A Smart Change
In Allocation Emphasis

Every year, the Jewish Federation allocation
process takes on a different focus in its fund-
ing emphasis.
Last year, we were writing stories about pop-
ulations at risk, another term for dysfunction-
al families, victims of abuse, the unemployed,
the hungry and those experiencing many oth-
er societal difficulties.
This year, Federation has changed its em-
phasis, steering away, though not drastical-
ly, from last year's goal, and instead focusing
on the future of the Jewish community. When
we write about the future, it involves the very
existence of the Detroit Jewish community that
feeds $26 million a year to the Allied Jewish
Campaign. A message delivered by several dif-

ferent sources at last year's Council of Jew-
ish Federations General Assembly in New York
was one of funneling funds to family pro-
gramming: teaching Jewish history, Hebrew,
symbols, religion and values.
Problems of hunger, unemployment, spousal
abuse and many others have not lessened. But
Detroit's Jewish community leadership is right-
ly asking itself about this community's very
survival.
Unless there's investment in the education
of youth and families, there won't be the lev-
els of future funding and Federation pro-
gramming even for the dysfunctional. So for
now, at least, the focus should remain on our
future.

JPM Renovation Does Not
End With A Celebration

This Sunday, the community will celebrate the
grand opening of the renovated and expanded Jim-
my Prentis Morris Jewish Community Center. A
new swimming pool, classrooms and many other
improvements are gleaming with finishing touch-
es.
Much has been written over the year about the
meaning of the facelift because a renovated JCC
is a cornerstone of added stability to a 10-
Mile/Greenfield corridor that has emerged as an
important part of the Detroit Jewish communi-
ty.
The key, though, to the JCC's success in Oak
Park, is how successfully it will draw neighbors
from its core and surrounding neighborhoods.
The JCC must expand its horizons, looking be-
yond Oak Park and making programming ap-
pealing to those who call Huntington Woods home
as well as Jews who make Southfield their address.

It's true that one of the JPM's goals is to appeal
and to make programming more user-friendly to
the Orthodox. But the Center cannot be seen as
exclusively a place where Orthodox Jews and Russ-
ian emigres living in the area come for a swim. The
appeal to these two groups is important, but the
facility must show itself as a broader-based place
of recreation and learning.
JPM should not wait several months to see how
its beautiful new facility is catching on. Instead,
it has to be more proactive in showcasing itself
to the public.
There should be a celebration on Sunday. But
before good feelings wear off, the JCC needs to
be back at work making sure this facility works,
that the community is well served and the
sparkling "new" JPM grows with the neighbor-
hood.

the "old" Communi; •
and Involvement 1,,-_,--eartment
laid the groundwork necessary
for
Rabbi Plaut's "ne t t' depart-
I read with dismay the two let-
ment.
ters (Aug. 13) written in re-
These are the people who -td.
sponse to the remarks of Rabbi
ated such programs ; Mak..
Jakobovits. Both writers com-
Adult Education Catalogs, tIke.
pared the rabbi to the Nazis
Economic Forum outreach lun-
and the Final Solution.
cheons, the Volunteer Draft a,,--
What was he proposing?
nual event as well as a dozen.
Was he suggesting murder? Did
training, development, recruit-
he suggest an abortion? No! All
ment and placement programs
that he suggested was the pos-
for volunteers and profession-
sibility of genetic engineering
als throughout the Jewish corn-
to eliminate a gene theoretical-
munity.
ly responsible for homosexual-
In fact, this department
ity. Whether or not this
vided
the research and
approach is possible or even de-
mation used by the strateg~
sirable is not the major point.
planning committee in mal
Mr. Howard Israel and the
ing its decision to expand Fed
board of directors of Simcha are
eration's outreach and it
incensed because Rabbi
volvement efforts.
Jakobovits does not regard ho-
I am concerned that Ms.
mosexuality as a desirable
Littmann's
article and Rabbi
trait.They assume that there is
Plaut's
statements,
which fail
nothing wrong with being ho-
to acknowledge the role of some
mosexual and resent the idea
volunteers and leaders in order
of a world in which no one
to create interest in a so-called
would be a homosexual. To
"new" program, can have, .
equate that with the Holocaust
rather, an adverse effect: it can
is on a par with those who wish
create a hollow sense of thank-
to equate abortion with the
lessness and disillusionment on
Holocaust.
the
part of those who have come
Those of us who regard the
before.
Torah as sacred cannot share
I am one of these, as the re-
the attitude that homosexuali-
tired
director of that depart-,
ty is just another legitimate
ment. So are others, including
lifestyle. It is forbidden by the
two past volunteer chairper-
Torah in the strongest of terms.
sons, Federation presidents and
If it can be shown that there
a Council of Jewish Federations
is a biological basis for homo-
president who conceived and
sexuality, that must shape our
implemented the real "new" hu-
response to those who are ho-
man
resources department sev-
mosexuals, but that does not
en
years
ago.
give it an imprimature of legit-
We belong to the lifetime club
imacy. If a means acceptable to
of service providers — we paid
Halachah can be found to elim-
the dues, built the structure
inate schizophrenia or epilepsy
and brought it through the dif-
or homosexuality, what would
ficult times. These individuals
be wrong with that?
were the backbone and risk-
Only if you think it is good to
takers enabling the path of
be a homosexual would one be
those-who follow.
able to object. That, of course,
Further, the article does not
is at the heart of their respons-
adv-,ice the goals of outreach
es.
F -.-rvolvement, for we, as
Rabbi Martin J. Berman
re taught to pass on the
Congregation Beth Achim
:'community (which em-
es these goals) to our chil-
P.
-- Your article does not serve
?,ssary purpose.
?.,times of disenfran-
ze can ill afford to
Regarding Ruth Littmann's
club member, let
July 30 article, "Rabbi Plaut To
alone L._ A. generation of vol-
Lead New Federation Dept.," I
unteers.
wish to make you aware of the
Michelle H. Passon
many volunteers, leaders and
Bloomfield Hills
staff who, under the auspices of

Homosexuality
And Halachah

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Article Missed
`Old' Volunteers

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