8 August 1 • 2019
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owhere in the Bible is the 
word “poverty” found. But, 
in both the Old Testament 
(Deuteronomy 15:11), and the New 
Testament (Matthew 26:11), the text 
declares that “The poor will always 
be with us.” Not sur-
prisingly then, the 
Bible is filled with 
directives on helping 
the poor, feeding the 
hungry, housing the 
homeless, caring for 
the sick, the widow, 
the orphan and the 
physically and emo-
tionally challenged.
In Christian scripture, these acts 
are known as “charity”; in Jewish 
scripture, as tzedakah, “righteous-
ness,” commanded by God. 
One of the acts commanded by 
God (Deuteronomy 24:19) states that: 
“When you cut down your harvest 
in the field, and forget a sheaf in the 
field, you shall not go back to fetch 
it. It shall be for the stranger, for 
the fatherless and for the widow.” In 
Luke (14:13), we are taught: “When 
you give a banquet, invite the poor, 
the lame, the blind.” Again, in 
Deuteronomy (14:28-29), we learn “at 
the end of every three years, bring 
the tithes of that year’
s produce and 
store it in your towns, so that the 
needy who live in your towns may 
come and eat.” And in Matthew 
(18:21): “If you want to be perfect, 
go, sell your possessions and give to 
the poor, and you will have treasure 
in heaven.”
The list of directives goes on and 
on. In the United States today, there 
are 1.5 million nonprofit organiza-
tions, including the Salvation Army, 
Goodwill and the United Way. And 
among the thousands of churches 
and synagogues in America, there are 
hundreds of soup kitchens, food and 
clothing distribution centers, home-
less shelters, senior citizen facilities 
and medical treatment clinics.
However, in spite of all of these 
noble endeavors, the larger religious 
community has yet to leverage its 
influence so as to combat the societal 
structures of poverty whose crum-
bling walls will enable men, women 
and children to transform themselves 
from recipients of charity to creative 

change agents of their communities.
I am only personally aware of 
a few such circumstances here in 
Southeastern Michigan. During the 
dire economic downturn of 2007-
2008, a prominent business execu-
tive assembled some two dozen of 
his friends for a monthly morning 
breakfast meeting of like-mind-
ed individuals. The pre-screened 
resumes of those who had lost their 
jobs were circulated to those in 
attendance, and the breakfast did 
not conclude until each one of those 
aspiring job seekers had at least three 
job interviews.
During that same period, in coop-
eration with Hiller’
s Markets, Temple 
Beth El sponsored a program called 
Mitzvah Meals, funded by temple 
members, that distributed literally 
thousands of meals to those in need 
every month until those receiving 
help were employed and themselves 
began to sponsor meals for others.
Under the umbrella of the Jewish 
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, 
there are two agencies: JVS Human 
Services, which assists those who are 
out of work to reclaim jobs with dig-
nity and humanity, and Hebrew Free 
Loan, which makes loans available at 
no interest to enable applicants start 
a new business, to enroll in college 
and for a variety of other pressing 
needs.
But we need to do more, much 
more, focusing on the areas that will 
truly have an impact on poverty: 
education, affordable housing and 
medical care. To be certain, we need 
to multiply these programs in Detroit 
and the surrounding suburbs.
To that end, I call upon the PuLSE 
Institute to convene a colloquium of 
religious institutions at the earliest 
possible time to receive papers and 
to discuss possibilities as to how our 
religious community can leverage its 
already impressive record of outreach 
to those challenged by poverty, and 
to invest them with aspiration and 
hope. This is our duty. This can be 
one of our finest accomplishments. ■

Daniel B. Syme, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple 
Beth El, recently joined the PuLSE Institute’
s 
Academy of Fellows as a senior fellow focus-
ing on faith, race and poverty. This essay was 
first published on its website. 

commentary
Tackling Poverty

Rabbi
Daniel B. Syme

W

hen it comes to extending 
a welcome mat for 
Maccabi Youth Games 
athletes, artists and their families, 
none has matched the Detroit 
Jewish community’
s creativity, 
resourcefulness, hospitality — or 
frequency. Beginning Sunday and 
running through Aug. 9, the Maccabi 
Games will be staged here for the sixth 
time since 1984.
As preparations are finalized for 
the grand opening event at the new 
and impressive Little Caesars Arena, 
we endure pangs of nostalgia when 
recalling the opening event in 1990 
at the once new — and soon to be 
demolished — Palace of Auburn Hills. 
So much has happened in our city, 
region and Jewish community within 
that 30-year timeframe. 
We have a resurgent Downtown 
Detroit and Woodward Corridor. The 
Detroit Pistons romp the hardwood 
above the Little Caesars Arena ice. 
The great north and northwestern 
migration of the Jewish community 
has stopped, with young families 
choosing leafy inner-ring communities 
like Huntington Woods, Royal Oak 
and Ferndale over traditional bedroom 
communities like West Bloomfield and 
Farmington Hills. Thanks in part to 
Federation’
s successful Neighborhood 
Project, portions of Oak Park and 
Southfield have retained and expanded 
traditional Jewish infrastructure and 
the populations to support it. 
We currently have a metropolitan 

Jewish population of about 72,000, a 
number that has stabilized in recent 
years. While not quite as magnetic 
as nearby Chicago or more distant 
New York and Los Angeles, affordable 
Detroit’
s vibe and expanding job 
opportunities are helping to fuel a 
surge in the number of Jewish young 
adults who are moving here … or 
staying put after college graduation. 
And what all who come to Detroit 
discover — whether as new residents 
or visitors — is a remarkable array of 
Jewish communal services, programs 
and agencies dedicated to every part of 
the lifecycle.
The upcoming Maccabi Games 
are a labor of love for Jewish Detroit. 
Professionals and volunteers have been 
sweating the details for the past two 
years. From retaining competition 
venues to recruiting host families, from 
mapping out team delegation logistics 
to providing safe environments, the 
overarching objective is to offer our 
visiting athletes, families and guests 
a fun experience and opportunities 
to create friendships that will last a 
lifetime.
Hopefully, you’
ll use some of your 
free time to explore more of what 
Detroit and this region (which include 
Ann Arbor and Canada) have to offer. 
Perhaps you’
ll consider coming back 
for a more extensive visit. Maybe, 
someday, you or your children will 
consider calling Detroit what we call 
it — home.
Let the Games begin! ■

 editorial
Welcome to Detroit,
Maccabi Games Visitors!

