14 January 31 • 2019 jn continued from page 12 jews d in the ters, synagogues, startups and more. As Detroit continues to ride the wave of creativity and renewed energy, these leaders will be at the forefront of exciting new initiatives that will strengthen the community and put Jewish values into action. ” To bring the Wexner program back to Detroit, Larry Wolfe, immediate past Federation president, offered local phil- anthropic support of $350,000 through the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation. The Wexner Foundation matches that amount to fund the two-year program cost of $700,000. No expenses are incurred by the participants. “Educated leadership is a catalyst for progressive ideas, programs and com- munal participation, ” Wolfe said. “The Wexner program is in the forefront of establishing new leaders and giving them the tools to enhance our communal out- reach. ” The Wexner Foundation has expand- ed to additional fellowships that span leadership development for Jewish communal professionals in graduate programs (Wexner Graduate Fellowship/ Davidson Scholars Program) and leader- ship development for Jewish profession- als (Wexner Field Fellowship), to service learning programs for high school students (Wexner Service Corps) and programs to advance the civic sector in Israel (Wexner Israel Fellowship, Wexner Senior Leaders). CURRENT COHORT The fellows graduate this July in Jerusalem after having two years of local courses and weeklong seminars in Aspen and Utah to learn with participants in other selected cities throughout North America; three new cities begin each year. During the local courses, a scholar travels to Detroit for a four-hour semi- nar, usually held every other Wednesday evening. The curriculum span is from liturgy and the Bible and contemporary Israel society to European Jewish history, God and synagogue, and modern lead- ership topics in 21st-century American Jewry. “During our first Wexner Heritage retreat in Aspen in the summer of 2017, Les Wexner addressed the group in his beautiful mountainside home, ” partici- pant David Kramer of Bloomfield Hills recalled. “He told us he created the pro- gram because he came to realize many of the most prominent lay leaders in the Jewish communal world had little to no education in Jewish history, Jewish ritual or Jewishly informed leadership skills. “I quickly came to realize the princi- pal benefit of the program is not only learning from amazing scholars about all things Jewish, but also understanding how to take that knowledge and apply it to Jewish communal leadership. ” The current participants are already active in a diverse array of leadership endeavors in the community. For example, Yoni Torgow of Oak Park contributes his time and energy to advance Yeshiva Beth Yehudah; Rachel Opperer of Huntington Woods does the same with Farber Hebrew Day School; Reuben Maxbauer of Farmington Hills has been an active, engaged board member of the Frankel Jewish Academy, as Josh Levine of Huntington Woods has been with the Hillel Day School. Gayle Gold, also of Huntington Woods, has worked to support the Jewish Federation’ s endeavors focused on young adult mental health needs. Others of the 20 fellows give of their time by working on Federation, Jewish agency, day school and synagogue boards and committees. Alicia Chandler of Birmingham, cur- rent president of Detroit’ s JCRC/AJC, says being a Wexner Fellow has been the most powerful experience of her Jewish communal life. “It has taught me how to connect my Judaism to my Jewish leadership, ” she said. “The experience has helped root my leadership in Torah and tradition and helped me understand the ever-changing entity that is the Jewish community. It has also given me 19 amazing, smart, thoughtful friends. While our communi- ty, like all communities, faces challenges, this experience helps empower leaders to embrace the challenges and help our community thrive. ” The track record of Wexner Heritage Fellows from 1986-88 is easy to see. Many of the graduates have given decades of leadership and service to the Jewish community, which has included some of the most significant positions of philanthropy, policy-making and com- munity-building within Jewish Detroit, and within the national and international communities. Peter Alter, as an example, has served as local Federation and Anti-Defamation League president as well as on national Jewish boards. He also studied for more than 15 years with Rabbi Avi Cohen of Partners Detroit, which Alter says has been a very special, worthwhile and privi- leged experience for him. Dr. Richard Krugel has chaired the Jewish Fund and been president of the Jewish Community Relations Council; Judge Susan Moiseev has chaired com- mittees at the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan and at Jewish Senior Life; Marcy Feldman co-chaired the Federation’ s Family Mission to Israel and was vice president of Federation’ s Women’ s Division; Phillip Fisher served as chair of the Investment Committees of the Jewish Foundation of North America and the boards of the Jewish Foundation and United Way of Southeast Michigan — and this list is just a tip of the iceberg for their involvement and that of other members of their cohort. Looking back to their time in Wexner, Cheryl and Dan Guyer, who attended together, said, “We were exposed to dif- ferent models of leadership, developed a more critical way of problem-solving, and had the opportunity to study with nationally and internationally known Jewish thought leaders — Adin Steinsaltz, Joseph Telushkin, Deborah Lipstadt, Yitz Geenberg, Irwin Kula and others. “We connected with peers in other Jewish communities across the country,” Dan Guyer said. “We studied with them and learned from them and developed a global picture of leadership through Jewish values that prepared me to take on leadership roles in local agencies and nationally. The return of the Wexner pro- gram to Detroit is an opportunity to create a group of educated, thoughtful, dynamic and Jewishly sensitive leaders to take on the challenges of our community.” Cheryl Guyer is director of development at the Holocaust Memorial Center. Krugel says his experience in Wexner was one of the most significant events of his early Jewish leadership devel- opment and was life-altering. “Those years studying with some of the greatest Jewish scholars in the world, including Rabbis Adin Steinsaltz, David Hartman and Shlomo Riskin, among others, made me realize the importance of Jewish educa- tion for the future of the Jewish people and the need for adult Jewish education.” Alter says it’ s impossible to overstate the success and impact of the Wexner programs nationally and in Israel. “For Detroit, it was a privilege 30 years ago, for each of us participate in the program. It is a fantastic boost for Detroit to have Wexner back here. It, of course, enriches the community and creates a buzz, but, even more importantly, it helps to provide Detroit with a new generation of more informed, more educated, more enthusiastic and, therefore, better Jewish leaders. It allows many of the participants who have leadership potential to be/ become much better Jewish leaders. The entire community benefits.” ■ Wexner Inspired Initial Detroit Alumni Reuben Maxbauer and Ethan Davidson (facing camera) listen intently during a sem- inar session. continued on page 16