A Message from the President
The Federation,
in partnership with
its agencies, plays
the leadership role
in identifying needs
within the Jewish
community...
e stand at a defining moment in the history of
American Jewish life. The opportunites afforded to us by
our country -- with its freedom, its mobility and its un-
limited choices -- test our Jewish value system for each of
us every day.
The shtetl of our European ancestors seems to be
a universe apart from our present-day lives. However, the
richness of that close-knit society and the sense of contin-
uity it fostered represent ideals we must strive for. We,
too, seek to create a Jewish community where each of us
is connected by tradition, by history and by commitment.
Jewish continuity must become the centerpiece of
our agenda. Preservation of our Jewish community must
be the cornerstone of our planning for the future.
Clearly, the completion of Federation's Strategic
Plan propels us in that direction. David Page and the
members of his committee produced an ambitious set of
recommendations that will help carry our community into
the 21st Century.
In conjunction with Detroit's Jewish Population
Study, the Strategic Plan suggests the importance of
dynamic, creative change. I encourage you to read the
enclosed summary of the plan and Federation's new
mission statement that introduces this report. You will
see not just what Federation is -- the central communal
organization of the Jewish community -- but, more
important, what we must become.
Fun raising and
fund raising
went hand in
hand at the Up
All Night youth
appeal for the
Allied Jewish
Campaign.
Federation needs to be a catalyst for change. We
have to continue our support for vital life-sustaining and
life-enriching programs through our agencies.
However, we also must seek new models, new
programs and new ideas to ensure continuity and excel-
lence in Jewish communal life.
I am pleased to report that Federation has begun
to make those changes so necessary to our communal
future.
• The move of our offices to the Max M. Fisher
Building has brought Federation to the center of the
Jewish population. In just a few short months, our new
administrative offices have truly become a home to the
staff and volunteers who give so much of their time to the
community.
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