It's a great time to change! COMMUNITY VIEWS REBUILDING from page 24 4 . 500/ 0 MONEY MARKET 7- ish culture, eager to learn and practice Judaism. Today, there are 23,000 Jewish youngsters in the former Soviet Union who are studying in some form of Jew- ish school. While the younger Jews are embracing their new identities, the elderly and impoverished older genera- tion has little or no real grasp of what Judaism means. Eighty percent of these elderly Jews lives below the poverty line. Many Jewish communal organizations struggle daily just to meet the needs of these people. It is with these unique needs in mind that the Chesed programs were established. There are more than 70 Cheseds functioning today in the former Soviet Union. They represent a social-service concept developed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and serve as multi-functional centers, providing both outreach and in-house services through paid professionals and volunteers. We visited three such facilities: the Chesed Avraham Welfare Center in St. Petersburg, Russia; the Chesed Avot Welfare Center in Kiev, Ukraine; and the Chesed Shalomo in the town of Zhitomir, Ukraine. Programs include meals on wheels, medical and dental services, home care services, Friday night Shabbat services (where it was not unusual to find 200 people in attendance), the printing and distribution of a Chesed newspaper, child day care, libraries housing books of Russian literature as well as books on Judaism in both Russian and Hebrew, lectures and classes, and a brigade of volunteer hairdressers and handymen. After the collapse of the Russian economy in August 1998, the number of food packages distributed by Chesed Avraham alone jumped from 600 to 15,000 per month. Our visit to the Synagogue of Podol in Kiev and the Great Choral Syna- gogue in St. Petersburg made it clear that Judaism is filling a "value vacu- um" that followed the fall of Commu- nism. A minyan is held in the Kiev synagogue three times a day. In 1989, almost all the Jews of the former Sovi- et Union were potential emigrants. Now there is a desire to stay and rebuild the Jewish community. The young college students espe- cially are committed to staying. They all know Israel would welcome them with open arms, and many leave, but large numbers do not. The true beauty — at the moment — is they know they still have a choice. I hope that choice will remain open to them. While spending Shabbat in the presence of enthusiastic college Hillel students, while listening to their beau- tiful voices singing in Hebrew, while seeing them eager to take up the chal- lenge of making their community work, I could not help thinking of my own daughter. Rachel is also involved in Hillel, at the University of Michi- gan, and she is like the students in St. Petersburg and Kiev. One of the most memorable parts of the trip was our visit to a shtetl. Yes, they still exist and, I would imagine, they look much the same as they did when our grandparents left them to come to America. In tiny Radomyshl there are 24 Jews. Before World War II, the Jewish population was approximately 3,000. Our bus wound its way through thick forests and I could imagine my ances- tors hiding there, running between the trees, trying to flee the onslaught of extermination. The ghosts of so many nameless Jews still linger in those woods. Elder- ly Jews live in thatch-roofed hovels with no hot water or indoor plumb- ing. Yet even in the most isolated of villages, the Cheseds reach out and make the human contacts that make all of us feel part of the Jewish family. Ben and I returned to Michigan with a renewed respect for our people's ability to bounce back from adversity. What is it about Jews that makes us willing to help one another, inspire each other and remain faithful to our ideals in the face of any challenge? On our "Zuckerman" trip, we saw Jews who barely knew they were Jews and Jews who were just beginning to express their Jewishness, all nourished by a larger Jewish community that believes every Jew is important. May we always cherish each and every member of our most remarkable and widely scattered family. PUBLISHER 1 11111 ■ 11 GUARD DOG from page 25 of our advisory group members. Our community is diverse and its information needs are ever evolving. We appreciate the trust you place in us as we navigate a changing media environment and serve you, our ulti- mate "masters. " To leave a message for Arthur Horwitz, call (248) 354-6060, ext. 238, or e-mail ahorwitz@thejewishnews.com A.P.Y. Come in to the Sterling office nearest you: Roseville -810-294-2950 Clawson - 248-435-2840 . Sterling Heights - 810-268-5200 248-669-3993 Stang Commerce Twp. - Southfield - 248-948-8799 Dearborn - 313-274-3030 Troy - 248-649-3883 Farmington Hills - 248-489-9580 Warren - 810-558-4600 313-882-2880 Grosse Pointe Woods - Waterford -248-674-4901 bank Livonia - 734-462-4106 &trust West Bloomfield - 248-855-6644 Lincoln Park - 313-3834000 Create Solutions." 248-656-5760 -we Rochester - www.sterlingbank.com FDIC Annual Percentage Yield accurate as of 12/28/98 and is subject to change without notice. Money Market: $2,500 minimum balance required to open and must be maintained for stated APY. Fees INSURED may reduce earnings if minimum is not maintained. © 1999 Sterling Bank & Trust FSB. Lori Krause Photography (Formerly Tiny Doubles) Is On The MOVE! on rebruarg 16,1999 374-4-1-Iiiis Tech Drive Farmington Hills, MI 48221 Just S outh of 12 Mile Off Halsted Cali rot More Info (24'0) 40-9966 DWYER AND SONS COLLISION CENTER Collision Repair on All Makes and Models JOEL GOLDHABER, Mgr. (Formerly with Maxie Collision on Northwestern Hwy. is now serving all previous and new customers at Dwyer & Sons) • TOWING Service Available • FREE LOANER available or ask about • TURNING IN A LEASE CAR? our Deductible Savings Program See me for a free pre-inspection • FREE Estimates • ALL INSURANCE companies accepted. • FREE PICK UP & DELIVERY Service available We are a direct repair For many. (248) 624-0400 2/12 3055 West Maple Road • 1/4 mile West of Haggerty Road 1999 Detroit Jewish News 27