Pp
Jewish Family Service
of Metropolitan Detroit
Frien
With your support
through the
Friends of the Family
Campaign,
Jewish Family Service
is...
...a safety net for
our community.
Sarah is a single mother
of two who suffers from
cancer. JFS was able to
provide her with rent
and a car payment.
The Gallatin family took part in the Walk for Friendship a few months after moving here from New Jersey.
Welcome To Detroit!
Newcomers jump right in to aid local causes
near and dear to their hearts.
Randi Berris
Special to the Jewish News
Last year JFS
N
Provided nearly
$750,000 to
individuals and
families in crisis
IMP Distributed
1 3(
7,700 prescription
medications to
uninsured adults
- 6 Responded to
7,000 calls for help
about financial
assistance, mental
health issues,
transportation and
needs related to
older adults
(
P
T
Your Donation
Can Make a Difference
www.jfsdetroit.org/friends
248-592-2339
IN-
20
December 6 • 2012
IN
ew Jersey's loss is Detroit's
gain.
Sharyn and Alan Gallatin
dug up their deep East Coast roots
and moved with their children to West
Bloomfield in early July for Alan's
job. They left behind friends, fam-
ily and leadership roles within the
Jewish Federation of Northern New
Jersey, where they were honored with
the 2012 Distinguished Community
Service award.
But it didn't take long for the
Gallatins to immerse themselves
in Metro Detroit's Jewish commu-
nity. Alan, 43, and Sharyn, 42, along
with their children, Joshua and
Rose, participated in the Friendship
Circle's Walk for Friendship in early
September. A few weeks later, Alan
sang in the choir at Adat Shalom
Synagogue's High Holiday services.
And that's just the beginning.
Now that the Gallatins are settling
into their new home and routine in
Southeast Michigan, they are pick-
ing up where they left off by getting
involved in the Jewish community.
"We're not content to be passive,"
Alan says.
Adds Sharyn, "We appreciate how
welcoming this community has been,
how people have made us feel a part of
it so quickly. We want to give back?'
Alan has always been active in
Federation fundraising and continues
to fill that role here. He's also looking
at other organizations and is becoming
more involved with Adat Shalom.
Sharyn, meanwhile, is a solicitor for
Federation's Women's Department and
is working with the Jewish Identity
Building Division. She's also getting
involved with Jewish Family Service
on marketing and community develop-
ment.
The Gallatin children are adjusting
well to their new home. Rose is in sec-
ond grade and Joshua is in fifth grade
at Pleasant Lake Elementary School,
and both are enrolled in the religious
school at Adat Shalom.
A year ago, Detroit wasn't even on
the Gallatins' radar. Then, Alan's firm,
Grant Thornton LLP, approached him
with a great opportunity in Michigan.
Alan previously served as a partner
in Grant Thornton's New York office,
overseeing tax engagements with a
variety of clients. Now he's the tax
practice leader for the Detroit office,
providing leadership for the depart-
ment in addition to the same kind of
tax work he did in New York.
"I saw this marketplace as having a
lot of strengths and long-term poten-
tial. Getting engaged with it during
this rebirth phase seemed exciting:'
says Alan. "In addition, I was intrigued
by how engaged, how excited people
are to be here. It didn't take long for
me to visualize my family being part of
this community."
Persuading Sharyn took some work.
She had family ties in New Jersey
and her own law practice focusing
on residential real estate and special-
needs advocacy. But after she did her
research, she was sold on the idea.
"When Alan came to me and said,
`There's a job opportunity in Detroit,
would you be interested in going?'
I started laughing," Sharyn recalls.
"And when I stopped laughing, there
were two things I was most concerned
about: What types of services are there
for Joshua, who has Asperger's, and
what type of Jewish community is in
Detroit? We've been lucky to find a
high quality for both in the area."
Vince Tomkinson, Alan's colleague
at Grant Thornton, isn't surprised the
Gallatins have embraced the commu-
nity here so quickly.
"Alan is a natural leader; that's
one of the reasons we wanted him in
Detroit," he said. "I have no doubt he
will bring the same passion he has for
his job to the causes he believes in."
❑
Randi Berris is director of editorial services
at the Quell Group in Troy.