Photos by Brett Mountain
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An
EPIC
Night
For
NEXTGen
Detroit
Becky Hurvitz | Special to the Jewish News
Bob Saget had the EPIC crowd in stitches.
W
ith a change of scenery and
the biggest headlining act to
date, NEXTGen Detroit’s EPIC,
sponsored by Sue and Alan Jay Kaufman and
family, was about breaking the mold.
“EPIC is a spectacular evening that reflects
the spirit of a vibrant Jewish community
throughout Metro Detroit,” said Alan Jay
Kaufman, president, chairman and CEO
of the H.W. Kaufman Financial Group and
Burns & Wilcox.
“Our family is proud to continue to sup-
port this event for the fourth year in a row,
with an increased financial commitment to
what proved to be the most extra ordinary
EPIC event yet.
“With the fantastic turnout and dollars
raised, we were shown once again that our
support of the next generation of leadership
is an important investment for ensuring the
growth and success of the Detroit Jewish
community as a whole.”
Some 557 people came out to EPIC,
NEXTGen Detroit’s premiere annual fund-
raising event, pledging more than $220,000
for the Jewish Federation’s 2016 Annual
Campaign, including 100 new donors.
“This was my third time co-chairing
16 April 7 • 2016
EPIC, and it is so exciting to watch the event
grow and evolve year after year,” said Scott
Mitnick, co-chair with Jeff Selik and Alana
Shamban. “We are making our generation
aware of the work of Federation and its part-
ner agencies and, in turn, they are showing
their support.”
The numbers show that, on average,
attendees gave 42 percent more than last
year, evidence of a growing commitment
from young adults to the local Jewish com-
munity and global Jewish family.
“EPIC is a powerful opportunity to engage,
educate and empower the young adults
of Jewish Detroit,” said NEXTGen Detroit
President Steve Migliore.
“Our Campaign vice presidents Ilana
Block and Ryan Landau have done an
extraordinary job growing the NEXTGen
Detroit donor impact this year.”
Hosted at the Detroit Marriott at the
Renaissance Center on March 12, EPIC fea-
tured stand-up comedian Bob Saget. Best
known as Danny Tanner from the long-run-
ning television show Full House, now star-
ring in the Netflix series Fuller House, Saget
filled seats and left the attendees in stitches.
EPIC is always one of the major highlights
of the NEXTGen Detroit year and, thanks to
Saget’s hysterical performance, 2016 did not
disappoint. But beyond a night of entertain-
ment, EPIC is one major way NEXTGen
Detroit is working to ensure a vibrant future
for Jewish Detroit.
This year, NEXTGen Detroit was honored
to have Federation’s Susie Feldman take the
stage and share her personal story of surviv-
al. Many years before Feldman became asso-
ciate director of philanthropy at Federation,
she was a single mother fleeing a bad rela-
tionship, forced to relocate with her three
young children. Federations and its many
agencies across the country helped Feldman
and her family overcome serious challenges.
Hearing such a personal story firsthand
inspired everyone in the audience.
“It’s very clear from this EPIC and the
EPIC events of the past four years that
together this generation is standing up and
supporting their Jewish future and the Jewish
future of the generations that will follow,”
said NEXTGen Detroit Director Stefanie
Tuzman.
*
Becky Hurvitz is content stategist at the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit.
Top to bottom: Bob Saget, Jessica Migliore
and Steve Migliore. Reese Handelsman,
Ben Handelsman, Kyley Kaplan-Lazor and
Jeff Lazor. Adina Lonn and Kyle Lonn.
Lauren Kepes, Adam Rubin, Justin Jacobs
and Brian Satovsky. Yael Aviv and Roman
Golshteyn.