DJN February 24, 2022 by The Detroit Jewish News

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS 200 Feb. 24-March 2, 2022 / 23-29 Adar 1 5782

thejewishnews.com

Jewish Bakery Renewal Stacy Fox is determined to preserve — and improve — Jewish-style bakeries in Metro Detroit. See page 12

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contents

Shabbat Lights

Shabbat begins: Friday, Feb. 25, 5:59 p.m. Shabbat ends: Saturday, Feb. 26, 7:01 p.m.

* Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

Feb. 24-Mar. 2, 2022 / 23-29 Adar 1 5782 | VOLUME CLXII, ISSUE 2

ON THE COVER: Cover photo/credit: Stacy Fox. Photo by Glenn Triest. Cover design: Kelly Kosek

thejewishnews.com Follow Us on Social Media: Facebook @DetroitJewishNews Twitter @JewishNewsDet Instagram @detroitjewishnews

19 PURELY COMMENTARY 4-9

Essays and viewpoints.

SPORTS 26

OUR COMMUNITY 10

HEALTH 28

Jewish Bakery Renewal

On-Ice Fundraiser

Local hockey tournament raises funds for Matan B’Seter.

Coming of Age: Detroit

Season 2 premiere features inspiring older Jewish role models from the Motor City.

Defiant Requiem

Beaumont and Spectrum Health Merge

ERETZ 37

Rescuing the Past in Israel

Meet Marcy Tatelbaum

Super Sunday

The Jewish Federation hosts an annual day of support for the community.

Accessing Mental Health Care

Now known as the BHSH System, leaders will maintain close ties with the Jewish community.

Oakland University to host documentary about Terezin concentration camp.

Eleanor Roosevelt Hadassah holding virtual Purim celebration.

JFS has a new focus on destigmatizing conversations about suicide.

BUSINESS 36

MAZEL TOV 39

Local tour guides help rescue Roman-era mikvah from being paved over.

Moments

SPIRIT 39

Torah portion

What Happens When We Give?

Synagogue Directory

ARTS&LIFE 44

Tap-Dancing Car Guy

A Peek Behind the Scenes

Film Review: I’ll Find You

Celebrity News

Let’s Talk About It

Learn how to navigate Michigan’s mental health care system through free Mind Matters webinar.

Honoring the Legacy of Dorothy and Byron Gerson

An Evening of Song

A Physician Advocate for Those with Disabilities

Michigan Medicine is establishing a Disability Health Endowment in honor of Dr. Philip Zazove, chair of Family Medicine at U-M.

Stacy Fox is determined to preserve — and improve — Jewish-style bakeries in Metro Detroit.

Davidson Foundation Grants to benefit Israel Museum and Federation Innovation Fund.

Another 300 game, young bowler’s 770 series are highlights of Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson season.

Good News at Frankel Jewish Academy

The school introduces Shorashim Grants providing all students up to $10,000 toward tuition.

Perfection Pushes Away the Pandemic

GM engineer takes on two roles in Anything Goes.

Meredyth Davis lifts the curtains on the promotion of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.

EVENTS 52

Community Calendar

FOOD 54

From the Home Kitchen of Chef Aaron: Latke Soup

ETC.

The Exchange 55 Obits 57 Looking Back 62

‘Living in Israel is a gift,’ she says. FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

PURELY COMMENTARY essay

Why I Wrote a Jewish Book about Kidney Donation

rowing up, like lots of idealistic young people, I always wanted to be the kind of person who would change the world drastically and for the better — perhaps as a life-saving scientist, a soul-inspiring musician or a transformative political leader. Rabbi Dr. The problem Shmuly was I wasn’t Yanklowitz quite cut out for those fields and even those who do make it big in the public sphere don’t always have a profound or positive impact. So instead, I found myself on the path of pursuing wisdom and justice in the religious realm, where I learned from the Talmud that saving a life is like saving the entire world. Fair enough, but saving even one life isn’t exactly easy either. Becoming a surgeon, for example, is extremely difficult, as is being a first responder. Then, when I was in my mid-30s living in Scottsdale, Arizona, teaching Jewish values each day, it dawned on me that I had an accessible opportunity to save a life through “altruistic kidney donation,” meaning giving a kidney to a stranger. While the benefits of such an action are, just as the Talmud

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

teaches, boundless, I was overwhelmed with existential questions. What is my obligation to protect my own life? What if, God forbid, my wife was to lose her husband, and my kids were to lose their father? What if my remaining kidney were to fail later on? At that time, I didn’t have access to the literature I wanted in order to be informed. I felt morally paralyzed by the enormity of the quandary. So I pledged that if I were to pursue this path of donation, I would afterward create a resource that could be helpful to others — to people considering donating their kidneys and for those wanting to be supportive of their loved ones who wish to donate. That’s why I wrote The 5-Ounce Gift: A Medical, Philosophical & Spiritual Jewish Guide to Kidney Donation (Ben Yehuda Press, 2022). For this book, I gathered Torah wisdom from Jewish teachers, medical guidance from surgeons, knowledge from the world of philosophy and practical experience from others who have donated. We face an enormous problem in our communities: About 90,000 people in the U.S., per the National Institutes of Health, are on the kidney transplant waiting

list, and only about 20,000 transplants per year can be completed. Our hearts break for those suffering from end-stage kidney disease, also for their family and friends struggling along with them. This is yet another example of the potential for science and Judaism to work together for the improvement of the world. By tying the moral responsibility imbued by our tradition to the life-saving power made possible by medical advancement, we can bring each field toward its full purpose. My goal in writing this book was not to persuade people to become kidney donors. My objective is to have an honest and open exploration of the questions involved for those interested. I hope to help readers grapple with our obligations to one another and our duty to protect ourselves. Ultimately, I decided to go through with my kidney donation. I had my kidney removed in New York in June 2015 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. And my kidney was given to a very young Israeli named Yossi, who had lost his mother at a young age. I didn’t choose him as my recipient; I was

willing to donate to anyone. But I felt deeply drawn toward him and accepted him as the first option presented to me. “As far as I’m concerned, every person who donates a kidney is a superhero,” Yossi wrote shortly after his successful surgery in an essay now included in this book. I never did become Albert Einstein or Yo-Yo Ma or the president — or one of the many nurses who do life-saving work every day. But to Yossi, it was as if I had saved the world. I want to figure out how we can work to save more worlds together. The “5-Ounce Gift” is available for pre-order through Ben Yehuda Press. Proceeds will go to Valley Beit Midrash to further Jewish educational programs. Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz is the president and dean of Valley Beit Midrash. He was recently the Glazer Institute Scholar at Temple Beth El.

essay

Legacy: The Yellow Violin

lemington, New Jersey, was stop number one on my three-week August concert tour some years back. Half of the buildings in this Delaware River town are on the Register of Historic Places. Masterfully restored Sam Glaser 19th-century Victorians resplendent with sumptuous flower boxes line each side of the main boulevard. This is not just another exit on the turnpike— its claim to fame is the immense Greek Revival courthouse built in 1828, the site of the Lindbergh “Trial of the Century.” I was staying in a quaint bed-and-breakfast just a block away. All these niceties have little to do with what made this event so special. Here’s the story: In 1925, Chaskel Frand and his wife and kids left Dubiecko, Poland, for the “Golden Medina,” armed with his sole source of income, a violin. He had to bid farewell to his extended family of musicians, the Frand Klezmorim. Packed in his violin case was the handwritten music they performed for weddings and for visiting dignitaries. Tragically, after the war, Chaskel was anguished to discover that all his relatives had perished at the hands of the Nazis. In 1955, Chaskel decided to move to Israel so the

imminent arrival of the Messiah wouldn’t require that his bones roll all the way from New York (yes, the rolling of the bones is a part of Jewish tradition). At the airport, he learned he was only allowed one carry-on item. His daughter convinced him to choose his tallis and tefillin over the violin — he could buy another instrument in Israel. He reluctantly handed it to her, and she stashed it in her basement for the next several years. At one point, a cousin came to visit from California. He had just started playing the violin and requested his grandfather’s instrument. Eventually, the violin floated from house to house and much of the Frand sheet music portfolio wound up framed and hung in the homes of various relatives. Fast forward to 1996. My dear friend Sharon Brooks, Chaskel’s granddaughter, had a 5-year-old daughter who wanted to learn violin. Sharon tracked down Chaskel’s instrument and had it sent to New Jersey. It was

in such a state of disrepair she had to splurge to have it restored. When word got out that the violin was back in use, relatives sent Sharon the Frand music so the priceless pieces could be played once again on the family heirloom. In 2009, Sharon made a trip to Dubiecko to explore her roots. Even though Jews made up over half the town’s population before the war, now there was no sign of their presence. The Jewish cemetery was in shambles and the mass grave unmarked. Nazis had used ancient Jewish headstones to pave a road. In a moment of inspiration, Sharon realized how to make “lemonade out of lemons:” The recovered music of the Frand Klezmorim would be the very vehicle to restore the cemetery and honor the memories of her ancestors. MAKING LEMONADE Upon her return, Sharon called to ask my opinion regarding what to do with this portfolio. She sent me

copies, and I worked my way through the arrangements, soon recognizing the uniqueness of this treasure trove. I recommended she have them professionally transcribed so they could be performed by a modern ensemble, and we discussed the logistics of throwing a debut concert as a fundraiser. Before long, she hired klezmer flutist Adrianne Greenbaum to create usable charts out of the Frand ensemble’s hieroglyphics and we put a concert date on the books. After much preparation, the big weekend arrived. The entire community came out for every aspect of the special Shabbaton. We found capable klezmer musicians to fill out the band for the Saturday night concert, and I hired one of my favorite studio drummers from New York. After a set of my songs, we presented the melodious and quite complex klezmer from the Frand catalogue. This Eastern European folk music is not intended to be listened to in a passive manner; Adrianne enthusiastically led the audience in various dances, and we jammed late into the night while everyone sang along. Thousands of dollars were raised to restore the Dubiecko Jewish cemetery. New music was launched in the klezmer world. The JCC of Flemington enjoyed a Shabbaton they would not continued on page 8 FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

PURELY COMMENTARY essay

Misrepresenting Maus

hat a story greeting readers of the New York Times on Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day: Jenny Gross’s report on a sad spectacle transpiring at a school board meeting in McCinn County, Tennessee. Proving that foolishness loves company, the board’s 10 members had voted unanimously to remove Art Spiegelman’s Maus: A Survivor’s Tale from the district’s eighth-grade Robert curriculum. Franciosi Their reasons for this Grand Valley State action ranged from the University specious — PG-13 cartoon nudity and some mild swear words — to the grotesquely obtuse: Spiegelman’s daring to depict the deaths of a handful of the millions murdered during the Holocaust. “It shows people hanging, it shows them killing kids,” said one board member at the meeting: “Why does the educational system promote this kind of stuff?” Publisher The Detroit Jewish News Foundation

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Of course, the internet blew up in response, as evidenced by the emails, newsfeeds and Facebook posts filling my screens. Statements from the Anti-Defamation League and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum were issued, and comments were solicited from Spiegelman. The usually loquacious Pulitzer Prize-winner was almost at a loss for words, underscoring the staggering nature of the entire affair. Because I research, write and teach about the Holocaust, I was as outraged as any of my colleagues in the field; but the English professor in me was also dismayed by the language used to label Spiegelman’s ground-breaking text. The Times piece is titled “School board in Tennessee Bans Teaching of Holocaust Novel Maus.” Prompted by this report and continuing across the virtual media landscape, Spiegelman’s haunting and original memoir has been persistently mislabeled as a fiction, a novel. And the editors of the “newspaper of record” did

| Editorial DIrector of Editorial: Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com Associate Editor: Rachel Sweet rsweet@thejewishnews.com Associate Editor: David Sachs dsachs@thejewishnews.com Social Media and Digital Producer: Nathan Vicar nvicar@thejewishnews.com Staff Reporter: Danny Schwartz dschwartz@thejewishnews.com Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@thejewishnews.com Contributing Writers: Nate Bloom, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Keri Guten Cohen, Shari S. Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman, Louis Finkelman, Stacy Gittleman, Esther Allweiss Ingber, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz, Robin

not bother to review their own record with this issue. They have been taken to task before. NOT A WORK OF FICTION In December 1991, when the second volume of Maus reached the lofty heights of the best seller list, Times editors placed it among best-selling fiction, occasioning a memorable letter from the author. “The borderland between fiction and nonfiction has been fertile territory for some of the most potent contemporary writing,” Spiegelman admitted; but he soon explicated his objection: “It’s just that I shudder to think how David Duke — if he could read — would respond to seeing a carefully researched work based closely on my father’s memories of life in Hitler’s Europe and in the death camps classified as fiction.” Despite all the justifiable outrage aimed at the McCinn County school board and the amazing blowback it provoked — in a

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FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

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The Byron and Dorothy Gerson Centennial Innovation Fund Honors the Legacy of Two Community Champions Dorothy “Dottie” (z”l) and Byron “Bud” (z”l) Gerson are remembered as two of Jewish Detroit’s greatest leaders and benefactors. Their passion and generosity for our community was matched only by their commitment to family, and to each other. Awarded the Jewish Federation’s 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award, Dottie and Bud supported a wide variety of organizations and agencies, including Federation, JVS, the Jewish Community Center, Hadassah, Congregation Shaarey Zedek and Temple Beth El and many others. They also were great champions of art and culture, supporting a wide range of institutions such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Jewish Ensemble Theatre. Married for 66 years, Bud died in 2012 and Dottie in 2021. Today, their legacy lives on in both the causes and organizations they supported as well as in the many lives they touched with their generosity and compassion.

In honor of this extraordinary couple, the William Davidson Foundation has established the Byron and Dorothy Gerson Centennial Innovation Fund. This unique fund will provide ongoing resources to fuel new and innovative programs at the Jewish Federation and other community organizations. “The Gerson Innovation Fund will allow us to explore, develop and test new ideas to advance our community-building efforts,” says Steven Ingber, CEO of the Jewish Federation. “The entrepreneurial spirit of this Fund, together with its focus on strengthening our Jewish community, are a wonderful tribute to the life and impact of Dottie and Bud. In fact, I can think of no better way to honor the memory of these two individuals who dedicated so much of their lives to building a vibrant home for Jewish Detroiters.”

PURELY COMMENTARY LEGACY: THE YELLOW VIOLIN continued from page 5

soon forget. I felt blessed to have a role in this incredible saga. After the event, Sharon Brooks wrote to me: “Sam, you asked me a question I never thought about before. What if my grandfather was able to bring the violin to Israel? Would this music have this new life, this revival of spirit? Perhaps what seemed like such an injustice back then was a part of the master plan. Maybe the time wasn’t right. This violin, this music was, like Moses I suppose, never intended to enter the land of Israel.” WHAT-IFS This question for Sharon led me to consider one about a member of my own family. According to family legend, my grandfather Sam was a rabble-rouser in

his youth. As a teenager in Glod, Romania, he accrued gambling debts and had to skip town. He wandered the Carpathian Mountains, wound up at the Black Sea and befriended a nice Jewish girl. He convinced her family to allow him to join them on the voyage to Hamburg to catch a New York-bound ship. So, in 1921, my grandpa managed to slip into the United States without paperwork. During one of my New York tours, I took my son Max to Ellis Island and scoured the records for our relative’s names. Officially, Sam Glaser never made it. My “what if ” question: What if Grandpa Sam wasn’t a gambler? Would he have made it to the Golden Medina to sell neckties on a pushcart on Orchard Street, eventually ramping

Remembering Judge Cohn

Judge Avern Cohn was my mentor/Rebbe for decades, instructing me in some of the most important values in life: (1) about preserving and improving our great democracy; (2) about our good fortune in being brought up in the great multi-cultural City of Detroit; (3) about our obligations to follow the Jewish ethical teachings of our rabbis and forefathers. As a judicial colleague of Avern for the last 27 years, I was reminded, almost daily in person, or through his “read this and call me” missives, of the judge’s role to vigorously pursue equal justice for all. I will miss him. Fortunately, his presence will continue in my courtroom, where his portrait resides. — Paul D. Borman United States District Judge

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

short list. I realized the war was my rural ancestors’ introduction to the 20th century. Could they have fought back with pitchforks? Thank God, Grandpa Sam played cards. Every note played on the Frand violin is miraculous. Its presence in the world is a simple statement of rebuke to the nations that yearn for our destruction. The Nazis are gone. Never again will we wear the yellow star of shame. Let the melodies of the Frand Klezmorim ring up to the heavens; I’m sure these joyful cadences have the angels dancing. Sam Glaser is a performer, composer, producer and author in Los Angeles. He has released 25 albums of his compositions, travels the world in concert, produces music for various media in his Glaser Musicworks recording studio and his book The Joy of Judaism is an Amazon bestseller.

Yiddish Limerick

letters

up to a large manufacturing operation? Or would he have been extricated from Glod and carted to Auschwitz with the rest of his family? I never understood why my relatives were passive when the Nazis came for them. One year, after an Israel tour, I traveled by train, plane and automobile to access Grandpa Sam’s one-horse town and find out for myself. As I stood there on the porch of the two-bedroom home where my grandpa had lived with his 10 brothers and sisters, a local elder in peasant garb spotted me from a block away. He walked right up to me and said “Glahzer!” Yes, all of us Glasers have a certain look. And this man, who used to play with my beloved aunts and uncles, was curious who survived the war. It’s a shockingly

February

In February, mir hobn 28 teg oder 29 Eib ir hot gekumen on 28, do bist zain fine, Ober eib in 29 you came in here dayn geburstog Will sometimes disappear But yung oder alt the same ir vet zayn. Mir hobn: we have Teg: Days Oder: or Eib ir hot gekumen: if you came do bist zain fine: you will be OK Ober: but Dayn geburstog: your birthday Yung oder alt: young or old Ir vet zayn: you will be. By Rachel Kapen

MISREPRESENTING MAUS continued from page 6

matter of days three different volumes of Maus zoomed up Amazon’s top 10 list — no one has seemed troubled by the ease with which media reports consistently misrepresent Maus as a novel. I doubt the initial report in the Times, or of those who took their cues from it, intended to imply that Spiegelman’s text is a work of fiction. So why did they? Why do our professional writers — journalists and the commentariat — not understand or seem to care about important distinctions in our language? Perhaps the problem is rooted in the squishy phrase “graphic novel,” sometimes distinguishing only between comic books stapled or perfect bound. Throughout his career, Spiegelman has always preferred the term “comix” to describe his medium. When he was once deemed the father of the graphic novel, he replied, “Yeah …. and I’ve been asking for a paternity test ever since.” There are glimmers of evidence that the publishing field is giving more careful thought to naming innovative genres and practices. Last semester my students read The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, a title which resists the too-easy elision between fact and fiction that “novel” can evoke. And Nora Krug’s stunning work Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home has been labeled both a graphic and an illustrated memoir. Indeed, one review in the New York Times, the paper that still struggles with Maus, called Krug’s work a “visual memoir.” My frustration about the decades-long mislabeling of Maus parallels my losing battles with students. Many, even English majors, denote all paperback books as novels. Just last year, some in a class titled “Studies in Nonfiction: Holocaust Memoirs” referred to Primo Levi’s “novel” Survival in Auschwitz. Others, in an American literature survey, used the same designation for Tillie Olsen’s collection of stories Tell Me a Riddle; and several honors students in an American culture course wrote about Allen Ginsberg’s scandalous novel, Howl and other Poems.

MAKING DISTINCTIONS The distinctions between a novel (or graphic novel) and a work of nonfiction should concern not only English professors. The five-pound Critical Edition of Anne Frank’s diary can provide a more comprehensive illustration of the cultural stakes involved. Prepared by the Netherlands State Institute for War Documentation, this 719-page volume assembles the complex textual history of the famous diary, including its three versions — Anne’s original pages, her transformational rewrites and the final published text. The editors also provide an account of how the pages, recovered in August 1944, were compiled and edited into the book that has sold many millions of copies. Since Holocaust deniers have consistently exploited the complex textual evolution in order to challenge the diary’s authenticity, the editors also felt it necessary to include a long summary of a 270-page report on the diary issued by the State Forensic Science Laboratory of the Ministry of Justice. The investigators undertook an extensive analysis of Anne Frank’s handwriting and examined the diary’s very materials — not just the paper and ink of the pages on which it was composed, but the fibers comprising the small diary’s boards; indeed, the very glue, holding them together.

Despite all the Critical Edition’s scholarly wonders, including its revelation of how the teen-aged diarist evolved as a perceptive literary artist, I have to agree with Cynthia Ozick who called it “a sorrowful volume.” The 270 pages of forensic analysis cast a pall over the book, today a depressing testament that those assassins of memory remain with us, nearly four decades after the publications of both the first volume of Maus and the Critical Edition. Deniers and distorters are still at work, and not just in the darkest recesses of the internet; authoritarian governments in Eastern Europe work openly to minimize, even erase, their historical complicity in the Nazi genocide. Deeming Maus a novel, graphic or otherwise, can eventuate into real consequences. In fact, the group responsible for disbursing recompense funds to Holocaust survivors, the Claims Conference, issued a report in 2018 indicating that more than half of all millennials cannot name a concentration camp and that 41% believe substantially fewer than 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. One of its most disturbing findings indicates that “11 percent of U.S. Millennial and Gen Z respondents believe Jews caused the Holocaust.” Maus has always had a noteworthy capacity as an introduction for younger readers to the Holocaust and its consequences — only one reason why the McCinn County school board’s decision is so wrong-headed. But Spiegelman’s inventive text also challenges tooeasy taxonomies, as the Pulitzer Prize committee acknowledged in its special citation, reading simply “For Maus.” Is it a comic book? A graphic memoir? Or the testimony of a Holocaust survivor and his son? All of these and more, I would say. Just don’t call it a novel. Robert Franciosi is a professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Grand Valley State University. FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

FJA

BY T HE

NUMBERS 157 DAYS

100% Of FJA students attend their 1st or 2nd choice college.

OF IN-PERSON LEARNING

60%

during 2020-2021 (167 days of school)

Of students receive tuition assistance.

1:1 TECHNOLOGY Every student gets a MacBook Air laptop with the full Adobe suite.

Our student teacher ratio is

8 TO 1

40%

of FJA students come from public schools.

90%

66%

of FJA students take at least 1 AP class during high school. FJA’s average ACT scores are

8 POINTS HIGHER

of our students participate in athletics.

than the state average.

$3.7 MILLION -

Scholarships earned by the class of 2021.

842 Alumni

2000

community service hours performed by FJA students annually.

Good News at Frankel Jewish Academy

The school introduces Shorashim Grants providing all students up to $10,000 toward tuition. JACKIE HEADAPOHL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL

amilies of high-school aged students who didn’t think they could afford a day school education have a new option today. Frankel Jewish Academy (FJA) announced the Shorashim Grant program — an opportunity for current and incoming families, regardless of the ability to pay, to opt-in to grants that help reduce the cost of annual tuition. Shorashim Grants are available at up to $10,000 per student annually. and families will be able to choose the amount that meets their needs. Shorashim Grants will be available to all FJA families who enroll for the

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

2022-2023 school year and are guaranteed throughout their tenure at FJA. The goal of the Shorashim Grants is to increase the number of Jewish teens who have access to Frankel Jewish Academy’s exceptional education, meaningful student and faculty relationships, and opportunities that are not available to all students in larger schools. “We know that there are thousands of Jewish teens in Metro Detroit who could attend FJA, and cost should not be a limiting factor in their choice to attend,” said Rabbi Azaryah Cohen, FJA’s Head of School. “As a mission-driven Jewish

community organization, we are not just a private school. Our mission is to inspire Jewish students, and that Rabbi remains a priority Azaryah Cohen for our community. FJA is fortunate to be the beneficiary of this support from donors in our community that make this exceptional education possible.” The word Shorashim means “roots” in Hebrew. These grants will help FJA provide roots for the Jewish community by educating and preparing our students to be lifelong leaders. Additionally, FJA is represented

experiential learning opportunities for students to explore the world.

by a pomegranate, a fruit that grows on trees with strong roots in the land. The Shorashim Grants are made possible through contributions from a generous group of donors, who have offered this statement: “The Frankel Jewish Academy is a gem in our community, and we feel strongly that there are many Jewish teens who should have the opportunity to benefit from attending FJA. The future of our community depends on having educated and committed leaders knowledgeable about their history, culture, traditions, and in addition receiving an excellent education that prepares them for college and beyond. “Attending a Jewish Day School is a perfect way to achieve this goal. Even though Frankel Jewish Academy is only 22 years old, we can already see the impact the school has had on Metro Detroit. Many of the young Jewish volunteer and professional leaders are proud grad-

uates of FJA. Their leadership, and therefore Frankel Jewish Academy’s impact, will be felt for years to come.” The Shorashim Grants will be evaluated over the next few years to determine their effectiveness. The goal is to continue to offer them to students who enroll at FJA in 2023 and beyond. In addition to the Shorashim Grants, Frankel Jewish Academy continues to offer generous tuition assistance. A WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION FJA is a college-preparatory academy where students meet with success. All FJA students are provided with a MacBook Air laptop with the full Adobe suite, and small class sizes ensure that each student can build relationships with their teachers. “We know every student. We know how to help them thrive, how to help them succeed, how to help them be their best selves,” said Shana Kantor, director of advancement at FJA. “FJA educaShana tion is about helpKantor ing students figure out what their passions are and grow their passions and develop their passions. And that’s what the relationships between teachers and the students are about. Many of our alumni are still in touch with their teachers.” According to Rabbi Cohen, “We challenge our students with academic and creative classes. We want them to know about the arts, performing arts and fine arts. We want them to excel in sports and community service. We are a small school, but the students who come here get the wide range of experience of what it might be like to go

anywhere else.” One hundred percent of FJA students are accepted to their first or second choice college, and the average FJA student’s ACT score is 8 points higher than the state average. “We work closely with students so they are prepared for college and that they’re prepared to go anywhere,” Kantor said. Many FJA students set their sights on University of Michigan. FJA’s acceptance rates are usually double the state rates. “Colleges and universities know what they’re getting when they’re getting an FJA graduate,” Rabbi Cohen said, “a high-caliber, reflective, kind and compassionate student.” MEETING ITS MISSION “Frankel Jewish Academy’s mission is to educate every Jewish child in Metro Detroit. The Shorashim Grants help us fulfill that mission by reducing a potential barrier for some families,” said Bob Canvasser, Frankel Jewish Academy Board President. “As the parent of a graduate, I’ve Bob Canvasser seen the impact FJA had on my own child and on our family, and it is my strong hope that every Jewish family can experience the same. “We are so fortunate to have an outstanding Jewish community high school in Detroit, and I look forward to seeing future generations of students walk across the stage at graduation and become leaders in Metro Detroit and the greater Jewish community.”

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If you’re interested in receiving more information about Frankel Jewish Academy, contact Director of Admissions Arielle Endelman at admissions@ frankelja.org or online at frankelja.org/ admissions. FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

ON THE COVER

PHOTOS BY GLENN TRIEST

Stacy Fox at Star Bakery

FEBRUARY 24 •

Jewish Bakery

A Little Bakery History

Renewal

Stacy Fox is determined to preserve and improve Jewish-style bakeries in Metro Detroit. ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ou’re always warm and never hungry if you work for a bakery,” said Stacy Fox, a hometown gal with a thing for old bakeries — old Jewish bakeries in particular. Fox was 16 when she began working with Marty and Joyce Herman at Marty’s Cookies & Bakery in Birmingham, a business known for its definitive chocolate chip cookies. At age 24, she purchased the bakery and kept it for 20 years. A tasty new chapter for Fox opened last year when she became the president and managing partner at two venerable bakeries, best known as Star Bakery in Oak Park and Diamond Bakery in West Bloomfield. Raised with two sisters in Oak Park by their parents, Saul and Shirley Arsht, Fox didn’t hesitate to walk from home on Colleen Street to buy Star Bakery cookies. Many moons later, another young customer stopping by on a weekday was River Morack, 4, of Huntington Woods. Her mom, Madeline, said River had asked her to “get me a treat at Star Bakery.” KEEPING BAKERIES ALIVE What is it about a bakery? “Bakeries connect the generations. It’s a business that makes people happy,” said Fox, 53, of Bloomfield Hills. “But it’s become so unusual to see a neighborhood bakery anymore.”

If Fox and her two partners, Oakland County businessmen Dan Buckfire and David Schechter, hadn’t seized separate opportunities to purchase Star and Diamond in 2021, “I believe the bakeries might have gone away,” she said. The partners acquired Star Bakery on July 24 from Esther Moskowitz. She had run Star since her father Ben Moskowitz took ill six years ago. “After Ben passed away in April, Esther was ready to do something else,” Fox said. Noting that Ben Moskowitz’s sister, Fanny Herman, was the mother of Marty “Marty’s Cookies” Herman, Fox said, “It seemed like a natural fit to come into Marty’s uncle’s place.” Owner Gina Rowley sold Diamond Bakery to them just before Thanksgiving. “She was ready to retire,” Fox said. The bakery is located in the West Bloomfield Shopping Mall on Orchard Lake Road. “Diamond caters to Jewish customers,” Fox said, “but it’s not been a Jewish-owned business for more than 40 years. We want to take it back to offering our own authentic Jewish recipes,” such as the mandelbread and rugelach recipes that came from each of her husband Michael’s grandmothers. LOYALTY TO TRADITION Fox is respectful of her clientele preferences for particular bakery continued on page 15

“Star Bakery Shop” was founded in Detroit in 1915 in a neighborhood that became known in the 1920s as Black Bottom. Ten years later, in 1925, an ad placed in the Detroit Jewish Chronicle newspaper announced the grand opening of Star Bakery Shop proprietors Harry Felsot and I. Penn’s “new sanitary bake shop.” The address was 12028 Dexter Boulevard, between Elmhurst and Monterrey. The ad touted the quality of bakery specialties, including cornbread, cheesecake, crescents, jelly rolls, “baigle,” pumpernickel, “Sabbath bread” and more. Star Bakery moved in 1954 to its storefront today on Coolidge Highway, two blocks north of Lincoln Street. Between 1968-1970, Jack Moskowitz acquired the bakery, then sold it to his brother Ben. Under Ben, a different business, Fabulous Star Bakery in Southfield’s New Orleans Mall, became another Star Bakery. In addition to that Greenfield and 10 Mile location and the current store, Star Bakery at its peak also included locations at Nine Mile and Coolidge in Oak Park and Northwestern Highway, north of 12 Mile, in Southfield. Baker Edward and wife Mersha “Mitzi” Seid sold their Jewel Bakery in Southfield’s Harvard Row Shopping Mall in the mid-1970s and opened Diamond Bakery at the former Shopping Center Market inside just-opened Orchard Mall in West Bloomfield. Seid and two associates also operated a Diamond Bakery, the only one remaining, at its current West Bloomfield location next to Pickles & Rye Deli. The bakery was sold in 1981, according to Ed’s widow, Mitzi Seid, 88, of Las Vegas. Fox said members of a Polish family were the buyers. Gina Rowley from the family was the most recent owner of Diamond Bakery, prior to Fox and her partners. Rowley purchased it three years earlier from her brother, Kenny. FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

ON THE COVER continued from page 13

Stacy Fox

Occupation: President/managing partner of Star Bakery and Diamond Bakery Education: Graduate of Berkley High School and Michigan State University Family: Husband, Michael Fox, owner of Fox Printing Service, and children Izzy Fox, 19; Elijah, 17; and Goldie, 14, all fourth-generation Tamarack campers and active in B’nai B’rith Youth Organization Affiliation: Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills Volunteerism: Member of Bloomfield Hills High School Executive Board, recent board member of Tamarack Camps

Stacy Fox, River Morack, 4, of Huntington Woods, and her mom, Madeline

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

specialties. Speaking of Star Bakery, she said, “People come from all over for our seven-layer cake,” but she’s also found great loyalty to Diamond Bakery’s recipe for seven-layer cake. “We’re famous for our rye bread,” she said, again referring to Star Bakery. For the time being, Star is making all the rye bread sold at Diamond Bakery and teaching bakers there to make it the same way. The rye is popular for sandwiches served at many local delis. Star’s rye bread starter, also known as “mother dough,” is more than 40 years old, according to Fox, and must be tended to daily. Additionally, “our sourdough bread is outstanding,” she said. “It’s made using a tangy dough with a starter close to 20 years old.” Fox also praised their onion and apple challah breads. For fun, “one of our bakers came up with the ‘Football Pump,’ a whole pumpernickel loaf in the shape of a football, complete with laces.” For a savory breakfast, Fox recommended topping an Onion Pletzel, an oval flatbread made from challah, with shakshuka, the poached egg-tomato dish often associated with Israeli cuisine. “We can be traditional and modern at the same time,” Fox said of her bakeries. “Everything may not stay the same, but it will stay delicious.” A TWIST OF MODERN Star and Diamond will use highend, scratch recipes that sometimes incorporate a contemporary twist. Fox decided: Why not make Post Fruity Pebbles cereal-flavored kichel for the kids? And, sure, the bakeries’ hamantash cookies at Purim will have traditional fillings like apricot and prune, but maybe check out the new options of key lime or Nutella, a chocolate-hazelnut spread. Sephardic recipes, such as for tahini cookies and desserts with dates, are part of what she wants to add to the menu. “We want to be all-inclusive bakeries,” so that means also giving customers Mexican and Peruvian-style cookies and Alfajoreses, a classic South American rolled cookie Fox was surprised to

All-Star Marilyn Wolton

Stacy Fox, Marilyn Wolton and the baking crew.

find at an Israeli bakery. hand at Star Bakery, which Alfajoreses features layers Fox has managed since of creamy dulce de leche summer. A “Breakfast 26031 Coolidge spread between two thin Special” at Star is $3.99 for Highway shortbread cookies, the a cup of Great Lakes Coffee Oak Park, MI 48237 Phone: (248) 541-9450 edges rolled in powdered Co. coffee with a Danishwww.thestarbakery.com style pastry. “We also want sugar. Hours: 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Many of the additional to have thick slices of weekdays; 6 a.m.-3 p.m. challah toast smeared with menu items that intrigue weekends Fox — “I would love to butter and cinnamon sugar,” make my mother’s apple she said. kugel. I want to add hot Below the front windows soup” — will have to wait at Star is a long, weathered until she can hire more wood pew that came from help, particularly bakers. an old synagogue in Detroit. 6722 Orchard Lake Road Star Bakery currently has Fox plans to put up pictures West Bloomfield, MI 20 employees ranging from of old Jewish bakeries and 48322 high school age to senior vintage baking utensils. The Phone: (248) 626-2212 citizens, Around 10 work at www.diamondbakery.net most notable change in the Diamond Bakery. bakery is a menu mural Hours: 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday “We hire employees for on the black-painted back their attitude, then we’ll wall. Designer Izzy Fox, a train them,” she said. At creative advertising major work daily, Fox takes pride in personally at Michigan State University (her parents’ preparing the dough used for rugelach, alma mater), beautifully hand-painted the mandelbread and more. When her bakers colorful words. She will be repeating the arrive at 4 a.m., the baked goods they project this spring at Diamond Bakery. As make will include babkas, turnovers and Stacy Fox updates the décor at Diamond, cookies, including Marty’s-style chocolate to “shlep it into the 21st century,” she chip. Bakers on the 4 p.m. shift produce expressed appreciation for the efforts bread only. of Michael, her “Jewish husband with a Operations and the décor are more in toolbelt. He can fix anything.”

Star Bakery

Diamond Bakery

Stacy Fox relies on her longtime employee Marilyn Wolton of Oak Park, associated with Star Bakery since 1960. The only child of Polish Holocaust survivors Joyce and Henry “Chaim” Abramowitz, Wolton was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany. She remembered when her father, owner of a shoe repair shop on Coolidge, told 14-yearold Marilyn to “find a job, but you’re not working for me.” Down the street, former Star Bakery owner Gene Klein hired her, and “two years later, I was the bookkeeper.” Wolton worked less at the bakery while raising her children, Rodney and Nicole, with husband, Ron “The Banker” Wolton. She returned to full-time employment when Nicole entered sixth grade. The new job title was “trouble shooter,” requiring Wolton to train sales workers at Star’s former chain of four bakeries. Now serving customers behind the counter, Wolton said she’s pleased to see Fox’s innovations after so many years of “nothing changing” under previous owners. Wolton assists with Star Bakery’s new rewards program that lets interested customers accumulate points from their purchases toward a future discount. Marilyn Wolton

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

On-Ice Fundraiser Local hockey tournament raises funds for Matan B’Seter. STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ipated in two teams at the Southfield Arena on Saturday, Jan. 12, as friends and family cheered on Team Kimmel vs. Team Huntington and donated to the cause. Robert Kimmel, president and CEO of Kimmel Scrap Iron & Metal Co, was one of the tournament’s main sponsors. “My wife, Laurie, and myself believe in the work of Matan B’Seter that helps families in need in a discreet and confidential manner,” Kimmel said. “I have met with some of the individuals of Matan B’Seter and are always impressed with their commitment, completely unpaid, to this organization.” As an avid player of the

Avrumi Lorkis handles the puck.

sport, Lorkis said the Detroit Metro area has many ice rinks to choose from compared to other places he’s lived in like California and Florida. This makes ice time relatively cheaper and more available for pick-up games. In addition to playing with his peers, Lorkis also organizes an occasional hockey clinic for Jewish kids to learn the sport. Lorkis got the idea to fundraise through playing hockey a few years back, when he COURTESY OF AVRUMI LORKIS

vrumi Lorkis of Oak Park has been a hockey player since his school days at Yeshivah Beth Yehudah. Free time would find him on the ice rink at the Jewish Community Center of Metro Detroit at practice or games. Now at 32, the high school teacher still likes to play pickup hockey for its social and exercise benefits. “Hockey is a passion and a commitment,” Lorkis said. “The gear gets expensive, and it takes time and practice to become a skilled player. Everyone who plays is already very passionate about the sport. Growing up here, I know about 30 guys still around who love to get on the ice and play. It’s a great outlet to have a good time, and we can also do it to raise money for tzedakah.” This past January, he organized the third annual Hockey Showdown and raised $70,000 for Matan B’Seter Detroit, a nonprofit organization that helps working people in the Jewish community who live close to the poverty line make ends meet when they are faced with a sudden expense such as an unexpected family illness, a high utility bill or even to provide funds for a life event simchah. About 30 adults partic-

The players who raised funds for Matan B’Seter.

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

was invited to play in a tournament in Canada to benefit colon cancer research. Now, Lorkis sits on the Matan B’Seter board, where he said all board and staff are volunteers. This means that 99.9% of all donations go directly to those in need. In the three years he has been organizing the hockey fundraiser game, each event raised more money than the last. “I am always so pleasantly surprised how many people I have asked happily donated to help,” Lorkis said. “People would tell me they have been happy to donate because some have found themselves in situations where they needed financial assistance and Matan was there for them. There are many people who you would not even realize who find themselves in financial emergencies, but Matan B’Seter helps with such dignity because it is done in such a discreet manner.”

Jane Sherman

SILVER SCREEN STUDIOS

OUR COMMUNITY

My STORY Joel Katz

Coming Of Age: Detroit

Season 2 premiere features inspiring older Jewish role models from the Motor City.

he award-winning series returns for a second season to feature profiles of Detroit seniors, including colorful stories of entrepreneur Larry Mongo, owner of Cafe D’Mongo’s Speakeasy in Downtown Detroit; the philanthropy of Max Fisher family scion and matriarch Jane Sherman; a vivid oral history of the Cass Corridor arts scene in the 1970s by legendary artist Nancy Mitchnick; the transformative work of Restoration Arts Theater founder Dr. James Allen Jones, who sought to bring Shakespeare education to students of color; and the witty insights of Joel Katz, successor to a multi-generational plumbing business that saved many during Detroit’s harsh winters. These profiles are featured in Coming of Age: Detroit from Silver Screen Studios, a production company that celebrates the lives and experiences of inspirational older adults through short form digital media programming, and Reboot, a Jewish arts and culture nonprofit with gener-

ous support from the William Davidson Foundation. “As our world continues to adjust to social, political and cultural change, the wisdom, gratitude and optimism of the older Detroit icons and everyday heroes featured in Coming of Age: Detroit offers invaluable insights for audiences of all ages,” said Noam Dromi, managing director of Reboot Studios and co-creator of Silver Screen Studios. “The seniors of the Metro Detroit area have remained models of resilience, creativity and reinvention, as adaptable to change as the Motor City itself. We are thrilled to capture their stories that are as entertaining as any Hollywood movie and offer historical context and legacy for generations to come.” The first two episodes are available now. Additional episodes to feature Larry Mongo, Dr. James Allen Jones and Nancy Mitchnick will premiere weekly. Each installment runs between 10-15 minutes. View them at http://silverscreenstudios.org.

A few years ago, Kevin Chupack was with an investment advisory firm managing the client portfolios of a co-worker. Although he enjoyed what he did, his goal was always to establish his own clientele so he could eventually launch out on his own. “As opposed to working on behalf of someone else’s clients, I wanted to manage my own portfolio and establish my own clientele and brand,” Kevin said. “I felt I was ready to begin that journey, so I opened my own firm.” Kevin knew things would be tough for the first year as he built his client list, but what he did right away was find a business partner, a registered CPA who was also looking for a partner. The two created a symbiotic financial firm to fully support each other’s client relationships. The other thing Kevin did was contact Hebrew Free Loan to apply for funding through HFL’s Marvin I. Danto Small Business Loan Program. “The Hebrew Free Loan process was outstanding. It gave me the opportunity to put a vision behind my numbers and launch my business my way, which is both the scariest and the greatest feeling in the world,” Kevin said. My partner and I play to each other’s strengths, so we came out of our first couple of years doing well, and I credit HFL for giving me the courage to do it. It was more than money with them, it was support and encouragement. What this agency did for me, and does for the community, is life-changing.”

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FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

Honoring the Legacy of

Dorothy and Byron Gerson Davidson Foundation Grants to benefit Israel Museum and Federation Innovation Fund. RON LIEBERMAN, LIBERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Dorothy and Byron Gerson

he late Dorothy and Byron Gerson were devoted to Detroit’s Jewish community and to Israel, a commitment shared by their family for several generations. They traveled often to Israel and contributed generously to improve Jewish life in Detroit and Israel. Now their legacy is being honored through a series of grants from the William Davidson Foundation. Byron and Dorothy Gerson were the brother-in-law and sister of the late William Davidson, the founder of the Davidson Foundation and former chair, president and CEO of Guardian

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

Industries. Mrs. Gerson died at age 99 in 2021 and Byron Gerson died in 2013. The Davidson Foundation has announced two grants in their honor — a $5 million gift to the American Friends of the Israel Museum Endowment and $3.5 million for an Innovation Fund for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. The grant to the Israel Museum, Israel’s largest cultural institution, continues more than a century of support for Israel from the Gerson and Davidson families. According to Ralph Gerson, Byron (Bud) and Dorothy (Dottie) Gerson’s son, his great-grandfa-

ther led the second Zionist Congress in Switzerland in 1920, and family members bought land in Jerusalem which they donated to Hadassah for its first hospital. “They were a very Zionistic family. There is a long family legacy for Israel. They travelled to Israel fairly often. They were art collectors, so they were interested in the Israel Museum,” Gerson says. He is treasurer and a director of the William Davidson Foundation. Byron and Dorothy Gerson hosted the museum director in Detroit to introduce the museum to Detroiters. His mother Dorothy and Bill Davidson, who he describes as very close, shared this interest in Israel and its archaeology. “The Israel Museum was a passion of Dorothy’s,” says Karen Davidson, widow of William Davidson. Ethan Davidson, William Davidson’s son, remembers that his uncle, Byron Gerson, kept up to date on the latest archaeological discoveries in Israel. “They all were involved individually and as a family,” he says. Davidson is grants committee chair and a director of the William Davidson Foundation. The Davidson Foundation has previously supported exhibitions at the museum. In conjunction with this gift, the museum’s Temporary Exhibitions Gallery in the Archaeology Wing will be named the Byron and Dorothy Gerson Gallery. Doreen Hermelin, a long-time friend of Dottie Gerson’s, describes her as “a very special lady. She loved Israel very much and the museum.” Her daughter, Marcie Orley, said, “Israel meant so much to her. This is an incredibly meaningful way to honor their legacy.” “Dottie and Bud Gerson had a long and loving history of connection with the Israel Museum. They also engaged a remarkably committed circle of friends in Detroit to share their enthusiasm for the museum, demonstrating importantly the power of the museum’s embrace across the Jewish cultural community in the U.S. Naming the entrance gallery to the museum’s Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Archeology Wing in their memory could not be a more appropriate way to recognize the depth of their commitment to the Museum and its success,” says James S. Snyder, Director Emeritus of the Israel Museum and Executive Chair of the Jerusalem Foundation Inc.

INNOVATION FUND AT FEDERATION In addition to the gift to the Israel Museum, the Foundation is granting $3.5 million to Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit to establish the Byron and Dorothy Gerson Centennial Innovation Fund. The Gersons were long-time donors to Jewish Federation, receiving Federation’s lifetime achievement award in 2011. This new project complements the Hermelin-Davidson Foundation for Congregational Excellence, which was established in the 1990s by William Davidson and David Hermelin to support innovative ideas for local Jewish congregations. “We hope that the Innovation Fund will be a resource for new ideas that can be tried out and that it will help Federation,” said Ralph Gerson. Steven Ingber, CEO of Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, said “The grant is a testament to a wonderful couple for their service to the community. We’re super excited.” Establishing the Innovation Fund reflects the families’ interests and history. “Innovation, building and doing were central to their lives. This is a family of entrepreneurs,” Gerson said. Ethan Davidson remembers that Byron and Dorothy wanted to be around doers and thinkers. “They were particularly inter-

COURTESY OF DSO

The Davidson and Gerson families at the DSO’s 2015 Heroes Gala

The Israel Museum The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, is Israel’s largest cultural institution and is ranked among the world’s leading art and archeology museums. The museum’s focus is the art, Judaica and ancient artifacts of the Land of Israel and beyond, featuring the most extensive holdings of Biblical and Holy Land archeology in the world with a collection of nearly 500,000 objects. The museum’s Shrine of the Book houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. Another unique exhibit is an amazing model of Second Temple Era Jerusalem, which reconstructs the topography and architectural character of the city prior to its destruction by the Romans in 66 CE. Source: TouristIsrael.com

ested in young people, asking, ‘Who’s got the next idea that’s the next big idea?’” he says. Ingber anticipates that the Innovation Fund grants will focus on offering “something new and different, something entrepreneurial with clear program goals and evaluation. They will be under the engagement umbrella to build a Jewish future.” During the first year, grants will be available only to Federation agencies as the

program is fine-tuned. The intent is to fund projects that are not part of an agency’s usual operations and budget. The focus will be on community engagement efforts, he explains, since so many Jewish activities and programs were canceled or limited during the pandemic. A committee comprising members of the Gerson-Davidson family, as well as Davidson Foundation and Federation staff, will evaluate grant requests. Ingber says that most project awards are likely to range between $10,000 and $35,000. In addition to the grants for the Israel Museum and Innovation Fund, the Davidson Foundation also awarded $5 million to the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) and $1.5 million to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO). The Gersons and Davidsons were long-time supporters of both cultural institutions. Both Ralph Gerson and Ethan Davidson remember attending Young People’s Concerts — Ralph with his mother and Ethan with his grandmothers.The Gersons were art collectors. The grants that will honor Byron and Dorothy Gerson will benefit a broad range of individuals in Israel and Metro Detroit now and far into the future. Karen Davidson explained that “this was a family decision. Bill would have said ‘of course, of course.’” FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING.

‘Defiant Requiem’

INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING.

INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING. INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING.

Oakland University to host documentary about Terezin concentration camp. JN STAFF

he Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and Community Engagement will present Defiant Requiem, a moving feature-length documentary that honors the prisoners of the Terezín concentration camp. The screening will be held in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms (312 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester) on Wednesday, March 9, at 7 p.m. The film tells the Terezín prisoners’ stories and combines historical photos, animation and Nazi propaganda footage — with re-creations and current footage of Prague and Terezín. It reflects the grim realities of one of the worst periods in human history, the Holocaust. Terezin was originally a holiday resort reserved for Czech nobility located 30 miles north of Prague in the Czech Republic. During World War II, by 1940, the Nazi Gestapo turned it into a Jewish ghetto and concentration camp that held Jews from Czechoslovakia as well as many people deported from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark. More than 150,000 people were sent to the camp before being transported by rail to their deaths at

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COURTESY OF JEFF ROFFMAN

Maestro Murry Sidlin

Treblinka and Auschwitz. Maestro Murry Sidlin will speak to OU students during an afternoon event about the film and its music. He will then show the film at the evening public event and lead a discussion after the screening. Defiant Requiem has received numerous awards nationwide. Sidlin, a conductor with a unique gift for engaging audiences, continues a diverse and distinctive musical career. He is the president and creative director of the Defiant Requiem Foundation, an organization that sponsors live concert performances of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín and Hours of Freedom: The Story of the Terezín Composer. “Defiant Requiem captures the horrors of the Third Reich, but also shows the power of the human spirit to create art and beauty under the most egregious circumstances,” said Oakland University professor Michael Pytlik, director of Judaic Studies

and director of the Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and Community Engagement. Pytlik also serves as director of OU’s Study Abroad program to Israel. “It is a testament to the importance of preserving history. As such, it will be a memorable experience for our students and everyone in attendance.” There is no cost to attend the screening, but registration is required at https://tinyurl.com/ yd9dwcds. The Oakland University Cis Maisel Center for Judiac Studies and Community Engagement was created through a generous gift by Cis Maisel, a community leader in southeastern Michigan and a staunch advocate for education. The center focuses on the study of Judaism from an academic standpoint as well as providing an important space for research that enhances the understanding of the rich traditions of Judaism from around the world. FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

IF ONLY LIFE WERE AS EASY AS PIE An Evening of Song Eleanor Roosevelt Hadassah holding virtual Purim celebration. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

E (“LOVE SONG,” “BRAVE”)

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leanor Roosevelt Hadassah, a Hadassah chapter for Greater Detroit and its suburbs, is holding a virtual celebration of Purim on March 3 at 7:30 p.m. with an evening of music, friendship and entertainment, featuring a performance from Lisa Soble Siegmann. Siegmann, a singer, songwriter, cantorial soloist and song leader, began singing professionally at age 5 — and hasn’t stopped. The Bloomfield Hills native will sing for about 45 minutes, including some songs about Purim. “She’s going to do a great performance because she always does,” said Beverly Yost, Hadassah membership and outreach vice president and the project leader for the event. “We can count on Lisa to deliver a program that’s going to be fabulous, and her name is well-known, so I think it’s a draw. I don’t think it could be better.” Siegmann is a program partner at the Max. M & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, spent 18 years at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and four years at the JCC of Metropolitan Detroit, with a main focus on Jewish family education. There will be goodie bags available for those interested, available at the Hadassah House (5030 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield) on the day of the program. Hadassah staff will deliver the bags to people’s cars in a drive-up manner. The bags will have Purim-themed items. Even though it’s on Zoom, celebrating a holiday like Purim with friends, music and enter-

tainment still has meaning, Yost believes. “I think it’s extremely important, especially in these times,” Yost said. “With this pandemic, I think we’ve all felt somewhat disconnected from normal life, and to have the opportunity to celebrate together is very important to all of us. It makes us feel happier. It hopefully will make us feel more connected and remind us there is still joy out there in the world to be had, despite all the concerns we all have about the pandemic and the limitations that have been placed on all of us.” Yost hopes the event reiterates the impact Hadassah makes and all that it offers. “I hope it’s a reminder of how important Hadassah is — what an important role Hadassah plays in building community — and I hope people are reminded of how joyous our Jewish heritage can be.” There’s an $18 event fee. Those interested are asked to register by March 1 at hadassahmidwest.org/RooseveltPurim. Information at greaterdetroit@hadassah. org or call (248) 683-5030.

Answer the Call. Your donation supports our Jewish community. On Sunday, March 6, our community volunteers will be making calls to secure donations to Federation’s 2022 Annual Campaign. Every day, Federation’s partner agencies are taking care of older adults, children and other vulnerable individuals. Providing emergency financial assistance for families in need, and educational supports for our day schools. Delivering mental health services for those that are struggling.

This is all possible thanks to more than 10,000 donors to our Annual Campaign. Please join the effort. Answer the call or make your donation now at jewishdetroit.org/donate. Interested in volunteering for our Super Sunday Team? jewishdetroit.org/supersunday2022 Other questions? Contact Marianne Bloomberg at bloomberg@jfmd.org.

OUR COMMUNITY

The Jewish Federation hosts an annual day of support for the community.

n Sunday, March 6, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit’s traditional Super Sunday campaign event returns — but with a new twist. For the first time in its 40-year history, Super Sunday will be run as a hybrid event, with its army of volunteers making calls from home as well as from the Max M. Fisher Federation building in Bloomfield Hills. The goal of Super Sunday, as always, will be to reach individuals who have not yet

made an Annual Campaign donation. Federation is encouraging community members to “take the call” and make a pledge to 2022 Campaign, which closes on May 31, 2022. Thanks to a generous supporter, all Super Sunday donations will be matched up to $180. As many as 200 volunteers or more are expected, including staff and lay leaders from Federation’s local partner agencies as well as the many Federation volunteers who regularly participate in the annual telethon. The

event will run from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., with outreach to young adults being made later in the afternoon by volunteers from Federation’s NEXTGen Detroit Department. “Two years ago, we had to cancel Super Sunday due to the onset of the pandemic,” says Lisa Cutler, Federation’s senior director of philanthropic operations. “Last year we brought Super Sunday back, but it was completely virtual. Knowing how important the spirited, communal atmosphere is to our callers, COVID protocols will be followed for everyone’s safety. Those who would still prefer to volunteer remotely can do so.” In 2021, the Jewish Federation secured $200,000 from 620 donors on Super Sunday, an achievement the campaign team hopes to exceed this year. Pledges made on Super Sunday can be paid any time prior to Dec.

31, 2022. “We’re doing things somewhat differently, but the goal is the same as every other Super Sunday,” notes Cutler. “The Annual Campaign remains the single most important means for us to take care of those in need in our community, as well as maintain a healthy, vibrant Jewish home for everyone. And Super Sunday is as essential to that effort as ever.” Individuals who are interested in volunteering to make calls on Super Sunday, either remotely or at the live telethon, can register at: jewishdetroit.org/ SuperSunday2022. Volunteers are welcome to participate any time between 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Those who want to make their donation early can do so at jewishdetroit.org/donate. Just note “Super Sunday” in the comments field to double the impact of the donation.

Join fellow young adults who live in (or are from) Metro Detroit on an upcoming Birthright trip. There are two dates to choose from: May 9-19, 2022, and May 23-June 2, 2022. Based on Israel Outdoors’ flagship Israel Quest itinerary, Detroit Community Birthright trips give you the opportunity to explore Israel’s natural beauty, its epic 3,000-year history and its colorful cultural traditions, alongside

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

fellow young Jewish Detroiters and Israeli travel mates from Detroit’s Partnership2Gether Region. As an active travel experience, you’ll be spending less time on the bus and more time on the go — discovering the past, present and future of Israel with all your senses. You’ll form new cross-cultural friendships, experience all the must-see/must-do highlights of Israel and return home with a new sense of perspective and

FEDERATION

Federation Offers Two Birthright Trips in May

meaning. Get to know Israeli society on a person-to-person level with a VIP community visit to the Central Galilee — Detroit’s sister community and Partnership2Gether Region in Israel.

These trips are intended for young Jewish Detroiters ages 18 to 22, but anyone eligible and under 26 is welcome to join. For more information, contact Jen at jlevine@jfmd. org.

Bookstock is Back! After a two-year absence, Metro Detroit’s biggest and best used book and media sale will return to Livonia’s Laurel Park Place in Livonia, May 15-22, offering amazing deals on used books and media. New this year, in addition to scores of tables brimming with used books and media inside the mall, Bookstock plans to feature a Best of Bookstock outdoor tent for customers preferring an outdoor experience. Proceeds from Bookstock benefit literacy and educa-

tion projects throughout the city of Detroit and Oakland and Wayne counties, as well as several counties in northern Michigan. Neal Rubin of the Detroit News is Honorary Chairperson of Bookstock, and Alycia Meriweather, deputy superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District, is Bookstock’s Honorary Chancellor. Bookstock 2022’s Presenting Sponsor is the Mike Morse Law Firm. Bookstock’s Pre-Sale will kick-off on Sunday, May 15

at 8:15 a.m. There is a $20 admission charge for the PreSale only, which runs through 11 a.m. and offers savvy shoppers and collectors first crack at Bookstock’s treasure trove of bargains. Bookstock has 300,000-plus gently used books, DVDs, CDs, books on tape and vinyl for sale at bargain basement prices. The sale will continue through Sunday, May 22, running Sundays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. -7 p.m. New merchandise is added to the floor daily. Bookstock has generated more than $2.25 million for literacy and education projects in Michigan. Nearly 700 volunteers work together throughout the year to organize the event. For more information about Bookstook, call (248) 6457840, ext. 365, or visit bookstockmi.org.

Annual Micki Grossman Food Drive There are still a few days left to honor the life of the late Micki Grossman, a volunteer whose main focus in life was helping others. The late Hazon’s Second Micki Annual Micki Grossman Grossman Food Drive takes place until Feb. 27. Now is the time to gather your non-perishables for donation and drop them into clearly marked containers outside the front entrances of Temple Shir Shalom on Walnut Lake Road in West Bloomfield or the Federation building on Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills. To make a financial contribution in Micki’s memory, visit hazon.org/detroit.

Need to find help during a family crisis? Call jhelp at 1-833-445-4357 or visit: jhelp.org Your one-stop for support from Jewish Detroit.

Supported through the generosity of The Jewish Fund and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Family Foundation.

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

SPORTS

Perfection Pushes Away the Pandemic

Another 300 game, young bowler’s 770 series are highlights of Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson season. STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

GARY KLINGER

B Mix-N-Match teammates (from left) Kenny Weiss, Brian Cohen and Noah Cohen are big fans of prolific 300 bowler Aaron Radner.

Joey Schechter (second from left) with Jerry & His Kidz teammates (from left) Bill Zavier, Yale Weiner and Jerry Gurwin.

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

owlers are back on the lanes this season in the Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson B’nai B’rith league after the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to take some time off. Two of the league’s bowlers are on a roll. Aaron Radner bowled his sixth 300 game in league play, the most in the league’s 60-year history. Joey Schechter, at age 22 the league’s youngest bowler (the minimum age is 18), had the league’s highest series of the season as of mid-February. Radner’s latest 300 and Schechter’s 278-213-279-770 series were each bowled Jan. 31 at Country Lanes in Farmington Hills, on the first night of the second half of the weekly league’s regular season. Radner slipped past Dave Shanbaum on his way to the top of the league’s 300 leader board. Shanbaum has five 300 games in league play. He’s not competing in the league this season. He lives in Windsor and crossing the Canadian border into the U.S. is problematic because of pandemic restrictions. This is Radner’s fourth year in the league. He was a substi-

tute occasionally when he was in college. He’s bowled three 300 games at Country Lanes, the league’s longtime home, and three 300 games at the 300 Bowl in Waterford, the league’s home for two years. His 300’s have been bowled in March 2015, March 2018, March 2019 (twice), October 2019 and now January 2022. He has one other 300 game in his bowling career. It came in August 2019 at the Rose Bowl in Roseville in the Detroit All Star Traveling Classic. “Why have I bowled six 300 games in the B’nai B’rith league? I really don’t know. Maybe I’m relaxed,” Radner said. Radner’s series Jan. 31 was 257-300-193--750. “I just couldn’t make the proper adjustments in the third game,” he said. His second-game 300 continued a trend. “Not one of my seven 300 games has been bowled in the first game of a series. They’ve all been in the second or third game,” Radner said. “I don’t know why I’ve never bowled a 300 in a first game. It’s weird. You’d think that would be a good time for a 300.”

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Radner didn’t bowl for about a year because of the pandemic. He began practicing last summer after getting vaccinated. “It’s exciting to get back in the swing of things,” the Farmington Hills resident said. He’s bowling in two other leagues besides the Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson league this season. This is a birthday month for Radner, who turned 27 on Feb. 16. He’s a former member of the North Farmington High School bowling team. So is Schechter, who is in his first year in the BrotherhoodEddie Jacobson league. “I’m getting more serious about bowling,” Schechter said. He certainly was serious Jan. 31, rolling strikes in 27 of 36 frames. He threw nine consecutive strikes to start his first game, then left the 10 pin in the 10th frame. He picked up that spare and threw a strike for a 278. “I switched bowling balls in the second game. I was still trying to figure out the lanes,” he said about his 213 game. Schechter went back to his original bowling ball, threw three straight strikes to start his third game and picked up a 6-pin spare in the fourth frame. He then threw nothing but strikes until his 12th ball, when he left the 9 pin. Three days earlier, Schechter rolled 236-289257--782, his highest series, while practicing at Country Lanes. The Farmington Hills resident has three 300 games,

also rolled while practicing at Country Lanes. They came on June 29, Dec. 21 and Jan. 26. His father Larry Schechter was a longtime Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson league bowler. First-half team champions in the 22-team BrotherhoodEddie Jacobson league were the Rolling Stoned in the Pistons Division, Yogi’s Rollers in the Tigers Division, Mix-N-Match in the Red Wings Division and the 600 Club in the Lions Division. Highest games rolled during the first half were Mike Weinstock (256) in the Pistons Division, Matt Rappaport (280) in the Tigers Division, Noah Cohen (279) in the Red Wings Division and Schechter (277) in the Lions Division. Highest first-half series were recorded by Ben Sofferin (651) in the Pistons Division, Ben Shapiro (730) in the Tigers Division, Radner (755) in the Red Wings Division and Hassan Fatouhi (744) in the Lions Division. Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson bowling came to a screeching halt after the league bowled March 9, 2020. The final five weeks of the regular season and three weeks of playoffs were cancelled because of the pandemic. Several months later, the 2020-21 season was canceled. Bowlers must be vaccinated to compete in the league this season. Please send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

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FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

HEALTH

A Physician Advocate for Those with Disabilities Michigan Medicine is establishing a Disability Health Endowment in honor of Dr. Philip Zazove, chair of Family Medicine at U-M.

ELIZABETH A. KATZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Dr. Philip Zazove

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

hilip Zazove, M.D., as a family physician who has lived his life with profound hearing loss, is well acquainted with overcoming adversity. He’s had to prove himself repeatedly as someone who is just as competent and capable as someone without a disability. This was true from an early age, as he attended public school as a child growing up in Lincolnwood, Ill. (near Evanston and Skokie), where he was one of the first deaf children mainstreamed in the northern Chicago suburbs. He then attended college at Northwestern University. Zazove, who is Jewish, decided to attend medical school. Due to his deafness, he faced countless rejections by medical schools before finally gaining admittance at Rutgers Medical School. Despite those ongoing challenges, he was able to establish his own medical practice in Utah in 1981, and then joined the University of Michigan as an assistant professor in 1989. Zazove has served as the second George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan (U-M) since 2011. The chair was established in 2006, thanks to a generous donation by family medicine pioneer George A. Dean, M.D., and his wife Vivian, who have been long-time leaders and philanthropists in the Metro Detroit Jewish community. Zazove is now ready to retire after a lifetime of impressive achievements.

Dr. Philip Zazove is pictured with Ellie Barron, a patient of his who is now a freshman in the honors program at Michigan State University.

“It’s time for someone with new ideas and energy to come in,” said Zazove, who turned 70 in 2021. “Also, I’m ready to spend more time with my wife (Barbara Reed, M.D., MSPH, professor emeritus of family medicine at U-M).” Zazove, who has been a member of Temple Beth Emeth and the Jewish Community Center in Ann Arbor, leaves behind a tremendous legacy as a deaf clinician and researcher. He has tirelessly advocated for health care for people with disabilities and has pushed for changes that have opened access to medical school education to students who also have disabilities, not only at the University of Michigan but across the globe. “There’s so much work to be done in improving the health and lives of people with disabilities — and most of us will develop a disability at some point in our lives,” he said. Zazove said that many physicians still are unaware of the health care experiences and accommodation needs of those with disabilities. Many clinicians also feel uncomfortable treating this

patient population, even though over 20% of Americans (approximately 61 million people) have a disability. Under Zazove’s leadership, the Department of Family Medicine faculty has taken an active role in caring for those with disabilities. They have also advocated for making changes in COVID vaccine site layouts so that patients with all types of disabilities can use them. Their work also includes the establishment of Michigan Medicine’s Deaf Health Clinic. Zazove, along with Michael M. McKee, M.D., MPH, who also has hearing loss, serve as co-directors. The Deaf Health Clinic is the only one of its kind in Michigan and is in Dexter. The clinic serves deaf patients from across the state. Faculty also have conducted a wide range of research, including studies that have impacted those with disabilities. “We have an amazing group of highly-skilled researchers in our department,” Zazove said. “Their expertise in so many areas, including women’s health, deafness, disabilities, adolescence, dia-

betes and mixed methods research is inspiring. The impact of so many of our findings on so many people worldwide has been gratifying for me as department chair. It’s why we all went into health care — to help our fellow humans.” Zazove and Family Medicine faculty have also helped increase basic awareness that those with disabilities have the right to practice medicine if that is a career they wish to pursue. This includes addressing inappropriate technical standards for admission to medical schools; the provision of accommodations that are appropriate for medical students; and working with state and national organizations to support medical professionals with disabilities. CHARTING HIS OWN COURSE AS A FAMILY PHYSICIAN As someone who grew up in the 1950s and ’60s, Zazove knows the daily obstacles that someone who is deaf or hard of hearing faces. Some of these barriers still exist today. Though academic and professional expectations were low for Zazove, his continued on page 30

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

HEALTH continued from page 29

“WHEN I STARTED ... THERE WAS LITTLE SUPPORT FOR AND RECOGNITION OF THE HEALTH ISSUES THAT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES HAVE.” — DR. PHILLIP ZAZOVE

parents, Earl and Louise, both physicians, refused to send him to a state school for deaf children and instead enrolled him in public schools. He drew support and inspiration from both, especially his mother. “Every successful younger person with a disability I’ve met had supportive parents or mentors,” Zazove said. “I think that’s also what really allowed me to be so successful. I was always told I could do what I wanted. Perhaps the fact that my mother grew up poor and had to overcome many obstacles to become a physician indicated to me that many obstacles can be overcome with perseverance and hard work.” His mother, Louise Tumarkin Zazove, graduated from Hunter College and became the first female medical student in her class at Chicago Medical School. She graduated in three years by attending classes seven days a week during World War II. Zazove matriculated at Rutgers Medical School, then transferred to and graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in 1978. He also graduated with honors from the Executive Master’s Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 1994. He has authored two books, includ-

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

ing an autobiography, When the Phone Rings, My Bed Shakes: Memoirs of a Deaf Doctor. “When I started in practice, there was little support for and recognition of the health issues that people with disabilities have,” he said. “As a physician with hearing loss, I couldn’t hear the beeper go off and there was no text available to read, just a voice I couldn’t understand or even hear. Now we have cell phones that vibrate, with text that can be read and responded to.” Along with his clinical practice and research, he has served on Michigan Medicine, regional, statewide and national committees such as the Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses, the Division of Deafness for the State of Michigan, the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, the advisory board for the National Center for Deaf Health Research, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, and the Family Medicine Department’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. CARRYING FORTH DR. ZAZOVE’S LEGACY To commemorate all that Zazove has contributed to the Department of Family Medicine, to his patients,

Dr. Philip Zazove with Dr. George Dean, who, with his wife, Vivian, contributed to the establishment of the George A. Dean, M.D. Chair of Family Medicine in 2006. Dean was instrumental in putting in place the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan, along with family medicine departments across Michigan universities.

especially those who have disabilities, and the impactful research he has conducted and published over the decades, the Department of Family Medicine is establishing the Philip Zazove, M.D. Disability Health Endowment Fund at Michigan Medicine. The fund will promote and support disability efforts in the Department of Family Medicine and across Michigan Medicine, including patient care, research, education and community outreach, with an overarching goal of access, equity and inclusion. Some of the programs Family Medicine faculty have established during Zazove’s tenure to help those with disabilities include an adaptive sports and fitness program

for those with disabilities and MDisability, a collaborative program that focuses on improving the inclusion of people with disabilities in healthcare research, education, practice, and community engagement. Zazove has also conducted research impacting those with disabilities, including a study that utilizes an electronic alert to remind clinicians to ask older patients about hearing loss. The study found that the electronic prompt significantly increased awareness of hearing limitations and audiology referrals for at-risk patients. He has also conducted research in cancer prevention in those with profound hearing loss and health care use among those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

NO REGRETS PURSUING FAMILY MEDICINE Zazove said he made the right choice going into family medicine. His work has allowed him to follow patients and their health through the years. “Getting to know patients and their families well, and caring for entire families from birth to death, has been so rewarding,” he said. “The feedback from patients … is heartwarming. I know all family docs have similar experiences, as witnessed by many of the stories I hear from them.” In retirement, Zazove said he plans to enjoy time with his wife, two daughters, who are both CEOs of their own companies, and his four grandchildren. He will continue to be active in the sports he loves — including cross-country skiing in the winter and kayaking and swimming in the summer — and enjoying his dogs, of which there have been eight over the years. He also plans to finish two books he’s been working on, one featuring a deaf detective and another about his grandmother, who emigrated from Russia in the late 19th century and was a leader in the Ladies Garment Workers Union of America. Additionally, he wants to devote more time and effort to the Louise Tumarkin Zazove Foundation, which was established in memory of his mother. This 19-year-old foundation provides fouryear, $3,800 annual college scholarships to individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing. SUPPORT WELL PLACED George Dean, now in his 90s, was instrumental in creating the Department of Family Medicine at U-M in 1978. He also helped establish Family Medicine

Departments at other Michigan universities and played a critical role in advocating for the recogniBreakthrough Techniques and tion of Family Medicine as a Impeccable Care for Gum Disease, Gum Recession and Missing Teeth vital component of the overWith our state-of-the-art techniques for all health care landscape. treating Gum Disease and Gum Recession, Dean, who practiced famand the latest advances in Dental Implant technology, a beautiful, healthy smile can ily medicine in Southfield, be only a visit away. said he developed a close Minimally Invasive LANAP Laser Treatment relationship with Zazove in for Gum Disease: This laser alternative to traditional gum surgery uses safe and proven the time that Zazove was laser technology to remove harmful bacteria and diseased gum tissue gently. department chair. The Breakthrough Pinhole Gum “He is a magnificent Rejuvenation Technique: Dr. Nemeth example of someone who was the first periodontist in Michigan certified in this treatment for gum has overcome a disability recession, which contours the gums allowing for a more youthful and become chair of one of appearance. the best Family Medicine Dental Implants: Utilizing the departments in the counhighest quality materials and most progressive surgical techniques, try,” he said. “Very quietly dental implants, whether a single tooth or a full set, can have the and very unassumingly, same function, permanence and Phil has been able to create appearance as natural teeth. this wonderful department and advanced the need for disabled people to receive excellent health care. He has gone above and beyond his www.drnemeth.com www.drnemeth.com duties as chairman. I can’t| 29829 Telegraph248.357.3100 248.357.3100 Road, Suite 111 | Southfield, Michigan 48034 | 29829 Telegraph Road, Suite 111 | Southfield, Michigan 48034 speak more highly about www.drnemeth.com what he has created.” 248.357.3100 | 29829 Telegraph Road, Suite 111 | Southfield, Michigan 48034 Dean also throws his full support behind the establishment of the Philip Zazove, M.D. Disability Health Endowment and encourages others to contribute to the fund. “The endowment perpetuates the leadership that Phil has shown in disability health, and I think that is so important today,” said Dean. “He’s a perfect role model” as a family physician who cares for all patients with kindness and compassion. Plastic Surgery To contribute to the Philip Zazove Disability Specializing in Cosmetic Surgery & Health Endowment Fund, Aesthetic & Reconstructive Breast Surgery contact Amy St. Amour at astamour@med.umich.edu. DANIEL SHERBERT, M.D. F.A.C.S. Donations can also be made Certified by The American Board of Surgery, The American Board of Plastic Surgery & Fellowship here: victors.us/zazove.

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Elizabeth Katz is a science communicator in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan and has written healthcare stories for the Detroit Jewish News.

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FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

HEALTH

Let’s Talk About It JFS has a new focus on destigmatizing conversations about suicide. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

evin’s Song, a Michiganbased charitable organization dedicated to generating public awareness about the causes of suicide, held its Annual Virtual Conference on Suicide in late January. The conference featured survivors of suicide who shared their stories of combating stigma and dealing with loss and grief, followed by a panel discussion with four survivors who shared their personal experiences of surviving the pain of suicide loss. On the heels of the conference, many people and organizations in the Metro Detroit Jewish community opened up about the work being done in the suicide prevention and awareness space and how important these conversations are in combating the stigma. REACHING FOR HOPE Rabbi Daniel Syme, rabbi emeritus at Temple Beth El, has dedicated his life to youth suicide prevention since 1975

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

when his 21-year-old brother, Michael, took his own life. Syme started a national suicide prevention program, Reach for Hope, and has been dedicated to saving lives Rabbi across the nation ever since. Daniel Syme “Every time I was able to save a life, it was as if I had saved Michael,” Syme said. Syme also works in suicide prevention with Jewish Family Service. He said, until recently, discussions about suicide simply didn’t take place. “When these discussions started taking place, people heard about them, and people who had been very reluctant to talk about their own experiences came out of the woodwork and shared their pain and determination to get involved,” Syme said. “If I’ve learned one thing in close to 50 years, it’s that talking about suicide helps to prevent it.” JFS Youth Mental Health

Coordinator Julia Cohen says community events and programs where we normalize and talk about mental health are critical. “I think reducing stigma Julia Cohen is key. Once people feel supported and comfortable to raise their hand and say they’re struggling and need help, I think that, in and of itself, makes huge bounds in suicide prevention,” she said. ‘WE NEED TO TALK’ We Need to Talk, a youth mental health program developed by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and its partners in 2017, was created in response to a community needs assessment that revealed a significant number of youth were struggling with sadness, anxiety and depression. Four years after its creation, the day-to-day operations of the program have moved to JFS, and Cohen says the

program has seen significant progress in addressing its three programmatic pillars: awareness, knowledge and skills, and access. “Since its inception, nearly 1,000 community professionals have been trained in mental health and suicide alertness trainings,” she said. JFS recently hired a suicide prevention coordinator, Mayim Meyers, who will specifically focus on suicide prevention in the Metro Detroit Jewish community. Cohen says in the next couple months, she and Meyers will be trained in ASIST, a two-day, intensive suicide prevention training, to help their efforts.

“IF I’VE LEARNED ONE THING IN CLOSE TO 50 YEARS, IT’S THAT TALKING ABOUT SUICIDE HELPS TO PREVENT IT.” — RABBI DANIEL SYME

Meyers started in January and said she has many hopes for the role. “My hope is to be one of the point people in the community to help support those who are in an acute crisis,” she said. “And I want to help the various organizations Mayim throughout Meyers Detroit know where to go and what to do if someone does report ideation, if it feels like a family member is in crisis.

Or, if something does happen, how they can support the people who have lost a friend or family member.” Meyers said that she believes a person whose job is solely based on suicide prevention is a step forward. “It throws the word into everyday dialogue, which helps to destigmatize it,” she said. “It also makes it approachable to people who may not be going through a difficult time themselves, but they know someone who is and they want to be

a support for those people. They know where to turn.” Especially with how tough the past two years have been with the pandemic, Meyers’ advice to anyone struggling is to simply reach out to someone, whether it be through the many resources at JFS, another community organization or their rabbi. “Get that conversation started,” she said. “There are resources available, and you’re not alone.” If you or someone you know are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). For the many services JFS offers, visit jfsdetroit.org/ find-help/mental-health-and-wellness/ or call (248) 592-2313.

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HEALTH

Accessing Mental Health Care

Learn how to navigate Michigan’s mental health care system through free Mind Matters webinar. ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ith one in five adults experiencing mental illness in 2020, a crisis exacerbated by the stressors of the COVID19 pandemic, understanding how — and where — to access mental health care has become more important than ever. Yet those resources aren’t always easy to find. That’s why Mind Matters, a free virtual program on March 3 for Metro Detroiters, wants to help people learn how to navigate Michigan’s mental health care system. As a joint partnership between JVS+Kadima and Michigan Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Mind Matters will tackle five subjects crucial to mental health care access: being diagnosed, treatment models, financial resources, how to advocate for yourself or a loved one and resources for caregivers. The free event will include panel discussions with mental health experts and personal stories. “As we have seen an increase

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in mental health challenges, we hope to provide information and support to those wondering how to access services or what is next,” says Aubrey Macfarlane, COO of JVS+Kadima. “The panelists in this program will bring a wide variety of expertise, experience and information to those interested in learning more about the mental Aubrey health system and Macfarlane mental health diagnosis.” GETTING MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES “IN YOUR FACE” Dr. Roberto Rinaldi, vice president of clinical integration at JVS+Kadima, says mental health resources have always been there — however, they’re not always “right in front of you,” so to speak. “There are so Dr. Roberto many layers,” he Rinaldi says of Michigan’s

mental health care system. “There’s a system in place and that system is not always easy, so it’s not just knowing how to start getting into the system, but once you’re in it, how do you navigate it?” It’s a concern many Michiganders face. “It’s there,” Rinaldi says of resources like hotlines and mental health authorities. “However, it’s just not in your face.” Through the 90-minute program, participants will learn how to take that first step and how to navigate the process that follows, from a financial aspect to types of treatment available. This can help people learn not only how to find help, but also how to figure out the right therapeutic fit. “Mind Matters makes it easier to understand,” Rinaldi says of the mental health care system. “It gives it a different perspective. It allows individuals to understand what they need to do and how they need to do it in order to receive what they need and what they deserve.”

FINANCIAL AND CAREGIVER RESOURCES ARE A PRIORITY Rinaldi will join the panel discussion to focus on resources for caregivers, one of the most under looked elements of mental health care, he explains. “We often forget that while the individuals diagnosed need services, so do their caregivers,” he said. This includes caregivers making their own mental health a priority and how to find resources like support groups. Participants will also learn about strategies like relaxation techniques and therapy specifically designed for caregivers to help them navigate their own wellness and care. Rinaldi says financial resources are another key area that remains difficult for people to navigate. “I think a lot of people hold back,” he says of seeking out mental health care. “It’s tough, navigating Medicaid, Medicare and [other financial resources] the county can provide.” The lack of “in your face”

Mind Matters

March 3 7-8:30 p.m. Register at https://umich. zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gFt2hUoBTVi3oy9dJ6Bihw mental health resources, paired with decreased accessibility due to COVID-19, has contributed to a greater need for public awareness on understanding Michigan’s mental health care system — which may not be as complex as some people think. CREATING SOLUTIONS FOR ACCESSIBILITY “COVID-19, isolation and all of the things that came along with it have increased depression and anxiety across the board,” Rinaldi explains. “But there’s layers on top of that.” Because of social distancing and other public health

restrictions over the last two years, the ongoing pandemic has made it more difficult for mental health practitioners to see patients face-to-face. This has added strain to the mental health care system because community engagement and social interaction are key to many treatment models for mental illness. “In our institution, our waiting lists have ballooned to many months to get treatment,” explains Dr. Richard Dopp, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at University of Michigan. “Some Dr. Richard clinics have even Dopp stopped adding names to waitlists.” Still, there are solutions — and many services have gone digital or hybrid for the time being to continue reaching

populations in need. Rinaldi says the best way to seek out care is to simply call Oakland County’s mental health care hotline at 1-800231-1127 or Wayne County’s mental health care hotline at 1-833-557-3224. From there, callers can be directed to the proper resources to help them take the first step in securing mental health treatment. Dopp adds that he hopes

the Mind Matters webinar will help patients and their loved ones further understand more about issues such as treatment that is helping but not helping enough, the benefits of psychotherapy, the role of medications and some self-care strategies that people can do to improve their mood or the way they function. “It takes resilience and knowledge to get the care you need,” he said.

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BUSINESS

Beaumont and Spectrum Health Merge Now known as the BHSH System, leaders will maintain close ties with the Jewish community. JACKIE HEADAPOHL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL

ince Sinai Hospital closed nearly 25 years ago, some might say Beaumont became the “de facto” Jewish hospital of Metro Detroit, with the lion’s share of Detroit’s Jewish community using its services and doctors. And over the years, the Jewish community has contributed millions of dollars to the institution, from Mickey Shapiro’s donation to endow the Sara and Asa Shapiro Heart and Vascular ICU to the Michael and Elaine Serling Fund for Colorectal Cancer to the Marcia and Eugene Applebaum Simulation Learning Institute to the Marvin and Betty Danto Family Foundation Comprehensive Program in Geriatric Emergency Medicine … The list goes on — too long to include here. On Feb. 1, Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health combined to create a new health system, which will be temporarily known as BHSH System. “We are grateful for all of our physicians, nurses and team members. Their compassion, expertise and dedication have saved many lives during this pandemic,” Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of BHSH System, said. “As we launch

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

our new health system, we have a bold goal to transform health and are thrilled to unite Tina Freese our two great Decker organizations. Together, we will leverage our complementary strengths to innovate and make a positive impact for our communities and their health. We look forward to working with our physicians, team members, patients, health plan members and partners across our state to provide health care and coverage that is accessible, affordable, equitable and exceptional.” And that means maintaining the close relationships to the Jewish community that Beaumont has built over the years, Freese Decker added during a phone call with the JN. “The Jewish community has been very, very important to many of our

Beaumont hospitals for many, many years. There’s been a lot of support they’ve provided to us, and we want to make sure we’re taking care of the community.” She added that the merger of Beaumont and Spectrum will allow the new organization to do even more with innovative models of care as well as allow them to build on current partnerships such as the one with Oakland University, which allows Israeli medical students to come and train in Michigan. Nancy Susick, interim president of BHSH Beaumont Health, added, “We are very grateful for the support Nancy of the Jewish Susick community for Beaumont Health and healthcare in Southeast Michigan. The Jewish community has made a profound impact on health

care. And we are very proud to take care of the people and families in the Jewish community as well.” Susick added that the organization looks forward to continued partnerships and relationships. “We want to make sure also that the philanthropy given remains in the community to support the great work and the great care provided to the community.” BHSH also announced a new board of directors for the new combined health system. “Because we feel the Jewish community is so important, we have a new board member from the community, who will certainly help give us his thoughts and ideas in terms of the direction we can take,” Susick said. That new board member is Mark Davidoff, president and CEO of The Fisher Group as well as senior adviser to the Jewish News. While Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health create this new health system, patients and health plan members are encouraged to access care in the same ways they currently do. All patients will continue to have access to their same sites of care, physicians and health providers, and insurance plans.

COURTESY OF JESSICA STEINBERG

ERETZ

LEFT: Team members who saved the Second Temple Period mikvah. RIGHT: Haviva Ner-David, rabbi, writer and mikvah coordinator at Kibbutz Hannaton, at the archaeological site where a Roman-era ritual bath was found in July 2021.

Rescuing the Past in Israel

Local tour guides help rescue Roman-era mikvah from being paved over.

NAOMI MILLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

ave you ever heard of a mikvah rescue team? Well, one was formed in Israel this past summer to rescue a 2,000-year-old ritual bath from being covered by a new intersection on a major highway in the Galilee. In Israel, it’s often said that archaeology is the enemy of the building contractor. When construction teams begin clearing and drilling a site, it is not unusual that they come across ancient artifacts or sites. In Jerusalem, we have been fortunate to witness examples of harmony between the modern city and the archaeological finds; ancient structures are accessible to visitors while being protected by modern buildings and roads. But Jerusalem is unique; most sites in the country are partially excavated and documented by the Israel Department of Antiquities, and whatever is able to be saved (pottery, coins, etc.) is removed and then construction begins. In July 2021, two unemployed tour guides, Anat Harrel and Steve Gray, both from Kibbutz Hannaton, a pluralistic,

egalitarian kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley (which is part of the Michigan-Central Galilee Partnership Region), joined an archaeological dig minutes from their home. Most tour guides would love the opportunity to spend a few weeks playing in the dirt and uncovering history, and COVID gave them this opportunity. Working with the regional archaeologist and several volunteers, they discovered a massive Second Temple Period ritual bath. They knew the fate of this incredible find and were devastated at the thought that, in a matter of weeks, it would be covered by a highway intersection and would disappear forever. Anat and Steve decided to create a campaign to rescue the mikvah. They only had a few weeks to raise $75,000, which would cover the cost of the massive machinery and manpower that it would require to unearth and transport the ancient bath to its new home, right next to the modern mikvah at Kibbutz Hannaton. Unfortunately, their crowdsourcing cam-

paign only raised a small portion of the funds needed. Ultimately, after knocking on doors of various government ministries and even reaching the office of the prime minister, they were able to secure the funds. Days before the intersection was to be paved, the mighty Herod (yes, that’s really the name!) Crane Company transported the structure to its new home. As Anat Harrel said to the Jerusalem Post after the mikvah victory, “We are elated. It’s just 20 meters from our current mikvah. Our motto is, ‘Renewing the old and sanctifying the new.’ We feel we’ve really done it. We’ve taken something very old and are renewing it … We plan to refurbish it and make it usable.” Naomi Miller is director of Israel Partnerships at the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator and Israel Representative and Missions director for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. This story first appeared on myjewishdetroit.org. For more information on the mikvah discovery, enjoy this podcast: www.israelstory.org/episode/lost-andfound-part-i. FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

ERETZ

JN: Did your family promote Zionism in your house? MT: Yes, very much so. My father was deeply in love with this country. He took his first trip to Israel in 1967. He used to come on trips specifically during intifadas when nobody was coming to Israel, just to support the hurting tourist economy as much as he could. My father was very dedicated to local organizations that were Israel-strong, such as Young Israel and Akiva.

MEET THE OLIM

Marcy Tatelbaum, her husband, Yehuda, and their three children, Techelet. Meir and Yakir.

Meet Marcy Tatelbaum

‘Living in Israel is a gift,’ she says.

AVIVA ZACKS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

arcy Tatelbaum, 44, made aliyah in 2007 with her husband, Yehuda, and their three children, Meir, Yakir and Techelet who are now 21, 19, and 16 years old. She loves living in Israel where every day contributes to a meaningful existence. JN: Do you remember an early trip to Israel? MT: When I was about 8 years old, we came on a family trip to Israel for two weeks. The next time we came was when my sister was here in seminary, which was her 12th grade year at Akiva (now Farber). Starting when I was 15, I

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

took many trips on my own, for winter break and summers to visit family and friends and then to Michlelet Esther for seminary after high school. Once I married my husband, whose family lives here, we used to come every year or two. JN: Where did your family go to shul and where did you go to camp in the summers? MT: When I was a young child, we lived near Shomrei Emunah, and then when I was 9, we moved to the Young Israel of Southfield area. I went to Camp Stone every summer from age 9 until 14.

JN: Were you always planning to make aliyah? MT: In my heart, I had wanted to live in Israel, but my fears always held me back; and I didn’t want to be so far from my family. But once my kids started going to Akiva, I realized I was raising my children with this “Israeliness.” The Torah Mitzion organization was very active then in Akiva and in the community. They brought Israel to us and a light to our community, and I wanted to live that way. For me, it was an authentic way of life that you couldn’t compare to life in Detroit. As a Jewish parent, I felt strongly that it was my responsibility to give my children the opportunity to grow up in a Jewish country. My oldest, Meir, was in first grade at Akiva; and there, if you were moving to Israel, you were a superstar! JN: What was your aliyah flight like? MT: We were on a charter flight with Nefesh B’Nefesh so it was fun and hectic. The arrival was really special. We were greeted by family and friends. After living in Jerusalem for one year, we decided to move to Maale Adumim. JN: What are you both doing professionally? MT: Yehuda is an attorney; he

specializes in personal injury law. I started out as a content writer for several startups and eventually took a writing role at Hometalk. That role evolved, and for the past 13 years, I was the director of human resources. Recently, I started a new job as head of HR at a global startup, Triple Whale. JN: What are the kids up to now? MT: Meir just finished his army service through Yeshivat Hesder Tsfat, where he will be studying for the next year and a half. Yakir completed a year of Mechina (army preparatory year of study) at Ein Prat, in Kibbutz Sufa on the southern Gaza border, which he loved. In August, he started his army service in Shiryon (tanks). Techelet is in 10th grade at the local Amit girls high school and is an amazing student. JN: Do you miss anything about living in Detroit? MT: I miss the people. The way people take care of each other in the Detroit community is second to none. JN: Do you have a message for anybody who is reading this interview and thinking about making aliyah? MT: For me, living in Israel opened my eyes to diversity. Because it’s so homogenous in Detroit, especially within the Modern Orthodox community, you really don’t have the chance to meet and learn from Jewish people from other cultures. I’ve learned in Israel that there are all different types of Jews. There’s no one way to be a Jew and to love God. Living in Israel is a gift of an opportunity for growth in every way: personal, spiritual, professional. The opportunities here to live a happy and satisfying life are boundless.

MAZEL TOV!

SPIRIT

Sasha Edyth Shepherd, daughter of Melissa and Aaron Shepherd, will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at a Havdalah service at TamO-Shanter Country Club. Rabbi Joseph Krakoff will lead the ceremony. She will be joined by her older sister Alexa. Sasha is the grandchild of Helene and Edward Kaplan, and Susan and David Shepherd; she is the loving great-granddaughter of the late Betty and Sol Steinlauf, Evelyn and Ben Shepherd, Edyth and Adoph Lebovitz, and Hilda and Morris Kaplan. Sasha is a student at West Hills Middle School in Bloomfield Hills. For her mitzvah project she made and sold jewelry, then donated all the proceeds to American Diabetes Association’s Camp Midicha to help send diabetic kids to camp. Sasha found this rewarding because her sister is a Type 1 diabetic.

Honoring Teachers

TORAH PORTION

fter the plans are all building the Tabernacle. His laid out, it is time to name, Bezalel, meaning “in the get to work. That’s shadow of God” gives us a sense what Parashat Vayakhel that he had special access tells us. to artistic inspiration. For several weeks, In particular, Moses we’ve been hearing about seems to have had a diffithe plans for building cult time envisioning how the mishkan, the portable the Menorah should look. sanctuary that the Jewish Rabbi Steven God even showed him a Rubenstein vision of the Menorah, people will carry with them on the trip to the but Moses still had trouParshat Land of Israel. Even the ble. Eventually, God told Vayakhel: incident of the Golden Moses to go to Betzalel Exodus 35:1Calf, which we read last 38:20; I Kings who made it with ease. week, couldn’t derail the Perhaps less noticed, 7:40-50. plan. And now it is time but crucial nonetheless, to get building. is the fact that Bezalel After the most successful is described as a person who fundraising campaign in hiscan give direction and can tory (check out the parasha teach. Bezalel was able to share for that), we learn that God his skill and ability with othhas appointed two people to ers. This isn’t always the case. be the lead craftsmen and to People with extraordinary skill work with the people. God has can often create exquisite work, singled out Bezalel, “endowing but not all of them have the him with a divine spirit, skill, ability or willingness to share ability and knowledge in every their process with others so that kind of craft.” Oholiab will be they can also make the most of Betzalel’s assistant in leading their own skills. the work. Some might even wonder Our tradition describes if teaching is the best use of Betzalel’s skills as even superBezalel’s time and energy. seding those of Moses when After all, this is a person at the it comes to certain aspects of top of his field, so to speak.

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Wouldn’t it be better to leave Bezalel to his work so that he could focus on this project? After all, Bezalel wasn’t even working on his own behalf; this project was for the good of the entire people. Ultimately, the Torah tells us that part of Bezalel’s uniqueness is his ability to teach others how to create. Teaching is part of his greatness. These past few years have been extremely challenging ones for teachers. These people have shown great strength and creativity in sharing what they know with people of all ages under challenging conditions. We owe a great deal of gratitude for their teaching even under normal circumstances, but especially now. Ultimately, perhaps it wasn’t his artistic craft that informs Bezalel’s name as one who is “in the shadow of God,” but his ability as a teacher. Seen that way, all teachers learn their craft from God, the original Teacher.

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SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH

What Happens When We Give? G

iving is transformative — and not just to the recipient. In a 2012 survey of studies linking altruistic behaviors to improved health, researchers from the University of Michigan concluded that giving time and money to organizations, providing Chief Rabbi social support to Warren friends, family Goldstein and community, caring for the elderly or the handicapped, and cultivating compassionate attitudes and traits is associated with higher psychological well-being, including increased happiness and self-esteem, and decreased loneliness and depression. Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, in a famous essay, wrote that there are two forces in this world, giving and taking, and correspondingly, two kinds of people, givers and takers. (He also explained how some people actually give by taking, and others take by giving — so the dynamic is obviously not so simple.) Furthermore, he said one of the great transformative

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

goals of the Torah is to nurture us into being givers rather than takers. He also explained that giving is the foundation of all relationships — the more you give to a person, the more you love them. This is quite a paradigm shift. The conventional wisdom is that we give to those we love. Rabbi Dessler says it is exactly the reverse: we love those to whom we give. On this Shabbos, apart from the weekly portion, we read a special section of the Torah dealing with an archetypal act of giving — the mitzvah of the half-shekel coin. In the wake of receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, the Jewish people were called on to each donate a half-shekel silver coin. The collection of these coins had a dual purpose: they functioned as a census of the people (each coin corresponded to an individual) and also as a contribution to the Mishkan, the sanctuary in the desert where the Jewish people gathered to connect to the Shechinah, the Divine Presence. It is significant that both these functions were joined in one act. The message seems to be that, through the process of

giving and contributing to a worthy initiative, people earn the right to be counted as part of society. And that’s exactly what a society is: a group of individuals, who, through their specific contributions, create a community, a collective that is greater than the sum of its parts. Also significant is that the mitzvah of the half-shekel coin was given at this formative moment in the history of the Jewish people — in the midst of a series of momentous events: the Exodus from Egypt and all of the miracles that accompanied that, and the revelation at Mount Sinai, which is regarded as the central event in the formation of the Jewish people. The giving of the half-shekel — and the concept of giving in general — is foundational to who we are. THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUALLY GIVING The mitzvah continued during Temple times: each year, from the beginning of the month of Adar, and in the lead-up to Pesach, a national campaign was launched whereby half-shekel coins were collected

from people across the land of Israel, which went toward the running costs of the Temple. Crucially, the offerings brought to the Temple could only be purchased with the coins collected that year and not with coins from previous years. This signifies the importance of continual giving and also connects the act of giving with the sacred service of the Temple. A remembrance of the half-shekel continues to this day. In addition to commemorating the mitzvah with this special Torah reading, there is a further commemoration on Purim, with each person required to give three coins — half the denomination of one’s national currency, so three 50c pieces, for example — to charity. In Biblical times, the half-shekel went toward the Mishkan and later the Temple. And similarly, the mitzvah symbolizes our responsibility to build the institutions that help us connect to God in today’s times — shuls, schools, yeshivas, houses of Torah learning. And, like the Biblical commandment, the impact is

twofold — it helps us build the Torah infrastructure necessary for any flourishing Jewish society. And it transforms those who contribute, connecting us to our society and forging us into a community of givers — becoming no less than a partner with our Creator in these holy endeavors. Perhaps the quintessential form of giving is the mitzvah of tzedakah, giving to the needy. Tzedakah is about taking care of the physical well-being of the most vulnerable members of society, helping those who can’t afford to take care of their basic needs. As the Torah says (Devarim 15:7): “If there is a destitute person amongst you ... you shall not harden your heart or close your hand against your destitute brother.” But, there is also another dimension to tzedakah. By supporting those in need, we enable their full human potential to flourish. God created a world for human beings to give expression to their Tzelem Elokim, the “Divine image” — the spark of pure Godliness within each one of us — to flourish. Poverty is an assault on the Tzelem Elokim within a person. The burden of poverty can crush the flourishing of human potential, because if a person’s entire existence is focused only on meeting basic needs, then they cannot invest their efforts in more lofty pursuits: developing themselves morally and spiritually, nurturing their Divine souls. Tzedakah applies not just to giving money. Emotional support is also important. As the Talmud says (Bava Batra 9b): “Whoever gives a poor person a pruta [the lowest unit of currency of that time] is blessed [by God] with six blessings. And whoever gives verbal encouragement is blessed [by God] with 11 blessings.”

The Rambam explains that one should give with a smile and not begrudgingly, empathizing with the person’s pain and speaking words of comfort. The Rambam (Hilchot Matanot Aniim 10:5) writes: “It is forbidden to rebuke the poor person and to raise one’s voice by shouting at him, because his heart is broken and despondent...” 8 LEVELS OF TZEDAKAH The Rambam (Hilchot Matanot Aniim 10:7- 14) actually lists eight levels of tzedakah (derived from the Talmud), which are ranked according to the degree to which they preserve the dignity and self-respect of the recipient (and thereby help nurture the Tzelem Elokim). The highest level of tzedakah, according to the Rambam, is to help a person achieve financial independence — through an interest-free loan, for example, or gainful employment. In such a scenario, the recipient is no longer a “charity case” and becomes self-sufficient. The second highest level of tzedakah is when neither the donor nor the recipient know each other, with the anonymity protecting the dignity of the recipient. The next level is partial anonymity, when the giver knows the recipient, but not vice versa. The fourth level is when the recipient knows the giver, but not vice versa. The fifth level is when both parties know each other, but the donor gives to the needy person unsolicited. Level six is where the giver gives tzedakah after being requested to do so. Level seven is where the giver gives less than what is appropriate but does so with warmth and graciousness. And level eight, the lowest level of tzedakah, is where the giver gives begrudgingly, which is humiliating for the recipient.

The Rambam writes elsewhere that if tzedakah is given angrily or bitterly, then the giver loses all the merit for his actions, even if he gives “one thousand gold pieces.” (Rambam Hilchot Matanot Aniim 10:4) Clearly, tzedakah transforms the life of the recipient. But, there is also a profound impact on the giver — someone who accustoms himself to giving becomes more compassionate, refined, generous and holy. This point is emphasized by the Talmud (Bava Batra 10a), which grapples with the theological question of why God commands us to give tzedakah — if God wanted poor people to have the necessary financial resources, then He Himself could provide them with their needs. The Talmud records that this question was proposed by the Roman General Turnus Rufus to Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva’s answer was the point we have been making — that tzedakah completely transforms the giver, that through the act of giving, we ourselves become worthy recipients of God’s blessings and reward. Rabbi Akiva gives another dimension to his answer. He says this is part of the will of God, that we are considered to be His children, and that in the same way a father would want his children to be looked after, so too, God wants all of His children to be looked after, and this applies especially to those in desperate need, like people who are suffering in poverty. And so, when we give, we are indeed fulfilling the will of God. Giving tzedakah also instils within a person real faith in God. Giving our hardearned money to another is an acknowledgment that our earnings are a blessing from God, and that whatever we have received from Him was given with the trust that we would use

it to uplift the lives of others. This is why halachah requires that we set aside a percentage of our disposable income (between 10% and 20%) for tzedakah. The fact that it is a fixed percentage instills in us the notion that all of our material possessions are, in fact, a gift from God, to be used in accordance with the directives that God has given us. That also relates to why the Hebrew word for charity is tzedakah, which is derived from the Hebrew word tzedek, meaning “justice.” Tzedakah isn’t really charity. Charity implies a discretionary act of giving. Tzedakah, on the other hand, is no less than a fulfilment of basic principles of justice. It is for this reason that remarkable reward is promised for it. Indeed, one of the few areas — perhaps the only area — in which we are allowed to test God is charity. There is a God-given guarantee that whatever we give to charity will be returned to us and more. Why is it that we get back what we give and more? Rav Shimon Shkop has an interesting explanation. He says the reason God gave us the money in the first place was so we would use it to help the poor, support Torah learning institutions, etc. So, if we use the money for the purpose for which it was given, then of course God is going to give us more. In a sense, God is investing in us. It stands to reason that if our returns are good, God will continue showering us with blessings. We see that tzedakah is an act of deep faith. It is an act that connects us to community and uplifts the lives of others. And, through the act of giving, we ourselves are transformed. Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, who has a PhD. in Human Rights Law, is the chief rabbi of South Africa. This article first appeared on aish.com. FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

SPIRIT

Synagogue Directory CONSERVATIVE Adat Shalom Synagogue Farmington Hills (248) 851-5100 adatshalom.org

Temple B’nai Shalom Benton Harbor (269) 925-8021 tbnaishalom.org

Ahavas Israel Grand Rapids (616) 949-2840 ahavasisraelgr.org

INDEPENDENT Grosse Pointe Jewish Council Grosse Pointe Woods (313) 882-6700 thegpjc.com

Congregation Beth Ahm West Bloomfield (248) 851-6880 cbahm.org Congregation Beth Israel Flint (810) 732-6310 cbiflint.org Congregation Beth Shalom Oak Park (248) 547-7970 congbethshalom.org Beth Tephilath Moses Mt. Clemens (586) 996-3138 bethtephilathmoses.com B’nai Israel Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 432-2729 bnaiisraelwb.org Congregation B’nai Moshe West Bloomfield (248) 788-0600 bnaimoshe.org Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue Detroit (313) 962-4047 downtownsynagogue.org Congregation of Moses Kalamazoo congregationofmoses.org Congregation Shaarey Zedek Southfield (248) 357-5544 shaareyzedek.org

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

Kehillat Hatzhav Hagadol Mackinac Island (906) 202-9959 mackinacsynagogue.org ORTHODOX Agudas Israel Mogen Abraham Southfield (248) 552-5711 aymadetroit.org Ahavas Olam Southfield (248) 569-1821 Ahavasolam.com

Balfour Shul – K’Hal Rina U’Tefila Oak Park (732) 693-8457 Beth Tefilo Emanuel Tikvah Southfield (248) 559-5022 Birmingham-Bloomfield Shul Birmingham (248) 996-5818 bbchai.org B’nai Israel-Beth Yehudah Oak Park (248) 967-3969 bi-by.org B’nai Zion Oak Park (248) 968-2414 Chabad House-Lubavitch of Eastern Michigan Flint (810) 230-0770 chabad.org

Ahavas Yisroel Oak Park (248) 298-2896 Learntorah.info

Chabad Jewish Center of Commerce-Walled Lake Commerce Township (248) 363-3644 jewishcommerce.org

Aish Hatorah in the Woods Oak Park (248) 327-3579 Aishdetroit.com

Chabad Jewish Center of Novi-Northville (248) 790-6075 novijewishcenter.com

Bais Chabad of Farmington Hills (248) 855-2910 chabad.org

Chabad Jewish Center of Troy Troy/Rochester Hills (248) 873-5851 jewishtroy.com

Bais Chabad of North Oak Park (248) 872-8878 chabad.org

Chabad-Lubavitch of Bingham Farms Bloomfield Hills (248) 688-6796 chabadbinghamfarms.com

Bais Haknesses Hagrah Oak Park (248) 542-8737

Chabad of Western Michigan Grand Rapids (616) 957-0770 chabadwestmichigan.com

Dovid Ben Nuchim-Aish Kodesh Oak Park (313) 320-9400 dbndetroit.org Etz Chayim of Toledo Toledo, OH (419) 473-2401 Etzchayimtoledo.org First Hebrew Congregation South Haven (269) 637-1603 firsthebrewcongregation.org Kehillat Etz Chayim Huntington Woods etzchayim-detroit.org Kollel Institute of Greater Detroit Oak Park (248) 968-1891 kollel@kolleldetroit.org Mishkan Israel, Nusach H’ari, Lubavitch Center Oak Park (248) 542-4844 theyeshiva.org Ohel Moed Shomrey Emunah West Bloomfield (248) 737-2626 ohelmoed.org Or Chadash Oak Park (248) 819-1721 or-chadash.org Sara & Morris Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center of West Bloomfield (248) 855-6170 baischabad.com Shaar Hashomayim Windsor (519) 256-3123 Shaarey Zedek Windsor (519) 252-1594 shaareyzedekwindsor.com

Shomer Israel Oak Park (248) 542-4014 godaven.com

Congregation B’nai Israel Muskegon (231) 722-2702 cbimkg@gmail.com

Temple Emanu-El Oak Park (248) 967-4020 emanuel-mich.org

Shomrey Emunah Southfield (248) 559-1533 congregation-shomreyemunah-105705.square.site

Congregation Shaarey Zedek East Lansing (517) 351-3570 shaareyzedek.com

Temple Israel West Bloomfield (248) 661-5700 temple-israel.org

Temple Benjamin Mt. Pleasant (989) 773-5086 templebenjamin.com

Temple Jacob Hancock templejacobhancock.org

The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch West Bloomfield (248) 788-4000 theshul.net Yagdil Torah Southfield (248) 559-5905 Young Israel of Oak Park (248) 967-3655 yiop.org

CONSERVATIVE Beth Israel Congregation (734) 665-9897 @BethIsraelCongregation

Temple Beth El Bloomfield Township (248) 851-1100 tbeonline.org

Temple Shir Shalom West Bloomfield (248) 737-8700 shirshalom.org

ORTHODOX Ann Arbor Chabad House (734) 995-3276 jewmich.com

RECONSTRUCTIONIST Congregation Kehillat Israel Lansing (517) 882-0049 kehillatisrael.net

Temple Beth El Midland (989) 496-3720 tbe_midland@yahoo.com

REFORM Bet Chaverim Canton (734) 480-8880 betchaverim@yahoo.com Congregation Beth El Windsor (519) 969-2422 bethelwindsor.ca Congregation Beth Shalom Traverse City 231-946-1913 beth-shalom-tc.org

ANN ARBOR

Temple Beth El Battle Creek (269) 963-4921

Temple Beth El Flint (810) 720-9494 tbeflint@gmail.com

Reconstructionist Congregation of Detroit (313) 567-0306 reconstructingjudiasm.org

Yeshivat Akivah Southfield (248) 386-1625 farberhds.org

Temple Kol Ami West Bloomfield (248) 661-0040 tkolami.org

Young Israel of Southfield (248) 358-0154 yisouthfield.org

Congregation T’chiyah Ferndale (248) 823-7115 tchiyah.org

MINYANS Fleischman Residence West Bloomfield (248) 661-2999

Temple Beth Israel Bay City (989) 893-7811 tbi-mich.org Temple Beth Israel Jackson (517) 784-3862 tbijackson.org Temple Beth Sholom Marquette tbsmqt.org Temple B’nai Israel Kalamazoo (269) 342-9170 Templebnaiisrael.com Temple B’nai Israel Petoskey (231) 489-8269 templebnaiisraelofpetoskey. org Temple Emanuel Grand Rapids (616) 459-5976 grtemple.org

REFORM/RENEWAL Congregation Shir Tikvah Troy (248) 649-4418 shirtikvah.org SECULAR/HUMANISTIC Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Metro Detroit Farmington Hills (248) 477-1410 chj-detroit.org Sholem Aleichem Institute West Bloomfield (248) 865-0117 secularsaimichigan.org SEPHARDIC Keter Torah Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 681-3665 rabbisasson.wixsite.com/ keter Ohr Hatorah Oak Park (248) 294-0613 Ohrhatorah.us

Ann Arbor Orthodox Minyan annarborminyan.org RECONSTRUCTIONIST Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (734) 445-1910 aarecon.org REFORM Temple Beth Emeth (734) 665-4744 templebethemeth.org RENEWAL Pardes Hanah pardeshanah.org SECULAR HUMANISTIC Jewish Cultural Society (734) 975-9872 jewishculturalsociety.org Please email factual corrections or additional synagogues to list to: smanello@thejewishnews.com.

TRADITIONAL Woodward Avenue Shul Royal Oak (248) 414-7485 thewas.net

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

BRIAN CRAIG

ARTS&LIFE THEATER

Tom Pagano, Erin Johnson and Jason Bowen in Nicely’s Anything Goes

Tap-Dancing Car Guy GM engineer takes on two roles in Anything Goes. SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

dam Bernard has reached number four in counting times he has participated in Michigan productions of the musical comedy Anything Goes. Number four will be staged March 3-5 at The Berman Center for the Performing Arts in West Bloomfield by the Nicely Theatre Group. Bernard takes on two roles — a bartender at the beginning and a passenger joining ensemble numbers throughout. In earlier versions of the play, about shipboard romance, Bernard appeared as a sailor for both Stagecrafters in Royal Oak and Avon Players in

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

Rochester. In contrast, he had behind-the-scenes responsibilities as assistant director for the Grosse Pointe Theatre. “This is a fun, entertaining, family-friendly show,” said Bernard, 58, a Royal Oak resident. “I love the music, and I think the script is hilarious. I enjoy tap dancing, and there is tap dancing in the show. I love the era, the 1930s, so we get some cool costumes. I’ve done dramas and comedies, but I always like the band shows best.” With a classic score by Cole Porter, the production is filled with songs that are still being performed albeit with stylistic

variations. They include “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “You’re the Top.” “I especially like ‘Anything Goes’ and ‘Blow, Gabriel, Blow’ as the big ensemble musical numbers with hummable tunes,” Bernard said. “Our choreographer has done an amazing job pushing us to our limits to create a really great look.” Bernard, associate director for competitive intelligence at General Motors, has been interested in music performance since attending high school in New Jersey, where he was in the choir. In college, at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology (MIT), he took tap dancing to fulfill a physical education requirement while volunteering for backstage theater projects that involved building sets. LOVE OF CARS Construction has been another constant in Bernard’s life, but that connected him to vehicles. “I have been a car enthusiast since I’ve been 3 years old,” Bernard said. “I played with Matchbox cars, and I would draw cars. I originally wanted to be an automotive designer and then decided I needed an engineering degree as a foundation. “While I was at MIT, I stumbled into a summer internship with General Motors in their design organization and really enjoyed it. I interned for a couple of summers and joined them when I graduated.” After working full time

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for a couple of siasts who travel DETAILS years, Bernard Anything Goes starts to vehicle exhibits returned to the at 7:30 p.m. Thursday- and participate in Saturday, March 3-5, the annual Dream university setting to earn a master’s at The Berman Center Cruise. for the Performing degree and then “The first show Arts at the Jewish continued at I auditioned for at Community Center General Motors Stagecrafters was in West Bloomfield. for a career that George M! which is A Saturday matinee evolved over 36 starts at 2 p.m. $33. all about [composer years. nicelytheatregroup.org. and entertainer] In his presGeorge M. Cohan,” ent assignment, Bernard recalled. “I Bernard makes got in and started sure his firm is kept aware of taking tap classes because there what is being done by competwas a lot of tap in the show. I’ve itors. taken about four years’ worth of “At work, I do a lot of presen- tap classes.” tations and videos for internal Bernard, who had his bar use,” Bernard said. “[Because mitzvah in New Jersey, realized of my work in theater], I don’t he retained his Jewish-study have any reservations about skills when his niece asked him speaking in front of large to participate in her bat mitzvah groups. I am the writerfour years ago. Defining himself presenter, and General Motors as culturally Jewish, he was glad has video experts in house to he could still read Hebrew. film me and do backgrounds “A lot of people view engi[that include] music.” neers as being very left-brained Bernard, who drives a and structured,” Bernard said Chevrolet Camaro convertible, about reactions to his core collects antique cars, a hobby he career and his belief that doing shares with husband, Richard musical shows makes him Kwiecien, a retired nurse. appear more creative — with a Bernard owns a classic Buick plus. “If I do a show with a lot Riviera and a Mini Cooper and of dancing, I get a nice workbelongs to a club of car enthuout.” Adam Bernard in Nicely’s Anything Goes

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G U I D E L I N E S FEBRUARY & R E S T R24I C•T2022 I O N |S 45

ARTS&LIFE THEATER

A Peek Behind the Scenes

Meredyth Davis lifts the curtains on the promotion of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

he catchy disco sounds of singersongwriter Donna Summer have entered into the career twists and turns experienced by Meredyth Davis. As a young disc jockey in Connecticut, Davis played Summer’s music in local clubs and on a radio station not far from Boston, the area

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

where Davis and Summer grew up. Remembrances of immersion in pop recordings connects this former deejay to the Summer hit “On the Radio.” Later, as a working mom pursuing opportunities in marketing entertainment projects, Davis particularly has related to the Summer

song “She Works Hard for the Money.” What’s more, Davis has enjoyed “Last Dance,” so often heard as the party finale at Jewish weddings. Currently, marketing manager for the Broadway Booking Office in New York City, Davis is promoting — and enjoying — the carefully choreographed numbers featured in the touring biographical production Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. The song-filled play belts out lyrics important to the late singer’s popularity and is scheduled March 8-20 at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre. The cast has three actresses representing the Grammy-winning entertainer: Brittny Smith as Diva Donna, Charis Gullage as Disco Donna and Amahri Edwards -Jones as Duckling

Davis, now based in Florida, was in New York for the kickoff of the tour but doesn’t travel to show cities unless there’s a special promotional need. “I work with the tour managers, actors and the creative team on the press side of things,” she said. “I work with some members of the production company for social media contacts, helping cities if they want a shout-out video. I create assets to help promote the show, and I work on seeing what the local markets are going to do as each market works on its own [with our help if requested].” Music has always been an important part of Davis’s life. “When you grow up in temple, you hear the music,” Davis said about an continued on page 48

PHOTOS BY NICK GOULD PHOTOGRAPHY

Donna. They divide their talents among more than 20 musical stagings. “This show is big and beautiful, and I love the fact that it’s more than 90 minutes of music and entertainment,” said Davis, 48, who has worked on other shows recently performed at the Fisher, including Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which profiles the Jewish singer-songwriter. “I’ve seen Summer several times, with and without an audience, and I was lucky enough to go to New York and Pennsylvania when the show was teching. I’ve seen it in the rehearsal process and through live audience-filled performances, and it has been amazing to be a part of that and watch all the different reactions.”

ABOVE: Meredyth Davis BELOW: Brittny Smith (“Diva Donna”), Charis Gullage (“Disco Donna”), Amahri EdwardsJones (“Duckling Donna”) and the ensemble cast during “MacArthur Park.”

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

ARTS&LIFE

Charis Gullage (“Disco Donna”) and the ensemble of Summer during the song “Hot Stuff.”

THEATER

continued from page 47

early spiritual influence. “I listened to doo-wop with my dad and to Broadway music with my mom. She would play the piano, and I would sing. “Music has always been a focus of my true heart. I wanted to be a singer, but I wasn’t meant for the stage. I was meant for behind the scenes. There are people who are going to win Tony Awards, and there are people who are going to help people win Tony Awards. I’m that helper person. As long as I can still be a part of it in some way, I’m truly happy.” One of this marketing manager’s favorite experiences was bringing some showbiz happiness into the life of her late mother through a favorite Jewish stage star — Mandy Patinkin. Davis invited her mom to an opening night party while marketing Patinkin’s Boston run of a musical tour. “The party was packed, and it was going great,” recalled Davis, a University of Hartford communications and advertising graduate who has held a number of entertainment marketing jobs out of Boston and New York. “I could see my mother just in awe

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

that he was there, and Mandy noticed, too. He came right up to me and my mother, gave her a huge hug, signed her program and took several photos with her. Those pictures are in my home.”

Details

Summer: The Donna Summer Musical runs March 8-20 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. Tickets start at $39. ticketmaster.com. (313) 871-1000, ext.0. broadwayindetroit.com. Brittny Smith, Charis Gullage, Amahri Edward-Jones.

Davis, at home in between work hours, is carrying out her daughter’s wishes for the girl’s upcoming bat mitzvah. Davis is proud and moved that her daughter, missing grandma’s presence, is remembering the woman through a bat mitzvah project that raises money to fight Alzheimer’s disease, which had so affected the woman. The bat mitzvah will be small in keeping with the mood of family and friends gradually drifting away from pandemic constraints. Party-themed masks will be provided for guests who want to wear them. Pandemic cautions observed by theaters visited on the tour are respected by Davis. “I get to work with a great team over at the Fisher Theatre,” Davis said. “We encourage people to come back to the theater [partly] because music and theater connect people. I love that. “Although you and I could see Summer and take two different things away from it, the beauty of all of this is the community of enjoying being together. I think that Broadway music, theater and the arts bring us together.”

ARTS&LIFE FILM REVIEW

I’ll Find You

In war-torn Europe, one man stops at nothing to save the love of his life.

PHOTOS BY JAROSLAW SOSISNSKI

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Connie Nielsen as Lena Moser-Drabowska in I’ll Find You.

n the World War II romance and musical I’ll Find You, love conquers all. Set for theatrical release on Feb. 25, the 1-hour and 56-minute film — inspired by the true stories of musicians in 1930s and 1940s Poland — offers a heartwarming twist on the classic Romeo and Juliet story, this time set in the midst of war-torn Europe. Since childhood, Catholic opera singer Robert Pulaski (Leo Suter) and Jewish violinist Rachel Rubin (Adelaide Clemens) have been inseparable. The film, directed by Martha Coolidge and filmed in Krakow

Stellan Scarsgard

and Lodz, opens just before the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland. We begin the film by learning about the ever-evolving story of Pulaski and Rubin. Pulaski, absent for two years following an awkward kiss with Rubin where he professes his love to her, finally returns home. Yet he finds Rubin moved on with her life, engaged to a Jewish man, David Rosenfeld, until Pulaski’s unexpected visit changes plans — and Rubin’s feelings. Jumping back in time, I’ll Find You travels to the childhood years of Pulaski and Rubin, when they first meet watching a street performer put on a show with a bear. Rubin, fiery and opinionated, tells Pulaski how awful it is that a bear should perform like that, while Pulaski argues that the bear could have a much worse fate — he could have been hunted instead. Pulaski then heads to music school, where he is a new student. Unsurprisingly, Rubin walks through the door, enrolled in the same class as Pulaski. Immediately, the two are at odds. Rubin, who excels at violin, overshadows Pulaski, who at the time hasn’t truly found his calling in music. Pulaski complains to his father that he wants to quit music but continues anyway.

At the school, the music students practice in a secret room, hidden behind a bookcase and unlockable with a key nestled inside a book on Chopin. Later, this room would come to serve a much more important purpose; but for now, it’s where Pulaski finally begins to drop his defense. Performing at a Christmas event, Pulaski finally draws up the courage to apologize to Rubin, who accepts the gesture. At the same event, Pulaski sings and stuns the room with his incredible opera voice, a voice that he didn’t realize he had. Pulaski’s true musical talent is finally revealed, putting him in the same ranks as Rubin as he embraces opera singing. Growing up, the two dream of performing together at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York City. Yet as the film fast-forwards to the present, when they’re once again adults, their dreams are put on hold as news of an imminent German invasion takes hold of Poland. ESCAPING POLAND Realizing time is limited and growing closer to Rubin following his return, Pulaski tells her she shouldn’t marry Rosenfeld, that he’s not right for her. As both families plan their

continued on page 50

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

ARTS&LIFE

WITOLD BACZYK

FILM REVIEW

Weronika Rosat and Stephen Dorff continued from page 49

escape from Poland, Rubin realizes Pulaski is right and that in fact, she’s in love with him, not Rosenfeld. But the Germans aren’t far off, and Rubin’s family finally comes to a decision to leave for Zurich, while Pulaski’s family aims to escape to Paris. The Rubins plan to leave the following morning, but a German air raid overnight changes their plans. Jews are rounded up; and in the midst of the chaos, the Rubins are led to safety in the secret music room, where they remain hidden. However, their whereabouts are tipped off. Soon after, Nazis raid the hiding space, loading the Rubin family in trucks and sending them to Auschwitz. Pulaski, witnessing the roundup from afar but too late to warn the family, vows to find Rubin, the love of his life. Stopping at nothing, Pulaski travels to Germany with the help of the Polish resistance, posing as an opera singer who will perform at Auschwitz for Nazi soldiers. As he sings at Auschwitz, Rubin stands behind him, recruited by the Nazis to play violin. To save their lives, neither acknowledges one another, but Pulaski and his conductor, Benno Moser (Stellan Skarsgard), hatch a plan to save Rubin.

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

Moser, who visits a Nazi official in private, claims Rubin is his illegitimate daughter and, therefore, only half-Jewish. He pays him off for her safe return, a seemingly foolproof plan. Yet the Nazi Moser bargains with is arrested, and both are shot before Rubin is released from Auschwitz. Pulaski runs for his life, hiding in a nearby barn where a family discovers him and offers him safety. He continues to seek out Rubin, finally learning that she was transferred to Bergen Belsen, sent on a death march and evacuated to New York with a Adelaide Clemens and Jacob Ifan in I’ll Find You.

group of Polish refugees. Traveling to America after the war, Pulaski tracks Rubin through the Joint Distribution Committee. Finally reuniting once and for all, Pulaski found the love of his life as promised. With a touch of historical footage, beautiful cinematography and a moving storyline, I’ll Find You”is a triumphant tale of resistance, courage and love in a time where none seem possible. I’ll Find You opens Feb. 25 at theaters and On-Demand .

ARTS&LIFE NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

LAW AND ORDER (THE ORIGINAL!) RETURNS, THE SAG AWARDS The original Law and Order series ran from 1990-2010 and spanned several “spin-offs,” including Law and Order; SVU. A “reboot” of the original series premieres on NBC on Feb. 24 (8 p.m.). Sam Waterston is returning as Jack McCoy, Manhattan’s (head) District Attorney. He played that role for the last three seasons of the original. Before his promotion, McCoy was the top assistant district attorney for 12 seasons. Fans will recall that McCoy worked, for five seasons, under Adam Schiff, the (Jewish) Manhattan District Attorney. Schiff was played by the late Steven Hill, an Orthodox Jew. The beautifully acted and wellwritten interplay between Schiff and McCoy was one of the highlights of the original series. In the reboot, the top assistant D.A.s are played by Hugh Dancy and Odelya Halevi, 30ish. Halevi was born and raised in Israel, the grandchild of Yemeni Jewish immigrants. After a year of military service, she moved to the States, age 19. She’s had many small roles. Her Law and Order reboot role is a huge career break. Camryn Manheim, 60, a veteran well-known actress, has snared a plum role as Kate Dixon, the

detective in charge of the whole police squad room. Manheim was born in New Jersey, but frequently moved during her youth because her father, a math professor, changed jobs several times. Manheim lived in Michigan for a few years. Her family finally settled in California when she was 12. In a 2019 Jewish Journal interview, she said that her parents were “liberal, cultural Jews” and that she had visited Israel. The actress also told the Journal that she tried to raise her son, Milo Manheim, now 21, “as a mensch.” Milo, who is her only child, had a bar mitzvah. He is now trying to build an acting career. Camryn Manheim’s big career break came when she got a co-starring role as attorney Eleanor Pruitt on The Practice, which ran from 1997-2004. Manheim has “police experience.” She had a big supporting role in the ABC series Stumptown as an Oregon police lieutenant. The series, which got good reviews and pretty good ratings, was renewed (May 2020) for a second season. However, a few months later, it was canceled due to pandemic-related filming problems. Manheim probably got lucky: the cancellation meant that she was available for a bigger part in Law and Order. SAG AWARDS The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards will be held

Camryn Manheim

on Feb. 27 (TNT and TBS, 8 p.m.). Most of the awards are for an “ensemble cast.” I’ve previously mentioned, in this column, the Jewish cast members in these films or series. So, I will list, here, just a few nominees. Andrew Garfield, 38, is nominated for “outstanding male actor” for playing composer Jonathan Larson in tick, tick … Boom. He is Oscarnominated for the same role. Michael Douglas, 77 (The Kominsky Method) and Brett Goldstein, 41 (Ted Lasso), compete for the best male actor (comedy series) award. Until recently, I didn’t have an Apple TV+ subscription so I didn’t write much about The Morning Show, an Apple TV + series about a network morning news program. Its cast is SAGnominated for “best cast ensemble” (drama series). The nominated cast includes Julianne Margulies, 55. Her character, Laura Peterson,

BY DAVID SHANKBONE

CELEBRITY NEWS

is an openly gay, top newscaster. Peterson, a major character, first appeared in the second season. The Morning Show got so/so reviews when it began, and I was surprised that it was a lot better than first reviews said. Apple TV+ doles out its series one episode a week. But The Morning Show benefits, I think, from binge watching. As you may know, the show begins with a sexual harassment scandal involving Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell), The Morning Show co-anchor. It was very “satisfying” to see the whole arc of the scandal, as I did, as I binge watched the series. Spoiler alert: Kessler’s “fate” was “resolved” in the first two seasons, but another “mystery” never got solved. Mitch Kessler sounds like a Jewish name — but we never learn if he is Jewish or not. Even more annoying — Kessler’s co-anchor is Alexandra “Alex” Levy (Jennifer Aniston). Is Alex Jewish? If not, how did she get this last name? I am still waiting for an answer. Why did the writers give Levy a “very Jewish name” if they don’t tell us her “backstory”? I may have to chalk it up as another entry in the long history of American TV series in which writers provide “clues” that a character is Jewish, but— for “marketing reasons” — “Jewishness” is never made explicit. Fey!

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

ON THE GO

BURGERS, BABKA & BEER ONEG FEB. 25 7:30-8:30 PM

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

CAREGIVER SUPPORT 1:30-2:30 PM, FEB. 24 Virtual Caregiver Support Groups are offered for individuals who are care partners for those living with cognitive changes including various types of dementia. Please contact Dorothy Moon, Brown Adult Day Program social worker, for Zoom link and more information: 248- 233-4392, dmoon@jvshumanservices. org. EDUCATIONAL EVENT 6:30-8 PM, FEB 24 The Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and Detroit Jews for Justice have partnered for a virtual Racial Justice Education series. After studying the landmark tenets of white supremacy culture together, each synagogue will break-off to think about applying this learning to their own communities. Visit: detroitjewsforjustice. org. BURGERS, BABKA & BEER ONEG 7:30-8:30 PM, FEB. 25 Join Temple Shir Shalom for a special Shabbat experience. After service, stay for the oneg, where they will be serving burgers, babka, beer and non-alcoholic beverages. Services begin at 6:30 pm. All attending must show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR COVID-19 test taken in the past 48 hours, according to the policy established by temple’s COVID-19 task force. Register: shirshalom. org/events/burgers-babkaand-beer-oneg.

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

SHALOM SHABBAT 10:30 AM, FEB 26 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites you to join Hazzan Dan Gross and Rabbi Dan Horwitz for songs, prayers, fun and friends. Registration and information: adatshalom.org/familyshabbat or contact Sammi Shapiro: sshapiro@adatshalom.org, 248-626-2153. SISTERHOOD BINGO 7-11:30 PM, FEB. 26 Sponsored by the sisterhood of Young Israel of Southfield, 27705 Lahser Road, Southfield. Info: 248358-0154; yisouthfield.org.

MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS 9:30 AM, FEB. 27 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites adults of all ages to join Rabbi Aaron Bergman for a class designed to help individuals find their internal spirituality and realize how Judaism can make them happier. The community is welcome. Free. For information, contact 248-851-5100 or visit adatshalom.org. BBYO SHOWCASE 1:3-2:30 PM, FEB. 27 BBYO presents its chapter showcase at the JCC. Meet

all the chapters and learn more about becoming a BBYO member. Attending gives you exclusive access to chapter March Madness programs. Parents are welcome to attend the special Parent Meeting at 1:30-2 pm to learn about BBYO. Walk-ins are welcome. Info: Audrey at abloomberg@ bbyo.org KIDS CAN BAKE 4 PM, FEB.27 A virtual presentation by JLive Detroit. Make chocolate and cinnamon rugelach. No cost for the program; you supply the ingredients. Suggested for ages 3 years old and up. Check family events at JLive Detroit. JPLAY SPORTS MULTIPLE TIMES JFamily, Hillel Day School and Come Play Detroit bring you a cure for cold winter Sundays. JPlay Sports is a four-part sports clinic where kids will learn essential first skills under the guidance of professional coaches, build friendships and have fun. February-March session will focus on basketball and soccer skills. Ages 5-6 years old will play from 10 to 11 am on Feb. 27, March

6, March 13 and March 27. On March 13, a special activity for the holiday of Purim is planned. Check your email for more details. There will be no session on March 20. $100 for the series; no prorated or makeup classes. At Joe Dumars Clubhouse, 1120 W. State Fair, Detroit. To complete waiver forms: forms.gle/nwLTaWyhguC6jKwj6. Register: jlive.app/ events/1390. SCREENING 6:30-8:30 PM, FEB. 27 Superbad is turning 15 this year! NEXTGen Detroit is throwing a 15th birthday party for one of its favorite movies by renting out the Maple, 4135 Maple Road, Bloomfield Twp. Masks are required (when not eating or drinking) and seating in the theater will be socially distanced. $10 per person includes popcorn and pop. Candy and cocktails are available for purchase. Register in advance by Feb. 24: jlive.app/events/1503. WELLNESS WEDNESDAY 7:30 PM, MARCH 2 Join Hadassah Greater Detroit for the first Wellness Wednesday virtual event of 2022. Using relaxation techniques, breathing

exercises and meditation, Sleepy Time Yoga will combine fun and friendship over Zoom. Be sure to bring a yoga mat or chair to what should be an evening of gentle exercise to aid in a good night’s sleep. Register by Feb. 28: hadassahmidwest.org/GDWW2022. Event fee: $10. SLICE OF SERVICE 7-8:30 PM, FEB. 28 Join The Well, Repair the World Detroit and Keep Growing Detroit to learn about local gardening and food sourcing initiatives and complete a service project benefiting Keep Growing Detroit. At Durfee Innovation Society, 2470 Collingwood, Detroit. We’ll also hear from Dave Mancini, co-owner of Supino Pizzeria, about how and why they source local ingredients that make their pizza extra delicious. Seedpackers will also receive a voucher to try Supino’s pizza for themselves. Visit: jlive.app/events/1593. CONCERT SET 9 PM, MARCH 1 For more than 15 years, Third Coast Percussion has forged a unique path in the musical landscape with

virtuosic, energetic performances. Once registered at cameramusic.org, check your inbox for an email from noreply@ticketspice.com. Open the email and look for the 9-digit access code and link. Save this email. This access code and link will work only from the first location where you use it. Go to CameraMusic.org/ live at the scheduled concert start time and select “Watch Now.” Enter your ode (or just click the link in the email you saved. Watch in full-screen mode and turn on the sound for best experience. Virtual “Doors Open” half hour before the concert start time; use this time to get connected. For technical support, call 313335-3300. PANCAKE DAY 7 AM-4 PM, MARCH 1 IHOP Supports Children with the Beaumont Health Foundation. Participating IHOP restaurants in Southeast Michigan will offer each guest a free short stack of IHOP’s buttermilk pancakes. For every short stack of buttermilk pancakes served, IHOP guests are invited to make a voluntary donation to Beaumont Children’s to help improve the lives of pediatric patients. For local locations and donation options, visit IHOP.com. MIDRASH TALES NOON-1 PM, MARCH 1+ Instructor: Rabbi Dan Horwitz on Zoom. (March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29). Long before Captain America, Black Widow and other Marvel

characters, the Jewish people had our own stories of demigods, witches, giants and people who could perform the mystical with a simple glance out of their eyes. Explore some of our tradition’s fantastical, magical tales and get to know its heroes and villains. Tuition: $65. jlearn.online or 248205-2557 to register. JIGJAM 8 PM, MARCH 2 At the Ark in Ann Arbor: JigJam, a multi-award-winning quartet from the heart of the midlands in Ireland. Blending the best of traditional Irish music with Bluegrass and Americana. Tickets: $20. Info: theark. org. ART/HISTORY 7 PM, MARCH 3 The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan will present, on Zoom, “Art on History” with Gail Rosenbloom Kaplan, a local artist. She will take us through the historical inspirations behind her studio art, as well as public installations in local synagogues and institutions, including the Kindertransport quilts at the Zekelman Holocaust Center. JHSM members: $10; non-members: $18. Register by 9 pm March 2. A Zoom link for the program will be sent 24 hours before. Info: info@michiganjewishhistrory.org. ANYTHING GOES 7:30-10 PM, MARCH 3-5 The Nicely Theatre Group will present the musical Anything Goes at the

Berman Center for the Performing Arts in West Bloomfield. Show date and times: March 3 at 7:30 pm; March 4 at 7:30 pm, March 5 matinee at 2 pm and March 5 evening performance at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $33 for all seats and are on sale now at The Berman box office and nicelytheatregroup.org or by calling or texting 248-406-6677. GEN X EVENT 7:30-9:30 PM, MARCH 5 Food, Friends and Fowling at On the Dunes, 2055 Haggerty Road, Commerce Township. Congregation Shaarey Zedek members born between the late 1960s and early 1980s are invited for an evening of friendship, fun, food and fowling with other Gen Xers. Advance registration is required: shaareyzedek/ org. Cost: $30 per person if RSVP is received by noon Friday, Feb. 25. Cost will rise to $36 per person after the cutoff. BOOKSTOCK DONATIONS NOW-APRIL 20 Bookstock is accepting donations, by appointment only, on Wednesdays from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, through April 20. Please call 313-702-0631 to arrange a time to drop off gently used books and audiobooks, records, CDs and DVDs. Bookstock will return to Laurel Park Place in Livonia May 15- May 22, 2022. Compiled by Sy Manello/Editorial Assistant. Send items at least 14 days in advance to calendar@thejewishnews.com. FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

FOOD

FROM THE HOME KITCHEN OF CHEF AARON

Latke Soup W

ith the fluctuating weather and the turning of the year, we once again find ourselves huddling in the kitchen for warmth, taking advantage of a hot stove to keep our bodies and our houses braced against the encroaching chill of winter. Chef Aaron Soups, filling and Egan hearty, are always my go-to during this season. Served with crusty bread, they’re a good dish on their own, and they always are able to slide into another meal as an extra course, providing more warmth and nutrition for your diners. Potato soups are a personal favorite, as I am a lover of potatoes in all forms; here, I’m

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

looking to capture the onion-garlic-potato deliciousness of a latke, while also making it somewhere on the continuum toward Potato-Leek soup. LATKE SOUP Yield – approximately 1 gallon of soup, or 6-12 servings, depending on size Ingredients 1 quart Idaho/russet/baker potatoes, peeled and small diced (hold in cold water to prevent browning) 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced 2 Tbsp. garlic, minced 4 Tbsp. butter Oil as needed 2 quarts vegetable stock (minimally green, see note) 2 cups heavy cream Kosher salt Ground white pepper Chives for garnish

ing frequently, until the garlic is wildly fragrant. 4. Pour in the stock, stir well and then add the diced potatoes. Discard the water they were soaking in but save that potato starch and mix it into the soup pot as well. 5. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes crush easily with a pair of tongs or when pressed against the side of the pot with a spoon. 6. Remove the pot from the stove and puree the soup with an immersion blender. Once pureed, slowly pour in the heavy cream while running the immersion blender, stirring it around a little to fully incorporate the cream. Taste and adjust seasonings here with salt and white pepper. In addition, if it’s too thick, add some liquid; if it feels too thin, let it simmer on the stove gently, stirring frequently, to help thicken it up a bit.

Shoestring potato fries for garnish Directions 1. Mise en place! Dice your potatoes and onion, mince the garlic and open the containers of stock. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and melt the butter; add a little neutral cooking oil to the pot as well to help prevent burning. 2. Once the butter has foamed and melted, add the onions, season with a good pinch of salt and cook over medium-high to high heat until they’re just beginning to brown. Add more oil as needed to keep them frying. 3. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, mix-

7. Return to the stove and hold warm or chill for later use. Soups like this are frequently better the next day. 8. Garnish with chives, shoestring potatoes and a dollop of sour cream if you like. Vary up this recipe in your preferred manner: Replace up to half of the heavy cream with sour cream or add one or two peeled and diced apples into the soup pot with the potatoes to add a touch of applesauce to the bowl. Note: Vegetable stock can be made from almost any veggies and as such, if you’ve made yourself a batch with a bunch of green beans or greenery in it, you might not want to use that for this dish as the flavors don’t necessarily work that well together.

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15+ YEAR CAREGIVER, EXP CNA, REFERENCES. CALL CAROL (313) 443-8363 Family in need of Long term live-in nanny for a 10yr old boy with Down Syndrome/ Autistic. $1400 a month, private room/bath included. Call Amy (248)921-1093. Cita Angels Home Care. Caregiver Services 24 hr. care. We assist in cooking, cleaning, bathing/grooming, doctor appointments, errands, etc. We accept private pay and Medicaid payment. Please call 1-866-542-6435. TRANSPORTATION A1 DRIVER for Drs appts,shopping, errands,airports and more. (248) 991-4944 Reliable Driver-Best Rates Airport, appts., errands, shopping & more or ask? Call David 248-690-6090

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CAROL AMSTER, 86, of Ann Arbor, died Feb. 12, 2022. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Aaron and Susan Amster, and Barry and Jaye Amster; daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Doug Schoenberg; grandchildren, Lauren Amster and Angus Abrams, Joshua and Jenna Amster, Michael Amster, Zachary Amster, Adam Schoenberg, and Allison Schoenberg; sister, Andrea Puterman. Mrs. Amster was the beloved wife for 54 years of the late Herbert S. Amster. Interment was in Beth Israel Memorial Gardens at Arborcrest Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Jewish Family Services of Ann Arbor, the Amster Center, 2245 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104, jfsannarbor.org/ donate; Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, 2939 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, jewishannarbor.org/ways-to-give; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. BERNARD BASKIN, 84, of West Bloomfield, died Feb. 16, 2022. He is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Michael and Judy Baskin, and Eric and Rebecca Baskin; daughter and son-in-law, Cheryl and Scott Berman; stepchildren, Suzanne Chesney and

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During the coming week, Kaddish will be said for these departed souls during the daily minyan at Yeshiva Beth Yehudah. Your support of the Torah learning of our children and our Kollel’s Torah Scholars brings immeasurable heavenly merit. Please call us at 248-557-6750 for more information.

27 Adar I February 28 Leonard Finkel Frank Greenwald Sam Levine Abraham Riskin Abe Schwartz 28 Adar I March 1 Sam Belkin Jack Lewis Pearl Stein 29 Adar I March 2 Adolph Bassin Thelma Golob Anne Kosins 30 Adar I March 3 Marvin Niskar Ann Soufrine 1 Adar II March 4 Joseph Berg Joseph Dorfman Morris Gould Aron Grossbard Max Harris Leslie Kay Marvin Modlinsky

Fannie Remer Dorothy S. Rosenthal Albert P. Seigle David Silver Asher Smith Daniel Paul Weinberg Steven Zack 2 Adar II March 5 Nathan Dinkin Bella Ellias Evelyn Gruber Harry Kahn Adolph Komer David N. Madgy John Markowitz Mary Olstein (Sorkin) Rebecca Pearlstein Arline Goldfarb Schafer Ben Solomon Abie Stein Louis Waltman Gussie Wedgle

School for Boys • Beth Jacob School for Girls • Bais Yehudah Preschool Weiss Family Partners Detroit • Kollel Bais Yehudah • Maalot Detroit P.O. Box 2044 • Southfield, MI 48037• 248-557-6750 • www.YBY.org

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 57

Robert Sakat; grandchildren, Nicole and Markus Talaga, Kyle and Serena Baskin, Alyssa and Brent Erickson, Joshua Berman, Henry Baskin, Miles Baskin, Julia Baskin, James and Jenny Chesney, Chris and Amy Chesney, and Alexus and Bryan Rouhan; great-grandchildren, Mackenzie Erickson, Faith Rouhan, Colin, Brennan and Nicholas Chesney; nephews and niece, Steven Binder, Susan Binder and Richard Binder. Mr. Baskin was the beloved husband of the late Arlene Baskin and the late Toby Baskin; the loving brother of the late Geraldine Binder; the dear stepfather of the late Penny Sakat Phillips. Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Kidney Foundation of Michigan, 1169 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, nkfm.org; American Cancer Society, 20450 Civic Center Drive, Southfield, MI 48076, cancer.org; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. DAVID M. BLAU, 52, of Farmington Hills, died on Feb. 11, 2022. He was born in Detroit and grew up in Huntington Woods before attending Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School. He later graduated from the University of Michigan (1991) and obtained his law

degree from Detroit College of Law in 1995. A Senior Counsel at Clark Hill PLC, he was a nationally recognized leader in the area of shopping center landlord bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy workouts. When he was not behind a desk, he could be found looking through a camera lens or on a bicycle seat, riding countless miles with his “family by choice” Team Alex, passionately and tirelessly raising funds for Make-a-Wish Foundation. Mr. Blau was a man of honesty and integrity, who had a quick wit that drew others to him. He will be best remembered for his smile, warmth and easy way. Soul mate, protector and loving husband to Risa, together 33 years, David was most proud of his loving daughters, Sydney and Gabrielle; he was never shy about showing photos of them. His family was the center of his universe, his joy, a close-knit unit of love, fun excursions and support. David was one of the good ones and his presence will be forever missed. He is survived by his devoted and compassionate wife, Risa (Pilchik); daughters, Sydney and Gabrielle; parents, Fayclare and Dr. Robert Blau; brother, Randall Blau (Michelle); sisters, Marsha Deitch (Jeffrey), Ilene Kahan (Douglas), Hilary Goodman, Louise Pilchik (late Hyman); countless nieces, nephews and great-nephews, as well as a community of wonderful friends, who all loved

and adored everything about him; Hershey, his beloved dog and best friend. Interment took place at Beth El Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center, the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation or a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

friends. Mrs. Dzodin was the devoted daughter of the late Samuel and the late Lillian Turkin; sister of the late Ronald Turkin. Interment took place at Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

DONNA DZODIN, 75, of West Bloomfield, died Feb. 14, 2022. She is survived by her daughters and son-inlaw, Lisa and Jeff Wren, and Michelle Goodrich; grandchildren, Gavin Goodrich and Sara Wren; many other loving family members and

ADA EISENFELD, 95, of Sarasota, Fla., formerly of Mount Clemens, died on Feb. 12, 2022. She grew up in Mount Clemens, and she graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in economics. She then worked for the Bureau of Labor Statistics until she and Ike married.

After initially settling in Brooklyn, the family moved to Mount Clemens. Ada was a city commissioner for eight years and the first woman mayor of Mount Clemens, serving for four years. She was also active in the Jewish community. Ada enjoyed family, friends, travel and the finer things in life. Ada’s daughter Bethann Greenberg preceded her in death. Her survivors include her husband, Ike; children, Peter (Mary) of Vancouver, Wash., Amy (Wayne Winder) of Portland, Ore., Mike (Beth) of Tampa, Fla., son-in-law, Lenny Greenberg of Warren, N.J., eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; nieces, nephews and friends. Interment was at Beth Tephilath Moses Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to ORT America-Michigan Region, 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 375, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301, ortamerica. org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. RONNA HELLER, 70, of West Bloomfield, died on Feb. 16, 2022. Mrs. Heller was a devoted special education teacher who taught in Pontiac and Avondale and tutored many. She will be lovingly remembered by family, friends and colleagues. She was the beloved wife for 50 years of Harvey Heller; mother of Risa (Ryan Toohey) Heller, Melissa Heller Seid (Shoshana Seid) and the late Jason Marc Heller; “Bubby” continued on page 60

We believe that every Jew has a portion in the world to come. Trust us to prepare your loved one for that journey.

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

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OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 59

of Vivian Jason Toohey, Ezekiel Jason Toohey, Penelope Jason Toohey, Asher Hudson Seid and Maya Arielle Seid; sister of the late Barry J. Lipson; sister-inlaw of Debra Lipson, Kenneth (Nancy) Lipson, Jacquelyn Heller and Carole Kaplan; aunt of Mark, Kevin, Brian, Aaron and David Lipson; daughter of the late Honora and the late Alex Lipson; daughter-in-law of the late Anne and the late Harold Heller. Contributions may be made to Multiple Sclerosis Society of Michigan, 29777 Telegraph Road, Suite 1651, Southfield, MI 48034; or Friendship Circle, 6892 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

NATALIO KOGAN, 90, of West Bloomfield, died Feb. 9, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Rayna Kogan; son and daughter-inlaw, Mordechai “Marc” and Drora Kogan of Southfield; daughter and son-in-law, Ellen and Barry Finestone of San Rafael, Calif.; brother and sister-in-law, Bernardo and Hilda Kogan; grandchildren, Ehud Kogan, Rut Kogan and Avromi Ellis, Asaf Kogan, Yisroel Kogan, Yehudit Kogan, Gabrielle Finestone, Ethan Finestone, Mia Finestone. Contributions may be made to Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival,

greatlakeschambermusic.org; Soul Center, friendshipcircle. org/donate; or Congregation Adat Shalom, adatshalom. org/tributes. A funeral service was held at Hebrew Memorial Chapel. Interment took place at Westwood Cemetery in Inkster. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. CARL HERMAN MURAV, 99, of Farmington Hills, died Feb. 10, 2022. He always had a smile on his face. He was a proud U.S. Navy corpsman. Mr. Murav is survived by his devoted daughters, Denise Geller and Robin

Murav; sister, Marsha Murav; grandchildren, Jayson and Darlene Geller, Todd Geller and Laura Geller; great-grandsons, Braydon and Colton Geller; a special relationship to Harlene Sosin, Avery and Robin Tobin Murav, Brooke and Chris Tobia, Olivia Hammer, Lori and Rob Stashefsky, and Karley (Johnny) Strouss; many loving nieces and nephews, other family and friends. He was the beloved husband for 62 years of the late Helen Murav; son of the late Harry and the late Pearl Murav; brother of the late Benjamin and Freida Murav, the late Marty Murav; uncle of the late Shelly (Byron)

STEVEN LYLE SCHWARTZ, 58, of Bloomfield Hills, died Feb. 15, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Lisa Schwartz; daughter, Ryan Schwartz; son, Asher Schwartz; mother, Sheila Schwartz; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Deborah and Josh Laraby; motherin-law and father-in-law, Roberta and Dr. Sanford Kaner; aunts and uncles, Howard N. Schwartz, Lauren Platt-Tackel, Jeffrey Tackel, Dr. Albert and Pauline Kaner. He is also survived by a sister and many dear cousins, other relatives and friends. Mr. Schwartz was the loving son of the late Allen Schwartz. Contributions may be made to Hillel Day School, 32200 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334; or Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, 25882 Orchard Lake Road, #102, Farmington Hills, MI 48336. A funeral service was held at Hebrew Memorial Chapel. Interment took place at Clover Hill Park in Birmingham. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

JTA

Famed Director Ivan Reitman Died

van Reitman, a Hollywood director and producer who was born in Czechoslovakia and went on to helm Ghostbusters and other beloved American blockbuster comedies, died Feb. 12, 2022, at 75. Reitman died in his sleep at his home in Montecito, California, according to the Associated Press. Reitman’s first major commercial success came in 1978 when he produced National Lampoon’s Animal House, but his most famous work was Ghostbusters, the paranormal comedy he directed and which was released to widespread acclaim in 1984. In a career spanning some 50 years, Reitman worked with some of the most beloved comedic actors of his generation, including Dan Aykroyd, Robin Williams, Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal and Bill Murray, and set the stage for the landscape of movie comedies to follow. Born in 1946 to Jewish parents who survived the Holocaust — his mother having survived Auschwitz, his father having escaped a concentration camp and later fought as a member of the Slovakian resistance — in Komárno, Czechoslovakia, Reitman was 4 years old when the family left the country. The family made their escape after the communist Czech government began threatening Reitman’s father, a factory owner. The family escaped hidden in a coal barge that made its way from Komarno to Vienna on the Danube, and eventually made their way to Toronto in 1950. “I remember flashes of scenes. Later they told me about how they gave me a couple of sleeping pills so I wouldn’t make any noise. I was so knocked out that I slept with my eyes open. My parents were afraid I was dead,” Reitman told the Associated Press in 1979. In Toronto, Reitman displayed an interest in performance from an early age and studied music and drama at McMaster University. His first film, a low-budget film called Cannibal Girls, was released in 1973. His big break came in 1978 with National Lampoon’s Animal House, which he produced, followed by the summer-camp comedy Meatballs in 1979 starring Bill Murray, for which he had moved over to the director’s chair.

THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAGES FOR SONY PICTURES

Anchill, the late Leonard Hammer. Interment took place at Beth Abraham Cemetery in Ferndale. Contributions may be made to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, Temple Israel or Jewish Hospice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

Ivan Reitman attends the Ghostbusters: Afterlife world premiere, Nov. 15, 2021, in New York City.

Ghostbusters in 1984 was where Reitman left his biggest cultural footprint: a unique fusion of smart-aleck comedy and big-budget paranormal special effects that connected with audiences around the globe. It spawned a franchise of films, TV shows and video games that remains popular to this day. His other big hits included Stripes, a 1981 military comedy soon to be rebooted as a TV series; Dave, a 1993 political fable starring Kevin Kline as an ordinary guy who is a doppelgänger for the U.S. president; and the 2011 rom-com No Strings Attached, starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. “I love to tell good stories and make people laugh,” Reitman told the Forward in 2007. “I seem to do it okay.” Reitman married Genevieve Robert, who converted to Judaism, in 1976, and the couple had three children. Their son Jason Reitman followed his father into directing. Father and son worked together on some films, including the 2009 Oscar-nominated film Up in the Air, which was written and directed by Jason Reitman and produced by Ivan Reitman. Last fall, the two teamed up again for the latest Ghostbusters installment, with Jason directing and Ivan producing Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a film that functioned as a tribute to the father’s beloved original. At the time of his death, Reitman was in pre-production on a number of other films, including Triplets, a sequel to his 1988 comedy Twins about genetically engineered twins played by DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger. FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

Ode to the Bagel R ecently, our new Associate Editor, Rachel Sweet, and I had a chat in the JN lunchroom. She was toasting a bagel and mentioned that Bagel Day was upcoming. I said I thought National Bagel Day was Jan. 15. Rachel was referring to National Bagel and Lox Day on Feb. 9. We were both correct, but the distinction didn’t really matter much to Rachel who proclaimed that for her, “Every day is Bagel Day!” In short, as it is for many Americans, eating a bagel is Mike Smith her daily ritual. This made Alene and Graham Landau me wonder about bagel Archivist Chair history in Metro Detroit. Well, “bagel” appears on nearly 8,000 pages in the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History. There are hundreds of stories and thousands of advertisements for bakeries, delis, restaurants and events that feature the round delicacy. The first mentions of “bagels” are in the Jewish Chronicle in the 1920s. However, these were not about food. They are small items about the social activities of Mr. and Mrs. Bagel (Myer and Pauline). Bagels were first referenced as a food in the 1940s; initially, the bagel and its close friend, lox. During World War II, bagel-and-lox breakfasts were served-up on most Sundays for American military personnel by the United States Service Organizations (USO), women’s clubs and many other local organizations. Danny Raskin first mentioned bagels in his Dec. 7. 1945, “Listening Post” column. He discussed Sam Blender from New York, who was known as “the bagel man of the East Side.” One could also find “Bob the Bagel Boy” in the personal ads. He provided a critical service: he could be hired to deliver hot bagels to your home on Sundays (Sept. 27, 1946, Chronicle).

FEBRUARY 24 • 2022

The first advertisements for bagels for sale appear to be those for the New York Bagel Company in the 1940s. Established by Morris Goldsmith and two East European immigrant partners in 1921, New York Bagel is Detroit’s oldest dedicated bagel retailer. The third and fourth generation of Goldsmiths now operate locations in Ferndale and West Bloomfield. By the way, bagels are generally thought to have originated in Poland. By the 1940s, bagels and lox had become a standard Sunday breakfast for many in the Jewish community. In the Sept. 6, 1949, Jewish Chronicle, “Bagel and Lox Jews” was a story in which an unnamed rabbi from Glencoe, Illinois, described himself as a bagel and lox Jew because that was what he liked on Sunday mornings. An ad in the Oct. 18, 1946, JN for Apollo Records featured its new recording of Eddie “Rochester” Anderson singing the Jewish Breakfast Song, “Bagels and Lox (with cheese in the middle).” Beginning in 1950s, bagels had become a staple food, mentioned hundreds of times every year. In the 1960s, Philadelphia Cream Cheese became a close partner of bagels. There are ads for another bagel innovation, Lender’s frozen bagels, in the 1970s. So, who has the best bagels? Keri Cohen’s dad thought the best bagels were in Reno because of its high elevation. Rachel believes that the best bagel is the last one she ate. Bagels are like wine — everyone has a favorite. For your own taste testing, see the link below for a recent JN list of a few great Detroit bagel places. Happy Noshing! thejewishnews.com/2022/02/09/feb-9-is-nationalbagel-and-lox-day-heres-where-you-can-get-yourfix-in-metro-detroit.

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DJN February 24, 2022

Articles inside

Looking Back

Obits

From the Home Kitchen of Chef Aaron: Latke Soup

Celebrity News

Tap-Dancing Car Guy

Community Calendar

The Exchange

Film Review: I’ll Find You

A Peek Behind the Scenes

What Happens When We Give?

Meet Marcy Tatelbaum

Rescuing the Past in Israel

A Physician Advocate for Those with Disabilities

Coming of Age: Detroit

Accessing Mental Health Care

Perfection Pushes Away the Pandemic

Jewish Bakery Renewal

Defiant Requiem

Essays and viewpoints