o Was Adolph LIchmann...
Does He Matter Tocia9?
Wednesday
May 13th
7:30 p.m.
The Trick Of Guiding from page A25
The Rabbi David and
Alicia ,Aelson Legacy Fund
proudly presents Dr. Deborah
LiPstadt, eminent Holocaust historian,
as the speak-erjb
for its inaugural program.
She will present a 50-_year perspective on
the capture and trial of Adolph Eichmann.
The Fund was created to continue
Rabbi Nelson's legacy of service to his
congregation, and the community.
This event is open to
the community. Tickets:
$10/advance, $15/at
the door. For infonnation call
248-547-7970 or send a check
to: Reservations: Legacy Event
Congregation Beth Shalom
14601 West Lincoln Road
Oak Park, Michigan 4823 7
Jewish
. Federation
David and Howard Jacobson and Steve Swartz invite you to tour
• Featuring 1 & 2 Bedroom apartments
for those aged 55+
• Beautifully landscaped grounds
•:Social activities and events
• Utilities included with rent
• Balconies with great neighborhood views
Visit us today! (248) 399-9300.
2345 Oxford
Located just North of 11 Mile
and East of Coolidge
CELEBRATE YOUR BAR / BAT MITZVAH AT
THE CENTERT
Whether it's
a formal
gathering for
150 or a grand
celebration for
800 guests,
The Center is the
perfect place to
celebrate your
child's special
day!
Ford Community & Performing Arts Center
15801 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI (313)943-2381 www.dearbornfordcenter.com
April 16 2009
Spirituality
.
LEGACY
r(JND
A26
I
often taking his family on vacation trips
in a large recreation vehicle with no idea
of where they were going. He thrilled
the neighborhood kids by giving them
rides in an antique fire engine. He really
took Oslo by storm, serving hot dogs and
salami to world leaders and throwing the
biggest Fourth of July party in the his-
tory of the U.S. Embassy.
The elder Hermelin, who had the
uncanny ability of being able to attend
three or four meetings in the same
evening, served on several Shaarey
Zedek committees, mainly on educa-
tion, before moving up the ladder to the
presidency in 1983-85.
"I want to resonate with our close
to 1,700 member families and our
employees in the same way:' said the
younger Hermelin.
Looking Ahead
"Being president of a synagogue is a
huge responsibility, and Brian's a busy
man, but I'm sure he'll carry on the
Hermelin tradition and do a great job at
Shaarey Zedek," said his mother, Doreen
Hermelin of Bingham Farms. "He's very
capable and he has youth on his side. It
seems that synagogue presidents are a
lot younger than they were years ago. My
four daughters also have followed our
lead and are very active in the Jewish
communities of New York, Los Angeles
and the Detroit area:'
Rabbi Emeritus Irwin Groner of
Shaarey Zedek noted, "David would
have been proud to know that Brian is
continuing the family tradition of dedi-
cation to Shaarey Zedek. I've observed
Brian since his childhood and he has
matured into a fine young man, dem-
onstrating leadership qualities in the
world of business and at Shaarey Zedek.
I'm confident he'll meet the serious
challenges that will confront him and
his officers, and they will serve the con-
gregation well."
Hermelin emphasized that the syna-
gogue has made changes in several areas
recently and others are on the way.
"A major positive change has been
starting Shabbat services at 9 a.m. in
the small chapel with Torah study, then
moving to the main sanctuary at 10 a.m.
for bar and bat mitzvahs, followed by a
complimentary luncheon',' he said. "We've
received a lot of feedback on all of this
and we're still tweaking the format.
"We're accelerating our 'youth move-
ment' with one of the youngest rabbin-
ate teams in the nation, reaching out
to young families. There's a great deal
of friendship and camaraderie among
them. But we still involve members and
generations of all ages in our program-
ming. We even have a inter-generational
planning committee to give input on
programs."
Money Management
Shaarey Zedek's financial situation is
not as rosy. The synagogue is feeling the
pinch of the state's poor economy
"We rely a lot on our endowment
investments, which, of course, are
down, and we have a deficit in general;
we've implemented budgetary con-
straints, and we had to lay off some of
the office staff;' Hermelin said. "There's
no doubt we could use more money, so
we continue with our funding efforts,
such as our annual fundraising event in
the fall honoring various members."
"But in deference to the tough
economy,' he added, "we will not raise
dues this year; nor do we plan to build
on land we own in Novi. Our Southfield
campus is the largest Jewish 'room' in the
area and continues to play an important
role in hosting synagogue events and
major Jewish community programs."
Helping Hermelin get through the
difficult times will be "my strong offi-
cer team" of Steve Margolin of West
Bloomfield, first vice president; Mary
Knoll of Farmington Hills, second vice
president, and Jonathan Aaron and
Larry Nemer, both of Bloomfield Hills,
treasurer and secretary, respectively
"They've already made many con-
tributions to the synagogue and have
indicated a continuing commitment
into the future," said Hermelin.
Rest Of The Story
Hermelin is extremely active in the
community in many other ways, serv-
ing on several Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit committees,
on the board of Detroit's Children's
Hospital of Michigan and with other
organizations and charities.
A staunch Democrat like his parents,
Hermelin has held fundraisers at his
home for now Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow of
Michigan and others. He met with then
presidential candidate Barack Obama
at a private gathering of supporters in
downtown Detroit last fall.
Hermelin lives in a home built in 1850
by land developer David Bingham. He
and his wife, Jennifer, have three chil-
dren: Max, 12; Isobel, 10, and David, 6.
"Becoming president of Shaarey
Zedek is a big commitment and these
are challenging times:' Hermelin
asserted, "but we're going to roll up our
sleeves and get to work."
And he'll be trying to perform some
of that old Hermelin magic. LI