Young Leadership Awards
Every year, the Jewish Federation of Detroit is pleased to identify and honor three young people from our community for their outstanding leadership skills. Federation’s Young Leadership Awards acknowledge these role models while seeking to stimulate their continuing participation in Jewish communal affairs.
Under the direction of the Philanthropic Advancement department and the Executive Offices of Federation, the goal of the Young Leadership Awards Selection Committee is to ensure that the very best candidates are considered each year.
The Jewish Federation always has honored our community’s emerging leaders from NEXTGen. The William H. Boesky Award recognized young leaders from the former Junior Division for close to 30 years. Since 1993, the Mark-Lis Family Young Leadership Award has sought to continue to honor these young leaders in the Boesky tradition.
The Mark-Lis Family Young Leadership Award was established in 1993 by Florine Mark and her family. It recognizes an established leader in NEXTGen who has shown outstanding commitment and achieved remarkable success within NEXTGen. In addition, this young adult will have demonstrated significant involvement in Federation’s Annual Campaign. The current president of NEXTGen is ineligible for this award.
The Mark-Lis Award acknowledges this role model and seeks to stimulate the person’s continuing interest and activity in Jewish communal affairs. The award takes the form of a grant, enabling the recipient to attend a Jewish Federations of North America Conference. The award is presented at the NEXTGen Annual Meeting in June, as well as at the Jewish Federation of Detroit’s Awards Night in the spring.
Past Winners
| 2023 | George Roberts |
| 2022 | Keith Schonberger |
| 2021 | Ilana Goldberg Block |
| 2020 | Sam Dubin |
| 2019 | Matthew Ran |
| 2018 | Joshua D. Goldberg |
| 2017 | Steven Migliore |
| 2016 | Jay Hack |
| 2015 | Adam Blanck |
| 2014 | Marty Maddin |
| 2013 | Ilana K. Liss |
| 2012 | Rabbi Leiby Burnham |
| 2011 | Rachel Wright |
| 2010 | Joshua Levine |
| 2009 | Jennifer L. Friedman |
| 2008 | Gayle Friedman Gold |
| 2007 | Brian Y. Satovsky |
| 2006 | Lorne B. Gold |
| 2005 | Brad “Bubba” Urdan |
| 2004 | Sherri Wagner Greenbaum |
| 2003 | Joshua Opperer |
| 2002 | Barbra Giles |
| 2001 | Scott Kaufman |
| 2000 | Paul R. Silverman |
| 1999 | Sari M. Cicurel |
| 1998 | Joshua D. Mondry |
| 1997 | Eric J. Gould |
| 1996 | Richard C. Blumenstein |
| 1995 | Elizabeth Kanter Groskind |
| 1994 | Suzan Folbe Curhan |
| 1993 | Richard B. Broder |
The Sylvia Simon Greenberg Award was established in 1965 by the late Samuel S. Greenberg and Ronald and John Greenberg as a memorial to their beloved wife and mother. The award recognizes exceptional leadership potential and service to the Jewish community on the part of a young woman. The award winner will be this year’s exceptional, emerging female leader in the community who has demonstrated outstanding promise, interest in and service to the Federation and its constituent agencies and Federation’s Annual Campaign.
Winning this award is expected to stimulate the recipient’s continuing interest and activity in Jewish communal affairs. The award takes the form of a grant, enabling the recipient to attend the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. The award is presented at the Jewish Federation of Detroit’s Awards Night in the spring.
Past Winners
| 2023 | Amye Goldhaber |
| 2022 | Jessica Katz |
| 2021 | Brooke Bendix |
| 2020 | Ilana Liss |
| 2019 | Carole BenEzra |
| 2018 | Rachel L. Opperer |
| 2017 | Dr. Jennifer Sobol |
| 2016 | Stacy Doctoroff |
| 2015 | Regina Colton |
| 2014 | Molly Chernow |
| 2013 | Amy Shefman |
| 2012 | Dona Stillman |
| 2011 | Sherrie Singer |
| 2010 | Anessa Kramer |
| 2009 | Barbara Zaltz |
| 2008 | Francine Newman |
| 2007 | Jodi Goodman |
| 2006 | Heidi Fischgrund Budaj |
| 2005 | Amy Carson Schlussel |
| 2004 | Jennifer C. Silverman |
| 2003 | Karen Alpiner |
| 2002 | Sari M. Cicurel |
| 2001 | Elizabeth K. Groskind |
| 2000 | Lisa Lis |
| 1999 | Suzan Folbe Curhan |
| 1998 | Terri Farber |
| 1997 | Marcie Hermelin Orley |
| 1996 | Janis Roszler |
| 1995 | Stacey A. Deweese |
| 1994 | Caren Landau Levine |
| 1993 | Lynn Sachse |
| 1992 | Kathleen Wilson-Fink |
| 1991 | Susan E. Alterman (z”l) |
| 1990 | Diane S. Ash |
| 1989 | Marta S. Rosenthal |
| 1988 | Lauren Kogan-Liss |
| 1987 | Beverly Liss |
| 1986 | Cheryl Guyer |
| 1985 | Marcy Feldman |
| 1984 | Sally Krugel |
| 1983 | Sharon Hart |
| 1982 | Linda Lee (z”l) |
| 1981 | Susan Citrin |
| 1980 | Janet B. Levine |
| 1979 | Judy Frankel |
| 1978 | Donna Slatkin |
| 1977 | Diane Shekter |
| 1976 | Edie Slotkin |
| 1975 | Nancy Hirsch |
| 1974 | Shelby Tauber |
| 1973 | Renee Mahler |
| 1972 | Bernice N. Greenberg |
| 1971 | Jane Sherman |
| 1970 | Sissi Lapides |
| 1969 | Lee Jaffe |
| 1968 | Dulcie Rosenfeld |
| 1967 | Shirley Barnett Harris (z”l) |
| 1966 | Carolyn Greenberg |
| 1965 | Ruth Kahn Broder |
The Frank A. Wetsman Young Leadership Award was established in 1961 by Mrs. Frank Wetsman and William M. Wetsman as a memorial to their beloved husband and father. The award recognizes exceptional leadership potential and service to the Jewish community on the part of a young man. The recipient will be this year’s outstanding, emerging male leader in the community who has demonstrated exceptional promise, interest in and service to the Federation and its constituent agencies and Federation’s Annual Campaign.
Winning this award is expected to stimulate the recipient’s continuing interest and activity in Jewish communal affairs. The award takes the form of a grant, enabling the recipient to attend the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. The award is presented at the Jewish Federation of Detroit’s Awards Night in the spring.
Past Winners
| 2023 | Shimon G. Levy |
| 2022 | Yoni Torgow |
| 2021 | Jonathan H. Schwartz |
| 2020 | Louis Goldhaber |
| 2019 | Zachary Liss |
| 2018 | Adam M. Finkel |
| 2017 | Rabbi Yisrael Pinson |
| 2016 | Josh Levine |
| 2015 | Brian Y. Satovsky |
| 2014 | Jason Klein |
| 2013 | David Kramer |
| 2012 | Jeffrey Camiener (z”l) |
| 2011 | Robb Lippitt |
| 2010 | Lee Hurwitz |
| 2009 | Joshua F. Opperer |
| 2008 | Brian D. Siegel |
| 2007 | Matthew Lester |
| 2006 | Mark Adler |
| 2005 | Scott Kaufman |
| 2004 | Todd Sachse |
| 2003 | Jeffrey Schlussel |
| 2002 | Dennis S. Bernard |
| 2001 | Eugene S. Sherizen |
| 2000 | Hannan Lis |
| 1999 | Scott A. Eisenberg |
| 1998 | Robert B. Kleiman |
| 1997 | Steven R. Schanes |
| 1996 | Gary Torgow |
| 1995 | Mitchell A. Mondry |
| 1994 | David R. Victor |
| 1993 | Lawrence S. Lax |
| 1992 | Ronald A. Klein |
| 1991 | Douglas M. Etkin |
| 1990 | Dr. Owen Z. Perlman |
| 1989 | Benjamin F. Rosenthal |
| 1988 | Howard J. Tapper |
| 1987 | Norman A. Pappas |
| 1986 | Dr. Dan G. Guyer |
| 1985 | Michael S. Feldman |
| 1984 | Peter M. Alter |
| 1983 | Mark E. Schlussel |
| 1982 | Dr. Martin Hart (z”l) |
| 1981 | Dr. Richard Krugel |
| 1980 | Joel Gershenson |
| 1979 | Robert M. Citrin |
| 1978 | Robert H. Naftaly |
| 1977 | Robert Slatkin |
| 1976 | Lawrence S. Jackier |
| 1975 | Michael W. Maddin |
| 1974 | Stanley Frankel |
| 1973 | Dr. Conrad L. Giles |
| 1972 | Allan Nachman |
| 1971 | David K. Page (z”l) |
| 1970 | Joel D. Tauber |
| 1969 | Thomas I. Klein |
| 1968 | Robert A. Steinberg |
| 1967 | Kaye G. Frank (z”l) |
| 1966 | Alan E. Luckoff (z”l) |
| 1965 | Herbert A. Aronsson |
| 1964 | Ronald L. Greenberg |
| 1963 | N. Brewster Broder (z”l) |
| 1962 | Robert Kasle (z”l) |
| 1961 | Merle A. Harris (z”l) |