Laura wrote last week about the thoughts on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. But we haven’t yet introduced her, and Justin, to the congregation, although they joined a few months ago. So here’s Laura’s profile of the two of them. Welcome!
Justin and I moved from Los Angeles to Ann Arbor in October 2011. Justin was in Los Angeles completing his post-doctoral fellowship in Theoretical Heliophysics at Jet Propulsion Labs. I was born and raised in LA, except for the four years I spent at Brandeis, and even attended law school in my beloved city of Los Angeles. Justin and I met on JDate (and I am a big proponent of the site!), and fell in love pretty darned quickly. When his fellowship ended, it made sense for him to choose a position at the University of Michigan, where he obtained all three of his degrees. Plus, Momma Mary Lou (Justin’s mom) lives in Ann Arbor, making the moving to Ann Arbor a no-brainer. Since every region has use for social justice attorneys, I had little excuse not to pick up and move. Plus, you know, I love the guy.
Although it took us three years to join AARC, we knew it would be our home within a month of moving to Ann Arbor. We are rather political, extremely liberal, and believe the answer to a better world lies in tikkun olam. Indeed, our most heated argument is over who is further left, politically. Obviously, the answer is that I am. (The writer of history is she who wields the pen!)
Our first experience with AARC was attending High Holiday services; looking around the room, we knew we had found our home. The more AARC congregants we meet, the more we fall in love with the congregation. We’re looking forward to many years together!
Shalom, ahava v’tzedek (peace, love and justice),
Laura
