metro >> on the cover
Ethan and Karen Davidson: Continuing the late Bill Davidson's giving and activism.
Eugene and Pamela Applebaum: Two generations of active philanthropists.
Generation To Generation
Will ties that bind keep young leaders active and giving at home?
Bill Carroll I Contributing Writer
rom A to Z — Applebaum to
Zekelman — the storied names
of leadership and philanthropy
have helped establish the Detroit Jewish
community's reputation as one of the
most caring, giving communities in the
country.
A testament to that giving spirit is the
$29.4 million total raised in the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's 2011
Annual Campaign (plus $3.6 million from
the Carolyn and Jim Bellinson Challenge
Fund) despite continued economic hard-
ships.
But what about the future leaders and
major givers? Are they new generations of
the same names — young people who are
"stepping up" to carry on the legacies of
their parents? Or has the new generation
been affected by apathy or different priori-
ties? Are too many young people leaving
the community for good, or can they be
lured back?
Interviews with many of them bring
forth a variety of opinions and emotions,
ranging from strains of pessimism, to
cautious optimism, to scintillating enthu-
siasm — the latter borne out by facts and
deeds of the young generation.
A serious note was struck by a leader in
his late 30s who said: "I know a few people
who haven't volunteered even one hour
anywhere, who never serve on committees,
who don't participate in charity events,
and I'm sure donate only modestly to
community campaigns. And their parents
are well-known community leaders."
16 February 2 2012
Sees Migration Away
Builder-philanthropist Mandell "Bill"
Berman of Franklin, 94, the elder states-
man of Detroit Jewry, says, "I'm not too
optimistic about the future leadership
because there's a migration out of town.
Many just have to leave the state to find
jobs. You can't blame them; they need the
income?'
His daughter, Ann, 52, runs the Berman
Family Foundation from New York, where
she lives.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
Michigan's total population loss from
migration was about 16,700 in 2010,
making it the only state to lose popula-
tion in the last 10 years. Recent signs may
indicate Michigan's population now is
stabilizing.
"It really all depends on how success-
ful these young people are says Eugene
Applebaum, 75, of Bloomfield Hills, a phi-
lanthropist and former drugstore magnate.
"If they're doing OK, they'll stay and par-
ticipate. If not, they have to find greener
pastures.
"But we definitely need more people
like Dan Gilbert [the 50-year-old Franklin
resident and founder/chairman of Quicken
Loans.] He worked hard, became success-
ful, and now he's revitalizing Detroit and
Downtown:'
A Notable Slate
Businesswoman-philanthropist Florine
Mark of Farmington Hills sees "a resur-
gence of Jewish youth in Detroit:' but she's
wary about the job situation.
"Many who left want to come back, but
they obviously need jobs; that's the key:'
says Mark, who's happy her five children
live within 10 minutes of her home.
Mark's daughter Lisa Lis and her hus-
band, Hannan Lis, of Farmington Hills
are very well known in the Jewish com-
munity, taking leadership roles in such
organizations as the Jewish Community
Center, Federation, Jewish National Fund,
American Technion Society and the
American Jewish Committee.
Scott Kaufman of Birmingham, whose
relatively young age, 45, is significant
because he's CEO of Federation, is
extremely optimistic. He describes the
toughness and resiliency of the old guard
of Detroit's Jewish leaders and the big
issues they handled in the 20th century —
Jewish immigration, Holocaust survivors,
Soviet Jewry, Israel emergencies.
"But they were up to the tasks:' he says.
"Giving wasn't optional in the '40s and
'50s. They had to give to take care of their
fellow Jews not only here but abroad.
"We've always been blessed to have
excellent senior leadership here, but now
their descendants must take over — and
they are Kaufman adds. "We're filling
those old family pipelines with our new
leadership. Many are in their 40s and are
assuming all of the responsibilities that go
with growing up in the community."
Kaufman said more and more six-figure
donations are coming from the under-50
group.
"It's been rough economically for many
of the young entrepreneurs, but they're
stepping up to the challenge. There's a new
adage that says: If you want to try and
make money, go to New York or Chicago.
But if you want to be relevant, stay here
and lead.
"And I sense the beginning of a reverse
migration. The Federation is being con-
tacted by young people who live out of
town, seeking our help to find jobs in the
Detroit area so they can return:'
Marcie Hermelin Orley of Franklin is
staying put; she's proud to be fulfilling two
legacies: that of her parents, Doreen and
the late ambassador-businessman-philan-
thropist David Hermelin, and her in-laws,
Joseph and the late Suzanne Orley.
"I've been strongly influenced by them,
but I'm not active in the community only
because I feel I have to be Orley says. "We
all make our own decisions so I choose to
get involved, and I'm carrying on for the _
families here."
Her three sisters are doing the same
in California and New York. Her brother,
Brian Hermelin of Bingham Farms, is past
president of Congregation Shaarey Zedek
in Southfield and retains the family's sense
of pride in Detroit by working daily to
help bring new businesses and industry to
the city.
"I'm proud of all of them and the other
young people of the Jewish community,"
Doreen Hermelin says. "They're a great
group of kids and are really stepping up."