MAY 19 • 2022 | 39

opportunities, industry-specific
panels and discussions about
topics such as business devel-
opment, Jewish identity and
Israel engagement.
Livvy Gordon, originally
from Franklin, Michigan, par-
ticipated in this year’s Excel
Summit and enjoyed recon-
necting with friends from all
over the world and meeting
other Excel alumni.
Gordon attended Cranbrook
Schools and graduated from
Georgetown University in May
2021. Gordon’s Excel sum-
mer took place in 2019, when
she had an internship with
a growth equity investment
platform in Tel Aviv. She is cur-
rently living in New York and
doing restructuring investment
banking at Perella Weinberg
Partners.
Gordon has fond memories
of her summer in Tel Aviv,
including being paired with
an Israeli peer who was able to
show her around and help her
integrate.
“My peer is still a very
close friend and she definitely
showed me a local’s perspective
of Tel Aviv, which was unique,”
she said.
For Gordon, the summit was
a particularly exciting expe-
rience because it was her first
one.
“Generally, just seeing
everybody in person was real-
ly incredible,” Gordon said.
“Everybody’s found new job
opportunities and different
things we could catch up about.
But I think the highlights of the
program are the speakers.
“We had panels led by Excel
fellows. Some of the coolest
ones were on NFTs and cryp-
tocurrency, and then we also
had an awesome panel about
growth equity and venture
capital and the trends in those
industries.”
Asaf Zamir, Israel’s Consul

General in New York, offered
the event’s first keynote
speech. Erin Schrode, activ-
ist, social entrepreneur and
Congressional candidate,
offered her expertise on social
impact, pro-Israel activism and
the role of millennials in ignit-
ing change.
The final keynote presenta-
tion was given by David Blitzer,
Global Head of Blackstone’s
Tactical Opportunities Group.
Blitzer is also the founder
and managing general part-
ner of Harris Blitzer Sports
& Entertainment (HBSE)
and managing partner of the
Philadelphia 76ers and New
Jersey Devils.
Gordon believes those inter-
active panels, where fellows are
able to ask questions and learn
from each other, are the best
part of the fellowship and what
makes the network unique.
“Having the opportunity to
hear in detail what some of our
peers are doing was inspiring,
and I think it’s awesome to
get to know all these different
areas of the industry you might
not fully appreciate in your day
job,” she said.
Gordon is grateful to be
a part of the Excel network,
something she was reminded
of during the summit weekend.
“I think every single speaker
across the board emphasized
that wherever they are today,
it had something to do with
the Excel community,” Gordon
said. “Whether it was advice
for mock interviews or getting
you some sort of leg up in
connecting you with people in
the space, I think what I’ll take
away is to make sure you’re
taking advantage of the net-
work and reaching out if you
have any questions or need
help with anything. It’s some-
thing I’ll definitely start to do
more when I’m thinking about
next steps in my career.”

M

ore than 300
Birthright Israel
Excel Fellows from
North America and around
the world gathered in New
York City from April 1-3 for
the Excelerate22 Summit, the
first time the annual Birthright
Israel Excel Summit has been
held in person since 2019.
Birthright Israel Excel is a
prestigious business fellow-
ship that offers a summer
internship in Israel followed
by membership in an exclusive
community of peers focused

on professional development,
personal growth, Israel engage-
ment and philanthropy. After
their internships, Excel Fellows
have maximized their experi-
ences by taking on positions
at top-tier companies such
as J.P. Morgan Chase, Bain &
Company and Google, devel-
oping strategic partnerships
with Israeli companies and
starting their own while often
hiring other Fellows.
Throughout the summit
weekend, attendees partici-
pated in various networking

Metro Detroiter attends summit
with emerging global
Jewish business leaders.

A Birthright
Summit

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

LEFT: Excel fellows in finance careers. Gordon is in the top row,
second to left. RIGHT: Livvy Gordon.

The attendees from Gordon’s 2019 Cohort.