Special Report
WE ARE FAMILY / ON THE COVER
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•
All-Star Leadership Mission to Israel inspires new commitment back home.
Rachel Lachover
Special to the Jewish News
L
eadership. Ifs a word constantly
being tossed around Detroit's
Jewish community these days.
Where is it? Who is going to step up? How
are we going to achieve it?
From Aug. 23-30, a handpicked group
of 15 young Jewish adults, ages 23-33,
participated in a leadership develop-
ment program through Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit's Young Adult
Mission to Israel: The Adam & Jodi Becker
All-Star Mission to Israel, or as we called
ourselves — the "BAMs."
I am fortunate to be part of this family,
as we truly are family now, and to have
gone on this once-in-a-lifetime mission.
Although I have traveled to Israel seven
times, this last visit was like experiencing
the country from a fresh perspective, one I
hope to share with everyone here at home.
The uniqueness of this young adult
mission was the opportunity to meet with
prominent leaders, visit venture capitalist
start-up businesses and see firsthand how
we, Detroit's Jewish community, contribute
to Israel directly.
We visited our Partnership 2000 region
in the Central Galilee, went to the Jewish
Agency's Beit Alfa Absorption Center for
Ethiopian immigrants and saw at-risk
youth working at Susan's House and Elem
— all significant programs none of us
knew about before even though 40 percent
of our contributions to Federation are
allocated to support our family in Israel.
It is our job now, as the BAMs and as
future leaders of the Detroit Jewish com-
munity, to spread the word of how power-
ful one person's initiative can be.
On the following pages, each BAM
participant offers thoughts on the trip.
Rachel Lachover is program manager for the
Southeastern Michigan Jewish Alliance.
12
September 9 • 2010
"Throughout my life, I have been taught and
urged to ask questions. I have been trained
to make decisions based on all obtainable
information, and the way to obtain informa-
tion is to inquire. Admittedly, my ability to
ask questions has developed my apprehen-
sion to engage in anything unknown.
"While in Israel, a few experiences made
me question the importance of always
questioning. First, we visited an Ethiopian
absorption center that takes in Ethiopian
Jews — no questions asked! Can we fit
everyone, can we teach everyone, and will
there be enough jobs for these people when
they leave the center? These questions sim-
ply take a backseat to the mantra that Jews
shall live in a Jewish state. This idea of act
now, answer questions later has allowed
thousands of refugees to have exponentially
better lives after assimilating to the Israeli
culture.
"Later we visited a few programs aimed
to benefit at-risk youths. After meeting the
numerous program directors, there was
a single common denominator: at-risk
children will be provided assistance — no
questions asked! These programs do not
care if the children return to the streets.
They do not require drug tests. There are
no strings attached. And, most importantly,
there are no questions asked. These pro-
grams have been instrumental in cleaning
the streets of Tel Aviv and helping adoles-
cents grow into adults.
"If I learned anything from my brief
experience in Israel (in addition to a few
Hebrew swear words), it is this: Sometimes,
but not every time, you need to take the
plunge before asking the temperature of
the water, to take a taste before you know
exactly what you are eating, and to act now
and ask questions later."
— Scott Mitnick, Royal Oak
Scott Mitnick hangs out with children from the Belt Alfa
Absorption Center for Ethiopian immigrants.
"Before we left for this trip, I met a participant from last year's
Becker mission. She told me no matter how many times I had been
to Israel before, this time would be different because I would be
seeing the country through the eyes of a mother. She was right.
Everything I saw and learned on this trip was much more poignant
because of my children.
"We visited an Ethiopian absorption center and had the oppor-
tunity to meet some of the children. All I could think of was how
lucky we are at home and how important it is that we are sending
Federation dollars to help these children. We learned about Elem,
which Federation also supports, that helps youth in distress in Israel.
Again I thought about how proud I am that our city helps support
these places in Israel by giving aid to Jewish children in need.
"This trip was eye opening for me on so many levels. It was
important for me to see how involved Detroit is in helping those
most in need in Israel.
"But what I was most inspired by were the people on this trip.
Every person there was so passionate about Detroit, Israel and fig-
uring out the best ways to help both places thrive. We came home
excited to get involved and I can't wait to see what we are able to
accomplish:'
— Kim Schon, West Bloomfield