Morry gets into a cab at the airport. The cab driver asks "would you like to hear a joke?"  Morry says "sure."   The driver starts, "Two Jews are walking down the street..." Morry then says "I'm Jewish. Why do you all think that it's funny to pick on Jews in your jokes? Can't you tell a joke about someone else?  The driver replies "I'm sorry sir...two Chinese men are walking down the street, on their way to a bar mitzvah when........"

Detroit Jewish Federation's Family Mission to Israel.           
Dec. 25, 2008 - January 4, 2009
It's not too late!!! Take your family on the journey of a lifetime and celebrate Hanukkah like never before as you visit Israel's top attractions during this special 10-day trip.  A flight has been chartered to fly non-stop from Detroit and there are Air-Only Options and Adult-Only Bus Options available.  Click here for info.

Albion College's Holocaust Studies Trip to Poland
May 9-18, 2009. 
This unforgettable trip will be led by two Albion history professors and a Polish-Jewish child survivor of the Holocaust. The group will visit Holocaust sites, including the Warsaw Ghetto, Treblinka, and Auschwitz, and spend a morning working with current Albion students in the ongoing restoration of the New Jewish Cemetery in Wroclaw. The trip will also explore the architectural beauty, cultural richness, and historical drama of Poland's great cities.  
Click here for more information and a full itinerary.

Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids
Dec. 20 - 29th 2009
This Community is geared for all ages; please note that this is for next December. 

Return to Top

With a Jewish population going back to 1842, Jackson is one of the oldest Jewish communities in Michigan - in fact, it has the oldest Jewish cemetery in continuous use in the state.  But Jackson is more than just a community with a rich history; it is very vibrant today.  Temple Beth Israel, Jackson's only synagogue, prides itself on its consistency, its warmth and its growth. 
Consistency: The Temple gets a minyan every single week, without fail, no matter what the weather throws its way.  Also, everyone in Jackson knows that election day means Bake Sale day for TBI; that's when everyone pitches in to cook and bake up a storm for this great fundraiser. 
Warmth:  One new-mother described how touched she was when the community joined together to cook her meals when her son was born - and this was only shortly after she moved to town!  Also, the Temple welcomes with open arms Jewish teenagers at a nearby boarding school to be part of their community. 
And Growth:  Jackson is proud to have a slowly growing religious school under the watchful direction of David Frank, an American-Israeli who makes sure the school is well run.  The results are obvious as about one in five kids in the community went away to Jewish summer camp this last summer - most using subsidies from the Ravitz Initiative.

Return to Top

First impressions are pretty important; you want to say the right thing to set the tone of the relationship.  With this in mind, we can learn something fascinating by looking at the first words that G-d  chooses to say to the first Jew, Abraham in last week's Torah portion:  "Lech Lecha!"  "Go for yourself!"  The famous 10th century commentator Rashi observes that the word "Lecha" "for yourself" is unnecessary in communicating the basic idea that Abraham should simply "go."   Rashi explains that G-d puts this in to tell Abraham that he should go "for his own benefit, for his own good." 

In other words, importantly the very first thing that G-d says to the very first Jew is that G-d wants us to enjoy ourselves!  I hope you'll heed this important advise and "go and enjoy yourself." Thanks to the hard work of so many of your local leaders, there are now  many wonderful Jewish programs happening in your own communities.