Editor's Letter
Teen Territory
T
eenagers have moved front and center on the local
March of the Living to Poland and Israel.
Jewish communal stage. That's not surprising.
Federation's Diller Teen Fellows Program has real potential
Federation's 2005 demographic study reveals 17,000 to help kids discover the depth of their Jewish soul. The highly
kids ages 17 and younger among Metro Detroit's 72,000 Jews.
subsidized program involves an intensive year of acquiring
More than 16 percent of our Jewish population consists of kids Jewish communal leadership and service skills. Nurturing
ages 10-19, meaning teens are, and will be, a huge percentage
future leaders certainly is pivotal to Detroit's Jewish future.
of who we are.
Diller came to Detroit thanks to the San Francisco-based
The sweep and significance of
Helen Diller Family Foundation, with support from our
what it means to be a Jewish teen
Federation's Stephen H. Schulman Millennium Fund. That
was reinforced as I listened to Arnie
fund supports projects that benefit local Jewish teens.
Weiner speak at the March 15 tribute
The Schulman Fund also supports the Detroit Jewish News'
marking his upcoming retirement as
monthly teen magazine, Teen2Teen, and its Web site,
executive director of the B'nai B'rith
JNt2t.com. T2T provides an expressive teen forum and an
Youth Organization/Michigan Region
engaging teen outlet — a fragile experiment in Jewish journal-
after 39 years of sterling service. He
ism. T2T is a window into the lives of our teens: their chal-
has touched thousands of teen lives
lenges, ambitions, hopes and dreams.
as a counselor and role model. Under
his stewardship, Michigan Region has
Engine Of Engagement
become one of the largest and most
The Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit also is
successful BBYO programs. Its mission is to provide teens and
aboard the teen express. It's striving to become Teen Central.
preteens with uplifting Jewish activities that are social, educa-
Consider this summer's JCC Maccabi Games, which will host
Staff photo by Armando Rios
tional and service oriented.
2,500 visiting competitors, 500 local competitors,
Many Michigan Region alumni have risen
500 coaches and 1,000 volunteers. The Games,
to prominent positions professionally and in
which offer athletic competition and artistic expe-
Jewish life. "Many of our most valued leaders
riences, really do help reinforce Jewish heritage
state that they got their start as community
through cultural and social activities. Their main
leaders from BBYO, and therefore from your
goal is to help 13- to 16-year-olds learn more about
influence Barbara Horowitz, who chairs the
who they are as Jews through the power of peer
Michigan Region BBYO Commission, told
interaction and influence. The Games are merely
Weiner in her testimonial.
the vehicle for kids coming together.
During the well-earned tribute at Orchard
Just in time for the Games, a brand-new inter-
Mall in West Bloomfield, Weiner talked about
active teen center will open in the old Holocaust
the good times and great relationships. But
Memorial Center next to the JCC's Kahn Building in
mostly, he talked about shaping the Jewish
West Bloomfield. The teen center will have a ready
Arnie Weiner
identities of four generations of teens. I can't
source of school-year participants from the nearby
think of a better legacy than one of recognition
Frankel Jewish Academy and its 225 students.
for helping Jewish kids embrace their Judaism and gain self-
confidence.
Road Still Rocky
Despite the brighter times, the number of teens involved in
Synagogue Trailblazing
Jewish youth groups has declined precipitously in the last 10
BBYO isn't the only teen motivator.
years. Teens are dropping out of Jewish life at the moment
The Conservative synagogues in Metro Detroit are seeing
when religious affiliation and identity are being formed. And
the future now and combining resources to tailor a hip new
teen enrollment in synagogue schools is falling. Secular inter-
Monday-night program aimed at educating and energizing
ests continue to grow.
teens. The high school program, based at Hillel Day School of
Our teens do respond with the right encouragement, howev-
Metropolitan Detroit, is dubbed MID: Alliance for Teens in
er. For example, West Bloomfield-based Friendship Circle has
Detroit. It seeks to kindle appreciation of lifelong Jewish living
no trouble drawing Jewish teens as volunteers and mentors.
and learning. Ruach (spirit) will furnish the spark for teens to
Moreover, the Israel component in Jewish Detroit's youth
learn, mingle and grow as Jews. Atid is Hebrew for "future'
experiences has helped give teens the tools to be effective
Against assimilation's relentless pull, ATID organizers under- Zionist advocates against the onslaught of pro-Arab propa-
stand that synagogues, of all places, can't be timid in pursuit of ganda that coats and tears the Jewish community.
connecting spiritually with teens — still impressionable and
Its shortsighted and dangerous to think that teenagers can't
doubting.
help counter the chaos of the Jewish world. They just need the
ATID has the wherewithal to be a paradigm for synagogue
right motivation, enrichment and opportunity. ❑
collaboration in building teen programs and inspiring teen
service. I hope the new catch phrase, Conservateens, catches on
as a boost to the embattled Conservative movement.
O : Are we as a community supportive
g
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This summer, three busloads of kids will take part in the
Teen Mission to Israel; this spring, 14 teens will go on the
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