14 | FEBRUARY 10 • 2022
He was also a founding mem-
ber of the Kidz Klez Band of
Michigan under the late Cantor
Stephen Dubov. Alan later took
a turn directing this ensemble
starting in 2013. Then, in 2014,
he became a founding member
and music director of the local
klezmer band Klezundheit
(Bless You!). Klezundheit fea-
tures some of the best musicians
from the Metro Detroit area
and performs throughout the
community, doing its best to
spread the sounds and love of
music from the old country.
Alan (saxophone) and his
wife, Michelle, (flute) also per-
form at Temple Beth El’s music
Shabbat. They live in Berkley
with their two children, Asher,
5, and Owen, 2. Alan would like
to thank his parents for instill-
ing in him a lifelong passion for
music and Judaism.
JOSH KETAI
You can catch
Josh Ketai as the
director of sales
at Essex Title,
a commercial
title insurance
agency and VP of Acquisitions
at Vokal Ventures, a commercial
real estate development com-
pany. He loves meeting new
people and establishing rela-
tionships, which is why he loves
what he does.
He was raised in a family
that has always been heavily
involved in the Jewish commu-
nity. His mother, Sherri Ketai,
has been a huge inspiration for
his involvement in the Jewish
community, which he credits
to her and thanks her for. Josh
is on the board for NEXTGen
Detroit, where he helps plan
and run events to bring young
adults together to network and
have fun evenings.
In addition, he is on the
board of Rub-a-Dub for ORT,
where he assists with its annual
event to help raise money for
kids’ education.
Most recently, he joined
Cabinet, Jewish Federation of
North America’s national young
leadership program, which has
been a fantastic experience so
far during his first year. He’s
looking forward to the next four
years to fulfill his five-year com-
mitment.
When he’s not working
his day job or helping on the
boards, he spends most of his
time training for Ironman
competitions and marathons.
He tries to spend his other free
time in Colorado skiing, skin-
ning, hiking and biking, where
the mountains provide him
with great challenges.
DR. CHARLIE
STARKMAN
Dr. Charlie
Starkman is a
licensed clinical
psychologist
serving as the
assistant director and outreach
coordinator at University of
Michigan-Dearborn Counseling
and Psychological Services
(CAPS). In his current posi-
tion, he provides individual
and group therapy to college
students, supervises clini-
cians-in-training and presents
on mental health-oriented top-
ics to the campus community.
Additionally, Charlie serves on
the Early Career Psychologist
Committee of the Michigan
Psychological Association.
A native Metro Detroiter,
Charlie had his bar mitzvah at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
and graduated from Hebrew
high school at Temple Beth El.
He went on to earn his bache-
lor’s degree from the University
of Michigan in 2012 and his
doctorate from Adler University
in Chicago in 2017.
After moving back to
Michigan in late 2018, Charlie
became active in the Michigan
Democratic Party on both the
local and state level. He is espe-
cially interested in elevating
Jewish voices in Democratic
politics. He is an executive
committee member of the
Farmington/Farmington Hills
Democratic Club and has
worked on numerous local,
state and congressional cam-
paigns in different capacities.
In 2019, he was appoint-
ed to the Farmington Hills
Commission on Community
Health, which strives to increase
access, education and resources
to promote physical and men-
tal health and wellness in the
Farmington Hills community.
Charlie currently resides in
Farmington Hills after stints
in Chicago, New Orleans and
Baltimore. In his free time, he
enjoys playing tennis, reading,
yoga, listening to music, and
spending time with family and
friends.
LAURA
GOTTLIEB
Laura Gottlieb
is the direc-
tor of cultural
resources at
Temple Beth El
in Bloomfield Township, where
she oversees the Rabbi Leo M.
Franklin Archives and Anna S.
and Meyer L. Prentis Memorial
Library.
Laura was born and raised
in Metro Detroit. She grew
up at Temple Beth El and was
a camper and staff at Camp
Tamarack. Laura graduated
from Michigan State University
in 2015 with a BA in interdis-
ciplinary social science with
a focus in history and Jewish
studies. Laura went on to
receive her master’s degree in
library information science and
certificate in archival admin-
istration from Wayne State
University in 2019.
Laura is passionate about the
Metro Detroit Jewish commu-
nity. She is a NEXTGen Detroit
board member as well as a com-
mittee member for Tamarack
Camps. Laura also teaches high
school students at Temple Beth
El’s religious school (Masa),
volunteers for JARC and hosts
OneTable Shabbat dinners. In
2021, Laura served as a JDC
Entwine community represen-
tative for Detroit.
In her role at Beth El, Laura
works to bring Jewish stories
and history to life through
programs, lectures, workshops,
book clubs and social media.
From the “Out of the Box”
series on Facebook Live to short
TikToks and Instagram posts,
Laura strives to make Jewish
history accessible and fun.
She met her husband, Jacob,
at Camp Tamarack. They live in
Southfield with their dog, Rashi.
In her free time, Laura loves to
bake and teach others how to
make vegan baked goods.
EMILY
KOROTKIN
Emily Korotkin
has worked in
her family’s
business for
20 years. Vice
president at KIG (Korotkin
Insurance Group), Emily, a
strong, smart businesswoman,
has filled the shoes of the men
who came before her and then
some.
Serving on the Board of
Directors of the JCC and ORT
locally, fundraising and chair-
ing events to help further the
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OUR
COMMUNITY