44 | MAY 2 • 2024 
J
N

T

he idea of “paying it 
forward” is a simple 
one. When you’re on 
the receiving end of an act of 
kindness or help from someone, 
instead of trying to pay it back, 
you pay it forward by doing 
something nice for someone else 
when you can. 
Dorrie Prussian of 
Birmingham, one of the many 
impressive young professionals 
the Detroit Jewish community 
has to offer, is doing just that. 
Prussian, originally from 
Louisville, moved to Detroit in 
June 2022 after a long-distance 
relationship with her fiancé, 
Derek Wolfe, who’s originally 
from and currently resides in 
the Detroit area. Prussian has 
additional Detroit-area roots —
her father is from the area, and 
Prussian often visited Detroit 
throughout her childhood. 
Upon moving to the area, 
Prussian wanted to meet new 
people and find a way to get 
involved in the community. 

She was able to meet people 
through her fiancé and other 
family in the area but wanted 
to expand those efforts and 
meet new couples and friends 
together. 
Prussian quickly started 
attending NEXTGen Detroit 
events, and the ball started 
rolling. 
“We’re really lucky Detroit has 
a vibrant young adult communi-
ty that wants to be involved and 
participates in events, and there 
are events to go to all the time,
” 
she said. 
In March and April 2023, 
Prussian attended NEXTGen 
Detroit’s Entree series, a 
four-session series providing 
attendees the opportunity to 
network with other young 
adults and community leaders 
as well as learn about local 
resources and programs and 
ways to get involved and give 
back. 
Prussian’s interest increased 
tenfold through those experienc-

es — leading to her joining the 
NEXTGen Detroit board. 
Prussian serves on 
NEXTGen’s New to Town 
Committee, which hosts events 
for people who are new to this 
area or have recently moved 
back to town, in turn helping 
those people form new connec-
tions and feel at home.
New to Town social events 
take place throughout the year, 
allowing those connections for 
new and returning Detroiters to 
be made. In August 2023, there 
was a “L
’Chaim Detroit: Newish 
and Jewish Edition” happy hour/
bar night at DraftKings Sports 
Bar in Troy. Last month, there 

was a “Newish and Jewish Trivia 
Night” at Urbanrest Brewing 
Company in Ferndale. Prussian 
served as a co-chair for both 
events. 
Prussian, a social worker at 
a Detroit-area public school, 
has had an interest in being a 
part of the Jewish community 
for her entire adult life. She was 
involved in the Jewish commu-
nity in Louisville as part of its 
young adults’ division. That itch 
followed her to Detroit. 
“It’s been great. This is a really 
tight-knit community, and we’re 
always wanting to find ways to 
bring new people together,
” she 
said. 
Being new to the community 
two years ago and now help-
ing others find their footing, 
Prussian has seen and learned 
a lot. She finds that unless 
someone is really seeking out 
the Jewish community when 
they move to a new place, they 
can sometimes go unnoticed. 
Improvements in Jewish young 
adult outreach can always be 
made, and Prussian would love 
to help anyone who’s interested 
in what the Detroit Jewish com-
munity has to offer. 
“I think there’s a lot of young 
Jewish adults here that we don’t 
know about. Finding some kind 
of way to get notified when they 
do move so that we can reach 
out to them, somehow get them 
involved or meet them for coffee 
or something would be helpful,
” 
she said. 
Being involved in the com-
munity and helping new and 
returning Jewish Detroiters feel 
at home means a lot to Prussian, 
especially because, zooming out, 
it’s truly a small community.
“
As the young Jewish com-
munity, we need to grow and 
continue to be involved in our 
community,
” she said. 
“Sticking together, having 
each other’s backs and bonding, 
I think, is really important.
” 

New to Town

NEXTGen connects newcomers 
to Detroit’s Jewish community.

DANNY SCHWARTZ SENIOR STAFF REPORTER

Dorrie 
Prussian

Dorrie Prussian and her 
fiancé, Derek Wolfe

NEXT DOR
VOICES OF A NEW GENERATION

