Metro
ON THE COVER
A Unique
Friendshi
In Detroit, Jews and Chaldeans
share common bonds.
f re
ship now as being in a "lull." Still
friendly, but with fewer formal
contacts. Meetings between
friends, but not many organized
he dinner was awkward
affairs.
when appetizers were
Says Father Frank Kalabat,
served. The chasm that
pastor
of St. Thomas Chaldean
separated the two groups
Catholic
Church: "Rabbi Bennett
seemed too wide for leaping.
and I both feel that we should be
Most of the Chaldeans at the
doing more, that there is a need
dinner tables were born in Iraq.
to come back together once in a
Their families had fled its
while. The two of us have great
oppressive regime at some per-
rapport. But,ss they say, the
sonal sacrifice to get a foothold
heart 'is willing but the flesh is
on a better life. The Jewish par-
weak.
ticipants had grown up in
"When we got the kids from
Detroit or Oak Park, easily
the two communities to work
assimilated into the American
together on a Blight-Busters
experience and comfortable in
project in Detroit, it was a
the larger community. •
remarkable thing. One of them
But as entrees arrived and
told me later that when they
conversations went deeper, a
started working on repairing
shock of recognition flashed
that house they forgot who was
around the room.
Chaldean and who was Jewish.
"The reaction of the Jewish
That's why I want to do some-
group was,:You're telling me the
thing like that again."
story of my grandparents:" says
"I'd call it an interlude says
Rabbi Josh Bennett of Temple
Martin
Manna, publisher of the
Israel. "On the Chaldean side, it
Chaldean
News. "There was a
was the recognition of another
- void and it has been filled. An
culture that had survived for
understanding has grown up.
generations as a minority and
pointed the way to succeeding as People from the two communi-
ties have gotten to know each
a community in America while
other.
retaining its identity"
"I think the mood in the
This Jewish-Chaldean dinner
Chaldean community is that it's
was held a decade ago at
time to celebrate our achieve-
Shenandoah Country Club, now
ments, but the relationships that
part of the Chaldean Cultural
have been made won't be forgot-
Center. It was prompted by the
ten."
perception of growing tension
Manna, in fact; turned to
between the two groups in - area
high schools, and also by the fact Jewish News Publisher Arthur
Horwitz for guidance when he
that Temple Israel and
began planning the publication
Shenandoah sit right across
that serves his own community.
Walnut Lake Road from each
"They were just some conver-
other in West Bloomfield.
sations relating to helping out in
That event is still regarded as
a business context:' says
the watershed in relations
Horwitz. "Martin asked good
between the communities; the
questions and I tended to agree
point at which both groups real-
with
him conceptually. And we
ized, to the astonishment of
still talk about ideas from time
some, that much more united
to time.
them than they ever had
• "I'm proud of what they've
dreamed.
accomplished with that paper.
Those who remain active in
We're. neighbors. We live togeth-
bringing the two communities
er, shop together, have business
together describe the relation-
George Cantor
Special to the Jewish News
T
alma, pdblisher of the Chaldean News, `h a
orked to bring their two communities together..
Friendship on page 30
* TN
December 8 • 2005
29