AUGUST 31 • 2023 | 25

that we really needed to move into the 21st 
century, with a professional overseeing the 
business aspects of the organization,” she 
explained. “We interviewed several candi-
dates for director, but Susan really ‘got’ how 
we operated, and she was extremely mul-
tifaceted. Hiring her made the biggest dif-
ference in how we ran our two thrift stores 
[which later became one store Council 
Re|Sale, currently located in Berkley] and 
the important revenue they provided the 
organization. Also, her ability to obtain 
grants for us was huge.”
Herrmann also highlighted Gertner’s 
deep empathy for others. “Because of her 
background in social work, she is just a kind 
and helpful person, which is so important 
when new presidents and volunteers come to 
NCJW
,
” she said.
When Gertner went for her interview at 
NCJW
, people remembered her from early 
on in her career as a Meals on Wheels case-
worker. “Honestly, it was really like coming 
home; I’
d come full circle,
” said Gertner. 
In her early years at NCJW
, Gertner intro-
duced important changes. One challenge was 
streamlining meeting notifications for greater 
efficiency. “Everything went by snail mail, 
so if there were 15 meetings in a week with 
10 people at each meeting, that would be a 
lot of stamps and administration,
” explained 
Gertner. She revamped the office structure to 
include other staff, applied for and obtained 
more grants, and put a publicity and mar-
keting system in place. Most of all, she has 
provided the continuity between the last 11 
presidents.
“Susan has forgotten more about NCJW 
than anyone of us would ever know — her 

memory is phenomenal,
” 
explained current NCJW|MI 
President Sallyjo Levine. “She 
also has an amazing ability to 
look at a situation and analyze 
what is the best thing to do, and 
she really listens when someone 
talks, so she picks up nuances 
others might miss.
” 
Levine said that everyone 
at NCJW
, both locally and 
nationally, has tremendous 
respect for Gertner. “We can’t 
fail to succeed when we have 
someone as strong as Susan alongside us. She 
truly believes in what we do,
” she explained. 
“Susan went to MSU, so bleeds green and 
white, but her son Charlie went to U of M, so 
she also bleeds maize and blue. The truth is, 
however, that she actually bleeds green and 
blue, the colors of NCJW
.
” 
Like so many nonprofits, the pandem-
ic brought new challenges for Gertner 
and NCJW to navigate. “But we made it 
through COVID-19 without missing a 
beat. We transformed our office to allow 
everyone to work from home. I was able to 
secure enough funds through grants and 
loans to keep us financially stable, and to 
continue to meet the needs of our commu-
nity,” Gertner said. 
The demand for Meals on Wheels, staffed 
by NCJW volunteers, doubled during the 
pandemic and, due to staffing changes, for 
months Gertner had to play a major role in 
coordinating the program. She would work 
from 6 a.m. to noon at Meals on Wheels 
before doing her day job. 
“I had to do it because we wanted to make 

sure our participants had the meals they 
needed,
” she said. 
Gertner, a member of Temple Shir Shalom, 
is very proud of the organization she serves. 
“If NCJW sees a need in the community, 
we research and find a way to do a project 
to help. This need could be voter advocacy, 
reproductive rights, helping low-income 
children in Detroit get school supplies and 
clothes, or finding a way to make our world 
greener by finding a new use for plastic bags 
by creating sleeping mats for the homeless,
” 
she said.
Looking ahead, Gertner plans to contin-
ue encouraging the next generation to be 
involved to ensure the continuation of the 
important work of NCJW|MI. 
She said she is continually impressed by 
the amazing and dedicated volunteers and 
wonderful staff at her organization. “
As for 
me, I feel like I am making a difference in my 
community, and not everyone can say that 
about their job,
” she added. 

To learn more and get involved in National Council 

of Jewish Women, Michigan, go to ncjwmi.org.

Susan Gertner, center, cheers 
for NCJW literacy volunteers 
at a Pistons game in 2013.

Susan packs back-
packs for low-income 
children in 2015.

Susan Gertner cooks 
for the staff appreciation 
breakfast in 2015.

