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JN Thoughts
A MONTHLY MIX OF IDEAS
George Cantor's Reality Check column will return next week
The Perfect Storm
N
eed. Desire. Opportunity. And a well known,
respected, charismatic rabbi who happened to
be both Orthodox and unemployed. The perfect
storm that led to the creation of the Jewish Hospice and
Chaplaincy Network (JHCN).
On March 27, West Bloomfield-
based JHCN hosted my good friend
and colleague Tom Lynch of the
Lynch and Sons Funeral Home in
Milford. The program was titled
"The Same But Different: The
Rituals of Grief, Mourning and
Bereavement."
Tom's superb presentation fol-
lowed a panel that included a
Humanist, a reverend, an imam,
our host rabbi, Joey Krakoff, and a
pastor. In planning this event, JHCN
founder and Executive Director
Rabbi E.B. "Bunny" Freedman of
Oak Park and I hoped to draw between 250 and 300 par-
ticipants from our area's different hospices and related
professions: doctors, nurses, therapists as well as students
and academics.
As the Jewish News reported in its April 3 coverage of
this event, more than 800 people packed Congregation
Shaarey Zedek in Southfield and left with glowing evalua-
tions clamoring for more.
Our most negative comment was "We should have done
this sooner;' followed by this question, "When is our next
conference?"
As I try in amazement to contemplate the success of
"The Same But Different:' I cannot help but parallel this
event with the remarkable growth and success of the
Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network. I sensed the
need for both, but had so underestimated their potential.
If you had told me we would have 860-plus for what I
knew was going to be a great day, I would have questioned
your sanity. Although I understood the need for JHCN, I
continue to marvel at the incredible impact this organiza-
tion has had on our community.
Last year, JHCN cared for more than 450 patients, with
extended family members into the thousands; both num-
bers difficult to comprehend.
Same but different describes in so many ways JHCN.
Before Rabbi Freedman agreed to become the "hospice
rabbi" for the Hospice of Southeastern Michigan (known
today as Hospice of Michigan), he first studied the ques-
tions often asked but seldom authoritatively answered, the
Jewish response to end-of-life issues: hydration, feeding
tubes, Shabbat intervention, pulling the plug, to medicate
or withhold medication.
Through study of these very complex and sensitive
issues and challenges, there was a recognition that this
was not about decisions that Rabbi Freedman would
make for his family, but the belief that even if a deci-
sion was not consistent with his view or in conflict
with Halachah, JHCN could only work if the Chaplaincy
Network about to be formed would support the patient
and their families with the single-mindedness of a com-
fortable and peaceful end of life experience.
That single-mindedness might explain how four
Orthodox rabbis, two social workers (one Orthodox and
one who is an active member of a Reform temple and a
Jew by Choice), two retired conservative rabbis, a female
Reform rabbi — among others — can come to a team
meeting with one goal in mind -- to talk about ways to
enhance the experience for everyone coming on contact
with this group.
It is a testament to a vision that this "Same But
Different" gathering of devoted chaplains must at times
set aside their own beliefs for the family they are serving.
Each chaplain has received 1,600 hours of clinical pasto-
ral care beyond their rabbinic training. This selfless devo-
tion remains the key to the success of JHCN.
At our original board meeting, the question was
asked how this organization would be supported.
Notwithstanding the moral support of Federation, the
Michigan Board of Rabbis and Jewish Family Service and
the generous ongoing support of the Jewish Fund, there
were two revelations that have proven true to this day
amidst concerns as to the viability of this new entity.
First was that not being an actual hospice, we could
go nowhere but the community for fiscal support.
There simply was no other funding source. Rabbi
Freedman's assertion that for this concept to succeed,
we had to consistently serve this community beyond
any reasonable expectations and rely upon the good
will created.
Second, knowing to this point that Rabbi Freedman
had become "the hospice rabbi:' the focus could no longer
be on one person, but a network of chaplains with the
same goals and objectives. The credibility of this orga-
nization would have to be that regardless of the person
assigned to a patient and their family, the community
would have the confidence in the excellence demanded
and expected for this experience.
Thanks to a visionary, a team of dedicated chaplains
and staff, another Detroit original is now the envy of the
Jewish world. The charge "No Jew Is Ever Alone" is no
longer a slogan, but truly a gift of living in this great com-
munity.
❑
David Techner is a funeral director at Ira Kaufman Chapel,
Southfield.
Reversing Israel's Brain Drain
I Yitzhak Apeloig
Haifa, Israel/JTA
I
srael, like other small nations without oil but with
vibrant economies, has just one natural resource: the
brainpower of its people, honed at our seven world-
class research universities. But for Israel to benefit from
this progress, we must attract and retain the minds that
will increase achievements in coming decades.
The threat of "brain drain" — the emigration of highly
skilled, highly educated professionals to other countries
offering better economic, professional or social opportu-
nities — must be addressed with great immediacy. We
must reverse the trend made so evident in a recent study
that found nearly one-quarter of Israeli academics are
working in American universities.
Our economic progress is inextricably linked to
advances in science and technology at our universities. It's
no coincidence that major U.S. companies — including
Motorola, Intel, Qualcomm, Google and Yahoo! — have
set up major facilities near our universities to take advan-
tage of the continuous supply of fresh ideas and brilliant
minds.
These minds translate into Israel boasting more com-
panies listed on the Nasdaq than any country except the
United States, and the second highest concentration of
start-up companies in the world right after Silicon Valley.
It's no wonder that venture capitalists invested $1.76 bil-
lion in Israeli start-up companies last year alone — up
8.5 percent from 2006 and more than was invested in
much larger, technologically advanced countries such as
Germany, France and Italy.
At the very heart of such achievements are our univer-
sity graduates, with their superb education, exceptional
drive and that famous Israeli moxie. It's no wonder that
27 Israelis were included on the 2007 European Union
list of 300 top young researchers. But it is imperative that
we continue turning out graduates capable of providing
the fuel to drive Israel's expanding science- and technol-
Brain Drain on page A51
Professor Eyal Winter, teaching an economics class at
the Hebrew University, says Israeli doctoral students
who study abroad rarely return because of higher
salaries and better working conditions.
April 24
2008
A49