Jews in the D
“Major Tenant” from page 33
34 | OCTOBER 24 • 2019
impressed with the missions of DIS
and Life Remodeled. Since then, the
two have envisioned a JVS center
at the site to collaborate on ways to
bring job training and other opportu-
nities to Detroit’
s west side.
Philanthropic contributions have
helped the DIS. From the Jewish
community, they include a $250,000
grant from the Vera and Joseph
Dresner Foundation, donated con-
struction materials from Edw. C. Levy
Company (Levy attended Durfee),
and Taubman Company, which sent
more than 500 volunteers to the DIS
and gave $30,000.
And the Detroit-based Goodman
Acker law firm donated $18,000 and
mobilized staff members last summer
to clean up property’
s exterior as well
as paint some hallways.
Partner Jordan Acker’
s grandfather
and great-uncle grew up in the neigh-
borhood and have come to Durfee to
tell current students from the neigh-
borhood what their school days were
like there and at Central High School.
“Giving back to a neighborhood
that gave so much to my family has
been a personal accomplishment and
connection,
” Acker said.
With the addition of JVS on hand,
Lambert said it will now be more
accessible than ever to help those in
Detroit’
s once-underserved neighbor-
hoods get back to school and work.
“[Durfee] has been the most
exciting, difficult and rewarding
endeavor I’
ve ever been a part of,
and it did take time to gain trust
from the surrounding community,”
Lambert said. “I am convinced we
are creating a scalable and sustain-
able model that will benefit not only
Detroit’
s west side neighborhoods
but also across Detroit and maybe
across the country.
“We are like a community quar-
terback bringing together different
service organizations under one
roof that makes each one’
s individu-
al mission easier to achieve together
than if they were located in stand-
alone locations.”
‘
Never Stop’
Durfee and Detroit children benefi
t
from a bar mitzvah boy’
s social action.
What better place to hit home the Jewish
value of giving back than hosting one’
s bar
mitzvah celebration at Durfee? When Jacob
Bennett thought about how to celebrate
becoming a Jewish adult, he followed the
social action path forged by his parents
Meg and Rabbi Joshua Bennett, and his
older siblings Zachary and Maddie, and
worked for months not only on his Torah
reading but also on an event that taught
guests about volunteering.
Instead of dancing the night away, on
Aug. 23, the Bennetts invited guests to vol-
unteer as coaches, assistants and players
for a mini touch football tournament for
about 80 Detroit elementary school stu-
dents who participate in athletics through
Metro Detroit Youth Clubs. By the end of
the celebration, Rabbi Bennett of Temple
Israel of West Bloomfield said guests left
with the sense of wanting to do more
and what is possible through having a big
vision of community building and volun-
teering.
“Just like his older brother and sister,
Jacob chose a place to celebrate that
taught his guests how to keep giving
back to the community,” his father said. “I
believe that giving back is one of the high-
est Jewish values one can practice.”
To make sure the Detroit kids could
most comfortably use the center’
s athletic
facilities for the coming school year, Jacob
raised money and worked with Dick’
s
Sporting Goods to create a pop-up shoe
store stocked with athletic shoes in a vari-
ety of sizes, styles and brands. At the party,
neighborhood kids were fitted with shoes,
which were delivered to the center for pick
up the next week.
“I chose to have my bar mitzvah cele-
bration at Durfee so my friends could see
what the Detroit community looks like and
needs,” Jacob said.
Guests also donated 1,000 books to the
center’
s library. T
he celebration wrapped
up by adorning the center with a mural
encompassing Jacob’
s theme for becoming
a bar mitzvah — Never Stop — designed
by artist Daniel Cascardo of Huntington
Woods.
“Everything about his bar mitzvah, from
his invitations to what message he gave in
his dvar Torah was about never stopping,”
his father said. “One should never stop
dreaming, trying, creating or learning. That
is what Durfee is all about. What is going
on here is just remarkable.”
STACY GITTLEMAN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PHOTOS BY RON LIEBERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY
TOP: The finished
mural produced
during Jacob’
s bar
mitzvah party.
ABOVE: Jacob
checks on the pop-
up shoe store, which
provided athletic
shoes for kids in the
Durfee neighbor-
hood. The Bennetts:
Zachary, Josh, Jacob,
Meg and Maddie.