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 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.djnfoundation.org The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520) is published every Thursday at 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send changes to: Detroit Jewish News, 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334 MISSION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will be of service to the Jewish community. 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Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman, Louis Finkelman, Stacy Gittleman, Esther Allweiss Ingber, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz, Robin Schwartz, Mike Smith, Steve Stein, Julie Smith Yolles, Ashley Zlatopolsky | Advertising Sales Director of Advertising: Keith Farber kfarber@thejewishnews.com Senior Account Executive: Kathy Harvey-Mitton kmitton@thejewishnews.com | Business Office Director of Operations: Amy Gill agill@thejewishnews.com Operations Manager: Andrea Gusho agusho@thejewishnews.com Operations Assistant: Ashlee Szabo Circulation: Danielle Smith Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner | Production By Farago & Associates Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Kelly Kosek, Kaitlyn Schoen, Deborah Schultz, Michelle Sheridan 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 21_END_Centennial_AD_Sherman.indd 1 21_END_Centennial_AD_Sherman.indd 1