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EDITORIAL BOARD:
Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz
Chief Operating Officer: F. Kevin Browett
Interim Editor: Alan Hitsky
Contributing Editor: Robert Sklar

Editorial

Changing Face Of
Reform Judaism

H

Motifs and Anna Tobocman and their sons, Iry (standing) and Al - 1950

..

L

ess than a century ago,
my grandfather Morris
Tobocman emigrated from
Lukov, Poland, to America without
much formal education and, most
likely, without formal legal status.
Little could he imagine that both
his sons would become
renowned architects
from the University of
Michigan who design
and build some of
the most expensive
and beautiful modern
homes in the region.
Nor could he imagine
that his grandson
would end up as the
elected state represen-
tative from Southwest
Detroit for three terms,
including a term as the majority
floor leader, the second-ranking
position in the Michigan House
of Representatives. It is a typical
American story of immigra-
tion; and it helps define a central
piece of what makes America so
economically and politically suc-
cessful.

The Backdrop
Morris Tobocman and the tens
of thousands of Jews who found
their way to the Detroit area
came to this region to pursue the
American Dream. That dream was

about freedom and opportunity
done for East Dearborn), I had
—freedom to live without fear of
no idea how much immigrants
persecution for his religious and
had contributed to our overall
cultural identity and opportunity
economy.
to share in America's economic
prosperity.
Strong Support
Today's immigrants and refu-
Metro Detroit's immigrants have
gees coming to America been fueling our region's entry
seek the same American into the new global economy.
Dream pursued by
They are 150 percent more likely
Morris Tobocman and
to possess a college degree, three
other Jewish Detroiters.
times as likely to start a business,
Despite the global reces- six times as likely to create a high-
sion, wars in Iraq and
tech company and seven times
Afghanistan, budget
as likely to file an international
deficits, crumbling
patent than non-immigrants in
infrastructure and other Michigan. Additionally, immi-
challenges, America
grants tend to possess degrees and
remains the most pros-
skills in the science, technology,
perous nation in the
engineering and mathematics
world, with the highest
(STEM) fields critical to the New
standard of living and strongest
Economy. Incredibly, 47 percent of
constitutional protections from
all scientists and engineers with
persecution. In short, there are
Ph.D.s and 24 percent of all scien-
millions of global citizens eager to tists and engineers with bachelor's
immigrate to America and even to degrees in the U.S. workplace are
Metro Detroit.
foreign born.
More than two years ago, I was
Immigrants also have been
asked to study the impacts immi-
critical to starting the businesses
grants have had on our regional
that power the New Economy. One
economy. The results of the Global
quarter of all the high-tech firms
Detroit study (found online at
started in the U.S. from 1995-
www.globaldetroit.com ) were star- 2005, and 32.8 percent of all such
tling. While I was keenly aware of
firms in Michigan, were founded
how much Hispanic immigrants
by immigrants, ranking Michigan
had done to revitalize Southwest
third after only California and
Detroit (or Arabic immigrants had New Jersey, an incredible statistic

Global Detroit on page 43

42

May 5 2011

e protested alongside prominent Israelis in
opposing Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem
and also rallied in Jerusalem on behalf of Gilad
Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped and held by Hamas.
In a revealing interview with the Jewish Week in
New York, which the JN ran on April 14, Rabbi Richard
Jacobs, poised to guide the largest Jewish religious
organization in North America, describes himself as
a lover of Israel. His background speaks to that: con-
gregational missions to study with the Orthodox chief
rabbi of Efrat in the West Bank; active involvement with
the New Israel Fund; and purchase of a family home in
Israel following the start of the second Palestinian Inti-
fada in 2000. He supports an equitable two-state solu-
tion to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as do we.
Jacobs, 55, is senior rabbi at the 1,200-family
Westchester Reform Temple in New York. He's in line
to succeed Rabbi Eric Yoffie as head of the Reform
movement's New York-based Union for
Reform Judaism in July 2012 pending
URJ board approval this June. His poli-
tics swing decidedly left. He feels politi-
cal criticism of Israel only becomes
problematic when it morphs into dele-
gitimizing or demonizing. Still, and
wisely, he acknowledges he'll have to be
more conscious of the political diversity
Rabbi Jacobs
within the URJ, which represents 900
synagogues and 1.5 million Jews.
The Zionist Organization of America
has praised Jacobs for his commitment to social justice
in Chad, Darfur and Haiti, but criticized him for enthusi-
astic support of left-wing advocacy groups like the New
Israel Fund and J Street, a Washington political lobby
(where he serves on the rabbinic cabinet). The ZOA
fears that his ties could bind the Reform movement to
the politics of these dovish groups.
At this time of religious transformation in America,
the URJ is committed to making synagogues and the
movement more relevant, accessible and engaging. As
the first congregational rabbi to lead the URJ, Jacobs
will stand at a crossroads in trying to introduce occa-
sional congregants as well as uninvolved Jews to the
wonders not only of their ancestral homeland, but also
of Jewish identity and Jewish life.
Notably, Rabbi Yoffie became more politically astute
over the years, criticizir.g J Street for tagging Israel the
aggressor in its Gay , -
war with Hamas and criticiz-
ing the supposedl• ..,vuerate Palestinian Authority for
indoctrinating kids in the West Bank to hate Zionism
and Jews.
Clearly, the leader of the Reform movement has the
best chance of success from the middle of the politi-
cal spectrum. That Rabbi Jacobs is a senior fellow
at Jerusalem's Shalom Hartman Institute, a widely
admired, Orthodox-run educational and research insti-
tution that promotes new and diverse voices in the
Jewish tradition, is a real plus. [I