gi- e;fidei& alloAtt Lgtdialzi, z 9 a The Jewish Community Center and I have grown up together. The square red brick building on High Street known as the Hannah Schloss Building was only one block south of Division Street where I was born. It was the symbol of the Jewish community to all who lived in the Hastings Street area. That was where new arrivals from Europe would go to learn English, receive medical care, get help in finding employment, meet in social groups and participate in sports. I will never forget the experience of receiving my first diphtheria shot there and crying all the way home. - .c. ) , Agol eZizazied glaj4 LC :A'(1- gazoil As the Jewish population moved northward, a new JCC was built on Woodward and Holbrook and served as the focus of Jewish communal life, with many social and athletic activities, especially for teenagers. I attended many dances there. As I grew up, married and became involved in the Jewish community, the JCC again served as the head- quarters for some of the vital work being undertaken to help the fledg- ling nation of Israel. _Detriez (7/La _Datiao,ri The Dexter and Davison JCC was built in conjunction with the Jewish War Veterans Memorial Home. We held many meetings in its audito- rium, including the dedication of the Golden Book commemorating the 300 Jewish men from Michigan who were killed in World War II. The late Rabbi Morris Adler was the speaker. The first Jewish Book Fair had been instituted by Irwin Shaw and gave us an opportunity to meet and listen to many outstanding Jewish authors. eluitit a/Lei 074-e2a The JCC on Meyers near Curtis served as the unifying edifice for many activities. Its magnificent auditorium featured concerts by the Center Symphony Orchestra, and outstanding speakers appeared reg- ularly presenting stimulating and often controversial subjects. The Federation Women's Division (now Women's Campaign and Education Department) held day-long conferences with workshops on many pertinent subjects. (I must interject my personal memory of Raisa, the cook par excellence whose mushroom barley soup is still the topic of conversation among those fortunate enough to have enjoyed it!) My relationship with the Curtis/Meyers JCC continued for several years when I was the accompanist for the JCC Golden Age Choir, under the direction of Cantor Nicholas Fenakel and where my father played the violin and my mother sang in the choir ist LZZ/z kg:11/4 euld gje— The Kahn Building continues to be the home for Jews of many ages, interests and abilities and houses many community agencies, includ- ing B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, Jewish Vocational Service, DMC-Sinai Functional Recovery and Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Jewish Historical Society, JET Theatre and many others. It has been a long trip since my vaccination at the Hannah Schloss Building on High Street. My generation has experienced many changes and much trauma. However, it is heartwarming to know that in spite of the many challenges that have taken place in the last cen- tury that there is a Jewish Community Center in our lives to serve the ever-changing and yet continuing needs of the Jewish people. giLricha Plans to locate a JCC in Oak Park was the subject of some discord. Since the city of Oak Park's community center already existed, many Jewish residents felt that a JCC would not be necessary in their area. Despite their opposition, the JCC was built on Ten Mile Road. Although small in size, there is a vitality there that is contagious. It encompasses a gamut of interests, activities and age groups: immi- grants speaking Russian, English-as-a-second-language classes, babies being wheeled in multi-seated strollers, children of all ages from nursery school to teens, exercise participants from early morn- ing to evening, basketball players, swimmers, choirs, luncheons with entertainers and card and mah jongg players. After retirement in 1981, I participated in yoga classes until I responded to an invitation to join a group which was exploring a new concept for retirees. It eventually led to my involvement with the Institute for Retired Professionals, which has expanded my horizons as well as my group of friends. Lillian Bernstein, a member of the Institute for Retired Professionals, is the former director of the Junior Division (now Young Adult Division) of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.