 FEBRUARY 13 • 2020 | 31

mers at Tamarack, Alyah recently joined 
Tamarack’
s Youth Advisory Board and is a 
Moishe House Without Walls host.
Alyah was born and raised in Metro 
Detroit. Thanks to her late mother, Irene 
Al-Azem, she was immersed in the Jewish 
community from the beginning. “Without 
her, I wouldn’
t have the incredible sense 
of community I do today,” she said. “I 
continue to live everyday with her in 
mind. I know how proud she would be.”

JENNIE LEVY
Jennie Levy is the director 
of business development 
at Henry Ford Health 
System, where she works 
on major strategic initia-
tives for the health system 
and health plan. She is a 
California-girl-turned-Michigander and a 
proud resident of Detroit with her husband, 
Shimon, and dog, Boten.
Her most important Jewish communal 
activity is building a Jewish home that 
is welcoming to everyone, a place where 
people eat a lot of food and drink a lot 
of wine as they meaningfully and delib-
erately engage. She participates in events 
with just about every Jewish organization 
across Metro Detroit, including the Jewish 
Federation and The Well. She is very inter-
ested in being a lifelong learner, combating 
anti-Semitism and supporting Israel.
At her Shabbat dinners, you’
ll see new 
and complicated menus such as Czech 
or Texas BBQ. “I have also, after years of 
research, finally perfected my brisket reci-
pe,
” she says. 
Jennie is nearly fluent in Spanish and 
knows about 200 words in Hebrew that she 
puts in different combinations. “It’
s enabled 
me to get by surprisingly well in Israel and 
with my husband’
s family.
”

DANIELLE DEPRIEST
Danielle DePriest, 29, of 
Berkley is a commercial 
litigation attorney, who 
is dedicated to effectively 
and efficiently achieving 
the best possible results 
in the cases she handles. 

Danielle’
s practice consists primarily of 
insurance defense cases in which she rep-
resents insurers and individuals in state 
courts throughout Michigan. She also 
offers guidance by presenting at indus-
try events like the Insurance Alliance of 
Michigan’
s annual seminar and authoring 
surveys in the area of insurance law, pub-
lished in the Wayne Law Review. She was 
selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as 
an Up & Coming Lawyer in 2017. 
In addition to her active legal practice, 
Danielle devotes considerable time to 
the Jewish community, where she has 
engaged with organizations and commit-
tees that allow her to strengthen a young, 
vibrant Jewish community in Detroit. She 
is passionate about ensuring the future of 
our Jewish community in her capacity as 
a community campaign chair and exec-
utive committee member of Federation’
s 
NEXTGen Detroit. Additionally, Danielle 
serves on the board of directors of Jewish 
Family Service of Metro Detroit, where 
she sits on the Leadership Development 
Committee to help encourage board 
engagement. 
In her free time, Danielle enjoys 
spending time with her husband, Matt 
Newman, and checking out new restau-
rants. 

GABE EDELSON
Gabe Edelson is a part-
ner in the corporate 
department at the law 
firm Honigman LLP, 
where he focuses his 
practice primarily on 
private equity merg-
ers and acquisitions. In his spare time, 
Gabe is active with the Detroit Institute 
of Arts, where he sits on the board 
of directors of the Founders Junior 
Council. 
Since moving back to Michigan from 
Chicago in 2014, the West Bloomfield 
native has prioritized involvement in 
Metro Detroit’
s Jewish community. He 
has been a proud member of the orga-
nizing committee for ORT Michigan’
s 
annual Rub-a-Dub fundraiser since 
2015 and the Ben Gurion Society 

through NEXTGen Detroit since 2017, 
and he also regularly attends events and 
supports causes for organizations such 
as JARC and Jewish Family Service. 
Gabe graduated from the University 
of Michigan in 2006 (where he served 
as a sportswriter and editor for 
The Michigan Daily) and New York 
University School of Law in 2009. He 
lives in Bloomfield Hills with his wife, 
Stephanie, and two daughters, Isla and 
Milly.
He likes to spend as much time as he 
possibly can at the DIA, but you’
ll also 
find him exploring Detroit’
s newest 
restaurants and older hidden gems. He’
s 
been managing a growing sneaker col-
lection since law school with an empha-
sis on retro models from the 1980s and 
1990s.

JACKIE ISSNER
Dr. Jackie Issner, a 
licensed clinical psy-
chologist, strives to 
bring light to others 
in her roles as psycho-
therapist, community 
volunteer, supervising 
psychologist at Children’
s Hospital of 
Michigan and mother of two beautiful 
boys. She uses her skills to motivate, 
empathize and equip youth, parents and 
teachers with tools to build resilience 
and to shine their unique light onto 
others in our complex world. 
With youth anxiety and depression on 
the rise, Jackie has been astounded by 
the innovative ways that Detroit Jewish 
teens and fellow community leaders 
have decreased stigmas and increased 
knowledge. She’
s on the steering com-
mittee for the teen-based UMatter pro-
gram and serves as clinical adviser for 
Sib4Sib, a teen-created nonprofit. She’
s 
involved in Federation’
s “We Need to 
Talk” Youth Mental Health Initiative. 
Jackie has been an Adat Shalom 
Synagogue board member for seven 
years and serves as membership chair-
person. Through her outreach and 
multi-generational engagement, she 
facilitates relevant programming and 

continued on page 32

