It is with great pride that we honor State Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet at the 2023 “Raisins and Almonds” showcase.
A former alto member of the Colorado Hebrew Chorale and emcee of Raisins and Almonds in 2018, 2019, and 2020, Dafna has been representing Colorado’s House District 32 in Adams County since 2016. She serves on the House Education committee and as the Chair of the Public and Behavioral Health Care & Human Services Committee, and on the Legislative Audit Committee. She is beginning her third term as a Colorado State Representative.
Dafna’s legislative work has covered broad swaths of policy, with an emphasis on mental health and healthcare access, especially focused on youth. She was instrumental in the 2021 passage of a landmark law to make Colorado the first state to require insurance companies to cover annual mental health wellness exams for all Coloradans at no cost to the consumers. Dafna was also a major player in the passage of the “Holocaust and Genocide Studies in Colorado Public Schools” bill in 2020.
Prior to her work in the legislature, Dafna traveled to all 50 states during the course of 52 weeks, in search of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to solve problems in their communities. She chronicled her experiences in her book, “It Takes a Little Crazy to Make a Difference,” which won the 2015 social change category of the International Book Awards and earned her a place on Conversation Magazine’s “25 Women Changing the World” list and a mention in CNN’s Intriguing Person column
Together with her husband, Michael Jenet, Dafna co-founded the Journey Institute, which works on building communities around problem-solving ideas, and has introduced a publishing arm to publish “stories that otherwise may not be told.” Her second book, “Peanut’s Legacy,” details the loss of the pregnancy of her son at 20 weeks and her journey through her grief.
A native of Israel, Dafna received her bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women and an MBA from the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. She is active in the Denver Jewish community and has held many leadership positions in Hadassah at the chapter, regional and national levels. As a member of Congregation Rodef Shalom, Dafna participates on the “davening team.” Other community interests include Rotary, and serving as an appointee to the Governor’s Youth Behavioral Healthcare task force.
Dafna and her husband have three children: Eytan and Gavriella Michaelson and Ryan Jenet, an active-duty U.S. Marine.
A native of Israel, Dafna received her bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women and an MBA from the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. She is active in the Denver Jewish community and has served in many leadership positions in Hadassah at the chapter, regional and national levels. She is a member of Congregation Rodef Shalom where she serves on the “davening team.” Other community interests include Rotary, and serving as an appointee to the Governor’s Youth Behavioral Healthcare task force.
Dafna and her husband have three children: Eytan and Gavriella Michaelson and Ryan Jenet, an active-duty U.S. Marine.
The emcee for Raisins & Almonds 2023 is Albert Banker. In response to the invitation to host the 2023 showcase, Banker responded:
“Having lived in the Denver area for most of my life, I consider myself an ‘Almost Native’. During my years, I have enjoyed a very rewarding career as a teacher for 30 years. For these past two decades, I have also been delighted for the opportunities to perform plays on stage and entertain audiences throughout the metro area. It has been a pleasure to sing with the Colorado Hebrew Chorale for many years, and I am grateful and honored to contribute to Raisins and Almonds 2023 in this manner.”
The Denver Children’s Choir’s (DCC) mission is to inspire and unite children from diverse backgrounds by fostering harmony in music and in life,
Altitude is the DCC’s most advanced ensemble. These accomplished musicians sing a wide variety of musical genres including classical, pop, spirituals, gospel, folk and jazz. All singers accepted into Altitude demonstrate strong musical ability and vocal skills, and dedication to the group. Members of Altitude also sing in the Fourteeners (soprano and alto voices) or the Mountain Aires (tenor and bass voices).
The singers of the Colorado Hebrew Chorale and Kol Nashim are thrilled to have Altitude as our featured musical guest.