The Green
Connection
Jewish environmental movement brings message of
awareness to southeast Michigan.
SHIRT RIVAL BILIK
Special to the Jewish News
jr
oining 11 other Michigan chap-
ters, an Ann Arbor-based Jewish
environmental group became
the most recent affiliate of a
national movement dedicated to advanc-
ing ecological awareness and action.
Catherine Greener, who co-chairs the
Southeastern Michigan Coalition on the
Environment
and Jewish Life
(SEMCOEJL)
with Rachel
Cohen, was
inspired to pur-
sue affiliation
after hearing a
visiting cantor at
Congregation
Shir Tikvah in
Catherine Greener,
Troy speak about environmental
the Santa Cruz,
activist.
Calif, chapter.
She said SEM-
COEJL, which has 50 Ann Arbor and
Detroit area members, aims to represent
the environmental agenda as well as
mainstream Jewish thought.
"We're not a Jewish 'Earth First' (an
extremist environmental group). We're
trying to bring environmentalism into
the Jewish experience," Greener said.
Her group has a three-pronged
approach: "To reach out from an advo-
cacy standpoint, an education stand-
point and an experience standpoint,"
she said.
SEMCOEJL had its kickoff in
November at Shir Tikvah, where
Adam Warbach, former Sierra Club
president, was keynote speaker. Events
have included monthly Eco-Shabbat
dinners. An interfaith prayer service
launched 30 days of prayer prior to
Earth Day on April 22. SEMCOEJL
also works with River of Life, a
Catholic group concerned about river
cleanup.
"We really want to attract all denomi-
nations," Greener said. "We try to work
with people of faith on projects, speakers
or advocacy groups."
In addition to Shir Tikvah,
SEMCOEJL's support base includes
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield and
Temple Beth Emeth of Ann Arbor.
Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg of Shir
Tikvah said his congregation "has
achieved a greater appreciation for the
Jewish work that needs to be done.
We're constantly evolving into better
stewards of the earth," he said.
Before becoming an official member
of the national Coalition on the
Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL),
SEMCOEJL needed a nondenomina-
tional sponsor. The Jewish Community
Council of Metropolitan Detroit took
on that role.
"The environment is an issue that
Judaism clearly speaks to and something
that many of our members are con-
cerned about," said Rabbi Marla
Feldman, JCCouncil assistant director.
JCCouncil is affiliated with the national
Jewish Council for Public Affairs, which
sponsors the national COEJL.
SEMCOEJL member Mike Sklar of
Ann Arbor serves as fundraising chair of
the Huron Valley chapter of the Sierra
Club. "There is a mistaken connection
between the health of the auto industry
and environmental health," he said.
"Because of this, there has been a faint
level of disapproval of environmental-
ists."
SEMCOEJL and the Jewish com-
munity can help the Detroit area
become more environmentally
involved, he said. The first step:
exploring the connection between
environmentalism and spirituality.
That, he says, can be found in Judaic
principles like tikkun olam (healing of
the world) or the sanctity of life.
To accommodate this exploration,
SEMCOEJL plans a series of brain-
storming retreats for community mem-
bers, including rabbis, environmentalists
and business people.
Through these actions and other
planned activities, such as hikes or park
cleanups, Sklar sees an opportunity.
"There is a chance to renew the rele-
vance of Judaism in the minds of the
generation that has grown up with Earth
Day and Exxon-Valdez in their lives," he
said. "Do we as a Jewish community
want to be a part of that grand adven-
ture? I think we do." LI
Adat Shalom Honors Olenders
Adat Shalom Synagogue will honor
Allen and Amy Olender on Saturday,
May 26, during Shabbat services. The
Olenders will receive the Jewish
Theological Seminary's Shin Award at
the JTS
gala,
Tuesday,
May 30, at
Adat
Shalom
Synagogue.
Allen
Olender is a
senior vice
president at
Prudential
Securities
Allen and Amy Olender
Inc., where
he is also a
senior investment consultant. In addi-
tion, he is a certified investment man-
agement analyst. He is a member of
the Prudential Securities Presidents
Council and the Prudential Securities
Pinnacle Group.
He serves on the Adat Shalom
board of trustees as well as the educa-
tion committee, adult education com-
mittee, ritual committee and the long-
range planning committee. He is
active with the American Jewish
Committee, the Anti-Defamation
League and the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit's Synagogue liai-
son committee. Also, he is a board
member of the Detroit JTS board and
a frequent Internet student at JTS,
taking courses offered through the
new JTS Long Distance Learning pro-
gram.
Amy Olender is a dental hygienist
in Livonia. She is a member of the
Adat Shalom Sisterhood Board of
Directors and celebrated her bat mitz-
vah last year. She is a vice president of
the Detroit Country Day School-
Junior School as well as a board mem-
ber for DCDS' Friends of the Arts.
The Olenders are also members of
Congregation Beth El in Traverse City,
where they serve as co-chairs of the
committee for Jewish life in Northern
Michigan. Adat Shalom members
serving on the local JTS board are
Herman and Pauline Canner, Carol
Weintraub Fogel, Joel Gershenson,
Sharon Hart, Paul Magy, Bobbie
Miller, David Schostak, Robert
Schostak, Gary Shiffman and Jeffrey
Supowit.
Allen Kaufman, Paul Magy and
Robert Schostak serve the JTS nation-
al boards of overseers for List (under-
graduate) College, the rabbinical
school and the Davidson Graduate
School of Education, respectively. •
Chairing Adat Shalom's JTS com-
mittee will be Jane and Neil Anchill,
along with Carol Weintraub Fogel and
Dr. Ronald Fogel.
Adat Shalom has Robert Gamer,
Jason Miller and Marsha Tilchin
among local students studying at JTS.
‘6th annual Jewish Theological
eniinary dinner on Tuesday, May
:.halom Synagogue will
cong regational leaders
s on JTS's role in sup-
di education.
peaker will be Rabbi Lee
Buckman,
headmaster of
the new
Jewish
Academy for
Metropolitan
Detroit. The
academy will
open this fall.
Rabbi
Buckman will
address Jewish
education as a
multi-faceted
challenge,
including
ernoon and day schools as well as
formal and informal settings.
The first award for outstandinc,
teacher in the Conservative after-
z6,ri and day schools will be pre-
ntecl to Clara Gaba, who teaches
at Adat Shalom and Hillel Day
School of Metropolitan Detroit in
144trungton Hills.
Doreen Hermelin will outline
e new initiative to be launched
the cooperation of the JTS
avidson Graduate School
ducation, the Detroit
Hermelin Davidson
far Congregation Excellence
',Conservative and Reform
.
ttonal
nursery schools and
Community Center
rogram.
•
5/26
2000'
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