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-The band w- as absolutely great, as evidenced by the
delighted praise from our guests. The volume level and
choice of tunes was perfect..."
—Joshua 31. 1,inkiier
Judaism takes
Danny Samson outdoors.
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army Samson did the unthinkable. He made
it through most of his 20s going on only one
blind date.
Lucky for him that his sole set-up led to
Tami Rubin, the woman who will become his wife
next Sunday.
The dark-haired 26-year-old isn't the least bit
nervous about his upcoming nuptials. He's excited
for all that lies ahead.
Following the wedding and a two-week honey-
moon in Spain, Samson will look for a job in urban
planning. In January, he'll begin night school at
Wayne State University, to pursue a master's de-
gree in urban planning, which will prepare him for
his career goal of being involved in the revitaliza-
tion of Detroit.
This week, Samson finished up as the teen co-
ordinator for the Agency for Jewish Education
(AJE) in Southfield. "I love the work. I love the
kids," he says. His work included taking a group of
teens to Poland and Israel for the March of the Liv-
ing and trying to make the high school programs
in area congregations less "painful" for students.
"I teach kids so they learn by accident — they
have such positive experiences, they don't even
know they are learning," he explains.
This "by accident" approach is how Samson
learned about Judaism. He went to Israel after
graduating from Michigan State University, be-
cause he wanted to hike and be outdoors. He spent
10 months on Project Otzma, volunteering and
teaching.
"Israel was great, but it didn't really define me
as a Jew," he says. "It was a growing experience."
After Israel, he landed his first job as a sales.as-
sistant for The Jewish News. He worked a year,
then left to go back to Israel as a staff member for
the Miracle Mission. "I wanted to show these
teenagers how cool Israel is, and that Judaism can
actually be fun," Samson says. Working with
teenagers in Israel helped him land the AJE job.
He grew up in Southfield and graduated from
Southfield-Lathrop High School. His parents, Judy
and Michael, live in Bloomfield Hills, and his 29-
year-old brother, Rob, resides in Chicago.
Samson lives in Royal Oak with his fiancee and
their dog, Clancy. In his free time, he likes to gar-
den, golf and travel. "I don't like to sit on the couch
and watch TV. I like to get outdoors and explore,"
he says.
And he has his quirky interests, too. Samson's
a neat freak when it comes to cleaning. "Everything
has its place," he says. He collects toys like Match-
box cars and Pez dispensers, and is a self-described
candy connoisseur. "I love candy. I've learned the
difference between good gummy bears and bad
Danny Samson: A natural kind of guy.
ones. I don't have a favorite candy, because each
one has its time and place. Sometimes you want
a hard candy, and heck, sometimes you want a
mint."
Family and friends are most important to him,
because they remain a constant in his life. "My
friends are my passion," says Samson. "I have a
great group of friends. We've been friends since el-
ementary school, and they are all standing up for
me in my wedding."
The two college summers Samson spent fight-
ing wildfires in California were probably the coolest
things he's done to date. He worked for Lava Beds
National Monument, a small park in northern Cal-
ifornia, where he was the first Jewish firefighter
they ever had. Highlights included traveling all
over the western United States by helicopter and
saving a dog's life.
"The firefighting thing was big. It was the first
time I had ever really been away from home — it
really challenged me, physically and mentally,"
Samson says.
"The experience was such an eye-opener for me
because growing up in Southfield/Bloomfield, every-
one knows Jews — out there, you realize what it's
like in the rest of the world, where people aren't ex-
posed to Jews. I felt lucky that I was the one able
to give these people a taste of Judaism, instead of
Mr. Slick from Long Island."
Whether hiking through Israel, gardening in
Royal Oak or fighting wildfires out West, one thing
is certain: Danny Samson is a natural kind of guy.
With some sugar-loaded trail mix for his trip down
the aisle, he'll be set for life. ❑