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.