NOV. 3 • 2024 | 35
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Yeshiva Beth Yehudah Special Edition NOVEMBER 3 • 2024 | 35
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Whitmer. Shapiro spoke about
the lasting effects of his Jewish
education and his support for
Israel and the Jewish people. For
the oratorial icing on the cake,
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and
U.S. Senators Gary Peters and
Debbie Stabenow also made
remarks.
To name all the featured
speakers over the years would
take most of my column,
but I’ll give you a few exam-
ples: Presidents Joe Biden,
George Bush, Gerald Ford
and Donald Trump; Nikki
Haley, the U.S. Ambassador
to the UN at the time; Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice; U.S. Senators Joe
Lieberman, Charles Schumer and John Kerry;
and U.S. General Colin Powell.
We also should not forget the many
Outstanding Leadership and Golden Torah
Awardees such as Mandell “Bill” Berman,
Penny Blumenstein, Robert Naftalay and
Nancy Grosfeld; business leaders Mary Barra,
CEO of General Motors; Matt Simoncin, CEO
of Lear Corporation; and Jerry Norcia, CEO of
DTE; and Mayor Mike Duggan.
Whew! And, I’ve only named a few from the
prestigious list of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah honor-
ees and speakers.
Congratulations to the staff and leadership
of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah for more than a cen-
tury of outstanding educational and community
programming. You have an impressive record of
achievement, indeed. Mazel Tov!