OUR COMMUNITY

T

he inaugural Jewish 
Agency for Israel 
North American 
Council (JAFINA) 
Leadership Dinner will 
celebrate Jane F. Sherman, 
who will be receiving the 
inaugural Max M. Fisher 
Award for the impact she 
has made to the local and 
global Jewish community. 
The event takes place on 
Sunday, June 4, at 5 p.m. at 
Knollwood Country Club in 
West Bloomfield.
Sherman is the daughter 
of the late Max Fisher, 
the iconic Detroit-
area philanthropist and 
businessman who was the 
founding chairman of the 
board of governors of the 
Jewish Agency for Israel. 
The Max M. Fisher Award 
is presented to an exemplary 
leader who embodies the 
values and philanthropic 
vision of Fisher as well as 
his unwavering commitment 
to the Jewish Agency for 
Israel and its mission. This 
award both honors Fisher’s 
invaluable contributions and 
pays tribute to his legacy 
and continued impact on 
the world.
Sherman was very moved 
when she received the call 
asking if they could present 
this award in his honor and 
if she would be the first 
recipient. With how much 
the Jewish Agency and its 
work means to Sherman, it’s 
even more special, she said. 
“It’s something very 

close and dear to my heart, 
as much as it was [my 
father’s]” Sherman said. 
“I hope he’s looking down 
at this, and that I’ve done 
something he’s proud of.” 
For 50 years, Sherman has 
been devoted to supporting 
Israel and Jewish life with 
a focus on children at risk, 
Jewish education and the 
next generation of Jewish 
leaders. She was a member 
of the Board of Governors 
of the Jewish Agency 
for over 25 years and is 
currently a member of the 
Jewish Agency Executive 
Board, and has chaired the 
Israel Department, Youth 
Aliyah and Allocations 
committees. 
Sherman was the 
founding chair of the Young 
Women’s Leadership Cabinet 
and was a founder of the 
Israeli Forum. She has held 
numerous top leadership 
roles in the Detroit 
Federation, including 
Women’s Campaign chair 
and president and vice 
president of the Federation, 
in addition to being the first 

woman chair of the General 
Campaign. 
Sherman and her 
husband, Larry, are 
intimately involved in 
Fisher Flight, a program 
to educate and train future 
Jewish leaders. She has won 
numerous awards, including 
Detroit’s highest honor — 
the Fred M. Butzel Award. 
Supporters of this event 
are helping fund the Jewish 
Agency for Israel’s efforts to 
bring young Jews to Israel 
on long-term immersive 
programs through Masa 
Israel Journey and the 
long-term absorption of 
Ethiopian Jews in Israel. 
Sherman is incredibly 
passionate about both 
efforts. 
“I hope the next 
generation understands the 
importance of their role and 
the role they need to play 
as young Jewish people, 
as Jewish leaders in the 
overall community and how 
important it is to guarantee 
our future as Jews,” Sherman 
said. 
Former Israel Prime 
Minister Ehud Olmert will 
be attending and speaking at 
the event.
“It’s going to be a fun 
evening, and I hope people 
come because it’s not only 
me — it’s also my father’s 
legacy,” Sherman said. 

To learn more and buy tickets, visit 

https://give.jafina.org/a/jewish-agency 

-israel-north-american-council-dinner. 

Jane Sherman will receive JAFINA’s 
inaugural Max M. Fisher Award.
Legacy of Impact

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

16 | MAY 25 • 2023 

Jane 
Sherman

Hate Crime 
Legislation Introduced
In late April, State Rep. Noah 
Arbit (D-West Bloomfield), 
alongside State Rep. Kristian 
Grant (D-Grand Rapids) 
and State Rep. Ranjeev Puri 
(D-Canton) introduced land-
mark legislation to strengthen 
Michigan’s outdated and inade-
quate hate crime laws.
For more than a decade, 
Michigan has experienced a 
severe rise in hate crimes, with 
Black, LGBTQ+, Jewish, Asian, 
and Muslim communities among 
the most targeted. According to 
the Michigan State Police, the 
number of reported hate crimes 
and bias incidents in Michigan 
rose every year between 2015 and 
2020.
The Michigan Hate Crime Act 
would overhaul Michigan’s Ethnic 
Intimidation Statute, which was 
passed in 1988 after the murder 
of Vincent Chin. It would expand 
the basis on which hate crimes 
can be targeted to include sexual 
orientation, gender identity and 
expression, physical or mental 
disability, ethnicity, and age; 
update sentencing guidelines, and 
begin to develop a restorative jus-
tice approach to hate crimes.
The Institutional Desecration 
Act would prohibit the targeted 
defacement, destruction, and 
vandalism of institutions and 
communal property, including 
houses of worship, cultural or 
community centers, and busi-
nesses as a hate crime. The leg-
islation would provide a more 
appropriate tool for Michiganders 
to pursue justice and accountabil-
ity for hate crimes targeting faith-
based institutions and other types 
of communal property.
“No one in Michigan should 
ever be made to feel unsafe 
because of who they are, or what 
community they belong to,” Arbit 
said. “
As a proud Jew and gay 
man, this fight is personal to me. 
I ran for office to take on rising 
hate and extremism.” 

