Remember
When • •

when the Detroit position opened —
Yael Waxman wound up her 2-year
tenure — he decided to "take a two-
year break from my life." His selection
ark Myers sees his role
as shaliach from the pool of candi-
as creating and fostering
dates was based on his background as
a Jewish identity in
an educator, he said, a job he felt he
Jewish youth, with Israel
already knew how to perform.
playing a major role.
"I felt that I was on slichoot when I
The Jewish Federation of
was teaching Israeli youth
Metropolitan Detroit sees
about their history, -
his role with a heavy
because I think Israeli
emphasis on education.
youth
are no less in need
According to both, the
of a sense of Jewishness
circuitous route he took in
above and beyond their
his career helped him get
Israeliness," he said.
the job as the new shaliach
"What I hope to be
(Israel emissary) with the
able to do here is an
Michigan/Israel
extension of what I've
Connection. The M/IC is a
done, building a sense of
Federation program that
continuity in one's identi-
promotes Israel through
ty, the feeling that we all
various missions and study-
have something in corn-
travel programs, helps peo-
mon historically and in
ple make aliyah and spon-
terms of our future."
sors programs for Israelis
After less than a week
living in metro Detroit.
on
the job, and still
The shaliach's role is "to
involved
in moving his
ensure that Israel is an
wife and four children half
active part of a person's
way across the world, he
Jewish identity," Myers
said he hasn't had time to
said.
think in terms of the chal-
Although the easy-going
lenges ahead. "It would be
44-year-old speaks with a
totally irresponsible to say
slight Israeli accent, he was
what I'm going to do," he
born in Boston and raised
said.
in San Francisco. He gradu-
Federation officials
ated with a degree in inter-
aren't sure exactly how
national relations from
they will use his talents as
Pomona College near Los
an educator, either.
Angeles in 1978. Although
"We think that there
he intended to go to gradu-
has to be a way to connect
ate school, the Russian he
what he knows from liv-
studied as part of the pro-
ing and teaching in Israel
gram landed him a job at
to some of the things that
Hebrew Immigrant Aid
we want to do to make it
Society.
more relevant here," said
Working in Vienna for
Penny Blumenstein,
six months, then for two
Federation president, who
years in Rome during the
will add him into
peak years of Russian immi-
Federation's Alliance for
gration, gave him not only
Mark Myers
Jewish
Education mix.
an opportunity to improve
She hopes that, by
his Russian but to discover
summer's end, the
a love of Judaism and Israel.
Alliance
will
be able to fit him into
my
work
with
Soviet
Jews.
All
of
a
sud-
"I was not a very active or involved
adult
education
or education in the
den they're coming to Israel," he said.
when I was growing up," he said.
schools,
to
make
it more meaningful
Myers contacted the Jewish Agency
He landed in Israel in 1980 and
for
students.
for Israel, and went to the Soviet
found himself on Kibbutz Magan
Previously, the role of shaliach was
Union alone for six months to open
Micha-el, an ulpan near Haifa on the
"just
to bring Israel to the diaspora
up
the
JAFI
office
in
Tashkent,
the
Mediterranean coast. Living the kib-
and the diaspora to Israel," she said.
capital
city
of
Uzebiskan.
butz lifestyle, the free spirit knew
"This is a little deeper."
He kept in contact with JAFI, and
within two months that he would

HARRY KI RS BAUM
StaffWriter

Iff

stay. A year later, he married Tami, an
Israeli from Slovakia, and has spent
the last 19 years in Israel.
At first he did some "kibbutzy"
things, some agriculture and industry,
but when Jewish immigration started
from the Soviet Union in 1989 and
1990, he sensed a need to close a circle.
"My being in Israel was a result of

0 ur Man From Israel
As a Federation-sponsored
emi ssary, Mark Myers
hop es to foster Jewish identity.

.

From the pages of the Jewish News
for this week 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50

years ago.

1989

A 60-year-old law subjecting plays
and stage performances to censor-
ship was lifted in Israel.
Joel D. Tauber was named major
gifts chairman of the UJA.

1979

A Norfolk. Va., judge apologized to
Rabbi Jospeph Sackett for ordering
the rabbi to remove his yarmulke in
the judge's courtroom.
Janet Pont was named director
of the nursery school at Adat
Shalom Synagogue.

1969

Sam Rosenthal, Jewish mayor of
Rolling Fork, Miss., retried after 45
years, a state record for holding a
single elective office.
Rabbi Sherwin Wine of the Bir-
mingham Temple acted as coordinator
for the first Conference on Humani-
stic Ethics held at Oakland University

1959

The government of Jordan demand-
ed the reopening by Israel of a road
through the Israeli enclave on Mt.
Scopus used by Arab villagers.
Philip Rosenberg of Oak Park
has been credited with developing a
new photographic device that dras-
tically slashes critical processing
time, providing a breakthrough in
the diagnosis of heart ailments.

1949

Julius Deutelbaum is the newly
appointed assistant district execu-
tive secretary for the District Grand
Lodge of B'nai B'rith.
Meir Greenfeld of Detroit will
be among a group of 15 youths
who will leave for Israel to join the
settlement Ramat Raziel, west of
Jerusalem.
Modern Industrial Bank in New
York, under the direction of Henry
Morgenthau Jr., has agreed to trans-
mit money for residents of the
United States to Israel free of charge,
regardless of the sums involved.
Outside of New York, individuals
may send a check to the bank,
which will transmit the full amount.

8/20
1999

Detroit Jewish News

27