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 • • • • • • 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