it's fun. I've staged demonstrations,
worked for the American Movement
for Israel and, through VIA, I've been
able to be involved with the com-
munity as a whole." This year, Matt
was elected to the governing board of
Hillel, so he is in a position to do
what he loves best — create and ad-
minister policy.
Says Hillel's Rabbi Richard
Kirschen, "Matt helps personi fy
Hillel's mission. He is committed to
programs that have an impact on the
broader campus culture and he also
has a commitment to Torah and
Talmud within the Jewish commu-
nity.
Matt somehow finds time to vol-
unteer for a myriad of diverse causes.
He danced for 30 hours straight in
the Children's Miracle Network dance
marathon. "It was horrific. Every time
I took a step, I felt bones in my feet
crunch," he says. "On the other hand,
it was incredibly inspirational to meet
the courageous kids for whom we
were dancing, and to hear their sto-
ries." He also sews mittens for
Knitwits in the winter, donates blood,
has built houses for Habitat for Hu-
manity, works at the Jewish Corn-
munity Center in West Bloomfield
and studies Talmud and Hebrew
weekly.
"Ethically," he says, "I can't be an
upper-class Jew without doing what
I can do to help. I can't simply live a

life of excess. Mitzva is an obligation
and so is community service. It's the
only way the world will survive
peace through cooperation."
If Matt leads by example, he
credits his family members for in-
spiring him and being his role mod-
els. His grandfather, Frank Holtzman,
was a major community activist. He
says his mom, Jan, a social worker and
counselor, has been an amazing
influence. "She's remarkable — a
resilient woman with an iron will who
would sacrifice anything for her
children. I would be nothing without
her.
And the matriarch, Matt's grand-
mother Fran Holtzman, is an
"intelligent, down-to-earth woman
who earned a chemistry degree from
Wayne University in the 1930s, and
became a lab technician. "I get all of
my good traits from her," Matt says.
"I've learned to think locally and
act globally," Matt reflects. "I know
I can make a contribution here, in
Ann Arbor, especially if I live by the
words of my childhood hero, Linus.
"Charlie Brown once asked Linus,
`Why are we here?' And Linus said,
`To help one another.' Charlie Brown
responded, 'Someone's not doing his
j olD.'"
Matt Holtzman intends to make
his allotted years as relevant as
possible. It should be a wild, non-stop
ride.

"

■

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