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