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LAUREN YELLEN I SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
pi
s it 2015? You wouldn't be
able to tell by my rather hip,
refurbished home that used to
be a chicken coop. There are only
a few towns in the country that can pull
this off — and Marquette is one.
I grew up in Farmington Hills, and I
was actively involved in every Jewish
youth program you can think of and was
busy pumping out community service
projects in Detroit that you've (hopefully)
heard of before. And then came Aug. 20,
2014.1 headed north to Marquette for
college at Northern Michigan University.
This has been my dream since attending
Camp Kennedy through Tamarack.
It's almost been a year since I moved
here and, quite honestly, being Jewish in
this place is fascinating. I'm frequently
the first Jewish person people have met,
and I've introduced a lot of people to
our culture.
I also get to be a part of the
excitement when the community
finds another synagogue in Northern
Michigan. Since I've moved here,
we've found two more. There are eight
synagogues north of the 45th parallel
chugging along and working hard to
stay alive. (Sadly, our community just lost
a synagogue in Iron River that few of us
even knew about until recently.)
And because I know you're
wondering, there are approximately
800 Jewish people with year-round
residences who are aware of and
participate in Jewish events that take
place from Traverse City to Sault Sainte
Marie, Ontario, and points in between in
the Upper Peninsula.
The biggest reason we are still
thriving is because every member of the
community has chosen to go far out of
his or her way to remain Jewish. Enough
people are committed to making this
work that it does — even when we
have to stream our services online
because we can't hop over the highest-
recorded snowfall in America. And, we
don't complain.
Most of our members have converted
and are Jewish by choice. We have a
personal interest in being Jewish, even
in a place where it is more difficult than
most.
And keeping kosher is another matter.
There's no One Stop supermarket or a
kosher restaurant closer than eight hours
from Marquette. So, it's really a personal
commitment. And there is nothing tying
us together other than our own will and
ability. With the Upper Peninsula being
29 percent of Michigan's land, and only
holding 3 percent of its population, you
can imagine how far we all have to
travel to be together.
Oh, did I mention that Howard
Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, and Josh
Davis, who was among the final four
contestants on this season of The Voice,
both are members of the Marquette
Jewish community?
If you do decide to head up to
Northern Michigan this summer and
want to be amongst other Jews, feel free
to reach out and I can introduce you
to some pretty interesting people who
shape the life up here. Volunteer a little
time to listen to our stories and interact
with us. And know that we can show
you some pretty beautiful places only
locals know about. ❑
Lauren Yellen of Farmington Hills is a
junior at Northern Michigan University.
Reach her at Laurenayellen®gmail.com .
(248) 745-8255
www.concise.com
1980170
Upscale Consignment & Auction House
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Meei Julie Solberg
Rick Behar
Leslie Miller Deborah Slobin
Co-Founder & Partner at Le Shoppe in Walled Lake
and Le Shoppe Too in Keego Harbor
With her passion for repurposing furniture and
sharing her creativity with others, Le Shoppe
was born. I am so fortunate to have like minded,
successful people get on board to share this venture.
3325 Orchard Lake Rd. Keego Harbor, MI 48320
248.481.8884
Open 6 days/Week Tue - Sat 12-6 Sun 12-4
info@leshoppe.net I www.leshoppe.net
1976840
June 11 • 2015
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