jews d

on the cover

in
the

Honoring young
people making an
impact Jewishly
and beyond.

T

hey’re go-getters, doers, philanthropists,
activists, entrepreneurs and community
organizers. Their lives make an impact
on those around them and our community at
large.
These 36 individuals — the inaugural group
of the JN and The Well’s 36 Under 36 program
— were nominated by their peers for this
honor.
The Jewish News and The Well collected the
nominations and turned them over to a group
of impartial judges who selected 36 out of the
more than 70 nominees for this honor.
If you know these individuals, you know why
they were chosen. If you haven’t met them yet,
you’ll want to — soon.

Sarah Allyn, 28, of
Detroit is director of
education, including
the Shoresh Religious
School, at Temple Shir
Shalom in West
Bloomfield. She does
teen and young adult
programming, and
started monthly pop-up
Shabbat dinners while in the NEXTGen
PresenTense cohort. She also participated
in Teach for America. Sparked by Sarah’s
brilliant ideas and charisma, the temple’s
educational programs have grown in
breadth and number of students. Her work
ethic is also remarkable. She jumps on
opportunities that will benefit the Shir
Shalom community — from teaching at an
educators’ conference to spending time with
students at Tamarack Camps, from creating
new programs for young adults in Detroit to
driving teens to a leadership convention in
Indianapolis. An innovative and inspiring
educator, youth leader and young adult pro-
grammer, Sarah is committed to putting fun
and engagement into Judaism.

Rabbi Alana Alpert,
34, of Detroit is the
rabbi at Congregation
T’chiyah and director of
Detroit Jews for Justice
(DJJ). It’s a perfect fit.
With her background
in community organiz-
ing, she realized prior

to beginning her rabbinic training that she
wanted to combine her love for Judaism
with her passion for social justice. Her mis-
sion is to bring more Jews into activism and
more activists into Judaism. After just a few
years in Metro Detroit, Rabbi Alpert has
emerged as a strong leader and innovator in
the community-at-large. She’s established
an extensive network of leaders of all faiths
and encouraged interfaith communication.
DJJ gives the Jewish community an activist
outlet to demonstrate its support for racial
and economic justice. Under Rabbi Alpert’s
leadership, Jews of all ages are joining
efforts for public transit, water justice,
police accountability and in support of our
public schools. She enjoys leading services
and Torah study, including a monthly
Havdalah gathering at her home in the
North End.

Brooke Bendix,
LMSW, 32, of Royal
Oak is a psychothera-
pist and owner of
Michigan Family
Therapy PLLC in
Farmington Hills. In
addition to her private
practice, she created a
group for adolescent
girls that addresses bullying, relational
aggression and promotes positive self-
esteem — issues young girls face in today’s
society. Brooke is attempting to secure grant
funding from the Jewish Women’s
Foundation to develop additional groups in
schools and synagogues. Since moving back
to Detroit, the University of Chicago gradu-
ate has been devoted to volunteering as well
as building her business. As a NEXTGen
Detroit board director, Brooke plans events
that create opportunities to foster young
women’s leadership and development.
Actively involved in the growth of The Well
since its inception, she co-chairs its monthly
Rosh Chodesh group. Brooke also teaches at
Temple Israel’s Monday Night School and to
fifth-graders at the Temple Beth El Sunday
School.

Adam Blanck, 30, of
Franklin is chief of
staff at Wallside
Windows in Taylor. He’s
the third generation at
the well-known home
improvement company
founded in 1944. A
graduate of University
of Michigan Law School
and Ross School of Business, Adam previ-
ously was an advance associate for the
White House and served on the 2012-13
Presidential Inaugural Committee. He was
an associate attorney in the corporate
department at Honigman Miller Schwartz

and Cohn in Detroit, focused on private
equity and venture capital transactions. A
big Detroit booster, Adam encourages the
city’s resurgence through his association
with the U-M Social Venture Fund, structur-
ing investments in innovative companies
and serving on the board of Joshua Venture
Group. It identifies emerging leaders in the
Jewish world and champions their visions
for social change. Adam is a member of the
Jewish Federation’s NEXTGen Detroit board
and co-founded Federation’s fundraising
event Pitch for Detroit.

Andrew D. Bocknek,
36, of Farmington
Hills is first vice presi-
dent-wealth manage-
ment and senior portfo-
lio manager at UBS
Financial Services in
Farmington Hills. He
was named to the pres-
tigious, firm-wide “UBS
35 under 35” list. Andy’s leadership is quiet,
consistent and oriented toward the individ-
ual. He brainstorms creative solutions to
problems. With his belief that the strength
of the Metro Detroit Jewish community lies
in its bonds and sense of intimacy, Andy
brings friends together, reaches out to new-
comers and offers support at times of grief
and need. His nomination stated: “Andy
understands the art of the personal and the
important way true community leaders are
people who lead by example.” Among his
community involvements, Andy is a Temple
Israel board member, fundraiser for
Friendship Circle and vice president of the
B’nai B’rith Youth Organization-Michigan
Region Board of Commissioners.

David Brown, 35, of
Detroit is a circus per-
former and teacher. His
nomination noted that
“he studies, he creates
community, he is the
embodiment of all the
things we are taught to
be. He is a walking
mitzvah.” David teaches
children to be lions and jump through
hoops, helps them fly and “breathes fire into
the world around him, both literally and fig-
uratively.” This local Jewish circus man
brings a sense of wonder to weddings, holi-
days, parties and other occasions. He’s vol-
unteered at Menorah in the D and also with
Chabad, Keter Torah, The Shul and
Congregation Shir Tikvah. David reminds
people to laugh and play out of his yearning
to make the world a better place. He and his
wife also run an urban farm, Kibbutz
Detropia, and host farm workers and guests
staying at their Airbnb.

jn

January 12 • 2017

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