NOVEMBER 19 • 2020 | 27

for college students
by college students

Getting Out the Vote

A

lthough I had attend-
ed a few Hillel of
Metro Detroit events,
I had not really been involved
my freshman and sophomore
years on campus.
But with the pandemic, and
the continuing unrest in our
country, I began to look for
ways to make a difference in my
community. This summer I told
myself that if I wanted to see
change, I couldn’
t sit back and
wait while other groups were
fighting for basic human rights.
Through Hillel of Metro
Detroit, I became a MitzVote
intern. MitzVote is a nonparti-
san get-out-the-vote campaign.
My job was to reach out to stu-
dents to inform them about the
election, help them get involved
and register them to vote.

We held various events,
including hosting Rabbi Saul
Berman, who spoke about the
Civil Rights Movement and his
time in Selma, Ala., during the
1965 march for equality.
We also spearheaded an
Interfaith Panel Webinar with
Madonna University, U-D
Mercy and UM-Dearborn
on How to Vote Your Morals —
Featuring a Pastor, Nun, Rabbi,
Buddhist, Muslim and Humanist.
The event was a great success
with 50 students submitting
questions upon registration and
meeting their peers from cam-
puses around Detroit.
I want to give a special
shout-out to the other interns,
Tania Miller and Sarah
Timlin, to the MitzVote stu-
dent committee, and to Sam

Appel, our Hillel adviser, and
to the Hillel staff. We had the
responsibility to do what
we wanted with an advis-
er who was always there to
guide us, suggest ideas and keep
us on-track during the election
process.
Throughout my experience
with MitzVote, I learned the
importance of showing people
why their voice matters and
how the most powerful thing
we can do as Americans is to
vote. We have the power to

decide the fate of our nation.
We may be diverse, but that
does not mean we cannot
unite. By being active voters, we
can work together for a better
future.
Now that the election is over,
I am excited about the upcom-
ing next steps for our county. It
is important that the American
people stay optimistic, produc-
tive and open-minded. @

Leah Berman is a junior at Wayne State
University.

Leah Berman } jewish@edu writer

Leah Berman, Jenna Friedman and Tania Miller held up signs that said ”Honk
if you’
re registered” and gave away masks at Campus Martius in Detroit.

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