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MARCH 14 • 2024 | 7
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moved back to New Jersey 
— became her community 
and her classroom — places 
where her innate curiosity 
could be satiated; she soaked 
up everything she learned like 
a sponge. 
In her final career chapter, 
Mom went back to her roots 
and true passion, helping oth-
ers. As an executive and career 
coach, she thrived on helping 
people who were “stuck” find 
their own passion. Said one 
of her former coaching clients 
in an email to me last year, 
“Jane offered me kindness and 
coaching at a key transition 
point in my career. She was 
funny and encouraging and 
ballsy and fun.
”
My mom’s love and devo-
tion to her family was palpa-
ble. So, too, was her love for 
people in general. From the 
moment she met you, she 
made you feel not only as 
though she had known you 

forever (often with a huge 
hug!), but also like you were 
the most important person 
on earth. And she touched so 
many. 
I can’t tell you how many 
people have reached out to me 
in the last year to share stories 
about how she changed their 
lives for the better — from 
former classmates, students 
and colleagues to the people 
she coached and friends she 
collected along the way — 
because once you were in her 
life, you were there to stay. At 
her shivah in April 2020 — 
virtual since we were in the 
early days of COVID — more 
than 400 people were present.
To me, she was everything. 
My support system. My men-
tor. My confidante. My best 
friend. My role model. So, to 
Mom, and all the trailblazers 
like her, I say thank you. May 
we all one day have the impact 
that you had on this world. 

experiences to better address 
the needs of our students. 
Our cohort considered the 
educational goals structured 
by Birthright and if we are 
meeting those goals through 
trip itineraries. 
We also spoke extensive-
ly about the importance of 
returning to Israel after such 
devastation. For the people of 
Israel to grieve and grow, we 
need to resurrect the tourism 
industry that was lost on Oct. 
7 and bring life back to what 
was destroyed. At Michigan 
Hillel, Birthright trips are the 
largest student trips to Israel, 
with 120 students traveling 
each summer. As one of the 
leading Hillels in the country, 
it is imperative to ensure that 
these trips are both fun and 
meaningful for our students. 

It is our responsibility as trip 
leaders to adapt to the changes 
of the time, both in itinerary 
and educational components 
of the 10-day trip. 
Traveling to Israel with a 
cohort of educators who share 
a passion to enrich the lives 
of Jewish students through 
Birthright granted me the 
opportunity to think critically 
and intentionally about the 
mission of these trips and the 
takeaways our students bring 
back to campus. I look for-
ward to continuing to develop 
and run our Birthright trips 
so that more students can 
connect to such an important 
piece of Jewish peoplehood. 

Allison Bloomberg is Israel 

Engagement manager – IACT at the 

University of Michigan Hillel.

Tribute continued from page 4

Who to call 
when you 
don’t know 
who to call.

During challenging times, the Detroit Jewish 

community is here to help. Managed by 

Jewish Family Service (JFS), Jhelp is staffed by 

knowledgeable professionals ready to guide 

you to the Jewish Detroit resources you need.

Older Adult Services • Transportation 

Caregiving • And So Much More

Supported through the generosity of The Jewish Fund 
 and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Family Foundation.

You can also chat 

with us online at 

Jhelp.org.

It’s FREE. It’s confidential. 
It’s here for you. 

Call 1-248-592-2650

