concise Keep Your Computers Humming! Two Hour Arrival Professional Fixed the First Time Lauren Yellen on the front porch of her "chicken coop" home in Marquette elm in The v Sure, and they work hard to maintain the connection. Repairs r Emergency Service Virus Removal Remote Support Wireless & Networking Backup & Recovery Computers & Warranty Cloud Services Websites & Hosting And Much More ... k 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 '2"0 •11011‘ s„ - •■■ aminumniu ...;;N ■ N 111111111111110n iu 11111111111111.1 ugh summun fill ■ 11111111.11111 a,,, 11111•1111•1 Z;;, ■ MIIIMINIO.1 ZU/ 11111111111M 1111111111111/ V. , maw va: 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 37