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IJ
IIS
September 4 • 2014
JN
On Leadership Development
Q: Not many couples have the dis-
tinction of winning both the Frank
A.Wetsman and the Sylvia Simon
Greenberg Awards for Young Leadership.
Who were your mentors?
Sally: It wasn't a person, but the
Wexner Heritage Program, which
we both went through. Billionaire
retailer and philanthropist Les Wexner
of Columbus started this program
because he felt that anyone involved in
taking Jewish leadership roles should
have a basic Jewish knowledge to make
decisions for the community. So he cre-
ated the program, starting with models
in Columbus, Detroit, Milwaukee,
Minneapolis and Pittsburgh and a
commitment to bring in top scholars
and leaders from around the country
and from Israel. For two years, we
would sit down for four-hour sessions
on Monday nights every other week
and learn Jewish principles from the
best and brightest thinkers.
Richard: A highlight for me was a
retreat in Aspen where we sat at dinner
with Leon Uris, one of my very favorite
authors. He had just written The Haj;
and there we were, discussing the book
with him over a meal. It was a real
thrill for us.
Sally: To this day we still study ...
now with Partners in Torah at Yeshiva
Beth Yehudah.
.
Q: PASTGen, PRESENTGen NEXTGen
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arrival? They packed 100 of us into a
gas chamber and slammed the door.
You look up, see the showerheads and
you're thrown back to that moment in
history to visualize what would hap-
pen next. They opened the doors, of
course; we came out into daylight and
into a profoundly moving ceremony.
But the impact of that experience — all
packed into a 24-hour period — liter-
ally changed me, because it made me
understand what being Jewish was.
Sally: And when we returned to our
seats in the back of the plane, it just
so happened there were about a dozen
vacant seats, which they filled with
people who had been awaiting passage
to Israel from the Soviet Union. So
there we were — in another moment
in history — flying to Israel with these
Soviet olim (immigrants), and not a
dry eye among us in the back of the
plane. There were a few people on both
sides who could speak Hebrew, and a
few who could speak a little Yiddish,
but we all knew some songs to sing.
Richard: That's the beauty of the
Jewish world.
...you've been leaders on the forefront of
many developments in the community.
In what ways would you still like to see
Federation change?
Richard: First, let me say I'm all for
what NEXTGen is doing. I grew up in
Detroit in its heyday, when it was a won-
derful booming city. It is very exciting to
see the creativity and energy NEXTGen
is bringing to revitalize our city.
Sally: And the initiatives we see at
Federation and other agencies are just
a sampling of what's going on that's
great here in Detroit. Most people don't
get the luxury of traveling around the
country, hearing the raves. Richard sits
on a national board, and when Detroit
talks, people listen. They want to know
what we're doing.
Richard: I do think we still need to
develop new leaders in pivotal roles.
We "old-timers" are not going away,
but we need to pass the baton. We have
knowledge, we have history, but we no
longer need to be the officers of our
boards and chairs of our activities.
Of course, I say that having just
taken the presidency of the JCRC. But
that was a position I was asked to fill
because of my involvement over the
past year in formulating the new stra-
tegic plan. I look forward to seeing that
work come to fruition.
On Achievements
Q: What are your proudest moments?
Richard: Currently? Winning the
Butzel. I would have felt honored just
to know that I was even considered.
But having been chosen by the com-
munity this year is so meaningful
to me because it shows that you can
be recognized for a lifetime of effort
and work for the community and klal
Yisroel [the Jewish people]. In truth,
the work is reward enough.
Sally: Richard and I were honored
in 2012 by Yad Ezra, and to me that
was very gratifying. I'm also particu-
larly proud of my work on Federation's
Miracle Mission. The timing was really
challenging — right at the end of the
intifada in 2004. We had 600 people
originally signed up — and many
dropped off, and then we had another
600 people sign up before we left — in
an incredible show of solidarity. To
me it was a miracle just to see those El
Al planes landing in Detroit, ready to
take us nonstop to Israel. That trip was
a wonderful experience and really a
highlight for me.
But all things considered, when we
look back to all that we've done and the
experiences we've had, we can honestly
say we've been enriched by our com-
munity life. It has added an immeasur-
able dynamic to our experience and
given us back one-hundredfold to what
we've given.
❑
This story was originally published on
myJewishDetroit.