Jewish Federation’s General Assembly and Leadership Incubator
Written By: Erin Blankstein
Edited By: Allison Kobrick
In the middle of November, 25 students were chosen to travel to Washington, D.C. for the Jewish Federation of North America’s General Assembly (GA). Prior to their experience at the GA, the students engaged in a Leadership Incubator series in order to prepare for their upcoming trip and talk about campus life. At these sessions, students met to discuss and brainstorm ideas of how and why they lead. These sessions will also continue throughout the school year to bring necessary change to our Jewish community at U-M.
Upon arrival to Washington, D.C., Michigan students immediately met with students from the University of Maryland Hillel. According to Isaac Katz, a senior who took part in the experience, the students discussed topics they found “most pressing to young Jews in North America today.” That evening, they met with other Jewish leaders in the community at a marketing event. Monday, the students listened to wonderful speakers at the GA such as writer, AJ Jacobs and Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden. They were also privileged to meet with other prominent figures such as the CEO and COO of the Metro Detroit Jewish Federation, Scott Kaufman, and Ruth Messinger, the CEO of Jewish World Services.
Throughout their time at the GA, the students participated in various sessions, including how to engage millennials, what’s going on in Israel, Jewish education, and Jewish life on college campuses. Katz exclaimed, “We all felt like we had an important role in representing the experience of Jewish Michigan students to Federation members.” Michele Freed, a Michigan student, was privileged to speak on a panel alongside the CEO of Hillel International, Eric Fingerhut. Overall, this trip was an excellent opportunity for the University of Michigan students to expand their knowledge on Jewish and Israel related topics alongside getting a chance to network. These 25 students are looking forward to bringing back their new ideas and experiences in order to implement changes for the Jewish community on campus.
Highlight. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation.
Maximum 50 words per paragraph. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate.