I Metro
ON THE COVER
Eternal Teen
For Arnie Weiner, the challenges and
successes through four decades were
the same: Jewish teenagers.
Alan Hitsky
Associate Editor
.
j
une 30 will be Arnie Weiner's last day on the job. After turning 63 and work-
ing 39 years at Michigan Region B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, Weiner will
hang up the mantle of leading and supervising the maturation of literally
thousands of Michigan Jewish teenagers.
Last month, former BBYO chapter president and region vice president Eric
Adelman, now 29 and a resident of Berkley, began training to take over Weiner's role.
(See accompanying story.)
Weiner is leaving for all the right reasons. He's anxious to "try different things while
I'm still young and healthy." And working with teenagers takes up many nights and
weekends. "I want to see what else is out there Weiner said, and "I want to be more
available to my wife." He'd also like to volunteer with the Detroit Symphony and learn
more Hebrew — he has been taking weekly Hebrew classes since 1996.
Eternal Teen on page A15
.
Departing BBYO Regional Director Arnie Weiner in front of a colorful board with the
names of some of the BBYO chapters
The Successor
Eric Adelman
comes home to
BBYO.
Alan Hitsky
Associate Editor
E
ric Adelman met his wife,
Karen, at a BBYO staff train-
ing conference. He was an
assistant director of the Milwaukee-
based Wisconsin Region and she was
working for the South Florida Region.
Today, the two live in Berkley, not
far from Adelman's childhood home in
north Oak Park. They have a 15-month-
old daughter, Jocelyn; Karen works as
assistant director of Hillel of Metro
Detroit out of Wayne State University;
and Eric has his dream job.
"I told Karen when we moved back
here five years ago that if Arnie
[Weiner] ever left, it would be the per-
fect job for me."
Adelman, 29, has been named
successor to Weiner as director of
Michigan Region BBYO.
A founding member of Groucho Marx
AZA in Huntington Woods in 1996,
Eric later became chapter president
and a Michigan Region vice president.
The son of Cary and Ellen Adelman,
he graduated from Berkley High
School and earned a bachelor's in
Judaic studies at George Washington
University in Washington, D.C. He is
one class away from earning a mas-
ter's in public administration at Wayne
State.
After two years at Wisconsin Region
BBYO, Adelman came back to Detroit.
He worked for three years as the
interfaith and government liaison at
the Jewish Community Council of
Metropolitan Detroit (now the Jewish
Community Relations Council), and two
years in the development department
of JARC.
He started learning his new job
at Michigan Region BBYO in mid-
December.
"It was the right opportunity, and it
is very exciting," Adelman said. "After
all, this opening doesn't happen often
– it's the first time in four decades!"
While it may be too early to have a
fixed agenda, Adelman has some pri-
orities:
• Increase membership. Adelman
wants BBYO to reach out to all Jewish
teens.
• Reconnect with alumni. "There are
thousands who remember their time
with BBYO fondly," he said. Michigan
Region recently hosted a 1970s/1980s
alumni reunion and is planning one for
1990s alumni.
• Chapter advisers. Michigan Region
has as many as 30 AZA and BBG
chapters and each one needs an adult
adviser. "There are lots of nights and
weekends," Adelman said, "but without
the advisers there are no chapters.
The whole thing falls down." The advis-
ers have "wonderful relationships with
great kids. You get to watch them
grow and succeed – and sometimes
not succeed."
He and Weiner, who will continue as
Michigan Region director until June
30, also have an open staff position
to fill plus a second one when Weiner
leaves.
Working for BBYO "is a great job for
young Jewish college grads," Adelman
said. "You work with a diverse group
– kids, advisers, parents. You build up
skills and give back to the community.
It set me on the right path."
Adelman talks about his predeces-
sor almost with awe: "Arnie built up
this program over 39 years and it is
so strong and it has impacted literally
Eric Adelman, incoming regional
director of BBYO Michigan
thousands of Detroit kids. It is two
generations, and he is working on his
third.
"Michigan is one of the top BBYO
regions and that's a tribute to him."
❑
BBYO's March 15 "Fashion
Unleashed" fundraiser will include
a tribute reception honoring Arnie
Weiner. For information, call BBYO,
(248) 788-0700.
January 10 • 2008
A13