Jews in the D

18 | JANUARY 23 • 2020 

Girls Scouts will explore different 
religions at the DIA. 

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

H

undreds of Girl Scouts from 
across Metro Detroit will 
embark on an interfaith 
scavenger hunt Jan. 26 at the Detroit 
Institute of the Arts as they recognize 
symbols and stories of the world’
s five 
major faiths. The hunt is one compo-
nent of a day-long program, part of a 
long-standing peace initiative called 
“Reuniting the Children of Abraham.” 
Launched in 2004 by interfaith 
activist Brenda Naomi Rosenberg of 
Bloomfield Hills, the initiative is aimed 
at building bridges between children of 
different faiths. 
The program was subsidized by 
donations made to the Girl Scouts 
of Greater Southeast Michigan 
(GSGSEM) and made possible from 
funding secured by a tri-county mill-
age.
Jason Gillespie, director of education 
programs at the DIA, helped craft the 
treasure hunt with gallery educators. 
He said the scouts will use the mobile 
scavenger hunt app GooseChase to 
take them on this special self-guided 
tour of the museum. 
“
As evidenced from the first thou-
sand years of human civilization, 
art and religion go hand-in-hand,” 
Gillespie said. “The DIA is a natural 
place to explore and learn about differ-
ent cultures and religions through rep-
resentative works of art. The more you 
learn about other cultures, the more 
tolerant you become by understanding 
the history of the religions and how 
they connect.”
Rosenberg is a woman of many 
firsts. She was the the first woman 
vice president of Hudson’
s depart-
ment store. In 2002, she was the first 
to deliver a sermon at a mosque, 
Dearborn’
s Islamic House of Wisdom, 
during Ramadan. 
In her childhood, Rosenberg, a 
member of Temple Israel, now in West 
Bloomfield, said she earned enough 
Scouting badges to fill two sashes. 
Now, as the Jewish liaison for the 
GSSEM, she is often the first Jewish 
person many Scouts in predominantly 
Muslim and Christian areas may meet. 
During her visits to troops in Dearborn 
and Rochester, she may teach children 
how to braid a challah or sing a simple 

Hebrew song. 
Rosenberg believes that more than 
ever before, visits to the DIA can help 
children confront misconceptions of 
different religions to offset prejudice. 
“I remember after a (childhood) visit 
to the DIA, I just wanted to travel to 
France and Africa and all the places 
I learned about through the art,” said 
Rosenberg, who also served on the 
board of the museum. 
“I have given talks about Judaism to 
children in Rochester who said they 
had never met a Jewish person before. 
To this day, I have Christian children 
telling me they learned in their church 
that Jews killed Jesus. Clearly, there is 
still much work to be done to take chil-
dren who may live isolated from one 
another and bring them together to 
promote peace.”
After Scouts complete their hunt and 
receive their special event badges, they 
will watch the award-winning 2004 
project and documentary Reuniting 
the Children of Abraham. The docu-
mentary is the result of collaborative 
work embarked upon by Rosenberg, 
the Mosaic Youth Theater of Detroit, 
Imam Abdullah El-Amin, executive 
director of the Council of Islamic 
Organizations of Michigan, and Ann 
Arbor playwright Rachel Urist. 
Suzanne Bante, chair of the Religious 
Relationship Committee for GSSEM, 
said part of the Scouting mission is to 
teach young women how to function 
in the global community. Bante said 
120 girls and family members will 
explore art that represents Judaism, 
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and 
Buddhism as well as art and artifacts 
from indigenous African tribal cultures. 
In other events that teach toler-
ance, the Scouts participated in an 
event called Anne Frank’
s Door at 
the Holocaust Memorial Center in 
Farmington Hills.
“Part of that mission is accomplished 
from developing an understanding and 
an appreciation of religious and cultur-
al differences,” Bante said. 
“This unique DIA program gives 
our Scouts the opportunity to examine 
these differences and expose them to 
the fine arts in a beautiful, non-threat-
ening setting. Plus, the hunt will be lots 
of fun.” 

Interfaith 
Scavenger Hunt

TOP TO BOTTOM: The Meeting of David and Abigail, 
between 1625 and 1628, oil on canvas. Shakyamuni as 
an Ascetic, late 13th- to early 14th-century wood with 
lacquer, gilding and traces of color. Sakyamuni is the 
founder of the Buddhist faith. 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DIA

