business SPOTlight

brought to you in partnership with 
B I R M I N G H A M

 

36 | JANUARY 12 • 2023 

here’s to

The Jewish 
Theological 
Seminary 
awarded 
honorary 
doctorates to 40 
rabbis at a recent 
convocation 
ceremony. JTS 
celebrated and 
honored the achievements of these 
important members of the rabbinate 
for their more than 25 years of service. 
Among them was a Detroiter, Rabbi 
Michele Faye Faudem of Hillel Day 
School of Metropolitan Detroit in 
Farmington Hills.

Transitions Legal, a Bloomfield Hills-based 
family law firm, has hired Kacie Pohlman 
as its newest associate attorney. Pohlman 
worked in family law and personal injury/
no-fault law at her previous firm. During 
her college studies, she studied romantic 
relationships and group therapy, adding 
knowledge that informs her legal career 
and inspiring her to choose family law as 
her area of specialty. She also learned 
conflict resolution and 
attachment styles to 
better understand how 
people react and manage 
conflict, which informs 
her work with the Our 
Family in Two Homes 
resource that Transitions 
Legal offers to clients.

Hadassah has 
selected Detroit 
resident Amy 
Sapeika to be a 
member of the 
inaugural class of 
Evolve Leadership 
Fellows, the 
organization’s new 
leadership development program. 
Sapeika, a communications coordinator 
at Hillel Day School of Metro Detroit, 
is a third-generation Life Member 
of Hadassah. The Fellows met with 
senior Hadassah volunteer leaders 
and longtime Hadassah members in 
Israel in November. On their return to 
the U.S., the Fellows began a series of 
leadership development sessions.

S

eeing the Berkley Coffee 
staff at work, there is no 
denying they are mas-
ters of a craft. Rachel Rosenthal, 
the coffee shop manager, loves 
feeding people and sharing the 
world one beverage at a time.
Rosenthal, born in Jerusalem, 
moved to Michigan eight years 
ago. Today, she and her family 
call Oak Park home. Rosenthal’s 
career started with AISH. She 
specialized in Jewish outreach 
and education for adults and 
young families. Bringing people 
together and creating space for 
meaningful growth and bonds 
are the anchors of her life work. 
These are also sacrosanct to her 
work at Berkley Coffee. 
Attracted to the Berkley 
Coffee mission to slow down 
with intentionality, wonder 
and exploration were just 

one part of the coffee shop’s 
appeal. “I felt like I was walking 
into someone’s home,
” recalls 
Rosenthal of her first time 
entering Berkley Coffee. At the 
time, Rosenthal was working 
for Fresh Collective Kitchen 
and Market where Berkley 
Coffee sources its sandwiches. 
That first time, Rosenthal 
entered through the East 
Room, also known as the Quiet 
Room. She was in awe of the 
quality, care and detail of the 
space. The space caters to 
young children and individuals 
seeking to enjoy their coffee 
without music. The coloring 
books, Rosenthal recalls, are the 
type she would invest in for her 
own children.
Rosenthal shares one power-
ful business choice of Berkley 
Coffee: to offer the full bar-mu-

sic-gathering experience and be 
fully non-alcoholic. 
The Berkley Coffee mission 
statement reads: “Our non- 
alcoholic bar exists to encour-
age consciousness, life balance 
and appreciation of all those 
other ingredients shadowed by 
ethanol in most ‘adult bever-
ages.
’ For the full spectrum of 
strictly sober to struggling alco-
holic, we exist for you to enjoy 
well-considered, often complex/
challenging adult drinks devoid 
of the negative impacts of alco-
hol.
” 
Rosenthal takes great pride 
that Berkley Coffee is not your 

typical coffee shop minimal-
ist music space. The absolute 
opposite. Kenny Showler, 
the owner and creative force 
behind Berkley Coffee, stud-
ied sound design at Michigan 
Technological University and 
honed his skills working at 
theme parks and museums 
around the globe. 
Berkeley Coffee is a top-of-
the-line music performance 
space. The venue regularly 
hosts talent of all ages, offering 
everything from open mics on 
Thursdays to a monthly stu-
dent expo series for AIM High 
School. 

Berkley Coffee is a welcoming and 
inclusive space to gather.

A Place for 
Community

STORY AND PHOTOS BY YEVGENIYA GAZMAN

Rachel Rosenthal, Kenny Showler, Adam Magy and Gasana 
Theophile

continued on page 37

