NOVEMBER 12 • 2020 | 17
O
n Election Day
2020, the Jewish
Community
Relations Council/AJC (JCRC/
AJC) made efforts to support
both voters and poll workers
throughout the day.
Several volunteers, includ-
ing board of directors’
mem-
bers, made lunch and dinner-
time pizza deliveries to poll
workers at precincts in cities
including Hamtramck, Warren
and Pontiac.
In Detroit, Executive
Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin
served as a poll chaplain at
Greater Grace Temple. He was
part of a country-wide effort
for clergy to go to the polls
and be there to provide a reas-
suring presence that polling
stations were safe and secure.
In Michigan, the Council of
Baptist Pastors of Detroit and
Vicinity, which JCRC/AJC
worked with, recruited nearly
200 clergy to be present.
“Our main role was to make
sure that people felt unintim-
idated coming into the polls
and when they were voting,”
Lopatin said. “We were asked
to clearly show we were clergy
— either by wearing a collar
(Christian clergy) or a big
kippa (Jewish) or some other
way that would let people
know that the clergy sup-
ports everyone’
s efforts to
keep the voting fair, friend-
ly and unintimidating.
“Our responsibility was
to provide any assistance
we could: Directing people
to the right person to ask
their questions to, provid-
ing a reassuring smile and
warm ‘
hello’
or ‘
God bless’
and, in general, encourag-
ing voting and registering.”
JN STAFF
JCRC/AJC
Provides Election
Day Support
JCRC/AJC
JCRC/AJC President Seth
Gould delivers pizza to poll
workers in Warren with his
wife, Melissa (center).
JCRC/AJC Executive Director Rabbi
Asher Lopatin served as a poll chaplain
at Greater Grace Temple. He is pictured
here with Dr. Steve Bland (right), presi-
dent of the Council of Baptist Pastors of
Detroit and Vicinity, and Bishop Charles
Ellis III of Greater Grace Temple.
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