DETROIT
750
THE JEWISH N
7 AV 5754/JULY 15, 1994
Emigres Pushed Toward
Self-Sufficiency
Resettlement programs are changed to prompt
employment among immigrants.
RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER
hen is a new American home to 460 Russians. Though
the influx is down from a 1989
no longer new?
That's the question record of 800, hundreds of ar-
Jewish communal work- rivals are expected during the
ers have been asking next 12 months.
The population of emigres has
themselves since the
Iron Curtain fell and increased along with expenses.
waves of Russian Last year, Resettlement Service
refugees began pouring and Jewish Vocational Service
across American bor- spent $1,400,000 of community
dollars on resettlement pro-
ders.
The answer is appar- grams alone. Next year, the
ent in Detroit's new ap- agencies aim to cut those costs
proach to resettlement. to $916,000.
In part, the savings will come
A broad-based re-
structuring program, from anchor families, whose fees
which goes into effect will increase from $500 to $1,000
this August, aims to for each emigre they sponsor.
bring new Americans (The amount will be capped at
into the general com- $3,000.)
Starting Aug. 1, Resettlement Service
munity. The goal is
quicker employment, speedier accultura- will no longer help emigres who have been
tion and less dependency on private and in the United States for more than one
year. Under the current system,
public welfare.
In the past year, Detroit has become Resettlement Service workers keep emi-
CLOSE UP
Hidden
Kingdom
it
The United Jewish Foundation now
holds $100 million in endowment
funds for the Detroit Jewish
community. This quickly growing
"bank account" has tax
advantages for donors and
annually gives local agencies
millions of dollars to supplement
their programs. So what happens
when the Allied Jewish Campaign
comes up short and agencies need
more cash? Just dip into this
rainy-day fund? It's not quite
that easy.
Story on page 58
gre cases open indefinitely, although most
become inactive after 12 months.
In August, however, new Americans
who need more than a year's worth of as-
sistance must access it through a post-re-
settlement worker with Jewish Family
Service. This Russian-speaking profes-
sional will attempt to mainstream the emi-
gres by referring them to resources at JFS
or other agencies.
The main push is for early self-suffi-
ciency. Communal professionals face the
challenge of encouraging emigres to take
jobs that might be far below their educa-
nside
HEALTH
Emigre M.D.s
Health care
the American way.
Page 32
BUSINESS
Flower Power
Putting the bloom
back on Meadow Brook.
Page 42
Contents on page 3
'r •
tional level.
"We see employment, on average, with-
in six to seven months, but we feel very
strongly that it could be sooner," said
Shirley Schlang, director of career devel-
EMIGRES page 21
Options Opened
Higher education for Orthodox.
LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER
avid Kagan worries obser-
vant Jews don't have a lot of
higher education choices.
The observant gentile can
choose secular university or
church-sponsored colleges.
Yeshiva University, its sis-
ter school Stern College, and
Touro College are the only big-name uni-
versity opportunities for Orthodox Jews
shunning non-religious education — at
least for now.
Post high-school classes and the chance
for a bachelor of science or arts degree are
part of the Lubavitch plan for the Center
for Living Judaism in West Bloomfield.
Dr. Kagan, director of planning for the
synagogue-campus project, anticipates
opening the school, known legally as the
Lubavitch Institute of Advanced Studies
(and informally as the Institute of
Professional Studies), this fall.
"Many people attend secular universi-
ty, but there's a strong tendency in the
Orthodox community not to — it's the cul-
tural environment. Those not absorbed
by the community as teachers and rabbis
enter the open market at a disadvantage,"
Dr. Kagan said. 'The open market is more
competitive now than ever and the
Orthodox community has grown."
Bachelor of arts and science degrees
will be offered. But in the early stages Dr.
Kagan expects to attract local students
only, as no dorms exist to accommodate
out-of-state young adults.
The typical transition for an Orthodox
high-school graduate, especially a
OPTION page 20
D