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Fond
Memori

The death of Jewish News Group President
Charles Buerger recalls anecdotes from a
decade of transition.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

I

n 1983, an entrepreneur
from Baltimore, Charles
Buerger, came to Detroit to
discuss purchasing the Jew-
ish paper here.
He met up with Wayne
Feinstein, then-Jewish Fed-
eration executive vice president,
for what might have been a pre-
dictable afternoon: long, dreary
talks about finances and con-
tracts, a lot of yawning and over-
starched shirts, and men who
needed jokes explained to them.
But these were no ordinary
businessmen.
Instead, it was kismet from
the start: a meeting of the minds
not only when it came to the
Jewish community, but every-
thing from family to movies to

novels to gourmet food. And
above all, the ability to laugh.
"We instantly struck up a
friendship, I think in large part
because we had the same sense
of humor," Mr. Feinstein said of
the late Mr. Buerger. "Of course,
there are just some people in life
with whom you have a certain
chemistry.
"We had a friendship that
lasted 14 years, and we kept in
contact no matter where we
were. When I heard Chuck died,
I couldn't believe it. I just can't
believe he's gone."
Mr. Buerger, president of the
Jewish News Group and its sis-
ter papers in Baltimore, Atlanta,
Palm Beach and Boca Raton,
Fla., and Vancouver, British Co-

lumbia, died last Friday Chuck Buerger, James August, a Fed-
at Johns Hopkins Hospi- second from left, eration officer at the
tal in Baltimore following and hi s family.
time, Federation
heart surgery. He was 58.
"helped facilitate" the
Born in Pittsburgh, Mr. private sale, which was con-
Buerger already was the suc- summated in March 1984.
cessful publisher of the Balti-
Mr. Feinstein, today executive
more Jewish Times, founded by vice president of the San Fran-
his grandfather, when he ex- cisco Federation, was the man
pressed interest in purchasing who brought Philip Slomovitz
The Detroit Jewish News.
and Charles Buerger together.
The Detroit paper's founder
After the purchase was com-
and editor, Philip Slomovitz, had pleted, Mr. Buerger and his col-
decided to retire and first ap- league, Baltimore Jewish Times
proached the Jewish Federation editor Gary Rosenblatt, set out
of Metropolitan Detroit about to become part of the Detroit
The Jewish News. According to Jewish community.

Conversion Man

A former Detroiter steps in as executive director of Jews for Jesus, while the
movement here steps up its proselytizing efforts.

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER

A

:73

t 38, David Nathan Brick-
ner has everything he
could want out of life but
still feels there is much
more to accomplish.
The former Farmington resi-
dent has a wife, two children
and a home in sunny California;
professionally, he holds the top
position in an organization
where he began as a volunteer.
And he has Jesus.
In May, the Rev. Brickner
was tapped to fill the shoes of
Moishe Rosen, founding chair-
man of Jews for Jesus, an in-
ternational organization whose
mission is to bring Christiani-
ty into the lives of every Jew. In-

stalled last month
as executive direc-
tor of the prosely-
tizing group, he
hopes to expand
ongoing programs
in the coming
months, concen-
trating more on
some groups like
intermarried cou-
ples.
"It is exciting,"
he said. "We are
redoubling our efforts to be
understood, if not accepted,
by the- Jewish community."
It is just those goals that
stoke the ire of Mark Pow-

The Rev. David
Nathan Brickner:
Bringing
Christianity to
Jews.

ers, national direc-
tor ofJews for Ju-
daism.
"They are trying
to play on the lack
of knowledge and
confusion in a gen-
eration of Jews
who are basically
Jewishly ignorant,"
Mr. Powers said.
"They dress up
Christianity to look
Jewish."
The "messianic"
movement com-
prises 150 congre-
gations in America
which claim to

serve 40,000 to 60,000 people.
"They may couch it with a
tails and a yarmulke and they
may call their leader 'rabbi,' but
that does not make him a rab-
bi and that does not make them
Jewish," said Mr. Powers, who
added that Jewish-born mem-
bership in the movement is ac-
tually closer to 25,000 in
America.
The Rev. Brickner's path to
the head ofJews for Jesus be-
gan in Boston, where he was
born to a fifth-generation "He-
brew Christian" and a Jewish
man who has familial ties to the
Detroit area. In his adolescence,

CONVERSION MAN page 22

"I spent a few months intro-
ducing Chuck and Gary
around," Mr. Feinstein said.
"The way they approached the
Detroit Jewish community, as
people who really wanted to
make a difference, was not just
very smart business. It was
touching. When Chuck moved
into a community, he really
moved in."
Mr. Feinstein and Mr. Buerg-
er became close, thanks to hu-
mor and a shared commitment
to the Jewish community. Their
friendship solidified when they
learned they had food and Nel-
son DeMille in common.
"Chuck loved a gourmet din-
ner," Mr. Feinstein recalled. "Ac-
tually, he loved to eat everything
— which is why we got along so
well."
Over a meal the two might
discuss the latest novel by Nel-
son DeMille, works Mr. Fein-
stein described as "large tomes
on some spicy topic about the
gentry. I remember we both par-
ticularly liked one about a Mafia
murder on the Gold Coast," or a
new movie, "some escapist junk
or a good comedy, the occasion-
al foreign film."
Not a meeting would pass be-
tween the two, however, with-
out Mr. Buerger speaking about
his wife and children.
"Chuck loved his family," Mr. co
ca)
Feinstein said. "Of course, every —
father loves his children, but we
never had a conversation where T-
he wasn't talking about them. It Lu
c=
was such a source of pride for on
him that one of his sons (Andy
Buerger, publisher of the Jew-
ish Western Bulletin of Vancou- =
CD
ver) continued in the business."
The friendship between Mr.
MEMORIES page 48

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