FREE Phone Never pay long distance again! No Roaming Charge STAR TRAX Voice-activated Dialing "It is wonderful that Detroit has been a draw for many young rabbis of all the movements," Rabbi Nevins said. "I think most of the rabbis enjoy our unusually close working relationship, symbolized by the Michigan Board of Rabbis." Rabbi Nevins is past president of the multi-stream rabbinic group. S300 MINUTES $29.99 A MONTH ANY QUESTIONS! EVENT PRODUCTIONS PAGEROINIE cingular The Greatest Interactive Entertainment in the Country WIRELESS Cellular and Paging Services is in your Back Yard! 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We do the work & you have the fun! • • • • Fabulous Bar/Bat mitzvah packages Group Outings • Corporate Events Fund Raisers • School Parties Birthday Party Packages '17-'1, 7' s-47, €any, B* Everything you need under one roof Book your party today! 5700 Drake Road (Just S. 12/12 2003 6. day Pa New Clergy Patka of Walnut Lake) • 248-661-4200 • Check us out online at www.usblades.com OPEN SUNDAYS 311 " a Mon.-Fri. 10am-8pm Thurs. 10am-8:45pm Sat. 10am-5:45pm Being There While some congregations are making changes, other Conservative synagogues have marked stability. At Congregation Beth Shalom, Rabbi David Nelson and Cantor Samuel Greenbaum have each served in their current positions for more than 30 years. Rabbi Nelson recently announced that he will step down from the pulpit in 2005. For congregational clergy — like Cantor Larry Veider of Adat Shalom Synagogue and Rabbi Irwin Groner of Congregation Shaarey Zedek — the title change to "emeritus" keeps them still involved in their synagogues but on less-demanding schedules. Each has served his congregation for more than 40 years. Other congregations have joined together to blend membership, clergy and services. The 1998 merger between Congregation Beth Achim and Adat Shalom brought Rabbi Herbert Yoskowitz, other staff members and Beth Achim congregants to the Adat Shalom building. "The merger was symbiotic," Rabbi Nevins said, "allow- ing the strengths of two congregations to reinforce one another." Beth Achim itself was a merger of Ahavas Achim and Beth Aaron congre- gations. "Rabbi Yoskowitz and I have truly enjoyed working together," Rabbi Nevins said. "This has been the greatest blessing of the merger, from my per- spective." The merger of the two synagogues also brought together their two religious schools, naming it the Beth Achim Religious School. The school retained the Adat Shalom director, Elissa Berg. 12 Noon - 5pm Tic DIAMONDS & FINE ,JEWELRY Michigan's most trusted jeweler since 1977 7,7 ec,f, While some area rabbinic positions have been eliminated, searches are under way to fill others recently vacated. At Adat Shalom, filling the position left by Rabbi Strear is a luxury. "It is unusual for a 1,200-family congregation to employ three rabbis," Rabbi Nevins said. "But if we can find the right person, we are eager to expand our team." In fact, he said, "We interviewed can- didates last year but did not find the `star' we were searching for. Our position is listed with the Rabbinical Assembly and there is reason to believe we will find a wonderful third rabbi to join our staff this year." A search committee also has been formed for a cantor to serve when Cantor Howard Glantz leaves Adat Shalom this June. "We have an active search committee and are already receiv- ing many high-level inquiries," Rabbi Nevins said. "The process is going far quicker and better than I expected." At Shaarey Zedek, a search is under way for both an additional cantor and for a rabbi to fill the position opened when Rabbi Leonardo Bitran left to serve a Texas congregation this past sum- mer. Rabbis Joseph Krakoff and Jonathan Berkun remain. Despite the departure of some clergy and elimination of some positions, Rabbi Nevins said, "We added many new rabbinic positions in this communi- ty recently." Recently hired Conservative non-pul- pit rabbis include Rabbi Tziona Szajman, who joined Congregation Beth Shalom in July 2002 as rabbi educator for religious school and youth; Rabbi Lauren Berkun, Jewish Theological Seminary Midwest Rabbinic Fellow; Rabbi Shoshana Dworsky, assis- tant director at the University of Michigan Hillel; and Rabbi Steven Freedman, new head of school at Hillel Day Rabbi Krakoff School of Metropolitan Detroit. "Plus there are three rabbis at JAMD whose positions didn't exist four years ago," said Rabbi Nevins. When Adat Shalom hired Rabbi Strear, his position was newly created as an outreach rabbi. Shaarey Zedek's Rabbi Krakoff had praise for the local Jewish community. "Detroit is an absolutely amazing community in which to be a rabbi," he said. "[My wife] Susan and I have found it to be warm, inviting and dynamic from the moment we arrived in July, 1998. It is an involved, concerned and deeply philanthropic Jewish community that in many ways sets the standard for the country. "I am proud to be part of this com- munity and think that Detroit is one of the best-kept secrets in the American Jewish scene." ❑