JUNE 16 • 2022 | 33

P

artners Detroit 
and Jewish Young 
Professionals hosted a 
Shavuot program at Yeshiva 
Beth Yehudah in Oak Park on 
Tuesday, June 2, providing an 
experience surrounding the 
power of Torah. 
The Shavuot holiday cel-
ebrates the receiving of the 
Torah at Mount Sinai. Some 
Shavuot holiday traditions 
include having a festive meal 
with baked goods along with 
staying up all night learn-
ing and reading the Torah. 
Partners Detroit decided to 
host its own Shavout experi-
ence. 
“We brought our students 
together to participate in a 
learning experience where 
they were paired up with local 
members of the Detroit Jewish 
community and had the 
chance to learn about the topic 
of Shavuot and what Torah 
study really is,” explained Erin 
Stiebel, an educator with the 
organization.
Stiebel says they added this 
event to their Tuesday night 
Partners Learning Program, 
where they brought together 
an intimate group of Jews 
from every pocket of the 
Detroit Jewish community to 
learn together. 

During the program, they 
got to enjoy cheesecake for 
dessert in a class with Rabbi 
Gershon Miller, who is the 
new dean of the Yeshiva Beth 
Yehudah school system. 
“He’s an incredibly inspira-
tional speaker who has such a 
broad spectrum of knowledge,” 
Stiebel added. “He was able to 
really take Torah learning to a 
new level and help people real-
ize how powerful and unbe-
lievable it is to have the gift of 
Torah.” 
Even after the program, 
Stiebel says people stayed to ask 
questions and were interested 
in learning more.
“We’re hoping to build bridg-
es and relationships within the 
community and help people 
forge a stronger connection to 
their Jewish identity and teach 
that Torah is more than some-
thing you read on Shabbat or 
on a holiday, but that it’s still 
relevant to our lives,” Stiebel 
said. 
“The more we learn and the 
more we bring the concepts 
into our lives, the stronger we’ll 
feel connected to our rich her-
itage.” 

Partners Tuesday Night Learning pro-

gram happens weekly. For more infor-

mation, email info@partnersdetroit.org.

Partners Detroit 
Shavuot Program

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR 

NEXT DOR
VOICE OF THE NEW 
JEWISH GENERATION

TOP TO BOTTOM: Partners Detroit Director Rabbi Bentzy 
Schechter learns with several young professionals. Lily Lerner and 
Malky Joffe study together. Rabbi Gershon Miller inspires the crowd 
with an uplifting Torah class. Partners Detroit JYP board member 
Meredith Kay studies with Dr. Jessica Triest.

COURTESY OF PARTNERS DETROIT

