Looking Ahead

The New Leaders Project seeks to link the
Jewish community with the city of Detroit.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER

D

etroit's New Leaders Pro-
ject is about to start its
second year of linking up-
and-coming young Jews to
the redevelopment of Detroit.
The project, which began last
year at the behest of the Nation-
al Jewish Community Relations
Advisory Council (NJCRAC), cul-
minated in an event that was de-
signed to benefit both the Jewish
community and the city — a
March 16 storytelling at Borders
Books and Music in West Bloom-
field and Birmingham.
According to Joanie Berger, a
program director of the project,
the program works.
Although the Words & Music
project, created by the partici-
pants, was held in the suburbs,
the proceeds went to buy books
and repair musical instruments
for Cooper Elementary School in
Detroit and Jewish Family Ser-
vice's resettlement service.
"[The members] wanted to
show that they can give simul-
taneously to the Jewish commu-

nity and to the city," she said.
Kim Gladstone, a participant,
said Words & Music was the
fund-raising element of the com-
munity-service effort.
Eighteen young adults, ages
25-40, were chosen to "represent
the diversity of Jewish views and
priorities in the greater Detroit
area," said Ms. Berger.
Participants came from across
the religious spectrum. Not all
were native Detroiters, and the
group had a mix of marrieds and
singles, plus equal numbers of
men and women.
Ethan Gilan, a member of this
year's group, said the project got
off to a slow start but picked up
momentum that should spill over
into its second year.
"For several months and sev-
eral meetings, we really had to
grapple with what our mission
was," he said. "But it became ap-
parent" that the goal was "to re-
ally build bridges to the general
community of Detroit."
A kickoff Shabbaton was the

highlight for Mr. Gilan. "What
made the Shabbaton special was
the people. And I'll walk away
from this experience with a
tremendous working and per-
sonal relationship with the peo-
ple on this committee, seeking to
use those individual talents to cre-
ate a common goal.
"This was a very good year to
build on, and this program in the
future, with a focused direction,
can achieve many great results,"
Mr. Gilan said.
Individuals apply for member-
ship in the project, supplying ref-
erences. Asked whether future
leaders can truly come from self-
selection, Ms. Berger said, "Inso-
far as who applies — we want
people who view themselves as
leaders, and we believe that it's
more than one type of a person.
And then of course we'd want
them to have experience to back
that up and a commitment to car-
ry through in the future."
Joshua Opperer, a participant,
said he doesn't know "how many
of the people there will be the
leaders within the Jewish com-
munity. A lot of the people are al-
ready leaders in some community
— maybe not the Jewish com-
munity. We're not dealing with,
for the most part, people right out
of college who are just re-enter-
ing the young-adult world. A lot

of these people are professionals,
chairpersons of numerous com-
mittees, have children."
He said the project goal was
"undefined. A good portion of us,
when we came into it, did not un-
derstand that the purpose was to
build ties with the city. We
thought it was to groom leaders
for the Jewish community."
Members met twice monthly,
sometimes with leaders in both
the Jewish and Detroit commu-
nities, including Gloria Robinson,
director of planning and develop-
ment for the city. They also heard
a panel of philanthropists, media
representatives, political leaders
and lobbyists.

Learning and
community service.

"It's really a program about
learning in the Jewish commu-
nity and the Detroit community
and leadership skills and taking
action," said Ms. Berger.
Members must commit to the
project for a year, said Ms. Berg-
er, and be involved in a commu-
nity service project at the end.
`The feeling is there's a real his-
tory in the Jewish community of
tikkun olam (repairing the world)
and a real history of being in-

volved in urban concerns. What
we've been trying to do is to bring
those two things together again."
Ms. Gladstone is certain that
the members are future leaders.
"They will all make a good con-
tribution to both the Jewish com-
munity and outside the Jewish
community. As far as building
bridges, I think there are more
bridges that need to be built. I
think this was a good effort, but
it's just one step."
Not a native Detroiter, Ms.
Gladstone applied to the program
to add a Jewish element to her
volunteer involvement. "I am very
active in non-Jewish organiza-
tions, and sit on a number of com-
munity boards including the
Detroit Institute of Arts. I want-
ed some Jewish connection." Did
the New Leaders provide it? Ab-
solutely, she said.
Mr. Opperer does not think the
project achieved its initial goals,
but he said it has potential for the
future.
"Mere were some very positive
things that came out of it: some
very good people met some oth-
er very good people, and I think
they formed working relation-
ships [that should last] for a long
time. We heard some great speak-
ers."
But the unity that was estab-
LOOKING page 10

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