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Corporate Events

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6/22

2001

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Spirituality

Machon L'Torah reinforces its commitment to Israel
amid Mideast unrest.

SUSAN TAWIL

Special to the Jewish News

espite a dramatic drop-off
in organized and family
trips to Israel in the wake of
heightened tension in the
Mideast, the Jewish Learning Network
of Michigan is continuing its Israeli
learning tours for college students and
young professionals this year.
Rabbi Avraham Jacobovitz of the
Oak Park-based Machon L'Torah
made the announcement at its 21st
anniversary dinner June 12 in
Southfield. Each year, Machon takes
at least 50 young people ages 18-27
to Israel; many receive scholarship
support. The dinner, which drew
nearly 600 supporters, began with a
recitation of prayers on behalf of the
Jewish homeland.
Rabbi Jacobovitz related to current
events the weekly Torah portion of
Shelach, which recounts the report of
the 12 scouts sent by Moses into
Israel. He praised the evening's hon-
orees and echoed the biblical report
of Joshua: "The Land of Israel, our
rich Jewish heritage and most impor-
tantly, the Torah, are very, very good
and so, too, is our future."
Machon's mission is to remedy the
problem of Jewish illiteracy. Activities
include retreats, tours of Israel, one-
on-one learning partnerships, home
study groups and community educa-
tion programs, such as medical ethics
seminars, "JudaiCollege" courses in
basic Judaism, women's holiday and
Rosh Chodesh (new month) presenta-
tions, and lunch-and-learn sessions.
Says board member Stuart Snider of
Oak Park: "Many individuals who did-
n't know an aleph from a bet and who
had no connection whatsoever with
organized Jewish life, are now knowl-
edgeable members of the Jewish com-
munity, studying regularly, participating

in synagogues ... forging another strong
link in the chain of Jewish continuity."
Oak Park's Irwin and Davida
Cohen earned Machon's Community
Service Award. Davida is a teacher at
Southfield-based Yeshiva Beth
Yehudah. Irwin is a writer and pho-
tographer who worked for the Detroit
Tigers and is now president of
Congregation Agudas Yisroel/Mogen

Debra Yashinsky of Farmington Hills,
two couples active in many Jewish
organizations; Nathan Gonik of
Southfield and Netanya Weiss of West
Bloomfield, Students of the Year; and
Youth Leaders Rick Dorfman of West
Bloomfield and Do7 Singal of
Southfield. Oak Park's Bayla, Shmuel
and Binyomin Ashin represented the
transmission of Torah to the youngest
generation.
Under new
administrator Rabbi
Dovid Blumenthal,
Machon will continue
to step up outreach on
college campuses,
including Michigan
State, Western
Michigan, Central
Michigan, Cooley Law
School, Eastern
Michigan and the
University of Windsor.
A permanent
presence was estab-
lished two years ago at
the University of
Michigan in Ann
Arbor in the form of
Machon L'Torah's
Jewish Resource
Center (JRC), a con-
verted fraternity house
on campus. Rabbi
Machon honorees Davida and Irwin Cohen
Aaron Eisemann, JRC
program director, runs
Shabbatons, weekday
learning programs and
Abraham in Southfield. His latest
other activities in hopes of connecting
book, Echoes of Detroit, a retrospective with the 6,000 Jewish students on
of Detroit's 300-year history, was dis-
campus.
tributed to dinner guests along with
New programs there include Book
the dinner journal.
a Rabbi and Jewish Awareness
This year's Guardians of the
Michigan. At the dinner, Rabbi
Legacy, community members who are
Jacobovitz gave tribute to the
models of Torah ideals and communal Shiffman Family Foundation for its
involvement, are: Dr. Joel and Linda
commitment to "burn the mortgage"
Zacks of Southfield and Dr. Gary and
of the JRC.

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