Photos by Krista Husa
139 nai Writh's Newest Beacon
B is for Benkoff busy and bursting with energy.
DEBRA B. DARVICK
Special to The. Jewish News
S
heri Benkoff loves to play pool.
"It's kind of addicting, actual-
ly," the 31-year-old attorney
muses. "It's challenging, trying
to figure out what your next shot is ... if
you're good with spatial relations and
trying to figure out where you want to
go, then it's a good game for you."
At first reckoning, it's a big jump
from billiards to B'nai B'rith, but spend
five minutes with Sheri and it's easy to
see that she brings the same eagerness
and sharp analysis to her role as presi-
dent of metro Detroit's B'nai B'rith
Leadership Network.
Considering that she calls herself a
"BB kid from a BB family," one might
assume that Sheri, who does family and
employment law for DAWN (Divorce
Association for Women's Needs),
jumped to become involved in B'nai
B'rith as an adult. Not so. In fact,
Sheri's family went through quite a lot
of finagling to get their energetic niece
and sister-in-law to channel her skills
and enthusiasm into the organization.
"At first I didn't want anything to do
with the Leadership Network," she
recalls, "even though my aunt and my
brother-in-law kept after me. I was
active in BBYO as a teen." To put it
mildly — Sheri was vice president and
president of her region. "But then I
went away to college and got away from
the Jewish community."
When her aunt gave her a member-
ship in B'nai B'rith and invited her to
Washington, D.C., to celebrate the
organization's 150th year, Benkoff
couldn't refuse. "I'd majored in interna-
tional relations, and my aunt knew I'd
get excited about interacting with politi-
cians and other people from all over the
world."
Sheri laughs when she remembers
the moment she knew she was a goner.
"I caught myself taking notes during
a meeting. I passed my brother a note."
She'd written: "OK. You got me."
Five year later, Benkoff is serving
her second term as president of the
area's Network She is also trustee of
the Great Lakes Region, chair of the
Israel '98 mission to Israel, and organiz-
er of the area's first B'nai B'rith Cares
for Kids program. What goes around
comes around.
"What's most meaningful to me
about the Network are the friends I've
made. They are the kindest, warmest
people. We're not just for singles. We
have 14 couples who have met [their
spouses] through the Network. We have
three babies."
That the group is warm comes as no
surprise after hearing Sheri's modus
operandi for her events. "Every person
on my executive board makes it a point
to learn everyone's name. We were all
new to one another at one time and
when we see a new face we immediately
go up and introduce ourselves. Even if
there are 100 people in the room, I
make it my business to go up to each
and every one of them during the
course of the evening."
Sheri has found what works for
her and she makes no bones about
her passion in sharing it with others.
"I had a Chanukah party and invited
friends from my network group and
some BBYO friends. I was holding
one friend's child and watched
another crawling down the hall. I
thought to myself, 'Who would have
thought when I was 13 that one day
I'd be playing with Jay and Karen's
son?' Apparently I was doing some-
thing right even then because I still
have the same quality of people in
my life."
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