DAVID SACHS
OUR COMMUNITY
Listening Tour Dave Coulter visits the JN in his efforts to better know different segments of Oakland County. JACKIE HEADAPOHL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
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arlier this month, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter visited the Jewish News’ Farmington Hills office to meet with the editorial team and Detroit Jewish News Foundation Board Member Mark Zausmer and Board Advisor Mark Davidoff. Coulter, the former mayor of Ferndale, said he was interested in fostering relationships within the Jewish community. “In many ways, I’m still the new guy,” he said. “I know my own corner of Oakland County very well, but we have a big county, so I’ve been engaged in a listening tour, meeting with leaders from all over.
“The Jewish community is centered here in Oakland County, and it has a major presence. I want to better understand the community.” Coulter added that he was in Washington, D.C., during the recent “No Fear” rally again antisemitism. “I thought it was important to go and was struck by the commitment of two young men I met there from Oak Park, who drove down to the rally because they thought they needed to be there.” Because of the recent surge in antisemitism, Coulter also addressed the issue of security within the community. He said
County Executive Dave Coulter
he has talked to Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, who has been doing proactive outreach to synagogues and other places of worship regarding security. Coulter also talked about “making county government work.” His board of directors is split 11-10 between Democrats and Republicans. “And we don’t ignore the 10 Republicans,” he said. “We like proposals to pass with broad bipartisan support, which we’ve done with our budget and federal COVID relief dollars.” Coulter added efforts are
underway to build more diversity into county government, something he said was lacking. Another new project was the creation of a Community Relations Department to better understand and work more closely with area agencies and nonprofits. His office has also set up a welcoming initiative for immigrants, which the Jewish Community Relations Council is a part of. He said the biggest challenge the county faces is still COVID. “No question. The pandemic is not over,” he said. “The challenge is managing this next phase. Although the health aspect is much more manageable now, we still need to get people vaccinated. “There are also the affects of the pandemic on the economy. A lot of businesses have recovered and are doing great, but there are those still struggling. We want to target our American Recovery Plan dollars to where we can make the biggest impact and make significant, structural and transformational change.”
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JOIN program, an acronym for the Jeannette and Oscar Cook Jewish Occupational Intern Program. This unique opportunity provides paid summer internships for Jewish students to gain work experience, attend educational seminars and learn about the Jewish community, developing lifelong connections. JOIN began in 1973 and ran until 1980 when the recession in Detroit forced its suspension. In 1987, however, Silver and her then-supervisor Gail Stewart decided the program needed to restart. As the JOIN program coordinator, working with 12-15 students a year, Silver has been instrumental in guiding a generation of young people into careers in the Jewish community. Local rabbis, educators, communal leaders and board members have all graduated from the program benefiting the Metro Detroit Jewish community. Some have even gone far afield. “I see JOIN alumni everywhere,” Silver says. “Once I was watching the Today Show and there was a story about the King David dig in Israel, and the man being interviewed was one of my students!” From August, however, Silver will be
Jewish home, and his education had been traditional, studying in yeshivahs and gaining a degree in Talmudic Law. Moshe Newman, however, Newman wanted a career. “Someone mentioned vocational testing at JVS Human Services, and I was lucky enough to come across Debra. Over the course of 10 sessions, with vocational and psychological testing, we figured out that going to law school would fit my temperament and skill set,” he explains. “She gave me clarity.” Newman attended Wayne State University Law School, graduating in two and a half years. Now married with three young children, Newman is the founder of the Legacy Law Firm, which specializes in inheritance law.
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JULY 29 • 2021
Debra Silver with her three granddaughters, Mia Paige Silver, 3, and Isabella Faye Silver, 10 months (on left), and Eloise Margot Cherluck, 11 months
focusing more on her family, spending time with her three small granddaughters, and taking frequent trips to Wisconsin to visit her 90-year-old mother.
