Looking Back at
Hillel of Metro Detroit

MARCELLA BLUTH SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

20 | JULY 2 • 2020 

L

ooking back at my 
involvement with Hillel 
of Metro Detroit seems 
odd because it is like looking 
back at all my encounters with 
my family. Family is there 
to challenge you, encourage 
you and guide you into the 
person you are meant to be. I 
know it seems cliché, but the 
encouragement and support 
of my Hillel family has helped 
shape me into the woman I 
am today, and for this I am 
grateful. 
Through Hillel, I have 
been a part of J-talk, 
Students for Israel, Jewish 
Student’s Organization and 
the Israel Fellowship, to 
name a few. As of last year, I 
became the president of the 
Jewish Student Organization 
and started the Girl’s Night 
program at Wayne after 
receiving a grant of $4,000 
from the Jewish Women’s 
Fund for these programs. I 
also founded and coordinat-
ed Green is the New Black, 
Detroit’s first ever sustain-
able living fashion show. The 
fashion show spread aware-
ness about sustainable 
fashion, worked with local 
Detroit businesses and stu-
dents, inspired people to 
find their passion projects 
pertaining to sustainability 

and demonstrated how to 
give back to one’s communi-
ty; over 200 people attended 
this event. 
Drive and resilience (a 
nicer word for stubbornness) 
go hand in hand. What keeps 
my vision intact is by look-
ing at what is already there 
and building on it. There 
is a small, budding Jewish 
community in Detroit, which 
taught me the meaning of 
dedication toward stepping 
up and making the commu-
nity great. It is never easy 
to be the first, but when 
you believe in the cause 
of repopulating the Jewish 
community in Detroit, you 
find the drive and motiva-
tion. My boyfriend (Jeremy 
Rosenberg) and I have taken 
the Jewish future of Detroit 
into our own hands. 
In addition to building 
that community on cam-
pus, we realized it is just as 
important to root and build 
that community off campus. 
We do this through Hillel’s 
Shabbat programs to host 
Shabbat dinners and lunches. 
Cooking for dozens of Jewish 
college students is never easy; 
however, seeing another Jew 
feel welcome and wanting to 
be a part of the Jewish com-
munity in Detroit is incred-

ible and makes it worth the 
effort. That'
s what drives me, 
knowing I am actively con-
tributing to my future. 
I have many favorite 
moments. Each experience 
matures my understanding 
of what it means to be a Jew 
and how to give back to my 
community. That being said, 
a defining moment for me 
occurred a few months ago 
when a few students and I 
were meeting with a potential 
donor. He asked us, “If I could 
help give you guys anything, 
what would you ask for?” 
After much discussion, the 
conclusion was that we didn’t 
need anything at that time. 
I realized then that I helped 
create an infrastructure that 
previously did not exist and 
was now self-sustainable. 
This edified the reality that 
my work ethic and goals were 
successful. It also increased my 
drive and helped me realize 
that I have only just begun. 

Marcella Bluth, a senior majoring in 
communications at Wayne State 
University, was named the Elaine C. 
Driker Award recipient via Zoom at a 
recent Hillel of Metro Detroit Board 
of Governors meeting. The Elaine 
C. Driker Award acknowledges a 
Hillel of Metro Detroit student who 
has demonstrated a commitment to 
Jewish life in Detroit.

Jews in the D
essay

Marcella 
Bluth

B’
nai Moshe Begins 
Group to Discuss 
Racism

Recent events have brought 
systemic racism to the 
forefront of our collective 
consciousness. B’nai Moshe 
is stepping up to advocate 
for and take action toward 
building a more just system. 
In doing so, B’nai Moshe 
has created an ongoing 
opportunity for education and 
dialogue in our community on 
how to effectively contribute 
to lasting impactful and 
meaningful change.
This group will meet every 
other week via Zoom video 
conferencing in a safe and 
supportive place to gather and 
share information necessary to 
reinforce B’nai Moshe and the 
Jewish community’s support 
for people of color and the 
Jewish values of life, justice 
and community.
This program, called 
“Avodat Tzedek — Work of 
Justice,” is an information 
exchange and discussion 
group, and will be led by a 
mental health professional 
and a community organizer 
to ensure a safe and respectful 
environment. Discussions 
will include systemic racism 
(versus other forms of racism); 
implicit bias; Black and 
Jewish — ways to be more 
inclusive and acknowledging; 
oppression as it relates to 
Jewish history and values; 
and many more subjects. The 
group will look for concrete 
actions to end racism. It’s not 
enough to just not be racist. 
We need to be actively anti-
racist. 
The first discussion is 
Monday, July 6, at 7:30 p.m. 
and registration is required. 
For more information and to 
register, visit.bnaimoshe.org. 

