Press Release:
Strengthening the State of Michigan’s Small Jewish Communities
Ravitz Foundation to Launch Outreach Program to Promote
Jewish Life in Small Michigan Communities
Jeffrey Surowitz Joins Federation’s Alliance to Head Up Program
December 21, 2007
Contact: Jeffrey Surowitz, Statewide Jewish Outreach Coordinator, Alliance for Jewish Education, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, 248-914-1138 or send him an email.
Bloomfield Hills, MI – Jews living in small and rural communities face many challenges in maintaining a Jewish identity. Their Jewish experiences are often few and far between and they rely a great deal on their own internal network to maintain Jewish activities for adults, families, and children. As the world becomes a more global society, the need and desire for connection becomes that much stronger. Many communities do not have professional rabbis, educators, or Jewish scholars to call upon to assist their Jewish communal agenda and their financial resources are limited.
The Ravitz Foundation recently awarded the Jewish Federation a three-year grant to strengthen Jewish identity and promote Jewish continuity in Michigan Jewish Communities outside Metropolitan Detroit and Ann Arbor. According to the Michigan Jewish Conference, a program of the Jewish Federation, an estimated 8000 Jews live in small Jewish communities and struggle to support 26 congregations and 20 Jewish communal facilities.
Thanks to the generosity of the Foundation and the vision of its trustees, led by Honorable Burton R. Shifman, along with Arnold Shifman, Jon Aaron, Bruce Gelbaugh, Dr. Lawrence Handler and Jerry Speedy, the Ravitz Small Jewish Communities Initiative will help strengthen and instill new life into small Jewish communities throughout Michigan, many of which have deep historical roots and proud heritages.
Reflecting on the necessity for such a program and his family’s experience living in Bay City, Michigan, Burton Shifman stated, “It’s hard enough to be a Jew and carry on the obligation in a community like Metro Detroit where you have many choices. Imagine how difficult the task is where there may be only a handful of Jewish families. If there’s a way to reach out and offer our support to those who still stand as proud representatives of Judaism in these small communities today, then surely we must do whatever we can to advance their effort.”
The future of many of these communities is tenuous due to the lack of resources to support Jewish life and education. The new Initiative provides a unique opportunity to assist in the enhancement and survival of these small Jewish communities whose members are seeking Jewish life experiences and opportunities, and ways to connect to the larger Jewish world. The lessons learned from this program will also be applied to larger communities. The Initiative will:
- Provide a new level of rabbinic support and Jewish educational and cultural opportunities.
- Make available scholarships for Israel trips and Jewish camping experiences for young people.
- Provide resources and networking opportunities to deepen the connections among Jewish communities across the state.
Jeffrey Surowitz of Southfield, Michigan has joined the Federation staff in the new position of State Jewish Outreach Coordinator, funded by the Ravitz grant. Headquartered at the Federation offices in Bloomfield Hills, Surowitz will travel throughout the state and work closely with Susan Herman, Director of the Michigan Jewish Conference, to network with, and determine and provide the services needed in smaller Michigan Jewish communities. He will also work with existing Jewish organizations to coordinate outreach efforts.
A graduate of Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo), Surowitz spent four years in Israel where he studied at Ben Gurion University and Yeshivat Aish Hatorah. Prior to joining the Federation, he was Program Director and Director of Development at Machon L’Torah in Oak Park.
For more information, please eMail Jeffery Surowitz or call (248) 914-1138.
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