and rent space and facilities as need-
ed to accommodate the calendar
of holidays and religious services,
events and lifecycle celebrations.
The arrangement has become a
close working relationship highlight-
ed by a yearly joint Thanksgiving
service officiated by the clergy of
both congregations.
"One advantage of not having a
building of our own is that many
of our get-togethers are held in the
homes of our members:' Silverman
says.
At least twice during the sum-
mer season, the congregation holds
a Saturday morning service at a
lakeside home. Two or three times
a year there are Family Shabbats
combining dinner with a Shabbat
service.
"Davening in the Deli" also has
become a popular Friday night tra-
dition that started a couple of years
ago at Uncle Harry's Kosher-Style
Deli and Restaurant in nearby St.
Clair Shores.
Another advantage of member-
ship in the council is the low cost of
the annual dues made possible by
no building infrastructure to sup-
port. GPJC members volunteer their
time and effort to perform many of
the tasks usually performed by paid
staff in larger congregations and
Rabbi Silverman, Cantorial Soloist
Bryant M. Frank and guest lecturers
are compensated for the services
they perform by the hour.
Jewish education is an important
priority to the GPJC, which operates
its own religious school that holds
weekly classes in a neighborhood
commercial building. The school
serves children in elementary and
middle school grades. This past
year, two of the students celebrated
their b'nai mitzvah.
Times have changed since that
first Chanukah party 25 years ago.
Reflecting on the Jewish com-
munity of Grosse Pointe, Silverman
says, "The GPJC is just one example
of how small communities of Jews
can provide multiple access points
to Judaism while celebrating, pray-
ing, mourning, learning and serving
together.
"Jewish life south of Eight Mile
is flourishing. Jewish life east of
Mack Avenue is flourishing. It is
my hope that someday we will
say to one another, 'There are no
places in Metro Detroit where Jews
aren't living and serving our city
together:" ❑
Vivian Henoch is a writer for
myjewishdetroit.org, where this
story first appeared.
New Bar-Ilan Director
In Place From Chicago
Ari Steinberg, who has been
appointed the new Midwest Region
executive director of the American
Friends of Bar-Ilan University
(AFBIU), is reaching out to com-
munal leaders
and longtime
supporters in
Detroit to dis-
cuss meaningful
partnership
opportunities.
"Ari is com-
mitted
to
Ari Steinberg
continuing the
outstanding outreach efforts of Les
Goldstein, who recently retired
after 36 years of service:' said Alan
Zekelman of Bloomfield Hills,
AFBIU board chair. "After doing an
excellent job of directing AFBIU's
Chicago regional office for the past
two years, I am confident that Ari
will serve the Detroit region with
equal dedication:'
Steinberg said he is looking
forward to discussing with people
throughout the region how Bar-
Ilan is Israel's leading university
when it comes to bringing together
scientific innovation and Jewish
inspiration both within its faculty
and student body.
"This is a particularly exciting
year for Bar-Ilan University, as
it celebrates its 60th anniversary
as one of Israel's most outstand-
ing universities:' Steinberg said.
"Thanks in large part to the fore-
sight of Bar-Ilan's founders and
their families, many of whom came
from Detroit, the university has
grown from 60 students in 1955 to
over 33,000 students today at its
beautiful Ramat Gan campus and
six regional colleges:'
As part of the 60th anniversary
celebration, AFBIU will be sponsor-
ing a special mission to Israel and
the university May 13-21, 2015. It
also is planning outreach events
featuring Bar-Ilan scholars coming
to the U.S.
Steinberg says he welcomes the
opportunity to talk to individuals
and groups in Metro Detroit about
ways they can support Bar-Ilan
projects that build and strengthen
Israel, including its medical
school in Safed that is improving
healthcare services throughout the
Galilee.
To learn more about Bar-Ilan
University, call Steinberg at (847)
423-2270 or contact him at ari.
steinberg@afbiu.org . ❑
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