with his wife and
became a baker. His wife
died of cancer soon after, and
Harry worked nights so he
could take care of his two
sons, Michael and Abe, dur-
ing the day.
Harold remarried in 1965.
His second wife, Frances
Binder, found her stepson
Michael to be a thoughtful
boy who "liked to help
anybody." He would spend
weekends with his rabbi,
"where he would help out
with the kids."
Michael Binder lost his
father in 1979. His first wife
died of toxic-shock syndrome
Continued on page 22