moments
special moments
Matchmaker,
Matchmaker
AVERY DRONGOWSKI SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Q
NJP
(Nice Jewish Person)
Matt Weiner
Each month, The Well
highlights an amazing (and
eligible!) individual. The
Well has agreed to share its
Q & As with these amazing
singles with the JN. This
month, the conversation
is with its newest team
member, Matt Weiner,
who began as the assistant
director on Aug. 1.
: Welcome
W l
to
t Detroit,
D t it M
Matt!
tt!! Wh
tt
What t
brought you here?
MW: Thank you! I’m excited to be
here! The Well brought me here. Rabbi Dan has
been subtly (at first) and not-so-subtly been try-
ing to get me to move to Detroit for the last three
years or so. When this opportunity came up, it
just seemed like the right time to jump in with
both feet!
Q: Have you always been involved in Jewish
life and work?
MW: For the most part, yes. I kind of fell into
it after college. I was living in L.A. trying to make
it in the comedy scene and was given the oppor-
tunity to staff a Birthright trip. Afterwards, a full-
time position became available and the lure of
consistent travel to Israel (and health insurance)
was something I just couldn’t turn down! The rest
is history!
Q: What are you excited to bring to The
Well?
MW: Wow, what a great question. I love what
The Well is doing and building in Metro Detroit,
and I really see it as being on the cutting edge of
Jewish communal life. I hope that I can come in
and help build it up even more. I love community
building, connecting with people and helping
folks along their own Jewish journeys. I hope
to bring even more of a sense of community to
an already thriving one and especially focus my
efforts on the city of Detroit, where I will be living.
Q: On your first day of living in Detroit,
what did you explore?
MW: There is a Shake Shack here, so that?
Honestly, my first day here was unpacking my
apartment and painting and such, but my first
exploring day I want to find my go-to coffee shop
(I’m a closet hipster, so the funkier/more local/
organic it is, the better!). I will be spending a lot
of time in coffee shops this year, so it’s important
that I get a good vibe from it.
Q: What’s your favorite book and what
about it moves you?
MW: My favorite book is The Alchemist. It was
one of those situations where the first time I read
it was exactly at the right time and in the right
place. I was living on a kibbutz in Israel and had
just kind of a mind-expanding experience reading
it. It really made me think about where I am going
in life and what is important to me. I get some-
thing different from it every time I read it — and
I’ve read it many times. I buy a copy every time I
go on a big trip, then I write something inside the
cover about what the book impressed on me this
time around. Then, I leave it for someone else to
find, hoping it inspires something within them as
well. I am all about the pay it forward mentality.
Q: How do you relax and treat yourself?
MW: I am a sucker for a good record. For me,
relaxing is sitting on the couch with a good friend
listening to a great record and sharing a good
meal. Or anything that allows me to exercise my
creative outlets: writing, painting, playing music,
cooking. It’s all great!
Q: Where would you most like to travel to
that you haven’t visited?
MW: I have been dreaming of Thailand for
what seems like forever. I have many friends
who have been, and I am tired of looking at
all these amazing pictures and not having the
experiences for myself. Hopefully, soon, I’ll get
there.
Q: What’s your favorite Jewish holiday
and why?
MW: Passover (minus the matzah). When I
was living with my best friend in L.A., we threw a
seder at our apartment for 30 people. It was sup-
posed to only be eight of us, but we had so many
people without a place to go that we just kept
adding more. In the end, we had people sitting
on the floor eating together. It was the first time
I really felt like I was taking control of my own
Jewish identity in a proactive “adult” way. It was a
really powerful experience. That and I found out
that I make a mean brisket ;).
Q: Fav Jewish food?
MW: Oy, that’s such a difficult choice! I guess I
would have to say latkes, since you can’t go wrong
when you fry a potato!
Q: Who is the coolest Jew?
MW: Mel Brooks. That’s a tough question —
there are a lot of cool Jews!
Q: Best movie ever made, hands down?
MW: Oh, jeez, you can’t ask me that. I don’t
even know where to start. My favorite movie
(which is by far NOT the best movie ever made)
is Bio-Dome. I know it’s horrible, but I love it so
much!
Q: Finish the sentence: When I go to The
Well ...
MW: I get a drink of water? You know what? I
don’t think I have ever actually seen a functioning
well before! That’s weird. Excited to see how this
Well has so impressively built awesome Jewish
community in Metro Detroit and to drink deeply
from it! •
Read more at meetyouatthewell.org. Want to meet Matt?
Email Rabbi Dan at dan@meetyouatthewell.org for an
introduction.
jn
August 3 • 2017
23