by Gulia Chernyak
The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor is thrilled to announce that social entrepreneur, poet-journalist, filmmaker, and author, Aaron Dworkin, will headline this year’s Main Event taking place Wednesday, March 13. Aaron will share his story of growing up with multiple identities and how his experiences influenced his professional path, including his profound and cutting-edge work as founder of the Sphinx Organization. Aaron will share excerpts from his newest book and perform his spoken word poetry. This year, we will honor Jonathan Trobe and Joan Lowenstein with the Federation’s second annual Pillar Award. The Pillar Award recognizes volunteer contributions to the community related to the Federation’s three pillars: Philanthropy, Engagement, and Convening. The event takes place in-person at Washtenaw Community College’s Morris Lawrence Building. The program with Aaron Dworkin will be live streamed for those unable to attend in person.
Bringing the community together is a primary goal of the Main Event and with the support of the fantastic Host and Planning Committee as well as 2024 Event Chairs, Leonard and Marilyn Kirsch and Peter and Jennifer Van Beck, this year’s event will do just that. “It is an honor for my husband and I to serve as Host Committee Chairs along with my parents,” said Jennifer Van Beck. “We are passionate about getting young families more involved in the Ann Arbor Jewish community, which has been a wonderful community to be a part of since we moved here in 2018. This year, due to the shocking increase in anti-Israel activities and antisemitism in our community since October 7th, we must all come together to fight antisemitism wherever we find it, stand strong with the Jewish State, and find strength within our Ann Arbor Jewish Community. Attending this year’s Main Event is so important with everything going on and we look forward to seeing everyone on March 13th.”
This year’s featured speaker, Aaron Dworkin, was named a 2005 MacArthur Fellow, President Barack Obama’s first appointment to the National Council on the Arts and member of President Joe Biden’s Arts Policy Committee, Aaron P. Dworkin is former dean and current Professor of Arts Leadership & Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance, which is ranked among the top performing arts schools in the nation. Aaron is a successful social entrepreneur having founded the globally recognized Sphinx Organization, the leading arts organization with the mission of transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. He also serves as host of the nationally-broadcast Arts Engines show with a viewership of over 100,000.
As a best-selling writer and poet-journalist, Aaron has authored The Entrepreneurial Artist: Lessons from Highly Successful Creatives and four other books including his memoir, Uncommon Rhythm: A Black, White, Jewish, Jehovah’s Witness, Irish Catholic Adoptee’s Journey to Leadership and a poetry collection, They Said I Wasn’t Really Black. He serves as the Poetjournalist-in-Residence of the City of Ann Arbor’s Bicentennial, the Rodham Institute, Fisher Foundation, Wright Museum of African-American History, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Grantmakers in the Arts, Ovation TV and Shar Music.
Hailed by critics as “powerful,” “stirring,” “passionate and heroic,” and “a tour de force,” Aaron has performed his poetry during his national tours including at the Wright Museum in Detroit, Galapagos Theater in New York, Harvard University, Chautauqua, University of Michigan, Minneapolis Orchestra Hall, NJPAC and Orchestra Hall in Detroit amongst others. He has two recording albums and has collaborated with artists representing a wide range of genres, including Yo-Yo Ma, Damien Sneed, Anna Deveare Smith, Damian Woetzel, Lil Buck and others. His Emmy award-winning film, An American Prophecy was honored by numerous festivals, while his visual digital art project, Fractured History, has exhibited to rave reviews.
In addition to its aim as a community-building program, the Main Event is the widest-reaching fundraising event of the Jewish Federation’s Annual Community Campaign. The Annual Community Campaign provides significant unrestricted funds to Federation’s communal partners in Ann Arbor, Israel and around the world. The Campaign also supports community-wide initiatives of the Federation, such as combatting antisemitism and ensuring financial sustainability of local community institutions through the LIFE & LEGACY® program. Attendees of the Main Event will be asked to support the community with a pledge to the Jewish Federation’s 2024 Annual Community Campaign.
For details and tickets to this year’s Main Event, visit www.JewishAnnArbor.org, email info@jewishannarbor.org or call (734) 645-1619.