American Jewish World Service's chairman visits
Detroit as part of a fundraising tour.
LONNY GOLDSMITH STAFF WRITER
ighteen friends, family and
local Jewish leaders
turned out to see Don
Abramson, newly-elected
chairman of the American Jew-
ish World Service, speak at the
Jewish Federation building last
week in an effort to publicize his
organization.
The stop in Detroit was part
of a three city-tour, which began
in his childhood home of Canton,
Ohio, and stopped in Cleveland
on his way to Detroit.
The AJWS was founded in
1985 by Larry Phillips, CEO of
Phillips-Van Heusen, to provide
a Jewish presence in underde-
veloped third world countries.
"Respect for every human be-
ing is in the core of Judaism,"
E
Mr. Abramson said. "It was time
for Jews to help the poorest of
the poor that were not Jewish."
An ambassador to Togo and
the Marxist president of Mozam-
bique were both astounded that
Jews would help where Jews do
not live.
"Both countries re-established
relations with Israel shortly af-
ter we were there," Mr. Abram-
son said. "I wouldn't say that we
were soley responsible, but I'd
like to think that we helped."
Both projects occurred in the
late 1980s — a new grain silo
was tested in Togo, and wells for
clean water were dug in
Mozambique.
Africa is the site for one of the
AJWS's major efforts this year.
way. There is some schol-
arship money available
as well. It's expensive to
do good, high quality de-
velopmental work."
The JVC also runs a
summer program where
college students volun-
teer for six weeks —
three in rural villages of
Honduras or Zimbabwe,
and three in Israel.
Mr. Abramson has
been associated with the
AJWS since 1985, at-
tending all but the first
meeting. At the time, he
was the vice-president of
international affairs for
the American Jewish
Congress.
"This work is all vol-
unteer," Mr. Abramson
said. "I'm spending my
vacation time doing
AJWS work."
His "real job" today
is director of Kessler
Asher, a clearing house for
stock traders in San Fran-
cisco. ❑
PHOTO BY GLEN N TRI EST
Help Is Out There
"In Senegal, the infant
death rate is high, and the
literacy rate low," Mr.
Abramson said. "Our pro-
gram there is designed to
teach women's health care
and early childhood Bevel-
. opment."
In Central America, a
program in Honduras
teaches farmers agriculu-
tural practices that in-
crease food production and
land preservation.
"Honduran farmers used
to do slash-and-burn agri-
culture, which is bad for
the land," Mr. Abramson
said.
"The Primary Health
Care Project" is an AJWS
effort in Vietnam. "We are
training people in the Dac
Lac Province to be able to
train others."
AJWS' Jewish Volunteer
Corps was described by Mr.
Abramson as a "Jewish
Peace Corps. The JVC is in Don Abramson delivers his message.
its third year," Mr. Abram-
son said. "The people who work on this program pay their own
,r p EDF
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ANNUAL MEETING OF THE
JEWISH FEDERATION
OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT
Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of the
JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT
will take place on Tuesday, October 7, 1997, 7:30 p.m., at
Congregation Beth Abraham Hillel Moses, West Bloomfield, Michigan.
The following individuals have been appointed by
President Robert H. Naftaly to serve on the Nominating Committee:
1997 Nominating Committee
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Chair
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Sari Cicurel
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Phillip Wm. Fisher
Paula Glazier
Petition Candidates: Persons may be nominated by petition signed by not less than
one hundred (100) members of the Federation and filed with the Executive Vice-Presi-
dent not less than forty-five days prior to the date of the annual meeting. Only one
person may be nominated in each petition, and no nomination shall be valid unless the
nominee shall have consented to be a candidate in writing either in the petition or in a
separate written document filed with the Executive Vice-President not less than forty-
five days prior to the date of the annual meeting.
JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT
Robert P. Aronson, Executive Vice-President
P.O. Box 2030
Bloomfield Hills MI 48303-2030