Metro
SPECIAL
REPORT
"Many of the
respondents could
have handled the
job, but we picked
t he person we felt
ould be the best.
nd, Bob, were we
ver right."
Full Speed from page 19
sees his giving. And also with
Michael Steinhardt in New York,
who, besides being somebody I
consider a good friend, is also
a great Jewish philanthropist.
A little rough around the edges
sometimes, but I love him. I love
both of these guys.
"I get to do this a couple of
days a week. The only problem is
it doesn't really work out to two
days someplace else and three
days in Detroit. It's more like two
days someplace else and seven
days in Detroit. The part that's
missing is any private or per-
sonal time.
"I'm trying to focus my
Federation activities on long-
term strategy, fund-raising,
relationship building. There's a
lot of day-to-day stuff that I just
don't do anymore because I have
a wonderful management team
that can pick up a lot of it:'
What have been
accomplishments and
challenges?
"We always need to talk in the
"Bob is the con-
summate Jewish
professional. He
understands almost
instinctively a
way to connect
the needs of the
community, be it
the community of
Detroit, nation-
ally, and certainly
the community in
Israel."
- Larry Jackier,
former Federation president
- David Page,
former Federation president
plural, because it's really not
about me, it's about the commu-
nity, and there have -been certain
really big trends and accomplish-
ments that have taken place.
• A complete refocusing on
Jewish education and identity
as the No. 1 priority of the com-
munity.
• The Millennium Campaign
[for Detroit's Jewish Future] —
the development of the schools,
the creation of the Alliance (for
Jewish Education), our involve-
ment with the synagogues, with
the young people, and Israel.
In that 18-year period, there's
really been a shifting of focus
away from the traditional social
welfare notion of Federation to
much more of a concern and
focus on Jewish education and
identity, especially in our chil-
dren. It doesn't mean that we
have neglected our social welfare
agencies. We've also seen tremen-
dous growth in our Center, in the
development of our campus, in
housing for our elderly, in our
family service, virtually every
area of social welfare. We still
have along way to go, especially
in dealing with our older adults."
Challenges besides the
shift?
"The nature of our leadership
has probably been the single big-
gest shift of all, if I look at shift-
ing realities.
"We have gone from a group of
leaders who were highly regard-
ed as central authority figures
and what they said went. We have
moved away from that model.
With the deaths of —and when
you start naming people, you
always miss someone — but the
two obvious people for me are
David Hermelin and Max Fisher,
and those were the go-to guys for
this entire community whenever
anything hit the fan. It's differ-
ent now. We don't have supreme
authority figures.".
Are you looking?
"I think we have to play the hand
that we're dealt. The fact is the
hand we're dealt now is that we
don't have those same figure's. We
have lots of wonderful people,
who contribute in many won-
derful ways, but we don't have
the same strong central core of
leaders. You also have, in the
course of the last 18 years, in
my view, more personal agendas
and fewer communal agendas.
The central authority figures
always asked for what's best for
the community. You now have a
different type of attitude, where
people ask what's best for my
special corner of the world. That
"One of Bob's really
wonderful qualities
is bringing people
together. When he
has an idea — and
he's an idea guy
— he makes things
happen."
has changed Over the past 18
years, which I think presents one
of the biggest challenges in the
future — how do we retrain and
re-educate a new generation to
think communally?
"The good news, look at how
many people we've taken on mis-
sions to Israel alone, it's huge —
far greater than any city in the
country, including New York and
Los Angeles together. If you look
at the mega-trips, the enthusi-
asm, the intergenerational love
of Israel that we are trying to
instill, we have 200 of our young
people going on a Teen Mission
this summer with our rabbis. It's
absolutely extraordinary.
"The challenge at the same
time is we're losing support
for the Federation Campaign.
Every year, we're losing, even
after new gifts committed to the
Campaign, we're losing our base
of giving, and we're not getting
it back. We may be raising more
money from major gifts, but
Federation's campaign is sup-
posed to be a grass-roots cam-
paign, and we have to recapture
them, and find out a way to do it.
"The old approach of having
a Super Sunday, where you call
people at home and ask them to
give — nobody answers their
phone anymore, everybody's got
Caller ID.
"Mailing them their pledge
cards? We used to do .that all the
time. It's not working either.
"So now you have to get with
the Internet, you have to learn
about the use of technologies,
the Internet, Web sites and
stuff like that. It's very hard for
"None of us knew
when he came
that he would be
the undaunting
fund-raiser that he
is. As the finest
fund-raiser in all of
North- America, all
of us have benefited
by his work and his
commitment."
- Dr. Conrad Giles,
former Federation president
a Federation to do that. We're
bringing in a new marketing
approach, we're trying to bring
a new perspective into using the
Internet, and it's very difficult to
turn the battleship, if you will."
What have been
some of your perfect
moments in the past
18 years?
"Perfection only goes to God, but
I'm trying to think of some of
the high points.
"First Miracle Mission. The
moment for me was seeing the
three El Al planes on the runway
for the first time at Detroit Metro
Airport. And being together with
1,300 people in Israel for some of
our mega-events.
"I also think of the night that
Rabbi Michael Ivielchior spoke
when \NT, in effect, celebrated the
Millennium Campaign, raising
$50 million, to be able to pull
that off and to have it happen
with people that are no longer
with us, Mo Shiffman, Al Deutch,
David Hermelin. I felt blessed
that I could do that.
- Penny Blumenstein, former
Federation president
441111010110MIMO.
Timeline from page 19
'rot'
–
2006 A list of Ferieration's majar accompiishments ulder CEO Robert Aronson:
1999: Alliance for Jewish
2002: Norma Jean
Education created as a central
resource to promote, develop
and support formal and infor-
mal Jewish education for all ages
in the community. The Jewish
Education Trust created in 2001
as a related endowment cam-
paign.
and Edward Meer Jewish
Apartment
s . Dorothy & Peter B.
Brown Jewish Community Adult
Day Care Center.
• Jewish Academy of
Metropolitan Detroit established.
20
May 11 . 2006
2003: Detroit Legacy initia-
tive for Detroit's Jewish Future
• Federation's first Fisher
Mission to Israel, establishing
the leadership and commitment
of the next generation of philan-
thropic families in Detroit.
2005: The Jewish Academy
Capital ampaign, establish-
ing a permanent home for the
Academy in the West Bloomfield
JCC. Also opened Sally A. &
Graham A. Orley and Suzanne E.
and Joseph Orley JFS Building.
Source: Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
Aronson Fund
A fund-raising dinner honoring
Federation CEO Robert Aronson's
18 years of service to the Jewish
community was held May 3 at the
Jewish Community Center in West
Bloomfield.
The event drew 500 participants
at $180 a ticket. It included a live
auction and an ad journal. Proceeds
will benefit JCC youth programs
through the new Robert P. Aronson
Youth Activity Fund. To donate to
the fund, call (248) 661-1000.