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.