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

