0 CD CD H i 1111 - v rell Magnet of opportunity Same goals pull Chaldeans, Jews to suburbs By Alan Stamm and Kaylee Hawkins I t's the American Dream for families of all back- grounds: Our children will have more than we do. That often means more space, education choic- es, enrichment, diversity, security. For immigrants and other strivers, this dream of greater opportunities in- cludes finding neighborhoods with newer homes, brighter amenities and less crowding. So it's no coincidence that Jewish and Chaldean families followed similar paths from Detroit to outly- ing communities — including in southeastern Oakland County where current generations are neighbors. "The movement was part of the suburban revolu- tion," notes author Sidney Bolkosky, a history and social sciences professor at University of Michigan-Dearborn. "The move reflected a desire for more status, economic success and an at- traction to more space." "The move [by each community to suburbs] reflected a desire for more status, some economic success and an attraction to more space." Exodus from Detroit Jewish chapters of this saga began with a "Great Migration" from Eastern Europe and Germany early last centu- ry. Detroit's Jewish population swelled to nearly 35,000 in 1920 and 85,000 in 1940. Businesses and residents ini- tially clustered along Hastings Street on the near east side before migrating north to Oakland Avenue, then across Woodward to 12th Street in the late 1930s. Next was the Dexter Avenue neighborhood and northwest Detroit in the 1940s, followed by Oak Park — Sidney Bolkosky, and Huntington Woods. U of M-Dearborn historian Southfield and Farmington offered greener pastures, literally, during the 1960s — particularly after Detroit's 1967 rioting. Anticipating the next destina- tion, community leaders obtained land during the early 1970s in West Bloomfield for a Jewish community campus, with the Jewish Community Center as its focal point. By 2005, more than 50 percent of Jewish households in Metro Detroit were concentrated in West Bloomfield, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Orchard Lake and Bloomfield Hills. Overall, the region has about 72,000 Jews. Oak Park and Southfield retain sizable shares of Jewish residents. Seniors and Orthodox families live within walking dis- tance of synagogues and a Jewish community campus, which includes another JCC, in Oak Park. Chaldean chronicle of success Chaldeans, who are Catholics upholding Eastern Rite rituals and Aramaic mass, began migrating from north- ern Iraq to Detroit during the early 20th century — drawn by auto industry opportunities and religious tolerance. The area already had a sizable community of Lebanese Maronites, who also are Catholics. The nation's first Chaldean Church was founded in 1947 at Euclid Street and Second Avenue in midtown Detroit. Six years later, the Mother of God Parish moved a mile north to Hamilton Avenue in the Boston-Edison neighborhood. As families prospered, they looked in the same directions as Jewish counterparts — to north- west Detroit. "Chaldean Town" between Woodward and John R still is served by Sacred Heart Chaldean Catholic Church on 7 Mile. Moving vans later headed to Oak Park, Southfield and West Bloomfield, paralleling the Jewish experience. Southfield land was bought in 1963 for a new Mother of God church to serve a community of 3,000. The move was well-timed, as U.S. policy changes in 1968 allowed more Iraqi immigrants. Detroit was a natural landing spot. "There was already an Americanized community liv- ing here and job opportunities for these newer immi- grants in Chaldean-owned stores, especially after the 1967 Detroit riots," says Mary Romaya, director of the Chaldean Cultural Center in West Bloomfield. "The new immigrants, often relatives, provided these merchants with a needed labor pool." Series of new churches The local Chaldean community, today estimated* at 121,000, is the largest outside the Middle East. "Our people are growing fast on the east side with newcom- ers and refugees," says Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim of the Chaldean Catholic Diocese. His Southfield-based diocese paid $1.1 million for a 900-seat church and 16-room school in Sterling Heights this March. It also began celebrating Sunday mass at a new mission in Warren this spring. Eastside churches also are in Troy and Shelby Township. Western suburbanites worship in Oak Park, South- field, Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield. Southfield also has the Chaldean Manor for senior citizens, opened in 1997. For Jews and Chaldeans alike, suburban religious and community centers connect multiple generations to ancestors whose arrival in Detroit is part of their fami- lies' American odyssey. Alan Stamm and Kaylee Hawkins are writers for Tanner Friedman, a marketing communications firm in Farmington Hills. Strong area organizations serve as a vital foundation for Metro Detroit's burgeoning Chaldean and Jewish communities.