1\71 +- i

N

Far left: Rabbi Morris with youth honorees
Cara Kleiman, 18, Hallie Platt, 17, and Vicki
Beneson, 17, along with Dr. Larry Brown and
President Barry Eisenberg, all of Southfield,
at last month's YIS dinner.

Raffi Levi, 11, Jonny Korman, 11, and Andrew
Korman, 9, all of Southfield, get ready for
outdoor fun in their neighborhood.

when his youngest child, Joseph, then 3,
was diagnosed with a life-threatening
medical condition requiring surgery. The
family was visiting in Israel at the time.
His wife Michal came home with Joseph
immediately, and Dr. Korman and his
older three boys followed.
"When we landed in Detroit, there were
three women from our shul waiting at the
airport in two cars," Dr. Korman said, "one
to take the boys home and to unpack and
the other to take me straight to the hospi-
tal:' He arrived 15 minutes before his son's
surgery. Joseph now is healthy. Dr. Korman
has never forgotten the kindness.
"Someone did our laundry; they took
our other sons to the orthodontist and to
tennis lessons and brought meals to the
hospital and to our home he said. "They
also set up a prayer group. The intensity of
the neighborhood makes us like family."
Dr. Korman now wants to introduce that
family to others. He had already formed
a Young Family Social Committee at the
synagogue. Next he started and heads an
Outreach Committee to welcome every-
one, but with a focus on younger families.
He joined the Fischmans in planning
the Shabbaton, along with the synagogue's
Rabbi Yechiel Morris and other YIS mem-
bers Rabbi Eric and Karynne Naftolin
Grossman, all of Southfield.

Destination Southfield

mented.
"We will provide job assistance to any-
one who moves here Dr. Korman said.
"Our shul is full of lawyers and doctors
and people who know people:" A list of
job opportunities in the area will be dis-
tributed at the Shabbaton, as will a listing
of available homes, prepared by area real
estate agents.
"When you move from another state
you don't have to deal with selling a home
in Michigan — just buying one, and that's
the easier part:' Monica said.
Dr. Korman is working on a loan pro-
gram, having raised $30,000 from YIS
congregants to help with home purchases.
"The loan money was donated to the shul
and designed to be a self-perpetuating
fund for loans as they are paid back;' he
said. "More fundraising will be done, with
a goal of at least $50,000 to be in the pool.
Each family would receive $7,200 to be
used toward their mortgage, to be paid
back to the synagogue over five years, in
equal payments, without interest."
Young families who join YIS will be
offered free membership for one year,
with scaled dues after that based on age.
Information will be shared on the syna-
gogue, including the 100-member youth
department, active sisterhood, ongoing
educational programs, committees and
services. Local day schools and yeshivot
also will be highlighted.

The committee began plans for the
Shabbaton by looking at what attracted
them to and kept them in the YIS com-
munity.
"For my family, it was great hous-
ing close to the shul, a half mile from
(Yeshivat) Akiva, where my kids go to
school, in a location that was close to
expressways, with easy access to the
`kosher food strip' in Southfield and Oak
Park:' said Dr. Korman, whose family
moved from West Bloomfield in 2003.
The committee's list of what would
entice new young families was topped
with issues relating to employment and
housing. Each was addressed, and unique
and expansive solutions were imple-

Rabbi Morris understands "the recent
demographic study indicated the met-
ropolitan Detroit Jewish community has
been decreasing in size over the years and
we are having a difficult time retaining
our younger members." But he maintains
that "while the economy is the biggest
factor for this decrease, we believe that
our strong, 120-family member commu-
nity has much to offer and is capable of
attracting new members."
And when they come, there will be room
in the synagogue, in space created by the
recent demolition of a nearby house.
"Our shul is currently working with a

14

May 17 • 2007

More People, More Space

builder and architect on plans to expand
our facility, with additional youth rooms,
expanded social hall, library, mikvah, out-
side deck and playground:' Rabbi Morris
said.
"The additional space will also make
room for a belt midrash, where a learners'
minyan will be held;' Dr. Korman said.
The Shabbaton will be free for the visi-
tors because of the money Dr. Korman
raised.
Monica Fischman added that the home
hospitality "will give our guests a more
intimate chance to meet people and ask
questions."
Friday night meals will be in host
homes and Saturday the group will eat
together at the synagogue. "Then we'll
house hop:' Dr. Korman said. "And Shabbat
is long, so there will be babysitting."
Sunday the visitors will join the congre-
gation at the annual synagogue picnic.
Without keeping count, the committee
sent Shabbaton invitations to everyone
they could think of, Monica said.
"We invited a lot of people, both people
who grew up in the community as well as
friends and family of our members," she
said. With the program still weeks away,
already several families from New York and
one from Chicago are on board to attend.

Expanding A Plan

"We are hoping for people who live out-
side of Michigan, or in Michigan — even
people who are renting here and deciding
where to buy and settle — to come see
what our shul does:' Dr. Korman said.
"Even if only one couple comes to the
Shabbaton, this will have been a success
because we got the word out that we will
bend over backwards. We want people to
see what one community is doing:"
But the hope of some outside YIS is that
there will be many.
"We expect that some of things they
are doing there can eventually be done
on a community-wide basis:' said Randie
Levin, director of agency relations for
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit. Levin also is the staff liaison to

Federation's DetroitWorks, a task force
developed to study how to bring young
adults to Detroit.
Still in its beginning stages, the task
force has spent time listening to what
their members and guests have to say.
Last month the group heard from Rabbi
Reuven Spolter of Young Israel of Oak Park
and Rabbi Harold Loss of Temple Israel in
West Bloomfield on behalf of the Michigan
Board of Rabbis.
"They spoke about the need for social
opportunities, employment offerings and
home loans as incentives for young adults
to come here,' Levin said.
YIS member Ari Fischman is on the
task force and distributed materials and
spoke to the group about what the syna-
gogue is planning. "Michigan's cost of
living is reasonable and offers a better
quality of life Ari said. "I would like to see
more people move back or pioneer here
and see how living in Michigan can better
their lifestyles:'
To glean ideas from YIS, Jennifer Levine,
Federation's Young Adult Division director,
met with members of the congregation.
"We are very supportive and very excit-
ed about what they are doing:' said Randie
Levin. "We are looking at the same things
as YIS; anything that is an incentive for
young people to locate or relocate here."
In addition to wanting to build on those
incentives and expand his community, Dr.
Korman has an ulterior motive for show-
casing YIS and its members.
"I want my kids back here he said. "If
they want to go to Israel, that's wonderful;
but they need to remember how price-
less this community is and how their dad
worked hard to get these people here."

For information on the Young
Family Shabbaton at Young Israel of
Southfield June 1-3, contact Monica
Fischman at (201) 966-1591 or
monicafischman@gmail.com ; or Dr.
Howard Korman at
hkorman@comcast.net .