Detroit
Tough Division: Jews
Ponder The Charity Pie
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JC, JNF, UNICEF...It's
easy to drown in the al-
phabet soup of good
causes.
As troubles around the world
escalate, local Jews say divid-
ing their charitable dollars be-
comes more and more difficult.
"My decision is usually based
on who sends me the first do-
nation card," says Jaron
Burstyn, an Allied Jewish Cam-
paign volunteer who gives to
Jewish and secular causes.
Florine Mark Ross, Cam-
paign co-chairwoman, believes
Jews should support as many
charities as possible.
"There are a lot of charities
that really need money now,"
she says. "Throughout the
years, Jewish people have tak-
en care of their own and they go
beyond."
Margot Gardner of Bloom-
field Hills and her husband,
Herbert, support many differ-
ent causes — among them the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra,
Institute of Arts and Michigan
Opera Theater. But Mrs. Gard-
ner and others volunteering at
Federation's Super Sunday
phonathon say Jewish causes
remain their top priority.
"If we're not for ourselves,
who will be for us? That's why
I give the most to the Allied
Jewish Campaign," Ms. Gard-
ner says. "The corollary is, if I'm
only for myself, what am I?"
That's why she gives to the
others.
"If every nationality and eth-
nic group did this, we'd have a
better world," says Ms. Mark
Ross.
Suzi Alterman, co-chair-
woman of the Campaign's
worker education committee,
arrived at the Federation build-
ing at 9 a.m. last Sunday, Jan.
23. At 3 p.m., she was still there,
helping others solicit Campaign
monies over the phone.
"I would say that, as Jews,
we have a covenant with God.
People have to support their
own. It's self-taxation. It's a
mandate. It's a mitzvah to give
tzedakah and it's an injustice
not to," she says.
The pie must not only be split
between Jewish and secular
causes. Even within the Jewish
community, agencies compete
for charitable dollars.
"It's a
self-taxation."
Suzi Alterman
On Super Sunday night,
Nathan Upfal was one of many
young adults who volunteered
to make phone solicitations for
the Campaign.
"What we see in the Young
Adult Division campaign is
that, as the young adult popu-
lation grows older, there is a
greater competition for charity
dollars. Many of our contribu-
tors are becoming more and
more involved in other areas of
the Jewish community, like
synagogues and Hebrew day
schools.
"While we certainly support
making contributions to orga-
nizations other than the Allied
Jewish Campaign, we hope our
contributors are not cutting
back on their Campaign
pledges," Mr. Upfal says. "But
for the most part, we're finding
that pledges to Campaign in the
Young Adult Division are on the
increase."
Says Ms. Gardner:
"There are so many good
causes. I try to give a little bit
to all that I consider good. I fig-
ure if everyone gives a little, it'll
amount to something." I]
Ann Arbor Teacher
Wins National Honor
ALAN H1TSKY ASSOCIATE EDITOR
R
obin Wax played hooky
last week.
After teaching for
nearly a quarter-centu-
ry, Ms. Wax spent the week in
Washington, D.C., undergoing
training and being wined
and dined as one of five
Christa McAuliffe Educators se-
lected by the National Founda-
tion for the Improvement of Ed-
ucation.
The award is named for the
teacher-astronaut who lost her
life in the Challenger space
shuttle disaster in 1986.
Ms. Wax, chairman of social
studies at Pioneer High School
HONOR page 22