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Chapels Of Life

tribute to the enterprise — and patience — of
is something we all use — sooner or later.
the Dorfmans.
In the throes of grief, it reminds us
Some wondered whether the Dorfmans, operat-
about the miracle of life and the goodness
ing from a small office in Berkley, would survive
of people — and the legacies that death
against their established competitors. But over the
spotlights.
past 10 years, their teamwork, gumption and
We know it as the funeral chapel.
moxie have humbled the veneer of uncertainty.
Whether mourning the loss of a relative,
The Dorfmans didn't just stumble into the
coworker or friend, or marking our own worldly
business of helping mark the final stop
departure, the funeral chapel is there
in the life cycle. Alan honed his mor-
for us.
tuary skills over 20-plus years of ser-
The Detroit Jewish community now
vice at Hebrew Memorial Chapel; he
has three such facilities: Ira Kaufman
also drew on strong family ties to metropolitan
Chapel, Hebrew Memorial Chapel and the
Detroit.
newest, Dorfman Chapel.
At Tuesday's dedication, Jonathan movingly
Our tradition is to approach death and dying
summed up the chapel's mission: "To give digni-
openly. The topics aren't taboo. That's why dur-
ty and comfort to those experiencing the pain of
ing the shivah, or mourning period, we join with
bereavement."
the bereaved to remember the deceased and cele-
Funeral chapels are known for tugging our
brate living.
hearts and stirring our souls. But they also bring
Alan and Jonathan Dorfman have come a
joy to our faces in the memories and eulogies
long way from modest beginnings as father-and-
they inspire.
son funeral directors; until now, they specialized
With the Dorfinans embarking on a new era as
in cemetery services. On Tuesday, they dedicated
full-service funeral directors, and both Ira Kaufman
their own chapel in Farmington Hills to broaden
Chapel and Hebrew Memorial Chapel deeply
their service to our community when we're most
anchored here, Detroit Jewry is well served. With
in need. The brick-and-limestone building is a
distinctive style and grace, the leaders of each has
helped us, as a community, appreciate the cycle of
life when we're most vulnerable.

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Related coverage: page 14

Bush: Uniter or Divider?

Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to press for
a greater role for pervasively religious institutions in
providing government-funded social services, and
Constitutional Violation
the Bush administration will have undermined the
As a minority faith group, we
nation's unity, compromising our ability to pursue
know that America owes its reli-
solutions to the pressing human problems of home-
gious diversity to these impor-
lessness, hunger, poverty and addiction that afflict
tant church/state protections.
too many in our otherwise affluent society.
Precisely because the Establish-
As a community with vast experience working
ment clause of the First Amend-
with
diverse religious groups to attack these prob-
ment prohibits the federal gov-
HANNAH
lems,
we have seen firsthand the value many faith-
ernment from favoring one reli-
based
programs bring. President Bush's plan to open
ROSENTHAL
gion over another, minority and
offices
for faith-based and community initiatives at
Sp ecial
majority religions have flour-
the departments of Health and Human Services,
Commentary
ished.
Justice, Education, Labor, and Housing and Urban
But the president's solutions
Development have the potential to help many in
— vouchers for religious schools and taxpayer dol-
need — but only if delicate yet profoundly impor-
lars to religious institutions that provide social ser-
tant safeguards are in place.
vices — threaten this foundation by entangling gov-
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs remains stead-
ernment and religion.
fastly opposed to charitable choice programs (programs
And if President Bush insists on such plans, many
that allow pervasively sectarian institutions to receive
of his laudable initiatives are threatened.
federal funds for the provision of government services)
A federal school voucher program would not only
that do not contain meaningful and effective First
violate the Constitution by channeling taxpayer dollars
Amendment safeguards, such as those that prevent
into religious schools, it would drain scarce resources
proselytization, coercion or indoctrination and that
away from public schools, which remain the primary
safeguard clients and service-provider employees against
route to education for most children. This will only
religiously based discrimination.
exacerbate the division between schools that "have" and
those that "have not."
BUSH: UNITER OR DIVIDER? on page 33
Add to that the establishment of an Office of

between church and state.

New York
3 ust weeks into his new administration, Pres-
ident George W. Bush stands at a crossroads
that will test his promise to be a "uniter,
not a divider."
By focusing so early in his administration on the
needs of public school students and the less fortu-
nate in society, President Bush has sought to unite
people from all walks of life to tackle some of the
most intractable problems facing Americans today.
We at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs welcome
that message and look forward to working with the
president and the new administration on these
issues.
While President Bush deserves praise for placing
these matters at the forefront of his agenda, his cur-
rent plans for education and faith-based action
would sow division rather than foster the coopera-
tion needed for compromise and solutions.
Regrettably, he has led with plans that threaten
our religious freedom by proposing unprecedented
potential breaches in the constitutional separation

Hannah Rosenthal is executive director of the Jewish

Council for Public Affairs, the national coordinating
and advisory body for the 13 national and 123 local
agencies comprising the field of Jewish community rela-
tions, including the Jewish Community Council of
Metropolitan Detroit.

2/9
20011