24 | JULY 23 • 2020 

continued from page 22
Commerce Township, followed by a 
comedy performance by producer and 
“Rat Pack” revival star, Sandy Hackett, 
son of Buddy Hackett, at Big Tommy’
s 
Parthenon and Comedy Club in Novi. 
“He was funny — very Jewish — and 
took a lot of questions from the audi-
ence about his dad,
” Lullove said. 
Ron Korman, Chai Rider for 10 
years and motorcycle enthusiast for 
60, said, “It was a great weekend. I 
met a lot of new people.
” The semi-re-
tired 74-year-old and his girlfriend 
enjoy the social aspect of the club, he 
added. 
Chai Riders get together 
Wednesday nights to schmooze for 
“Bike Night” at Memorial Park in 
Royal Oak. “We’
ve been careful to 
social distance because of coronavirus. 
We wear masks and bring our own 
food,
” Korman said. 
On Sunday mornings, members go 
for organized rides and they occasion-
ally go on more extended trips. 

Korman and seven others plan on 
heading to Sturgis, South Dakota, in 
August, home to an annual event that 
attracts hundreds of thousands of 
riders. “We don’
t care if they end up 
canceling the national event because 
of COVID,
” he said. “It’
s a beautiful 
part of the country to ride in with the 
Black Hills and Mount Rushmore.
”
You don’
t have to be Jewish to be a 
Chai Rider, although “99.8 percent of 
members are,
” Lullove said. Members 
also unite to support the community 
with projects and donations. Past 
recipients of their efforts include the 
Maccabi Games and the Jewish Book 
Fair.
“We’
re always looking for new 
members,
” Sobel said, “especially 
younger ones. We want to pass along 
this tradition to the next generation.
” 

For information about joining Chai Riders, 

email barry@sobel.org.

Jews in the D

CATALYST MEDIA

Comedian Sandy 
Hackett tests out
a motorcycle.

Jewish Nonprofits, Synagogues 
Receive PPP Loans
T

hrough the Paycheck 
Protection Program 
(PPP), Metro Detroit 
religious institutions and orga-
nizations received millions of 
dollars from the federal govern-
ment to help ease the economic 
burdens caused by the corona-
virus pandemic.
The data, released by the U.S. 
Treasury Department and Small 
Business Administration, broke 
down the amounts received in 
general ranges: from $150,000 
to $300,000; $350,000 to $1 mil-
lion; $1 million to $2 million; 
and $2 million to $5 million.
Data only shows organiza-
tions that received more than 
$150,000 in PPP loans. Some 
organizations received loans 
under $150,000 and are not 
included in this data. 
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah 

day school and JVS Human 
Services were the two Jewish 
organizations in Metro Detroit 
that received the most money. 
According to data, both orga-
nizations received between $2 
million and $5 million.
“We are fortunate to have 
secured the PPP loan, which 
has helped us stay focused on 
our mission of helping the 
community get back to work,
” 
Paul Blatt, president and CEO 
of JVS Human Services, said. 
“The PPP
, along with support 
from our community part-
ners like Jewish Federation 
of Metropolitan Detroit, has 
afforded us the ability to be here 
for the community during this 
pandemic, while protecting our 
staff and the vital work they do.
”
Temple Israel, the Jewish 
Federation of Metropolitan 

Detroit, the Jewish Community 
Center of Metropolitan Detroit 
and Jewish Family Service 
received $1 million to $2 mil-
lion in PPP loans.
“The loans were used in the 
manner the program intended, 
helping us to keep our staff 
employed during a time of 
enormous financial challenges 
and uncertainty,
” Federation 
COO Steve Ingber said. “Our 
dedicated employees are 
Federation’
s most valuable asset, 
working to take care of our 
Jewish community, day in and 
day out and especially during 
times of crisis. Our efforts to 
serve the community’
s most 
vulnerable members have rarely 
been as important as they are 
now, and we are grateful for all 

the support.
”
Two synagogues, 
Congregation Shaarey Zedek 
in Southfield and Temple Beth 
El in Bloomfield Hills, received 
loans in the $350,000-to-$1 
million range.
Christian and Muslim orga-
nizations and places of worship 
throughout Metro Detroit also 
received similar amounts of 
funding.
The loans do not need to be 
repaid as long as the organi-
zations follow the guidelines 
put forward by the U.S. Small 
Business Administration. 
According to the guidelines, the 
money must be used toward 
payroll costs, mortgages, rent 
and utilities. 

CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER

