RABBI MATT ZERWEKH

Rabbi Matt 
Zerwekh is the 
rabbi of Temple 
Emanu-El in Oak 
Park. Ordained at 
HUC-JIR in 
Cincinnati, Zerwekh is a prod-
uct of the Detroit Jewish com-
munity and grew up at Temple 
Emanu-El, which has situated 
him uniquely to help reinvigo-
rate the congregation he has 
credited with helping to forge 
his earliest Jewish identity. 
Under his leadership, Temple 
Emanu-El has grown in size 
and prominence in the commu-
nity while undertaking import-
ant projects to update and mod-
ernize the congregation’s physi-
cal prayer and gathering spaces. 
As the pandemic arrived and 
congregations moved online, 
Zerwekh led the temple in 
quickly pivoting to online wor-
ship and learning opportunities 
in mere days, offering daily 
online kids’ story times, classes, 
and gathering opportunities to 
help provide normalcy and 
structure for his community 
during a fraught time.
Zerwekh has strived to “pray 
with his feet” since he began 
his rabbinate. Since arriving in 
Detroit, he has continued this 
work, from marching in the 
Dexter/Davison neighborhood 
of Detroit with the Dexter 
Avenue Baptist Church during 
the summer protests in the 
wake of the death of George 
Floyd, to coordinating a night 
of learning about immigration, 
which welcomed more than 
a dozen rabbis from various 
denominations to share one 
bimah to teach what Jewish 
law teaches about welcoming 
the stranger, to delivering an 
opening blessing for the Detroit 

NAACP’s Freedom Fund din-
ner.

RACHEL MATZ

Rachel Matz, 33, of 
Birmingham is a 
high school English 
teacher and jour-
nalism adviser. She 
also supports 
teachers with the use of instruc-
tional technology, which is a 
rapidly evolving endeavor in 
this era of virtual learning. 
Rachel also sponsors her 
school’s Jewish Student Alliance, 
a space for students to discuss 
and explore Jewish customs and 
identity together, regardless of 
their backgrounds. Growing up 
in a family that emphasized the 
importance of Jewish values and 
tradition, Rachel was fortunate 
to learn from the examples set 
by her grandparents in how to 
be an active member of her 
Jewish community. This 
upbringing led to her commit-
ment to developing her Jewish 
identity as an adult. Rachel has 
participated in a variety of pro-
gramming through The Well 
and Adat Shalom Synagogue, 
ranging from musical Shabbat 
dinners to thematic escape 
rooms. Her most meaningful 
experiences have occurred on 
trips with The Well to both 
Germany and Israel where she 
deepened her understanding of 

and engagement with the global 
Jewish community. Rachel is 
also a proud lifetime member of 
the National Council of Jewish 
Women, Michigan. She espe-
cially enjoys volunteering along-
side her mom, Sandi, who has 
instilled in Rachel the impor-
tance of volunteering and activ-
ism. In her free time, Rachel 
can be found reading, going to 
trivia, looking for great coffee, 
learning new challah braids on 
social media and spending time 
with her dog.

HALEY SCHREIER

Ann Arbor born 
and raised, Haley 
Schreier has always 
called the 
University of 
Michigan home, 
receiving her B.A. and M.S.W
. 
at U-M. She is a graduate of the 
School of Social Work’s Jewish 
Communal Leadership pro-
gram and wrote an undergradu-
ate honors thesis on the rela-
tionship between Jewish moth-
ers and daughters. Haley has 
received an additional profes-
sional certificate in Jewish 
Experiential Education from 
M2: The Institute for 
Experiential Jewish Education. 
 Haley is the director of 
engagement at Michigan Hillel, 
where she has worked since 
2017. She oversees the Host at 

Home program, manages the 
Hillel Connect Fellowship and 
teaches classes helping to make 
Jewish learning relevant to col-
lege students. She previously 
worked as an education associ-
ate at Michigan’s Holocaust 
Memorial Center, developing 
the first annual Kappy Family 
Anne Frank Art & Writing 
competition. Haley has led mul-
tiple Birthright trips and a trip 
to Poland. She is active in poli-
tics and trained volunteers for 
the Michigan Democrats this 
past election. She is the 
co-founder of the website Ally 
is a Verb and is passionate about 
social justice, Michigan sports 
and her cat Mezuzah.

LISA BETH NORTH

Lisa Beth North is 
an active member 
of the Jewish com-
munity — most 
recently at Hillel 
Day School, 
Temple Israel, Temple Emanu-
El and Aish. She volunteers by 
serving as PTO secretary, pro-
viding makeup services for the 
Easter Seals fashion show, offer-
ing skincare presentations to 
cancer patients at DMC 
Hospitals and other charitable 
work. With the support of the 
Jewish community, family and 
various therapies, Lisa overcame 
a traumatic head injury to 
become a licensed esthetician, 
professional makeup artist and 
entrepreneur. She and her hus-
band, Patrick, have three daugh-
ters and co-founded NorthStar 
Luxe. Their family-owned busi-
ness offers beauty, skincare and 
luxury services and products. 
NorthStar’s debut facial mois-
turizer, Polaris Cream, is a cus-
tom water-based cream with 
CBD, white tea, wild rose, hyal-

 FEBRUARY 11 • 2021 | 11

“AS AN ARTIST, I AM DEEPLY 
INFLUENCED BY THE TEXTURES, 
LANDSCAPES AND PATTERNS OF 
MY UPBRINGING, AS WELL AS MY 

JEWISH AND AFRICAN HERITAGE.” 

— OLIVIA GUTERSON

continued on page 12

