You’re Invited
th
Anniversary Celebration
Thursday, May 15, 2025, 6:30pm
We outgrew our location at Cobblestone Farm.
Attending guests, please contact us with questions or for the new venue address.
Honoring
Dedicated Leaders
Eve and Richard Primus
Eve Primus is the Yale Kamisar Collegiate Professor of Law and the founder of the MDefenders Program and the Public Defender Training Institute at the University of Michigan. She served as head of the HDS Parent Connection from 2017 to 2021.
Richard Primus is the Theodore J. St. Antoine Collegiate Professor of Law at the University of Michigan and a founding member of the Academic Freedom Alliance. He was a member of the HDS Board of Trustees from 2009 to 2014 and served as President from 2012 to 2014.
Eve and Richard are the proud parents of HDS alumni Jessica (HDS class of 2019), Jonathan (HDS class of 2021), and Talia (HDS class of 2024).
Inspirational Faculty
Josh Lauffer
Josh Lauffer, a performing guitarist, singer, and songwriter, grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and moved to Israel at 18. He studied with and accompanied Reb Shlomo Carlebach (1982-86) and co-led a prayer and music center with the late Rabbi Dovid Hertzberg.
In the 1990s, Josh inspired HDS students as a Music and Judaic Studies teacher, leaving a lasting impact on our alumni. He now resides in Israel with his family, and has served as a specialist at TALI (Jewish education for a pluralistic society), enriching Jewish education through music and storytelling for the past 6 years. As a songwriter, he brings Midrashic (Rabbinic literature) teachings to life.
Distinguished Alumni
Ari Axelrod and Robert Axelrod
Ari Axelrod, (HDS class of 2005), was named by The Jewish Week as one of the “36 To Watch Award,” recognizing him as one of the 36 most influential Jews in The United States. Ari is the recipient of the Mabel Mercer Foundation’s Julie Wilson Award. He received the 2022 Bistro Award for Best Theatrical Artistry in Song. His multi-award-winning show, “A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway,” has been performed to sold-out audiences around the world.
Robert Axelrod (HDS class of 2003), is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright whose work focuses on using storytelling to humanize contemporary Jewish life. Robert’s work has been showcased at major theaters and festivals in North America, and has been recognized most recently through fellowships with Warner Bros. Discovery, Humanitas, and the inaugural Jewish Writer Initiative’s Digital Storyteller Lab. Robert’s love of telling Jewish stories began in the classrooms of HDS and remains his lifelong passion.
Hebrew Day School offers more than an education. We are a vibrant and diverse community of Jewish families dedicated to empowering our children to lead confident and fulfilling lives.
Please join us as our school celebrates the 50th year since our founding in 1974. We are so grateful to the community who has sustained our school over the past 50 years and look forward to celebrating together.
Appetizers and Drinks 6:30 pm
Dinner and Program 7:30 pm
Dessert and Bonfire 8:15 pm
The RSVP deadline has passed and this event is now full.
Contact Tamar Jacobson for more information:
Hebrew Day School
Board of Directors
Rick Barinbaum
Karla Goldman
Laurie Greenberg
Hooman Harooni
Ben Kellman
Marie-Adele Kress
Robert Levine, Treasurer
Shana Olson, Secretary
Monica Woll Rosen, President
Brian Schapiro
Steve Stancroff
Michelle Stern-Samberg
Ron Sussman
Monica Vaisman Bechar
Sharon Weiner
Will Wright
50th Celebration
Event Committee
Jessie Bodzin
Laurie Greenberg
Debra Levine
Melissa Sack
Sarah Raful Whinston
Monica Vaisman Bechar
Monica Woll Rosen
Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor
2937 Birch Hollow Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Join Us in Celebrating 50 Years of HDS!
Your presence and support make all the difference.
Please RSVP by April 25th.
Be part of our special 50th anniversary celebration by reserving your spot and exploring opportunities to contribute. Whether you’d like to attend, sponsor a teacher, or donate in honor of this milestone, we’d love to have you with us!
Sponsorships
Please consider a sponsorship to support our school at this milestone event.
Purchase a virtual journal ad (2 options)
- List $180
- Page $360
(You will be contacted for ad message/content if you indicate purchase)
$10,000 Anniversary Sponsor (Up to 20 tickets)
- Dedicated social media acknowledgement post
- Full page ad/dedication in journal
- Featured in event page
- Featured in event communications
$5,000 Mazel Tov Sponsor (Up to 10 tickets)
- Full page ad/dedication in journal
- Featured in event page
- Featured in event communications
$2,500 Jubilee Sponsor (Up to 6 tickets)
- Full page ad/dedication in journal
- Featured in event page
$1,800 L’chayim Sponsor (Up to 2 included)
- Full page ad/dedication in journal
- Featured in event page
$1,000 Shout Out (No tickets included)
- Full page ad/dedication in journal
- Featured in event page
Thank You to Our Generous 50th Anniversary Event Sponsors
Anniversary Sponsors
Henry Appelman
Brad and Robin Axelrod
Prue Rosenthal
Drs. Samantha Hendren and Jason Schwalb
Anonymous
Mazal Tov Sponsors
Caminker Family
Florence and Marvin Gerber
Dina Shtull and Steve Leber
Anonymous
Jubilee Sponsors
Jenny Lewis and Marc Bernstein
Eve and Richard Primus
Lonnie and Ron Sussman
Roberta and Larry Tankanow
L’chayim Sponsors
Linda and Stephen Jacobson
Lauren Katz and Joel Rubenstein
Shelly Kovacs and Harvey Berman
Marie-Adele and Jeremy Kress
Pamela and Stephen Landau
Debra and Bobby Levine
Drs. Monica and Ben Rosen
Arthur and Mary Schuman
Judy and Arnold Siegel
Tamar Springer and Steve Stancroff
Shout Out Sponsors
Liz and Mike Fried
Amy and David Hamermesh
Barbara Kramer and Steven Acker
Jen and Eric Rosenberg
Gil Seinfeld
Terri Ginsburg and Jeffrey Spoon
Ariane Kaplan and Adam Stein
Drs. Douglas and Margo Woll
Other Sponsors
Literacy, Language, And Learning Institute: 3LI
