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For Openers...

A Board Of Trustees
Gives Inspiration

A

BOB ALPER
Special to The Jewish News

new congregant might have
been confused.
Erev Rosh Hashanah,
just prior to the beginning
of services, a fully packed van pulled
iep to the synagogue's main entrance.
Its passengers alighted, coifed and
costumed much like the other wor-
shippers. Only on the side of the van
there was a sign reading "Bethlehem
Baptist Church. Rev. Robert Scott
Jones, Pastor."
A visiting Christian group on Rosh
Hashanah? Hardly. The van was on
loan, an annual tradition in which
eur.neighboring church helps us ferry
our members from an overflow park-
ing lot half a mile away.
The Rev. Jones and I were friends,
meeting for lunch once a month or
so, often discussing issues in our pro-
fession. Some would call our conver-
sations "interreligious exchanges." We
referred to them as "small group ther-
apy."
9 , One winter afternoon I nearly
choked on my tuna hoagie as he mat-
ter-of-factly related how, in his black
Baptist church, he had the power to
appoint and dismiss all the members
of the board of trustees. I looked
skeptical. He gave a confirming nod,
and then, with a smile, abused me
further. "Sure. I even run the meet-
ings. Why not sit in on one of
!hem?"
Which I did.
Actually there are many funda-
mental similarities between a black
Baptist and a liberal Jewish governing
body. Both groups are comprised of
gpnerally earnest, dedicated people,
willing to offer precious time doing

.

mundane, sometimes difficult tasks,
for a much higher purpose.
And I discovered a fascinating
"surface" resemblance between the
two: In the black Baptist church,
when a person makes a point with
which people agree, heads bob up
and down and soft voices can be
heard saying, "Amen, sister." At a
synagogue board meeting, when a
person makes a point with which
people agree, heads -bob up and
down, but the soft voices murmur
something like, "You know, I think
Bernice is right."
Inspired by my friend Robert's sys-
tem, I occasionally tried to influence
the composition of our board by rec-
ommending my "allies" to the nomi-
nating committee. Included in that
lofty list was one woman who had
been deeply appreciative of my atten-
tiveness during a crisis. A supporter
for certain, I figured. And she was.
Until she caught the rhythm of the
meetings and by her third month in
office developed a frequently repeated
habit of offering statements begin-
ning, "Now, with all due respect to
the rabbi ..." That's when my dentist
noticed I seemed to be grinding my
teeth.
Once I really did take control. A
critical, emotional issue was coming
up for a vote, and the board members
were tense and divided. How to keep
a lid on things, how to maintain an
atmosphere of calm with feelings
running so high?
Here's what I did: I was then
teaching a course in Judaism at a
nearby Catholic college. The dean of
our department was friendly and
curious about the workings of a syna-
gogue so I invited her to See us "up
close and personal," at a meeting of
our leadership. She was delighted to
accept .my invitation and attended on
that perilous night.
In full nun's habit.
It was the most polite meeting in
our congregation's history. El

.

40.bbi Alper will bring his stand-up
comedy act to the Maple/Drake JCC on
Dec. 13. For tickets, call (888) 483-
3297

WILL YOUR
LIFE'S WORK
CONTINUE BEYOND
YOUR LIFETIME?

As Jews, we have a special sensitivity to
the future. We want what we believe in
to live on after we're gone.

The survival of Israel...care for our poor
and our elderly...the rescue of families in
danger... education of our children — all
are important to us.

But how do we ensure that our values will be
preserved?

Continue your annual gift to the Allied
Jewish Campaign with a PACE fund,
a Permanent Annual Campaign
Endowment, that will help your
community and provide considerable
benefits to you*. _You can set it up in your
name or that of a loved one.

After all, if not now, when?

* To avoid paying hefty capital gains and estate taxes, think about donating
appreciated stock or mutual fund shares to create a PACE fund. Questions?
Call George Cohen in the Endowment Department of the Jewish

Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, (248) 642-4260, ext. 204.

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6 bPolitai ,
Allied Jewish Campaign

of Metropolitan Detroit

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12/5
1997

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