STaRs On Horizon
For Jewish Organizations

Arthur M. Horwitz
Named Publisher

PETER EPHROSS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

rthur Horwitz, associate tions, including JARC, Sinai
publisher of the Detroit Health Care Foundation, Aish
Jewish News since 1986, HaTorah, Jewish Experiences
and of Style magazine, For Families, Neighborhood
was this week promoted to pub- Project and Michigan Jewish
lisher by Charles A. Buerger, Sports Hall of Fame. He is a
president of Waterspout Com- member of Congregation B'nai
munications LLC. The
company publishes the
Detroit Jewish News,
the Baltimore Jewish
Times, the Atlanta Jew-
ish Times, the Palm
Beach Jewish Times,
Style magazine and the
Jewish Western Bul-
letin of Vancouver, B.C.
"Naming Arthur pub-
lisher is simply giving
long overdue recogni-
tion to his outstanding
achievements as both
an innovative director
and as a caring com-
munity builder," said
Mr. Buerger. "As a bril-
liant leader, Arthur has
developed a superb
management team to
enable the Jewish News
to become the largest
Jewish publication in
the country."
Mr. Horwitz also Arthur M. Horwitz, publisher.
serves as associate pub-
lisher of the Palm Beach Jewish Israel/ Shaarey Zedek and on
Times and marketing director of the executive committee of the
the Baltimore Jewish Times and American Jewish Press Associ-
the Atlanta Jewish Times, sis- ation.
ter publications of The Jewish
Prior to joining The Jewish
News.
News, Mr. Horwitz served as
He also is active with several marketing and research man-
organizations. Mr. Horwitz is ager for the Baltimore Sun and
co-chair of the community as a reporter, bureau chief and
division of the 1995 Allied columnist for the New Haven
Jewish Campaign; co-chair of (Conn.) Register. He received a
the Jewish Federation's com- bachelor of arts degree from the
mission on intermarriage; University of Connecticut in
vice president of Detroit's 1976 and a master's degree from
Friends of Alyn Hospital; chair the Yale University School of Or-
of the Teen Committee of ganization and Management in
the Jewish Federation of De- 1982.
troit's Israel and Overseas Com-
He and his wife Gina reside
mittee; a member of the national in West Bloomfield with their
United Jewish Appeal Young three children, Daniel, Adam
Leadership Cabinet and on and Stephanie. ❑
the boards of several organiza-

W

hen Jimmy Rosenberg
graduated from the
University of Michi-
gan's STaR program in
Jewish communal service last
month, he did not have to look for
a job; he had already accepted an
offer from the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit to work
as a Campaign associate in its
Young Adult Division.
It's not what Mr. Rosenberg
thought he'd do when he entered
the program two years ago; he
thought he'd pursue a clinical ca-
reer. But a STaR-based intern-
ship at the Federation ignited his
interest. "The program allowed
me to explore an interest of mine
that had been below the surface,
" Mr. Rosenberg explained.
Although not all of Mr. Rosen-
berg's fellow graduates who fin-
ished the STaR program had jobs
lined up, they all knew what they
would be doing next year.
Robbie Weiner, Ravi Schwartz
and Joanie Berger will continue
their studies toward advanced
degrees. Jane Berman will relo-
cate to the West Coast where her
first position will be with the
Brandeis/Bardin Camp Institute.
Claire Galed will be in an ad-
ministrative role in the Detroit
Jewish community.
As the program completed the
year, it appears to
have come of age:
This year's gradu-
ating class is not
only the largest in
the program's his-
tory, but the third-
largest graduating
class in Jewish
communal service
in the country this
year.
Mr. Rosenberg's
colleague Lainie
Goodman, who
will be an outreach
worker in Chica-
go's Jewish com-
munity, said, Armand Lauffer
"STaR's name is
getting around."
"More than that," added Bob
Aronson, executive vice president
of the Detroit Federation and Mr.
Rosenberg's new boss, "STaR was
the talk of the Quarterly."
He was referring to the Coun-
cil of Jewish Federations' quar-
terly meetings in Washington in
April, where graduates of the
eight other schools of Jewish com-
munal service were competing for
a small number of open jobs. "I
was being lobbied by other execs
from all over the country to con-

vince our top grads to take posi-
tions in their communities."
Some were successful. David
Contorer will be taking a position
in Philadelphia, and both Debby
Barton and Lael Caplan will be
moving to Florida communities
in June.
U-M Social Work Professor Ar-
mand Lauffer and then-Federa-
tion President Conrad Giles had
a lot of advantages when they be-
gan putting the program togeth-
er in the 1980s. Research studies
had shown a coming personnel
crisis in trained Jewish commu-
nal service professionals.
"The best and the brightest
were not necessarily coming into
the field," said Mr. Lauffer.
The time was also ripe at the
U-M as Mr. Lauffer explained.
Harold Shapiro was then presi-
dent of the university. Mr.
Shapiro had earmarked $2 mil-
lion in endowment funds for Ju-
daic studies programs,
challenging the Jewish commu-
nity to match this amount. It did,
leading to creation of the Jean
and Samuel Frankel Center for
Judaic Studies. This was also the
time of Detroit's great outpour-
ing of support for Jewish life on
campus and the construction of
the Mandell Berman Jewish Stu-
dent Center Hillel.

tered the program in 1989, the
funding situation was not en-
tirely rosy. The fall of the Berlin
Wall followed by a mass exodus
of Soviet Jews and the recession
of the early 1990s all affected
funding levels.
"Funding challenges faced by
the Jewish Home for Aged, the
Jewish Community Center and
the reinforced focus on Jewish ed-
ucation all reflected emerging
community priorities," explained
Mr. Lauffer. "The STaR program
is not as visible, and its contri-
bution is likely to be long term,
rather than immediate."
Mr. Lauffer also faced the dif-
ficulty of establishing a program
that would draw on the resources
of the School of Social Work and
yet would be aimed at Jews.
"It's hard to pull off at a public
university," he said.
Mr. Lauffer avoided this prob-
lem by meeting it head on: STaR
should be seen not as a parochial
program, but as part of U-M
President James Duderstadt's
Michigan Mandate to promote
pluralism and diversity.
He also knew that the key to
recruiting top students was to
convince Hillel directors, direc-
tors of Judaic studies programs
and other "gate-keepers" that
STaR had something worthwhile
to offer.
"If you're trying
to build an NCAA
championship bas-
ketball team, you
can't go out and re-
cruit students di-
rectly out of high
schools. You've got
to get their coaches
to recruit them for
you. It's not until
the coaches are will-
ing to say 'Go to
Michigan; that's the
place where you're
going to learn bas-
ketball the best,'
that you'll be able to
Emily Burns interns in Florida.
recruit. That takes
a little bit more ef-
"What was missing," Mr. Giles fort," he explained.
notes, "was a place to train pro-
Mr. Lauffer also resisted the
fessionals for work in the Jewish temptation to establish low re-
community. Perhaps because of quirements, even when enroll-
this need, STaR (which stands ment fell short of expectations for
for Service, Training and Re- a few years.
search in Jewish communal de-
`This is not a vocational school.
velopment) quickly secured two This is the University of Michi-
3-year grants, $120,000 from the gan, and if we're not national in
Max M. Fisher Foundation in our appeal, we die. We're not a
1988 and $210,000 from the community college and we can't
Wexner Foundation the follow- operate that way," he said.
ing year.
Applicants must be accepted
But as the first students en- STARS page 16

A

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