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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