4 | FEBRUARY 17 • 2022 

I

n the throes of a new year, 
it is tempting to think about 
all the ways we will become 
“new.
” To start a new hobby or a 
new workout regimen; become 
a new person 
with a new start. 
What if this year 
we just set out 
to be better? To 
double down on 
the things we are 
already great at; 
to invest more 
deeply into the things we know 
we love. To square up to what 
we considered our best, look it 
in the eye and challenge it to be 
more in 2022. 
In 2019, the Jewish Federation 
of Metro Detroit organized 
the Collaboratory, a series of 
ground-breaking discussions 
between seven Jewish social ser-
vices agencies looking at ways to 
improve the continuum, quality 
and integration of services to 

better serve people in need. 
An exciting synergy was 
realized between JVS Human 
Services — a vocational and 
human services agency — and 
Kadima — a supported housing 
and mental health support agen-
cy. Aside from us both being 
rooted in Jewish values and 
having eerily similar missions, 
it was quickly apparent that we 
could yield better outcomes and 
further strengthen our capabili-
ties, together.
By coming together, we could 
offer a more robust continuum 
of care for people with an array 
of disabilities with services 
spanning vocation, residence, 
recreation, and clinical and sup-
ports coordination. We could be 
a bridge to services and support 
that give people an equitable 
opportunity to succeed at work, 
at home and in the community.
And so, we entered 2022 as 
JVS+Kadima — our temporary 

moniker until we finalize our 
new name and brand identity. 
We are so excited to hit the 
ground running alongside our 
sister organizations, including 
the Jewish Federation, Jewish 
Senior Life, Jewish Family 
Service, JARC and others, to 
continue to make a positive 
impact on our community.
More than ever, we are able 
to put our money where our 
heart is: into services and pro-
grams that directly benefit our 
participants, rather than into 
operational costs. We have 
brought on a vice president of 
clinical integration who is over-
seeing our integration process 
and ensuring that best practices 
are in place from a clinical 
perspective. We are hiring addi-
tional compliance and quality 
improvement staff and institut-
ing new training and benefits 
for employees. 
We are full steam ahead on 
planning community events you 
all have come to know and love 
such as Trade Secrets, Strictly 

Business, the Lois Zussman Golf 
Classic and Frame of Mind. 
Electronic medical records are 
being used in Kadima’s homes, 
and people traditionally served 
by JVS are benefiting from the 
Kadima Creative Expressions 
Program. This list of “wins” goes 
on and on!
Maybe most importantly, by 
coming together we can ensure 
the long-term sustainability of 
these vital services in the future 
even as the mental health land-
scape continues to change. It 
gives us utmost peace of mind 
to know that our people will be 
taken care of for many, many 
years to come.
With the support of our new 
Board of Directors, our talented 
and passionate team, and our 
invaluable community, better is 
possible. Everything is possible. 
We look forward to showing 
you in practice what we can do 
together. 

Paul Blatt is president and CEO of 

JVS+Kadima.

Paul Blatt

PURELY COMMENTARY

column
Nazi Salute? Blame the Jewish Student
I

magine a classroom full of high 
school students standing in 
front of a flag and raising their 
right hands, in unison, outstretched 
with palms facing 
down — the classic 
Nazi salute. Imagine 
the teacher is the 
one who instructed 
the students to do 
this. Imagine that the 
classroom has only 
one Jewish student, 
who along with others refused to 
do the salute, and that student is 
the only one punished afterwards. 
Sounds like something out of 
1930’s Germany, right?

Wrong. This is what report-
edly occurred only days ago at 
Mountain Brook High School just 
outside of Birmingham, Alabama. 
If you are currently scratching your 
head and wondering, “Mountain 
Brook schools and antisemitism, 
why does that sound so familiar?” 
It might be because they made 
headlines across the state, and even 
the country, two years ago when 
students were caught on video with 
swastikas drawn on their backs. 
Or it might be because last fall 
they made headlines once again 
after ending training with ADL 
(the Anti-Defamation League), the 

Jonathan A. 
Greenblatt

column
A Better Start

Facebook screenshot of the incident posted by one 
of the students.
continued on page 10

