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A6

Thank you for devoting your Editor's
Letter of July 9 to a review and analy-
sis of Partnership 2000 and the cur-
rent efforts of the Michigan-Israel
Steering Committee ("A Michigan-
Israel Bridge," page A5) .
Editor Robert Sklar's participation
in the committee's June 11 meeting
provided an opportunity for you to
better understand the goals of the
partnership and the efforts being
undertaken to make it dynamic, rele-
vant, exciting and meaningful in these
challenging and turbulent times.
While we would not characterize the
partnership as "fragile," we do recog-
nize that for it to continue to justify
our community's resources in both
time and money, meaningful relevance
for all participants must be the bench-
mark for the future success of this
relationship. To that end, as you clearly
pointed out, Detroit and Michigan are
focused on the question of what do
we want from the partnership, believ-
ing that if we better understand the
answer to that question, the more suc-
cessful we will be.
And we are beginning to answer
that question. We want the partnership
to provide us a special and unique
place in Israel — a place that each of
us considers our "home" in Israel. We
want Detroiters to have the chance
to spend time in Israel with Israelis
from the partnership region by creat-
ing unique opportunities to explore
our homeland along with their chevre
(friends) in Israel.
In turn, the Israelis' are more excited
and engaged by focusing on how they
can help us through our mutual chal-
lenges and needs, not just needs in
Israel that are funded with Federation
dollars.
Interestingly, many Israelis are now
exploring the issue of Jewish identity,
realizing that living in Israel alone is
not a guarantee of a lasting connec-
tion to the global Jewish people. This
quest is, in many ways, similar to the
journey many in our own community
are taking or would like to take; thus
it can provide a dynamic living bridge
of shared interests to both sides of the
partnership.
This examination is exemplified
by the Community House move-
ment that has recently blossomed in
Israel and, more particularly, within
our partnership region. To correct
one item in your Editor's Letter, this
popular movement in Israel has
flourished with very little American
involvement. It is Bob Heinrich, one of

our many impassioned steering com-
mittee members, who identified an
opportunity to engage others within
our community to participate in the
community houses in the partnership
region. He has taken it upon himself
to structure and develop a program to
connect members of our community
with their counterparts in Israel.Bob
is excited. His Israeli counterparts are
excited. Our committee is excited.
We hope that this will be the first of
many new possibilities for members of
the Detroit and Michigan community
to develop a unique, lifelong and spe-
cial connection to the Central Galilee
and its people.

Jeffrey Schlussel

Michael Horowitz, co-chairs

Partnership 2000 Michigan Steering

Committee

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit

Bloomfield Township

Lifting Detroit
When thinking of a Detroit comeback
in the forefront will be Linda Yellin
("Detroit Booster," July 9, page B4).
She is beyond a Detroit booster; she
is a welcome wagon, ambassador and
just a ball of fire when it comes to our
beleaguered, but beloved city.
I met Linda through our connection
to the JCC Jewish Book Fair in Metro
Detroit. My job is to provide ground
hospitality for the authors and our
authors come from all over the world.
They often ask to go to Detroit and
Linda is usually their tour guide.
When Linda takes someone on a
tour, is it no wonder they love Detroit?
In April, I helped Linda with a group
of teens volunteering at the Isaac
Agree Downtown Synagogue. As a part
of this mitzvah event, the kids were
taken on a Feet on the Street walking
tour of downtown. Walking around
with the kids, they were amazed about
Detroit; Linda is not only informative,
but also is funny and inspirational.
If there is hope for our kids to
become interested in staying in
Michigan, we need to invest their
hopes and dreams in our city; Linda is
the No. 1 Detroit cheerleader.
The next time your organization
is looking for an activity or you have
out-of-town guests, think about tak-
ing them on a Feet on the Street tour.
"If we are not part of the solution, we
are part of the problem." Let's all try to
follow Linda's example and be part of
the solution.

Cheryl Kirsch

West Bloomfield