Publisher's Notebook
TO BENEFIT PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
A Unique
PartnerJltip
L
growing elderly and frail elderly populations?
ast month's town hall-style meeting
• What growing role can Hillels across
sponsored by the Jewish Federation of
Michigan play in helping to match college gradu-
Metropolitan Detroit's CommunityNext
ates with meaningful employment opportunities
young adult initiative and hosted at Quicken Loans'
throughout Southeastern Michigan?
Detroit headquarters was refreshing for many
• To lessen the stress on our community's safe-
reasons.
ty net of social and financial services by those
Framed by Quicken CEO Dan Gilbert's big and
who are unemployed or underemployed, can we
bold vision for downtown Detroit and a "Web-
have someone working under the umbrella of the
ward Avenue technology corridor',' the grass-roots
Federation CEO's office who eats, sleeps, thinks,
gathering generated a stream of ideas, hopes and
Art h ur NI.
dreams, owns and does jobs every day for the
challenges related to engaging young Jewish adults
Hor
Jewish
community?
in building a vibrant and vital urban presence and
Publ isher
• How are we anticipating Federation's all-
helping to reverse a debilitating trend — the exodus
of our children and grandchildren to other parts of the country. important annual campaign will be impacted by the deaths
of significant donors and a general decline in the overall
While many younger Jews are not animated by the thought
number of contributors?
of staying in (or returning to) Southeastern Michigan to live,
work and play — having a dynamic urban core in Detroit is a
Community infrastructure
key ingredient for a revitalized city and alluring region.
• If synagogue capacity, especially in the Conservative
Our Federation leadership should be congratulated for
movement, was built for a much larger population, should
arranging this town hall meeting and open forum. As
the current overhead and cost structures be sustained for
Federation CEO Scott Kaufman posted on his Facebook page
during the event, "super energy and passion at Quicken Loans another five years? Ten years?
• Can the leadership of the Jewish Community Center
tonight for the Detroit town hall meeting." But why stop with
generate enough outside revenue over the next five to 10
one town hall meeting focused on engaging young Jewish
years to maintain and sustain the largest facility of its kind
adults with the city of Detroit?
in North America without losing its Jewish character?
There is a dizzying array of demographic
and economic issues challenging our com-
• Can the community continue to support the grow-
ing financial needs of outreach organizations, such as
munity and requiring a clear, compelling
and realistic overall vision for a Jewish com- the Jewish Community Relations Council, the ADL and
American Jewish Committee, even if some of their agendas
munity that is smaller, older and less flush
with assets and influence than it used to be.
are overlapping?
The challenge of attracting and retaining
• Can the community complete the integration of Jewish
Home & Aging Services and Jewish Apartments & Services
young adults is one part of a bigger picture.
Dan Gilbert
into Jewish Senior Life, providing a model for future consol-
Federation needs to paint that bigger pic-
idations that could include services provided Jewish Family
ture with us and for us.
A series of energetic and passionate
Services, JVS and Hebrew Free Loan?
community-wide town hall meetings would
• Given current and anticipated needs locally and in Israel
and overseas, can Federation sustain its allocations model?
provide Federation with grassroots input in
constructing this overarching vision while
securing the buy-in necessary for making
Miscellaneous
potentially tough decisions that recalibrate
• Can we meet the needs of the Jewish community and
become more engaged in helping to shape the future of
long-standing funding models.
Scott
Detroit and Southeastern Michigan?
Among the areas that could be explored
Kaufman
• Can we change the narrative about living, and living
and discussed are the following:
Jewishly, in Detroit and Southeastern Michigan and commu-
nicate it effectively?
Demographics
Perhaps Federation can enlist Dan Gilbert and additional
• Based on the latest projections, what will our community
visionary community leaders to help host these town hall
look like in five years? Ten years?
meetings. In the new era of Facebook- and Twitter-fueled
• How will the decline in school-age children impact our
revolutions, engaging constituents at the grassroots level
preschools, day schools, religious schools, day and overnight
about our collective future — especially face to face — is
camping programs and teen youth groups?
always a good strategy. Hi
•What additional resources will be needed to serve our
STANDING L to R: Rabbi Levi Shemtov
(Friendship Circle), Mark Lit (JCC),
SEATED L to R: Rick Loewenstein (JARC),
Barbara Nurenberg (JVS)
THE CENTER
pre
GREAT PRIZES
Travel Sports Shopping
TICKETS
$50 each # 3/$100
LICENSEE: ARC • STATE OF Ail(HIGAII RAFFLE 409122
Pctrchroe Tickets at
SuperRaffie.org
OR
248.538.6610 x349
February 24 R 2011
5