Leon Lucas
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSISTANT EDITOR
uly 2, 1914, is
marked in every
history book, is on
the lips of every
'T-.1-iolar, was a day that
orever changed the
world.
It is the birth date of
_aeon Lucas of Oak Park.
And, oh yes, World
Var I also started that
.ay.
Born in the Bronx,
q.Y., Mr. Lucas was an
.vid student who remem-
iers classrooms so
rowded pupils had to sit
n the window sill. He
ntered college when he
as 15. After receiving a
aster's degree in social
ork from Boston
Tniversity, he worked at
he Child Guidance
inic in Newark, N.J.,
There he met his wife,
[ilda. Later, he served
s the head of the first
rental health unit at the
olumbia University
hool of Social Work.
n 1955, Mr. Lucas
cepted a post at Wayne
ate University. With
eir 4-year-old daughter
d 11-month-old son,
e Lucases couldn't find
-apartment in Detroit.
0 they bought a home in
ak Park, where they
,dl live today.
Now retired as associ-
:e professor with the
tn
I
WSU School of Social
Work, Mr. Lucas contin-
ues doing private consul-
tations and counseling
work. A certified social
worker and licensed mar-
riage counselor, he has
been active in many local
and national social work
organizations and in the
City of Oak Park.
Mr. Lucas, an avid
swimmer, is a member of
Congregation Beth
Shalom, the Zionist
Organization of America
and the Labor Zionist
Alliance.
QUESTION: What can the
average American Jew do to
help boost Israers economy?
ANSWER: Join an
investment club. The
clubs, often administered
by local Zionist groups,
promote investment in
Israeli stocks on the New
York Stock Exchange.
Club members do not
need to be wealthy; ini-
tial investments general-
ly run about several hun-
dred dollars.
Three clubs exist in
Metropolitan Detroit.
Individuals with
greater incomes might
consider larger, private
investments in Israel-
based businesses, Mr.
Lucas says.
He stressed that the
word investment is just
that. This is not about
donations. Especially
with Israel's recent con-
tributions in medical and
technical fields, "there's
a profit to be made," he
says. "This is not all
altruistic."
The overall plan, Mr.
Lucas says, should be a
shift from socialism to
capitalism. "The best
hope for Israel seems to
be to develop more priva-
tization of business."
He also supports con-
tinued donations to the
United Jewish Appeal
and purchasing Israel
Bonds.
The Lucases make it a
point to reinvest all prof-
its they make, both on
stocks and bonds, in
Israel. They encourage
others to do the same.
"It's our little way of
doing something for
Israel," Mr. Lucas
says. ❑
EDITOR'S NOTE Beginning
this week, The Jewish News
will run a regular feature, In
Our Own Words, in which we
profile various members of the
community and seek their
insight on topical issues.
103