MARCH 23 • 2023 | 39

Inclusion, Progressive Art Studio Collective, 
the Henry Ford Museum and Jewish agen-
cy Gesher Human Services, among others.
Participants built connections with their 
homestay host families or the volunteer 
families that offer to let delegates live with 
them during their time in Metro Detroit. 
Host families, like the delegates themselves, 
come from many different backgrounds, 
cultures and religions, and often include 
local Jewish participants.
Also in March, Global Ties Detroit 
welcomed a second delegation with 10 
community leaders from 10 different coun-
tries in Europe. This group’s focus was on 
advancing minority rights and took place 
from March 9-12 in Metro Detroit.
Participating leaders hailed from 
Belgium, Ukraine, Turkey, Spain, Sweden 
and other countries and discussed ways to 
protect human rights of minority commu-
nities.
“They had a very diverse program,
” 
Reich says. “They went to Fordson High 
School [in Dearborn], which I think was 
fascinating for them to see a school that has 
such a high percentage of Arab-American 
students.
”
Other activities on the agenda included 
meeting with local LGBTQ, interfaith and 
minority rights leaders to understand work 
being done in Metro Detroit and beyond.

FORGING CONNECTIONS
While inclusivity and minority rights are 
the center points of these two delegations, 
Global Ties Detroit’s work touches on all 
matters important to cultural and economic 
life. Other topics seen in these exchanges 
include entrepreneurship, innovation, 
civic engagement, immigration, economic 
development, education, public health and 
more.
The key program that Global Ties Detroit 
facilitates is called the International Visitor 
Leadership program, which has been active 
for 80 years through the U.S. Department 
of State. With this program, embassies and 
consulates select people who are influential 
or emerging leaders in their countries to 
participate and learn about American life.
“It could be journalists or religious 
leaders, community activists,
” Reich 
explains. “They’ve done a really great job of 
picking people who are very influential.
“Potentially, you could have the next 
prime minister of a certain country,
” she 
adds.
The State Department, Reich explains, 
keeps this program going to help 
international visitors understand who 
Americans are and what values define 
American culture.
“Even if we don’t agree all the time with 
another country’s actions, we still want to 

promote peace and understanding,
” she 
says. 
In addition to the International Visitor 
Leadership program, Global Ties Detroit 
facilitates numerous online and in-person 
programming that includes virtual 
training for youth in Belarus, fellowships 
for emerging leaders and exchanges for 
Pakistani educators, among dozens of 
others.
“It can really be about anything,
” Reich 
says. “There’s a lot of variety.
”
Some programs are short-term — just a 
few days — while others are longer-term 
and can span anywhere from a few weeks 
to a month or longer. “We could have six 
delegations at the same time,
” Reich says. 
Most of the programs are funded by the 
U.S. Department of State, but Global Ties 
Detroit is also supported by corporate and 
individual sponsors.
A selection of programs, like certain 
networking events, are free to attend, 
and Reich encourages the Metro Detroit 
community to explore and participate in 
programming.
“We’re very interested in getting more 
Metro Detroiters engaged in international 
relations and global diplomacy,
” she says. 
“We’re a huge border city. The biggest 
international trade crossing between the 
U.S. and Canada is right here.
” 

ABOVE: Belarus cultural night: Delegates from Belarus made dinner for their host families 
and Global Ties Detroit friends/supporters. FACING PAGE: A photo from a European group 
meeting with Rabbi Asher Lopatin on the topic of European Security Challenges. Lopatin 
spoke about his work with other faith traditions, including Muslim, Black, Hindu and Latino 
communities.

Marian Reich and Dr. Daniel Aschheim, Deputy 
Consul General of the Consulate of Israel in the 
Midwest, together with Global Ties Detroit’s 
Board Chair Faris Alami, a Palestinian American 
entrepreneur

