RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER
T HE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Louis Kay asks Ray Sinai about locks.
14
ommunity building" took
on a literal and figurative
sense last Sunday at
Neighborhood Project's
second annual Home
Sweet Home Show.
The event, an exhibi-
tion of 60 businesses that
cater to the needs of
homeowners, attracted
private citizens interested
in building or remodeling
their homes. The show
also drew local residents
who came to schmooze.
Neighborhood Project,
which works with the
cities of Oak Park and
Southfield, encourages
Jewish residents and
businesses to relocate and
stay in the cities.
During the past five
years, the project, which
is sponsored by the
Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, has
helped 571 people move
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•
• • • •
local Jews with interest-
free loans, home-buying
information and home im-
provement loans.
Neighborhood Project
helped 15 percent more
people move into both
jurisdictions in 1992, as
compared to the prior
year.
Neighborhood Project
leaders say the trend is
one they hope to fuel with
activities like last Sun-
day's.
Home Sweet Home
Show planners enjoyed a
1,500-person turnout at
the event at the South-
field Civic Center Pavi-
lion.
The businesses at the
Home Sweet Home Show
set up booths exhibiting
their goods and services.
Steve Thomas from the
television program "This
Old House" spoke to the
(1
"One of our goals is not
only to encourage people
to move into the area, but
also to encourage them to
maintain their proper-
ties," said Rhoda Rader-
man, director of Neigh-
borhood Project. "We do
this as a community-
building activity."
The event, sponsored in
part by The Jewish News,
also gave businesspeople
a forum to attract new
customers and greet old
ones.
"We came here to pro-
mote our product," said
Michael Gordon, a part- .
ner with Safe
Surroundings, which
helps customers create
a less hazardous home
and working environ-
ment.
Mr. Gordon and his
partner, Aaron Ozro-
vitz, said Oak Park
and Southfield are strate-
gic areas for their busi-
ness because many young
couples with families
have relocated to homes
that are affordable, but
need remodeling.
Some people put aside
regular weekend chores
for the day and shopped
at the Home Sweet Home
Show instead.
"We came last year and
we really enjoyed it," said
Wendy Bakst of Oak
Park. "We came up with
some good ideas and esti-
mates (for improvements
on the house)."
Henry Tarnow, of Tar-
now Doors in Farmington
Hills, said the event
serves its purpose.
"It gives people who
haven't dealt with Tar-
now Doors a chance to see
what we do," he said.
"And it gives our existing
customers the chance to
tell us what good jobs
we've done. It massages
our egos."
❑
Akiva's Barry Eisenberg
Named Exec. Director
PHIL JACOBS MANAGING EDITOR
F
or 18 months, an
Akiva Hebrew Day .
School search com-
mittee screened
some 70 applicants from
all over the country for
the executive director
position vacated by Rabbi
Marc Volk.
When the search was
over, the committee found
that the best candidate
clearly was right here all
the time.
Akiva president Barry
Eisenberg, 49, who had
unofficially assumed the
duties of executive direc-
tor during the search, was
named to the position on
March 10. In accepting
the position, Mr.
Eisenberg, a Southfield
resident, has ended his
27-year career as a con-
tractor to continue the
educational and financial
mission of Akiva. Board
vice president Ben
Wolkinson has been
named president.
Taking over the execu-
tive director position is
perhaps the most natural
task in the world for Mr.
Eisenberg, who since
1969 has served as either
a board member or board
officer for the Lathrup
Village school. He said