jews d in the continued from page 74 JEFFREY SACHS Though he’s got a nonstop global travel schedule, Jeffrey Sachs says he always tries to get back to Detroit when he can. Currently an economics professor at Columbia University and special adviser to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, he is often on the road pro- moting solutions to poverty, health, education and the environment. His work resonates with the values he learned from the Detroit Jewish com- munity, says Sachs, who grew up in Oak Park during the 1960s and attended Oak Park public schools. “That was an era of enormous tumult, but also of enormous national ambi- tion and of the great goals of social jus- tice,” he says. “This is how I will always remember growing up in the Detroit area, as part of a wonderful community that was also deeply engaged in the great issues of the day. I couldn’t have asked for more.” He went on to Harvard, where he spent 30 years, first as a student and then as a professor. In 2002, he moved to New York for his current work. The Detroit Jewish community had as its central message the key principle of being a mentsh, he recalls. There were also Shabbats, High Holidays, bagels and lox, all part of his upbringing, he says. “As I work every day across all religions with Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and other leaders — and across all 193 nations of the U.N. — I find the message of social justice and tikkun olam is uni- versal and vital for a good life.” Jeffrey Sachs Adam Grant in January 2013, and moved over to serve as deputy managing editor for the New York Times earlier this year. She started with the WSJ in 1995 in the paper’s Detroit bureau, covering General Motors. She currently lives in Maplewood, N.J., with her husband, Alan Paul, and three children. REBECCA BLUMENSTEIN Rebecca Blumenstein’s grandparents met in Detroit. And her parents are from Detroit, though their travels took them to Maine, then back to Michigan to settle in Essexville, outside Bay City. Growing up around farms and factories taught Blumenstein humility and the value of hard work, she says. She went on to attend U-M, where learning to navigate on one’s own was an important life lesson, she says. She adds that she believes many of the answers to questions the country faces right now lie in the state. “I see Michigan as a vibrant, fascinating and hugely important place on so many levels, in terms of what’s going to happen in the country,” she explains. And she’s always glad to meet people from home, she adds. “As journalists, we’re trained not to generalize, but I can tell you when I meet anyone from Michigan in sometimes very far-flung places, my husband jokes I jump into their arms. There’s a certain kinship one feels almost immediately.” Blumenstein worked as deputy editor in chief for the Wall Street Journal starting ADAM GRANT When Adam Grant and his wife, Allison Sweet Grant, come to town, they draw straws to choose between favorite deli spots — his, Pickles & Rye Deli and hers, the Stage Deli. Metro Detroit is very much about the people for Grant. He was deeply influ- enced by family friend the late Jeff Zaslow and Grant’s late grandfather, Jay Grant. He met his wife in graduate school at U-M, and when he left Michigan in 2007, he took with him “some amazing friendships and (apparently) a Michigan accent.” Some of his favorite Michigan memo- ries are from the time he spent at Camp Tamarack and Camp Taguna, where he says he discovered a love of waterskiing and tennis. Grant attended West Bloomfield schools and went on to get master’s and doctorate degrees in organizational psy- chology at U-M. He and Allison currently reside in the Philadelphia suburbs. Grant is a New York Times bestsell- ing author of Give and Take, Originals and Option B (co-authored with Sheryl Sandberg). He is a top-rated Wharton pro- Rebecca Blumenstein Noam Neusner fessor with consulting clients including Facebook and Google, the NBA and the Gates Foundation. NOAM NEUSNER Noam Neusner came to work for the Jewish News straight out of college in 1991-1992. He remembers meeting U-M Hillel’s Executive Director Michael Brooks while covering local colleges. “Michael helped me understand Jewish life in totally new ways, and was a great mentor and friend,” he says. “He probably was the first person I knew who understood how to work within institutions and change them at the same time — a valuable skill that has affected my whole life. Most of all, he taught me you can make your contribu- tion to Jewish life in many ways.” Neusner worked another decade in journalism and, in 2002, joined the White House as a speechwriter for President George W. Bush, who he also served as liaison to the Jewish community. After leaving the White House in 2005, he established a strategic communications firm, 30 Point Strategies, with offices in Washington and Atlanta. Neusner fondly remembers his JN boss, Phil Jacobs, and is still in touch with jour- nalists he worked with at the JN, he says. “It was my first job out of college, and I had a lot to learn — these great colleagues were so helpful in the process, and I’ve never forgotten them.” The Detroit Jewish community wel- Eli and Edye Broad comed him warmly, he says. “It’s an amaz- ing place, and I wish more communities around the country stuck together like Detroit’s does.” ELI BROAD Eli Broad’s parents decided to move to Detroit from New York City’s Bronx when he was 7. Immigrants from Lithuania who moved to the U.S. to escape anti-Semitism and find new opportunities, his parents had a strong influence on him, he says. His father opened two five-and-dimes, and his mother kept the books. “I learned entrepreneurship from my continued on page 78 76 July 18 • 2017 jn