Big Changes Are Being Made
In The Detroit-Israel Connection

JENNIFER FINER JEWISH NEWS INTERN

Fund and supervisor of the
Michigan/Israel
Connection, said moving
the office when space
became available at
Federation was a logical

Jeff Kaye

T

he Israel Desk is
changing its ways, its
name, and its shali-

ach.

Three months ago, Jeff
Kaye, the new shaliach
(emissary), came to Detroit
to take the job as director
of the Israel Desk of the
Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit.
Now, not only is he
acquainting the communi-
ty with programs in Israel,
providing information on
various aspects of Israeli
life and helping organiza-
tions plan an Israel agenda
— he is also assisting in
the metamorphosis of the
Israel Desk.
Next month, the office is
scheduled to move from
the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield
to the Max M. Fisher
Building in Bloomfield
Hills, where it will be
called the Michigan/Israel
Connection.
"Not only will the name
and location change but
the services we provide to
the community will be dif-
ferent, too," Mr. Kaye said.
"We have information on
up to 200 programs to
Israel. In the past, we've
provided people with the
information they needed
and told them to contact
the program directly. Now
we will make the calls for

them. The whole idea is to
cut down the stages of
bureaucracy."
The new Michigan/
Israel Connection will
widen activities to "encom-
pass every aspect of
Israel," according to Mr.
Kaye.
"We're trying to be the
answer for everything
that's connected to Israel,"
he said. "The package is
designed to make sure
we're serving the commu-
nity from all angles."
Mr. Kaye said there is a
need to get more people to
Israel and to work with
some of the younger visi-
tors to Israel and keep
them interested in
Judaism.
"When these kids return
from Israel they need fol-
low-up experiences in the
Jewish community or it's
just not as meaningful. It's
really important to get
these kids involved and
keep them interested," he
said.
Mr. Kaye is looking for-
ward to the new challenges
of not only planning trips
to Israel, but providing the
community with factual
information as quickly as
possible.
Barbara Satinsky, the
associate director for the
development of the
Federated Endowment

step.
"The office will be in a
more central location for
people to come and learn
about or participate in its
services," she said.
"Personally, I think it's
terrific. The Israel Desk
will be expanding its ser-
vices and encompassing a
global view. The idea
behind the name change is
that it's not a desk but a
connection to Israel."
Mr. Kaye also expects
the move to be beneficial
because it will allow his
office to use the infrastruc-
ture in the Federation
building.
In the midst of all these

changes, Mr. Kaye and his
family are adjusting to
their home away from
Israel.
Mr. Kaye said the only
real culture shock for him

"The idea behind
the name change
is that it's not a
desk but a
connection to
Israel."

Barbara Satinksy

is the amount of junk mail
that arrives at his house.
"The suburbs here
remind me of suburbs all
over the world," said Mr.

Kaye, who was born in
Scotland and later moved
to Israel. "It was difficult
for me to leave Israel and
it's challenging for me to
open my kids' eyes and
teach them not to take
Israel for granted."
From Scotland, he
moved to Israel in 1981
and began working as a
teacher in schools for
youths with learning dis-
abilities. He was later
appointed principal of a
school for the disadvan-
taged.
Mr. Kaye will stay in his
Farmington Hills home for
a few years, until his term
as shaliach ends. Then he
plans to return to Israel.
"A shaliach can only be
successful if the job is tem-
porary," he said. "There
has to be new blood in this
position." O

Pastor-Turned-Rabbi
Describes Conversion

JENNIFER FINER JEWISH NEWS INTERN

R

abbi Asher Wade, a
former Methodist
pastor who convert-
ed to Judaism, will
be in town Dec. 1-2 to
share his experiences.
Oak Park-based
Machon L'Torah, the
Jewish Learning Net-
work of Michigan, will
host Rabbi Wade as he
offers his perspective on:
"Where Was God During
the Holocaust" and
"From Hamburg to
Jerusalem: a Pastor's
Conversion to Judaism."
Rabbi Wade, a Virginia
native, received his mas-
ter's degree in Christian
theology and philosophy
and was ordained as a
pastor in the Methodist
Church in Berlin. He
then served as a spiritual
leader of a church in
Hamburg, Germany.
Several years later, he
and his wife began to
investigate Judaism and
decided it fulfilled the
intellectual, academic,
spiritual and emotional
criteria they had been

looking for.
They eventually moved
to Jerusalem, where he
studied Judaism. Now,
he is continuing his post-
rabbinic
studies
and lectur-
ing in Is-
rael and
abroad.
Rabbi
Avraham
Jacobovitz
of Machon
L'Torah
said he has
been try-
ing to con-
vince Rab-
bi Wade to
come to
the United
States and
Michigan
for years.
"Over Rabbi Asher Wade:
the past Former pastor.
few years
I've been
going to the yeshiva in
Jerusalem where he lec-
tures," Rabbi Jacobovitz
said. "I asked if he would

come to the States to
share his story. He told
me he was thinking
about it but he did not
know when he'd be able
to come.
Every year
I
would
nudge him
to come and
finally this
year I got
the word he
would be
here."
There is a
charge to
hear Rabbi
Wade speak
at Machon
L'Torah on
Wednesday
night and
for a lunch
planned for
Thursday
at the Jew-
ish Federa-
tion's Max
M. Fisher
Building. For required
reservations, Call Ma-
chon L'Torah, 967-
0888.

