metro >>

Latke Vodka
Reaches New Heights

NEXTGen Detroit reinvents its largest event of the year.

Becky Hurvitz I Special to the Jewish News

I

t was a bit of a gamble, but we rolled
the dice, and we couldn't be hap-
pier with how they landed:' said Abi
Liepshutz, Latke Vodka co-chair.
For the last four out of 11 years, NEXTGen
Detroit's largest annual event, Latke Vodka,
was held at the Royal Oak Music Theatre.
The venue, just as much as the event itself,
had become tradition in Metro Detroit for
young Jewish adults the Saturday night after
Thanksgiving. But with Federation's young
adult department looking to shake things up,
a move to Midtown Detroit was a risk that
they were ready to take.
"We heard two distinct sets of opinion
while planning Latke Vodka this year:' said
Steve Migliore, NEXTGen Detroit president
"One was that moving the event to the
city would keep people from coming. The
other was that our generation isn't just open
to being in Detroit; we love it. NEXTGen
Detroit hosts multiple events in the city
throughout the year, all with great atten-
dance, so we followed our gut:"
After a decade of Latke Vodkas, the last
several bringing in more than 1,000 attend-
ees, NEXTGen Detroit needed to find a
venue that could hold the large and growing
crowd. One venue was a challenge, but three
venues that spanned nearly an entire city
block offered the space needed to take the
event to the next level.
The historic Majestic Theatre along with
the Majestic Cafe and the Garden Bowl each
offered a different atmosphere. A live band
and dancing in the theater gave event-goers
the Latke Vodka experience they've come to
expect. The addition of a jazz lounge in the

Ryan Barouch and Yisrael Pinson

14 December 24 2015

cafe and free glow bowling offered guests
options while allowing them to move from
one distinct environment to another.
Latke Vodka began as a Thanksgiving
weekend reunion, but has grown into some-
thing much greater over the last 11 years. In
many ways, it's a showcase of Detroit's young
Jewish community and the perfect answer
for the question: "Is there a Jewish future in
Detroit?"
"You can't deny that there is a thriving and
vibrant young Jewish community in Detroit
when you look into a sea of 1,000 people at
Latke Vodka," said Liepshutz.
More than 300 out-of-towners and expats
attend Latke Vodka every year. And with this
year's event in Midtown, it not only shined
a light on the community but also the city's
revival.
"The city of Detroit has transformed in the
last several years, and Midtown is a shining
example of the growth and revitalization,"
said Andrew Luckoff, Latke Vodka co-chair.
So did the move pay off? The answer is a
resounding yes.
More than 1,000 attended this year's Latke
Vodka. The event also added 350 new donors
to the Federation's Annual Campaign, as $18
of every ticket sold was a donation. Beyond
the numbers, the positive reactions shared
via emails, phone calls and social media
posts affirm that the move down Woodward
was a huge success.
A new Latke Vodka is just the beginning.
As NEXTGen Detroit enters 2016, they're
creating a re-imagined calendar of events
and re-examining staple programs to keep
them fresh and relevant *

Aliza Bracha McMillan, Miriam Schloss and Esti Wrotslaysky

Alex Tsuker, Randy Silver and Jason Shanker

JN

Charlotte

Masters,

Erica Leaf

and Rose

Rubin

Jake Gordon, Pamela Pensler and Matthew Luckoff

