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community is here whenever a person
is ready to reach out and participate.
And what you’ll find when you do
choose to participate is that you were
meant to be a part of this all along.
STONE'S
JEWELRY
6881 Orchard Lake Rd. on the Boardwalk
(248) 851-5030
stonesfi nejewelry@gmail.com
IT’S LIKE AN ALL-INCLUSIVE RESORT
FOR SENIORS. ONLY THERE’S A HIGHLY
TRAINED MEDICAL STAFF.
People do better when they’re active, engaged, and in
comfortable surroundings. It also doesn’t hurt to have a safe
place with highly trained medical staff. That’s why we’re here.
Schedule a visit today.
ASSISTED LIVING
AND SO MUCH MORE
41795 Twelve Mile Road
Novi, MI 48377
248-449-1655
novilakeshc.com •
18
August 10 • 2017
jn
IB: When you come from a family
like mine, your mentors are every-
where. My grandparents taught me
so much, not only about family, but
about service to the community,
humility and the importance
ILANA ON COMMUNITY
of living life to the fullest.
ABOVE: Ilana
Block addresses
Q: What do you think people
They are all still here and well,
the crowd at a
from other parts of the coun-
and I continue to push myself
Good Shabbos
try find most impressive
to make them proud.
Detroit event.
about our young adult Jewish
Q: What is one of your
community?
most meaningful NEXTGen
IB: We seem to have a bet-
Detroit memories?
ter understanding of the word “com-
IB: The first EPIC Event was incred-
munity.” It’s not just that we know we
ible, and it was considered the birth
have something in common — being
of NEXTGen Detroit. Nobody believed
Jewish — it’s that we have an innate
that there were 700 young Jewish
instinct, part of our Jewish Detroit
adults around at that time, let alone
DNA, to feel that we are actually
who cared and could be gathered in
responsible for helping one another.
a room at the MGM Grand. Marty
Q: What are some of your earliest
Maddin and Rachel Wright brought
an unparalleled spirit to those early
memories of Jewish community?
days.
IB: Celebrating Shabbat. Family
Camp at Tamarack. And the
ON BALANCING WORK/FAMILY LIFE
Chanukah Art and Music Show that
Hillel Day School used to have at Sinai IB: I like to say I’m an attorney work-
ing part-time and a mom working
Hospital in the early 1990s. That was
full-time. I run my own legal practice,
extra special for me because after the
show I would follow my dad around
focusing mostly on estate planning
to meet his patients who were in the
and small business litigation.
hospital.
Adam successfully launched
his hedge fund, Beartown Capital
ON NEXTGEN DETROIT,
Management, in 2015, due in large
part to the support of others in this
LEADERSHIP AND ROLE MODELS
Q: What inspires you to give so
community.
much of your time to Federation and
We have two kids, Talia, 4, and
NEXTGen Detroit?
Judah, 2. They both go to Hillel Day
IB: Pure and simple, my generation
School’s Early Childhood Center,
is the future. I feel so blessed to have
where our experience as a family has
been given everything I could have
been nothing short of ideal.
needed in my life — most importantly,
These days, when I’m not work-
my positive outlook on being Jewish. I
ing or volunteering, I’m probably at a
want to ensure that my children grow
birthday party or the zoo — unless it’s
date night with Adam or a girls’ night.
up in a Jewish community that will
But I try to have new and different
provide them with the same feeling
experiences.
and one that will provide a safety net
We also spend a lot of time with
for whomever may need it. Being a
our family. I’m so happy to be back
mom, I have the added motivation
home near my parents, grandparents
of wanting to show my children the
and my older brother Josh, who also
importance of caring for people out-
side of ourselves, in many cases people is very involved in the Federation and
NEXTGen Detroit and is currently a
we have never met and won’t be able
to identify, which is the highest form
vice president of NEXTGen Detroit’s
of tzedakah.
campaign. •
Q: Who are your role models and
A longer version of this story first appeared on
mentors? How have they helped you
myjewishdetroit.org.
reach this level of leadership?