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C OCDOICIN l Z y K z.

Making a difference

Partnerships in compassion uphold Jewish and Chaldean values

By Alan Stamm and Justin Fisette

F

Above, from left:

Participants in
Walk for Project
Chessed raised
funds for the
nonprofit to
provide pro-bono
care to medically
uninsured
Jewish adults.

CALC volunteers
gather at World
Refugee Day to
raise awareness
and show support
to refugees
worldwide.

22

July 1.• 2010

or Chaldeans and Jews, true faith
involves more than weekly wor-
ship, holiday festivities and other
family rituals. Community servic-
es are as integral as religious services.
"In the community, our focus is to
strengthen Jewish identity, build Jewish
community and grow Jewish philanthropy
to help those in need," says Scott Kaufman,
CEO at the Jewish Federation of Metro De-
troit, a fund-raising hub in Bloomfield Hills
for 19 agencies providing social services,
education, health care and recreation.
Chaldeans embrace the same sense of
responsibility. "In terms of giving, people
are still donating to the church, but seeing
the other community organizations and giv-
ing to them as well," says LeeAnn Kirma,
president of the Chaldean American Ladies
of Charity (CALC), a 500-member group in
Farmington Hills that turns 50 next year.
"Each organization does something another
doesn't, so we all work together."
These Metro Detroit communities, which
share historical and cultural overlaps, also
exchange compassion and charitable ex-
periences. "It's been part of our mission
since Day One to help everyone, regardless
of nationality," says Beverly Fine, president

iN

of the Greater Detroit Chapter of Hadassah,
part of an international Jewish network dat-
ing to 1912.
Two areas in particular provide a natu-
ral meeting ground — refugee support and
health care.
Basil Bacall, founding chairman of the
Adopt-a-Refugee-Family Committee at the
Chaldean Federation of America, describes
diverse support for Iraqis arriving to build
new lives. "A lot of Jewish families have
taken notice," he says of the three-year-old
program. "It wasn't that long ago when a
similar thing was happening in the Jewish
community — refugees persecuted because
of religious beliefs."

Refugee saga echoes

The modern-day resettlement is aimed at
helping families that fled to Syria, Jordan,
Lebanon and other countries because of dis-
crimination and civil war in Iraq. The non-
profit committee here matches displaced
Chaldeans with U.S. donors of money for
housing, food, clothes, furniture and other
essentials. Donations also are collected in
canisters at shops, salons and restaurants.
"We've helped more than 50,000 people,"
Bacall says. "We have tremendous commu-

nity support, inside and outside [Chaldean
circles]. We have high school kids who band
together to donate $10 per month to help
sponsor a family together. One individual
sponsors 33 families by himself."
The Chaldean Federation absorbs most
administrative costs, with several donors
earmarking their gifts to cover the rest.
"The backbone of our organization really
is that 100 percent of donations go directly
to help displaced families," stresses Bacall,
who visited refugees in Syria at the humani-
tarian initiative's start.
Starting this summer, generosity with-
out borders also brings health care to local
Chaldeans — just as it does to Jewish resi-
dents under a similar charitable model.

Chessed inspires Bismutha

The original template was framed in late
2004, when Jewish Family Services in West
Bloomfield created Project Chessed with
more than 50 doctors who volunteered
to see uninsured patients without cost.
(Chessed is Hebrew for kindness.) The pro-
gram, which has served 3,200 people, now
has more than 700 doctors. Nine hospitals
and two diagnostic centers also participate.
"We grew in response to demand for ac-