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Water For Flint
Local efforts yield tons of bottled water; you still can help.
M
Ashley Musser of the Flint Jewish
Federation uses bottled water to make
coffee.
lead can reside in the nervous system.”
Getting involved in solving problems
associated with the water crisis is the
anti-stress advice of Cheri Dickinson,
a social worker and therapist with
Oakland Psychological Clinic treating
Flint residents.
“Stand up and do something,” she
says and suggests contacting legisla-
tors and other government officials to
express personal problems related to
the water as well as helping collect and
distribute bottled varieties. “By empow-
ering yourself, you’re doing something
to change the way things are.”
Dickinson, a member of Temple Beth
El who has been an adviser for Flint
Reform Temple Youth, encouraged her
group to collect water for a local food
bank.
Gabe Goldman, a Jewish envi-
ronmentalist serving as director of
the Outdoor Jewish Classroom in
Pennsylvania, was invited to speak at
both the temple and synagogue in Flint
Township long before the lead crisis
became widely known. He was very
disturbed by what he witnessed during
a January weekend in the area despite
knowing that various governmental
agencies are investigating the issues.
“Jewish environmentalists view
what’s happening in Flint as a health
crisis — not a water crisis or an envi-
ronmental crisis,” he explains. “In
Judaism, performing mitzvot identified
with environmentalism is not for the
purpose of taking care of the Earth.
It is for the purpose of taking care of
people.”
To make donations of money for
bottled water, filters and lead testing
kits to help the people of Flint, contact
the Flint Jewish Federation at (810)
767-5922 or flintfed.com.
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14 January 28 • 2016
etro Detroit’s Jewish community has reacted to the
crisis in Flint by collecting bottled water, monetary
donations and even non-mixing baby formula.
Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield spearheaded an effort
to gather a semi-truckload of bottled water to deliver to the Food
Bank of Eastern Michigan in Flint this week. At press time, B’nai
Israel Synagogue and Temple Israel, both in West Bloomfield,
Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park, Adat Shalom Synagogue
in Farmington Hills and Congregation Shaarey Zedek in
Southfield had joined the effort. By the end of last weekend, Shir
Shalom alone had collected 6 tons of bottled water. A Corrigan
Movers truck will take the water to Flint.
Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills is conducting its own
bottled water collection through Friday and is sending its supplies
through Art Van, which uses its trucks to make deliveries to Flint.
Teachers Yifat Golan and Dana Friedman coordinated the effort
for Student Ambassadors, a program that invites students to apply
to represent Hillel in the community and work on behalf of the
school and learn leadership skills at the same time.
Goodman Acker PC law firm in Southfield collaborated with
State Rep. Jeremy Moss to collect bottled water and other supplies
at the Southfield Public Library.
In partnership with Federation’s NEXTGen, Moishe House
Royal Oak and Repair the World, The Well hosted a learning ses-
sion about water issues using secular poetry, biblical and rabbinic
selections and modern articles. Bottled water also was collected.
The Flint Jewish Federation is collecting monetary donations at
www.flintfed.com, or consider giving through a special fund set up
by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit — 100 percent
goes directly to the Flint federation and to the Flint Child Health &
Development Fund, led by the United Way of Genesee County and
established at the Community Foundation of Greater Flint to ensure
that children are afforded the resources and interventions to over-
come this population-wide exposure to lead. Go online to https://
action.jewishdetroit.org/events/flint-emergency-donation.
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Hillel Day School students Matthew Zivian and Anna Weinbaum
with water collected for Flint residents. The student ambassa-
dors will deliver the water to Art Van, which will use its trucks to
deliver it.
Todd Lee of Farmington Hills receives bottled water from Jacob
Douville, 14, of West Bloomfield, a member of SSTY (Shir Shalom
Temple Youth).
ARLENE FRANK TO HELM IADS
The Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue
ment by increasing scholarship funds,
(IADS) appointed Arlene J. Frank as its
engaging corporate and community
first full-time executive director. Frank
organizations, collaborating with com-
manages daily operations and oversees
munity organizations and creating more
the development of membership, pro-
awareness of its programs and services.
gramming, ritual, growth and develop-
Her board positions have included
ment, and community support.
Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring, Detroit
“I’m excited to start a new
Women’s Forum, Birmingham
challenge at the Downtown
Maple Clinic and National
Synagogue, and I’m fortunate
Council of Jewish Women,
to join the congregation as it
Greater Detroit Section.
continues to grow Jewish life
“The Downtown Synagogue’s
in Detroit,” Frank said. “As
impressive growth was elevated
a lifelong Detroiter, I have
when we hired full-time staff in
a compelling connection to
2012, and we will continue to
both the synagogue and the
reach new heights with Arlene as
Arlene Frank
city. I embrace the congrega-
our executive director,” said IADS
tion’s commitment to revital-
Board President Leor Barak. “She
ize Detroit as well as its dedi-
is a formidable community leader
cation to tikkun olam.”
with a host of experience in nonprofit
Frank spent the past 23 years as direc- management, and she brings a positive
tor of the Womencenter at Oakland
and professional approach to our congre-
Community College, guiding the depart- gation.”
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MDOT TO DISCUSS
OAK PARK PROJECTS
Michigan Department of Transportation
(MDOT) representatives will be present at
an Oak Park City Council meeting at 7 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 1, to discuss tree removal in
Victoria Park and other overpass projects —
and to gather citizen input.
Tree removal is part of a larger project to be
continued this spring where the material over
the entire bridge deck will be removed, includ-
ing on Church Street. Vehicular traffic will be
rerouted to Coolidge Highway and pedestrian
pathways will be rerouted to the Rothstein Park
walkways. Temporary walkways will be created
around the construction site, but crossing over
I-696 will be prohibited through Victoria Park.
At the conclusion of this MDOT project, an
updated play structure with rubberized play
surface will be installed, trees replaced, park
benches added and new lighting installed.
The meeting is open to the public at 14000
Oak Park Blvd. Or contact MDOT-Oakland at
(248) 451-0001. Look for an upcoming story in
the JN.
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