/--

/–

Community Views

Editor's Notebook

A Song In Praise
Of Volunteerism

Got A Great Menu
To Share With You

MARTA ROSENTHAL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

PHIL JACOBS EDITOR

I grew up in a
family of singers
and servers. As
far as I knew,
everyone sang
and everyone vol-
unteered.
Music and vol-
unteerism have
always been an
integral part of who I am, and I
can't help thinking of one as an
analogy of the other.
Volunteerism, like music, is
based on harmony and sharing.
Both are beautiful, powerful ways
of expressing love for humanity
and God and both touch the heart
as nothing else can. I have done
community service work for more
than 20 years, and I continue to
marvel at the seemingly count-
less variations on the-theme of
giving.
As president of the National
Council of Jewish Women,
Greater Detroit Section (NCJW),
I lend my voice to a chorus of vi-
brant, committed women whose
remarkable creativity constant-
ly reshapes and reinvigorates the
organization. When I am asked
why I do what I do, my answer is
typically Jewish, Why not?" Af-
ter all, I grew up in a philan-
thropic family, in a compassionate
faith and in a caring community.
Not only is the Jewish com-
munity in Detroit famous for its
humanitarianism, but many sec-
ular organizations such as the
United Way, Muscular Dystro-
phy Association and others count
the citizens of the greater Detroit
area among their largest bene-
factors. It's not so much that we
have individuals who make large
donations. Rather, this city is full
of people who give and do and
contribute whatever they can,
whenever they can.
Detroit is remarkable, too, for
its leadership. Many local com-
munity organizations and agen-
cies see their leaders move on to
take up national leadership roles.
Many become presidents of na-

Marta Rosenthal is president of
the National Council of Jewish
Women, Greater Detroit
Section.

tonal and international boards. valuable skills that carry over into
During their tenure in national the business world. I was heart-
office, they continue to volunteer ened by a recent survey by the
at the local level. They bring with National Foundation for Women
them the expertise and experi- Business Owners which found
ence they have gained, and their that nearly eight out of 10 female
influence keeps the local group business owners spend time vol-
well-connected. All this continues unteering and that a majority of
to bolster the effectiveness of the them actively encourage their em-
ployees to do so. The stereotype
Detroit organizations.
of the middle-aged "woman of
leisure" volunteer is giving way
to a more realistic image.
NCJW can certainly be called
a typical community service or-
ganization, and I am proud to say
that the membership of the
Greater Detroit Section consists
of women and men, Jews and
non-Jews, old and young. There
is no longer a typical volunteer.
This coming Wednesday will
mark the 25th anniversary of
NCJW's Kosher Meals on Wheels
program. Our celebration will pay
homage to the ongoing food
preparation and delivery plan
that has serviced thousands of
homebound Jews. In cooperation
with Jewish Family Service,
Kosher Meals on Wheels is hun-
dreds of dieticians, cooks, pack-
The recent Volunteer 2000 ers and deliverers who have risen
study conducted by the American before dawn five days a week, 52
Red Cross Office of the National weeks a year for the past 25 years
Chairman of Volunteers report- without fail to make sure that the
ed that more and more of today's religious and nutritional needs of
volunteers tend to be profession- some 180 clients are met.
Volunteering is never a solo ef-
al working women with less free
time on their hands, but who are fort. There is a huge chorus of un-
driven "by the need to perform sung heroes lifting their voices
good deeds." When we reached every day. Ask them why they do
out to daughters and grand- what they do — I suspect a lot of
daughters of NCJW members to it has to do with what Margaret
see if they had any interest in vol- Mead had in mind when she
unteering, their response was be- wrote:
"If you look closely, you will see
yond anything we could have
imagined. These young women, that almost anything that real-
many of them mothers of very ly matters to us, anything that
young children, took up the ban- embodies our deepest commit-
ments to the way human life
ner and quickly organized.
Our chief resource is people, should be lived and cared for, de-
but we can't keep asking the pends on some form — often
same volunteers to do more and many forms — of volunteerism."
Altruism and brotherhood flour-
more work. As experience proves,
there is a large, untapped reser- ish in the Detroit community as
voir of volunteers out there and nowhere else in my experience.
we must find a way to connect The reason I keep doing what I
have been doing all my life is that
with them and welcome them.
Thankfully, the business com- I know the solution to society's
munity is beginning to see that problems happens one day at a
employees who volunteer learn time, one volunteer at a time. ❑

TheDLIN@aol . com.

11

Do You
I What
Think?"

Can Germany ever repay the
Jews for their suffering?

To respond: "So, What Do You Think?"
27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI 48034

Then my host, Boaz Dvir, the
managing editor of our Florida
sister papers, took me to a
health food store that had aisle
after aisle of kosher food. I want-
ed to fill a grocery cart and bring
half the store home. I kept say-
ing to Boaz, "Look at all of this
stuff." I was almost whispering
it as if it were some secret I
didn't want anyone else to know
shopping?
about.
"No."
It reminded me of the stories
How about the Cubs? Going
to see a game at historic I read in the 1980s when Sovi-
et Jews started com-
Wrigley?
ing to the United
"No."
States. There were
"Fm going to eat
Why not
anecdotes of how
out."
her e?
Russian women
He's going to eat.
would faint when
"You're going to
they walked into a
eat out?"
"Kosher food. Great ham- grocery store because there were
no lines and the array of food
burgers."
Then his face changes as he was so abundant.
That's exactly how I felt see-
describes the meal he's going to
have. Most people get that look ing all of this kosher food for sale
when they're describing the or to be served.
During Shabbat the following
sands of Bermuda or the starry
skies over the Grand Canyon. day, I met many people from all
over the country. We talked
Then it happened again.
Another friend visited Balti- about food at times. So many
more for a conference. She didn't people from so many different
talk for a minute about the sci- cities had kosher food outlets
entific nature of the meetings. that I couldn't say we had here.
I mean even in Seattle and
Apparently the great discover-
ies of medicine being discussed San Francisco there are kosher
couldn't hold a candle to what vegetarian Chinese restaurants.
she really wanted to tell me I talked about the good places
we have here. But at no time
about.
"I had the most incredible could I say that we have a qual-
ity sit-down kosher restaurant.
meal," she said.
Why don't we?
No, not this again.
Maybe we have something se-
"Yeah, I ate at a kosher Chi-
nese restaurant. It was elegant. cretive in the works somewhere.
I hope so. But with a Jewish
The food was great."
community as active as we have
What about the conf...?
"The egg rolls. Oy, the egg here in Detroit, we are at a
rolls were sumptuous. Dripping deficit when it comes to kosher
in duck sauce. I'm going back restaurants and even products
there in July. I brought home one can buy at a mainline gro-
cery store. Go to another city
a menu as a souvenir."
No gifts that you shake up and see the varieties of bread
and down with fake snow drop- one can buy at a grocery store.
ping over Baltimore's Inner It's not that abundant here.
Harbor. Instead, she brings Why not? Is it that the Vaad
isn't proactive enough, bringing
home a menu.
Just when I thought the potential restaurant owners into
world was getting crazier by the town? I don't know if that's the
case or not.
minute, it happened to me.
Yet, many of us have had con-
Last week, I was visiting rel-
atives and friends in Boca Ra- versations with friends about
ton, Fla. I was psyched about trips out of town. I'm willing to
the trip, the chance to see the bet that most of those conversa-
ocean, not to mention warm tions include a line or two about
spring weather. The opportuni- the food they found in places like
ty to hug my nieces and nephew. Memphis or Silver Spring.
But not here in Detroit.
It was all there in front of me.
Later this week, I'll unpack
Then, I was taken out to eat.
We went to a kosher restau- my suitcase from my Florida
rant serving Middle Eastern trip. Got some souvenirs for my
food. Yeah, I saw my nieces and children and my wife.
For me? Nothing much. After
nephew. Yes, I took in the beau-
tiful morning sun by the ocean. all I had the experience of being
Now, it's almost a week later in Florida on business.
I did bring home a memento,
and all I can think of is that
lunch I had in a restaurant. I though. No, I forgot to get the
wish I could sit down and order shell on the beach.
But I got a great menu to
it now. It was kosher and it was
show you.
so good.

A friend from
West Bloom-
field is all excit-
ed. He's going to
Chicago next
week.
Why? I ask.
Is he going to
that "fabulous"
Miracle Mile for

❑