I

can’t begin to express how grateful and 
appreciative I am at how the staff have 
worked to accommodate each and every 
one of us to keep us safe... Today the icing on 
the cake was wonderful volunteers who did 
my shopping for me and the wonderful staff 
who brought it up to my apartment. We also 
had two Seders over the speaker. Thank you 
all, Hechtman staff, you truly treat me like 
family.
— Doreen Ackner, JSL Hechtman Resident

This simple note of appreciation 
illustrates the power of Jewish community 
in action. Even during the most 
challenging crisis, community agencies like 
Jewish Senior Life protect and enrich the 
lives of their constituents each and every 
day. 
Examples like this are abundant. Some 
are ingenious, such as the faculty members 
at Frankel Jewish Academy creating 
much-needed protective face shields 
for health workers on the school’s 3-D 
printers. Others are inspiring, like the 
volunteers regularly delivering groceries 
to homebound individuals in their 
neighborhood. 
Perhaps the most important story of all 
is the extraordinary way our community 
has come together in response to the 
COVID-19 outbreak. Social service 
agencies and congregations, Jewish 
foundations and funders and many others 
are working together to solve the myriad 

challenges that have arisen in the wake of 
the crisis. 
We are extremely proud of the Jewish 
Federation’s role in this effort. As the 
central fundraising and planning body in 
the community, Federation is serving as 
leader and convener of the collective work 
of our community organizations. We are 
honored to partner with agency leaders, 
congregational Rabbis and numerous 
communal professionals, and we are 
deeply grateful for their remarkable talent, 
hard work and commitment.
For more than month, Federation has 
hosted a daily morning video conference 
with agencies and community partners. 
The agenda is simple but profoundly 
important. What are the challenges of the 
day? How can we work together to address 
these issues? What else can we do help our 
community through this crisis? 
Together, a network of community 
organizations accomplishes the work of 
providing food to those in need, ensuring 
the welfare of older adults and other 
vulnerable individuals, and maintaining 
the stability of families during this time of 
uncertainty. Collectively, we are keeping 
the Jewish community whole. 
We are also grateful for the heroic efforts 
of our caregivers and first responders—
such as healthcare professionals and 
emergency workers, as well as all those 
working to provide food and critical 
resources. Despite the extraordinary 

conditions, there has been no shortage of 
deeply committed individuals willing to 
risk their own welfare for others. To these 
courageous individuals, we extend our 
most sincere gratitude and best wishes for 
your continued health and success in this 
fight.
Finally, we want to thank and 
acknowledge the donors, volunteers 
and leaders in our community who have 
powered this work. Thanks to the strength 
of our Annual Campaign, as well as the 
recent COVID-19 Emergency Campaign, 
our agencies have the resources to respond 
as effectively as they have. It is because of 
you, our supporters, that Jewish Detroit 
remains among the most generous and 
caring communities to be found anywhere.
Please remember that the Jewish 
Federation and our partners are here for 
you. Visit our online resource page for 
help, connection and other information at 
jewishdetroit.org/covid19resources. And 
remember to call JHELP directly at 1-833-
445-4357 to connect to services.

Jewish Federation of 
Metropolitan Detroit

jewishdetroit.org

Beverly B. Liss | President, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
Alan Jay Kaufman | President, United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit

 Strength
 and Spirit 
of
 Jewish Detroit

The

Alan Jay Kaufman

Beverly B. Liss

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