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Keeping Talent Local
Federation talks to college students, hoping to pinpoint
what will keep future Jewish leaders in Michigan.
LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER
C
ollege students who grew
up around Detroit say there
isn't much the Jewish
community can do to keep
them here — but if they have al-
ready decided to stay, a few moves
just might enhance their decision.
Federation met with focus
groups of students at Michigan
State University, the University
of Michigan, Oakland Communi-
ty College and Wayne State Uni-
versity trying to figure out what
the Jewish agency can do to keep
the Jewish leaders of tomorrow in
the Motor City.
When grads leave the area, it's
a "drain on the potential pool of
leadership for the future," says
Howard Neistein, Federation's-di-
rector of planning and agency re-
lations.
The Jewish Federation of Met-
ropolitan Detroit could link col-
lege grads with mentors or
potential employers, suggests
David Goldenberg, an 18-year-old
freshman at Michigan State Uni-
versity. "Maybe want ads by Jew-
ish employers — you don't want
to sit around for three years look-
ing for a job and living off your
parents again. You want to spend
your time in the job," he says.
Of the 16 students who corn-
prised the focus groups, those in
Ann Arbor mostly plan to move
away after college, whereas the
majority from other schools say
they'll likely stay here, Mr. Neis-
tein says. Federation would like
to use the information garnered
from the focus groups to do what
the Jewish communities of San
Francisco, Montreal and Cleve-
land have done — create pro-
grams to help keep residents in
the area after college.
For years, Cleveland's Jewish
community has offered grads
employment assistance. Mon-
treal has done the same, plus a
series of social programming,
says Mr. Neistein.
Are they successful? "That's a
good question," he says.
"The cities are so different —
Cleveland was probably in the
position we're in now. At one
time Cleveland [did not have]
a very attractive downtown
area, and it was renovated over
a number of years," Mr. Neistein
says. So, is it the impact from
renovations to Cleveland or the
[Jewish community] program
that makes the city attractive?
Montreal and San Francisco
are very different from Detroit's
Jewish community to begin
with. The main reason people
are leaving Montreal now is the
difficulty for non-French speak-
ers, yet the city remains vibrant.
Bottom line: "If you're going
to stay, you're going to stay
if you're not, you're not," says
Eden Jaffa, 22.
Grads move away because of
relationships, graduate school,
job opportunities or because they
didn't want to be in Michigan,
says Ms. Jaffa, a graduate
student at Wayne State Univer-
sity. She says the Jewish com-
munity likely won't be able to
change that.
"I think they do a lot already,"
she says of the Detroit Jewish
community.
Ann Arbor students "had a list
of things they wanted from a place
where they were going to settle: a
city center, an urban magnet, a
sense of community, camaraderie
with others like themselves," says
Anthony Scaglione, 21.
The Southfield native, who has
no job lined up yet, is undecided
about his future plans.
"Something that hit me after
the discussion was that I could
hear what others were saying,
and I could hear what I was say-
ing, about wanting to have a vi-
brant city culture, part of a
singles scene for people in their
20s, but I realized, 'What doesn't
Detroit have that Chicago or
New York or Seattle do have?'
You can find whatever those
Federation hopes to
create programs to
keep students here.
cities have in Detroit — it's just
spread out," says Mr. Scaglione,
a U-M senior.
"What I've been struggling
with since that discussion is:
What are we really looking for?"
Amy Jablin may have an an-
swer. The 21-year-old U-M se-
nior says young Detroiters leave
because of a lack of a city feel
plus the notion that there are
not many opportunities to meet
new young Jews. Ms. Jablin,
who grew up in West Bloomfield,
plans to move to San Francisco
after graduation. She says there
is little the Jewish community
can do to keep her here.
Jobs, mentor programs and
networking opportunities are good
ideas, she says, but sometimes
people just want to leave.
"I think I could find probably
even a better job ifI stayed here,"
says Ms. Jablin, who is looking for
a career in management consult-
ing. She just wants the experience
of living somewhere else.
"It seemed to me that maybe
half the people planning on leav-
ing are going to come back at some
point. [They want to leave] just be-
cause they need to get away for
a little and see what else there is,"
she says.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly
what Federation could do, she
says. Mr. Neistein enlisted the
help of Hillel and Jewish Voca-
tional Service professionals to
round up students for the focus
groups. The 16 who participated
in the first three meetings have
always been active in the Jewish
community, he says. Next, Fed-
eration wants to meet with Jew-
ish kids who are less involved.
`The sense that I had was any-
thing that we could do would be
secondary to their reasons for
choosing to live somewhere," says
Mr. Neistein. These 16 students
"would want to identify Jewish-
ly in whatever community they
live in." ❑
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