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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