24 | AUGUST 17 • 2023 

F

or the first time in decades, 
Detroit hosted the National Young 
Leadership Cabinet (NYLC) 
retreat. The retreat was held from July 
31 through Aug. 2. The opening plena-
ry at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit 
featured speeches from several local 
and national dignitaries, headlined by 
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 
NYLC is Jewish Federations of North 
America’s (JFNA) premier young leader-
ship development program that inspires 
the next generation of global Jewish 
leaders toward philanthropy, communal 
engagement and activism. Cabinet has 
molded six decades of Jewish leaders 
and philanthropists and has more than 
4,500 current members and alumni who 

foster flourishing Jewish communities 
across North America and around the 
globe.
Other dignitaries who spoke at the 
opening plenary include Gary Torgow, 
chairman of Huntington Bank; Eric 
Fingerhut, president and CEO of 
JFNA; and Dennis Bernard, president 
of the United Jewish Foundation of 
Metropolitan Detroit and 
the chair of the Security and 
Antisemitism Committee of 
JFNA. 
The Detroit retreat 
attracted nearly 300 people 
from all over, which Bernard 
believes says a lot about the 
city and its Jewish community.

“We are one of the strongest, most 
dynamic Jewish communities in the 
country, and we have a large delega-
tion we send to the NYLC every year,” 
Bernard said. “And I think people are 
curious about Detroit. You heard that in 
the governor’s speech; we’re the come-
back city, and people like comebacks. 
People want to see it. It also says a lot 
about the influence our Cabinet mem-
bers have within Cabinet across the 
country.”
Bernard, who invited Whitmer and 
introduced her at the event, recalls 
meeting with her a few years ago when 
she came to his office. The discussion 
centered on her commitment to the 
Jewish community.
“I asked her to make sure we main-
tain the $4 million funding that would 
come to our Jewish community’s social 
service agencies. She lied. She turned it 
into $6 million,” Bernard said. “She has 
been an incredible friend to our Jewish 
community — $6 million dollars to our 
agencies, $15 million for security for our 
community.” 
Annual NYLC retreats elsewhere don’t 
get the governor of the state to come 
and speak, Bernard stated. 
“It’s (indicative) of the strength of our 
Jewish community that we could get the 
governor to do it,” Bernard said. “It’s 
also (indicative) of our governor who 
came and did it. She wanted to be there. 
She is very in tune with our Jewish com-
munity.”

ONE-ON-ONE WITH WHITMER
After her speech, Gov. Whitmer spoke 
exclusively to the JN, and said she was 
“thrilled” to be at the retreat and praised 
Michigan’s “incredible, strong Jewish 
community.”
“A lot of members of Cabinet have 
informed the work we’ve done in 
Michigan: the actions we’ve taken to 
support Jewish social services, to ensur-
ing the community is safe when there’s 
been a rise in antisemitism,” Whitmer 
said. “But I think hosting Cabinet here 
is a great opportunity for us to tell our 
story and also to hopefully get more 

OUR COMMUNITY

Keynote speaker Gov. Whitmer spoke exclusively 
to the JN about a number of topics.

Detroit Hosts 
National Young 
Leadership Cabinet 
Retreat

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Dennis 
Bernard

LEFT: Samantha Foon and Lacey Foon, 
both of Bloomfield Hills; Lou Goldhaber of 
Franklin, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Jordon 
Wertheimer of Birmingham.

