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©copyright 2019 Detroit Jewish News

6 August 22 • 2019
jn

J

PRO Network, an organization 
that connects, educates, inspires 
and empowers professionals 
working in the Jewish community 
sector, sponsored an oversold con-
ference, “JPRO19: What Connects 
Us,” at Cobo Arena 
Aug. 12-14. 
Billed as the sem-
inal conference for 
hundreds of Jewish 
communal profession-
als from across North 
America, JPRO19 
challenged partic-
ipants to connect 
and reimagine what thriving Jewish 
institutions will look like, who will 
lead them and what impact they will 
collectively have on the world in the 
21st century. 
Unlike most other professional 
conferences, JPRO19 brought togeth-
er professionals who typically do not 
intersect — across generations, geog-
raphy, organization types, roles and 
much more — to deepen connec-
tions, make progress on issues that 
are at the forefront of their collective 
work and strengthen their individual 
capacity to lead.

The conference afforded attendees 
the opportunity to participate in 
“immersive experiences” in spac-
es across the city of Detroit that 
highlight promising practices and 
complex scenarios. We were chal-
lenged and inspired to see what 
innovative leaders are doing with the 
Brightmoor neighborhood, Shinola’
s 
design center, Rebel Nell, and the 
Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, 
Eastern Market, RecoveryPark, dPOP 
and Repair the World.
Kari Alterman, senior program 
officer of the William Davidson 
Foundation, and Scott Kaufman, 
CEO of the Jewish Federation of 
Metropolitan Detroit, kicked off 
the conference. With a view of the 
Detroit River and Windsor on its 
other shore, Detroit served as the 
perfect symbol of collective rebirth 
and vitality.
I was inspired by the words of 
JPRO award winners Arya Marvazy 
from Los Angeles-based JQ (Jewish 
Queers) International and Kate Belza 
O’
Bannon from Repair the World 
who spoke of the importance of 
inclusivity and empowerment. And, 
like me, the crowd was wowed by the 

Jacob Mandelkorn Award winner and 
Wexner Foundation President Rabbi 
R. B. Elka Abrahamson and his chal-
lenge for us to exercise “holy chutz-
pah” in the work that we do.
I attended a variety of workshops 
including “#MeToo to #WeToo: 
Creating a Safe, Respectful and 
Equitable Jewish Community” and 
“Why Culture Matters — Now and 
in the Future,” both of which chal-
lenged us to deeply explore how we 
behave as professionals and why that 
is essential to institutional and com-
munal wellbeing.
It was impossible to attend all of 
the sessions offered, but from pop-
ups to wellness practices and from 
prayer services to walking tours, 
there was something for everyone. 
One such offering was WellAdvised, 
one of JPRO Network’
s new pro-
grams, that paired professional 
coaches and advisers with other 
communal professionals for one-on-
one advising.
JPRO19 closed with the ple-
nary “Teams and Dreams: How 
Leadership Connects Us.” Two speak-
ers’
 remarks about strong leadership 
continue to resonate with me. Erika 

Rudin-Luria, president of the Jewish 
Federation of Cleveland, spoke 
about succeeding Steven Hoffman, a 
beloved leader who served the com-
munity for 35 years. Hoffman said to 
her: “I’
ll be disappointed if you do 
things the way I did. It’
s a different 
time and Cleveland is a different 
place now. You need to put your own 
stamp on this community.” 
 Darin McKeever, president and 
CEO of the William Davidson 
Foundation, spoke about the value of 
tzimtzum — the Kabbalistic princi-
ple of contracting in order to create 
space for others and their ideas. 
Excellent leaders must listen, act 
with humility and leave room for 
new generations of leaders to move 
our communities forward.
I do not know how future JPRO 
conferences could top what hap-
pened in Detroit, but I have no doubt 
that what lies ahead is not only excit-
ing but also worth being a part of. ■

Robin Axelrod is CEO of Axelrod Consulting 
Group and senior education specialist at the 
Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family 
Campus.

guest column
Refl
 ections on JPRO19: What Connects Us

Robin Axelrod

