Spanni
TheChasm

FutUre leaders at the Western Wall in. Jerusalem.

A mission to Israel breaks down
stereotypes between Jewish groups
from Detroit.

JULIE WEINGARDEN
Special to The Jewish News

Jodi Weinfeld puts it simply: "I can't
say I had many Orthodox friends
before this trip, but now I have 20."
The Farmington Hills mother,
pharmacist and B'nai Moshe congre-
gant said the young leadership mis-
sion she and her husband took to
Israel changed her life. "Now our kids
are all meeting each other and they
will play together and, hopefully, they
will never have stereotypes about the
other kids," she says.
Sandra Greenberg feels the same
way. The Young Israel of Oak Park
member she got to know Jodi
Weinfeld and her husband Rob dur-
ing Shabbat dinner. "Jodi and I
shared conversations Friday night. We
talked about our kids and how we
were both nervous leaving them for
so long."
Sandra's husband Joe, an industrial
organizational psychologist, also
enjoyed getting to know the
Weinfelds. "The trip was 100 percent
responsible for us knowing them. I
wouldn't even know that they exist
otherwise," he says. "We live at least
20 miles apart from the Weinfelds,
belong to different synagogues and
travel in different circles. There would
be little chance that we would have
run into each other without the mis-
sion."
Although it was his wife's first visit,
the trip marked Rob Weinfeld's
fourth to Israel. He says he saw places
he hadn't seen before. "Nobody ever
goes to Israel and remains unmoved,
no matter how many times you've

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been there," he says. "When you add
the dimension of the uniqueness of
Congregation Shaarey Zedek to join
this group by makeup and the sense
them.
of camaraderie and unity despite
Though the concept initially met
obvious differences, it gives you a
with some resistance, Robert
degree of optimism and enthusiasm."
Clearly, it was more than just
a trip. Ten days and two coun-
tries later, 62 metro Detroit Jews
were changed by "The Future
Leaders of Klal Yisrael Mission."
The travelers consisted of 30
couples — 10 Orthodox, 10
Conservative and 10 Reform —
and two staffers from the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit. Three rabbis and their
wives were among the group.
The couples were selected by the
synagogue movements and the
Jewish Federation as potential
Jewish community leaders.
The Federation-sponsored
mission to Israel and Prague
Above: Julie and Larry August at
from Nov. 8 to 18 was no ordi-
the Western Wall.
nary sightseeing venture. It was a
barrier-breaking event to establish
Right: Jodi and Rob Weinfeld inside
relationships so the community
Israel's Supreme Court.
can work together peacefully for
years to come.
"I have to believe it was the first of
Aronson, executive vice
its kind ever. It was a new mold," says
president of Federation,
Rabbi Paul Yedwab of Temple Israel.
. pushed it forward.
"We've gotten calls from all over the
"The object of the whole
country asking how we've done this."
program was to take a cadre
The idea stemmed from the suc-
of people that we thought
cess of the teen March of the Living
would be the future leaders
trip to Poland and Israel. Rabbi
of the Jewish community
Steven Weil of Young Israel of Oak
10, 15, 20 years down the
Park suggested doing a similar trip
road and to bring them together in a
with young adults (the average age of
think tank in which they would get
participants was 37), and Weil and
together, have discussions and see
Yedwab asked Rabbi Stephen Weiss of
where they would agree and disagree

with each other, and where they felt
they could and couldn't work togeth-
er," says Weil. "There is a lot of dis-
trust today in the Jewish world that is
based on ignorance."
The intended outcome
was for the couples to
bond, return and have an
impact on their peers.
"The trip exceeded all
expectations in terms of
the people thinking and
developing with each
other," says Weil. "The
mission got people think-
ing about where the

Jewish people are going and how we
can make the 21st century Jewish
community in Detroit even stronger
than it is now."