Metro Detroiters looking to
reinvent their working lives
at the start of this year or
look for a higher-paying job
to combat inflation expenses,
whether by a complete career
change or a job promotion,
can join a life-changing
career coaching program
which begins Feb. 14.
The program “MyCoach”
will be offered by Gesher
Human Services and
will be held in-person at
the nonprofit agency’s
headquarters (29699
Southfield Road, Southfield)
on Feb. 14, 16, 21 and 23
from 10 a.m. to noon.
The program includes four
masterclass group sessions,
plus an individual coaching
session for participants.
While there is a $75 fee for
the program, scholarships are
also available. According to
job search advice websites,
the first months of the year
are often believed to be the
best time to look for a new
job, when hiring managers
have new budgets, the
majority of workers have
returned from vacation, and
the hiring backlog at many
companies has restarted.
“MyCoach” will provide
attendees with high-powered
job search tools as well as
help participants identify
their strengths and be aware
of market trends.
“For anyone who made
that New Year’s Resolution
to change their job or look
into a new career, but isn’t
confident about taking the
next step, our program offers
practical advice and support
from professional career
experts to take that leap
successfully,” said Gesher
Human Services’ Career
Counselor Sherrie James.
To register for “MyCoach,”
contact Sherrie James at
sjames@geshermi.org or call
(248) 233-4472.
New Year, New Career
T
he Jewish Federation
of Greater Ann Arbor’s
Main Event on Feb.
9 will feature a live podcast
recording of the Unorthodox
podcast, which calls itself
“the universe’s leading Jewish
podcast.
” The event will take
place in-person at Washtenaw
Community College’s newly
renovated Morris Lawrence
Building. The program will be
livestreamed for those unable to
attend in person.
Launched in 2015, the
Unorthodox podcast is a
production of Tablet magazine.
It is hosted by Tablet journalists
Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie
Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz. A
typical episode showcases “news
of the Jews,
” interesting guests
— both Jewish and not — and
genial banter from three very
different Jewish perspectives.
Co-host Stephanie Butnick
describes the podcast as “a fresh,
fun take on Jewish news and
culture.
”
In addition to Butnick, the
podcast features Liel Liebovitz,
an Israeli-born journalist and
senior writer at Tablet. The
podcast’s third co-host and
creator, Mark Oppenheimer,
suggests on his website that,
“if you have never listened [to
Unorthodox], maybe start with
the episode on nose jobs, or
[one] on conversion to Judaism,
or [the one from Aug. 29, 2019]
that was just really funny.
”
“These three hosts, who are
all thoughtful journalists in their
own rite, share their unique
voices
to make the podcast vibrant and
entertaining,
” says Eileen Freed,
executive director of the Jewish
Federation. “They balance each
other well, and I’m looking
forward to the energy they’ll
bring to celebrate so many
different ways of being Jewish in
our community.
”
Bringing the community
together is a primary goal of the
Main Event and is the widest-
reaching fundraising event of
the Jewish Federation’s Annual
Community Campaign. The
Annual Community Campaign
provides significant unrestricted
funds to Federation’s communal
partners in Ann Arbor, Israel
and around the world.
Participants in the Main Event
will be asked to support the
community with a minimum
$100 pledge to the Jewish
Federation’s 2023 Annual
Campaign; students and young
adults will be asked to make a
meaningful gift.
For details and tickets to this
year’s Main Event, visit www.
JewishAnnArbor.org, email
info@jewishannarbor.org or call
(734) 773-3535.
“The Universe’s
Leading Jewish
Podcast” to Headline
AA Federation’s
Main Event
RACHEL WALL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Donald R. and Esther
Simon Foundation, a private
foundation located in
West Bloomfield, recently
announced the grants it
made in 2022.
Many of the grants support
the Jewish community. Last
year’s grants supporting
Jewish life and identity
went to the ADL, Camp
Tamarack scholarships, Hillel
of Metro Detroit to find a
rabbi/educator position,
the Zekelman Holocaust
Center for educational
programming, Jewish Senior
Life, ORT Michigan Region,
Society for Humanistic
Judaism and the WMU Hillel
for activities at Western
Michigan University.
Grants supporting Jewish
social justice organizations
included funding for Gesher
Human Services, JARC,
Jewish Family Service and
Yad Ezra.
The Foundation also
provided grants to non-
Jewish organizations,
including Capuchin, Detroit’s
Project Clean Slate to offset
fees for criminal record
expungement, Forgotten
Harvest, Gleaners, the DSO
and Gilda’s Club.
Emergency grants were
provided to JDC and World
Central Kitchen for aid to
Ukraine and the Jewish
Federation of Greater Naples
for aid in Aftermath of
Hurricane Ian.
All total, the Foundation
disbursed $632,500 in 2022.
Simon Foundation Announces Grants
SPOTLIGHT
FEBRUARY 2 • 2023 | 61