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COMMUNITY VIEWS
Shifting Jewish Population Trends
Should Spur New Federation Study
N
concerted effort to attract Jews living in
early 10 years ago, the Jewish
the far northwestern suburbs. Enclaves
Federation embarked on an
of
young adult Jews are being estab-
ambitious study of Detroit's
lished in Royal Oak and Ferndale.
Jewish population. One of
These are just a few indications of
the bilgest surprises that emerged from
the dynamic quality of the local Jewish
the data was the very size of our com-
community. Jewish individu-
munity.
als and families are venturing
After years of assuming our
into areas that previously had
community was about 70,000
few,
if any, Jews. In fact, if the
in number, the 1989 study
Federation decides to embark
concluded that there were
on another demographic
actually 96,000 Jews in met-
study, I predict that it would
ropolitan Detroit.
find a smaller proportion of
A less-surprising conclusion
Jews living in the core and
was that about four of every
more and more dispersion of
five Detroit Jews lived in what
Jews
into areas east, north
was referred to as the "core"
DA.
AVID
and
west
of that core.
community. The core was
GAD- HARP
If
the
organized
Jewish
defined as the corridor of Jew-
Speci al to
community continues to
ish residence that begins in
The Jew ish News operate on the assumption
Oak Park and Huntington
that the overwhelming major-
Woods on the south and runs
ity of Jews lives in the core, it will
northwesterly to Farmington Hills and
become increasingly irrelevant to these
West Bloomfield. At that time, only 20
growing
enclaves. That's not to say that
percent of the Jewish population lived
organizational
leaders should suddenly
outside of this core.
shift
their
attention
away from the large
Fast forward to 1998. Congregation
and
vibrant
Jewish
communities
within
Shir Tikvah recently inaugurated its first
the core. But, rather, just as forward-
building, located in Troy and serving a
thinking leaders anticipated the need
growing population of Jews in the area
for Jewish facilities and programming as
north and east of the core. Congrega-
the population shifted in prior decades,
tions in Grosse Pointe and Canton are
so
too must the leaders of today.
expanding their array of activities and
We
cannot assume that Jews living in
services. The Detroit Medical Center
Plymouth
or Grosse Pointe will drive
has added "Sinai" to the name of its
30
to
45
minutes
to a meeting, activity
Huron Valley facility and is making a
or event in the center of the Jewish
David Gad Harf is executive director
community, so programming should be
of the Jewish Community Council of
made more accessible for the dispersed
Metropolitan Detroit.
Jewish households.
-
We cannot assume that the growing
Each Council town meeting may
number of Jews who move into Detroit
only attract 50 people, but those are 50
from other cities have the same sense of
people, multiplied by four or five loca-
connection to other local Jews through
tions, who would not have been
subscribing to The Jewish News, so this
reached otherwise and will begin to feel
publication and the Jewish community
more of an affinity with the organized
in general must adopt new methods of
Jewish community.
communicating with Jews.
Local Jewish agencies, organiza-
We cannot assume that the problems
tions and congregations should all
long ago addressed in
rethink how they 7:\
the core neighbor-
define their target
hoods, such as the
audiences and how
treatment of religious
they can effectively
holidays in public
serve them at a time
schools, have been yet
when the popula-
resolved in suburbs
tion is shifting. Per-
that are just now
haps what the Jew-
experiencing their first
ish community
taste of religious and
needs is a kick in
cultural diversity.
this direction that
For all of these rea-
only some startling
sons, the Jewish Com-
data can provide.
munity Council is
Therefore, I hope
committed to bring-
that the Federation
ing programming to
is already at work
the various corners of
designing an up-
the local Jewish com-
date of the 1989
munity. We will join
Jewish population
with the existing Jew- David Rose recently became the
study.
first student in Congregation Bet
ish congregations,
Just as the earlier
Chaverim's Canton-based religious study surprised us
chavurot and institu-
tions located there, so school to celebrate his bar mitzvah. about the size of our
the programs are
community, a 1999
designed to effectively reach those who
version might force us to give new
live there. We will use such outreach
meaning to what is c a lled the core,
methods as sending e-mail, posting fly-
enlarging it to include many areas
ers in places where people congregate,
we previously considered as the periph-
like bookstores and coffee shops, and
ery.
conveying information through local
Let up hope that the wakeup call
weekly newspapers and cable channels.
doesn't come too late. ❑
(
LETTERS
we lived during our childhood. And
that's what this exhibit affords the
onlooker: a chance to see where
Jews, as a people, used to live in
Poland before World War II. That's
why more people should view this
exhibit, which originated in Poland
and was brought to the United
States.
Thanks to the Holocaust Memori-
al Center, we in the Detroit metro-
politan area are fortunate to have it
on display at Shiffman Hall in the
Kahn Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield until June 14, when
it will be shipped to Mexico.. Cer-
tainly, every child and adult within a
day's travel time from the Center
should make a concerted effort to
view this fascinating exhibit.
Harold M. Patrick
West Bloomfield
6/5
1998
32
Rabbi Eckstein
Should Be Ashamed
Regarding Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein (The
Jewish News May 29) — if the quote
in the column by James Besser, "We
question their motives (Christians)
even when they are doing good, when
it's a church-state matter, there we are
on the other side, filing suits against
them for simply trying to be Chris-
tians in their country," then I think
ADL needs to hire a new person to
deal with these issues.
ADL is among the oldest civil
rights organizations in the country. It
seeks to protect the rights of all Amer-
icans. ADL works to make this coun-
try our country, a country where all
people whatever their religious, ethnic,
cultural background, can say, "This is
my country." Rabbi Eckstein's attitude
that when the Christian Right, or any
Christian religious group, acts in a
manner that diminishes or discrimi-
nates against any group of people
including his own people, that Jews
should just "roll over" with an "oh
well, it is their country," is disgusting.
In a century when we saw the worst
decimation of our people, he should
be ashamed of himself.
At the Jewish Community Center
of Metropolitan Detroit currently,
under the auspices of the Holocaust
Memorial Center, is an exhibit of pho-
tos of Jewish families in Poland before
the war. It is a moving exhibit. Its
premise is that these people lived and,
even if we do not know their names,
they lived. We need to remember
them. We need to acknowledge their
existence. Their families are like yours
and mine. I see my face in theirs. I
wonder if Rabbi Eckstein understands
that one way to prevent the kind of
horrific anti-Semitism that precipitat-
ed that tragedy is to make sure that
H
church and state remain separated in -\
the United States; that our children
are never forced to pray in a manner
that is outside of our belief system; to
make sure that those who would seek
to deny us religious freedom never be
allowed to be successful.
Judith Miller
Bloomfield Hills
Exhibit Provides
Haunting Glimpse
The Holocaust Memorial Center is
very pleased to have secured and
arranged for the exhibit, "And I Still
See Their Faces: Images of Polish