BBYO
Leaders

Michigan Region
installs its new boards
for 2010-11.

M

ichigan Region BBYO installed
its newly elected regional
boards at a ceremony held on

June 1.
Elected by their peers at a recent BBYO
convention, the new board members serve
as the elected representatives of BBYO's
1,200 Jewish teens throughout Metro
Detroit.
"These exemplary leaders highlight
BBYO's focus on teen-led experiential
democracy:" said Eric Adelman, Michigan

Jonathan Morof and Michael Higer, both of Farmington
Hills, Josh Morof of West Bloomfield, Josh Breuer of
Farmington Hills and Jared Kohlenberg, Ari Weil, Ricky
Levine, all of West Bloomfield (Not pictured is Josh
Lowenthal)

Region BBYO director. "These teens set
the tone and direction for our programs
and initiatives for the next year."
"This year's board has a lot poten-
tial:' said Claire Sinai, BBG N'siah (girls'
president). "If the board works together
and with their counterparts, we can have
stronger chapters, a stronger region and a
stronger BBYO."
Added Jonathan Morof, AZA Godol
(boys' president), "I love BBYO and wanted
to give back as much as I can. BBYO has

Marisa Horn of West Bloomfield, Nicole Davidson of

Farmington Hills, Lilli Malach and Carly Krainen, both of
West Bloomfield, Claire Sinai of Huntington Woods, Eden
Adler and Elie Neuman, both of Farmington Hills, Rachel
Salle of West Bloomfield

something for everybody.
"Overall, I want a fun year and a year
filled with many memorable events both
big and small."
The 2010-11 BBG board members are
Sinai, Elie Neuman (s'ganit, program-
ming vice president), Eden Adler (aym
ha'chaverot, membership vice president),
Rachel Salle (shlicha, social justice vice
president), Lilli Malach (gisbarit, trea-
surer), Carly Krainen (katvanit, secretary),
Nicole Davidson (orechet, newspaper

dditor) and Marisa Horn (madricha, past
president).
This year's AZA board members are
Morof, Ricky Levin (s'gan, programming
vice president), Michael Higer (moreh,
membership vice president), Josh Morof
(shaliach, social justice vice president),
Josh Breuer (gizbor, treasurer), Jared
Kohlenberg (mazkir, secretary), Ari Weil
(sopher, newspaper editor) and Josh
Lowenthal (kohane godol, immediate past
president).

❑

Class Of 2010

FJA grads enter "the game of life."

y

ou would have thought it was
the High Holidays judging by
the crowd that filled Temple
Israel's main sanctuary last week.
However, the friends and family buzz-
ing with anticipation were gathered for
the Frankel Jewish Academy's 8th com-
mencement ceremony.
FJA's graduation hit all the right notes
— greetings from incoming president
of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit, Michael Horowitz, himself an
FJA alumni parent, and the Academy's
own incoming board president Kenneth
Goss. In his heartfelt address, Goss, a
parent of two FJA alums and a rising
senior, challenged the new graduates
with an appeal heard around Metro
Detroit these days, urging FJNs best and
brightest to consider returning to the
area in their post-college years.
In his address, Head of School Rabbi
Eric Grossman likened the students'
achievement to winning at the game
of Life. Originally called the Checkered
Game of Life, Grossman said that the
first edition awarded points for truth
and perseverance and penalized drunk-
enness, gambling and laziness. Milton
Bradley's goal, the rabbi reflected, "was
to impress upon the minds of the young
people of his day the great moral prin-

42

June 24 • 2010

Above: Rabbi Joshua Bennett of Temple Israel embraces graduate Dan Hacker.
Left: Seniors Ben Luger and Josh Lowenthal are ready for graduation.

ciples of virtue and vice, and encourage
them to balance life's necessary materi-
alism by also acknowledging the impor-
tance of integrity, thrift, modesty and
self-reliance."
With his trademark subtle humor
and empathetic recognition of the sac-
rifices made by parents committed to
educating their children at FJA, Rabbi
Grossman impressed upon all that
Bradley's ideals are just as relevant in

2010 as they were in 1860.
After student reflections by Harvard
University-bound Basil Williams and
Alyssa Adler's smoothly delivered
address in Hebrew, the program turned
to the much-anticipated faculty tributes.
These personal messages, written
by faculty and recited individually to
their chosen students at graduation,
portrayed a depth of affection and pride
from having watched them grow and
mature.

"You are the candle and the mirror
spreading warmth, generosity and con-
viction."
"You are a seeker of answers to soci-
ety's complex questions."
"With the elegance of china, and gen-
tleness as well, you grace your world with
a soft, blue-sky smile."
Afterward, diplomas were presented,
tassels were switched and a cloud of
white and blue mortarboards was tossed
skyward. FJA!s Class of 2010 was on its
way.

❑