Opinion R VIE A Life-Changing Experience Ann Arbor ust over a year ago, when dis- cussing my Jewish identity, I would have defensively listed how I went to Hebrew school and had a bar mitzvah. How I stuck with religious school and was confirmed. How I had even made the ultimate sacrifice of skipping Michigan football games to go to services on the High Holidays. Since my Birthright trip through the University of Michigan Hillel last May, my sense of Jewish identity has changed and I have begun to solidify what being Jewish means to me. It was a 10-day trip to Israel, during which a bus of 40 U-M students and eight Israeli Soldiers got to experience everything from the Negev to Tel Aviv to the Golan Heights — and from the reli- gious, to the cultural to the historical. Every person on that bus was touched and made some type of a connection with Israel. For some, it was the Western Wall and celebrating Shabbat in Jerusalem; for others, watching the sunrise at Masada. Some loved learning all about Israel's his- tory at Mt. Herzl while others were simply taken by how beautiful the country was. For me, it was Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. We spent two hours winding through such a tragic part of our history. The museum is designed so the exhibits covery reformed my motivation are actually built under- for working with Darfur advocacy ground into the Mount of and fundraising groups and has Remembrance. You must inspired me to become even more walk up a slight incline as committed. you make your way through I am now a co-chair of a new the exhibit, each one remem- Darfur relief initiative, Will bering a different part of Work For Food, and I am more the Holocaust. After such assured than ever that the work Steven Weinberg I am doing is the right thing, the a moving experience, I so Community View Jewish thing, to do. perfectly remember exiting the museum out onto a can- Before my Birthright orien- tilever platform suspended tation meeting at Hillel, I had over trees and wild flowers looking out actually never stepped foot in the building. onto Jerusalem. Our bus leader made one But the trip motivated me get involved simple comment that will stay with me with Hillel over the last year. After return- forever: "This is Israel. This is yours. This ing home, my busmates from the trip will always be here for you:' and I planned a follow-up program for The safety and pride that I felt was Birthright alumni. It has helped to deepen quickly replaced by thoughts of the nearly the bonds we formed with Israel on our 500,000 deaths and 2.5-million people dis- trip. placed in Darfur. People that are suffering We have hosted guest lecturers, Israeli without a homeland like Israel, which is for cooking nights and sent care packages to the all of us. I had been involved with Darfur soldiers we became so close with during our awareness groups and community service travels. on campus before my trip but never with In addition, throughout the school year, the connection to the concept of tikkun some of my friends from the trip and I alter- olam, healing the world, that I discovered nated hosting Shabbat dinners — a practice that moment staring out at Jerusalem. I never would have sought out without hav- I returned home understanding that my ing experienced the sanctity of Shabbat in being Jewish isn't determined solely by Jerusalem during the trip. how I observe the religion, but also how I Last November, I was fortunate enou relate to Jewish morals and values. This dis- to attend the United Jewish Communities General Assembly in Nashville, during which I learned about and admired the work of Jewish federations and foundations around the world. In the year to come, I will also be serving as one of six national Hillel ambassadors, helping to fundraise so other students can have the same great experi- ences I've been blessed with. My story of Birthright helping find my. Jewish identity is by no means an excep- tion. Others from my trip came back and started to work closely with the American Movement for Israel, some began to serve on the Jewish Fraternity and Sorority Council, and many have since sought out Middle Eastern political science or Hebrew classes. Birthright helped us all realize that Jewish identity is not something that can just be painted on by parents and teachers, but it is rather a personal journey in which one discovery builds on the next. I am excited to see just how great of an impact the Birthright experience will have on young adult Jews in the years to come. ❑ Steven Weinberg, 21, of Ann Arbor is a senior economics major at the University of Michigan. This commentary is adapted from a speech given at the Jewish Community Relations Council's annual meeting on May 22 at the West Bloomfield JCC. Observations On Leadership F ollowing the March fire at Hechtman Jewish Apartments, I have reflected on the strong leadership of the Jewish Apartments & Services staff. I am extremely proud of the way in which the management team, staff and volunteers handled the situa- tion calmly, systematically and compas- sionately. I have witnessed firsthand the role that strong leadership has in times of critical incidents and the way in which leadership behavior cascades throughout the organization. I have had the pleasure of working with and learning from successful leaders over the years, and I have observed that they all share several core leadership qualities. I believe that the Jewish Apartments & Services staff's ability to maintain control during the fire is a direct result of their embodying these very qualities. I would like to share a few of these qualities with you. A26 June 12 2008 First, a good leader is con- of the box. A good leader is fident and self-assured. This willing to take new perspec- confidence allows a leader to tives, think differently with an assess a situation and make open mind, find new ways of decisions on the fly — often doing things and be open to without having as much infor- others' ideas. mation as they would like or Next, a good leader is calm need. Based on the informa- and poised, prepared and tion available, a strong leader Marsha works well under pressure. A draws upon past experiences, Goldsmith Kamin potential crisis or bad situa- training and instinct to make a Community View tion is bound to happen in any decision. organization and a A good leader rec- good leader is always ognizes that he or prepared for this pos- she is not an expert sibility. in all areas and Finally, a good looks to others for leader is involved in expert advice and continuous training insight, relying on the and improvement. strengths and experi- There are always new ence of others. skills to learn and old skills to refine. I have observed that a good leader is a The successful blend of the organiza- creative visionary that can think outside tion's leadership qualities proved to be The best leader sets an example for others to follow. critical during the fire at Hechtman Jewish Apartments. While it was a tragic event in many ways, it was not a tragedy. The situ- ation could have gotten out of hand, but it didn't. We had a disaster preparedness plan and emergency procedures in place that we followed closely and, because of that, we managed to avert disaster. Our staff was prepared to do all of the things we hoped we'd never have to do and we achieved them, without a single panic or misstep. The best leader sets an example for oth- ers to follow. Having quality staff is essen- tial for an organization's success; after all, while the executive director manages an organization, it is run by its staff. ❑ Marsha Goldsmith Kamin is executive direc- tor of Oak Park-based Jewish Apartments & Services and a nationally recognized leader in the eldercare field.