This Week
Cover Story
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❑
6/15
2001
16
Jewish history in the Detroit area.
Simons, Skillman and the
4. The Center for Peace and Conflict
president's residence, the Max
Studies
was started by Otto Feinstein in
Jacob House.
the
1960s.
It was one of the first centers of
"There's a close relationship
its
kind
in
the
country, Feinstein says.
between Wayne's intellectual
development and the Jewish
community," says Reid, who
Jewish Students Speak Out
is working to attract more
Shimon Pichette of Southfield chose to
Jewish students back to WSU
attend Wayne after graduating from
by creating "a community life
Yeshivat
Akiva in Southfield and spend-
on campus," with more intel-
ing
a
year
in Israel. He's a pre-med stu-
lectual and entertainment-ori-
dent
and
wants
to live at home.
ented activities.
"One
or
two
of
our students go to
This year, says Reid's assis-
Wayne
every
semester,".
said Kathy Sklar,
tant Gladstone, the university
ttals:
Akiva's assistant principal.
broke ground for a new 3,000-
Shimon Pichette studies at the same
"There's a decent Orthodox popula-
bed dormitory as part of the
school where his father got his mas- tion of women and men at Wayne," says
president's attempt to make life ter's degree and his grandfather got
Hillel's Starkman, who estimates 10-20
on campus more vibrant.
his medical degree.
percent of Jewish undergrads are
Reid credits people in the
Orthodox. Going away to school chal-
Jewish community for teaching
lenges
observant
lifestyles, she says. Wayne, with its
him important lessons. Wayne graduate Applebaum,
decent academic standing, allows observant students
Reid says, is one of his "greatest mentors," and the first
to live at home so they don't have to worry about
member of the Jewish community to reach out to
Shabbat or kashering an apartment.
him. Hermelin, he adds, invited him to Norway dur-
"You get more worldly meeting people of other
ing his tenure as U.S. ambassador there, and advised
nationalities here," Pichette says. "I've made a lot of
him on how to approach philanthropy.
friends at school who are Hispanic, white and black,"
What stands out for Reid about the Jewish com-
Zachi (Zack) Rosenberg, 22, agrees. He's an Israeli
munity is the closeness — "that richness of family
who
moved here seven years ago and lives with his
life" — which he saw firsthand when his family lived
family in West Bloomfield.
in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in
Majoring in computer information systems, Zack
Philadelphia.
intends to get an MBA after he graduates this December.
Reid mentions four Jewish resources at WSU that
Last year, Zack had a new experience: He became
demonstrate the Jewish community's "long and impor-
involved with Hillel. He chaired a few programs
tant history" at the university He feels they are worthy
under Hillel for Yad Ezra (the kosher food pantry in
of greater attention from the Jewish community:
Oak Park) and for the homeless. Last February, he
the
1. The Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies is
attended an international leadership conference
resource for Jewish history in the city, says its director,
sponsored by Hillel in Washington, D.C.
WSU history professor David Weinberg. The
"Zack is one of our many students at WSU who
center was created as an academic and scholarly
demonstrates an interest in our Jewish world,"
research center, and does not hold classes.
Starkman says. "It's a pleasure to see them take
The Cohn-Haddow Center was formed in
advantage of our programs."
1987 as a way of bridging the waning contact
Lauren VanNess of Huntington Woods transferred
between the Jewish community and WSU, says
to
Wayne after a couple of semesters at Michigan
its founder and board member George Zeltzer.
State
and Oakland Community College. A junior in
The center holds lectures on issues that
elementary education, she earned a Michigan
affect the Jewish and general community and
Competitive Scholarship.
hosts international conferences, such as the
Knowing that Wayne's location in Detroit can be a
recent "Jews and Medicine: Religious
deterrent, she wants people to know the campus is
Thought, Cultural Patterns, and Practical
safe. "There are no bums sitting on every corner. It's
Applications." [See related box]
safe to walk outside the campus area with the
2. The Wayne State University Press is
Detroit Science Center right here, the Detroit
known for its strong Judaic collection,
Institute of Arts, and the Detroit library"
accounting for about 20 percent of its publi-
She would like to live closer to or on campus.
cations, says Art Evans, press director.
VanNess has a criticism of WSU, echoed by others —
In the early 1950s, the press got off the
its bureaucracy. "They're notoriously bad with paper-
ground thanks to Jewish businessman Leonard
work," she says, adding that she had to wait an extra
Simons, who sought donors and created a fund to
semester to get into Wayne because of a paperwork snafu.
support the publication of Jewish books.
American Association of University Professors
Today, the press publishes a series on American
(AAUP)
union president Charles Parrish agrees. He says
Jewish civilization, and includes books on such sub-
Wayne
has
had "a tremendous deficit in technology."
jects as Polish legends of Jewish origin, women rab-
However,
Parrish
says, the new administration has
bis and Israeli composers.
begun to address the problem with new fiber-optic
3. For the past 10 years, the Jewish community
cables and administrative software systems.
has identified Wayne's Walter Reuther Library of
Another criticism is leveled at the high number of
Labor and Urban Affairs as the place to house the
part-time and adjunct professors at WSU. As of
Leonard N. Simons collection, documentation of