Metro
Shaarey Zedek
Means Business
See a
MOVIE.
Go to a CHINESE
RESTAURANT
Business-to-business networking
program kicks off and scores.
Repair the
WORLD.
Choose your mitzvah. Share your day.
MITZVAH Day
Come make someone happy.
Friday,
December 25
Ike Engelbaum, Edward Chudnow, Steve Schiafer and Lori Blumenstein-Bott,
executive director of Shaarey Zedek, exchange business cards at a speed net-
working event.
Join us Friday morning
for breakfast and
mitzvah-making.
Karen Couf Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
Jimmy Prentis Morris Building
A. Alfred Taubman Campus
15110 W. 10 Mile Road
Oak Park
C
Dozens of volunteer
activities from which
to choose.
All volunteer
activities will be
concluded by
early afternoon.
NON-
PERISHABLE
FOOD DRIVE
Bring items
with you on
December 25
Together we will celebrate the strength of our community.
We are JewishDetroit.
We care. We help. We give.
Sign up by December 9th online: jewishdetroit.org/mitzvanday
Questions? Contact Michael Daitch, (248) 642-5393, ext. 9,
or email daitch©jfmd.org
Jewish
Community vAlkv
Relations ♦ WA
Council
11,
Event Co-chairs:
Micki Grossman
Stephanie Rosenbaum
Jewish
\ -r-s-z- - Federation
at Metropolitan Petrott
1546230
12
November 12 • 2009
ongregation Shaarey Zedek
Business Connect is the new-
est initiative at the Oakland
County synagogue. Developed to add
value to its membership and encourage
business within the Shaarey Zedek com-
munity, the first event kicked off on Oct.
21 at CSZ Southfield featuring "Business
to Business Speed Networking."
This is the first of many member/busi-
ness-related events that Shaarey Zedek
has lined up in response to a challenging
business climate creating a more urgent
need to reach out for new business.
Valerie Hayman Sklar, a Shaarey
Zedek trustee and chairperson of CSZ
Business Connect, developed the pro-
gram as an opportunity for members
to exchange business information in
a setting beyond standard synagogue
programming. The breakfast event drew
more than 50 people from a variety of
industries. They participated in "Speed
Networking:' a clever spin on the popu-
lar speed-dating concept that has each
attendee spend five minutes with anoth-
er attendee to introduce themselves,
trade business cards and essentially
pitch their business.
Sklar got the idea for Speed
Networking after participating in a lead-
ership group that used a similar idea.
"I think the people who came to the
event loved meeting new people that
they could do business with and they'll
also enjoy seeing another friendly face
when they come to services:' Sklar said.
"I also saw people there who only come
to shul with their kids for Hebrew school
events, but were happy to be find anoth-
er place to fit in."
A CSZ Connect logo was developed
and a program business card giving
dates of future events was placed in
an attractive business card holder and
handed out to attendees.
"These are tough times," said Brian
Hermelin, CSZ president. "Synagogues
have to be responsive to the needs of
members. We believe this program is
meeting those important needs at this
challenging time
Other business-related initiatives
developed by Lori Blumenstein-Bott,
CSZ executive director, include a busi-
ness information profile/directory
available to all members. The directory,
printed and posted on the Shaarey Zedek
Web site, gives members, staff and clergy
the opportunity to learn more about fel-
low members and to do business within
the synagogue community.
Blumenstein-Bott also identified
members who were willing to provide
their expertise on an as-needed or one-
time/short-term consultative basis. F
Karen Couf Cohen is a public relations
consultant based in Franklin.