22 | FEBRUARY 23 • 2023
T
he Jewish Federation of Greater
Ann Arbor held its annual Main
Event on Feb. 9, boasting of the
highest amount raised in more than 15
years — $1.6 million. It also attracted
a large crowed, around 350 attendees
online and in-person, the most in five
years.
Among those in attendance at the
Eastern Michigan University venue were
officials from the broader community,
including U.S. Congresswoman Debbie
Dingell, State Sen. Sue Shink, State
Reps. Felicia Brabec, Carrie Rheingans
and Jimmie Wilson Jr., along with Ann
Arbor City Councilmembers Dharma
Akmon, Erica Briggs, Jen Eyer and
Travis Radina, and Ann Arbor Mayor
Christopher Taylor.
The headlining act was a live
recording of the podcast Unorthodox
with guest Gavriel Savit. While onstage,
Unorthodox hosts Mark Oppenheimer,
Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz
discussed Savit’s book The Way Back,
among other topics. Unorthodox, a
Tablet Studios production, touts itself
as “the universe’s leading Jewish
podcast,” and has more than 400
episodes since its debut in 2015. Savit,
who was born and raised in Ann Arbor,
is an author and performer.
The Federation awarded its
inaugural Pillar Award to JCOR
(Jewish Congregations Organized
for Resettlement, jcorannarbor.
org) for their collective efforts reset-
tling a Colombian refugee family in
Washtenaw County. The Pillar Award
was developed to recognize exemplary
efforts in the Jewish community within
the pillars of philanthropy, engage-
ment and convening. JCOR member
organizations include Jewish Family
Services, Beth Israel Congregation,
Temple Beth Emeth, Pardes Hannah,
Ann Arbor Orthodox Minyan, Jewish
Cultural Society and Ann Arbor
Reconstructionist Congregation.
“Love thy neighbor, care for the
stranger — wherever you are on
the faith continuum,” said Jewish
Federation board president Decky
Alexander, in presenting the award.
“JFS and JCOR have ensured that hun-
dreds of people, ‘strangers in a strange
land,’ not just feel at home but find a
home, through collective action, kind-
ness and continued collaboration.”
Greater Ann Arbor Jewish Federation welcomes
Unorthodox podcast hosts, grants first Pillar Award.
OUR COMMUNITY
LAURA PASEK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Main Event
The featured event
of the evening
was a live podcast
recording of
the Unorthodox
podcast with hosts
(from right) Liel
Leibovitz, Stephanie
Butnick and Mark
Oppenheimer
talking with Ann
Arbor native Gavriel
Savit.
LEFT: Shoshanna Wechter, Marty Shichtman,
Max Grad, Eric Olsen and Lynn Malinoff
shared their stories of becoming engaged in
the local Ann Arbor Jewish community.
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