30 | DECEMBER 28 • 2023
J
N
A
Friday night
tradition for Jewish
families worldwide
took on a new meaning
for Ellyn Davidson of
Huntington Woods and her
management team at Brogan
& Partners.
On Dec. 1, as the team
gathered in Florida for an
annual planning meeting,
Davidson’s five partners,
none of whom is Jewish,
prepared and surprised her
with a beautiful Shabbat
dinner, candles, challah and
wine, and even learned and
recited the prayers in Hebrew
in a touching show of love
and support following the
Oct. 7 terrorist attack on
Israel.
Participants included
Laurie Hix, the company’s
creative director; Lori
Bahnmueller, director of
research and strategy; Becky
Robertson, media director;
and Katie Rehrauer and
Lauren Zuzelski, directors of
account services. Brogan &
Partners is a Ferndale-based
full-service marketing agency
with a mission to make a
positive difference. In all,
there are 32 team members,
including Davidson who is
the CEO.
“The five of us have been
terribly concerned about
Ellyn since Oct. 7. We know
how the war in Israel and
reports of antisemitism have
been taking an emotional toll
on the Jewish community,”
Bahnmueller said. “As a
Catholic, I believe when life
gets overwhelming, you have
to lean on your faith, into
something bigger and greater
than yourself. Knowing
that Shabbat was a weekly
celebration, we devised a
plan to surprise her at sunset
on Friday.”
The team ordered T-shirts
that read “I (heart) Jews”
and a member of the team
who was already in Florida
took care of all the meal
preparations. Laurie Hix
researched everything
needed for a traditional
Shabbat dinner and the
meaning behind it all,
including the prayers.
They told Davidson
there was an early dinner
reservation, got dressed and
ready in advance, and snuck
out to prepare the table.
“I was the last to get ready.
I came out to the living room
of our vacation rental and
didn’t know where anyone
was,” Davidson explains.
“I walked out to the pool
to find everyone in their
shirts, playing ‘Fiddler on the
Roof.’ They all said, ‘Shabbat
Shalom.’ It was indescribable.
I will never forget this as
long as I live. It showed me
how much they love and care
about me and Jewish people.
I’m still overwhelmed.”
SILENCE NOT AN OPTION
Since Oct. 7, Davidson has
been posting almost daily on
social media expressing her
horror and urging people not
to stay silent.
“As a Jewish person, I
am beyond devastated,” she
wrote in one of her posts.
“But this goes way beyond
my religious affiliation. This
is about humanity … As
an owner of an advertising
agency, I’ve watched brands
Shabbat Surprise
OUR COMMUNITY
Non-Jewish Brogan & Partners managers plan
a touching show of love and support.
ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Becky Robertson, Laurie
Hix, Lori Bahnmueller,
Katie Rehrauer and
Lauren Zuzelski
Laurie Hix lights
Shabbat candles
while Becky
Robertson looks on.