8 August 1 • 2019
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N
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!