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9/25
1998
16 Detroit Jewish News
E'VE
MOVED
1 MILE
NORTH
Jewish Peace Corps. It sends college
students and new graduates to Israel
to experience Israeli culture and give a
year of service. "Some later make
aliyah, others become community
leaders back home and, surprisingly,
30 percent go into the Jewish commu-
nal service field," said Sherman, who
counts son Scott and son-in-law
Randy Wolf among Otzma alumni.
In 1988, Sherman joined Bingham .
Farms' David Hermelin as general co-
chair of Detroit's Allied Jewish
Campaign, becoming the first woman
ever to hold a co-chairmanship. "It
was the only job I ever wanted," she
said. "I felt I could make a difference."
Hermelin, now U.S. ambassador to
Norway and long a champion for Israel.
and the Jewish people, said his co-
chairmanship with Sherman "strength-
ened his resolve, knowing there was
this kind of leadership in our commu-
nity."
He said they learned from each
other. "She learned what early-morn-
ing meetings were, and I gained a
great understanding of, and apprecia-
tion for, her dedication, and what real-
ly motivated her to do all the great
things that she did."
The most stunning realization? That
she not only cared for the destiny of
the Jewish people, Hermelin said, but
that "shecared about each one. When
you start thinking about each person
making a difference, that's when you're
able to bring forth the kind of compas-
sion and energy that's really needed to
motivate a community."
Hermelin remembers how Sherman
was always in a hurry — a trait still
evident today. "I sensed that, to her,
each day was vital to Jewish interests
and every day that we let slip away,
every day that every Jew did not stand
and do their share, that meant some-
body in need, some person on the
move trying to get to Israel, or some
person in Israel with a specific difficul-
ty, would not be cared for.
"I gained a great respect, and a
love, for this driving passion of hers
for the destiny of our people."
Their co-chairmanship built the
foundation for a continuing partnership,
which has included service on both
Michigan Miracle Missions to Israel.
The Shermans decided early on to
not only make it their business to send
each of their children to Israel, as
Jane's father had done for her, but also
assure they had a Jewish education.
In the quicksand-laden world of
Jewish communal fund-raising, Jane
quickly discovered who was most apt
to contribute financially to Israel: peo-
ple with a Jewish education and who
appreciated their Jewish heritage.
"When I was growing up, there was
a strong pull — Israel was the under-
dog, anti-Semitism was widespread. As
time went on, however, I realized that
pull had lessened and, unless we took
Jewish education much more seriously,
we'd lose our Jewish community."
So Jewish education became a per-
sonal crusade. Together with Marjorie
and Max Fisher, for example, Jane and
Larry Sherman sponsor Hillel Day
School of Metropolitan Detroit's
Fisher-Sherman Science Wing.
Jane co-chaired Federation's first
Michigan Miracle Mission to Israel in
1993 and was executive director of its
second two years later. Together, the
missions drew 2,000 adults. In 1996,
Sherman chaired Federation's first
communitywide Teen Mission to
Israel. Considered a national expert,
she helps other U.S. cities plan
megamissions and has written an
authoritative book on the subject.
"Of all the things I've done with
missions," she said, "the most satisfy-
ing was taking 240 teens to Israel in
1996 and watching how they grew
Jewishly -- from attending classes to
going to synagogue."
The Shermans are long-time mem-
bers of Temple Israel. "Their commit-
ment to our people is reflected in
every fiber of their being," said Temple
Israel Rabbi Harold Loss.
Thirty-six years after first setting
foot on biblical soil, Jane Sherman
remains an unabashed ambassador for
the Land of Israel and the hope-filled
refugees who flock there from Russia,
Ethiopia and other regions in search
of resettlement.
As she put it: "I love what I'm
doing. Larry and I work very hard on
Israel's behalf. In fact, we've taken
many Detroit Jewish community lead-
ers to Israel for their first visit. We fer-
vently want others to see the country
through our eyes."
The message has passed from father
Max Fisher to daughter Jane Sherman
to all of the Sherman children, includ-
ing Sylvia Wolf.
Through her mother, said Wolf, a
five-time visitor to Israel, "I've learned
that the country, whether we realize it
or not, keeps us together as a people
and as a community because it's our
common homeland — a place we can
always go. We need to be aware of
how important it is . to us, and to help
nurture it." ❑