What Is Jewish Detroit?
The Jewish Communal Leadership Program sparks a conversation.
n Sunday, April 1, more
how the Jewish community grew and
than 90 people, most of
found strength in [Detroit]. We heard
them members of the
of the complexities of city life and the
regional Jewish community,
disparate views on suburbanization.
convened at the University of Michi-
We saw large communal structures
gan School of Social Work to discuss
and grassroots activism."
an evasive topic rooted in history —
Following his introduction, Dr. Beryl
the relationship between the Jewish
Satter of Rutgers University and Dr.
community and
Lila Corwin Berman
Detroit.
of Temple Universi-
During the
ty set the stage for
daylong "What Is
the rest of the day's
Jewish Detroit?"
program — dis-
symposium, attend-
cussing the history
ees listened to a
of Jews in cities,
variety of narrative
their influence on
perspectives and
urban real estate,
Ariel Pear I-Jacobvitz
participated in dis-
and
the underlying
and Ilana Sc human-Stoler
cussions centered
dynamics
occur-
Special to the Jewish News
on many related
ring between Jews,
issues. In titling
corporate interest
the event, "What Is Jewish Detroit?" it
and the Federal Housing Association
was our intention to initiate a dialogue
during the early- to mid-20th century.
among attendees that would foster an
Both authors reflected on the intra-
awareness of the importance of our
communal conflicts that resulted due
words and actions when we, as Jewish
to the various roles Jews played in the
community members, engage with
housing scandals of the time. Katie
Detroit.
Rosenblatt, Ph.D. candidate in U-M's
To open the symposium, Joshua
Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, fa-
Kanter, our colleague and fellow-con-
cilitated this portion, adeptly prompt-
vener, welcomed attendees.
ing the speakers to discuss how these
"The inspiration for this day has
dynamics have changed over time in
been the result of our collective expe-
an attempt to connect historical ties to
riences. As part of the Jewish Commu-
the modern complexities of the Jewish
nal Leadership Program cohort, we've
community's relationship to Detroit.
taken part in a wide variety of site
The historical overview was followed
visits and day trips. As individuals, we
by a panel of eight speakers, each of
have had many personal experiences
whom shared their personal narratives
engaging in the city and the metropol-
of "Jewish Detroit" in response to the
itan area alike," he said. "We learned
question, "What does Detroit mean to
you?"
Kate Bush, Jerry Cook,
Sarah Crane, Scott
Kaufman, Eli Newman,
Marcie Orley, Harry Reisig
-•:\ A
and Harriet Saperstein
Andy Rudick and David Carroll were among 90
comprised the panel, rep-
people who attended the program.
resenting an array of per-
spectives on the relation-
ship between the Jewish
to formally represent the wide reach
community and Detroit. Each speaker
of various community stakeholders
provided a compelling account of his
incorporated in the event.
or her own highly varied experiences
The event closed with an open
as residents, students, profession-
forum discussion led by the Detroit
als and advocates. By connecting the
Area Leadership Initiative (DACLI), in
academic to the personal, this transi-
which participants offered reflections
tion helped spark a bevy of colorful
and general thoughts about where
conversations among participants.
the day's conversations had taken
After lunch, the event moved into a
them and shared visions for future
series of plenary dialogues and table
conversations. We hoped to initiate
conversations around the various
important conversations rather than
components of "Jewish Detroit." This
provide definitive answers to the ques-
part of the day highlighted different
tion "What Is Jewish Detroit?" and are
perspectives in the regional Jewish
pleased to pass the torch to the DACLI
community in relation to Detroit and
cohort who will be continuing these
encouraged difficult conversations be-
conversations with more community
tween individuals who may not ordinar-
programming in the near future.
ily have had the opportunity to talk.
Ariel Pearl-Jacobvitz and Ilana
Attendees were asked to think
Schuman-Stoler are students in the
about questions such as "How do
U-M Jewish Communal Leadership
you see Detroit 10 years from now?",
Program Class of 2012.
"What role does the city play in the
The event was sponsored
identity of Detroit Jews?" and "What,
by Bend the Arc, Ben N. Teitel
if any, is the Jewish obligation to the
Charitable Trust, Frankel Center
city of Detroit?" Conversations were
for Judaic Studies, Honest Tea,
modeled by David Carroll, Ben Falik,
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Oren Goldenberg, Austin, Jerry, Jason,
Detroit, Repair the World, School
of Social Work Community
and Josh Kanter, Miryam Rosenzweig,
Organization Learning Community
Rabbi Ariana Silverman, Eitan Suss-
and U-M Hillel/Ask Big Questions.
man and Melissa Morof, who served
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D:hive from page 1
Building a Community
of Entrepreneurs
"Build" provides eight weeks of
classes that bring together entrepre-
neurs with diverse backgrounds and
skill sets. Classes meet once a week
for three-hour sessions. Students
also put in three hours of work each
week outside of class. The program
is based on similar efforts in Chat-
tanooga, Cincinnati and Asheville,
N.C. In eight weeks, participants
convert their ideas into a plan and
are matched with other community
resources that may help them further
that plan. Eight to 10 individuals are
enrolled in each class.
The "Build" startup classes are
designed to increase the chances
of success for people who have an
idea for a program, project or busi-
ness that they believe will benefit
the residents of Detroit. The "Grow"
program is geared toward ongoing
s u pport.
The concept: To sustain success,
entrepreneurs need to be constantly
solving problems, connecting with
new networks and refining their
approach to their work. "Grow" is
a monthly roundtable meeting, led
by a facilitator, geared to provide a
forum for problem-solving and idea
sharing, providing insights that drive
innovation, shared support and con-
tinuous improvement. All sessions
are held in confidential settings to
encourage dialogue and camarade-
rie.
Aronoff sees the Build and Grow
sessions as a way to build a com-
SPONSORED SECTION BY: Quicken Loans
Engineered to
Amaze-
munity or network of support among
the many talented young people
wanting to build something new in
the city. "The talent is here and the
opportunities are here," he says.
"What we lack right now is the den-
sity of activity that all vibrant cities
need. That's what we're working
on."
While optimistic about the city's
prospects, he knows that the rebirth
will take time. He envisions that the
increasing number of participants
of the Build and Grow programs
will help accelerate the rebirth by
helping to get others involved in the
programs and the network building.
Asked whether Jewish energy is
making a difference in Detroit's
rebuilding efforts, he replied, "Ab-
solutely. You can feel it. And if you
think about it, the same principles
that make the Jewish Federation
work so well are really what the
D:hive is all about."
A grant by the Hudson-Webber
Foundation is helping D:hive get
started. Other partners include the
Detroit Economic Growth Corpora-
tion, the Downtown Detroit Partner-
ship, Model D Media, Quicken Loans
and Rock Detroit.
A grand opening of the refurbished
new facility likely will be held in May.
Updates on D:hive activity are
available on the organization's Face-
book page. Interested entrepreneurs
can register for Build or Grow classes
through the D:hive website — d-hive.
org — or request more information
at DhiveDetroit@gmail.com or (313)
962-4590.
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April 19 2012 3
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