Welcome to Nu?Detroit

Now you're thinking, "Nu?" either because "nu" is not yet part of your yiddish vocabulary or because it is and you are rightfully wondering…

"So? What's the fuss?"

"Nu, what have you done for me lately?"

Or, like the waiter at your deli, "Is anything alright?"

So glad you asked. Nu?Detroit is new, but the values behind it – creative expression, ethical inquiry, storytelling, agreeing to disagree – are as old as any Jewish tradition.

Nu?Detroit, in principle and in practice, is a platform that's purposefully:

Independent. Nu?Detroit is unconstrained by institutional, partisan, denominational or corporate affiliation.

Inclusive. You will hear voices that reflect the powerful diversity of our community, spanning generations and racial, religious, political and gender identities.

Interactive. Anyone can submit writing to Nu?Detroit and every submission we post is an invitation to engage.

Iterative. As long as this list is already being brought to you by The Letter I, it is instructive to intuit that our instinctive itch for something – intermittently irreverent but never irrelevant – has developed from an idea into an initiative. If we hold up our end of the bargain, it will adapt and evolve with the DNA of our community.

"... nu?" still knockin' around in your noggin? Fair enough. Try this:

Nu?Detroit is a digital home for diverse, dynamic writing about and relevant to Jewish Detroit. We will publish new content every day or two, bundle everything into a free weekly newsletter and engage with members here and on social media.

A few things, among the many we are looking forward to:

Ex-Pat Postcards. A weekly essay (ungraded) from someone in the Detroit Diaspora with something that's bound to keep your Vernors bubbly and your Sanders bumpy.

Partner Pieces. Regular contributions from our organizational partners that share their efforts and highlight the voices of their constituents.

Relevant Rabbis. Many rabbis! But can you ever really have too many rabbis? (Kindly refrain from using the comments section below to answer that rhetorical question.)

Passover is a time we look back, look within, look around, look forward. And ask questions.

How did we get here? What are we carrying? How can our blood, sweat and tears be a deep well of radical empathy for others?

We hope Nu?Detroit will build upon the contextual, persuasive and social dynamic of the seder table. We won't hold back on the horseradish or count our plagues before they vax. But we will allow your ideas the time, space and warmth they need to leaven.

In which case it seems appropriate to ask the same of you ... "Nu?"

Humbly submitted,

Alicia, Ben, Ellen and Mark