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Bloomfield has been involved
with Chabad for the past two
decades, ever since he was
looking for somewhere to say
Kaddish for his mother on her
yahrzeit. He met his wife, Sarah,
while both were volunteering
at Friendship Circle, and was
even involved with helping pur-
chase the building for Chabad
of Greater Downtown’s opera-
tions, as he’s a commercial real
estate broker. He helped start
and run Menorah in the D,
Chabad’s Chanukah program,
and he and his wife volunteer
with Friendship House, which
deals with addiction, as well as
Friendship Circle.
“I very much appreciate the
inspiration the shluchim have
gotten from the Rebbe. I appre-
ciate the service the Chabad
does for our community,
” he
says. “Even though I don’t agree
with everything they say or do, I
appreciate their significant con-
tribution to the Jews of the world
today, which is unmatched out
there.
”
The fact that 30 years after the
Rebbe’s passing, 20-year-olds are
willing to dedicate their lives to
the work their parents did speaks
volumes, he says.
“Seeing young Chabad families
pop up new centers in Livonia
and Traverse City 30 years after
the Rebbe passed away is pret-
ty remarkable,
” he says. “The
Rebbe’s influence is just as strong,
if not stronger, than it was 30
years ago.
”
And as the Jewish community
faced a crisis with current events
in Israel, Chabad was already
set up to help, offering tefillin,
learning, Shabbat and other
opportunities to connect, he says.
“Most of the things they’re doing
are just amplifications of things
they’ve been doing all along,
” he
says. “I think that’s pretty special.
”
THE SHARING OF
YIDDISHKEIT
Alan Zekelman of Bloomfield
Hills says he’s confident that
Chabad efforts in recent years
have helped try to stem the
tide of assimilation and shape
American Judaism. He credits
the Rebbe and the emissaries
with bringing the “Rebbe experi-
ence” to others.
“Shluchim have embraced me
just like any other Yid, so I’ve
been very supportive of those
efforts, because I realize that
without a stream of shluchim
coming into the world, there’ll
be a disruption of this wonderful
saving of yiddishkeit,
” he says.
Connected with Chabad since
he was a graduate student in
Rochester, New York, in 1984, he
says he’s grateful for the non-
judgmental embrace and
impressed by both the organiza-
tion’s structure and the emissar-
ies’ sincerity and commitment.
Zekelman supports educa-
tional efforts that prepare the
emissaries for their work, with
more than 150 students from
around the world learning at
the International School for
Chabad Leadership on the Harry
& Wanda Zekelman Campus in
Oak Park, named for his parents.
“There’s crucial outreach going
on to local people in Michigan,
so being helpful in that regard is
an obligation and a pleasure as
well,
” he says.
Alex Mison, who is from
Commerce and getting her mas-
ter’s degree at Michigan State
University, says she never knew
about Chabad or the Rebbe until
she came to MSU as a freshman,
but wound up connecting with
the students and Chabad family
there. Through that connection
and community, she says, she’s
been able to find her own Jewish
identity and hopes to help con-
nect others as well.
Especially after Oct. 7, students
at MSU and on campuses across
the state have turned to Chabads
on campus for support and
encouragement. “Chabad has
been a place where I know I can
go to feel safe and supported,
Parents learn about the Lamplighters Preschool.
continued on page 18