OUR COMMUNITY

continued from page 13

ON THE COVER

14 | NOVEMBER 9 • 2023 J
N

MEET THE NEW 
FEDERATION PRESIDENT
After earning a law degree at 
Wayne State, Gary Torgow 
began his career in the law, 
then real estate, where he 
began a family enterprise 
called the Sterling Group. He 
then turned to the banking 
profession and is now the 
chairman of Huntington Bank.
Torgow serves on the board 
of DTE Energy Company and 
as a director of Blue Cross 
Blue Shield of Michigan. 
Additionally, Torgow serves 
on the Executive Board of 
Business Leaders of Michigan, 
Steering Committee at Mosaic 
United and as board presi-
dent of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah 
and the Detroit Jewish News 
Foundation, which publishes 
the Detroit Jewish News. He’s 
been a trustee on the board 
of Federation and has served 
in numerous roles, including 
Annual Campaign chair. 
Torgow was inspired to 
his lifetime of service by 
his maternal grandfather, 
Manual Merzon, who came 
to America from Russia in 
1918 as a 16-year-old orphan. 
He worked hard and became 
a lawyer, becoming the first 
lawyer to wear a yarmulke in 
the courts in Michigan in the 
1940s.
“But his real avocation 
was helping people,” Torgow 
said. “He was deeply involved 
in assisting the community, 
always with an eye on the less 
fortunate. He served pro bono 
[for no fee] as a lawyer for 
communal organizations in 
Detroit, and I grew up watch-
ing his kindness. My grandfa-
ther had a strong influence on 
every area of my life, including 
my communal career.”
After Gary’s grandfather 
passed away, he authored 

a book about him called 
Raising the Bar.
After moving back from 
school in New York, Gary 
met another mentor, Rabbi 
Avrohom Abba Freedman, 
whose work ultimately led to 
the establishment of Yeshiva 
Beth Yehudah.
“What I learned from my 
grandfather and my rab-
bis was that the success we 
enjoy in this world comes 
directly through blessings 
from Heaven,” he said. “The 
Almighty puts you in the plac-
es you need to be, and achieve-
ments come from Heaven, 
directing us to the places we 
need to be to enable us to do 
some good in the world.”
Torgow and his wife, Malke, 
also have a passion for Israel 
and have led many missions 
over the years, taking commu-
nity, business and government 
officials to the Holy Land, 
including many non-Jewish 
people, with a goal that the 
participants should love Israel 
and love the Jewish people.

MEET THE NEW 
FOUNDATION PRESIDENT
Michael Berger is also a life-
long Metro Detroiter. He grew 
up in Southfield and attended 
high school at Cranbrook. He 
did his undergraduate work 
at the University of Michigan 
and then headed to Boston 
University Law School. After 
graduation, he practiced law in 
Chicago for four years before 
returning to Michigan to join 
the family business, the Berger 
Realty Group, which deals 
mainly with apartments and 
self-storage as well as con-
struction. His father, Stanley 
Berger, started the company 
in the 1970s, and Michael is 
now partners with his brother 
Steven in the business.

“ONE OF THE WONDERFUL 
THINGS ABOUT THE 
DETROIT JEWISH 
COMMUNITY IS OUR UNITY 
OF INTEREST AND PURPOSE, 
 OUR CAMARADERIE 
AND OUR COMMON 
GOALS TO STRENGTHEN 
THE JEWISH PEOPLE, 
SUPPORT ISRAEL, 
UPLIFT EACH OTHER 
AND TAKE CARE OF 
THOSE WHO NEED 

 OUR SUPPORT.” 

— GARY TORGOW

Gary Torgow

