24 | SEPTEMBER 23 • 2021 

C

ongregations and Jewish 
education are critical to 
the vibrancy of the Detroit 
Jewish community. They provide 
the community with religious, 
spiritual and moral building blocks 
that keep us connected to one 
another. In 1999, the Hermelin 
and Davidson families estab-
lished and endowed the Hermelin 
Davidson Center for Congregation 
Excellence. Housed at the Jewish 
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, 
the Hermelin Davidson Center 
is dedicated to supporting inno-
vative and collaborative Jewish 
educational programming. Since its 
inception, the center has commit-
ted more than $5 million toward 
this goal. 
The challenges and opportu-
nities of this year are remarkable, 
and accordingly, the volunteer lay 
leaders of the Hermelin Davidson 
Center committee (chaired by Dr. 
Lynda Giles) were honored to part-
ner with congregations, congrega-
tional schools and other supporting 
community institutions on a vari-
ety of grants.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC 
RESPONSE
Last year, the Hermelin Davidson 
Center committee designated 
$100,000 to support congregational 
schools’ virtual learning at the start 
of the COVID-19 pandemic. More 
than 100 classrooms across 13 
congregational schools benefitted 
from technology grants of $500 
per classroom. These grants helped 

schools cover a variety of expenses 
such as Zoom subscriptions, online 
education platforms and hardware 
such as laptops and video equip-
ment so that teachers could con-
nect with their students virtually. 
These grants not only helped 
schools adapt to virtual and social-
ly distant education, but they also 
represent an investment in future 
technology integration. In addition, 
the COVID fund also supported 
congregational school educators’ 
enrollment in the virtual NewCAJE 
(newcaje.org) professional devel-
opment conference, enabling local 
educators to prepare for a year of 
innovation amid uncertainty.

RACIAL INCLUSION FUND
The Hermelin Davidson Center 
committee designated $45,000 to 
promote racial inclusion education 
in congregational life. A grant of 
$15,000 supported a Diversity 
Fellow at Detroit Jews for Justice 
(detroitjewsforjustice.org) who 
partners with several local con-
gregations. Additionally, a $30,000 
fund was established to provide 
programming grants of up to 
$4,000 to support congregations’’ 
racial inclusion education and ini-
tiatives that uplift Jews of Color in 
the community.

CONGREGATIONAL 
TEEN DIRECTORS
Strengthening Jewish identity 
among youth is critical to the 
long-term success of the Detroit 
Jewish community. In partnership 

The Hermelin Davidson Center makes 
an impact throughout the community. 

Keeping 
Congregations 
Excellent

JN STAFF

TOP: YFTI teens participate in a leadership retreat. Rachel 
Kestenberg, center, is one of the congregational teen directors 
supported by the Hermelin Davidson Center.
ABOVE: A Temple Israel student participates in Sunday School 
from home. The Hermelin Davidson Center provided funds to 
enable synagogues to offer remote learning through the pandemic, 
such as purchasing Zoom licenses. 

OUR COMMUNITY

