24 | JULY 23 • 2020
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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