4011.011111111.11.1101111111• 1100111 Mmainew Front Lines NOTEBOOK JNenline This Week The Financial Status Of Jewish Detroit Robert Sklar Editor A ssets of the Detroit Jewish community — includ- ing the value of endowments, land and buildings — total $560 million. Building improvements this year include: • The October opening of the new teen center in the old Norman Holocaust center at the Jewish Community Center in West Pappas Bloomfield. • Renovations to Yeshiva Gedolah, Yeshiva Beth Yehudah and Yeshivas Darchei Torah. • Renovations to the dining hall and Butzel Family Camp at Camp Mass in Ortonville. • Rebuilding of the fire-damaged Lillian and Samuel Hechtman II Jewish Apartments on the Applebaum Jewish Community Campus in West Bloomfield — via the insurance settlement. Combined revenue for the year was almost $90 million, reported Norman Pappas, president of the United Jewish Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's investment/land manage- ment arm. Pappas gave the State of UJF at the Oct. 11 joint annual meeting of Federation and the UJF. JET Propelled Funding The Jewish Ensemble Theatre has received a $30,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation for the 2008-2009 playgoer season. West- Bloomfield based JET produces professional, off-Broadway theater. "The Kresge Foundation's support of the arts, particularly in southeastern Michigan, exemplifies their commitment to making our communities better for our citizens," said Evelyn Orbach, JET artistic director and a newly elected member of the Association for Jewish Theatre's executive board. JET will present five stage productions this season. It also reaches 40,000 kids annually with its touring productions, which address bul- lying and tolerance issues. Christopher Bremer is managing director. - Robert Sklar, editor One of Temple Shir Shalom's Rosenstein windows Al2 Artist At Shir Shalom Internationally known artist Mordechai Rosenstein will be artist-in-residence at Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield this weekend. A special art show and presentation by Rosenstein will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25. The event, open to the community at no charge, includes a wine, cheese and dessert reception and an opportunity to meet the artist who created the vibrant stained glass windows in the temple's lobby. The windows will be the backdrop for artwork Rosenstein will bring with him. His presentation includes images of some of his most well-known work, which is based on the Hebrew alphabet. "The flow- ing forms of the letters have been an inspi- ration to me since my youth:' the artist said. Rosenstein's love of these forms and of vibrant color is evident in his synagogue interiors, tapestries, paintings, murals and silkscreen prints. A portion of the proceeds from art sales will benefit Temple Shir Shalom. For more October 23 • 2008 3N www.JNonline.us Latest From Israel In addition to Federation's Annual Campaign, which netted $34 million plus another $8.25 million through the supple- mental Rebecca and Gary Sakwa Challenge Fund, revenue derived from various capital and endowment campaigns. The Campaign attracted 11,000 donors. Of our total communal assets, about $400 million is held in the Jewish Community Endowment Fund. Within that umbrel- la fund are more than 1,600 separate restricted accounts. The General Fund of almost $30 million provides our emer- gency fund. At one time, that fund was $70 million. "It's impor- tant that we build back this safety net:' said Pappas. "Each year, we have significant problems we face, which I call our brush fires. But . we also have to look at our forest fire, which is the loss of our givers through death ore moving away." Pappas outlined the advantages of Federation's Legacy Fund through which "there are clear tax savings both at death and during lifetime' "So all of us, in an easy way, can be an investor and steward for our future he said. Pappas added, "If we are to provide education for our children, care for our older adults and respond to emergency needs in our commu- nity in these challenging economic times, we need to grow this stable source of endowment income." ❑ information about the Saturday evening event, call Carol Ogusky at (248) 481-7512. - Ken Guten Cohen, story development editor Want the most current news from Israel? Check our streaming news from Ynetnews.com for continu- ous updates and longer news, opinion and feature stories. And look at the center of our homepage for an Israel story that changes twice daily. Just visit JNonline.us and click on a scrolling story on the left. E-Newsletter Desire notification when sto- ries that interest you in partic- ular are posted on JNonline? It's easy to designate the kinds of stories you like when you sign up for your personal- ized e-newsletter. Only at JNonline.us . Just click on Newsletter on the menu near the top of the page. Celebrations! ECO "„,Judaism Find weekly listings of births, b'nai mitzvah, engagements, weddings and anniversaries as well as past simchahs all online. They are all bundled under each week's publica- tion date. Just visit JNonline.us and click on Lifecycles on the left. Conservation Tips Reduce Heating Costs • Use a GREEN and CLEAN option for your electricity. Go to my.dteenergy.com/products/greenCurrents/index.html. • Install an energy efficient furnace. Choose an Energy Star model. • Be certain your furnace is tuned up and replace the filters as frequently as needed to save energy. • Upgrade your wall and ceiling insulation. Seal and insulate ducts, doors and windows. www.simplyinsulate.com • When selecting insulation, make your decision on R-value, not inches. R-value refers to the material's "resistance" to changes in temperature. The numbers are efficiency ratings and are a more accurate guide than material thickness. The recommended R-values differ from geographic region to region. Check with your state Department of Energy. • The federal government and many states offer tax credits for insulating your home and high efficiency furnaces. Be sure to save all your receipts for tax time. Online Poll This week's poll question: Do you believe political campaign advertising is still useful to voters? Visit the JNonline.us homepage, below the left menu, to cast your vote. Jewish Thought On The Environment "This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for per- petual generations." Last week's question: Do you believe stem cell research could evolve into radical interspecies research? Last week's poll results: Yes: 25% No: 75% — Genesis (9:12) Please contact Michigan Coalition on the Environment & Jewish Life for global warming presentations: (248) 642- 5393, ext. 7, or mi-coejl@jfmd.org . Source: Michigan Coalition on the Environment & Jewish Life ai:4.101 %44aki. Y. 'it tr& a