Special Report

DEBATING PRIORITIES / ON THE COVER

Working Together

JN hosts young leaders in discussion about Detroit's Jewish future.

Keri Guten Cohen

Story Development Editor

F

ourteen of the Jewish commun-
ity's top young leaders, ranging
in age from 20s to 40s, gathered
around a table at Shiraz in Bingham
Farms on April 13. Brought together
by the Detroit Jewish News-sponsored
Southeastern Michigan Jewish Alliance,
they were there to discuss community
priorities for people their age.
Little prompting was necessary from
discussion leader JN Publisher Arthur
Horwitz. The group was eager to talk
about how they could help improve
the community, retain native young
Detroiters and make Metro Detroit
attractive to others their age.
The general consensus was that
Detroit is a wonderful city to live
Jewishly, with a welcoming attitude and
warmth they often didn't see elsewhere.
As cheerleaders happy to be living
here, they described the area as a great
place to raise Jewish kids, with vibrant
synagogue affiliation, a history of gener-
ous giving locally and to Israel, excel-
lent Jewish schools, a strong central-
ized infrastructure through the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, a
Jewish Community Center and a place
individuals can make a difference.
They saw the challenges clearly as
well, and they expressed a commitment
to work collectively to overcome them.
Top among their priorities are job
opportunities amid Michigan's troubled
economy, affordable Jewish education,
concern about perceived redundancy
among Jewish agencies' responsibilities
and the need for low-interest home loans
for those hoping to settle here.

They also cited the lack of a commu-
nity strategic plan to help direct dollars
to issues that matter most to them.
Horwitz convened the group under the
umbrella of the Southeastern Michigan
Jewish Alliance' (SEMJA), the JN's
new proactive initiative with a goal of
stemming the tide of out-migration by
Detroit's Jewish youth by revitalizing and
reinvigorating our young adult commu-
nity — and the larger Jewish commu-
nity by extension.

Free - Flow Discussion
The young adults exuded visible energy
and passion for the mission. Though
each came from a different point of ref-
erence — single, married with children,
native Detroiters and transplants — all
want to make a difference in the com-
munity and backed their commitment
with fresh ideas.
Discussion was nonstop for nearly
two hours, with individuals agreeing
on many points, but also disagreeing
respectfully.
"It was a tremendous group of people
— the rare combination of having
strong ideas while being open to those
of others:' said Ben Falik, a lawyer in
Detroit and a founder of the Detroit-
based Summer in the City volunteer
program. "Everyone clearly grasps the
gravity of the issues facing our com-
munity, but still has a good sense of
humor about it, which strikes me as a
wonderfully Jewish way of approaching
a problem."
Karen Alpiner of Franklin agreed.
"Passion and energy was palpable in the
room:' she said. "There was no sense of
ego, but a sense of responsibility and
dedication to the cause'

The group began by talking about
Detroit's Jewish community today — its
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and challenges.
Participants praised the community
for its creativity and diversity of Jewish
expression, for its many resources, for
being a committed and knowledgeable
Jewish community and for being
a vibrant place that creates last-
ing memories.
On the downside, the group
felt the community could be
stronger and more attractive
to newcomers if the perception
of the city of Detroit was more
positive to the rest of the coun-
try, if Jewish day schools were
more affordable or more highly
subsidized, if there were more
kosher restaurants, if the Jewish
community had more civic and
political engagement with the
broader region and if there was
"one-stop shopping" for Jews to learn
about living here.
This last dream included a "com-
munal concierge perhaps provided by
Federation or the JCC, who could field
questions from newcomers about jobs,
housing, schools, synagogues and more.
All also were concerned about the
high rate of out-migration by those
forced to seek jobs in a better economic
climate and by recent college graduates
who found few opportunities here.
"We spoke of the benefits of living
and working in Metro Detroit as well as
discussing that we, as a community, are
not always at our best when it comes to
marketing ourselves," Alpiner said. "We
discussed that we must take advantage
of the vast opportunities we have and of

the resources we are fortunate to be able
to count on."

Innovative Solutions
Kicked around the table were some ideas
that came from outside the box.
One participant suggested creating a
more regional Jewish community that

"We know the issues;
we know the path we
need to go on. Now we
need the leadership to
take us there."

- Daniel Cherrin

would include Jews in Windsor and Ann
Arbor.
The model of attracting new Jewish
residents adopted by the Young
Israel communities in Oak Park and
Southfield, which includes low-cost
housing loans, help finding jobs and
weekend visits to the community to see
what life is like, also was suggested.
Someone threw out the idea of buying
up housing stock in "Jewish" neighbor-
hoods while real estate prices are low
and having them ready to buy for people
interested in moving here. Low-cost
loans would sweeten the deal.
Another idea was to seek venture
capital and buy-in for their ideas and

Together on page 12

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April 29 • 2010 11

