III

II he children who sat in a
semi-circle around magi-
cian Michael Jacobson were
enraptured by his sleight-of-
hand tricks and the other il-
lusions that passed before
their wide eyes.
Then they hovered over a
cake the size of a small
swimming pool, waiting for
a chunk of the purple and
white frosted confection.
Despite the magical atmosphere,
Sunday's event celebrated the 10th
birthday of a program whose tangi-
bility is the cornerstone of its success.
Since its inception 10 years ago
with a $250,000 fund established by
the United Jewish Foundation, Neigh-
borhood Project has helped more than
900 Jewish families and individuals
move into homes in Oak Park and
Southfield. Initiated and sponsored
by the Jewish Federation of Metro-
politan Detroit, the program provides
interest-free loans to help buy or ren-
ovate homes in the area.
"If you define success by examining
or assessing the vibrancy of Jewish
communal institutions, our institu-
tions in south Oakland are all under-
going expansion," said Neighborhood
Project Director Marion Freedman.
She pointed to Young Israel of Oak
Park, the Kollel Institute, Congrega-
tion Beth Shalom ant Temple
Emanu-El — all of which are ex-
panding — the arrival of new busi-
nesses like One Stop Kosher and
Jerusalem Pizza at 10 Mile and
Southfield, the year-old renovations
at the Jewish Community Center, and
the metamorphosis of the old B'nai
Moshe into the Sally Allan Alexander
Beth Jacob School for Girls.
"Clearly, your Jewish institutions
are not going to expand and renovate
without an optimistic feeling about

The Neighborhood
Project rang in its 10th
birthday with a little
magic and lots of cake.

JULIE EDGAR SENIOR WRITER

DANIEL LIPPITT PHOTOGRAPHER

their Jewish community," Ms. Freed-
man said.
According to the Jewish Federation,
Neighborhood Project has loaned $4.5
million to home buyers out of a re-
volving fund of $1.3 million. More
than half the honie buyers have paid
off the loans, and 80 percent still live
in the home or in the community.
Sunday's celebration brought out
city officials from Oak Park and
Southfield, including Mayors Gerald
Naftaly and Donald Fracassi.
Mayor Fracassi credited Neighbor-
hood Project with bolstering com-
mercial and residential property
values.
'We've seen a complete turnaround.
We've had people move back into the
city. We've seen our children go back
to the schools," he said. Neighborhood
Project has also had the effect of bring-
ing in new residents who are not re-
cipients of loans, Mayor Fracassi
noted. Nimrod Rosenthal, Southfield's
community relations director, called
it "one of the most exciting projects in
the city."
Over half the homes purchased
with Neighborhood Project loans are
in Oak Park. O

Above: Michael Jacobson of Jacobson's World of Magic performs a trick.

Below:
The Neighborhood Project birthday cake, courtesy of Zeman's Bakery, was made with 24 pounds of sugar, 24
pounds of flour, 12 pounds of margarine, 10 quarts of whole eggs and 10 quarts of water.