views views continued from page 6 The Contours of Our Jewish Community: Snapshots from the 2018 Population Study Editor’s Note: Each week, the Jewish News will offer insights into the findings of the 2018 Detroit Jewish Population Study with the intent of stimulating discussion about its potential meaning and impact. Bricks & Mortar and Kosher Food: Changing Senior Needs and Preferences T rends show growing preference for our elderly to age in place in what are commonly referred to as “naturally occurring retirement communities.” Included in this definition are condominium and apartment complexes where once-active retirees become more dependent on family members and the community at large to provide in-home support. Concurrently, there has been significant growth in the number of non-denominational independent living facilities — at various price points — offering modern facilities, spa-like amenities, medical staff … and well-prepared non-kosher meals. Some now provide competition for Jewish Senior Life and its array of brick & mortar facilities in West Bloomfield and Oak Park. During the 2017-2018 budget year, Jewish Senior Life received overall support of $3.67 million. Included in this was $671,203 from Federation’s annual campaign and challenge fund. The 2018 Detroit Jewish population study shows our community includes 17,766 persons in Jewish households above the age of 65. Using a different metric, the study shows that 1,300 Jewish households with persons 10 November 15 • 2018 jn over age 75 needed in-home health care in the past year and 1,200 needed in-home support services. Most of the providers of these services — as well as others like transportation and adult day care — were not from Jewish-sponsored organizations. Additionally, when comparing the 2018 data to the 2005 Detroit Jewish population study, there is a trend away from seniors (or their family caregivers) very much preferring to be in Jewish- sponsored senior housing. In 2005, 62 percent said they very much preferred a Jewish-sponsored facility compared to 42 percent in 2018. Also, while 14 percent said in 2005 that they had no preference one way or the other for a Jewish- sponsored facility, 26 percent said they had no preference in the 2018 study. The 2018 study also asked about the importance of having kosher food. Among those who very much or somewhat preferred living in a Jewish-sponsored senior housing, 20 percent very much preferred kosher food, 18 percent somewhat preferred it, 47 percent had no preference and 15 percent would rather not have it at all. ■ QUESTIONS: • Given the trends, would Jewish communal resources be better invested by providing more services, including programming, to Jewish elderly in their homes or residing at non-Jewish sponsored facilities? • At one time, the Jewish community owned and operated nursing homes (think Borman Hall). Not anymore. Are there any scenarios where the Jewish community might step back from owning and operating brick & mortar senior housing facilities? funding for East Jerusalem hospitals or shutting down USAID in the West Bank and Gaza entirely. If House Democrats are also able to shine a spotlight on these issues in a way that demonstrates why the Trump approach is hurting Israel, they can be effective in crafting a pro-Israel message that takes Israeli security seriously while preserving American leverage with the Palestinians and maintaining long- standing U.S. goals in the region. With all the speculation about what a Democratic House will do with regard to Israel, people are in some ways missing the real story. Trump’s ability to execute domestic policies with effectively zero oversight or pushback is now over. Much as previous presidents have focused on foreign policy because it is the area where they constitutionally and structurally have the most freedom and power to operate unencumbered, Trump is soon going to realize the same thing. As the House squeezes what should have been four years of investigations into two and Trump becomes more boxed in, he is likely to start paying more attention to what is going on around the globe. As it is, he has already placed a high priority on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and because it is such a shiny brass ring, I expect that he is going to make an even bigger push to secure his ultimate deal as he is hemmed in on his domestic priorities. Aside from appropriations, Congress does not have much of an impactful role on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or on Israel issues more broadly, and the way House Democrats deal with Israel is going to be impacted more by the next campaign than it is by the issues themselves. But the fact that they are in power and will be grinding Trump’s agenda to a halt means that the White House’s attention to Israel is about to go way up, and if Trump’s track record so far is indicative of what is to come, expect some more upheaval on the road ahead. ■ Michael Koplow is Israel Policy Forum’s policy director, based in Washington D.C. continued from page 5 neighborhoods. Smith, along with JCRC executive director David Kurzmann and leaders from the progressive Jewish community- building organization The Well, started brainstorming about what could be done on a grassroots level to strengthen these intercommunal ties and how to bring them to an audience of millennials poised to inherit communal leadership. “The ultimate goal,” Smith says, “is to inspire collaboration between black and Jewish Detroiters by fostering authentic relationships. Our only ask for the group is that everyone finds someone whom they didn’t previously know to grab coffee, lunch or a drink.” Effectively, we are there to diversify our friend groups. Our friends and the tight-knit communities we identify with are some of the biggest contributors to our success: Friends serve as emotional supporters, social and professional introducers, potential business partners and artistic collaborators, moral referenda on our life choices, event inviters and co-adventurers. Jewish communities are among the best at this. And even though I, a young city- dwelling Jew, consider myself progressive with a diverse set of friends, how many of my close friends — the friends whom I invite to my home or regularly go out to drinks with — are actually from different backgrounds than myself? How many opportunities do I truly have to meet new like-minded friends who come from different communities? How many are from the majority (83 percent) black community I’ve moved into here in the city of Detroit? How intentional am I about building deep, non-transactional relationships that will go on to be lifelong allyships? How might we create opportunities to do this at scale? These dinners create that opportunity and visibly strike a chord with attendees, who all want to come back for more, calling them “cathartic,” “energizing” and “one of the best events I’ve ever attended in Detroit.” The next challenge the organizers face is how to grow to accommodate the returnees along with new attendees, to host Shabbaton retreats or Juneteenth events, perhaps to get everyone in the same room, to expand to other cities and communities that have expressed interest. Seems like they’re up for the challenge. ■ Lauren Hoffman is a millennial transplant to Detroit, works at Rock Ventures and is actively involved in the Detroit Jewish community.