MARCH 17 • 2022 | 13
N
eil Sherman didn’t grow
up in Metro Detroit and
wanted a better under-
standing of the Jewish community.
Bill Goldstein “got invited to a
fun event.”
Stacey Goodman wanted to
give back to the organization that
supported her family when she
was younger. Her mom struggled
financially, but she was able to go
to Camp Tamarack because they
received financial assistance.
Josh Rubin went to Israel on a
Federation mission two years ago.
When he returned, he vowed to
“dig deep and give back, beyond
just writing a check.”
Their paths to community
involvement may be different, but
each of these Gen-Xers is actively
involved in the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit’s Affinities
Department, created to engage
adults in their 40s and 50s in the
Jewish community.
“Federation was doing a great
job with a younger demographic,
but we realized we were kind of
missing the mark with this seg-
ment of our community,” said
Affinities Director Karen Kaplan.
“We started thinking about how
to engage this age group, which
doesn’t necessarily want to sit on
committees and really wants a rea-
son to be involved. They’re all busy
with their families and careers,
and they’re looking for ways to
get involved with the community
that are meaningful to them. We
realized that a really great way to
engage them was to create these
affinity groups.”
PROFESSIONAL GROUPS
“Find your tribe within the tribe”
is the department’s tagline in refer-
ence to the special interest groups
designed to bring like-minded
people together for social, educa-
tional and networking opportuni-
ties.
The Maimonides Society
(although formed before the
department’s creation but now
under its umbrella) connects
physicians to each other, the com-
munity and Jewish philanthropy
through social and educational
events and international mission
opportunities.
While the Maimonides Society is
the oldest group, the newest is an
TOP: Neil Sherman & Randy
Wertheimer at the Real Estate Group
event at the Shinola Hotel.
ABOVE: Josh Rubin was among the
particpants of the Andi & Larry Wolfe
Gen X Mission in Israel. FACING
PAGE: Karen Kaplan and Jodi Feld
in Israel on the Forman Leadership
Mission II.
Federation’s Affinities Department offers
lots of options for Gen-Xers.
There’s A Group
continued on page 14
JENNIFER LOVY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
for That
COURTESY OF FEDERATION