prised JCC members, non-mem-
bers and community leaders —
>=(-9 said public affairs programming
that addresses topics like Israel
is not essential.
And transportation was not an
issue, although people were con-
cerned about the distance they
need to drive to get to the West
Bloomfield JCC and the rough
condition of Maple Road.
One central problem the two
men believe they've uncovered
has to do with perception. Many
focus group participants consid-
er the JCC a health club. They
simply don't know of other ser-
vices the Center offers, like a day
camp that serves roughly 1,500
children and a day-care center for
infants and toddlers.
`There is a view that the health
club predominates," Mr. Jaffe
said. "Another perception is that
the JCC is too big and too difficult
to negotiate. It's a very big build-
ing, and logistically it's not wel-
coming."
The West Bloomfield center,
built some 20 years ago, is the
largest Jewish community center
building in North America.
JCC Executive Director David
Sorkin said the Maple-Drake JCC
has a million visitors each year,
and at any given time, 1,000 park-
ing spots are filled. But, he ac-
knowledged, the Center doesn't
look busy.

Most everyone in the focus
groups also "had a positive con-
cept of what a JCC should be,"
Mr. Jaffe said.
In exit questionnaires hand-
ed out to all the focus group par-
ticipants, close to 85 percent "are
in tune with the JCC mission —
that it should serve all people,
that it should enhance Jewish
heritage, religion and family ex-
periences," Mr. Jaffe said.
Serving the needs of single
adults and individuals with spe-
cial needs was high on the wish
lists of focus group participants,
the two men said. Making the
Center a cozier, more user-friend-
ly place was another desire they
pinpointed.
What Mr. Jaffe and Dr.
Ciporen found in the course of
their three-month survey is not
earth-shattering nor particu-
larly new.
But it reveals much more
than a five-member board of di-
rectors committee could have
gleaned from random surveys,
Dr. Ciporen said.
"One thing you learn in a
study is the intensity [of people's
feelings] about issues," he said.
"A striking thing about this com-
munity is the intensity with
which people think there needs
to be a Center. One of the rea-
sons they are angry is they
care." El

Another Plague

MJAC hosts a seder for individuals, friends
and families living with AIDS.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER

I

n an effort to reach out, the
Teens involved with an MJAC
Michigan Jewish AIDS Coali- peer education project are helping
tion (MJAC) is embarking on with the planning, and they will
its first AIDS seder this recite the Four Questions at the
Passover season.
April 13 event. The seder, set to
In years past, Simcha, a 30- start at 5 p.m., will be held at the
member organization for Jewish Furniture Club in Southfield. Cost
gays, lesbians, bisexuals and is $20 per person, but MJAC says
transsexuals in
the Detroit area,
has hosted a
closed-to-the-
public seder. But
this year, thanks
to the urging of
MJAC members
and the help of
Jewish Family
Service, the Sim-
cha seder will
open to the pub-
lic to include
individuals Planning the AIDS seder are Darcee Wallach, Susan Solomon,
suffering from Nicole Scaglione, Ron Elkus and Naomi Silverman.
AIDS.
Citing the 10 plagues that af- nobody will be turned away. The
flicted the Egyptians as the Jews seder will have kosher and vege-
fled slavery, Ron Elkus, a co-chair tarian options upon request.
of the seder, says there are "other
In the Detroit area, about 300
plagues out there — AIDS."
individuals have died from

HIV/AIDS, but the cause of death
may not be disclosed as HIV- or
AIDS-related, says Linda Lee,
MJAC president.
"There's so much fear among
people who've been touched by
AIDS that they'll be rejected by
the community," she says.
Several synagogues and tem-
ples have offered home hospitali-
ty to HIV/AIDS patients and seats
at their congregational or com-
munal seders, says Mr. Elkus.
MJAC also sends Passover
packages to AIDS patients, who
can make an anonymous request
through Wellness House, a De-
troit-area agency. Last year, right
z before Passover, MJAC got a call
'0 that five Jewish people were go-
= ing to be receiving hot meals from
Et- Wellness House, which inspired
p, the idea to send a Passover pack-
age to those individuals, says Ms.
a Lee. It turned out that 15 people,
not five, wanted the Passover kits.
This year, the MJAC program-
ming committee decided to send
meals to anybody who is living
with HIV or AIDS. MJAC can de-
liver, mail or anonymously deliv-
er the kit of non-perishable kosher
food items to recipients. ❑

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