Special

ING TOG

Detroit'?

evvish
Declaration

Young leaders sign pledge
to secure a vibrant future;
re-invigorate Jewish Detroit.

Robin Schwartz
Special to the Jewish News

T

he simple act of making a "decla-
ration" can be a powerful thing.
Consider the Declaration of
Independence, one of the most famous
documents in our country's history. In
1776, our founding fathers formally put
their wishes down on parchment paper
and set forth the guiding
principles for a new nation.
That document, drawn up
more than 230 years ago, has
played a key role in enabling
to enjoy the "life, liberty
and pursuit of happiness" we
still cherish today.
While its not quite as
dramatic as the found-
ing of a nation, a
group of young leaders
has crafted a declaration of
their own — part of a bold
new effort to move Detroit
Jewry forward. It's called
the Southeastern Michigan
Jewish Declaration (the full
document is on page 19). The
people behind it hope it will
help change the course of our commu-
nity's future.
"Detroit has a rich history and a bright
future said Ben Falik, 28, of Huntington
Woods. "What's so compelling is that, even
at a young age, I can have a real role in
shaping that future!'
Falik, an associate at the Detroit-based
law firm Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and
Cohn, knows a thing or two about inspir-

"Detroit has
a rich history
and a bright future. What's
so compelling is that, even
at a young age, I can have
a real role in shaping that
future."
—Ben Falik

18

September 2 • 2010

iN

us

ing and facilitating positive change. In
2002, he co-founded the youth volunteer
program "Summer in the City" This sum-
mer alone, about 200 volunteers a day
from the city and the suburbs took part
in the massive community service effort,
painting murals, planting community gar-
dens, mentoring Detroit elementary stu-
dents and working to help make the city
a better place. Falik is one of the authors
of the Southeastern Michigan Jewish
Declaration.
"The declaration is an important
expression:' he said. "Not merely of soli-
darity — that we are not going to passive-
ly wait for someone to fix our problems,
but rather that we have great expectations
and the will to pursue them. I think it's
a strong, succinct statement that will get
people thinking, talking and hopefully
acting!'

Setting The Stage
"I believe this document can serve as our
community's North Star as it navigates
a very challenging economic and demo-
graphic landscape said Detroit Jewish
News publisher Arthur Horwitz.
HorWitz has been troubled by the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit's 2005 demographic study that
found the area's Jewish population was
not only shrinking (from about 96,000
to about 72,000), but also losing young
adults at an alarming rate. That eye-
opening news was compounded by the
severe economic meltdown that began in
September 2008, which brought an accel-
erated loss of jobs and put the community
in "crisis mode!'

"The latest straight-line demographic
projections indicate that by 2020, our
Detroit Jewish community may shrink to
45,000 or less:' Horwitz said. "The core
of any plan for revitalization must be our
ability to attract and retain young adults
and young families with children."
With that in mind, Horwitz assembled a
group of 14 leadership-savvy young adults
for a roundtable discussion April 13 in
Bingham Farms to tackle the persistent
and troubling question: How do we create
an economic and social climate that will
help reverse the trend? The participants,
mostly between the ages of 25-40, shared
their thoughts, dreams, hopes and frustra-
tions. The declaration is the group's first
tangible step; meant to serve as the focal
point for generating grassroots interest in
and support of a vibrant, involved, ener-
gized and accountable Jewish community
in Southeastern Michigan.
"By keeping our eye on what kind of
general and Jewish community, quality
of life and quality of Jewish life we want:'
Horwitz explained, "we can secure the
resources necessary to 'bend' the demo-
graphic line toward a more uplifting and
exciting Jewish future."

Call To Action
The Southeastern Michigan Jewish
Dedaration was inspired in part by a simi-
lar effort called the Detroit Dedaration. The
"organizing document for people who love
Detroit',' drafted by a coalition of young
local leaders, began circulating earlier this
year as a rallying cry and the start of a
political movement to revitalize Detroit.

Declaration on page 20