Could she have been a rabbi? Sherrie Singer’s lifelong love of Jewish learning certainly points in that direction. “I’ve been mentored and molded by rabbis my entire life,” she notes, “but I’ve chosen a different path.” From Federation’s executive track in Women’s Philanthropy to the boards of Temple Israel, BBYO, ORT and Hillel of Metro Detroit, from her weekly study circle of Melton grads to her present cohort of Wexner Fellows, from Thread (the nonprofit she created with friends to connect and inspire Jewish women), now to her seat at the Hebrew Union College Board of Overseers, Sherrie has indeed found her voice - not at a pulpit, but on the platform of an outstanding community leader in Jewish Detroit.
Founding Partner of Bar Processing (a major steel processor for automotive parts); Past President of Federation and the Jewish Community Center; astute fundraiser, strategic community planner and avid supporter of Israel; naming sponsor the Loving Acts of Kindness Fund and JCC’s annual “Matzah Factory.” An aficionado of model trains since childhood, proud to become a Bar Mitzvah at the age of 63. Ever learning, ever curious, always dapper in his signature specs. This is Douglas Bloom, recipient of Federation’s highest honor, the 2018 Fred M. Butzel Memorial Award.
There are a lot of moving parts to running Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit (JSL), and fortunately, for the community, the engine running the agency is Nancy Heinrich, Chief Executive Officer. Walking through the $9 million renovation at the Harriet & Ben Teitel Apartments, located on the A. Alfred Taubman Jewish Community Campus in Oak Park – one of seven residential apartment communities in the JSL family, Nancy notes, “There are 850 residents in our care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are our family, our community. They have placed their trust in our work and they have placed their lives in our hands and yes, it’s weighty. But the responsibility is also so rewarding. I think the hardest thing for anyone in my seat is the fact that you want every single person in your care to be happy – every single day. And you know that just isn't possible.