,
Eaitor's Letter
Bookends That Echo
W
hile we fret over the loss of so many young adults
to urban hotspots across the country, let's not
lose sight of the huge blocks of people younger
than 18 and older than 64 who also call the Detroit Jewish
community home. Together, they make up 50 percent of our
population. Though different, their needs will demand more
of our collective attention. If we're not prepared, the impact
could not only bring individual hard-
ship, but also communal distress.
First and foremost, our kids look to
the community to bolster their Jewish
identity. Parents provide the keys to
awakening kids to who they are as
Jews, but classrooms furnish the tex-
ture of learning so pivotal to exploring
and embracing these religious roots.
With a median age of 47 and a
declining population, Jewish Detroit
will continue to grow older unless
there's an unanticipated gain in
20- and 30-somethings moving back here. So the expected
result is an active, but aging community seeking more senior
services, especially to fulfill housing, mobility, medical and
social needs.
Many seniors are living longer, healthier lives. Others don't
have the same zip yet still contribute to
the vigor of the community. But all require
steady exposure to Jewish experiences
so they can continue to be examples for
our youngest generations. Like our kids,
our seniors can't lay down the books that
impart sacred knowledge, that enrich us
with Jewish history, instruct us in Jewish
tradition and immerse us in Jewish life.
our largest and oldest day school.
The Trust has great potential. I hope that Aronson's wizard-
ry at recruiting funders brings out that potential. Day schools
are proven builders of Jewish identity, engagement and lead-
ership. Studies bear that out.
Meanwhile, our synagogue and supplemental schools that
serve kids enrolled in public school systems play significant
roles as well: teaching Torah, instilling values, sharing tradi-
tion. In the wake of Michigan's depressed economy and the
Jewish community's plea for increased resources, however,
Federation's Annual Campaign can't possibly meet all of the
operational and scholarship needs of these afternoon schools.
Jewish camping and lifelong learning also yield rich divi-
dends but could serve even more Jews with more funding.
So I hope that the array of leaders and philanthropists at
Aronson's address listened when he declared, "A new, major
effort will be necessary to bring innovation, creativity, excite-
ment and engagement to Jews of all ages in all possible edu-
cational settings."
Federation's Jewish Education Visioning Task Force has a
huge — and critical — order to fill.
Moving Forward
On the senior service front, Aronson called for developing an
Elder Services Coalition. It would look beyond the horizon of
As human bookends, our kids and seniors
make life special for the age groups in
between. This linkage is essential to building
community and nurturing services.
Our Priorities
This nexus between our precious community edges — the
younger and older generations — came to mind as I lis-
tened to our top communal professional outline his vision of
Detroit Jewry's priorities for the new year of 5767.
"Jewish education and older adult services will be the
bookends of our Federation for the coming year," Robert
Aronson said on Sept. 28 at the joint annual meeting of the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and its bank-
ing/real estate arm, the United Jewish Foundation. Aronson is
Federation's chief executive officer.
I liked Aronson's imagery. As human bookends, our kids
and seniors make life special for the age groups in between.
This linkage is essential to building community and nurtur-
ing services. Addressing 350 people at the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield, Aronson, ever the visionary, urged
that we designate major resources to education and eldercare.
He vowed to develop a creative fundraising plan.
I believe in Jewish day schools and the unique way that
they mix secular and religious study in a Jewish setting. Like
Aronson suggested, we as a community should renew our
commitment to the Jewish Education Trust, which began with
fanfare in 2002. It's now $6 million along, including pledges,
toward a $50 million endowment for Jewish day school edu-
cation — a bold initiative to endow school operations and to
assure that cost won't be a barrier to enrollment. The Trust
hasn't grown as hoped for to assist our day schools' financial
battles, most notably those fought at Yeshiva Beth Yehudah,
Federation's current infrastructure to chart new ways to care
for, serve and support our seniors and their varied needs.
"We will need to think on a much bigger level and inves-
tigate the best practices throughout the country in order to
develop the next generation of services for this crucial popu-
lation," Aronson said.
He should think big: We need a better blueprint. There's no
shame in adapting what works elsewhere. Our seniors nour-
ish the community with their years of know-how and insight.
Strengthening the bookends of Jewish education and older
adult services won't be easy. But we have no choice if we want
the Detroit Jewish community to remain vital amid change
and not deteriorate — physically, spiritually or structurally.
Aronson set the bar high: "We can do this if we put our heart
into it. This is a time to challenge, not to doubt, ourselves."
Federation holds the burden of securing Detroit's Jewish
future with a long-range strategic plan that must resonate
within the community to guarantee its success.
0
Has Federation kept pace with
demographic trends?
ul
a What are Jewish Detroit's most urgent
Z z challenges?
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E-mail: letters®thejewishnews.com
October 5 2006 5