MARCH 7 • 2024 | 17
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building. “I view myself
as a research-informed
practitioner,” Horwitz says.
While some practices were
as fundamental and widely
used as coffee dates, other
practices, such as super-
creative events like biblically
inspired escape rooms, came
directly from the minds of
The Well team.
One of the original
team members was Jessica
Katz, the panel facilitator.
Katz “is an exceptional
communal Jewish leader
with a global perspective
on Jewish life,” Horwitz
says. Katz is a past
JDC Entwine Ralph I.
Goldman Fellow, a fellowship
that took her around the
world experiencing and
learning from diverse Jewish
communities.
When the COVID pandemic
swept the world, Horwitz
first started to think he
should write a book about his
experience with The Well.
Then, in May 2020, still in
widespread lockdown, Horwitz
and his family moved to
Miami, Florida, where he took
on the position of CEO of the
Dave & Mary Alper Jewish
Community Center. This
became the exact laboratory
needed to see whether the
practices that established and
grew The Well would work
at a different organization,
one that is a more traditional,
establishment model. And he
found that they did.
Barely a year passed, and
Horwitz and his family
returned to Michigan where
he joined the rabbinical staff
at Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills.
Suddenly, Horwitz
found himself with a gift of
Wednesdays off. On Saturdays

and Sundays, Horwitz
had commitments at the
synagogue. His day off was
Wednesdays. More specifically
the six hours each Wednesday
while his kids were at Hillel
Day School.
“I am not someone who
idles well,” Horwitz says. “I am
going to write a book! This is
my chance.”
And he did.
Horwitz takes great pride
that The Well has continued
to flourish and grow without
him.
“Great leaders are those
who can create organizations
that can thrive without them,”
Yedwab says.

A ONE-OF-A-KIND PANEL
In 2020, Rabbi Stombaugh
stepped in as the executive
director of The Well and
continues to lead and innovate
the group with passion and
vision, a testament to the
great leadership of Horwitz,
Stombaugh and The Well staff.
“The Well is a grand
experiment of disruptive
innovation and Jewish
identity building. As such, the

transition from Rabbi
Dan to myself has
reflected change that
continues to support
evolving community
needs,” Stombaugh says.
Marisa Meyerson,
director of operations at
The Well who worked
with both Horwitz and
Stombaugh, invites all to
the panel. “
At The Well,
we strive to utilize the
best practices for building
deep and meaningful
relationships, she says.”
“Having Rabbi Jeff,
Rabbi Dan and Rabbi
Yedwab all together is
such a special opportunity
to think about
Jewish young
adult engagement
from three unique
perspectives.”
Yedwab adds,
“The Well has
become an
innovation engine
for our community and,
indeed, the nation.”
The panel is an opportunity
to meet and learn together so
we as a community continue
to grow from strength to
strength.
These days, Horwitz lives
in Nashville and serves as the
CEO of Jewish Federation of
Greater Nashville. That said, it
was never a question where to
have his book launch — just
when.
Horwitz is coming home
to Michigan and, more
specifically, Hillel Day School,
for this professional and
personal milestone.

“Just Jewish: Book Signing, Reception

& Panel Discussion” takes place

Sunday, March 10, at 12:30 p.m. at

Hillel Day School (32200 Middlebelt

Road). Register for the event at https://

jlive.app/events/6985

Marisa
Meyerson

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