"Helping others just
makes me feel good"
Josh Levine grew up in Atlanta. He went to
college in Texas and studied in Israel. The last
thing he ever thought he would do was move to
Jennifer Glass at ePrize in Pleasant Ridge.
which is the human resources unit.
She primarily handles benefits and
evaluations.
Glass was just 24 when she came
home. She feared she was too young
to enjoy YAD. Instead, the group
embraced her and encouraged her
participation.
"Some of the people I saw at one
of my first events used to baby sit me
and I thought they would never be
able to see me as an adult;' Glass said.
"But that was not the case at ally"
Glass has found a Federation leader-
ship that values young adult involve-
ment. "They welcome our ideas and
opinions on how to help the commu-
nity:' she said.
Glass wishes that YAD's well of
creative ideas for getting her genera-
tion communally engaged wouldn't
sometimes run dry. "There are only
so many trendy places to have events:'
she said. "People want to try some-
thing new and it is harder to create
these types of opportunities here as
opposed to in a larger city."
Another YAD challenge is attract-
ing new members, which presents a
dilemma for singles. "Whether it was
from high school, Hebrew school or
camp, sometimes events are like a big
Michigan. Then he met Shayna, who is from this
game of Jewish geography:' Glass said.
"This sometimes deters people from
getting involved because they want
to meet new people and not just see
people they already know."
❑
area and knows what a strong Jewish community
is all about. So the Levines move to Michigan and
in no time they were adapting to life in metro-
Detroit, buying a house, making friends, getting
good jobs (Josh at Telemus Capital Partners and
Name: Jennifer Glass
Age: 25
Residence: West Bloomfield
Family: parents, Marta and
Ben Rosenthal, Franklin. Sister
Rachel, assistant program direc-
tor, Jewish Community Center of
Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor
Internships: 2002, U.S. Sen.
Carl Levin, D-Mich.; 2003, White
House Office of Legislative
Correspondence
Education: B.A. (2004), M.A.
(2006), George Washington
University, Washington, D.C.
Synagogue: Congregation
Shaarey Zedek of Oakland
County
Affiliations: YAD board member
and co-chair of YAD's outreach
committee and Ben-Gurion
Society (donors giving at least
$1,000 to Federation's Annual
Campaign).
Shayna at e-Prize) and getting involved in the
Jewish community.
In Josh's words," I really believe that metro-Detroit
is a great place to be Jewish. There is something
for everyone interested in making a difference.
Just figure out what you're passionate about and
don't stop looking until you find it."
qp
Jewish
Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit
jewishdetroit.org
1278680
January 10 • 2008
A35