formed Jewish Business
Network.
ELENA
LUCHINA
Elena Luchina
serves as
lecturer in
Yiddish at the
University of
Michigan.
She grew up in Moscow and
holds a Ph.D. in linguistics
from the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem. Her Yiddish
language courses are also
open for students at Michigan
State University, University
of Minnesota, University of
Iowa and University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign. Elena
helps the student find ways to
explore and express themselves
creatively in a new language
by connecting to history and
making new friends from
different generations and
countries. She also brings
her knowledge of diversity
in languages and culture to a
course she teaches on Jewish
languages around the world.
Elena translates songs into
Yiddish and writes original
songs, and she has been
assisting people in the area
with various Yiddish creative
projects. Her big dream is to
be part of organizing a yearly
klezmer festival in Michigan.
In the last few years, Elena
has been hosting the Jewish
Song Circle together with her
friends Moss Herberholz and
Shoshanna Ruth Wechter.
Participants bring tunes to
teach others. Sometimes these
are wordless tunes, sometimes
these are simple repetitive songs
in English, Hebrew, Yiddish,
Ladino, Ukrainian, Czech and
other languages. People are wel-
come to hum, sing, tap, rock,
dance, use a variety of musical
instruments or just enjoy the
space.
The group attracted not only
students, but also young pro-
fessionals from Ann Arbor and
Metro Detroit, as well as other
generations. More information
about the circle can be found
on Instagram @simpleyiddish
or in a Facebook group Jewish
Song Circle in Ann Arbor.
As you could guess at this
point, Elena enjoys singing,
learning new languages and
building communities. She also
likes dancing lindy hop, tango
and bachata, making improv
comedy and birdwatching. Her
latest achievement was learn-
ing how to drive and getting
her own car, so you will now
see her in Metro Detroit more
often.
EMMA
TRIVAX
Emma Trivax
is an associ-
ate attorney
at Troutman
Pepper
Hamilton
Sanders LLP and works in the
Health Sciences Transactional
group, focusing on health-
care regulatory work. Emma
was born and raised in West
Bloomfield and has been
involved with Temple Israel her
whole life.
Emma recently joined the
Anti-Defamation League
(ADL) after noticing a severe
uptick in antisemitic events in
Michigan. In 2021, she joined a
program, the Glass Leadership
Institute (GLI), within the
ADL, which is a program that
educates young adults on how
to recognize and fight antisem-
itism, hatred and bigotry in all
forms. Now, Emma is on the
board of the ADL and currently
co-chairs the GLI program. In
2022, Emma organized a com-
munity-wide program wherein
a panel discussed the nuances
between antisemitism, anti-Zi-
onism and progressive political
ideology.
Emma recently joined the
TI4Israel committee at Temple
Israel, which is a committee
that puts on events and edu-
cational sessions that teach
the community at large about
Israel. In addition to her volun-
teer work, Emma has worked
with Temple Israel since age
14, first as a teaching assistant
for religious school, then as
a co-director of the Temple
Israel children’s choir. Now, in
addition to her role as the choir
director, Emma is also a canto-
rial soloist at Temple Israel.
In law school, Emma restart-
ed the Jewish Law Student
Association (JLSA) at Wayne
State University Law School,
which had been on hiatus for
several years. In her tenure as
the JLSA president, she was
able to raise funds for HIAS,
a Jewish American nonprofit
organization that provides
humanitarian aid and assistance
to refugees.
She loves exploring the
food scene in Metro Detroit.
In the last several years, she
has seen exponential growth
in the amount of fantastic
restaurants that are being
opened. She’s happy to give
recommendations. Most people
don’t know that she has been a
drummer for nearly 20 years.
ERICA
MEYERS
Since
September
2021, Erica
Meyers (she/
her) has been
the engagement
and program associate at The
Well, helping to build inclusive,
innovative and intentional
Jewish community for young
adults in their 20s and 30s.
Erica grew up in West
Bloomfield, spending much of
her time at Temple Israel. From
Mother-Toddler and preschool
to religious school to YFTI
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