PHOTO BY KRISTA HU SA TEEN TURNAROUND page 9 Felicia Goodman: Thesis on "post b'nai mitzvah dropout syndrome." Rabbi David Nelson of Beth Shalom is hoping the sharing of ideas and resources with other synagogues will enhance what each is able to provide. "What we do in each of our schools and temples is okay, maybe even good, but not excel- lent," he said. Rabbi Nelson hopes the ex- citement of the project will send a new message to students. 'We're looking for something to tell kids things are not busi- ness as usual. We're not out to bore them. We want them to be literate and knowledgeable. Bar mitzvah age should be a jumping off point for serious study." Shir Shalom's Nathan says her temple is joining the pilot project in order to broaden the experience of its students, en- abling them to meet young Jews from other syna- gogues. 'We are a small- to mid-sized con- gregation, and the social context we can provide is fair- ly small," she said. The group of rab- bis and educators spearheading the pilot project has met several times over the summer, and will continue meeting through- out the school year to plan. While no changes will be im- plemented in the schools this fall, the AJE hopes to see some joint events in the spring and a full-fledged sched- ule of activities in place for next year. "This year might be a total put-together year," said the AJE's Goodman. However, it is unclear who will be footing the bill as the pro- ject unfolds. For now, Gelberd says the ME is funding the staff component and will determine how additional costs are divid- ed as they arise. ❑ For Its Own Sake Rabbi Ira Stone shares his learning with Detroit Jews. LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER W hat attracted Rabbi Ira Stone most to the rab- binate was its promise of a life of learning. And in his 18 years as a Jewish spiritual leader, the rabbi says that promise has been fulfilled. This fall, Stone, 47, will share his learning experiences with the Detroit Conservative Jew- ish community as scholar-in-res- idence. "For me, the spark of Jewish life, the sine qua non of whether we survive as a Jewish commu- nity, is not immediately based on how many people observe how many rituals, but upon the life-giving joy of Jewish learn- ing," Stone says. "I hope I'll be able to bring some of that [to De- troit] — learning for its own sake, exploring our tradition, ar- guing with it, acceding to it when it's appropriate, being comfortable inside of it." Stone arrives from Philadel- phia on Aug. 19, staying through Sept. 25 and returning for two weekends in November. He has been pulpit rabbi of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in center city Philadelphia since 1988. Growing up in "a typically as- similated Conservative Jewish home" in the 1950s, Stone re- members a kosher home that was not particularly religious or synagogue-based. "I had a bar mitzvah, and that was it. But I was always attracted to the syn- agogue, especially to the liturgy, the service." High school and college came with little Jewish association for Stone. As a college student in the 1960s, he became involved in political activism. "Somewhere along the lines I discovered that the values that I was pursuing in the secular world were very much part of the world of Jewish life that I'd left behind," he recalls. OWN SAKE page 12 Since 1986 STEVEN TARNOW PREFERRED BUILDING CO. ■ Additions Kitchens • Bathrooms Remodeling Building Quality Into Every Project With Unmatched Personal Service. NARI NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Of TICE REMODELING SISUSTRY 810-626-5603 Licensed & Insured •■ 11111•1•IMI ■ Ask about our PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM Showroom Hours: Monday-Friday 11-5 • Saturday 11-3 • or by appointment 3160 Haggerty Rd. • West Bloomfield o 48323 • 810-624-7300 • 24 Hour Emergency Service • Quality Installation • 30 Vehicles • Radio Dispatch 248 • 335 •4555 CIO CCALER Were The Inside Guys.