include a paid staff member, (admin-
istrative assistant) Dave Henig." -
As immediate past president, Rabbi
Nevins will now work within MBOR
to strengthen bridges with other reli-
gious communities.
In addition to that charge, he is
taking over the presidency of the
Michigan Rabbinical Assembly from
his Adat Shalom colleague Rabbi
Herbert Yoskowitz. Rabbi Nevins
expects to remain active with numer-
ous organizations as well, including his
board membership on the national
Rabbinical Assembly Committee on
Jewish Law and Standards. He serves
on the board of JAIvID, is vice presi-
dent of the Farmington Area Interfaith
Association and soon will join the
board of the National Conference for
Community and Justice.

The New President

A Temple Israel rabbi since his 1986
ordination from the Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Religion,
Rabbi Yedwab earned a bachelor's
degree in politics from Princeton
University in Princeton, N.J. In metro
Detroit, he helped found several pro-
grams, including the Miracle Mission
to Israel for Teens, March of the
Living-Michigan Unity Mission,
Future Leaders of Klal Yisrael Mission,
Singles Shabbat Network and
Forgotten Harvest, a Southfield-based
prepared food distribution agency.
Rabbi Yedwab is on the national
advisory board of MAZON: A Jewish
Response to Hunger and has written
five books, including the newly pub-
lished, The God Book.
As the MBOR president, Rabbi
Nevins says, "My term coincided with
some very difficult times for America
and for Israel, with the current intifa-
da [Palestinian uprising] and the Sept.
11 attacks.
"I was called upon to represent our
community in many different forums,
from media work to interfaith meet-
ings," he says. "This was a great chal-
lenge and a high honor. I hope that I
represented our community well."
The rabbi welcomes his successor:
"I know that Rabbi Yedwab will be a
passionate and articulate voice of the
rabbinic community here in
Michigan, and I greatly anticipate his
future contributions."
Eager to begin, Rabbi Yedwab says,
"The chance to meet with my col-
leagues and to discuss issues with them
has become very central to my rab-
binate, and I cherish it."

❑

Past And Future

Local youth focus on history and hope for Israel.

SHELL' LIEBMAN DORFMAN

StaffWriter

1ff embers of B'nei Akiva of
Detroit celebrated Yom
Yerushalayim (Jerusalem
Day) with the perform-
ance of a play depicting the history of
Jerusalem.
"The program included a presenta-
tion focusing on the destruction of the
Temple in 70 C.E. and the reunification
of Jerusalem in 1967," says Joshua Skarf,
a volunteer advisor for B'nei Akiva, the
local youth branch of the modern
Orthodox Zionist group, Mizrachi.
Active for more than 40 years, the
Detroit group hosts Shabbat afternoon

meetings at Young Israel of Oak Park
and Sara Tugman Bais Chabad Torah
Center in West Bloomfield.
While the group once was coordinat-
ed by shlichim (emissaries) from Israel, it
now is run by local volunteers.
Programming, including the Yom
Yerushalayim dinner, is co-sponsored by
Detroit Kollel Torah MiTzion, (a Zionist
community Torah learning center) in
Southfield.
B'nei Akiva focuses on teaching the
ideals of Torah, avodah (work-worship)
and aliyah (immigration to Israel).
'As aliyah is a main focus, it is often
hard to find adult leaders for the move-
ment. Consequently, there is a large
amount of turnover in the leadership,"

Skarf says of the group's mostly high
school-age leaders. 'Although it has been
difficult to maintain a full schedule of
programs throughout the year without
full-time shlichim, a number of events _
and activities are still held each year for
both parents and children in grades 1-
12," Skarf says.
The May 9 dinner event at Young
Israel of Oak Park brought 180 guests to
view the play, a dance performance and
flag march. Rabbi Shlomo Sobol, head
of Detroit Kollel Torah MiTzion gave a
dvar Torah (Torah lesson) and Talia
Schostak, 17, of Southfield, mazkirat
galil (director) of B'nei Akiva of Detroit
addressed the group.

❑

In the Yom Yerushalayim play are Yehudis Blumenfeld, 16, of Oak Park; Eland Rothstein, 15, of Southfield; Rachel Cohen, 15,
of Oak Park; Merav Platt, 16, of Southfield; Hallie Platt, 13, of Southfield; Ariella Wrotslaysky, 14, of Southfield; Goldie
Abrin, 16, of Oak Park; and Leora Schostak, 15, of Southfield.

6/21
2002

59