especially important to me,” says Lasday, who volunteered for the packing of books and ritual objects to be given away. She agreed to look after some 80 cartons of materials and is sending out notices detailing available items. “I hope to reach Jewish educators, especially those in small Michigan com- munities. Although the materials are free, recipients will have to pay shipping costs or make arrangements to transport what interests them. I’d like to see some ritual objects reach people who grew up in the congregation and moved away.” Lasday’s dedication to passing along educational resources relates to her current responsibilities, which include work as educational consultant and cur- riculum facilitator for Federation’s Jewish Education Department and curriculum writer and trainer for the PJ Library Parent Project. Jewish educators will have access to books Sunday, Aug. 21, at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. The texts will be shown at the Seminar for Educational Excellence in Detroit (SEED) sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Others can contact Lasday at iwillisrael@gmail.com, the email address for her new business of conducting tours of Israel. Two Torahs were given to University of Michigan Hillel in Ann Arbor. “We were honored to receive the Torahs,” says Rabbi Lisa Stella, senior Jewish educator. “At Hillel, we often have between two and four different services happening simultaneously in order to accommodate the variety of religious practices of more than 6,000 Jewish stu- dents and community members. “On High Holidays, Reform, Conservative and Orthodox services are in multiple locations and, in the past, we have had to borrow Torahs to accommo- date all of our services. “This unique and generous dona- tion will allow our Hillel to continue to ensure our pluralistic, vibrant services will be equipped with everything they need, including beautiful Torah scrolls. They will be used well!” Meizlish, a member of Beth Israel for more than 50 years, feels a bit nostalgic at this time of change. “The building we sold was the third building the congregation had,” Meizlish says. “I was part of the last two buildings, married in the second and watching my kids grow up while attending the third. “Although it’s sad to give up a build- ing, it became a question of survival. The money we made from the sale will keep us going for a while, and I believe the long-term gain is important.” Seminars and Workshops, Personalized Training and a plethora of tools! Visit info.zingtrain.com/djn to download a poster of Zingerman’s 12 Natural Laws of Business™, and enter the drawing for a free 4-hour workshop by signing up for the e-news. “This was an amzing experience from beginning to end. The partnership led to a very exciting and fun event. We would be happy to recommend ZingTrain to anyone!” Marc Fisher, CEO, Mayerson JCC, Cincinnatti 734.930.1919 | zingtrain@zingermans.com | www.zingtrain.com 2112040 * RUG CARE EXPRESS SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE! Both organizations have been active in Detroit’s interfaith and interracial com- munities and support local educational and advocacy programs for Israel. According to Chandler, AJC has established relationships with the Michigan Muslim Community Council and Detroit’s diplomatic corps. AJC representatives meet regularly with five official counsels gen- eral and many honor- ary foreign officials in Detroit to “commu- nicate the priorities of the Jewish com- munity, mainly safety Alicia Chandler and security of Israel, and to educate them about the importance of Israel,” Chandler says. For JCRC, Israel advocacy has focused on developing positive relationships with the local news media as well as educat- ing members of the local Jewish commu- nity to be Israel advocates. JCRC tradi- tionally provides visiting Israeli officials and news media representatives with an opportunity to meet Detroit-area news editors and update them about Israel. AJC Detroit also has a young leaders group — ACCESS — that JCRC|AJC will continue. “Bringing together AJC and JCRC is a wonderful example of synergy and help- ing our community to thrive,” Chandler says. “Everyone is focused on what is best for the Jewish community. It is an opportunity for AJC to continue to have a presence in Detroit.” Scott Kaufman, Federation CEO, agrees. “Bringing the JCRC and AJC together as a joint organization creates a tre- mendous opportunity to integrate and strengthen the work of two important agencies,” he says. “I believe that joining their Israel advocacy and community-relations capabilities is not only efficient, it will ultimately create an entity that is even greater than the sum of its parts.” A nominating committee is review- ing candidates for a new joint board for fiscal year 2016-17. Corey Young, AJC’s staff member, will join the JCRC|AJC staff, Chandler says, while overall JCRC staff is under review, according to Kurzmann. JCRC’s main funding source has been an annual Federation allocation, which is $331,983 for fiscal year 2016. AJC receives an annual Federation allocation of $10,875; that will be transferred to JCRC|AJC. An annual dinner and dona- tions also supported AJC Detroit. * Rug Care Express* gives your rugs a quality cleaning and they’re ready for pick-up in just two days! We’ve upgraded our Oak Park Rug Care Spa so getting your rugs clean in record time is not just a wish, it’s a reality. Bring your rug in before 1 pm, Monday through Saturday, and you can pick it up after 4 pm the second business day. 1-800-HAGOPIAN (424-6742) www.OriginalHagopian.com 14000 W. Eight Mile in Oak Park just west of Coolidge Hwy. *Only at our Oak Park location. Some restrictions may apply. 2078470 July 21 • 2016 17