22 | FEBRUARY 8 • 2024 J
N

OUR COMMUNITY

T

he CIS Maisel Center for Judaic 
Studies, together with Chabad 
Lubavitch of Michigan, are thrilled 
to announce that Michal Oshman, the 
renowned author of the best-selling 
book What Would You Do If You Weren’t 
Afraid? and former executive at Facebook 
and TikTok, is coming to Oakland 
University to speak on the topic of how to 
see uncertainties in life as an opportunity 
to be purposeful, especially at times of 
individual decision points or when facing 
difficult times. 
The event, which will take place on 
Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m., is free and 
open to the public, and all are welcome 
to attend. At 6:15, there will be a kosher 
dessert reception with an opportunity to 
meet Oshman and other Jewish commu-
nity members.

 The event will be held at the Oakland 
Center Banquet Room A & B on the 
Oakland University campus in Rochester.
Passionate about people and culture, 
Oshman blends spirituality and leader-
ship principles to create compassionate 

workplaces. As a bestselling author and 
TEDx speaker, she shares insights on 
company culture, growth and career suc-
cess. Her journey as a mother of four has 
shaped her values to foster lifelong learn-
ing and inspire health and efficiency at 
high-performing organizations.
In her talk at Oakland University, 
Oshman will share a unique person-
al growth methodology based on the 
life-changing principles of Jewish wis-
dom.
It is easy to think that the daily chal-
lenges we experience in the 21st centu-
ry are new and unlike any that people 
faced in the past. Oshman draws on her 
own heritage and a wide range of Jewish 
teachings to offer practical advice for 
common concerns, such as a broken 
heart, parenting, overcoming setbacks 

and getting the most of our career. 
Dr. Michael Pytlik, the director of 
Judaic studies at Oakland University as 
well as the director of the CIS Maisel 
Center for Judaic Studies and Community 
Engagement, said, “We are happy to host 

Michal Oshman for this event, which is 
so timely for anyone who faces decisions 
in life, which is all of us! We expect that 
our students will find Michal compelling 
in that she was a professional in social 
media.”
All of us face social pressures and 
expectations that can influence our 
actions, sometimes against our own 
hopes and aspirations. Oshman will dis-
cuss these topics and discuss how time-
less Jewish wisdom can guide us through 
these points that occur in all of our lives. 
“I routinely find that students lack a 
vocabulary or a guide to find these pearls 
of Jewish wisdom and spirituality,” Pytlik 
said. “We look forward to hosting Michal 
who will help us talk about finding mean-
ing in our lives at any stage of life. Survey 
data indicate that people seek meaning 
and even spirituality without the restric-
tions of organized religion: This discus-
sion will be focused on that.”
Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov, vice presi-
dent and executive director of Chabad 
Lubavitch of Michigan, added, “We are so 
thrilled to come together as a community 
in collaboration with Oakland University 
to focus on personal growth from the 
Torah’s perspective. Michal’s presentation 
promises to be inspiring and informative 
to make real changes.” 

 

To register for the event, visit calendar.oakland.edu/

religiousstudies/event/10401. For more information, 

contact Dr. Michael Pytlik at pytlik@oakland.edu.

Michal Oshman, author of What Would 
You Do If You Weren’t Afraid? to speak 
on campus Feb. 13.

Renowned Author 
Coming to Oakland 
University

JN STAFF

Michal 
Oshman

“WE LOOK FORWARD TO HOSTING MICHAL 
WHO WILL HELP US TALK ABOUT FINDING 

MEANING IN OUR LIVES AT ANY STAGE OF LIFE.”

— DR. MICHAEL PYTLIK

