40 | OCTOBER 6 • 2022 

I

srael, more than any other place in the 
world, holds a lot of meaning to a lot of 
people: the hope of 2,000 years, the first 
flowering of our redemption, the Startup 
Nation, the Homeland. 
This is, of course, part of what makes 
Israel special. Yet, in the mix of all that it 
represents, the actual state can sometimes 
get lost. 
“It’s one of the most fascinating places 
on the planet,
” says Rich Broder. “Whether 
you’re a deeply religious or spiritual person, 
if you’re interested in Zionism, history, 
archaeology, Christianity, Islam … there’s 
something there for everybody.
” 
A desire to engage with Israel as a 
country, people and culture — and not 
just as a cause célèbre — drives Lisa and 
Rich Broder’s service to the Detroit Jewish 
community. And they do a lot of work. 
Rich co-chairs the Federation’s Israel and 
Overseas Allocation committee and sits on 
the board of the Jewish Agency for Israel-
North American Council. Lisa sat on the 
committee for Partnership2Gether (P2G), 
which works with Detroit’s sister region, 
the Central Galilee, and was recently 
a co-chair of the Sue & Alan Kaufman 
Family Teen Mission. She also just joined 

the Midwest Advisory Council for the 
Birthright Israel Foundation. 
The Broders co-chair the upcoming 
Motor City Mission, a community-wide 
trip to Israel planned for next spring. Mind 
you, all this is in addition to family (two 
children, both grown) and careers — Rich 
is a partner at Broder & Sachse Real Estate; 
Lisa is a former attorney and teacher and is 
currently a math tutor. 
Last and perhaps closest to their hearts, 
the Broders have been deeply involved 
in bringing Israelis to Detroit to serve as 
emissaries (Israeli emissaries trained by 
the Jewish Agency for Israel). They grew 
close to shlicha Nina Yahalomi Klevitsky 
during her time here, and still talk and visit 
regularly. “We now have family [in Israel], 
said Lisa. “
And it’s amazing.
” 
We sat down with the Broders in their 
Bloomfield Hills home to learn where 
their passion comes from, what American 
and Israeli Jews can learn from each other 
— and the best place to grab hummus in 
Jerusalem. 

A CHANGING COUNTRY— 
AND CONSTANT LOVE 
Rich: Israel has changed a lot. Back in 1972 

[when Broder first visited], they weren’t 
necessarily as westernized as they are today. 
You had to worry about the water and the 
food. Now, not only do you not have to 
worry about the water and the food, it’s 
some of the best food on the planet! 
But, in terms of my perspective, I 
remember everything about that trip, and 
I was 11 years old. Everything that I liked 
then is what I like every time I’m there 
now. 
You can pick your subject matter — 
food, culture, geopolitics, religion, history, 
archaeology — it is beyond fascinating, and 
it’s endless. Something is new every time 
you go, and you learn something ancient 
every time you go. 
Lisa: I’ve been to Israel eight times. My 
first was in 2014 — during a war. All the 
tourists left. We wouldn’t leave because 
our kids were there. One daughter was 
teaching English in the partnership region 
and the other daughter was staff on the 
Teen Mission. We were like, “We can’t flee. 
What’s the message we would be sending 
to our kids?” 
So, we stayed — and we went in bomb 
shelters literally my first night. Teen 
Mission ended up coming home early 

Rich and Lisa Broder share their passion for the Promised Land.

Israel, 
 Up Close 
and in Person

DAVID ZENLEA SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

ERETZ
FROM THE 
PARTNERSHIP2GETHER 
REGION

