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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