viewpoints » S end letters to: letters@thejewishnews.com DETROIT JEWISH NEWS theJEWISHNEWS.com rebuttal Arthur M. Horwitz Publisher / Executive Editor ahorwitz@renmedia.us Federation Is Transparent T John Hardwick he Jewish News’ Sept. 1, 2016, in our database when the report has been editorial titled Federation: Choose posted to notify the community that this Transparency rightly points out information is available. that transparency and trust are critically The Jewish News asserts that Federation important if the Jewish Federation has become more secretive when, in of Metropolitan Detroit is to fact, the opposite is true. Our report- maintain its legitimacy and posi- ing to the community is more robust tion as the community’s central than it’s ever been and Federation fundraising address. But to assert is more open to both the public and or insinuate that we have been media, including the Jewish News, acting in secrecy, as the editorial than at any time I can remember. does, is both unfair and untrue. Chief Executive Officer Scott Communicating openly and Kaufman and our leadership — both ensuring decisions are debated professional and volunteer — spend a Lawrence A. and vetted properly is vital great deal of time meeting with com- Wolfe to establishing trust between munity members to provide periodic Federation and the community updates on initiatives as they develop, it serves. So, too, is publicly sharing key to hear concerns and to gather feedback so information. This is why the “Publications” that programs and services can be enhanced section of the Federation website under and improved. “About Us” contains the organization’s yearly I’ve watched Mr. Kaufman and annual reports, bylaws, financial statements Federation’s professional staff — all of whom and allocation reports and can be viewed by care deeply about this community and in anyone (jewishdetroit.org/about-us/ many cases have committed their lives to publications). serving it — operate with great integrity. Like most Federations, we no longer print By writing that decisions are being made in and mail the Annual Report out to every secret, the Jewish News suggests otherwise. member of the community because we Not only is Federation operating transpar- believe the significant dollars required to do ently, we are meeting our community’s dif- so are better spent on programs support- ficult challenges head-on. After Federation ing those in need. This year, we will email discovered the significant financial discrep- a notice and link to all of the constituents ancies at the JCC, we moved quickly to stabi- F. Kevin Browett Chief Operating Officer kbrowett@renmedia.us lize the center and get it back on solid foot- ing, which included the very painful decision to close JPM. The financial challenges at the Center have been going on for many years, but we made the deliberate decision to deal with them openly and directly and not “kick the can” down the road. In addition, with many of our aging agen- cy facilities needing significant repair and maintenance, we centralized management of Federation’s entire real estate portfolio to ensure our agencies have operational and safe spaces for many years to come. We are also working with our agencies more closely and collaboratively than at any time in our recent history, and we routinely hear from our peers in other communities that this relationship is extremely unique. These are just a few examples; there are many, many more. As a community-driven organization and the primary instrument of Jewish philan- thropy in Detroit, we know that transparency and honesty are critical to our success. We will continue to operate as we have — in an open and forthright manner. We also will continue to evaluate our communication methods and governance processes to ensure that we always live up to that standard. * Lawrence A. Wolfe is president of Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. | Editorial Managing Editor: Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@renmedia.us Story Development Editor: Keri Guten Cohen kcohen@thejewishnews.com Arts & Life Editor: Lynne Konstantin lkonstantin@renmedia.us Senior Copy Editor: David Sachs dsachs@renmedia.us Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@renmedia.us Senior Columnist: Danny Raskin dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net Contributing Editor: Robert Sklar rsklar@renmedia.us Contributing Writers: Ruthan Brodsky, Suzanne Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Don Cohen, Shari S. Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman, Adam Finkel, Ryan Fishman, Stacy Gittleman, Judy Greenwald, Ronelle Grier, Esther Allweiss Ingber, Harry Kirsbaum, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz, Robin Schwartz, Steve Stein | Creative Services Corporate Creative Director: Deborah Schultz dschultz@renmedia.us | Advertising Sales Sales Director: Keith Farber kfarber@renmedia.us Account Executives : Kathryn Andros, Wendy Flusty, Andrea Gusho, Annette Kizy, Paige Lustig Sales Manager Assistants : Joelle Harder, Karen Marzolf | Business Offices Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner Collections Analyst: Hazel Bender | Production By FARAGO & ASSOCIATES Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Amy Pollard, Pam Sherevan, Michelle Sheridan, Susan Walker | Detroit Jewish News letters Literacy Efforts Make Impact I would like to thank the more than 300 dedicated volunteers of the Detroit Jewish Coalition for Literacy (DJCL) who truly made a difference in the lives of the children they tutor in schools throughout Oakland County and Detroit. Through Southwest Solutions, DJCL expanded our reach by establishing partnerships among synagogues and temples and several Detroit Public Schools in the community. In a recent letter of appreciation to DJCL, Kaity Nicastri, site coordinator for Bennett Elementary School in Southwest Detroit, stated, “We are so grateful for your partner- ship with Bennet during the past school year. Your contribution of time, materials and volunteers to the school is much appreciated by our staff, parents and students. You were able to help 75 students feel more confident about reading and, more importantly, to feel valued by a positive adult! Thank you for committing time and effort to encourage our 6 September 15 • 2016 students to be successful.” Limited resources in metro-area schools make it nearly impossible for teachers and principals to provide the individualized attention needed to help students strug- gling with literacy. The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) created DJCL to help fill this gap and become part of the solution. DJCL engages literacy volunteers, helping students in kindergarten through third grade learn to read and develop a love of reading. I invite you to join our corps of caring, committed and generous volunteers. No experience is necessary, just one hour or so of your time each week and the ability to care about the education and future of our community’s children. DCJL will provide you with the tools, training and placement you need. And I promise, the reward you receive from the children you tutor will be priceless. If you would like more information about DJCL, or you are interested in volunteer- ing for any of DJCL’s programs throughout Oakland County and Detroit, I welcome you to contact JCRC/AJC Literacy and Community Relations Associate Sandy Lippitt, slippitt@jfmd.org or (248) 642-2640. Sue Birnholtz, chair Detroit Jewish Coalition for Literacy, a program of JCRC/AJC CORRECTION • “Still In The Red,” about the Jewish Community Center’s finances (Sept. 1, page 14), should have stated that the J CC’s CEO Brian Siegel’s children are Natalie, 18, and Griffin, 15, and that he is an owner of Star TRAX, along with Geoff Kretchmer. Letters to the Editor: We prefer letters that relate to articles in the Jewish News. We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Brevity is encouraged. Letters published will include the name and city of residence of the writer. Letters submitted must contain the name, address, title of the writer (if applicable) and a daytime phone number. We prefer emailed letters. Please email to letters@thejewishnews.com. (Letters sent by U.S. Postal Service must be hand-signed and mailed to the Jewish News, 29200 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034.) Chairman: Michael H. Steinhardt President/Publisher: Arthur M. 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