Born in Jerusalem, son of former Israeli emissaries who served in the U.S; raised in the Israeli Youth Movement; nine years a pilot and flight instructor in the Israeli Air Force; eight years a high school teacher and mentor for youth-at-risk in Tel Aviv; an educator with a Master’s of Philosophy; what better creds for Jewish Detroit’s new Shaliach, our emissary from Israel, Yiftah Leket?
Imagine the courage, the spirit and the optimism it takes to mask-up and fly in the face of a world pandemic to carry out his mission to Israel and our Jewish community. With steadfast confidence in his bold move to Detroit - having just arrived in September with his wife, Paz, and their daughter, Ella - Yiftah offers his first take on the challenges and opportunities ahead.
“You just need to get up and go,” my beloved grandfather, Dr. Jerry Rosenberg, told me as I vacillated about when would be the right time to begin my life in Israel.
Looking back on everything I've done, and all of the remarkable people who have touched my heart, I feel so proud and fulfilled. It might not have been a full year but it will definitely stay with me for years to come.
A mission for Gen Xers? Geared for first-time visitors to Israel? Why not! Launched in January 2020 - with the generous support of longtime community leaders, Andi and Larry Wolfe - Federation’s inaugural Gen X Mission brought 33 first timers to tour, discover and experience all that Israel has to offer through the lens of Jewish Detroit’s vibrant connections there.