Renewing Jewish Faith
BY RABBI IRWIN GRONER
"it is my hope that this volume will bring to both
Jews and non-Jews a greater understanding of
and a deeper appreciation for the relevance and
insight ofJudaism. May these sermons advance the
ageless task that has been enjoined upon us by our
tradition." -- Rabbi Irwin Groner
r Monday, November 8, 2004 - 11:00 AM
Jewish Community Center - Oak Park
RABBI IRWIN GRONER WILL BE SPEAKING AND PRESENTING
HIS NEW BOOK "RENEWING JEWISH FAITH". DO NOT MISS
THIS OPPORTUNITY AS HE INTRODUCES HIS COLLECTION
OF HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS FROM HIS FOUR DECADES OF
SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP. RELIVE HIS FAMOUS SERMONS, SUCH
AS "THE MISSING PIECE", "THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS" AND
"WHEN LIFE IS NOT FAIR".
BOOKS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE.
Also Appearing at the Local Author's Table
Sunday, November 7, 2004 - 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Jewish Community Center - West Bloomfield
COME TO THE LOCAL AUTHOR'S TABLE WHERE YOU WILL
Promoting Hope
Green family funds child a development center
for Arabs and Jews.
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET RABBI IRWIN GRONER
(11:00 AM TO NOON) AND OTHER LOCAL AUTHORS. WHILE
SHARON LUCKERMAN
THERE, PURCHASE YOUR OWN COPY OF "RENEWING JEWISH
StaffWriter
FAITH" AND EXPERIENCE THIS COLLECTION OF HIS MOVING
, or many of his 95 years, for-
mer Detroiter Irwin Green,
who now lives in Florida, has
generously contributed to his beloved
Israel, to its museums, youth centers
and scientific and medical institu-
tions like the Weizmann Institute of
Science in Rehovot. But four years
ago, Green's generosity took a turn.
Learning about rioting in which 12
Israeli Arabs and one Palestinian died
in clashes with police in the Nazareth
area, Green discovered a part of the
Israeli population — 20 percent of
it, he says — that he, like most Jews,
overlooked.
"Many people don't know the dif-
ference between the Israeli Arabs and
the Palestinians," Green says.
"These Arabs are citizens of Israel,
but are treated as second-class citi-
zens, and they're not getting enough
support from the [Israeli] govern-
ment. These citizens are not produc-
tive, and that does damage to Israel."
So he decided to do something
about it.
As a way of bringing the Jewish
population of Upper Nazareth closer
to its Arab neighbors in the city of
Nazareth, the Irwin Green family
contributed $750,000 to build a
child development center, the first of
its kind in the region, that serves
Arab and Jewish children with special
needs, such as developmental disabil-
SERMONS.
About Rabbi Irwin Groner...
FOR FOUR DECADES, RABBI IRWIN GRONER HAS BEEN
THE SPIRITUAL LEADER OF CONGREGATION SHAAREY
ZEDEK IN SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN, ONE OF THE LARGEST
CONSERVATIVE CONGREGATIONS IN NORTH AMERICA. AS
SENIOR RABBI, HE DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF AS AN AUTHOR
A COMMUNAL LEADER AND A PUBLIC SPEAKER IN 2003,
HE RECEIVED THE RABBI SIMON GREENBERG AWARD FOR
DISTINGUISHED RABBINIC SERVICE FROM THE JEWISH
THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. HE WON RECOGNITION FOR HIS
ROLE AS PRESIDENT OF THE RABBINICAL ASSEMBLY AND FOR
HIS WORK AS CHAIRMAN OF THE "ETZ HAYIM" PUBLICATION
COMMITTEE THAT PRODUCED THE ACCLAIMED COMMENTARY
ON THE TORAH. HIS SERMONS, ESSAYS, AND ARTICLES HAVE
BEEN WIDELY PUBLISHED.
RABBI IRWIN GRONER IS THE PRODUCT OF A DISTINGUISHED
RABBINIC FAMILY IN CHICAGO. HE HOLDS DEGREES
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO AND THE HEBREW
THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE OF CHICAGO. IN 1982, HE RECEIVED
AN HONORARY DOCTORATE FROM THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY.
Renewing Jewish Faith
PUBLISHING SPONSORED BY..
A. ALFRED TAUBMAN
11/ 5
2004
24
I
Onn
tEINGFIG
SHAAREY ZEDEK1
Rabbi Irwin Groner's
appearances at the 53rd
Annual Jewish Community
Center Book Fair
SPONSORED BY...
CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK
AND THE SINAI GUILD
F
ities or developmental delays. In
addition, the center will sponsor
enrichment activities and guidance
for parents and children.
The center, located in the Israeli
Arab community, was inaugurated
last month and will provide both
diagnostic services and treatment to
children up to age 5.
Green envisions hundreds of Israeli
children getting high-quality services
so they will grow up physically and
emotionally healthy, he says. He also
sees the center as a way of bringing
Jewish and Arab women together.
Jewish women will bring their chil-
dren to the center because of its
quality services, Green says, and, in
the process, they will meet Arab
mothers who will be at the hospital
with their children for the same rea-
sons.
The Irwin Green family and the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit were partners in planning
and developino- the center, in cooper-
ation with the b State of Israel.
Bridging Two Worlds
But the center is not the first project
since Green's awakening to the prob-
lem in the Nazareth municipality. He
says he began to get involved four
years ago after learning about the
drug problem in both Nazareths —
Jewish and Arab.
"It's a major problem there," Green