We are excited to introduce you to DJJ's Political Evaluation Team, also known by the acronym of PET. DJJ established this group years ago - some may remember other animal names such as MEOW and CAT. PET helps DJJ to navigate political decisions in our work by grounding in DJJ's Mission, Theory of Change and Core Principles. PET was established in reflection of DJJ's values of collaboration, transparency, and democratic leadership.
Some of PET's work includes assessment of new organizing partners, sign ons to partner's letters, and advisement on various topics, such as which community members to honor for their contributions to the organization. PET guides our political work and serves as a check and balance for the organization. DJJ is immensely grateful to the brilliant folks who contributed to this team in the past and those on the team today. Interested in learning more about PET or being a part of the team in the future? Reach out to Lisa at [email protected].
Hannah Miller
she/her
Hannah is a long-time DJJ leader and current labor organizer with the Michigan Nurses Association. She was born and raised in Metro Detroit and is beyond grateful that DJJ is a staple in the Detroit Jewish community. In the past, Hannah was a DJJ Steering Committee member, issue liaison, and core principle collaborator. She is excited to continue her dedication to DJJ with the Political Action Team. When not in the organizing spaces, you can find Hannah snuggling with her dog, Louie.
David Finkel
he/him
David is editor of the Detroit-based social justice magazine Against the Current. He's a member of Jewish Voice for Peace-Detroit. He also feeds a small colony of four outdoor cats!
Rae Levy
she/they
Rae is a healer, ritualist, and community builder who is living between Detroit and New York City as she navigates the exciting confusion of being a human in the second half of their twenties. Rae has lived in Michigan for nearly a decade - first in Ann Arbor for 6 years while completing a BA and MSW (shout out to the Jewish Communal Leadership Program) and in Detroit for the last 2.5 years - and feels deeply grateful for the time she has spent here. Rae works as a mental health therapist and has the privilege of witnessing and guiding folks through relational and sexual healing, navigating chronic illness, and surviving late stage capitalism. While Rae is relocating to New York for the next few months (at least!), they are honored to stay connected to the Jewish social justice community in Detroit through PET.
Julie Hurwitz
she/her
Julie is in private practice in Detroit, Michigan, a partner in the firm of Goodman Hurwitz & James, P.C., where she specializes in civil rights, police and government misconduct/§1983 litigation. She is an active member of the National Lawyers Guild, Jewish Voice for Peace and is on the boards of the NLG/Maurice & Jane Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice [Sugar Law Center] in Detroit, the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights (MCHR), and the Peoples Water Board. She has spoken, taught and written extensively on issues pertaining to civil rights, civil liberties and representing victims of constitutional violations. She is also one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs arising from the Flint water crisis, having argued successfully in the Michigan Supreme Court that the State could be held directly liable for damages for violating the substantive due process clause of the Michigan Constitution. Since she first started practicing law in 1982, she has represented political activists who have been arrested for acts of civil disobedience, starting with the mass arrests at Williams International – the producer of nuclear weaponry -- in 1983; to the newspaper strike supporters in the 1990’s; to the “Homrich 9,” arrested in July 2014 protesting the Detroit mass water shut-offs; to the Michigan Poor Peoples Campaign in 2018 where, over 5-weeks of “Moral Mondays” thousands of activists around the country engaged in civil disobedience to protest a wide range of injustices; to the summer 2020 anti-police brutality/anti-racism protests which resulted in the entry of a preliminary injunction and 7-figure settlement. Ms. Hurwitz is a 1978 graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, with a bachelor’s degree in Economics, and a 1982 J.D. graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.
Shandra Bernath-Plaisted
she/her
Shandra began organizing during her time as an undergraduate and spent a decade in the professional organizing world before returning to school to study architecture. Now working for a small landscape architecture and urban design studio she prioritizes community engagement, public good, and sustainability in her design work. After growing up in mid-Michigan she lived out of state for a number of years before moving to Detroit almost ten years ago. She is grateful for the opportunity to support DJJ and continue to deepen her connections to Detroit and Michigan based organizing.
