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Finkel
I Special
PAGE 1
several conversations, JYp of Ann Arbor
officially born. The JYp page on
What started with. a handful of committed
grads has grown rapidly into a hub
of community for active young Jews in and
around Ann Arbor; Its Facebook group,
which
publidzes
ill
regular
activities,
now
numbers about 270.
from the Ann Arbor Jewish Federatiorr
Like Zimet, he attended
both Ann Arbor's Hebrew
Day School and its public
schools After graduat
(which is its primary sponsor).
ing with degrees in
are more
journalism and Middle
m Ann
:East studies from tile
University of Texas in
country, lack alI atf:li.atio:9 witiil! any- JeVifim
organization, yet find it appealing to build
on a
Austin. he returned to
on
Ann Arbor to pursue a
career as a journalist "to
tives.
shoestring budget, showcasing
the power of grassroots ventures to quickly
connect, engage and build community that
resonates
Facebook has publicized events and news:
One of the biggest draws to
diversity
JYp
with young adults and leaders in
is the
University
graduated
from Southfield-based Akiva Hebrew Day
a
of Michigan dental student who
School to
.
10,( its members. Members witlI
Detroit connections range from
Iewish Young Professionals is run by lay
leaders
a
U-M medical student who
Ben Freed
grad
forms. Outside ofhis work, JYp has been
large
role in the
of community engagement in 2013, brought
together young leaders to assess how the
community could be more
welcoming
young [ewish professionals. The young
to
leaders decided 1iD start a formal group ro
ploo regnlu p1TOgram5 fur then- peels.
The �o1!1ip foclJ£�dl on developing ideas
to create entry points: for their felow y:mmg
easily meet and do Iewish activities:
together. After the Federation facilitated
to
2 January
29
•
2015
do
physics and bio-medical research at U-M.
a
formation of ttlle groUip. Baden, who joined
the Ann Arbor Federation staff as director
Jews
Google and others who
There also
are
town after
completing Teach for America
and the Peace
members
coming back to
Corps.
Aimee Flood, who grew up in Grand
Rapids, remarked on the groups Facebook:
page that JYp has been a "great way to meet
people and see new places if you are new to
t11e area."
nn
Ben Freed has been one of the
major passion.
"Young Jewish life in Ann Arbor is
incredibly exciting right now;' he said. The
group has created a core set of activities,
ranging from a kosher wine night and an
Israeli picnic to
and a
groups key
organizers since it began about one year
ago. Freed moved to Ann Arbor at age 10.
happy hour get-togethers
.
Lag b'Omer bonfire.
Freed said this
regular set of events fills
Manyyonng [ews
then- Iewish
across
the
identity-with peer-led initia
Freed estimates there are around 40 regu
100
to a
come to a program every
Since its inception, more than.
or so.
people, from. U-Mgraduate students:
growing bodz ofpmfesstonals; have
moved to ANn Arbor to build their
The diverse mix ofyoung
led the 10
ety of events.
or so
Leaders
careers,
professionals has
organizers to
create
a
vari
recently formed a mission state
"TYP [seeks] to create a strong com
munity for young Jewish professionals in
ment:
the greater Ann Arbor
area in order to keep
engaged ill Iewtsh life through social
connections, cultural and religious explora
them
tion, and
a
commitment to tikkun olam
-
repairing the world,"
need ful tdite
community and provides a
greaten degree' of programming that has
Creating Community
been ladti.ng the past few ye3lllS. Their goal
is to help yot.lffiilg Jews here stay connected
in the sukkah attended by 35
with their peers and also help those who
move to Ann Arbor to
quickly find a sense
Tra siti
a
Arb.1i .Jewish Life
a
estimate- there
Arbor, like their peers
month
who work at
For .JYP
than 1,000.
inform the
any connections to the Detroit or Ann
Arbor communities. There are members
5
Jewish
Arbor, several YIP members
[ewish Academy.
through JYP, 1 could see myself here for
many years; Zimet said.
Rabbi ilana Baden played
exact number of young
professionals: ages 21-40 in Ann
no
lar attendees who
While the group includes a handful
of members who grew up in the greater
Detroit area, most members do not have
'With all that the
While there's
write stories that change people's lives and
Jewish communitj;
dty has to offer,
wiith
the
coupled
great friends I've made
the
ofmeaning andcommnnity.
uated from West Bloomfield-based Frankel
public:'
He current1y works full time as the
general assignments reporter for the Ann
Arbor NewslMLive Media Group, where he's
responsible for generating content across
their print, audio, video and digital plat
See
bor,
to the Jewish News
was
recent
i
e
Two notable evembi include
on
page 14
a
story slam,
people and a