8 August 1 • 2019 jn views 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!