34 | JANUARY 12 • 2023 

NEXT DOR

I

t was the perfect ending 
to the 2022 calendar, as 
NEXTGen Detroit hosted 
two amazing events to kick off 
the holiday season. Chanukah 
started a bit early, as NEXTGen 
Detroit held its monthly happy 
hour, L
’Chaim Detroit, with 
a fun dreidel spin. Over 110 
guests enjoyed a latke bar, 
dressed up in Chanukah sweat-
ers and sipped on good drinks 
at Oak Park Social on Dec. 13 
for L
’Chanukah Detroit. 
“This L
’Chanukah bar night 
was incredible,
” said Laura 
Gottlieb, a NEXTGen Detroit 
board member and L
’Chanukah 
Detroit event co-chair. “The bar 
was packed with both familiar 
and new faces. It was so fun to 
catch up with friends I haven’t 
seen in so long and finally have 
a chance to be with the com-
munity and enjoy the holiday 

celebration together.
” 
Along with Laura, Jeffrey 
Sondheimer and Sara 
Weinfeld helped organize this 
record-breaking event. “I was 
beyond delighted and truly 
energized by the large turn-
out of people in attendance,
” 
Sondheimer said. “It was a 
privilege to assist in bringing 
together and growing our 
Jewish community of young 
professionals here in Metro 
Detroit.
”
To cap off the year, co-chairs 
Jared Kohlenberg, Doug 
Thoenes, Stephanie Hollander, 
Lily Indenbaum and Justin 
Polk helped bring more than 70 
NEXTGen Detroiters down to 
Ford Field to get a private tour 
of the facilities as they went 
“Inside the Lions Den.
”
“Inside the Lions Den gave us 
such a great chance to explore 

Ford Field and hear more about 
the history of the Lions and the 
stadium,
” Hollander said. “It 
was perfect to have an oppor-
tunity to see everything and go 
onto the field without a packed 
house.
”
If you missed out on either 
of these events, do not worry; 
plenty of more diverse experi-

ences are coming in 2023. 
“I am so fortunate for the 
NEXTGen Detroit community 
for helping put on events like 
this,
” co-chair Polk said. “We are 
so lucky to experience Detroit 
in so many different ways.
” 

Lauren Soifer is associate director of 

NEXTGen Detroit.

Capping Off 
a Great Year

LAUREN SOIFER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

VOICE OF A NEW GENERATION

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Laura Gottlieb, Jeff Sondheimer and 
Sara Weinfeld at L’Chanukah, Detroit! At the Inside the Lions Den event.