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Annual Walk for Israel has a long and storied history.

he first Metro Detroit Walk
for Israel took place May
20, 1984, at the Jewish
Community Center. Hosted by
the Jewish Welfare Federation,
it was held in conjunction with the
celebration of Israel's 36th Independence
Day. The funds raised were given to the
Allied Jewish Campaign to help maintain
humanitarian services in Israel.
Sixteen years later, in 2000, the now-
named Federation nixed the annual
Walk for Israel, citing steadily dwindling
numbers of participants. Federation
leaders at the time said they hoped
the walk would be revived. "Never say
never," they said.
Fast forward five years when Mark
Segal approached Temple Shir Shalom
Executive Director Andre Douville and
shared his memories of the Federation's
annual Walk for Israel.
"He told me thousands of people
would come and it was a real big event
that languished over time," Douville said.
"He said, 'I think we should revive it.'
"We were both passionate about
Israel," Douville continued, "and wanted
to figure out a way to make it work.
Together we started to reach out to the
community."
One of their first decisions — and one
of the most important — was deciding on
a location.
"We wanted exposure and Shir Shalom,
on the corner of Walnut Lake and Orchard
Lake roads, was a natural," Douville said.
"More than 50,000 cars travel on Orchard
Lake Road every day."
Douville approached Temple Shir
Shalom's board of directors with the
idea and they were 100 percent behind
the plan. "Then came the important
part of getting the community involved,"
Douville said. "It was much harder than
we originally anticipated. There were so
many different opinions and viewpoints."
Douville assembled a committee
composed of a cross representation of
the entire community — from right to left
politically and from Orthodox to Reform
religiously — and "everyone in between,"
Douville said. "We had so many different
opinions of mission and vision. So many
questions. What happens to the money
we raise? How do we solicit funds? How
do we spend the money we have?"
The team was able to come to
agreement on many of the questions and
the first "new" Walk for Israel occurred
May 7, 2006, with hundreds walking from
Temple Shir Shalom to Temple Kol Ami.
Segal, so instrumental in reviving the
annual event, bowed out a couple years
later, leaving Douville to carry the torch,

56 I Chai Israel • October 2014

and carry it he did.
"I was able to build more coalitions
while consistently reaching out to the
Orthodox community," he said. "Our
mission was to bring as many people in
the community together as we could
to share our commitment to Israel. We
wanted to do it in non-political way — no
advocacy for any political side. It was a
feel good event. That's what we continued
to tell people."
It took quite some time, but about
three years ago, the Federation came
"back in the loop," Douville said, taking
a more proactive role in promoting the
Walk for Israel and Israel Week.
"People realized that the Walk for Israel
was an event that complemented other
programming about Israel," Douville said.
"It was not a Temple Shir Shalom thing; it
was a community thing. It took some time
to get that message across."
The Jewish News, led by executive
editor and publisher Arthur Horwitz, was
instrumental in reaching out to people
and getting them involved, Douville
added. "Each year the JN promotes it
we've grown and gotten bigger."
The walk has grown from a few hundred
to a few thousand. "We've gained critical
mass," Douville said. "More than 40
organizations are sponsors, giving us $180
each. Ford Motor Co. became our first
major corporate sponsor in 2011. They
gave us a $10,000 check, which was huge
for us."
The annual budget is spent mainly on

Above: Ray Rebeck of West
Bloomfield proudly holds the
Israeli flag aloft.

Top Right: Families from Hillel
Day School show their pride.

Middle Right: Walkers received
small Israeli flags to wave.

Bottom Right: Danny and Linda
Friedman of West Bloomfield.

advertising, a kosher pizza
lunch for walkers, security, and
entertainment and speakers.
"We are always looking for
ways to attract all age groups,"
Douville said. "We know
we're going to get members
%;
of the older population, who III
are consistent supporters of
Israel. We are looking to reach out to the
younger generation."
The entire population of Frankel Jewish
Academy turns out for the annual event.
Douville hopes other Jewish schools will
follow suit.
The walk continues to evolve. A 5K run
was added a few years ago. This year's
run, May 18, was incredibly cold, but a
record number of walkers/runners —
1,800 — showed up to show their pride
in Israel. The line of people waving Israeli
flags, carrying signs supporting Israel and
celebrating the Jewish State stretched
several blocks.

"The Walk for Israel is important
because of the way it unifies our
community," Douville said. "It's the one
day out of the year that Orthodox and
Reform Jews, Republicans and Democrats,
conservatives and liberals, Jews and non-
Jews come together for one reason: to
show their support for the State of Israel."
The date for the next Walk for Israel has
already been set. Mark your calendars for
May 17, 2015. Visit www.walkforisrael.
org to learn more. If you're interested in
sponsorship or participating, email Andre
Douville at andre@walkforisrael.org .

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