28 | DECEMBER 22 • 2022 

P

artners Detroit Young 
Professionals board 
member Cole Levine 
is gearing up to spend eight 
months in Israel.
He’ll soon be joining a 
Masa Israel program called 
Career Israel that helps 
young Jewish professionals 
jumpstart their careers with 
on-the-ground internships 
and networking.
In addition to taking on 
a business development 
internship in Tel Aviv, Levine, 
23, will also be studying at a 
yeshivah in Jerusalem while 
finishing applications to law 

school.
It’s an ambitious 
undertaking, but one that he’s 
ready for.
“When I started looking 
into these opportunities 
abroad, Israel was a no- 
brainer,” he says. “I’ll be 
focusing on small businesses 
and startups.”
Coming from a family 
of three generations of 
chiropractors who have 
owned and operated small 
businesses, Levine has 
naturally gravitated toward 
wanting the same.
“I like more of a family, 

tight-knit organization and 
team mentality,” he explains. 
“That’s how I view myself 
and where I fit into these 
roles.”

HELPING 
ORGANIZATIONS GROW
In his most recent role as 
retail operations coordinator 
at New Standard Cannabis, 
Levine learned everything he 
needed to know about small 
business operations that he’ll 
now take with him on his 
latest journey to Israel.
During his time with the 
company, he gained skills 
in marketing, community 
relations, retail operations 
and data analysis. He also 
learned how to navigate the 
somewhat tricky cannabis 
industry, which Levine 
explains has a lot of taboo 
attached to it.
Still, it’s a highly regulated 
market that Levine hopes 
more and more people can 
learn about. “Everything is 
done in a compliant manner,” 
he explains. “The state 
monitors everything from 
seed to consumer. It’s a great 
conversation to have and to 
explain.”
While his adulthood 
has been centered on 
helping small businesses 
grow, Levine has long been 
passionate about supporting 
organizations he cares about.
Originally from West 
Bloomfield, Levine attended 
Frankel Jewish Academy and 
was involved in BBYO. He 
was also a Tamarack camper 
and counselor. His college 
years, however, inspired an 
even deeper connection to 
building a thriving Jewish 
community.
While attending Michigan 
State University, where he 

graduated from the Eli Broad 
College of Business with a 
B.B.A. focused in finance 
and financial management 
services, Levine took on 
many roles to help support 
Jewish and student life on 
campus.
He served as president of 
the Chabad Student Center 
at MSU, an executive board 
member of the Jewish 
Business Association, 
a member of the MSU 
Residential Business 
Community and a brother 
and executive board member 
of the Alpha Epsilon Pi 
fraternity.
“I had immense pride 
within that work,” he says 
of his volunteer endeavors, 
particularly those centered 
on Jewish culture. 
“Judaism has always been 
a big part of my life. I’m very 
openly proud to be Jewish.”

BUILDING MEANINGFUL 
RELATIONSHIPS
It’s a love that carried into 
his post-college years, 
inspiring Levine to join the 
Young Professionals board 
with Partners Detroit. He 
also attends Tuesday night 
learning.
His first introduction to 
the organization, which aims 
to connect the Detroit Jewish 
community with its heritage, 
was through a volunteer 
program that connected 
community members with 
Holocaust survivors in 
need during the COVID-19 
pandemic.
There, Levine met one of 
his closest friends, a 93-year-
old Holocaust survivor 
named Ayala Jedwab. 
“Tragically, she lost both of 
her children and her husband 
when they were in America,” 

Israel-Bound

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

NEXT DOR
VOICE OF A NEW GENERATION

Business professional Cole Levine 
hopes to get a jumpstart on building 
his career.

Cole 
Levine

