16 | MAY 14 • 2020 

TOP: David Paull’
s Take Steps team that raises funds for the Michigan Chapter of the Crohn’
s & Colitis Foundation.
LEFT: A Lighthouse volunteer packs and sorts food. 

need for Lighthouse to ramp up its emergency 
food distribution efforts and find alternatives 
to its rotating shelter, which moves from var-
ious religious congregations 
each week. The nonprofit 
launched a crowdfunding 
campaign on its platform, 
HandUp, and raised more 
than $1 million toward a $1.5 
million goal in less than eight 
weeks.
“The community’
s response 
has been absolutely beautiful,
” 
Hertz said. “For us, profit is 
social impact. The fact that 
we’
ve been able to serve so 
many more people safely and 
successfully speaks to the gen-
erosity and compassion of our 
community.
” 
As a result of the pandemic, 
Lighthouse went from serving 
10,000 people a year to 5,000 a week. The 
organization continues to fundraise to meet 
the ongoing need. A 12-hour live streaming 
concert called Lighthouse LIVE, featuring 
performances from more than 50 Michigan 
musicians and entertainers, including Alice 
Cooper and Lily Tomlin, took place May 9. 
Ryan’
s father, entertainment attorney Howard 
Hertz, helped organize the online event.
Yad Ezra, Michigan’
s only kosher food 

pantry, switched to deliveries only and is now 
providing approximately 1,100 deliveries a 
month. Two grants from the Jewish Federation 
of Metropolitan Detroit helped get the organi-
zation through Passover. A virtual magic show 
took place May 3 supported by a long list of 
sponsors. The next major hurdle is Yad Ezra’
s 
annual dinner, which raises $600,000 a year. 
It’
s scheduled for Sept. 30.
“We don’
t know if we’
ll be able to raise the 
money,
” said Yad Ezra’
s 
executive director Lea Luger. 
“But I’
m confident that the 
community recognizes and 
respects the work we do and 
won’
t let us run out of food. 
I have faith in the Jewish 
community. They’
ve been 
on this journey with us for 
30 years.
”

WALKING THE WALK
“We’
re struggling,
” said 
David Paull, board president 
of the Michigan Chapter 
of the Crohn’
s & Colitis 
Foundation (CCF).
The organization sup-
ports more than 100,000 
Michigan patients annually and raises aware-
ness and critical research dollars for Crohn’
s 
disease and ulcerative colitis. The chapter’
s 
spring fashion event at the Townsend Hotel 
has been pushed to August. The annual Take 
Steps Walk in June is cancelled nationwide 
and will now be held virtually.
“We are coming in significantly below our 
projected budget,
” Paull explained. “It’
s tough 
to ask people for money right now.
” 

He says his Take Steps team, which has been 
steadily growing since 2015, usually raises 
$15,000-$20,000 each year. Right now, they’
re 
at $2,000.
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan 
Detroit is feeling it, too. Forty-five employees 
were furloughed as a result of the crisis, and a 
COVID-19 emergency task force was formed. 
The task force is being led by incoming 
Federation president Matt Lester and Dennis 
Bernard, president-elect of the United Jewish 
Foundation. 
An emergency campaign was also launched 
to meet the needs of the community and 
Federation’
s agencies. It raised more than $7 
million in four weeks.
“It’
s been a heavy lift,
” Lester said. “But it’
s 
probably the finest example I’
ve seen of peo-
ple coming together completely selflessly on 
behalf of the community and making a differ-
ence. We’
ve had the strongest response in the 
country in terms of the emergency campaign. 
People were eager to help, and they still are.
”
Lester acknowledged that much of the hard 
work is still ahead as this public health and 
economic crisis continues, but he commended 
Federation’
s partner agencies, including the 
Jewish Community Center, Jewish Senior Life, 
Tamarack and the day schools, for initiating 
their own self-help programs. He also praised 
Federation’
s staff for its exceptional capabilities 
during this tumultuous time.
“The rise to the occasion mentality among 
staff, agency professionals and lay leader-
ship is unprecedented, and I’
ve never seen 
anything like it,” he said. “It makes me very 
proud to be Jewish and a member of the 
Detroit Jewish community. This could be our 
finest moment.” 

continued from page 14

You Can Help

● Federation: 
jewishdetroit.org 

● Lighthouse:
 lighthousemi.org/covid19

● Michigan Jewish Sports 
Foundation:
michiganjewishsports.org 

● Yad Ezra: yadezra.org

● Crohn’
s & Colitis 
Foundation: 
crohnscolitisfoundation.org/
chapters/Michigan

COURTESY OF LIGHTHOUSE

COURTESY OF DAVID PAULL

Jews in the D

