Mi tAiglit ysitE Front Lines i ; DETROIT EST JNonline.us Advertising Sales Publisher/President Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Sales Director: Keith Farber kfarber@renmedia.us Account Executives: Ann G. Abrams, Jan Haskell, Melissa Litvin, Heidi Martin, Rick Nessel, Dharlene Norris Senior Sales Assistant: Kim Metzger Ordained In Germany First German-trained Orthodox students become rabbis. Shelli Liebman Dorfman Senior Writer R abbi Steven Burg was able to observe firsthand the growth of Jewish life in Germany on a visit to Munich where he attended the first Orthodox rabbinic ordination of German-trained rabbinical students. Burg, international director of NCSY, the New York-based Orthodox Union (OU) youth program — who lived in the Detroit area while serving as associate director of NCSY's Central East region from 1996-2000 — joined Jews from around the world at the history-making event. The two new rabbis — Zsolt Balla, 30 and Avraham Radbill, 25 — graduated from the newly established Orthodox rabbinical seminary, Rabbinerseminar zu Berlin. The seminary was founded by the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation. It grew out of the programs of the Torah-study institution Yeshivas Beis Zion in Berlin. There are seven more students in the rab- binical program there. Having already met Balla on a visit to Germany last year, Burg reconnected with the new rabbi at the June 2 ordination ceremony. And Both Balla and Radbill had previous OU connections, having vis- ited the agency's New York headquarters last August to participate in a seminar on kashrut laws. Balla also collaborated on the Hungarian and German editions of the NCSY bencher, edited by David Olivestone, OU national director of corn- munications and planning. Burg first met Balla last year in Germany where Burg worked with the Lauder Foundation to develop strategies to inspire Jewish teens, something he strived for during his four-year tenure at the Southfield NCSY regional office. During his time in Detroit, Burg cre- ated NCSY's Latte and Learning program, bringing high school students to coffee houses to discuss the relevance of Torah in secular life. The program is now in place in dozens of cities across North America and has expanded to Chile, where NCSY has a thriving presence. Burg was joined in Germany by Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky, of Yeshiva University in New York and NCSY Kollel, a program of touring and learning in Israel for high school students. A Momentous Event "The rabbinical ordination that recently took place in Germany was a truly sig- nificant and momentous occasion': Burg said. "This extraordinary ceremony was televised throughout Germany and left everyone in attendance inspired, our eyes brimming with tears and shining with pride. The fact that the German minister of the interior was there to witness the event is unbelievable when one considers that the same position was once in charge of the Gestapo during the Holocaust:' Rabbi Joshua Spinner, vice president of the Lauder Foundation, said, "We intended for the day to be a statement that Torah Judaism is alive in Germany, and impressively so. Responses to the day EMS Business Offices Customer Service Assts.: Maya Brodsky, Jan Shain Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner Collections Analyst: Hazel Bender Creative Services creative@thejewishnews.com Creative Director: Deborah Schultz Contributing Graphic Designer: Lindsay Schwartz Production By VERTIS INC. Site Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Iris Dembeck, Jeffrey Meyer, Pam Sherevan, Michelle Sheridan Photography Staff Photographers: Angie Baan, Armando Rios Rabbis Balla and Burg following ordina- tion of the German-trained Orthodox rabbinical students. indicate we were successful in our goal." In addition to attending the ordination ceremony, Burg and Sobolofsky led 20 students of Yeshivas Beis Zion, including the two new rabbis, on a mission touring Poland. "We wanted to show the young men who had just finished a yeshivah pro- gram their Jewish roots:' Burg said. Further cooperation is planned between NCSY and Am Echad, the Youth and National Outreach Department of Lauder Yeshurun, which is dedicated to facilitating Jewish education for young Jews in Germany. "The recent rabbinical ordination, the fact that Am Echad is flourishing and the day school in Germany that is growing rapidly, all signify the growth in building b'nei Torah [children who follow a Torah way of life] in Germany;' Burg said. "The purpose of this trip was to advance the cause of passionate Judaism, and give strength and moral support to those all over the world who are in the trenches of that cause' 1-1 Editorial Editor: Robert A. Sklar rsklar@thejewishnews.com Associate Editor: Alan Hitslcy ahitsky@thejewishnews.com Story Development Editor: Keri Guten Cohen kcohen@thejewishnews.com Arts Editor: Gail Zimmerman gzimmerman@thejewishnews.com Senior Writer: Shell Liebman Dorfman sdorfman@thejewishnews.com Senior Columnist: Danny Raskin dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net Columnists: George Cantor, Robin Schwartz, Steve Stein Copy Team: Senior Copy Editor: David Sachs dsachs@thejewishnews.com Copy Team Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@thejewishnews.com Platinum: Editor: Lynne Konstantin lkonstantin@thejewishnews.com Executive Editor: Gail Zimmerman gzimmerman@thejewishnews.com Young Adult Advisory Board Gayle Friedman Gold, Jordan Glass, Robin Schwartz, Brad "Bubba" Urdan Published by: Jewish Renaissance Media Chairman: Michael H. Steinhardt President/Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Chief Operating Officer: F. Kevin Browett kbrowett@renmedia.us Controller: Craig R. Phipps Editorial Director: Robert A. Sklar IT & Circulation Director: Deanna Spivey Marketing Consultant: Kelli Baird Fulfillment circulationdesk@thejewishnews.corn Customer Service Manager: Zena Davis Departments Drake Road Construction The Road Commission for Oakland County expects to close Drake Road at both the north and south sides of the Maple/Drake roundabout in West Bloomfield on July 13 so the round- about can be modified slightly to accommodate new pedestrian cross- walk signals. Drake, a crossroads for the Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus in West Bloomfield, is expected to remain closed at the roundabout until Aug. 14. The work will reconfigure the "split- ter" islands, adjust some of the curbs and install the crosswalk signals. The signals are a new form of pedestrian-activated signals, and will be placed at all four entrances to the roundabout. The signals will stop traf- fic entering and exiting the roundabout to allow pedestrians to safely cross the road. Unlike traditional pedestrian-cross- walk signals, the new signals will remain unlit unless a pedestrian press- es the crosswalk button. — Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor Our J14 Mission The Jewish News aspires to communicate news and opinion that's useful, engaging, enjoyable and unique. It strives to reflect the full range of diverse viewpoints while also advocating positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continuity. We desire to create and maintain a challenging, caring, enjoyable work environment that encourages creativity and innovation. We acknowledge our role as a responsible, responsive member of the community. Being competitive, we must always strive to be the most respected, outstanding Jewish community publication in the nation. Our rewards are informed, educated readers, very satisfied advertisers, contented employees and profitable growth. 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