6 | JUNE 9 • 2022 

T

he highlight of my high 
school experience at the 
Frankel Jewish Academy 
thus far took place over the course 
of a week toward the end of May. 
My 10th-grade 
classmates and I set 
off on an adventure 
to Portland, Ore. 
While I anticipated 
this would be a 
fun week with my 
friends in a cool 
city, I came home feeling a very 
strong sense of accomplishment 
and the reward of changing peo-
ple’s lives for the better.
Our Portland trip included fun 
and challenging outdoor activities 
like hiking in the Columbia River 
Gorge and a morning spent white 
water rafting with a knowledge-
able guide. The hiking and rafting 
were extremely fun, but the rest 
of the trip was about performing 
mitzvot.
Sitting on the red-eye flight to 

return home, I reflected on what 
my peers and I accomplished 
in Portland. I realized that we 
incorporated the head, heart and 
hands in our social action proj-
ects, which benefited the homeless 
population of this large city in the 
Northwest.
The head represents the 
learning that took place while in 
Portland. One of the main topics 
that we spent the entirety of our 
trip learning about was the differ-
ence between homelessness and 
houselessness. We learned that 
while some people don’t realize 
the difference between the two, 
many of the people living on the 
streets of Portland find homeless-
ness to be offensive. 
Another talking point during 
the trip was learning how to help 
those struggling to survive with-
out having them lose their dignity. 
This means that while they need 
our help, it can be difficult to ask 
for it. We learned about this while 

touring Dignity Village, a city-rec-
ognized village of tiny homes 
where people can live when they 
don’t have a place to stay. This 
village is self-governed by the res-
idents who can live in the village 
for any amount of time. Overall, 
we spent so much time learning, 
which led to a more meaningful 
trip.
The second focus during this 
trip was connecting with the 
people we got the opportunity to 
meet, this is represented by the 
heart. We used our hearts to feel 
compassion toward those who 
are houseless, and we tried to 
understand the plight of men and 
women whose lives did not turn 
out as they expected. 
As a grade, we worked to help 
the houseless community of 
Portland because we knew how 
big of an impact our actions 
would make. Getting the chance 
to work on these construction 
sites and farms helped us gain 

empathy toward the less fortunate 
in Portland.
Finally, I want to focus on the 
hands, this depicts the times when 
we got our hands dirty and spent 
time working in the sun. We 
worked to build tiny homes for 
the houseless as well as working 
on farms, planting vegetables for 
those without access to fresh, 
healthy food. 
Overall, a very successful mis-
sion to Portland. Our 10th-grade 
class bonded, enjoyed the gor-
geous surroundings of the Pacific 
Northwest and had a lot of fun. 
What I will always remember 
about this life-changing experi-
ence is how I integrated my head, 
heart and hands into the perfor-
mance of charitable acts. I don’t 
think this endeavor would have 
been as successful or meaningful 
had any of those components not 
been included in our work toward 
helping the houseless people of 
Portland. 

Jonah Miller is a sophomore at Frankel 

Jewish Academy and a graduate of Hillel 

Day School.

1942 - 2022

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student’s corner
Head, Heart and Hands in Portland

PURELY COMMENTARY

Jonah Miller

Jane and Larry Sherman Continue Their Extraordinary Legacy 
Through a Gift to the Centennial Fund

Jane and Larry Sherman stand among the great leaders 
of Jewish Detroit. Together, their impact has strengthened 
not just our local community, but Jewish life throughout the 
world. Through a variety of activities, Jane continues the 
legacy of her father, Max M. Fisher, along with her 
philanthropic family. This includes her historic work on 
behalf of Ethiopian Jews and children at risk in Israel; her 
role in fostering a strong relationship with our Partnership 
Region in the Central Galilee; and her support for the next 
generation of Jewish leaders—her Fisher Flight program is 
a major catalyst for today’s national leaders and donors. 
She has served as Women’s Campaign chair and President, 
the first woman chair of the Annual Campaign and 
Federation Vice President. Like Jane, Larry is a native 
Detroiter who has been involved with the Federation and 
Jewish causes throughout his life. He has been deeply 
involved in building Detroit’s connection with Israel and has 
led countless community missions over the past 50 years.

With their Benefactor Level commitment to the 
Centennial Fund, Jane and Larry add another milestone to 
their legacy as Jewish communal leaders. The Centennial 
Fund is the central endowment campaign for ensuring the 
long-term security of Jewish Detroit and will impact the 
core areas that Jane and Larry have worked tirelessly to 
support, including Social Need, Jewish Identity and 
Education and Global Jewish Responsibility. The Shermans’ 
Centennial gift will establish the Jane F. and Larry Sherman 
Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (PACE). Jane 
herself served as the first Co-chair of the PACE campaign, 
leading the efforts to establish what is the most versatile 
and flexible vehicle for future community support, locally, in 
Israel and elsewhere. This gift exemplifies the couple’s 
extraordinary generosity and vision and will ensure that 
they continue to enrich Jewish lives long into the future.

Photo: Brett Mountain

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21_END_Centennial_AD_Sherman.indd 1

