Detroit
Metropolitan Detroit Chapter
(248) 646-7686
Detroit@ajc.org
Kari Alterman, Detroit Chapter Director and Regional Leadership Director
Jennifer Ludwig, Assistant Director
Kenneth C. Gold, Chapter President
Who We Are
Founded in 1945, the Metropolitan Detroit Chapter works to promote AJC’s mission in our local community. Through programming and other activities, our chapter works to improve inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations in the Detroit area, and to protect civil and religious rights for all. The chapter serves as a forum for our local Jewish community to reflect on issues of Jewish identity and to strengthen the unifying elements of our religion and culture in order to promote Jewish continuity. Finally, our chapter serves as a resource to the community and media about important issues facing the Jewish and global communities in the Detroit area and beyond. We have a strong relationship with international representatives based in Detroit and meet with them to advocate in support for Israel’s quest for peace and security.
Upcoming Programs
Detroit Chapter U.N. Day Diplomatic Marathon
The Detroit chapter is busy preparing for its third annual Diplomatic Marathon in commemoration of U.N. Day which falls each year on October 24. In parallel with AJC’s national meetings with high-level diplomats gathering for the U.N. General Assembly, the Detroit Chapter takes the opportunity to meet with members of the local diplomatic corps. These meetings help the chapter to develop local relationships with the consuls and bolster AJC’s national and national work with the countries.
This year, meetings have been set up with representatives of eight governments, including Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Slovak Republic, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. We anticipate that several more meetings will be scheduled in the coming weeks. The delegations will be led by program chair Robert Labe, who will be joined by other members of the board. Please email detroit@ajc.org if you wish to participate.
You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right
AJC is partnering with W.I.S.D.O.M. (Women’s Interfaith Solutions for Dialogue and Outreach in Metropolitan Detroit) to host Rabbi Brad Hirschfield at the 57th annual JCC book fair. Rabbi Hirschfield , a leader in interfaith community, is the author of You Don’t Have to be Wrong for Me to be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism. Through Rabbi Hirschfield’s personal experiences, biblical text, and other references, this book examines the possibility of being open to the diversity of the world’s religious traditions while remaining passionately committed to one’s own faith community.
Rabbi Hirschfield will speak on Sunday, November 16, 8:15 p.m. at the JCC campus in West Bloomfield. There is no charge for this program, and no need to RSVP. We look forward to seeing you there! A big thank you to Brenda Rosenberg, who will host Rabbi Hirschfield in her home during his stay, and to Sheri Schiff, who is working with both AJC and WISDOM on this program.
Reception for Turkish Ambassador:
AJC and the Assembly of Turkish American Organizations will host Former Ambassador Mustafa Aksin along with Mr. Naim Güleryüz, a leader of Turkey’s Jewish Community. As a fitting conclusion to our diplomatic marathon, members of the Detroit Diplomatic Corps and the local Turkish and Jewish communities are invited to a dessert reception. Our speakers will discuss the deepening relationship between Turkey and Israel, the Turkish Jewish Community, and Turkey’s role in the Middle East as a secular Muslim country. This thought-provoking program will take place on Wednesday, November 19th at the Townsend Hotel, 100 Townsend Street in Birmingham. Invitations will be mailed shortly; for more information, please call the office.
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