Although there is not yet a formal Hindu-Jewish Coalition in Michigan, our JCRC partners with the JCC and the Hindu Community Relations Council to foster connection, mutual learning, and shared action. The annual Chanukah–Diwali celebration highlights this collaboration, and we continue to explore new ways to work together in service of our communities and the broader public.

The fall of the brutal Assad regime has opened the door to a new Syria that welcomes Jewish involvement in rebuilding the country. At the invitation of a member of the Syrian Muslim community, Rabbi Lopatin has visited Syria multiple times, leading goodwill missions focused on academic and cultural exchange and strengthening ties among Syria, the United States, the Jewish community, and, hopefully, Israel. Through this work, our JCRC is helping rebuild relationships locally with the Arab American community, led by Syrian Americans, with the hope that Jewish and Arab Americans can recognize how much more unites us than divides us.

In 2026, we launched the Michigan Chaldean Jewish Alliance. The Alliance aims to deepen relationships between our communities by highlighting shared values and exploring ways to support one another through common goals and visions.

The Jewish Community Relations Committee (JCRC) is excited to launch Jewish Families in Public Schools (JFPS), an affinity group focused on serving families with Jewish students in public schools throughout Washtenaw County. JCRC director Rabbi Asher Lopatin will lead this group in partnership with a trio of public-school advocacy veterans: Wendy Lawrence, Jennifer Van Beck, and Esther Terry.
Jewish Families in Public Schools’ mission encompasses the inclusion of all Jewish families, collaboration between families and public schools, and a shared commitment to strong public education. To this end, JFPS will facilitate communication between families and educators, school administrators, and district leadership by providing educational resources, advocating for diverse representations of Jewish cultural heritage, and serving as a response point for incidents of antisemitism.
An initial JFPS goal is to streamline feedback from families to educators and district leadership. Historically informal and decentralized, this process has led to confusion among families who are requesting resources or trying to report an antisemitic incident at their student’s school.
JFPS also will look at ways to expand the recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month. In May 2025, Rabbi Lopatin and a group of parent volunteers collaborated to develop the first successful recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month by the Ann Arbor Public School board and district leadership. Planning efforts are already under way for events and educational opportunities coming up in May 2026.
JFPS welcomes participation and feedback from all families with Jewish children enrolled in Washtenaw County public schools and, to better serve families countywide, they are recruiting parents or caregivers to volunteer as points of contact for their school or district.

The group leadership team can be reached at: publicschoolfamilies@jewishannarbor.org.