Local photographer builds business

Twenty years ago, local African American entrepreneur John Stewart, owner of Stewart Photography, set himself apart in his field as one of the first to offer digital keepsake photos with customized backgrounds. As his business grew, he began to hire people from the Jewish community who referred him to clients who needed pictures for bar mitzvah events. John Stewart Stewart, a Pontiac native, describes his experiences working with bar mitzvah events as a turning point for him, as he established positive relationships with people in the Jewish community and began to incorporate the principles he learned from them to improve his own life.

“When I first came to the bar mitzvahs and saw the community coming together to celebrate younger people, I was impressed. In life we need to celebrate each other and mark important moments,” he said.

Stewart was also impressed with the teens at the events who had a vision of their career paths at a young age. He credits the older generation of Jewish Americans for guiding and supporting their vision.

“I like the fact that a lot of Jewish

Inspired by Jewish Values

Local photographer builds business and ministry from l’dor v’dor.

KENNETH POWERS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Americans think and plan generationally. They invest a lot in their children and youth,” he added.

One of the Jewish teens he met over 10 years ago, Lexie Garfield-Turner, has fond memories of working with Stewart Photography as a photographer’s assistant, which was her first job.

“I loved working at the bar mitzvahs. I remember working with other young people and everyone was professional, but we had a great time,” Garfield-Turner said.

Garfield-Turner, who is now a licensed therapist, described John as “the go-to guy” for bar mitzvah photos in the Metro Detroit Jewish community in the early 2010s.

“The photographers that competed with John for business back then didn’t stand a chance because of the technology that he used and because of his charisma. He not only did quality work, but he established a lot of positive relationships with the community,” she said.

As time progressed, Stewart expanded his work in the Jewish community as he photographed weddings, high-end parties and sports events. Also an ordained Christian minister, Stewart started his own church called Generation2Generation Ministries in Bloomfield Hills a few years ago. He says that the church’s name reflects his experiences with the Jewish community and his understanding of the Hebrew phrase l’dor v’dor, which means “from generation to generation.”

“As a Christian minister, I teach what the Bible says about generations. You can see it in the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Bible speaks about wise stewards who pass an inheritance to their children. As a church, we need to have a multi-generational vision,” he said.

“I try to emphasize the role of family in my life and ministry. The family is the pillar of any culture,” he said. “If the family is destroyed, people will have a hard time trying to build.”

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business SPOTlight

LEFT: A screenshot of her goodbye. RIGHT: The surprise Zoom call.

continued from page 26 from home since March. Perkins is the only one still on-site at the station in Southfield.

“Thank you for being an example of the kind of human being we should all be,” he said. “Thank you for being a model of integrity and grace, courage, kindness and compassion.”

The live broadcast was filled with laughter, tears and a few surprises. There were old news clips of Sherry’s hairstyles through the years and recorded interviews with her three adult daughters, Jordan, Alex and Eden. Sherry’s late husband, best-selling author Jeffrey Zaslow, was killed in a car crash in February 2012. Years later, she talked about that life-altering ordeal in a special segment called Still Standing and regularly featured inspiring stories of other people overcoming hardships and challenges.

“What a remarkable career you’ve had,” Alex said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better role model to guide us through this thing called life.”

“You taught us how to be a fearless, independent, strong and determined women,” added Eden.

Jordan also fought back tears during her interview. “We’re just so grateful you’re our mom,” she said. “And we’re so proud of you.”

A surprise Zoom call was held after the broadcast with dozens of family members, friends and colleagues who shared stories and memories.

Jewish News contributor Alan “Big Al” Muskovitz was among them. He first met Sherry when he and his wife sold their condo to her and Jeff in the late 1980s. Sherry was eight months pregnant with her first daughter, Jordan, at

the time.

“Little did I know she would be responsible for the birth of my radio career,” Muskovitz said. “In 1992, she declared I’d be a perfect fit for Dick Purtan’s morning radio show. She made a call. I made an audition tape. And within days, my life and career were forever changed.” Despite the emotional goodbye, Sherry, a member of Congregation Shaarey Zedek, says she’s looking forward to her next chapter. She’ll be staying in Michigan and plans to spend more time with her daughters and her mother in Buffalo and possibly writing a book, taking up piano or tackling other projects that come her way.

“I’m excited about the open opportunity to do what I want, when I want,” she says. “It just feels like the right time.”

here’s to

Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner’s Returning Citizens Entrepreneur Training Center has been recognized with an achievement award from the National Association of Counties. The award honors innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents. The county treasurer’s new program is an entrepreneurial development system designed to transition returning citizens from incarceration into financial empowerment through the rewards of self-employment. The lay leadership of Temple Emanu-El’s was installed on June 26 via Zoom. Officers are President, Ruthanne Okun; Administrative Vice President, Robert Olender; Financial Vice President, Debora Renner, Engagement and Development Vice President, Jackie Bean; Religious Vice President, Stuart Trager; Treasurer, Daniel Steinhardt; Secretary, Linda Hollins; and Immediate Past President, Martin Leibowitz. Trustees are Kim Conwell-Leigh, Vickie Edwards, Liz Fallert, Richard Gold, Sandra Goldberg, David Gubow, David Hart, Steve Ingham, Robert Kahn, Robert Levitt, Aric Parr, Michael Patterson, Lance Starler and Susan Stettner. Sisterhood Co-Presidents are Rae Mandel and Robin Gold, and Brotherhood President is Harry Onickel.