where you belong
RabbiMatthewZerwekh’s
’s
Installation Weekend
FridayNovember2nd@7:00pm
Installation Shabbat service with
Rabbi Ken Kantor of Hebrew Union
College, followed by an oneg
sponsored by Rabbi Zerwekh’s family
SaturdayNovember3rd
9:30am Torah study with
Rabbis Kanter and Zerwekh
10:30am Shabbat service,
followed by kiddush
Come Celebrate with Us!
Saturday Night
An evening with Emmy
Award-winning and
Golden Globe-nominated
writer, actress, and
comedian Monica Piper
7:00 Hors d’oeuvres and wine,
followed by Havdalah
8:30 Comedy performance
Sponsorship
Opportunities
9:30 Dessert afterglow
include tickets and listing
in the evening’s program.
Tickets
$100 per person
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4 tickets, reserved seats,
brunch with the rabbi
Purchase tickets or a sponsorship
level by choosing the Installation
Celebration Tickets link on the
Temple’s website: emanuel-mich.org,
LÞV>}Ì i>vwVi>Ì
(248) 967-4020, or by emailing
TempleFamily@emanuel-mich.org
by October 29
r)QNF
4 tickets, reserved seats
r5KNXGTVKEMGVU
r$TQP\GVKEMGVU
r$TCUUVKEMGVU
Temple Emanu-El 14450 W. Ten Mile Road, Oak Park, MI 48237
24
October 18 • 2018
jn
Progressive
Powerhouse
Native Detroiter’s ‘Tech
For Campaigns’ is helping
to elect Democrats in
eight states.
Jessica Alter
JASON HENRY FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES, USED WITH PERMISSION
Temple Emanu-El
jews in the d
KARLEIGH STONE SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
B
loomfield Hills native, now San
Francisco resident, Jessica Alter,
39, is a tech entrepreneur who
has put her skills to use to help change
America’s political climate.
A feeling of discontent with the
country’s leadership led Alter to start
the nonprofit organization, Tech For
Campaigns — a network of more than
8,700 volunteers providing technolog-
ical talent to progressive and centrist
political campaigns to help candidates
implement digital strategies.
Alter, Entrepreneur in Residence at
Social Capital, a company whose mis-
sion is to harness technology to address
core human needs, says creating Tech
for Campaigns was a way to put her
skills to good use. Her motivation hit its
peak just days before President Donald
Trump’s inauguration.
“I returned from traveling and it was
a week before the inauguration,” Alter
says. “There was a succession of awful
events, including the Muslim ban, and
that pushed me over the edge.
“I felt like I needed to do something
that made a bigger impact. That was
my motivation.”
A strong Jewish upbringing taught
Alter that in adverse situations it’s
important to take action.
“This is why I start companies,
because I want to be involved in solving
the problem,” she says.
In addition to Tech For Campaigns,
in 2012, Alter started FounderDating, a
network for entrepreneurs and advisers.
Alter earned a bachelor’s degree
in business from the University of
Michigan and then received her
MBA from Harvard Business School.
Growing up in Michigan, she attended
Hillel Day School and then Andover
High School, while attending Temple
Israel in West Bloomfield for services.
She is the daughter of Peter Alter and
the late Ellen Alter.
Making An Impact At Home
Tech For Campaigns is focusing on the
Michigan Senate as part of its endeav-
ors, and Alter is happy to help.
“It’s a good feeling to be able to sup-
port campaigns across the state I grew
up in,” she says.
While the organization works with
both federal and state races, 70 percent
of volunteer efforts are geared toward
state legislatures. Why? According to
a blog by Greg Dale, director of cam-
paign relations at Tech For Campaigns,
many state legislatures are within a few
seats of flipping control of a chamber or
breaking a Republican supermajority.
Alter’s organization is focusing on
eight states in 2018. Michigan was cho-
sen after predictive modeling showed
Democrats have a solid chance to retake
at least one state chamber this year.
“Democrats spend 10 cents per dollar
on digital, while Republicans spend 40
cents,” Alter says. “[Democrats] under-
stand it’s important, but they don’t
know how to do it. They’re looking for
help, and we have a small army of peo-
ple waiting to donate their skills.”
Volunteers with a knack for web
development, social media, data anal-
ysis, digital marketing and more are
lining up to help.
“Most people right now want to be
able to do more; they’re frustrated,”
Alter says. “They’re involved by giving
money or voting; but they need another
way, and we needed to give them a way
to do it. They donate their skills.”
Alter is hopeful that the Nov. 6 elec-
tion will have a longer term of engage-
ment from voters, and she knows Tech
For Campaigns can facilitate that.
“2018 is an exciting time because
there are so many candidates who
people are rallying around,” she says.
“Hopefully, a long-lasting effect of this
election is a true shift about how people
engage in elections and their candi-
dates.” ■
CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Website: techforcampaigns.org
Facebook: @techforcampaigns
Twitter: @tech4campaigns