FEBRUARY 15 • 2024 | 57
J
N

T

he Byron and Dorothy 
Gerson Emerging 
Leaders Retreat was an 
unforgettable experience that 
left a lasting impact on all who 
attended. The retreat aimed to 
cultivate the leadership skills 
of Hillel students from across 
Michigan including Hillel of 
Metro Detroit, MSU Hillel, 
Hillel Campus Alliance of 
Michigan, and Michigan Hillel. 
It certainly did so. With a raging 
blizzard outside, we gathered to 
welcome our first guest speaker, 
writer-performer and teacher 
Stacie Chaiken.
Stacie, known for her exper-
tise in performance and sto-
rytelling, held a session that 
went beyond the conventional 
practices of leadership train-
ing. First, we were tasked with 
recalling significant stories in 
developing our Jewish identities. 
Being strangers upon arrival, 
there was a natural hesitancy to 
share our stories aloud. 
As Stacie navigated through 
her session, the lights began 
flickering, soon losing power. 
Instead of allowing the dark-
ness to dampen the spirit of 
the lecture, Stacie encouraged 
us to embrace the discussion 
differently. In the dark and 
unplugged from the world, a 
sense of comfort to share our 
stories came over us. 
Stacie’s insights into storytell-
ing, asking powerful questions, 
and using meaningful feedback 
were eye-opening to better 
understand the potency and 
nuance of our personal stories.

The power outage, rather 
than disrupting the retreat, 
became the catalyst for a 
memorable Shabbat. The 
most impactful part of this 
weekend occurred after the 
programming had concluded 
for the day. Following Stacie’s 
session, we returned to our 
cabins and huddled around 
the fire. We soon found 
ourselves storytelling once 
again. We were intrigued by one 
another because of the Jewish 
experiences we shared and 
those we did not. We compared 
stories of antisemitism on 
our campuses, growing up 
in densely populated Jewish 
areas and the triumphs of our 
communities coming together 
in times of need.
All the stories contributed 
to the proud Jewish young 
adults we are. For hours, the 
conversations continued. 
Eventually, many of my 
cabinmates brought their 
mattresses into the common 
area to stay warm by the 
fire and keep the positive 
communal atmosphere alive.

The next morning, still 
without power, we woke to 
a renewed sense of comfort-
ability —no longer strangers.
After breakfast, we welcomed 
our second guest, Samantha 
Mee, a certified Ayurvedic 
practitioner, yoga instructor, 
intuitive astrologer and spiritual 
counselor. She taught us that 
a crucial part of leadership is 
recognizing when to take time 
for yourself.
Surrounded by newfound 
friends, we took solace in the 
calm of Samantha’s session to 
individually reflect and unwind. 
Following Samantha’s session, 
we learned we would be sent 
home that evening due to 
the outage and related safety 
concerns. Although saddened 
by the news, this announcement 
brought us closer, as we 
understood our time together 
was ending more quickly than 
initially planned. 
We participates in 
programs that challenged our 
communication. These sessions 
forced us to look within and 
identify the beliefs that make up 
our Jewish identities. 
The Byron and Dorothy 
Gerson Emerging Leaders 
Retreat became more than a 
training opportunity for future 
Jewish leaders. It became a 
testament to the power of 
adaptation and connection in 
moments of unexpected dark-
ness — a lesson particularly 
pertinent to the world today. @ 
 

Tessa Hewitson Gerson is a 
sophomore at Wayne State.

Conversations 
in the Dark

Power outage at the Byron and Dorothy Gerson 
Emerging Leaders Retreat led to sharing stories.

Tessa Hewitson Gerson } jewish@edu writer

for college students 
by college students

Tessa Hewitson Gerson

JEWISH NEWS

THE DETROIT

New 
arrival 
in the 
family? 

Share your joy 
with a birth 

announcement 
in the Detroit 
Jewish News. 

Scan this QR code 
to get started.

