10 | SEPTEMBER 23 • 2021 

OUR COMMUNITY

I

n a first-of-its-kind event, 10 diverse 
Jewish groups joined forces last 
month to throw the ultimate young 
adult end-of-summer send-off.
The “commUNITY” get-together — 
an evening of live music, kosher food 
and drinks at a beautiful back yard 
in West Bloomfield — attracted close 
to 300 young people. It took place on 
Aug. 25 — but the concept, in reality, 
was years in the making.
The invited partygoers included 
members of Federation’s NEXTGen 
Detroit, Chabad Young Professionals 
Detroit, Detroit City Moishe House, 
EmergingGen Windsor, Hillel of Metro 
Detroit, Jewish Young Professionals of 
Ann Arbor, Moishe House Royal Oak, 
Partners Detroit, Platform 18 and The 
Well. The Jewish Community Relations 
Council/AJC also sponsored the event.
The outdoor party had a beautiful, 
yet rustic feel. “It felt like you had 
showed up for something special,” said 

Erin Stiebel, an educator at Partners 
Detroit. “Everyone was so excited to 
have an in-person event. There were 
reunions everywhere you looked with 
people who hadn’t seen each other in 
years. It was a crossroads of everyone 
coming together.”
For Lauren Soifer, 
NEXTGen Detroit 
associate director, a native 
Detroiter who recently 
returned home from 
several years in Atlanta, it 
was the first big event she 
went to since she came 
home.
“It was just so amazing to see all the 
organizations together with the same 
goal in mind,” she said. 
“I don’t think a lot of other cities 
would be able to replicate it. Detroit 
is unique, based upon our history and 
that so many people from here have 
been here for generations. 

“It’s like a family — very tight-knit 
community. A lot of other Jewish 
communities, like Atlanta, don’t have 
that — they are more transitory. Here, 
there’s a sense of ownership that makes 
an event like this possible.”
Of the 250-300 people who 
attended, more than 25 from Jewish 
Young Professionals of Ann Arbor 
joined the fun. Due to the border 
situation, unfortunately, no one from 
EmergingGen Windsor could attend.
The event brought out many new 
faces, including the leader of the 
musical band, who was Jewish, too, and 

Ten distinct young adult groups unite 
to show Jews share more in common 
than that which separates them.

JACKIE HEADAPOHL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL 

Lauren 
Soifer

A
BigTent
Event

TOP ROW, FROM LEFT: George Roberts, 
Melissa Mertz, Lauren Soifer, Rabbi Jeff 
Stombaugh, Tomer Moked, Leah Langnas, 
Devorah Pinson, Rabbi Yisrael Pinson, 
Rabbi Shmuli Wolf. 
BOTTOM ROW, FROM LEFT: Alyssa Katz, 
Hannah Goodman, Mimi Marcus, Marisa 
Meyerson, Joshua Goldberg, Rabbi Noam 
Gross, Olivia Berlin, Hilary Greenberg, 
Joelle Abramowitz, Erin Stiebel.

PHOTOS BY ROBERT BRUCE PHOTOGRAPHY

