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Memories

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mentioned his close friendship with
uring my quarter-century at
Adam and Amy Gershwin. The great-
the Jewish News — 19 of those
nephew of George and Ira Gershwin,
years as arts and entertain-
Adam helped run the George
ment editor — I had the
Gershwin estate and cleared
chance to meet celebrities
the way for Felder to obtain
including Woody Allen, Jerry
the rights to perform selec-
Seinfeld and Oscar winner
tions from the composer’s
Adrien Brody, among others.
catalogue.
But it was a foggy night in
The mention of Adam’s
London town that remains
wife, former Detroiter Amy
my favorite personal memory.
Salesin Gershwin, once
In spring 2004, I assigned a
Gail Zimmerman again confirmed to my JN
story on writer-actor-pianist
Former Arts &
colleagues that I seem to be
Hershey Felder, then 35, and
Entertainment Editor
related to everyone (she is the
his upcoming one-man show,
granddaughter of my father’s
George Gershwin Alone, at
first cousin).
Kalamazoo’s Irving S. Gilmore
When Felder’s publicist called
International Keyboard Festival.
requesting a copy of the article, I
In the article, Felder, who grew
mentioned I was about to travel to
up in a Jewish family in Toronto,

London to visit my daughter, Julie,
then a recent college graduate in the
middle of a six-month internship in
England.
It turned out Felder would still be
performing his show in London’s West
End during my stay, and the publicist
insisted on treating my daughter and
me to tickets, asking that we go back-
stage to present a copy of the JN to
Felder in person.
After his wonderful performance,
Felder invited us for a long stroll
through the streets of London, regal-
ing us with stories of his life and
career while expressing how happy he
was to see “two friendly Jewish faces.”
After we parted, my daughter said,
“Mom, you have a cool job!” Indeed I
did. •

community view

Coming Soon?

T

wo recent articles in the
Jewish News caught my atten-
tion — the first, “Coming
Soon?” with an appropriate ques-
tion mark in the Aug. 17 issue, and
the second, “Meet the Neighbors” in
the Oct. 19 issue about Jews meet-
ing one another in their ’hoods.
Wasn’t that the
purpose of our
Jewish Community
Center?
At the vacant field
on Ten Mile in Oak
Park where once
a vibrant commu-
nity center provided
Jerry Naftaly
community activi-
ties, someone, or
some group, plunked
down a sign that
reads “Coming Soon” and probably
thought — “that will appease them.”
Well, we are not appeased. We are
not humored.
The sign notes “Coming Soon. The
New Jimmy Prentis Morris Jewish
Community Facility. Construction to
Begin Spring/Summer of 2017.”
It’s now fall.
I reached out to leaders of the
Jewish Federation, but to no avail. I,
along with many in our community,
want answers. The Federation board
leadership oversees the operation, not
the city, but as former mayor of Oak

Park, I’m frequently asked if I know
the status. I don’t. There are those
who could enlighten us, especially as
rumors of alleged deals and an anony-
mous donor were made in August
2015.
Is it just me who feels that transpar-
ency, communication and credibility
are lacking? More than two years have
gone by since we were told the JCC
would close. They assured us every
effort would be made to keep the JCC
open, but when that didn’t happen,
the land was cleared. We were then
told we’d learn the process of build-
ing a new center, including the name
of the major donor; but again we’ve
heard nothing.
Everything, including the pool
which was paid for with private
donations, was razed. The group
“Save the OP JCC” raised a consider-
able amount of money, which the
Federation is holding. Our community
provided ongoing support for the cen-
ter despite rising dues and fees. Over
time, it seems the leadership of the

JCC paid more attention to the facili-
ties west of Telegraph than to those
east of Telegraph, thereby ignoring
the needs of the large Jewish commu-
nity residing in Oak Park, Southfield,
Huntington Woods and surrounding
areas who would be well served by a
vibrant Jewish Community Center.
Isn’t this the focus and value of the
second article, “Meet the Neighbors”?
Isn’t that the purpose of our Jewish
Community Center in Oak Park?
Despite the reasons for the decline
and closure of the Oak Park JCC, the
failed operations can’t be blamed on
the members of our community.
Don’t all those who patronized the
JCC facilities and programs deserve
better than a sign plunked down on
an empty lot? After decades of sup-
port, don’t we deserve transparency
and information about the future of
the Oak Park JCC?
I think we do! •

My
Story

Eli Golshteyn was six years old
when his parents brought him to
the United States from the Soviet
Union. The Golshteyns arrived in
Michigan and began the enormous
task of settling into new jobs,
schools and a new culture. Along
with other relatives, the Jewish
community and Hebrew Free Loan
were valuable resources.
“I was young and I thought it was
all a big adventure, but we were
starting over, and we needed help,”
Eli said. “Several times HFL helped
my family as we acclimated – with
our ﬁrst car, with a computer, and
with medical expenses. My parents
are brilliant, they’re both engineers,
but navigating a huge life shift like
that wasn’t easy. The Jewish
community was there for us. As I
got older, I realized what an amazing
concept it was to have a Jewish
community that helps others, and
I’m glad to even slightly repay the
debt, ﬁrst as a NEXTGen Liaison to
HFL, and now as an HFL Adjunct
Committee member.”
Right away, Eli was impressed by
the dedication of the HFL Board.
“Each time HFL Board members
interview potential borrowers it’s a
new opportunity to help someone,”
Eli said. “The HFL Board, who are
so diverse in their approach and
experience, act with teamwork and
heart, and with the speciﬁc goal in
mind of making a difference for
others. I understand what it’s like
to have to ask for help, and it’s a
great responsibility to be on the
other side of the table.
“HFL helps secure the future for
so many people. Whatever the rea-
son, HFL can help Michigan Jews
attain a goal or a better situation,
and I’m proud to be a link in that
chain of possibility,” Eli said.

Click. Call. Give Now.
www.hfldetroit.org
248.723.8184

Health. A fresh start.
A good education.
The next great business idea.

Hebrew Free Loan gives interest-
free loans to members of our
community for a variety of
personal and small business
needs. HFL loans are funded
entirely through community
donations which continually
recycle to others, generating
many times the original value
to help maintain the lives of
local Jews.

6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 300 • Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301

Jerry Naftaly is the former mayor of Oak Park.

Hebrew Free Loan Detroit

jn

@HFLDetroit

November 30 • 2017

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