Detroit Jewish News

Lois Haron Allied Member ASID 248.851.6989 DESIGNS IN DECORATOR WOOD & LAMINATES, LTD. It Doesn't Have To Cost A Fortune… Only Look Like It! Complete kitchen and bathroom remodeling as well as furniture design and installations including granite, wood and other materials. metro » continued from page 16 18 December 1 • 2016 me — I'm valuable!' That's the basic concept of our program: to give people confidence to get involved in actively finding a job and marketing their skills effectively." This year alone, the program has assisted in placing nearly 50 people in 13-week internships. As part of the pro- gram, JVS offers employers qualified job candidates, pays the intern's wages for the duration of the 40-hour-per-week internship and provides ongoing sup- port for the entire internship period. "The goal of the internship is to get one's foot in the door, which would hopefully lead to a regular full-time job," Baltrusaitis added. "Almost half of the people we've sent as interns have gained employment, which is a great statistic. Even those who weren't retained by that first company have been instilled with the confidence to move forward and have found other jobs elsewhere in a relatively short time. "That's the real key to the program's success: giving people that initiative, that enthusiasm. That's where I can connect with my clients. They know I've been unemployed and in the same situation as them. I know what they're going through and can understand and offer personal support. If we can make a connection from the emotional side, then we can lift people up and increase their chances for finding a job they'll be qualified for as well as really enjoy." The program involves a weekly class, held at JVS on Mondays from 3-5 p.m. It's an interactive forum, where partici- pants (usually a small group of under 10) share both frustrations and suc- cesses in the job-seeking arena. However, he pointed out, unlike some of JVS' other job-assistance programs that have a specific duration, the New Experiences Internship Program doesn't operate with a finite beginning and end time. "It's an ongoing workshop, whose goal is to magnify individuals' success by coming together as a group." The internship program has part- nered with all types of employers, and some have even requested multiple placements. Baltrusaitis noted the oldest participant JVS placed in an internship was 74. "There wasn't anyone serving the older worker population, an almost forgotten demographic," Baltrusaitis said. "Helping them gain skills and confidence is very fulfilling for me. If I, and the tremendous staff at JVS, can give these people hope, build them up and increase their self-esteem, that's my reward. I'm lucky to be working with this program." * Anyone interested in joining the program can contact Baltrusaitis at JVS, (248) 233-4288, or gbaltrusaitis@jvsdet.org. F or its SYNergy Shabbat, Dec. 9-11, Adat Shalom Synagogue is bringing in Susannah Heschel, American scholar and pro- fessor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College, who will speak on three occasions over the weekend. Heschel's schol- arship focuses on Jewish-Christian relations in Germany during the 19th and 20th centuries, and the histories of biblical scholarship and of anti-Semitism. She has received many grants and awards, including four honorary doctorates. She has also edited, translated and published numerous works by her father, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. — and is considered a leading Jewish theologian and philosopher of the 20th century. Following a Shabbat-Appella Service at 5 p.m. Friday will be a din- ner and a presentation by Heschel on "Essential Writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel." On Shabbat morning, she will speak on "Human Dignity in Judaism: Divinely Bestowed, Humanly Performer." That afternoon, following Kiddush, she will discuss "The Jewish Fascination with Islam: The History of Jewish Scholarship on Islam and its Impact on Modern Jewish Self-Understanding." At 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning, an excerpt will be shown of the film Shared Legacies: Honoring the Black/ Jewish Civil Rights Alliance. Heschel will moderate a Q&A session follow- ing the film. Other SYNergy offerings include a 9:45 a.m. Shabbat morning Torah study session with Rabbi Jason Miller and Soulful Yoga with Rabbi Rachel Shere at 10 a.m. The Friday evening program is co-sponsored by the JCRC/AJC. The Sunday event is co-sponsored by Hadassah Greater Detroit. Dinner is $56 per household or $25 per adult; $13 for child ages 3-12; no charge for children under 3. Dinner reservations are required. There is no charge for other programming. The community is welcome. Complete details and response information are available at www. adatshalom.org or call Adat Shalom at (248) 851-5100. * Susannah Heschel Heschel To Speak At Adat Shalom M`j`kk_\A

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