20 | AUGUST 19 • 2021 

OUR COMMUNITY

continued from page 18

Youth will provide funding for 
youth-serving organizations, 
including BBYO, Friendship 
Circle and Repair the World, 
to hire youth directors to work 
specifically with underserved 
demographics including 
male-identifying teens, middle 
schooler and diverse teens, 
such as those from interfaith 
families, Jews of color and 
LGBTQ+ identifying youth.
“With more individuals 
waking up each morning 
with the dedicated task of 
engaging our youth, we know 
it will become more of an 
expectation for kids to be 
involved in Jewish 
life,” said Rabbi 
Daniel Schwartz 
of Temple Shir 
Shalom. “The 
question will 
change from ‘do 
you go?’ to ‘where 
do you go?’”
Professionals 
supported through both grants 
will receive training oppor-
tunities and will gather to 
develop a supportive cohort, 
collaborate and discuss best 
practices.
“We want to make sure that 
staff feel like there is cama-
raderie among youth-serving 
organizations and that they 
have peer colleagues they can 
connect with,” Vieder says.

A FUTURE COMMUNITY
“Our community has proven 
time and time again that they 
understand how incredibly 
important our young people 
are, not only for the future 
of our Jewish community in 
Metro Detroit, but also for the 
future of the Jewish people,” 
Rabbi Lader says. 
 “We’re all working together 
to raise a generation of teens 
who are proud of their iden-

tities, who are firm in their 
values, and who are committed 
to their community in a sacred 
and profound way.”
While JCC’s new teen 
engagement model is being 
rolled out over the next few 
months, the leadership hopes 
to continue growing and 
evolving the strategy in the 
long-term future.
“There has always been a lot 
of excitement in the planning 
process that would help us lift 
up youth engagement in the 
Detroit Jewish community,” 
Rabbi Schwartz said. 
“Katie Vieder and the JCC 
have done a wonderful job of 
gathering a top-notch group of 
people who are focused on real 
change in teen engagement, 
which has allowed us to dream 
in ways that we never imag-
ined would come to fruition. 
“From additional staff to pro-
gramming for parents, I think 
Detroit will continue to serve as 
a model for other communities 
who are looking to reignite 
their teen programming.”
By focusing on awareness, 
engagement, and data and 
information, the JCC aims to 
solve the challenges today’s 
Jewish teens and parents face 
with a one-stop shop for find-
ing and creating local connec-
tions.
“We don’t look at this as a 
one- or two-year initiative,” 
Vieder says. “We hope to be 
able to continuously evaluate 
progress and success over the 
course of time. There will 
always be Jewish teens, but if 
we don’t make them a priority, 
they may not always engage. 
Our primary focus is to be the 
resource for teens and their 
families and to ensure that we 
provide every opportunity to 
connect them to the Jewish 
community.” 

Rabbi 
Daniel 
Schwartz

Marty A. 
Burnstein 
has again been selected by 
his peers for recognition and 
inclusion in the 2022 Edition 
of Best Lawyers of America 
in the areas of Construction Law and Litigation. 

His peers have additionally recognized 
Mr. Burnstein as one of the 2022 
“Lawyer of the Year” award 
recipients for his work in Construction 
Law in Troy. Only a single lawyer in 
each practice area and community 
is honored with a “Lawyer of the 
Year” award. It is Best Lawyers most 
outstanding recognition. 

GABRIELLA BURMAN & ADAM KAPLAN

AMY & JEFFREY SCHLUSSEL

AIMEE & RICHARD SIMTOB

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