moments | nice jewish boy
Matchmaker,
Matchmaker
Rabbi Dan Horwitz | Special to the Jewish News
NJB
(Nice Jewish Boy)
Alex Scharg, 24
Note: The Well, an
inclusive Jewish
community-building,
education and
spirituality outreach
initiative, features an
interview with a single
“nice Jewish boy” or
“nice Jewish girl” each
month. The Well has
agreed to share its
Q & As with these
amazing singles
with the JN.
Read more at
meetyouatthewell.org.
60 December 1 • 2016
Q
How did you decide to
make your adult life in
Metro Detroit?
AS: Opportunity is what kept
me here! A few months before
graduating, I reconnected with
an old friend — through an
entrepreneurship association —
who told me about all the great
things happening in Detroit
and why it was the best place
to build a business. I visited his
space a few times Downtown,
and I liked everything about
it. Combine that with my local
connections in the area, plus
a part-time freelance gig for
Fox Sports Detroit, and I was
hooked.
Q: Rumor has it you just
started a business locally with a
good friend. Tell us about it.
AS: The rumor is true! My
friend and I collaborated on a
lot of different media projects
together in college, and we
finally had the opportunity to
take our passion fulltime togeth-
er. Our company, Visioned
Media (www.visionedmedia.
com), is a video marketing com-
pany where we make engaging
video content for businesses
and organizations to be used
for marketing purposes. We’ve
been fulltime together now for
about three months, and we are
excited to continue our outreach
and let community members
know how we can help grow a
business or organization.
Q: You were recently named
Kadima’s Volunteer of the
Year. What about their work
inspired you to get involved,
and what has been the most
rewarding part about being a
volunteer there?
AS: I’ve always been big on
giving back, and I was looking
to get involved as a volunteer
in Metro Detroit. While out
for dinner with a friend one
evening, I met a woman who
gave me her Kadima business
card, and we discussed how the
organization supports members
of our community. I thought
about my friends who cope with
mental illness and friends I’ve
lost to suicide, and I knew this
was exactly what I was look-
ing for to make a difference.
(Find more to the story at www.
kadimacenter.org/blog/a-sports-
connection)
Q: What are your three
favorite leisure activities?
AS: Traveling, event-going
and board/card games. I love
playing Risk and Monopoly and
admittedly enjoy poker, too. My
friends and I played all the time
together, and it stimulated great
conversation and helped us
bond. When it comes to travel-
ing, I loved going to Israel and
want to travel around the world
even more.
Q: Where would you most
like to travel to that you
haven’t visited?
AS: I’ve always wanted to
visit Europe and learn more
about the cultures in various
countries.
Q: If you had to pick a favor-
ite sport/team to watch, which
would it be and why?
AS: The Michigan State
Spartans as it is my alma mater
… Go Green! I was fortunate to
cover a lot of the sports teams
as a media member, so I was
able to cover the Rose Bowl,
Final Four and numerous Big
Ten championships and tourna-
ments for football and basket-
ball. The best memory was the
Rose Bowl as I spent almost a
week out in Pasadena and made
an award-winning documentary
about the Rose Bowl experience
for Spartan fans.
Q: What’s your favorite
Jewish holiday and why?
AS: Rosh Hashanah — there’s
something special about the
sweetness of apples and honey
while having the opportunity to
start fresh each year.
Q: Who is the coolest Jew?
AS: Albert Einstein — he
made so many contributions to
our understanding of the world
— and he had awesome hair!
Q: If you could add an 11th
commandment, what would
it be?
AS: Thou shalt always love
one another as brothers and sis-
ters regardless of differences.
Q: How about a fun fact?
AS: I’m currently 6 feet tall,
but was 5’4” up until the age of
16. At the end of high school, I
grew about 7 inches in one year.
Q: Any secret talents to know
about?
AS: I started taking piano
lessons at age 4 and still love to
play today.
*
Rabbi Dan Horwitz is founding director
of The Well. If you want to meet Alex,
email Dan at dan@meetyouatthewell.org.