T
hey knew they had their work cut out for them
when Aaron and Jennifer Ellenbogen fell more in
love with the 1-acre backyard than the 1963 tri-level
that came with it.
turn around that impression," he said.
DJI's programs, such as the Detroit
Jewish Coalition for Literacy, which
coordinates hundreds of volunteers to
help kids learn how to read in about 40
public schools, "link us to important
leaders and institutions in the city of
Detroit, focusing on the African-
American and Latino community,"
David said.
He said his arrival at the Council
coincided with the start of the first
Palestinian intifada "and my departure
coincides with, hopefully, the end of the
second intifada."
One of his legacies, "for better or
worse, will be the improvement of rela-
tionships with the local Arab and
Muslim communities at a time of
tremendous stress and potential conflict
among our communities," he said. "It
may be the thing I'm most proud of
because it entailed so many risks that
the other communities would reject us
and the Jewish community would con-
clude that we were moving in the wrong
direction."
He cited debating local Arab leaders,
like Nasser Beydoun, in Birmingham
during the peak of the intifada a few
years ago, then co-writing an article
with him on the Palestinian elections
last year.
"It took a bit of negotiation to get this
article written, but I think it was pivotal
event," he said. "It's not just what we
said, it's the fact that we were writing an
article together that hopefully sent a
message to our two communities that
we can get along together, and we don't
have to see such other as enemies."
Steven Silverman, outgoing Council
president, said the relationships that
David has forged with key decision.
makers in other communities has
ensured that the Jewish voice is heard
not just at critical junctures but at a
more informal day-to-day basis.
And it's the informal Jewish voice that
has prevented things from becoming
critical, Silverman said. "The fact that
we haven't had a truly major crisis
speaks well to his stewardship and lead-
ership," he said. "We've been able to
maintain lines of communication with
people who don't necessarily share our
perspective, but they respect David
enough to understand that the position
he's taking is based on principle and not
on enmity"
David said it's during quiet times,
when the work is behind the scenes and
not in the media, that the Council's role
is hard to quantify.
"Oftentimes, it's the bad times that
didn't happen that are the accomplish-
ments," he said.
We bought the house for the land," says Jennifer. Then
they called Gittleman.
The kitchen was first on their to-do list but dropped quickly
to second when a flood forced a speedy reconditioning of
what is now an all-new playroom. They came right over,
stripped the walls, the floors, took everything out" then
totally refinished everything, from floor to ceiling.
With one job done, the Ellenbogen's invited Gittleman to
move onto the kitchen to not only double its size but
embrace their fantastic view by installing a bank of
windows overlooking the land that first enticed them. All
new cabinetry, granite countertops, hardwood floors, a
cathedral ceiling and a center island make the renewed
heart of the home "the kitchen my husband has always
dreamed of, " says Jennifer, acknowledging the serious
cook in the family, Of course, she likes it, too.
Best yet, she noted, was the day-to-day compatibility of the Gittleman tradesmen who were on the job for nearly
5 months — except for a brief time out when Jennifer gave birth to Henry, now 6 months old.
"I felt so comfortable with them," she recalled. "They always let me know what they would be doing, if it might
wake my older son (Jacob, 21/2) from a nap." And, they always delivered what they promised, a job well done,
on time and within budget.
Gittleman will be back again soon, Jennifer added, the family room is next in the houseful of projects and that is
according to plan.
"We knew we were going to be redoing everything," she said.
Next time you know you've got a lot of projects...or maybe just a little one, rely on Gittleman to do what you
need, when you need it, in a manner you can live with.
JUST ASK THE ELLENBOGEN'S.
GITTLEMAN
Gri
%.% CONSTRUCTION
inc
28580 ORCHARD LAKE RD., SUITE 102
FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334
248.538.5400
www.gittleman.net
RENOVATIONS
CUSTOM
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Help you get ready
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❑
Activist Of The Tear
Dennis Bernard, whose work in Lansing helped secure state funding for
mental health and social welfare services at Jewish agencies, received the
Jewish Community Council of Metropolitan Detroit's 2005 Activist of the
Year Award at its annual meeting May 25 at the Jewish Community Center
in West Bloomfield.
Besides family, what's important in
life is "to appreciate beauty, to find the
best in others, to leave the world a lit-
tle better," said Bernard, former board
chairman of Southfield-based JVS and
executive committee member of
Farmington Hills-based JARC. "If
even one life can breathe easier
because you have lived, that is the
meaning of success."
Bernard serves on the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
Dennis Bernard
Board of Governors and the local
boards of the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee and Bar-Ilan University, co-chairs the State Government
Relations Oversight Committee and is a member of the State of Michigan
task Force for People v,rith Developmental Disabilities and Chronic Mental
Illness.
It was Council's last annual meeting for executive director David Gad
Harf, who is moving to New York. New officers were installed, including
Wendy Wagenheim as president; Arline Gould, Todd Mendel, and David
Victor as vice-presidents; Micki Grossman as secretary; and Judy Rosenberg
as treasurer. They will serve one-year terms.
— Hany Kirsbaum, sta writer.
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