DJN February 10, 2022

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS 200 Feb. 10-16, 2022 / 9-15 Adar 1 5782

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thejewishnews.com

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS Meet this year’s cohort of Jewish young professionals in Metro Detroit.

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Love stories from Jewish Senior Life Jewish-style deli coming to Detroit JARC & Federation team up to vaccinate thousands

contents Feb. 10-16, 2022 / 9-15 Adar 1 5782 | VOLUME CLX, ISSUE 26

PURELY COMMENTARY 4-9

Essays and viewpoints.

SPORTS 47

OUR COMMUNITY 10

36 Under 36

29

Ann Arbor Congregants Ordered to Pay Protesters’ Legal Fees

Meet this year’s cohort of Jewish young professionals in Metro Detroit.

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Lasting Love

Two long-married couples share t heir advice for a happy marriage.

Hub for Jewish Heritage

BUSINESS 48

New to Eastern Market

49

Here’s To

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Moments

Torah portion

JARC and Federation: Vaccine Warriors

52

Crushed for the Light

54

Synagogue Directory

ARTS&LIFE 56

New mikvah and playground at Bais Chabad will appeal to young families.

New Program on the Playground

An Entirely New CES Experience

Hamtramck City Council Condemns Antisemitism An Unconventional Semester in Review

COVID challenges cultivate resiliency and adaptability.

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L’Chaim: An Ode to Israel

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Jewish Learning with a New Twist

MSU Hillel’s Chavurah program is a new way to learn.

48

Valjean, Cosette and a String Quartet

Cabaret 313 rings in Valentine’s Day weekend with Broadway couple Josh Young and Emily Padgett.

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A New Way to Experience Fiddler on the Roof

Renowned conductor Andy Einhorn to lead concert version of Jewish classic.

Jews in the Digital Age

JEWISH@EDU 42

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Partnership between Hillel Day School and Playworks redefines recess.

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MAZEL TOV SPIRIT

Bais Chabad ‘Upgrades’

42

Jewish-style deli expected to open this spring.

Two of Detroit’s best archives combine to create the new Center for Michigan Jewish Heritage.

JARC has run more than 25 clinics in the Federation building since last year.

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‘Right Guy, Right Job, Right Time’

Don Rudick hits the ground running after being named executive director of the Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation.

Plaintiffs’ attorney vows to fight ruling.

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60

Celebrity News

EVENTS 61

Community Calendar

ETC. Exchange 62 Obits 63 Looking Back 70

56 Shabbat Lights

Shabbat begins: Friday, Feb. 11, 5:41 p.m.

Shabbat ends: Saturday, Feb. 12, 6:45 p.m.

* Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

Cover design: Michelle Sheridan

thejewishnews.com Follow Us on Social Media: Facebook @DetroitJewishNews Twitter @JewishNewsDet Instagram @detroitjewishnews FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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PURELY COMMENTARY for openers

T

om Brady announced his retirement last week from professional football after 22 years and seven Super Bowl victories.

He’s a University of Michigan graduate. I’m a Michigan State graduate. But we do have two Alan things in comMuskovitz mon. We both Contributing knew when it was Writer the right time to retire from football, and we’ve both been associated with super models. Stay with me here.

I’ll never forget that fateful day in 1967 when I walked away from the game of football.

I was the back-up quarterback on my seventh grade Mary Thompson Jr. High School team in Southfield. I had made what they called the “heavyweights” squad. Yes, we had two squads, lightweights and heavyweights. Not politically correct but an accurate assessment. Our schedule consisted of school opponents in equal weight classes.

Sadly, I made the heavyweight team by one pound.

Instead of being the biggest kid on the lightweights, I was now the smallest kid on the heavyweights. I should’ve skipped lunch on tryout day.

A scale dashed my dreams of being the most dominating fullback in junior high football history.

Every day I had to face practicing against behemoths, all the while wearing my older brother’s hand-me-down athletic cup (honest) and high-top spikes — a Johnny Unitas look without the talent.

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FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

In a decision that rivals any bad player personnel decision the Detroit Lions have ever made, I was designated the back-up quarterback for my squad. I don’t recall ever trying out for that position let alone being good enough to be the go-to-guy in an emergency.

Our coach must have felt our starting QB was invincible. He was a tall muscular guy named Bill whose athletic prowess deserved the starting nod. If he was our team’s Tom Brady, I was our Don Knotts — nervously shaking on the sideline.

I took a knee before the start of every game. I wasn’t protesting; I was praying I wouldn’t be inserted into the lineup. My prayers weren’t answered.

One fateful fall night, Bill got injured during a battle against a bruising team from Anderson Jr. High School in Berkley. I was called into duty and called the only play I had committed to memory, 939, a pass play.

I took the snap, faded back and threw the ball barely down the field. However, I threw it so high in the air it gave both teams time to settle under the wounded duck of a pass to fight for its possession. In the struggle, the ball aimlessly fell to the ground.

Thankfully, Bill recovered quickly and was reinserted into the lineup after my lone play. Mercifully, this was before smart phones, which no doubt would have ended up being a humiliating viral video on social media.

These circumstances led to my premature retirement from the gridiron. I’m not sure what was bruised more, my body or my ego.

SUE GERSTEN, 1999

Me and Tom Brady

Alan “Big Al” Muskovitz interviews Christie Brinkley at Disney World.

As previously mentioned, Tom Brady and I both have had life experiences involving super models. Brady will celebrate his 13th wedding anniversary this month with entrepreneur, philanthropist and former Victoria Secret model Gisele Bündchen. Talk about your power couple.

On the other hand, my “relationship” years ago with model Christie Brinkley has remained under the radar. You heard me.

Here’s the back-story.

I was on a media junket to Walt Disney World as part of the Dick Purtan morning radio show. We were wined and dined by the Disney Corp. in exchange for our broadcasting from the park to promote their newest ride — the high-speed GM Test Track.

The exhibit and ride gave patrons the experience of what rigorous testing General Motors put their concept cars through.

The experience left me breathless, but not as much as my exchange with Ms. Brinkley.

Christie was one of several high-profile celebrities brought in by Disney to promote the track’s grand opening. Part of their obligation was meeting

with the press. I was lucky enough to secure a one-on-one conversation with her.

Prior to my pushing record on my tape recorder, I told her that my radio character, “Big Al,” often invited well-known celebrities to be in on a gag — to act like they knew me personally — like I was some big deal. In this case, I asked Christie to pretend we had dated in the past. Her performance ended up being worthy of an Academy Award.

I barely got my introduction on tape started when Christie jumped in and chastised me for not having kept in touch. “Big Al” she bellowed with disappointment in her voice, “why haven’t you called me!” It was perfect. Being at Disney you might say it was our version of Beauty and the Beast.

So now you know how Tom Brady’s life and mine have intersected. Football and super models. Tom’s heading for the Hall of Fame, and I’ve secured my spot in the Hall of Shame.

Alan Muskovitz is a writer, voice-over/ acting talent, speaker and emcee. Visit his website at laughwithbigal.com,”Like” Al on Facebook and reach him at amuskovitz@thejewishnews.com.

opinion

The Apartheid Libel

I

t was so absurd, I thought it might have been a prank. When Amnesty International released a report singling out Israel as an apartheid state on Rosh Chodesh Adar — the head of the month celebrating Purim — I had to check if I was reading Cantor Michael The Onion or Smolash some other satirical news outlet.

Tragically, the untruthful report was real. Not surprisingly, the irony was lost on Amnesty International that their report targeting the Jewish State had been released just as the Jewish community was turning its attention to our holiday marking the singling out of the Jewish community for defamation and persecution.

The charge that Israel is the South Africa of the 21st century, and is somehow an apartheid state, has been one of the most effective arguments from the anti-Israel camp.

This report from Amnesty International may be the most blatant and dishonest example yet, but it did not appear in a vacuum. From the former head of the Black Lives Matter movement to the Labour Party in England to countless college student unions, a frightful number of mainstream groups have amplified this lie.

Alarmingly, even our rabbinic seminaries are jumping on the bandwagon, with a recent letter signed by nearly a hundred students claiming that support for Israel was “enabling apartheid.” Many younger

Americans have now heard this ugly distortion so many times that they take it as truth. A clear and vocal response is needed from any supporter of Israel who comes across the charge that Israel is an apartheid regime.

COUNTERARGUMENTS AGAINST THE ‘APARTHEID’ LIBEL First, the obvious: Apartheid was a government policy of segregation and discrimination against the nonwhite majority in South Africa. Israel’s approximately 1.9 million non-Jewish Arab citizens have every civil right that Israel’s Jewish citizens enjoy. Non-Jewish Arab Israelis serve in parliament, work in every profession, can own a home anywhere in Israel, vote in every election, and even have an Islamist party in the current ruling coalition. So, the comparison to apartheid South Africa is a lie on its face and to its core.

To highlight the fatuousness of the charge, the majority of Israeli Jews are, in fact, people of color. Only 44% of Israeli Jews are Ashkenazi. Many of us take issue with the stripping of Jews of our minority status in America and painting us as part of a system of white privilege.

But extending that thinking to Israel — not even a white majority country — moves from the questionable to the surreal.

Some will ask: But what about the nearly 2 million Arabs living in the Gaza Strip as well as the just over 2 million in the other disputed areas? When Israeli Jews in West Bank villag-

es, who are essentially governed

by Israeli law and can vote in Israel’s elections, are living next to Palestinian towns that have no access to Israeli courts and no voting rights, isn’t that a form of apartheid?

Certainly not. Although that is the key argument voiced on campuses and think tanks, no country is obligated to extend citizenship to residents of a disputed territory — and undoubtedly not in the case where the local population has been militarily hostile.

Gaza is no longer under any kind of Israeli jurisdiction. It is free to hold its own elections and has zero Jewish residents since Israel itself withdrew in 2005. The West Bank has its own elected authority as well, who are free to hold future elections if their constituents truly insist. Furthermore, Israel is far from alone in maintaining an ambiguous arrangement around a disputed territory. The world is full of populations and regions kept in irregular statuses that raise no objection from those crying foul in the case of Palestinian territories.

EXAMPLES TO CONSIDER Take, for instance, our own country. Our many undocumented residents are a hot-button issue, but I have yet to hear anyone label America an apartheid state. An estimated 10 million undocumented immigrants, mainly people of color, live and work in our land with no voting rights, limited access to government services and a precarious legal status. That is more than the entire population of Israel living in our country

under decades of discrimination. Yet anti-Israel actors across the country will call for an end to “apartheid Israel” while eating food picked and processed by, living in homes built by or vacationing at a destination staffed by fellow residents of our country who live under a different legal system.

For an example of a country maintaining sovereignty over land without formal inclusion, we also need not look outside our own American borders.

Puerto Rico, for instance, is an unincorporated territory of the U.S. It lacks the status of either a sovereign country or a state. Puerto Ricans cannot vote for the U.S. president or elect senators or representatives to congress. Yet they pay taxes and are a territory belonging to the United States. If we are willing to turn a blind eye to more than 3 million peaceful and loyal Americans who have lacked voting rights since America captured Puerto Rico in 1898, it seems farcical for us to libel the Jewish state for how it is managing its own territorial issues with a Palestinian population that has been continually hostile since the founding of Israel.

What makes this ugly charge even more Orwellian is that the Middle East does in fact have an apartheid problem — just not the manufactured one Amnesty International is falsely promoting. Many Arab states across the region had robust Jewish populations dating back centuries or even millennia.

After Israel was established in 1948, Arab countries pushed their Jewish communities out through a combination of continued on page 7 FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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PURELY COMMENTARY column

Defense and Cyber in Israel

M

ilitary service has been mandatory for men and women in Israel since the establishment of the state in 1948.

Generations of Israelis have been raised on the ethos of service to the country, ideally in an Naomi Miller elite or combat unit. Already in high school, Israeli teens undergo rigorous testing to identify their talents for placement and to enable them to offer a successful and meaningful service.

But the military service paradigm in Israel is changing, as a recent poster has indicated. It upends the classic ideal, calling for “The Best to Cyber,” a play on the decadesold slogan that directed the

best to elite combat units.

The Start-Up Nation has been ascendant in the IDF, with the gifted and technologically minded candidates recruited to intelligence units such as 8200 or the military’s technological sector. It is here where cutting-edge Israeli military inventions are conceived and born, such as the Merkava tank, the Namer (leopard) armored infantry fighting vehicle, the lightweight “Spike” rocket launcher, the Eye Ball 360-degree image identifier and, of course, the famous Iron Dome air defense system, to name just a few.

Today many alumni of these intelligence and technological units lead the Start-Up Nation in the field of cyber, AI and defense. A soldier who completes three years’ service in these units, even prior to a

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university education, can find himself recruited to a start-up offering a salary and benefits that the average Israeli family with three children could only dream to earn.

The IDF understands that innovation and entrepreneurship are key for an army of the 21st century. Major. Gen. Eran Niv, head of the Cyber Defense Unit in the General Staff, has identified the crucial need for developing and integrating new technologies that will ultimately reach the combat and operational units. As Niv recently said in an interview with the Ha’aretz daily, “The technology is changing, the political-diplomatic situation is changing, the enemy — and us, too. It is impossible to hope that we will remain in the same place and yet keep up with the pace. It’s far from Schwartz, Mike Smith, Steve Stein, Julie Smith Yolles, Ashley Zlatopolsky

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certain that what worked in the last war will work in the next war.”

At a recent ceremony of the graduating class of the Air Force pilot’s academy, the Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, emphasized that, “the best are first of all the fighters, as measured by their willingness to contribute to the country and sacrifice their lives to protect others.”

It is clear that for the IDF to continue to lead in the region, it must find the best talent for both the combat as well as the technology units.

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 column first appeared on the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator newsletter.

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APARTHEID from page 5

expulsions, antisemitic decrees and riots. Prior to 1948, about 800,000 Jews lived in Arab lands. Those communities have vanished, with a mere 3,000 remaining in Morocco and Tunisia combined, fewer than 100 in Israel’s neighbors Egypt, Lebanon and Syria, and others such as Libya and Jordan with not a single Jewish resident. Lest we frame this as simply an historical policy, the Palestinian Authority today also insists that any land created as an official state have no Jewish residents.

As progressive Jews, this assumption that Palestinian territory should be cleared of any Jewish population should alarm us. In any other contested area, a bedrock principle of our approach to human rights is that people born in a region should not be displaced.

Somehow, however, when it comes to the disputed areas Israel controls, Jewish children born in a town to parents and even grandparents who have lived there for over half a century are not deemed residents who have a stake in whatever compromise is reached. If we in the liberal community are critical of bad actors in the settler community, we ought to find equal fault in the repressive notion that a Palestinian state has the right to evict generations of residents born in their very own towns and villages based on their religion.

That ongoing push to continue clearing land of Jews, however, is the very definition of apartheid, and even beyond, of ethnic cleansing. For the Arab world, who completely displaced their 800,000 strong Jewish community and still insist they have the right to remove all Jewish residents

from any future state, to level the charge of apartheid at Israel, home to nearly 2 million non-Jewish Arabs, is beyond hypocritical.

There is a straight line running from our inability to immediately identify a radical gunman holding Jewish worshippers hostage as antisemitic, to turning a blind eye to physical attacks on Orthodox Jews, to dismissing decades of Arab wars and terrorism against the Jewish State, to actually labelling Israel — a country with a non-white majority — as an oppressive white institution.

In this emerging moral norm, antisemitism is only real if it comes from white supremacists while Israeli Jews of color defending themselves from wars of extermination can be labeled as apartheid.

As Purim approaches, all of us can draw inspiration from Esther and Mordechai who pushed back at the highest levels to defend the Jewish nation from upside down lies and oppression. Distorting facts and history to single out the one Jewish state as illegitimate or apartheid is as vile as it is false. We, who are allies to so many in the progressive camp, should demand some allyship in return — or at the very least hold Amnesty International and other key organizations accountable when they become the latest purveyors of this oldest hatred.

Cantor Michael Smolash sits in the Stephen Gottlieb z”l Cantorial Chair at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, where he has served since 2004.

His essay, “Left in Silence”, appears in the book “Fault Lines — Exploring the complicated place of Progressive American Jewish Zionism” edited

by Rabbi Menachem Creditor and Amanda Berman.

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FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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PURELY COMMENTARY column

L

ike many people, I encountered Maus as a middle schooler. But unlike many people, I can say that it set me on a direct path to my eventual career — as a scholar of religion, especially Judaism, and popular culture.

I was 12 when the second volJennifer ume of Maus Caplan was published, JTA.org and I read both volumes in one long afternoon.

It was the first graphic novel I had read and, like many 12-year-olds, I was just starting to think of myself as a person able to have independent ideas and opinions. The very fact of Maus, the fact that I could hold in my hand something so simple and yet complicated, changed the way I thought about how we tell stories.

Art Spiegelman’s nonfiction graphic novel uses the conventions of comic books to tell the story of his parents’ experiences as Polish Jews before, during and after the Holocaust.

It is also a second-generation story about the legacy of the Holocaust on Spiegelman, a survivor’s child. Spiegelman took a genre that many could not see as literature and turned it into a medium that could tell stories in a way no other book could. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Maus may as well be Proust, because it contains words in the mil-

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lions in under 300 pages.

In college I took a class on the Holocaust. I wrote my final paper on Maus. For my Ph.D. comprehensive exams, I needed to choose a text to study for one of my exams. I chose Maus.

I had to convince people it was a worthy text but convince them I did.

When I began teaching Jewish graphic novels, I referred to the course as “The House that ‘Maus’ Built” because I do not teach Maus in the course. Instead, I teach about the entire industry built, in large part, on the legacy of Maus. The reason I feel comfortable excluding Maus from that syllabus is that every year, without fail, almost every student has already read it, many in an educational context. It is a modern classic. It prepares students to have so many important conversations and sets them up to jump into the canon of Jewish graphic novels.

This is why the McMinn County, Tennessee, school board’s unanimous decision to remove Maus from the district’s eighth-grade curriculum concerns me as an educator. A text that has had such a positive impact on untold thousands of students, and that I count on a plurality of my students to have encountered before they arrive in my college classroom, is under threat. The idea that with each passing year fewer and fewer students may not have had the chance

ACTUALITTÉ/FLICKR COMMONS

You Can’t Just Swap Out Maus for Another Holocaust Book.

It’s Special.

Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus on sale at a French bookstore in 2017.

to wrestle with Maus is deeply troubling. Having to begin the course with a basic introduction to sequential art and Jewish themes would cost not only time, but also the ability to engage in more sophisticated conversations. Having to catch students up on Maus, for me, would mean losing other extraordinary titles such as Joe Kubert’s Yossel or Amy Kurzweil’s Flying Couch, and would substantially change the narrative arc of the semester.

The McMinn school board says its decision was based on “rough language” and depictions of nudity. A great many mocking responses to this have pointed out that the characters in the book are anthropomorphized animals, including the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, who are depicted as mice. But it was not nude mice that spurred this criticism.

The minutes of the school board meeting suggest that the images they’re reacting to

are from the interstitial comic “Prisoner on the Hell Planet” an earlier Spiegelman cartoon that appears midway through the graphic novel and uses a different graphic idiom.

Prisoner on the Hell Planet was the initial comic Spiegelman drew to process his mother’s suicide, which its distraught narrator cannot separate from the horrors she endured under the Nazis. His mother died in 1968, when Spiegelman was 20, and he drew Prisoner on the Hell Planet in 1972. Maus was first serialized in 1980 and published in book form in 1986. The comic includes images of his mother slitting her wrists with a razor and of Anna Spiegelman’s naked body in a tub filled with her own blood.

This is not vulgar nudity — and the rejection of the book based on these images suggests that the McMinn County school board has not understood what Spiegelman did

with these books or what it means to be ongoing witnesses to horror.

According to a taxonomy outlined by Scott McCloud, graphic novels can be “word-specific,” “picture-specific” or “duo-specific” based on what element of the page is carrying the information the reader needs to understand the story. The Prisoner on the Hell Planet section is particularly picture-specific.

The pictures are the story.

The story is the message.

And the message is the teachable moment explaining what loss and grief and horror felt like to a child of survivors, showing readers emotions that words could never convey.

One of the low points of a meeting full of low points came when a school board member said, “It looks like the entire curriculum is developed to normalize sexuality, normalize nudity and normalize vulgar language. If I was trying to indoctrinate somebody’s kids, this is how I would do it.”

The idea that a depiction of the corpse of a young man’s mother is “sexual” says more about the school board member than it does about the book, and that he thinks such images are a way to “indoctrinate” children is the truly Orwellian element in this discussion. Allowing students to see visual representations of things that are fundamentally unspeakable is not indoctrination; it is good pedagogy, and it is a validation of the big feelings that adolescents are having and are unable to articulate.

In “Regarding the Pain of Others,” Susan Sontag writes that photographs force

us to face things we would otherwise try to minimize.

Photographs do not allow us to hide from the reality of trauma, and — for some — the simpler and more straightforward the image the better. She writes that “photography that bears witness to the calamitous and the reprehensible is much criticized if it seems too ‘aesthetic’; that is, too much like art.”

Maus forces the reader to bear witness in a way no written account can, and the picture-specific portions of the book are especially good at forcing the eye to see what the mind prefers to glide past.

Maus forces the reader to confront reality with increasing pressure — it begins with soft, color drawings of animals before it slaps the reader in the face with the Albrecht Durer-on-psychedelics blackand-white style of Prisoner on the Hell Planet and ends with actual photographs of the Spiegelman family as a final reminder to the reader that these people lived and died in these terrible ways.

The decision by the McMinn County board members was wrong, and they have received plenty of criticism for it — so much so that they issued a statement clarifying that they do not oppose instruction about the Holocaust. But that doesn’t change the fact that they uncritically accepted as sexual an image that is undeniably not and ignored how visual records of atrocity serve as some of the most powerful teaching tools available.

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LANGREALTY

Jennifer Caplan is an assistant professor of philosophy at Towson University who teaches and researches Jewish comics and graphic novels.

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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OUR COMMUNITY

This Year’s

Meet these young Jewish professionals who are making an impact in Metro Detroit.

36 Under 36

JN STAFF

F

or the past several years, the JN has had the privilege to meet an amazing group of people through our annual “36 Under 36.” Each of the people you’ll meet in these pages today was nominated by a member of our community and selected by a judging panel made up of community leaders.

This year’s cohort is incredibly diverse in their professions, skills and passions. We congratulate them on being selected as “36 Under 36” and look forward to seeing their names in our pages as they progress through their careers.

Here they are, in no particular order.

DAN BROTMAN Boston-born Dan Brotman just passed the one-year mark as executive director of the Windsor Jewish Federation and Community Center. Canada is Dan’s third immigration, having lived most of his adult life in Israel and South Africa. Windsor’s Jewish population of 1,200 has significantly diminished over the years, and one of Dan’s main goals in his role is to leverage Canada’s pro-immigration policies to attract new Jewish arrivals to the city.

In partnership with the Jewish Federations of Hamilton and London, Ontario, Dan is overseeing the launch of Welcome Home, a campaign to attract new Jewish families to these three communities in southern Ontario. He has also built a coalition of local partners that has been lobbying

the federal government for Windsor to participate in a pilot immigration program targeting smaller Canadian cities.

Dan is active in both the Windsor and Detroit Jewish communities and represents Windsor on the Achdut Council for Young Adults. He is an active participant at Partners Detroit, The Well and Limmud Michigan, as well as a contributor to the Detroit Jewish News. He aims to better integrate the Windsor Jewish community with the vibrant Jewish communities across the river. Under his leadership, the Windsor Federation and JCC has partnered on various events with Jewish organizations in Detroit and Ann Arbor.

Prior to relocating to Windsor, Dan owned a corporate education travel company in South Africa. He is an amateur travel writer and continues to visit some of the world’s most unique and unusual destinations.

ASHLEY SCHNARR Ashley Schnaar is a planning associate at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

Through her role, Ashley advocates for the needs of Jewish community agencies and helps organizations demonstrate their impact through program evaluation.

Ashley recently served as the coordinator of We Need to Talk, the Detroit Jewish community’s youth mental health initiative, where she organized educational events and trainings and conducted a community-wide mental health study.

She grew up in Metro Detroit and currently resides in Ferndale. In high school, Ashley was involved with YFTI at Temple Israel and NFTY Michigan. Ashley graduated from Michigan State University in 2018, where she was a student leader at MSU Hillel. She received her master’s in social work continued on page 12 FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 11

degree from the University of Michigan in 2020, where she studied nonprofit management and the Jewish community as part of the Jewish Communal Leadership Program.

In her free time, Ashley enjoys trying new restaurants and breweries, playing board games with friends and traveling with her partner, Josh.

LAUREN EDELMAN WILLENS Lauren Edelman Willens is a partner at the law firm of Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C. She is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property & Information Technology and Data Privacy & Cybersecurity practice groups and specializes in providing strategic legal and business advice to clients to protect, defend and enforce their intellectual property rights, as well as preparing and enforcing data privacy.

Lauren attended Wayne State University Law School, where she was vice president of the Jewish Law Students Association. Lauren was previously an executive member of the Jewish Bar Association of Michigan.

In 2018, Lauren discovered that she had a BRCA1 gene mutation. Despite diligent screening, in 2021, Lauren was diagnosed and courageously defeated triple-negative breast cancer. She is now an advocate for genetic testing within the Jewish community (1 in 40 Ashkenazi Jewish women will have a BRCA gene mutation), for BRCA1/2 previvors and those suffering with genetic

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cancer-related disease.

Lauren grew up in Metro Detroit and currently lives in Huntington Woods with her husband, David, children, Carter and Stella, and dog, Miss Maisel. Lauren’s kids attend Hillel Day School, where she is a member of the PTO. Lauren is happiest spending time with her family and friends, cooking, baking, riding her Peloton, hiking and traveling. Lauren and her husband hope to travel to Israel this year.

JORDAN ZUPPKE Jordan Zuppke is one of the founding partners at Zupac Law, a criminal defense firm with an office at 12 Mile and Crooks in Royal Oak. Its motto: We are your best defense. Zupac Law’s trial lawyers handle everything from traffic tickets, license restorations and misdemeanors to felony cases. They help clients navigate the justice system and have the resources they need to overcome life obstacles, like substance abuse.

Jordan is also vice president of the Jewish Bar Association of Michigan (JBAM) and a board member of the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan (CDAM).

He and his law partner, Marina Chupac, believe in community. Zupac has an open-door policy and treat clients like family. The office functions not only as a law firm but also as a wellness studio. Zupac Life, on the lower level, is equipped with a full kitchen and studio space. It offers donation-based yoga

classes and other wellness-related events. In addition, Zupac also has a traveling free legal advice trailer with an on-the-go office space.

Jordan’s first passion in life is skateboarding, and he is known around town as the Skateboard Lawyer. He’s been riding since he was 10 years old and considers his skateboard his guiding force. He often represents fellow skaters in the local community, sponsors events and aims to inspire the future generation.

He studies Torah every Tuesday at Platform 18 with his dear friend and rabbi, Leiby Burnham, and cherishes Shabbat dinners with his love, Rachel Goutman, and their cat, Bowie.

RACHAEL DAWSONBAGLIEN Rachael was born and raised in Metro Detroit. She is a graduate of both Hillel Day School and Frankel Jewish Academy and was active in BBYO. She earned a master’s degree in macro social work/community organizing from the University of Michigan.

Rachael works as a project manager for Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County. Her position entails reducing barriers for caregivers and older adults seeking resources. Passionate about inclusion, Rachael works to ensure the Jewish community knows her program is open to all.

Rachael has been involved as a board member of Jewish Young Professionals of Ann Arbor (JYP). As one of the

event co-chairs, Rachael enjoyed creating events that she did not see elsewhere in the community. When she and a friend were lamenting the lack of Jewish events in Ypsilanti, they worked together to create JYP’s first Ypsi Shabbat. Once COVID hit, Rachael researched best practices to successfully pivot from in-person programming to virtual programming.

One of Rachael’s favorite aspects of Judaism is celebrating Shabbat. Recently, she led a Friday night Shabbat celebration at Youmacon 2021, Detroit’s largest pop culture convention. The convention regularly holds a Sunday morning service; this was the first time in its 17-year history that another religion’s services were included.

Rachael lives in Ypsilanti with her husband, Evan, and their dog, Ender. In her free time, Rachael enjoys going to comic conventions (preCOVID) and has been a panelist at Youmacon since 2016.

ALAN POSNER Alan Posner was born and raised in the Metro Detroit Area and is a lifelong member of Temple Beth El. Alan is currently the band director at Bloomfield Hills High School and has been teaching for 13 years.

He holds an undergraduate degree in instrumental music education from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in instrumental conducting from Oakland University. Alan was a quarterfinalist for the Grammy Teacher of the Year in 2020. continued on page 14

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

EMILY, Congratulations on this great honor!

I am so happy the 5th generation of KIG includes you! A smart, strong intelligent Korotkin woman.

I am so proud of you!

Love, Dad

EMILY/MAMA,

YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, EMBO!

We are so proud of you and appreciate all that you do. It’s so wonderful to see you recognized for your hard work!

Mazel Tov on being named 36 under 36!

Love − Stacy, Davis, Cash & Lenny xoxo

With Love − Lisa, Jared, Milo & Levi Andrea, Jeff, Maya & Casey

OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 12

He was also a founding member of the Kidz Klez Band of Michigan under the late Cantor Stephen Dubov. Alan later took a turn directing this ensemble starting in 2013. Then, in 2014, he became a founding member and music director of the local klezmer band Klezundheit (Bless You!). Klezundheit features some of the best musicians from the Metro Detroit area and performs throughout the community, doing its best to spread the sounds and love of music from the old country.

Alan (saxophone) and his wife, Michelle, (flute) also perform at Temple Beth El’s music Shabbat. They live in Berkley with their two children, Asher, 5, and Owen, 2. Alan would like to thank his parents for instilling in him a lifelong passion for music and Judaism.

JOSH KETAI You can catch Josh Ketai as the director of sales at Essex Title, a commercial title insurance agency and VP of Acquisitions at Vokal Ventures, a commercial real estate development company. He loves meeting new people and establishing relationships, which is why he loves what he does.

He was raised in a family that has always been heavily involved in the Jewish community. His mother, Sherri Ketai, has been a huge inspiration for his involvement in the Jewish community, which he credits to her and thanks her for. Josh is on the board for NEXTGen Detroit, where he helps plan and run events to bring young adults together to network and have fun evenings.

In addition, he is on the

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board of Rub-a-Dub for ORT, where he assists with its annual event to help raise money for kids’ education.

Most recently, he joined Cabinet, Jewish Federation of North America’s national young leadership program, which has been a fantastic experience so far during his first year. He’s looking forward to the next four years to fulfill his five-year commitment.

When he’s not working his day job or helping on the boards, he spends most of his time training for Ironman competitions and marathons.

He tries to spend his other free time in Colorado skiing, skinning, hiking and biking, where the mountains provide him with great challenges.

DR. CHARLIE STARKMAN Dr. Charlie Starkman is a licensed clinical psychologist serving as the assistant director and outreach coordinator at University of Michigan-Dearborn Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). In his current position, he provides individual and group therapy to college students, supervises clinicians-in-training and presents on mental health-oriented topics to the campus community.

Additionally, Charlie serves on the Early Career Psychologist Committee of the Michigan Psychological Association.

A native Metro Detroiter, Charlie had his bar mitzvah at Congregation Shaarey Zedek and graduated from Hebrew high school at Temple Beth El. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 2012 and his

doctorate from Adler University in Chicago in 2017.

After moving back to Michigan in late 2018, Charlie became active in the Michigan Democratic Party on both the local and state level. He is especially interested in elevating Jewish voices in Democratic politics. He is an executive committee member of the Farmington/Farmington Hills Democratic Club and has worked on numerous local, state and congressional campaigns in different capacities.

In 2019, he was appointed to the Farmington Hills Commission on Community Health, which strives to increase access, education and resources to promote physical and mental health and wellness in the Farmington Hills community.

Charlie currently resides in Farmington Hills after stints in Chicago, New Orleans and Baltimore. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, reading, yoga, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends.

LAURA GOTTLIEB Laura Gottlieb is the director of cultural resources at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township, where she oversees the Rabbi Leo M. Franklin Archives and Anna S. and Meyer L. Prentis Memorial Library.

Laura was born and raised in Metro Detroit. She grew up at Temple Beth El and was a camper and staff at Camp Tamarack. Laura graduated from Michigan State University in 2015 with a BA in interdisciplinary social science with a focus in history and Jewish

studies. Laura went on to receive her master’s degree in library information science and certificate in archival administration from Wayne State University in 2019.

Laura is passionate about the Metro Detroit Jewish community. She is a NEXTGen Detroit board member as well as a committee member for Tamarack Camps. Laura also teaches high school students at Temple Beth El’s religious school (Masa), volunteers for JARC and hosts OneTable Shabbat dinners. In 2021, Laura served as a JDC Entwine community representative for Detroit.

In her role at Beth El, Laura works to bring Jewish stories and history to life through programs, lectures, workshops, book clubs and social media.

From the “Out of the Box” series on Facebook Live to short TikToks and Instagram posts, Laura strives to make Jewish history accessible and fun.

She met her husband, Jacob, at Camp Tamarack. They live in Southfield with their dog, Rashi.

In her free time, Laura loves to bake and teach others how to make vegan baked goods.

EMILY KOROTKIN Emily Korotkin has worked in her family’s business for 20 years. Vice president at KIG (Korotkin Insurance Group), Emily, a strong, smart businesswoman, has filled the shoes of the men who came before her and then some.

Serving on the Board of Directors of the JCC and ORT locally, fundraising and chairing events to help further the continued on page 16

Mazel Tov to

Josh Ketai

on being one of the 36 under 36!

Essex Title is extremely proud to have a team member that demonstrates what community giving is all about. Josh sets the example for going above and beyond while showing what a positive impact his actions have on the young adult community members.

We can’t wait to watch from our front row seats while Josh continues to spread his giving to the community for many years to come.

Essex Title congratulates all of the 36 under 36 recipients!

Mazel Tov!

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit honors our own

Ashley Schnaar

for being chosen one of our community’s 36 Under 36.

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 14

missions of these organizations is very important to her.

While a Spartan at heart, Emily graduated with a degree in radio broadcast from Columbia College Chicago, but eventually found her way home to Detroit to be closer to her dad and sisters and their families.

Emily and her wife, Stacy, have built their family in Metro Detroit. Son Davis, 3, and daughter Cash, 1, are the lights of their lives. Emily leads by example by donating time and money to initiatives that are close to her heart.

Helping to provide resources to the underserved is a key value she hopes to instill in their children. An expert in her field, with unmatched customer service, Emily looks forward to bringing KIG into the future as the first Korotkin woman to do so.

JONATHON MARGOLIS Jonathon Margolis has always been a proud member of the Jewish community. He attended Jewish day schools through high school, which instilled in him a love of Judaism, Israel and a sense of community. His first true internship was with JVS’s JOIN program, which was a fantastic introduction to the various organizations that serve our Jewish community.

He’s always been a proud member of Bais Chabad of West Bloomfield and dedicates time to helping the synagogue grow. He serves on the board and is particularly focused on the efforts to grow the shul’s younger membership.

Professionally, he was fortu-

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nate to find a long-term home at Farbman Group, where he currently oversees the asset management division, which maximizes value for the company’s portfolio of more than 25 million square feet of commercial real estate. He is extremely client-focused, ensuring that each property in the portfolio is approached from an ownership perspective, and works to exceed owners’ and clients’ goals.

There is no set rule book to follow, as each property and client is unique. This requires a lot of thought, creativity and care, which are the drivers that continue to motivate him.

Jonathon is married to a Hillel Day School alumna who teaches at the school. They have two daughters, ages 4 and 2, who both attend Hillel.

ALEC COHEN Alec Cohen is the marketing and operations manager for the Storage Business Owners Alliance (SBOA).

Alec also manages his own photography business, AC Productions.

Prior to working for the SBOA, Alec graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in communication and media studies. During his time at U-M, Alec was very involved with the Michigan Daily. He served as a managing photo editor in 2019 and a managing video editor in 2020. Additionally, Alec worked with MUSKET, the largest musical theater organization at the University of Michigan, as the marketing director for two years.

Alec started AC Productions

in 2014 by creating mitzvah montages. Over the years, he has worked as a photographer and videographer at many mitzvahs, weddings and other local events, and continues to run his business today.

His other Jewish community involvement includes being a primary photographer for Temple Israel as well as a past marketing intern with Tamarack Camps for two years.

Outside of work, Alec is involved with the Relay for Life of South Oakland County.

He enjoys keeping up with the latest television shows and finding new things to do in his new home in Royal Oak. AMIRA SOLEIMANI Amira Soleimani is the director of Judaic Studies curriculum and instruction at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit. Amira has served the Detroit Jewish community as a Jewish studies teacher and administrator for the past 12 years. Prior to joining the Hillel family, Amira was the head of the Bible department at Frankel Jewish Academy.

Amira believes that the soul of a child is best nourished when Jewish values are taught through skills, and when the topic of God is explored with confidence and intent. In her role, Amira enjoys designing curriculum that emphasizes particularly Judaic skills while integrating universal learning benchmarks.

Amira earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, her master’s from Tel Aviv University, and is

a graduate of the Hartman Melamdim Program.

Amira grew up in the Detroit Jewish community and is a proud alumna of both Hillel Day School and the Frankel Jewish Academy.

In her free time, she can be found cooking and hanging out with her beautiful and vivacious daughters, Alma and Michal.

DANNY KAUFMAN Danny Kaufman is president of Burns & Wilcox, a globally recognized leader in wholesale specialty insurance brokerage and underwriting.

He also serves as executive vice president of its parent company, H.W. Kaufman Group, a privately held organization founded and headquartered in Metro Detroit.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Alan J. Kaufman, and his late grandfather, Herbert W. Kaufman, Danny is only the third president of Burns & Wilcox in the company’s more than 50-year history.

He is also on the Board of Directors of H.W. Kaufman Group and subsidiaries H.W. Kaufman Group London and Atain Insurance Companies.

Along with his family, Danny has been a longstanding and active member of the Detroit Jewish community.

He serves on the Board of Directors for Adat Shalom Synagogue and previously co-chaired Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit’s missions to Cuba and Israel as part of the Emerging Leaders Program.

Nationally, Danny has been on the Jewish Federation continued on page 18

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

MAZAL TOV TO HILLEL'S

Amira Soleimani and Renee Liberman ON BEING HONORED WITH

36 UNDER 36

MAY YOU CONTINUE TO INSPIRE YOUNG MINDS AND SOULS FOR YEARS TO COME. WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU AND GRATEFUL FOR THE TIME AND DEVOTION TO HILLEL DAY SCHOOL, ITS STUDENTS, YOUR COLLEAGUES, AND THE COMMUNITY.

Mazal Tov, hillel day school's students, faculty, staff, and board of trustees

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OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 16

of North America National Young Leadership Cabinet since 2015.

Here in Detroit, Danny serves on the boards for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Historical Society and Forgotten Harvest.

He received his BA from the University of Michigan and his Juris Doctor from Loyola University in Chicago.

Proud parents of Sophie and Henry, Danny and his wife, Morgan, reside in Birmingham. Zalman’s Deli in Bloomfield Hills once had a sandwich on the menu called “The Daniel.” While he says it was always his dream to have his own deli sandwich, “The Daniel” was removed due to lack of popularity.

JOSHUA DEAN Joshua Dean is a third-year obstetrics/ gynecology resident at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. He is passionate about women’s health and contributed a large percentage toward the record 7,379 deliveries this past year at Beaumont.

During his residency, he has helped care for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the pandemic began, Josh spent a month working in the COVID ICU at Beaumont.

He continues to care for pregnant women admitted due to severe COVID-19 disease.

Josh grew up in West Bloomfield. He has been a lifetime member of Congregation Shaarey Zedek. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in political science. He received his medical degree from

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Wayne State University School of Medicine. During his time at Wayne State, he was vice president of the Jewish Medical Student Association.

His upbringing in the tightknit Detroit Jewish community has instilled strong values of tikkun olam. He volunteers monthly at the Gary Burnstein Clinic in Pontiac, where he provides free gynecologic care to uninsured patients. He also served in the organization Fitkids 360 as a mentor to children overcoming obesity.

Josh and his wife, Dr. Cristina Bruno, live in Royal Oak. They look forward to building a life together and supporting our strong Jewish community.

KEVIN SACK Kevin Sack is vice president and the fourth generation of his family at Sea Fare Foods Inc. Located in Detroit’s historic Eastern Market, Sea Fare Foods is the producer of Ma Cohen’s award-winning smoked fish, lox and herring.

In 2021, Kevin’s goal was to strengthen brand awareness amongst local businesses.

While their products can be found nationwide, Ma Cohen’s is now featured at many Metro Detroit institutions, including New York Bagel, Siegel’s Deli, Pickles & Rye, Westborn Market, Holiday Market, Western Market, Shelby Detroit, The Apparatus Room, Rose’s Fine Food & Wine, Coriander and several other fine food establishments.

In 2019, Kevin started Respect & Resources, a nonprofit with a mission to engage communities through-

out Metro Detroit to be good to their neighbors near and far. Respect & Resources has successfully worked on a prom dress giveaway, holiday toy drives and partnered with Operation Warm to bring brand-new, high-quality coats to underserved communities.

The greatest joy in Kevin’s life is spending time with his wife, Abbie, and their son, Lennon. Kevin and his family are members at Adat Shalom Synagogue, where he continues to deepen his connection to Judaism through its adult education program and independent studies with the clergy. He has also been involved with the Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity and Hazon’s Jewish Food Festival.

Kevin lives in Royal Oak and is a proud Wolverine, having attended U-M’s Ross School of Business. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys traveling, growing his art and record collection, innovating new products, and connecting with friends and family.

MARLEE SHIFMAN Marlee Shifman is the marketing and communications associate at Frankel Jewish Academy, where she cultivates relationships with future Jewish leaders and helps tell the story of FJA to the broader community.

Marlee is responsible for all FJA’s social media pages; she writes and edits the yearly Mah Hadash magazine, which is mailed to more than 1,000 households; she handles all photography and videography for the school; and if it’s a snow day, she’s the one letting

you know!

Marlee originally found her way to the Jewish nonprofit sector working as a development associate at JVS Human Services where she handled donations and tributes.

An alumna of Western Michigan University (go Broncos!), she graduated in 2013 with a BA in communications, specializing in film, video and media studies.

Marlee was a founding member of her BBYO chapter, Emunah BBG. She has served on the BBYO Alumni Committee as well as at JVS and NEXTGen Detroit’s NextWork Committee.

She is a long-time member of Temple Shir Shalom, where she also worked as its videographer, filming b’nai mitzvahs and holiday services.

Marlee has a talent and passion for photography and has her own side business, Marlee Jade Photography, taking portraits of high school seniors and families. You can view her work on her Facebook page.

Marlee was raised in Farmington Hills and now resides in Royal Oak with her cat, Mr. Pickles.

ZACK SLAPOTSKY Originally from West Bloomfield, Zack attended Hillel Day School and Cranbrook. He then left the area, earning an economics degree at Cornell University, working as an economic consultant in New York City, achieving an MBA with honors from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and working for a continued on page 20

MAZEL TOV

Ilana Woronoff for being honored as one of this year’s 36 UNDER 36 You continue to impress us every day with your dedication, compassion and creativity that you bring to your role in the Resource Center and to the community.

Jewish Family Service is happy to have you as part of our family!

248.592.2313 • jfsdetroit.org

Congratulations to our JCC leaders Lacey Foon, Samantha Foon, and Emily Korotkin on their well-deserved recognition.

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 18

leading investment manager in Austin, Texas.

After more than a decade away, Zack returned in 2017, moving to Birmingham. Shortly thereafter, he met Emily, a physician assistant at Beaumont, who he married not once, but twice thanks to COVID-related wedding planning adventures.

Zack and Emily are both committed to helping foster a strong Jewish community in Metro Detroit. Zack is active with Chabad Detroit and the Downtown Synagogue, and he is passionate about his work as a board member with Federation’s NEXTGen Detroit.

Zack has focused on creating social events to expand and strengthen community; he has chaired successful NEXTGen events, such as ice skating at Campus Martius, couples kayaking and the “Pitch Under the Lights” kickball tournament.

In his personal and professional life, Zack strives to be a mensch. He works as a vice president and financial advisor at the Society for Lifetime Planning, where he serves as personal financial quarterback for his clients, helping with investment management, developing retirement income strategies and answering personal financial questions.

ELANA MIODOWNIK Elana Miodownik has always hoped to give back to the community that helped form her into the person she is today. Being raised in a Southfield home that emphasized Jewish values and tradition helped her develop a positive Jewish identity and

paved the road that led her back to Farber Hebrew Day School.

As a social worker for grades K-8 at Farber, she helps create a feeling of warmth in school so each child feels loved and, more importantly, they each matter as an individual. Throughout the day, she works with students on building their social skills, learning how to resolve conflict, and how to appropriately advocate for themselves and others.

As a representative of the religious Modern Orthodox community, she embraces the opportunity to be a positive female Jewish role model in her students’ lives, whether it be attending morning prayers in school, teaching a course on Jewish law or, her most recent favorite, using TikTok to help her students engage in a weekly reflection on each week’s Torah portion and creating a weekly “ShTikTok” together.

Beyond Farber, as a member of the Youth Mental Health Workgroup, she works in collaboration with other community members to have a greater impact on the mental well-being of our community’s youth.

In addition to her role as a social worker, she and her husband are the proud parents of three wonderful children. She and her family live in (no surprise!) Southfield! Her students’ might be interested to know that in 2000, Elana was slimed as a winner on Nickelodeon’s game show Slimetime Live!

ILANA WORONOFF Ilana Woronoff was born and raised in West Bloomfield. She is a licensed social worker and currently

works as a resource center coordinator at Jewish Family Service. In this role, Ilana works to support the community in many ways, including connecting people to counseling support, accessing resources for those with aging family members or simply helping people find a kosher butcher. Supporting the community is not only a career for Ilana, but also a passion.

Ilana completed her undergraduate studies at Michigan State University, majoring in human development and family studies with a specialization in Jewish studies. She later received her Master of Social Work degree at the University of Michigan.

Ilana grew up at Adat Shalom Synagogue and discovered her passion for volunteering during the annual Housing the Homeless program. Following that spark, she currently enjoys serving as a member of NEXTGen Detroit’s Volunteers Committee. An alumna of BBYO Michigan Region, MSU Hillel, JYP-Ann Arbor and many other community organizations, Ilana has a deep love and appreciation for the Jewish community.

While not working, volunteering or spending time with family and friends, Ilana can be found in the kitchen honing her skills as an at-home baker and cook. Throughout the past two years, Ilana has found that the kitchen is not such an intimidating place and now loves whipping up a chocolate babka (with friends on Zoom) or baking a new recipe she stumbled upon on Instagram.

JENNA BELTSER Jenna Beltser is the director for the Orthodox Union’s Impact Accelerator.

Since its launch in 2018, the Impact Accelerator works with nonprofit startups that address critical issues of the Jewish community through new and innovative methods. Every year, four-to-six organizations are chosen to participate in a cohort experience that includes a nonprofit curriculum, leadership training, mentorship and coaching.

As founding director of the program, Jenna designed the cohort experience as well as the curriculum and format of the program. She works with each startup nonprofit one-on-one to help them scale their efforts.

Prior to the Accelerator, Jenna worked in the financial technology startup world at both Visible Alpha and Novus.

The Impact Accelerator blends her passion for the Jewish community with her experience in startups to transform the landscape of the Jewish future.

Outside of the OU, Jenna is involved in her local synagogue and Jewish community.

Jenna’s family moved back to Michigan this summer. She lives in Southfield with her husband, Lev, and two children. Jenna graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s in international relations and economics. While at Penn, she studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa, where she went bungee jumping at the Bloukrans Bridge, the highest commercially operated bridge bungee jump in the world. continued on page 22

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Congratulations F R O M YO U R C O L L E A G U E S AT

WDET-FM 101.9 Detroit’s NPR station Public Media Journalists Association (a national award) 1st Place - Social Justice Feature ”Kneel With Us: Four Nights In, Detroit Protesters, Police Fight For Narrative”

Michigan Associated Press Managing Editors 1st Place - Outstanding News Operation

Eli Newman

Michigan Association of Broadcasters Best Award - News Special or Special Affairs Program Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Special

Michigan Association of Broadcasters Best Award - Hard News & Current Events “Kneel With Us: Four Nights In, Detroit Protesters, Police Fight For Narrative” Eli Newman

Eli Newman

Society of Professional Journalists – Detroit Chapter 2nd Place - Racial Justice Reporting “Kneel With Us: Four Nights In, Detroit Protesters, Police Fight For Narrative” Eli Newman

WDET-FM News Team

WDET-FM News Team

Society of Professional Journalists – Detroit Chapter 1st Place - Consumer/Watchdog/ Investigative Reporting Voting Series WDET-FM News Team

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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LACEY FOON Lacey Foon, 34, is most recently the founder of JFamily’s newest program — JScreen Detroit — an initiative created to help Detroit Jews receive education, subsidization and support for hereditary cancer genetic and reproductive disease screening.

She devised this initiative while undergoing chemotherapy for cancer associated with her own cancer genetic mutation. She did not want a single member of this community not to have the resources available for this lifesaving technology that is so important for Jews, who are at a higher risk of being carriers.

In addition to her work with JScreen Detroit, Foon devotes much of her time to various local organizations including NEXTGen Detroit, Hillel Day School, Friendship Circle (with her certified therapy dog, Hugo) and the JBaby prenatal program. Her affiliations with the Jewish Federation include the JFMD Capital Needs Committee, Ben Gurion Society, National Young Leadership Cabinet through JFNA and Ruby Lion.

Professionally, Foon spent more than a decade at various Detroit-area real estate groups, including Village Green, REDICO and ROCO, holding roles from leasing consultant to acquisitions director, while also earning her MBA. The Bloomfield Hills resident and Temple Israel member received her bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University and

an MBA from the University of Michigan. She is married to Elliot and is the mother of twins, Phoebe and Eloise.

RABBI ELYA SILFEN Rabbi Elya Silfen is director of the Bais Chabad Yeshiva (BCY), a free international online Jewish learning program affiliated with the Bais Chabad Torah Center in West Bloomfield.

Rabbi Elya hails originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he attended public high school and spent his spare time working at a coffee shop and playing the banjo. After graduation, he went to the Mayanot Yeshiva in Jerusalem for what he thought would be a “gap year” and never looked back. He went on to study at Ohelei Torah in Brooklyn, New York, and finally the Morristown Rabbinical College in Morristown, New Jersey.

The BCY is open to all and has a diverse and growing group of instructors and students. Classes span a variety of topics in Torah and take place daily on Zoom. Rabbi Elya designed the program primarily for those with little or no formal Jewish education, and without a rabbi or community. His passion is reaching these individuals to provide personal attention, learning and counseling.

He lives in West Bloomfield with his wife and four children, who love to make new connections in the community and welcome Shabbos guests.

SAMANTHA FOON Samantha Foon has made it her mission to make a positive impact on the Metro Detroit Jewish community. She is actively involved in countless organizations and is always finding new and valuable ways to help others.

As social event vice president of the NEXTGen Detroit Executive Board, Samantha oversees social programming and has twice co-chaired NEXTGen Detroit’s largest fundraiser, EPIC, which raises more than $300,000 for Federation’s Annual Campaign.

Whether doing a feminine product drive for I Support the Girls, a NEXTGen blood drive for Beaumont or helping plan Brilliant Detroit’s annual fundraiser, she is always thinking of ways to aid our community.

A mother of twins, age 4, Samantha is actively involved in Hillel Day School and JFamily. She enjoys planning creative, innovative Jewish family and young adult experiences. She also is on the Jewish Community Center board. Samantha is co-chairing ORT Michigan’s fall fundraiser, Come ORT and Play, in support of ORT’s critical mission of impacting lives through education.

Samantha, a Bloomfield Hills resident, received her bachelor’s degree in the hospitality business from Michigan State University. A member of Temple Israel, she is married to Michael and is the mother of Riley and Easton.

RENEE LIBERMAN Renee Liberman of Royal Oak is a language arts and social studies teacher at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit. Fulfilling a lifelong aspiration, Renee is in the middle of her 13th year as an educator. She continues to feel blessed to have such an active role in our Jewish community year after year.

Renee works to bring light into her classroom each day and, in turn, allows others’ lights to shine brightly.

Infusing Judaism into her daily practices as a general studies teacher, she finds joy in sharing her pride and passion for Judaism with her students.

Her love for her Jewish identity began at a young age.

Growing up in a home that embraced and encouraged access to a Jewish education, Renee participated in various activities that supported her growth, spirituality, and love for Israel and Judaism.

From her youth, Renee attended OSRUI, a URJ summer camp, visited Israel several times as an adolescent and Jewish professional, and carries her connection as a Jew wherever her travels lead her.

An important and transformative trip was as a participant on the Germany Close Up trip, in partnership with The Well. She relies on all these experiences as tools as she leads and learns alongside her students.

Renee is a proud graduate of Michigan State University continued on page 24

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FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

Congratulations

NOAH COHEN on your 36 under 36 achievement and for a stupendous year in 2021!

Your Max Broock Realtors − Bloomfield Hills family is so proud of you!

Mazel Tov to the entire group of 36 under 36!

KIG Insurance is extremely proud to congratulate our very own Emily Korotkin as a 36 Under 36 honoree.

248-352-5140 www.GetKIG.com

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 22

with both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She was born and raised in West Bloomfield and now calls Royal Oak her home.

DAN GOLDBERG Dan is a financial advisor at Diversified Portfolios in Bloomfield Hills. He is passionate about investments and financial markets and loves working to help families with any financial matter or concern.

Dan truly loves his profession and has studied over the years to become more knowledgeable across various financial subject matters. Dan is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA).

From the New York City area, Dan recently moved to Metro Detroit with his family after 11 years as an executive director and investment specialist with J.P. Morgan Asset Management in New York.

He graduated from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, where he met his wife, Amanda, who is from West Bloomfield. They have a daughter who attends Hillel ECC. Although not originally from Michigan, Dan has been coming to Metro Detroit since 2006 and has spent many a Jewish holiday in town attending services at Temple Beth El and participating in the broader Jewish community. He is proud of his Jewish heritage and is very much looking forward to being an active full-time mem-

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ber of the community.

Outside of work, Dan enjoys spending as much time as he can with his wife and daughter Lyla. In his free time, you can find Dan shooting baskets in his driveway or trying all the restaurants in town.

SRULI (MICHAEL) KLEIN Sruli (Michael) Klein is the founder and CEO of Klein’s Rentals, a resource to help Jewish families have a full kosher vacation experience.

Klein’s Rentals helps by finding a vacation villa and supplying everything from freezers to BBQs to basketball hoops and more.

Sruli started his landscaping business at age 14 and purchased his first truck and hired his first two full-time employees at age 15, before he even had his driver’s license. Sruli later started a property restoration company to help people in the community and nationwide recover from disasters including fire and flood damage.

With all his businesses, Sruli has emphasized giving back to his community through charitable contributions and volunteering his services. He enjoys mentoring young Jewish teens to help start and grow their businesses. As a proud alumnus, Sruli sponsored the Akiva basketball team. He also donates to organizations throughout the Detroit area, including Yad Ezra and the Oak Park EZ-Roll event.

In his spare time, Sruli enjoys playing basketball,

traveling and spending time with family.

JACKIE YASHINSKY Jackie Yashinsky has always had a strong connection to the Metro Detroit Jewish community. She is so passionate about it that she made a career of it.

Jackie is the director of teen programs at Tamarack Camps.

There, she oversees wilderness programming for high schoolers. Last summer, she created a new program that gave an additional 50 campers and staff members a much-needed summer experience. In a prior role, she coordinated the Teen Mission to Israel, working alongside community congregations and Jewish Federation.

She began her career at the Zekelman Holocaust Center as the development associate where she managed daily donations and logistics for its annual fundraising event. She also created new programming to engage children and young adults.

She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in social work and Jewish studies.

Jackie is a past board member of MSU Hillel and Congregation B’nai Moshe.

She has also been involved with NEXTGen Detroit, JFamily and Partners Detroit.

She lives in Huntington Woods with her husband, Joey, and adorable daughters Elizabeth and Goldie. When she’s not working in the community, she can be found attempting to make every social gathering a game night.

NOAH ARBIT Noah Arbit is a candidate for state representative in Michigan’s 20th House District — including West Bloomfield, eastern Commerce Township, Orchard Lake, Keego Harbor and Sylvan Lake.

Noah previously served as director of communications for Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald and served as a staffer for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in the Michigan House and on the 2016 presidential campaign.

In 2019, Noah founded the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, a first-of-its-kind grassroots political organization aiming to provide Michigan’s Jewish community a greater voice within the Democratic Party and to strengthen Jewish representation in Michigan politics and government.

Noah’s politics and his call to service are profoundly influenced by his Judaism, and he is passionate about the chance to provide a strong voice for Michigan’s Jewish community in Lansing. If elected, he will represent more Jews than any other representative in the Michigan House. At 26, he will also be the youngest-ever LGBTQ+ person ever elected to the state legislature.

Among Noah’s key priorities is revising and strengthening Michigan’s antiquated hate crimes statute, which will help protect Jews and other communities facing increased threats and violence.

In his all-too-limited free time, Noah enjoys traveling abroad and listening to podcasts and audiobooks. You

can find him walking the West Bloomfield Trail or out campaigning across West Bloomfield and Commerce for the primary election on Aug. 2. Noah and his family are congregants at Temple Israel.

BRITTANY FELDMAN Brittany was born and raised in Metro Detroit. She spent her childhood and early adulthood attending Jewish summer camp, which is where her passion for nature and community really blossomed. Over the past several years, Brittany has had the pleasure of working within the Metro Detroit Jewish community.

She started her career working as an outdoor educator for Tamarack Camps, where she helped participants foster deep connections and respect for nature through engaging hands-on programming.

During her time at Hazon Detroit, she managed the Seal of Sustainability program where she was able to provide guidance and support to advance sustainability-related education, action and advocacy in Jewish institutions throughout the community.

Currently, Brittany works at Repair the World Detroit as its youth and family senior program associate. Through this role, she works closely with the community she grew up in while also building strong relationships with partners in the city. She is continuously inspired by the work she does and loves being able to give back to her community through meaningful service. In her free time, Brittany enjoys cooking, biking and spending

time in nature.

ELI NEWMAN Eli Newman is a nationally awarded journalist with WDET, Detroit’s National Public Radio station, covering government and community affairs. His stories on housing, water policy and public corruption have appeared on NPR, Marketplace and in the Detroit Free Press, among other publications.

Over his seven-year career, Eli has received numerous accolades from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and the Society of Professional Journalists in Detroit. In 2017, Newman was named the Michigan Associated Press Media Editors Broadcast Rising Star. More recently, Eli won a first-place award from the Public Media Journalists Association for his work covering Detroit’s racial justice and anti-police brutality protests.

A lifelong resident of Southeast Michigan, Eli grew up in West Bloomfield, attended Hillel Day School and Frankel Jewish Academy, and spent his summers at Tamarack Camps, where he continued to work through college.

He earned a degree in Hebrew and Judaic cultural studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He first developed an interest in broadcasting at the college’s student-run radio station, WCBN-FM. Eli was also involved in Michigan Hillel and participated in various volunteering opportunities.

He now resides in

Jonathon Margolis

Senior Vice President of Asset Management

Mazel Tov

LAURA GOTTLIEB! Temple Beth El’s Director of Cultural Resources

We’re so proud of you every day! www.tbeonline.org

continued on page 26 FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor wishes a hearty mazel tov to

Rachael Dawson-Baglien

for being recognized on the “36 under 36” list!

Thank you for your leadership and dedication to building community for Jewish Young Professionals in the Ann Arbor area!

Mazal Tov to our own, Mrs. Mio! Our Social Worker who also makes Parsha TikToks, provides snacks and hang out space for our students, and cheers and supports everyone!

Your Farber Family is so proud of you!

IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM ANTONE, CASAGRANDE & ADWERS, P.C. Representation in all areas of family and business immigration law.

N. PETER ANTONE

JUSTIN D. CASAGRANDE

www.antone.com or email at law@antone.com 31555 W. 14 Mile Rd., Ste 100 • Farmington Hills, MI 48334 Ph: 248-406-4100 Fax: 248-406-4101

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Northwest Detroit with his wife, Olivia.

JESSICA DAVIDOV Jessica Davidov is finishing her last year at Wayne State University Law School. For the last five years, Jessica worked as a law clerk at the firm of Osipov Bigelman P.C., a boutique law firm specializing in bankruptcy matters, real estate and commercial litigation. Jessica has also worked as civil rights and technology policy legal intern at the Anti-Defamation League, an organization geared toward protecting civil rights and fighting against all forms of hate.

Previously a fellow for the Detroit Center for Civil Discourse, Jessica currently sits on the board of Hillel of Metro Detroit as a Board of Governor.

Some of her most memorable experiences are associated with work in Israel. As a Fulbright Scholar, Jessica completed a nine-month project teaching English to future educators in Israel whose native languages were Hebrew or Arabic.

Some of her accomplishments include her work during her undergraduate studies. Jessica revitalized the Students for Israel organization at Wayne State University.

As president of the organization, she created a platform to enhance dialogue about Israel and amplify a broad spectrum of viewpoints. The organization led to the creation of many interfaith initiatives while also creating a platform

to educate students about issues minority groups face globally and the diversity of the people in the Middle East.

Jessica is a first-generation American. Her family comes from Azerbaijan, and she has witnessed firsthand all the struggles and challenges her family had to endure to better themselves and their community.

A motto Jessica adopted is always to remember where you come from, know your history and light the path for all around you. Jessica is committed to using her experiences and education to better the city of Detroit and strengthen the Jewish community.

NOAH COHEN Being Jewish and a part of this community has always been very important to Noah. Growing up, his parents instilled in him how important it was to give back. From a young age, he was involved with Temple Israel from Sunday school to Hebrew school to becoming a bar mitzvah.

He is an avid fundraiser for JDRF and participates in one walk every year. He’s also been on the B’nai Brith bowling league for more than 20 years.

Since the Jewish community is a very small community worldwide, he wants his future children to understand their heritage and what our ancestors had to overcome to give us what we have today. To never forget the story of our survival and pay it forward, he has been fortunate to visit Israel through Birthright and

learn an incredible amount about the history of Judaism, which brought him closer to his religion.

As a recently married man, he and his wife, Dana, have Shabbat dinner every Friday night and always keep their doors open to anyone who would like to join.

Outside of his work as a Realtor (www.melaniesold. com), which doesn’t leave him much time for anything outside of family, his favorite hobbies are racing cars or riding his Harley. He has been involved with building racecars for both a ¼-mile run or track. Sometimes he and Dana jump on their Harleys and head north for a carefree ride and adventure.

LINDSAY SIKORA Lindsay Sikora is the owner and lead counsel of Sikora Law Firm, a Farmington Hills law firm specializing in personal injury law and commercial litigation. Lindsay has devoted her career to helping injured individuals in the community rebuild their lives. Lindsay is also the owner of Sikora Business Solutions, a business consulting firm specializing in helping small business owners across the nation organize and systemize their businesses.

Lindsay has been named a Michigan’s Super Lawyers “Rising Star” for the past five years and chosen as a Top Women Attorneys in Michigan

by Hour Detroit Magazine.

Lindsay was born and raised in Metro Detroit and now raises her two children there with

her husband, Matthew. She has contributed in many ways over the years to the Metro Detroit Jewish community.

Lindsay is a Hillel Day School alumni and participates in many Hillel events.

She recently served as the committee chair for the National Council of Jewish Women’s Green sub-committee, where she organized the efforts for the production and distribution of sleeping mats for Detroit’s homeless community. Lindsay and her family also assist yearly with the Jewish Federation’s Adopta-Family program, providing Chanukah presents to numerous Jewish families throughout the area.

Lindsay enjoys writing and has authored numerous published articles over the years, including in the Jewish News and Metro Parent Magazine.

Lindsay also loves tennis, cooking, doing art projects with her children and adventure travel. Her travels have led her to sky diving, white-water rafting, skiing, rock climbing and scuba diving all over the world.

MONICA ROSEN Monica Woll Rosen has deep roots in Detroit, attending both Hillel Day School and the Frankel Jewish Academy.

She is now an assistant professor at the University of Michigan, where she practices obstetrics and gynecology and specializes in pediatric and adolescent gynecology. She was voted as Ann Arbor’s Favorite

L A Z V A O M T TO FJA ALUMNI IN THE 2022 CLASS OF THE 36 UNDER 36 Noah Arbit Jonathon Margolis Eli Newman

Dr. Monica Rosen Amira Soleimani Ilana Woronoff

AND Marlee Shifman

FJA's Marketing & Communications Associate THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE WORK YOU DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY!

continued on page 28 FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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OBGYN in 2021 by the Ann Arbor Family Press.

In addition to her day job, Monica is an active member of Ann Arbor’s Jewish community. She is the immediate past president of the Ann Arbor Orthodox minyan where she continues to serve on the board, and she also serves on the board of the Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor where her children go to school.

She is a grassroots Jewish leader who has initiated several core Jewish community programs in Ann Arbor.

During the pandemic, she organized weekly Shabbat activities for kids in a local park, including a community Tot Shabbat for younger kids and a mini minyan for elementary-aged kids.

Perhaps most importantly, she and her husband, Ben, are proud parents to three children: Solly, 7, Gavi, 5, and Mira, 2. On Sunday nights, Monica can be found playing a mean game of mahjong.

VERA NEWMAN Born and raised in Panama City, Panama, Vera Newman grew up in a close-knit Jewish community with Sephardic influences.

After marrying a native Detroiter and relocating to Michigan in June 2012, she began developing and experimenting with recipes

that reflected her Syrian, Moroccan and Panamanian roots.

In November 2020, Vera published The Marblespoon Cookbook, the culmination of a year-long effort that included writing, styling and photographing all 160 recipes herself. The cookbook, which has sold nearly 10,000 copies to date, was a natural extension of Vera’s mission — to help busy moms cook delicious, easy and nourishing meals for their families.

Vera also shares recipes on her Instagram “cooking blog,” @marblespoon, in magazines like Whisk by Ami and websites like kosher.com. Fluent in English, Spanish and Hebrew, Vera gives cooking demonstrations over Zoom and Instagram.

Vera’s passion for cooking and party planning led her to start a private catering and event planning business in 2016, also named Marblespoon.

Her goal? To beautify and enhance the celebrations marking the special milestones in people’s lives.

To give back to the Detroit Jewish community, Vera donates her time and services to support local organizations.

Ultimately, Vera seeks to utilize the talents God has blessed her with to help beautify the world and uplift others.

She lives in Oak Park with her husband and their four kids.

OUR COMMUNITY

Ann Arbor Congregants Ordered to Pay Protesters’ Legal Fees Plaintiffs’ attorney vows to fight ruling.

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

A

ttorney Marc Susselman says it’s not over yet after two years of legal battles between a group of protesters who have targeted a local shul in Ann Arbor for nearly two decades. A federal judge ruled Jan. 25 that two members of the congregation will have to pay the protesters more than $150,000 in legal fees.

“The whole decision is totally wrong, and I believe it will be reversed,” Susselman said.

Susselman is the lead attorney who has worked with congregants of Congregation Beth Israel in Ann Arbor, which included Marvin Gerber and Dr. Miriam Brysk, a local Holocaust survivor, who filed a federal lawsuit in 2019.

However, the battle between the protesters and the Conservative

congregation has been going on for much longer. For 18 years, a small group of people has picketed outside the congregation with antisemitic and anti-Israel signs along Washtenaw Avenue.

U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Roberts ruled that the plaintiffs Gerber and Brysk, along with attorney Susselman, are responsible for the protesters’ attorney fees for pursuing meritless and frivolous claims.

Responding to the ruling in a phone conversation with the Jewish News, Susselman says Judge Roberts ruling is wrong and he will file an appeal.

“If the court cannot determine how much time it spent on standing versus the rest, the cost is unable to be awarded to any of these because they’re not held to attorneys’ fees on standing because

they lost … yet she goes ahead and award them fees on standing.”

Standing is the legal term which determines if a party bringing the lawsuit has the right to do so.

In 2020, Roberts ruled that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue, adding in her ruling that the conduct was protected by the First Amendment, and dismissed the lawsuit. After an appeal, a federal appeals court in 2021 ruled that the protests were protected by the First Amendment.

A week before Roberts’ ruling on attorneys’ fees, Susselman appealed the lawsuit’s dismissal to the U.S. Supreme Court, calling the ruling “a reversible error” and disputing the court’s claim that the lawsuit was frivolous.

“I’m hoping they’ll grant the petition and recognize that antisemitic speech in front of a house of worship for 18 years is not protected by the First Amendment,” Susselman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. His plaintiff ’s case, he said, rested on the idea that, outside a house of worship, “you can’t mingle hate speech with speech that is protected.”

Now the decision sits with the Supreme Court. “I’m optimistic the Supreme Court is going to grant my petition,” Susselman told the JN. FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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OUR COMMUNITY

Lasting Love Two long-married couples share their advice for a happy marriage.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

hether you’re single, married or anything in-between, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love. Sometimes, people fall in love at a young age, while others fall in love later in life. In Jewish Metro Detroit, there are thousands of love stories each unique in their own way. Here are two examples of how love can take form, grow and evolve with time, sometimes surprising us all.

BEN AND SHELLEY SKELTON When Philadelphia-born artist Shelley Skelton, now 80, moved to Metro Detroit in her younger years and married, she thought her life was set. But plans changed, and Shelley and her husband, a practicing dermatologist, divorced. Now embarking on a new path in life, Shelley Skelton discovered love accidentally without really looking for it.

In the late 1970s, while taking on a new job as a secretary to a sales manager of a real estate firm, Shelley met Ben Skelton, now 78, who was the office manager at the time. At a sales meeting, Ben took one look at her and determined that Shelley was both beautiful and smart. From there, they began to privately date — and eventually got married in 1980, with a truly unforgettable ceremony.

Set to be married by a friend of Ben’s

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who worked as a judge, Ben and Shelley on the campus of Jewish Senior Life, prepared for the big day, only to learn where Ben and Shelley have a cozy that the judge had to sit for a murder apartment filled with Shelley’s artwork. trial at the very last minute. Determined When they’re not spending time to get married regardless, they moved with children and grandchildren, Ben their wedding to the courthouse with the and Shelley enjoy playing mahjong and murder trial, families and Rummikub. With Ben witnesses in town. They prone to helping Shelley joined their two families make the right moves in together, with Ben having the games, she refers to one child from a previous him as “the muscles” in marriage and Shelley havthe relationship. Ben also ing two children from her enjoys walking the campus, previous marriage. which has plenty of green “He was very good to space. Shelley says he chats my children,” Shelley says. with everyone he meets “They really loved him.” along the way, always Ben and When their children friendly and eager to learn Shelley Skelton were grown, Ben and about others.

Shelley moved to Bonita “We are not so much Springs, Florida, in 2005, where they alike, and we don’t always agree, but we lived for 15 years, and both worked in can agree to disagree on things,” Shelley real estate. Shelley was highly involved says of what holds their marriage togethin Jewish life. “I was very active in er. “We just love being with family. The Hadassah Florida,” she says. “I was actubiggest asset we have together is that ally president of the chapter down there, we’re both very family-oriented.” and I was editor of their news magazine.”

Yet, as the couple grew into their older MARK AND ELAINE SEGAL years, their children encouraged them to Mark and Elaine Segal, now 69 and 73, move back home so they could be closer met as young adults after going through to one another. They relocated to West challenging times. When Elaine was Bloomfield in 2020, right at the beginintroduced to Mark through Jewish ning of COVID-19, and found a beautiFederation of Metropolitan Detroit, she ful home in the Hechtman Apartments was reluctant to go on a date with him.

“Friends wanted to fix us up, but I didn’t want to go out,” Elaine recalls. However, she eventually began to fall for Mark and the love started to grow.

In 1983, the couple got married and built a new life together. It was always full, Elaine says, with work, community involvement, family and Judaism. Mark was a commercial realtor while Elaine worked in veterinary care. The B’nai Israel members have long enjoyed participating in Friday night Shabbat Club dinners, calling Judaism the “cement” that keeps their relationship going strong in difficult times, especially in older age as they navigate health conditions.

“Never go to bed angry” and “no one is always right” are the two mantras they live by, priding themselves on their open communication and respect for one another. “He’s just a good soul,” Elaine says of Mark.

“He’s caring, he’s attentive, everything about him is so sweet and so good.”

For Elaine, Mark would go miles — literally. Every Friday night since being together, Elaine has received flowers from Mark. In 1994, while flying to Florida to celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary, Elaine told Mark she didn’t need roses because they’d be a waste sitting at home.

Mark, always clever and romantic, developed a solution to ensure Elaine could still get her roses while enjoying them at the same time. He surprised Elaine

Mark and Elaine Segal

by purchasing an extra seat on the plane to Florida, the middle seat between them.

In that seat: 132 long stem roses that he had specially delivered, each dozen roses representing one year married.

“The stewardess signing us in started smiling and laughing because you could smell the roses on the plane,” Elaine recalls. “Every man on the plane learned a lesson that day.”

Now, they’re celebrating 39 years together and hope to have many more. In their home at Meer Apartments in West Bloomfield are many pieces of art that the couple has created over time.

“We used to take weekends away where we could do photography,” Elaine says of their shared passion. “A lot of the artwork in our house is his or mine. We liked traveling and taking cruises, but it was primarily just getting away and being alone hiking, walking and taking pictures.”

Elaine encourages other couples, regardless of age, to appreciate every moment.

“Don’t take your marriage for granted,” she says. “It’s something that you have to work on. It’s a give and take.”

To schedule a personal tour and inquire about move-in specials, contact Tracey 248-661-1836 TTY# 711 or email: tproghovnick@jslmi.org

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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OUR COMMUNITY

Robbie Terman and Laura Gottlieb

Hub for Jewish Heritage Two of Detroit’s best archives combine to create the new Center for Michigan Jewish Heritage.

O

ne can read a lot of Detroit Jewish history today. There are online newsletters and journals, a wide range of books to read on your Kindle, and many other digital sources of information. There are also tried and Mike Smith true historical Alene and Graham Landau sources such Archivist Chair as the journal, Michigan Jewish History, or the online Archive of the Detroit Jewish News and Detroit Jewish Chronicle.

All these resources have one thing in common: They are written by a third-party. Often, their research is from published books and articles. The best evidence is, however, contained

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in original or primary resources — documents, photographs or data — whether in paper or digital form. And, an archive is where one finds these authentic sources. In this regard, there is exciting news: the creation of the Center for Michigan Jewish Heritage.

The Center for Michigan Jewish Heritage (CMJH) is a collaboration between two of the best archives of Jewish History in Metro Detroit: the Rabbi Leo M. Franklin Archive at Temple Beth El and the Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives at the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit. Each archive retains ownership of its records; but for the first time, they are collaborating on preservation, collection man-

agement, reference services and the creation of digital resources.

The CMJH’s mission is to preserve and provide access to the primary sources of local Detroit and Michigan Jewish history.

“To understand our community today, you need to look in the past,” says Federation CEO Steven Ingber. “By protecting our archival records, we are ensuring a lasting legacy for the people and institutions that have shaped us.”

To which Rabbi Mark Miller, senior rabbi of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township, adds: “Our Metro Detroit Jewish community has a storied past and engaging with that past is one of the keys to future success. Weaving together the

fascinating chronicles and the professional expertise of both the Franklin and Simons Archives will allow the Center for Michigan Jewish Heritage to not only to preserve our shared legacy, but also ensure that more and more people benefit from the vibrant stories that brought us here.”

DEDICATED ARCHIVISTS The CMJH is also a partnership between two dedicated and creative archivists: Laura Gottlieb, director of cultural resources at Temple Beth El, and Robbie Terman, director of the Simons Archive. They are the idea-people behind the CMJH. “It was incredible to have an idea and then find a precedent for it in our own collections,” Terman says. “In 1899, Rabbi Franklin developed an idea of a consolidated United Jewish Charities for the community.

We found inspiration from his words to do the same thing for the archives.”

Gottlieb adds, “With a community as intertwined as ours, we all have ownership over the stories and legacies of those who came before us. The center is one step toward making a home for future generations to feel a part of a long line of incredible Jewish leaders — and hopefully inspire them, too.”

The archivists not only work together, they’re friends, too, and a great team, each with particular talents.

“Robbie brings a wealth of ideas and experience to her role.

She’s an incredible resource as well as mentor. The energy we have when working together takes us so much further than if we were working alone,” Gottlieb says.

Likewise, Terman relates that Laura “is full of imagination and out-of-the-box thinking.

She is bringing a new perspective into the work we do and is most creative in her efforts to reach new demographics of patrons.”

A CENTER IN THE MAKING The CMJH began with babysteps. When Gottlieb was hired in 2017, she and Terman saw the potential in collaborating and developed a pipe dream that became the Center for Michigan Jewish Heritage. They began partnering on programs and exhibits, and launched combined social media on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.

The idea for a combined physical space was conceived in 2018. They put their concept in a proposal that was enthusiastically supported by their respective leaderships. Both groups are now working together to make a collaborative space at

Temple Beth El a reality in the near future.

To make the new archives’ storage state-of-the-art, their plan included environmental controls and a dry fire suppression system (fire is an archivist’s worst nightmare). To this end, the CMJH just received a major $52,000 grant from the from the Donald R. and Esther Simon Foundation for a fire suppression system for the new space.

In addition to expanded storage and professional workspace, the project envisions using space at Temple Beth El as a reading room for patrons. The new collaborative archive is projected to open in 2022.

Gottlieb and Terman continuously work toward their vision of a one-stop hub where community members, students, scholars and other researchers will engage with the primary sources of Michigan Jewish history, collections such as the

Q

organizational records of nearly every Jewish Federation agency; the congregational records of Temple Beth El; the records of the Jewish War Veterans of Michigan and the Jewish War Veterans Ladies’ Auxiliary; and personal papers of community leaders such as Leonard N. Simons, Paul Zuckerman, David Hermelin, the Butzel/Heineman Family and Rabbi Leo M. Franklin.

In the words of both Terman and Gottlieb: “We hope that the Center for Michigan Jewish Heritage will continue to grow and preserve the archives of Detroit Jewish history. We want to excite the next generation about our community’s history and help them learn by studying those who came before them.”

A worthy quest, indeed.

Visit the Center for Michigan Jewish Heritage at https://mijewishheritage.catalogaccess.com.

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FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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OUR COMMUNITY

JARC and Federation:

Vaccine Warriors

JARC has run more than 25 clinics in the Federation building since last year.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

O

ver the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations in Metro Detroit have taken great, important action. Of those organizations, there may be no more profound impact made than the efforts of JARC and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

JARC, since January 2021, has held vaccine clinics at the Federation building in Bloomfield Township, receiving the attention of the entire state of Michigan.

For JARC CEO Shaindle Braunstein and Chief of Staff Jacob Gottlieb, the vaccine clinic process has been a full-time Shaindle Braunstein job, but a rewarding one.

“We never considered we were going to be in this business, so to speak,” Braunstein said. “It’s sort of become part of our fabric.”

JARC has run more than 25 clinics since Jan. 14, 2021. Andrew Mac of AMAC

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Pharmacy, one of JARC’s pharmacy partners, estimates he’s given about 8,000-10,000 individual shots, and with two other vaccine providers they’ve used, JARC estimates about 5,000 people have come through their doors to get a shot.

The youngest vaccinated person in a JARC clinic was a child on his fifth birthday, and the oldest was 95 years old. People from Oakland, Wayne, Washtenaw and Macomb counties and people from as far away as Kent County have been vaccinated in the clinics.

A PRODUCTIVE PARTNERSHIP Over the course of the past year, Federation has given JARC the space, marketing and much more to make the clinics happen.

“Partnering with JARC to provide COVID vaccinations was an important opportunity for the Jewish Federation to support our community during the pandemic,” said Steve Ingber, Federation CEO. “There’s nothing more important than ensuring that everyone

is properly vaccinated, and it’s been a privilege for us to host this program.”

Around October 2020, JARC started hearing that vaccines would be on the market for long-term care facilities, and that they should make sure they were signed up for the Federal Pharmacy Program.

Soon after, they were making calls left and right to get their people at the front of the line to be vaccinated. Right before Christmas 2020, they received a call from Walgreens saying JARC had been assigned to them for the program.

The first clinic, Jan. 14, 2021, had some of the first vaccinations in the state of Michigan.

“That clinic was for the people in our licensed adult foster care homes who are considered the highest acuity and most at-risk, and the staff that works with them,” Braunstein said. “We vaccinated about 108 people.”

After that population was taken care of,

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FEDERATION

JARC knew people in the other types of homes they run were still at risk, which led them to contact the Oakland County Health Department about how they could assist their many at-risk populations. Through JARC’s efforts and the efforts of Federation advocating on their behalf, another clinic was greenlit.

As part of running that clinic, OCHD was so impressed with JARC’s flow and processes that it asked the folks at JARC if they would be willing to partner to vaccinate more group homes and at-risk populations, with JARC managing logistics especially when it comes to persons with developmental disabilities and cognitive impairments. JARC was up to the challenge, running those clinics for them.

Those clinics were so successful that it led to OCHD coming through again, inquiring about JARC becoming a vaccination site for anyone who has any disability or special need whatsoever.

“We’re accessible, we understand low stimulation and anxiety around medical procedures, and we have a lot of expertise and competence they felt they could use,” Braunstein said about the evolution of the partnership.

All that success led to OCHD asking if JARC could do clinics for kids, which led to another partnership with Federation, who felt like it could be a space for the entire Jewish community to be vaccinated.

“It became a site for vaccines for kids, ages 12-15 and 5-11, and then a booster site and flu shot site,” Braunstein said.

The operation snowballed, and Braunstein said its success allowed them to do more than just community service.

“It’s allowed us to create an environment where it’s really comfortable for our staff,” she said. “Many of our staff are people of color, and there’s been a very low uptake in some communities of color because of distrust. So, we’ve created

“WE NEVER CONSIDERED WE WERE GOING TO BE IN THIS BUSINESS, SO TO SPEAK. IT’S SORT OF BECOME PART OF OUR FABRIC.” — SHAINDLE BRAUNSTEIN

not only a trusted space for the Jewish community and persons with developmental disabilities, but with our staff and their families. It’s a win-win-win.”

Braunstein and Gottlieb believe JARC will be in the “vaccine business” as long as the community needs them.

“Everybody’s shared goal in this is to get out of this pandemic alive, so when we were approached with the opportunity to help move the needle a little bit, obviously we jumped at it, Federation jumped at it, all of our community partners did as well, and here we are now hoping that we made a difference,” Gottlieb said. “And I think, 5,000 people, that’s significant. It speaks to how tight-knit our community is that we’re all trying to get out of it together.”

ABOVE: JARC has vaccinated many of its own group home residents as well as thousands of others in the community.

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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COURTESY OF BAIS CHABAD

OUR COMMUNITY

Bais Chabad ‘Upgrades’ New mikvah and playground at Bais Chabad will appeal to young families.

BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

O

ABOVE: A sneak peak at the prep rooms for the new mikvah.

TOP: A rendering of the Bais Chabad playground, opening this spring.

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rthodox women are eagerly awaiting the opening of the new mikvah at the Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center of West Bloomfield synagogue on Maple Road east of Orchard Lake. The approximately 2,500-squarefoot facility, which is about triple the space of the current mikvah, is expected to open in May or June.

A mikvah is a ritual bath used by Jews who have become ritually unclean, which is not the same as physically unclean. It is most often used by women before their weddings, after their menstrual periods and after childbirth. Converts to

Judaism need to immerse in a mikvah, and some men choose to do so before holy days or to mark life milestones. All mikvahs must include water from a natural source, such as rainwater.

The Tugman Bais Chabad mikvah will include three separate spaces, for women, for men and for vessels — dishes and pots that need to be kashered by immersion before use.

The women’s mikvah will be the centerpiece, and will look like a spa, said the congregation’s outreach director, Rabbi Shneur Silberberg.

The project’s architect is Jason Rogers of Southfield.

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The interior design is by Julia Weinberg and Miriam Horowitz of the company Julia Robin Interiors. Robin, formerly of Southfield, now lives in Israel, and hopes to create a “mystical, spiritual and physically beautiful energy that only a mikvah can provide,” said Silberberg. “It’s going to be the nicest part of our building.”

The facility, named the Mallor Walder Community Mikvah Center, will have its own dedicated entrance. It is named in honor of Elizabeth Mallor Walder, a onetime member of the congregation who is now an immigration attorney in Skolie, Ill., where she lives with her husband, Joseph. Their Walder Foundation is a major donor for the project, as is Mikvah USA, based in Brooklyn.

The preparation rooms in the women’s mikvah will include beautiful building materials from around the world said the rabbi; much of the décor will use a water motif to portray the feminine connection to water. The rooms will also include original paintings by artist Michoel Muchnik of Brooklyn. In addition to providing privacy and a sense of holiness, the mikvah will allow women using it to feel pampered, the rabbi said; it will be a luxurious physical experience.

To highlight the “ancient energy” of the mikvah, the immersion pools will be lined with yellow stone resembling Jerusalem stone. Walls and floors will be cream-colored marbleized stone.

The mikvah’s opulence is part of a trend, he said.

“Around the world, mikvahs

are taking it up a notch.”

The congregation’s old mikvah is now closed. The new one will use that space and space from the social hall in the building’s lower level.

The mikvah will have a separate entrance.

Representatives from other congregations in West Bloomfield, including Keter Torah and Ohel Moed, worked with Tugman Bais Chabad on the mikvah planning committee. The mikvah will be open to all, not only Bais Chabad members.

SOMETHING FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY The congregation, with about 120 families, is also building a new playground adjacent to its building to serve children at Shabbat youth groups, Sunday religious school classes and summer day camps. It is named Marc’s Playground, dedicated by Bruce and Mindy Ruben in memory of Bruce’s brother, Marc Ruben.

At close to 4,000 square feet, the playground will have equipment to appeal to children of all ages, Silberberg said.

The synagogue’s congregants live within walking distance, and there are no playgrounds nearby; the closest is over a mile away, he said.

The playground, scheduled to open at the end of May, replaces an older, much smaller playground that has been removed.

“We have had a real burst of young families with lots of children, so this is long overdue,” said Silberberg.

He’s hoping the mikvah and the playground will encourage more young families to join them.

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FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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OUR COMMUNITY

New Program on the Playground Partnership between Hillel Day School and Playworks redefines recess

A Playworks indoor recess due to the cold.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A

Even on weeks when Schulte is off site, t Hillel Day School, a partnerthe work continues. “She works with a ship with Playworks is redefinrecess team or group of teachers to train ing recess. them so that when she’s not present, Playworks, a national nonprofit with they’re able to continue the program and a Michigan chapter, works with schools keep learning,” Bunn says. “The goal is like Hillel to design play opportunities that our program will be totally sustainduring recess, lunch and/or after school. able without a Playworks staff member.”

The goal: to teach kids skills for life, such as leadership and conflict resolution, WHAT A PLAYWORKS while making physical and mental health RECESS LOOKS LIKE a priority.

So, what exactly is a Playworks program?

After a successful partnership at Farber It depends on each particular school or Hebrew Day School, Playworks extended classroom. In Hillel’s case, COVID-19 its program to Hillel, which launched the protocols keep kids within their own beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. classrooms so that they’re playing, learn“The program that we have there is ing and interacting with the same group called ‘TeamUp,’” Playworks Michigan throughout the school day. director Whitney Bunn explains. “That’s “The way that a recess typically where a Playworks coach acts as a conworks at a Playworks school is that sultant and goes into the school one week Students engage in fun activities indoors when the weather [kids] will head outside and line up every month for the entire school year, prevents outside play. and we’ll go through a quick 30-secand they’re facilitating recess.” ond intro of what’s going on the playWhile at Hillel, Playworks’ coach ground today,” Bunn says. Each recess includes different stations Allison Schulte, the school’s liaison with the nonprofit, works in partand games set up for kids where they’re encouraged to play freely nership with both Hillel and Playworks staff to help ensure the school without any structure. has a playful and positive environment where play and having fun “We believe there should be a lot of options and opportunities on the become an important part of the agenda.

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playground so that every kid can find a game that they love,” Bunn explains. “They can be physically active and practice those social, emotional skills that we know are so valuable and happening in real time on the playground.”

On any given day, kids participating in Playworks programs like the one at Hillel can play four square, jump rope or open tag, among other activities.

Group agreements are another important facet of the program, where kids agree to be respectful and have fun before running off to the races.

“When there’s two-three minutes left, we’ll call everyone back so that we can do some cooldowns and take everyone from that really high-energy active state and bring the energy down so that kids are ready to go back into the academic space and be ready to learn,” Bunn says.

Cool downs can include breathing exercises and mindfulness, helping kids practice positive mental health activities while bringing their state of mind back to the classroom.

“Hopefully they’ll be ready to continue their learning for the day in a really positive way,” Bunn says.

BRINGING LIFE LESSONS INTO THE CLASSROOM Gan through fourth graders at Hillel participate in Playworks, while fifth and sixth graders have a unique opportunity to learn lifelong leadership skills by volunteering as junior coaches who help lead games at recess for the younger students.

“The process is usually very intentional,” Bunn says. “We try not to always pick the kids that are already involved in a lot of extracurriculars, on student council or are straight-A students. We look for the kids that are a little shy or can benefit from some confidence, or kids who are leaders, but not necessarily in a positive way.”

While encouraging physical and mental wellness, Playworks’ programming aims to promote inclusivity, reduce bullying, increase attendance and help kids resolve conflict in positive ways. Often, the lessons kids learn during recess are continued throughout the entire school day.

“They’re the first to volunteer,” Bunn says of Hillel’s Playworks participants, “or if there’s an extra task that needs to get done, they’ll be the ones that will happily do that. They’re leading games and brain breaks in their classrooms.”

Recess is designed for students to get active and release energy.

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OUR COMMUNITY

SkyDrive zero emission flying car

JEWS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

An Entirely New CES Experience

A

fter a decade of attending the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I was beginning to think I had seen it all and there really was not anything new for me. I was certainly wrong.

Last year’s CES was entirely virtual and, quite frankly, the Consumer Rabbi Jason Technology Association Miller Contributing (CTA) was not ready to Writer make one of the world’s largest trade shows a virtual experience. It just was not the same. I admit I was surprised when it was decided that this year’s CES would take place in person because the Omicron variant of COVID was spiking at the end of last year. Despite the international health risk, Gary Shapiro, a Franklin resident who is president and CEO of CTA (the owner and producer of CES), was determined to have a live show

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once again.

I made the decision (which my wife told me to make!) to not attend CES in person this year, but to participate digitally from the comfort and safety of my office. The fact that I was not there in person did not matter — this was one of Sony A95K QD-OLED 4K TV

the best shows in the past several years, and CTA allowed people to participate digitally through the end of January.

There were thousands of product debuts that made news and, even with the pandemic, more than 2,300 companies from around the globe exhibited.

The Omicron variant did not keep the 800 startup companies from traveling to Vegas to launch their innovative products. Highlights of the weeklong industry tradeshow included eye-opening new technology in the automotive space, as well as in the digital health and smart home arenas. There were more than

COURTESY OF JCRC/AJC

45,000 attendees in person, tech company Withings with 30% of attendees travelunveiled its new body scan ing from outside the U.S. and smart scale with features that representing 119 countries. can monitor segmented body “Innovation came to composition, nerve activity life this week at CES 2022 and cardiovascular health. This — with technologies that technology uses a low-level will reshape industries and electrical signal to measure provide solutions to pressbody composition, including ing worldwide issues from the composition of individual healthcare to agriculture, body parts like the torso, arms sustainability and beyond,” and legs. said Shapiro. “The CES show I was also very impressed floor buzzed with the joy of with Garmin’s Vivomove human interaction and a five- hybrid watches. The less sense innovation experience expensive entry-level with products that will redeVivomove Sport is impresfine our future and change sive and costs less than $200 our world for the even though it has better.” all the bells and whistles of any I am always of Garmin’s eager to check in-depth out the latest health and and greatest fitness televisions at tracking CES. This year models. it was Sony One of the with its A95K coolest things QD-OLED 4K I saw at CES was TV that wowed from a Tokyo-based the audience.

Usually, new TVs at Garmin Vivomove aero tech startup Sport Watch called SkyDrive.

CES are not available They unveiled to the public for a an ultra-light and compact few years, but this beauty flying vehicle, which already will be available for purchase completed testing for a pilotlater this year. It will comed flight. This flying car is bine an impressive display with Sony’s amazing speaker designed to vertically take off and land with superb stabilisystem so you will not need ty. It’s essentially a flying electo add a soundbar. Sony’s tric taxi that is emission-free new TVs will beat all current and can be used for emergenmodels in terms of overall cy rescue. brightness, color consistency and viewing angles.

It will obviously take more The health and wellness than new variants of a global pandemic to keep CES and category has seen some of the the tech world from showcasmost impressive innovation in ing innovation. God willing, the past several years. Omron Healthcare announced its new next year I’ll be back in Vegas remote patient monitoring tool to experience CES in person called VitalSight. It comes with once again. a connected blood pressure Rabbi Jason Miller is a local educamonitor and is designed to tor and entrepreneur. He is the preshelp people manage hypertenident of Access Technology in West sion by sharing data to boost Bloomfield and writes about technolengagement and treatment. ogy for several publications. Follow him on Twitter at @RabbiJason.

Also, the connected health

JCRC/AJC Israel Associate Adar Rubin, Board President Seth Gould, Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, Councilwoman Amanda Jaczowski and JCRC/AJC Executive Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin

Hamtramck City Council Condemns Antisemitism

T

he all-Muslim members of the Hamtramck City Council passed a resolution Jan. 25 condemning antisemitism.

The resolution reads in part: “Hamtramck City Council condemns all forms of antisemitism and declares its support for the Beth Israel Congregation in Texas, all members of the Jewish community in Hamtramck, the Metro Detroit area and beyond.” It said everyone “has the right to practice their faith and live their life free from intimidation, harassment and fear of violence.”

On Twitter, the American Jewish Committee thanked the Hamtramck City Council “for unequivocally condemning antisemitism in the wake of the #Colleyville synagogue attack. Our strength lies in

the ability of diverse communities to unite in the face of hate.”

Rabbi Asher Lopatin, director of the JCRC/AJC, told the Detroit Free Press, “What I find so significant here is that the all-Muslim council have done this on their own, and also they point out the dangers of antisemitism and condemn antisemitism without needing to mix it up with all forms of hate, or with the situation in the Middle East or with any other cause.”

In late January, representatives from the Jewish Community Relations Council/American Jewish Committee met with Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib and Councilwoman Amanda Jaczowski to thank them for the resolution and calling out the dangers of the rise in antisemitism.

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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COURTESY OF WSU

for college students by college students Wayne State Medical students gather for brunch.

An Unconventional Semester in Review COVID challenges cultivate resiliency and adaptability.

T

his past semester, and year, has been unconventional to say the very least. At the start of the fall 2021 semester, I expressed my excitement and anticipation to return to a semi-normal college experience at Wayne State University, with a fresh appreciation for the little moments in life that make days so sweet. Now that I am beginning a new semester yet Loren Safta again, I thought it prudent jewish@edu to check in with myself and writer reflect on the ups and downs,

achievements and tribulations, and emotions of the last semester.

This past semester was unlike anything I had experienced before. At the beginning of the fall semester, I looked forward to my return to campus, to spending time with my fellow students in the Hillel Lounge, studying in the library and simply walking to and from on campus.

I was well aware of the multiple safety precautions implemented by Wayne State in order to keep the student populace safe from the still raging pandemic. Masks were and still are required in all indoor on-cam-

pus buildings, and a vaccine mandate was implemented to ensure that students would be well protected from contagion. Because of these precautions, I was optimistic, knowing I could safely revel in the little moments I had missed so much.

Initially, all went well according to this hopeful plan! I was greatly enjoying my newfound freedoms and opportunities on campus. My journey toward increased independence, which had stalled when I abruptly had to move home my freshman year of college, began again. I was mindful of the public health protections implemented by wearing my mask whenever I was indoors and ensuring that all Jewish Student Organization (JSO) events my board and I organized over the course of the semester followed the proper safety guidelines. When I could, I got my COVID vaccine booster shot.

However, nothing could compare to the feeling of walking into a classroom, sitting down at a desk, and taking notes during an in-person class for the first time in a year and a half. It suddenly felt like such a privilege to be able to ask my professor questions without the barrier of a Zoom screen and to listen to the boisterous discussions generated by my peers without the ambient buzz of a computer speaker. This was the moment I savored most, the ability to just participate in an in-person class, and forge new friendships and relationships with my classmates and professors. It is something I will never again take for granted in my final two semesters at Wayne State.

COURTESY OF WSU

Wayne State Jewish Student Organization at their virtual Chanukkah party December 2021.

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UPSCALE CONSIGNMENT & AUC TION HOUSE

As the weeks flew by, and September became October and morphed into November, I settled into a comfortable and enjoyable routine. I would meet in person for my class on Tuesday evenings, attend in-person history club meetings and lead in-person JSO meetings. My days were brightened by forays into the student center to get a coffee or excursions with my brother to visit the Detroit Institute of Art. A SPEEDBUMP Unfortunately, this lovely routine would, at the end of November, undergo a drastic change. The COVID positivity rate spiked, and Wayne State was forced to close many on-campus amenities, and my in-person classes became virtual.

Events that the JSO had previously planned also pivoted online. While this change was disheartening, it was nothing I hadn’t done before. Although I briefly lamented the loss of my newly forged routine, I carried on with the understanding that the safety of myself and my peers far outweighed my disappointment of not being on campus.

As winter break began, I was again met with the disappointing news that the winter 2022 semester would be virtual, at least through January.

While this news left me melancholic, it also allowed me to come to a new realization, one that I will hope to take with me into the new semester and later in life.

Sometimes, despite our best hopes, expectations and efforts, life throws us a curveball and we are expected to

COURTESY OF WSU

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Hillel of Metro Detroit students at Pizza and Trivia night.

catch it with grace and poise.

While it may be disappointing, it is nothing we cannot handle.

I have realized over the past semester that dealing with rapid change is a skill that I and many of my peers have developed over the past two years.

With so much uncertainty, learning to become flexible in one’s plans and expectations has become a natural necessity. This was not a skill I cultivated on my own. With the support of the amazing staff of the Hillel of Metro Detroit, my professors, friends and family, I learned to be resilient and adapt to change. The Jewish people are nothing if not resilient, strong and adaptable.

So, I would like to close with this message, that though rapid change and uncertainty are frightening, disheartening and even horrifying at times, it is nothing but a dark tunnel we will get out of together.

Despite all its challenges, it felt wonderful to spend the fall semester on campus, and while I know that my future semesters will bring more unanticipated changes and challenges, I know now that it is nothing I cannot conquer, especially with the support of all those I love cheering me on.

Loren Safta is a junior majoring in public health at Wayne State University.

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for college students by college students ESSAY

Hillel of Metro Detroit students attend the Israeli American Council National Summit.

L’chaim: An Ode to Israel

M

y name is Mary Yousif. I am 22 and am the first generation born in the U.S. to my family.

I take on many roles within my daily life and community, whether it be a daughter, student, teaching assistant, volunteer, researcher or, most of all, a proud Israel supporter and advocate.

Israel. There is no place that I’ve had as strong Mary Yousif of a connection with jewish@edu than the state of Israel. writer I’m sure many of you are wondering “How did you become connected to Israel? When did it begin? How did you get involved in the community?” Let me begin by telling you about myself.

Being Chaldean, I was raised among two cultures: my ethnicity and the land I reside in. Often, I felt that I didn’t fit into either community but rather roamed in-between the two cultures, striving to fulfill the roles of each side.

Living in the U.S., we are exposed to a multitude of diversity around us,

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and I made it a goal to make sure that others didn’t feel left out or secluded the way I did. I become a part of the effort to bridge different communities together and take the time to learn about others — their cultures, their language, way of life, values and, most of all, their people. Hence, my decision to pursue my undergraduate studies in Spanish and medicine.

I grew up in a pro-Israel family who always praised Israel and proudly advocated its right to exist. Ironically, I knew nothing about the country nor the people, and it wasn’t until my junior year at Wayne State that all that would change.

Like many college students, I was involved in all sorts of organizations and held many leadership positions.

At the time, I was the vice president of Wayne State’s El Club Hispano and secretary for the Honors Student Association. It was a crazy time, with school, work and extracurriculars. Who thought there would be more hidden along the way?

During the fall semester, I received an

email from an organization called Hillel of Metro Detroit. I had never heard of it before, and I was shocked because the email was inviting me to apply for the Maccabee Task Force Fact Finders Trip to Israel. I didn’t know what to expect, and I remember coming home that evening and telling my parents about it. Knowing of my involvement within other minority communities, they encouraged me to apply and learn more about the State of Israel, its people and better understand the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Little did I know that I would get accepted and that that trip was the beginning of my journey within this community.

AN EYE-OPENING TRIP Fact Finders was such an amazing and eye-opening trip for me! The speakers we had throughout our trip were so influential and furthered my interest in Israel. I wanted to learn about everything — the government, its position on a global scale, and its role in technology and medicine. My knowledge about Israel grew ten times and all the experiences that I had, I cherished. I wrote them down in my journal so I wouldn’t forget the most important time in my life. After the Fact Finders trip, I wanted to stay a part of the community and started participating in Hillel of Metro Detroit events at Wayne State.

I attended Café Irvit lessons with Hillel staff, who taught me how to speak, read and write Hebrew. Every minute I had in between classes, I would go to our Hillel and immerse myself within the community I grew fond of.

Everything happened so quickly; my involvement in Hillel grew and one thing turned into another. After Fact Finders, I was invited to go to Washington, D.C., to attend the AIPAC Policy Conference, and was even offered a position on the board for Students for Israel. We created so many events. One of my favorites was

INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING.

INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING. our Nissim Black event.

Nissim came, via Zoom, and told his story about how he began with music and his spiritual awakening in the Jewish community.

We were so fortunate to collaborate with Wayne State’s Black Student Union for this event and involve other groups on campus.

Eventually, I became an Israeli American Council (IAC) Mishelanu ambassador, a position I still proudly hold and value dearly because as a nonJewish student I value the importance of coalitionbuilding. It is important to be able to educate others about the State of Israel and take the time to make an impact in our society.

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but we can’t give up. We must be patient and remember our purpose. For me, I believe I was born to bring people together. Israel unites us all and this is our chance to make the necessary change needed in our communities.

As John F. Kennedy once said, “Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and the home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success.”

I believe that success only comes with pain and hard work, and I encourage us all to be brave and to always fight for what we believe in.

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Mary Yousif is a Wayne State student getting her master’s degree in romance languages with a concentration in Spanish.

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for college students by college students

Jewish Learning with a New Twist Nicole Ruza } jewish@edu writer

J

ewish learning has always been important to me.

However, sometimes, I find that Jewish learnings I participate in could use a refresh to be more relevant and exciting.

This is why I was so drawn toward Michigan State Hillel’s Chavurah program, an initiative launched in October 2021 to help students develop a better relationship with Jewish learning.

Chavurah, which in Hebrew means a small group of learners, builds upon the success of other paid learning opportunities at Hillel, such as the Jewish and Israel learning fellowships, by offering short courses on interesting topics for college students.

Each Chavurah course lasts four

weeks, and students receive a stipend upon completion.

Last semester, I participated in both Chavurah courses that were offered. In the #Blessed: Judaism and Gratitude course, 12 of my peers and I learned about what Judaism has to say about thankfulness and gratitude while also learning from popular culture and more modern sources. I would often leave a session with questions in my head to ponder.

I also took the Life’s Bigger Questions course that was offered to alumni of Hillel’s Jewish Learning Fellowship. We explored topics such as gossip, relationships and G-d. I would often leave sessions feeling more connected to my Judaism.

Nicole Ruza, pictured left, poses for a group selfie with other members of the MSU Hillel Chavurah #Blessed course.

My favorite part of the Chavurah courses was each connection I made with my fellow Jewish Spartans. The Hillel staff educators made each session feel welcoming and warm, allowing us to learn and connect with each other. Not only did I strengthen relationships I had already had, but I also met new people who I now get to see at Hillel Shabbat dinners and other events.

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit Honors the Memory of

Judge Avern Cohn 1925 - 2022 On Behalf of a Grateful Community

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With the success of Hillel’s Chavurah program in the Fall semester, more courses will be offered this year, and I am very excited to continue to learn and grow as a Jewish person and build a stronger relationship with Jewish learning.

Nicole Ruza of West Bloomfield is a junior at Michigan State University studying psychology.

MICHIGAN JEWISH SPORTS FOUNDATION

SPORTS

‘Right Guy, Right Job, Right Time’ Don Rudick hits the ground running after being named executive director of the Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation.

Don Rudick

T

he Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation has a new executive director.

He’s a familiar face.

Don Rudick, a foundation Pillars of Excellence honoree in 2016 and active volunteer at foundation events, was named the executive director in December.

The West Bloomfield resident replaced Sari Cicurel, who resigned as executive director to devote more time to her busy public relations business.

Cicurel had been executive director since 2018 after serving for six years as the foundation’s community relations director.

Rudick retired in September from his job running a financial services company. But he’s not the retiring type.

“I didn’t want to sit around after I retired,” he said. “I wanted to be productive, and hopefully do something that promoted Jewish values and history.”

He jumped at the opportunity to run the philanthropic foundation’s day-to-day operations after being offered the executive director job by the foundation’s board of directors.

“I didn’t apply for the job.

The job applied for me,” he said. “This is a great job for me

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

because I’m a sports guy and I’m an organizer. I like to be in charge of things.”

Foundation board president Stuart Raider is happy Rudick, a longtime friend, took the job.

“Right guy, right job, right time,” Raider said. “Don’s a solid guy with great organizing skills.

The best part about Don taking the job is he’s so excited, and his excitement is contagious.”

Rudick’s organizing skills have been put on display many times when Detroit has hosted the JCC Maccabi Games.

He was the operations director in 2019, in charge of areas ranging from transportation to medical services to signage to making sure there was water and ice at venues.

He was the transportation chair in 2008. His task then was to ensure that 3,500 teenage athletes and coaches got to where they needed to go on time.

He ran the softball venue in 1998.

Rudick coached Detroit

Maccabi softball teams for eight years — earning gold, silver and bronze medals — and table tennis players for five years, and he also was a delegation head for three years.

Longtime Detroit Maccabi delegation head Karen Gordon said the foundation executive director position is “a wonderful fit” for Rudick.

“Don is a good guy who is passionate about sports and the Jewish community,” she said.

“He’s a great listener and will do whatever needs to be done.”

Rudick’s organizational acumen is being quickly put to the test in his new job.

He’s organizing the foundation’s next fundraising event, the 31st annual Hank Greenberg Golf and Tennis Invitational, contacting vendors and sponsors and attending to myriad other details ahead of the June 6 get-together at Franklin Hills Country Club.

“It’s like putting together the pieces of a puzzle,” he said.

Some of the pieces are in place.

Southfield High School graduate and 2021 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ted Simmons will receive the Hank Greenberg Lifetime Achievement Award.

CBS News and 60 Minutes correspondent Armen Keteyian will receive the Dick Schaap Memorial Award for Media Excellence.

Keteyian was supposed to be honored at last year’s Greenberg Invitational, but he couldn’t travel from the East Coast after it was battered by Hurricane Ida. Still to be announced by the foundation is the recipient of the Barry Bremen Memorial Inspiration Award.

The Greenberg Invitational wasn’t held in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was moved from its usual early June date to August last year when there was a lull in COVID infections.

The Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet, the foundation’s other major annual fundraiser, was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.

It could return in 2022 at a date and site to be determined.

“We’re planning to have a Hall of Fame banquet this year,” Rudick said. “Of course, COVID will dictate that decision.”

The banquet holds a special place in Rudick’s heart because that’s where he received his Pillars of Excellence award in 2016.

There’s more information on the 2022 Greenberg Invitational at www.michiganjewishsports. org and the foundation’s Facebook page.

Rudick can be reached at (248) 390-5981.

Send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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business SPOTlight

brought to you in partnership with

BIRMIN GH A M

New to Eastern Market

Jewish-style deli expected to open this spring.

ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I

n a few short months, visitors to Detroit’s historic Eastern Market will find a new eatery for indulging in corned beef sandwiches and other Jewish deli fare. They will also find a market offering locally sourced food and products, plus grocery items.

Bringing the two distinct businesses to fruition is EW Grobbel, a globally known meat processor and gourmet food company based at the market. Founded in 1883, the family-owned company recently announced plans to open and operate Grobbel’s Gourmet Fresh Neighborhood Market and a Sy Ginsberg’s JewishSanford Nelson

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style deli restaurant.

EW Grobbel owns the property in partnership with FIRM Real Estate, an advocate for residential and commercial development in Eastern Market.

“Our FIRM Real Estate team is thrilled to be part of Grobbel’s commitment to the district and neighborhood residents,” said company president Sanford Nelson, a fifth-generation member of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield and a former JN 36 Under 36.

Studio H2G designed the project and Studio Detroit is the architect. Currently, space that formerly housed Eastern

A rendering of the Grobbel’s Gourmet Fresh Neighborhood Market

Market Seafood is under construction. Two floors will be extended to nearly 4,500 square feet each. When completed, the new grocery’s entrance will be on Market Street, near cheese and specialty food merchant DeVries & Co. 1887. The delicatessen will be accessible from Riopelle Street, in close proximity to Detroit City Distillery and Eastern Market Brewing Co. With hours planned for shopping flexibility, “we are very excited to bring this new food oasis to 2456 Market Street, where we can make high-quality food accessible to people right where they live, work and play,” said EW Grobbel President Jason Grobbel.

The gourmet market’s anticipated “immersive food experience is a solution to current shortcomings of Detroiters being able

to find produce and fresh food nearby, year-round,” Nelson said. Grobbel’s will be working with local farmers to select their daily best. Shoppers at the market also will find conve-

Topor’s Pickles

nient grab-and-go items and company’s brands, such as Grobbel’s Gourmet smoked meats and its line of premium, sliced and prepackaged deli products.

“The new locations will offer a way for people to interact with the brands in an entirely new way,” Grobbel said. For example, “our kosher dill pickle line, Topor’s, will be available in the deli as well as the market.”

He was referring to the popular pickle company started by the local Topor family in 1960. The naturally fermented, authentic kosher pickles are made at 2500 Orleans Street, also in Eastern Market.

Sy Ginsberg’s Meat & Deli, another EW Grobbel acquisition, “has been a leader in the Jewish deli business for over 30 years,” Grobbel said.

Ginsberg remains active in

here’s to

Sy Ginsberg of Sy Ginsberg’s Meat & Deli

Rachel Rudman joined the staff of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue as executive director. She is a strategic synagogue leader with a decade of experience managing teams and building relationships with multiple stakeholders. She has studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Yeshivat Hadar and Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies.

promoting the wholesale meat brand he started in 1981. The Sy Ginsberg’s name is found on products available across the United States.

“With Sy’s help,” Grobell said, “we hope to raise awareness to this market and highlight some of the most iconic dishes and products a deli has to offer.”

The Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan recently announced its 2021 Industry Leadership Award honorees. The honorees were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the industry. A profile of each honoree is included in the December 2021 issue of HBA’s monthly magazine, Building Business & Apartment Management. Award honorees are selected based on nominations submitted by the membership of HBA and by industry leaders who serve as the chairs of HBA’s committees, councils and forums. Honorees have demonstrated outstanding commitment to promote the objectives of HBA and the best interests of the housing industry. Award honorees include: Samuel Kreis Award for Distinguished Service to Michael Tobin, Mike Building Co. in Farmington Hills.

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MAZEL TOV! Quinn Regan Cohen, daughter of Cassi and Michael Cohen, will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. She will be joined in celebration by her siblings, Jaden, Madison, Logan and Ethan. Quinn is the loving grandchild of Esther and the late Morry Wexler, the late Ronald Cohen, and Margaret and J.D. Himmelstein.

Quinn is a student at West Hills Middle School in Bloomfield Hills.

Among her many mitzvah projects, she was a regular volunteer at Temple Israel’s Free Fresh Food Pantry.

Nathaniel James Emery, son of Carolyn and Jerrold Emery, was called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. He is the loving grandchild of Judith and William Martz, Arlene Blum, the late James Sanders, the late Jerome Blum and the late Allam Emery.

Nate is a student at Power Middle School in Farmington Hills. For his mitzvah project, he donated his time at the Temple Israel Fresh Food Pantry.

Bailey Hannah Jacobs, daughter of Jessica and Mark Jacobs, will lead the congregation in prayer as she becomes a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. She will be joined in celebration by her sister Devyn. Bailey is the loving grandchild of Sue and Abe Gershonowicz, and Marlene and Michael Jacobs, and the loving great-grandchild of Sarah Mervis.

Bailey is a student at West Hills Middle School in Bloomfield Hills.

Among many mitzvah projects, her most meaningful included collecting donations and putting together boxes for the Detroit chapter of Balancing Boxes, a youth-led organization that provides low-income communities academic and fun activities.

Tatum Elizabeth Saltsman (Talia Channah), daughter of Karen and Glenn Saltsman of Huntington Woods, became a bat mitzvah at Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. Sharing in her celebration were her siblings, Carly and Jack.

Tatum is the granddaughter of Barbara and Allan Saltsman, and Annie and Ron Lowy.

Tatum is a student at Norup Middle School in Oak Park. One of her mitzvah projects was participating in the Leader in Training (LIT) program with Huntington Woods Parks and Recreation, which she found very rewarding.

Lily Eva Liss of Birmingham will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. She is the daughter of Zachary and Ilana Liss and big sister of Eden and Ruby.

Lily’s proud grandparents are Arthur and Beverly Liss, Jerry and Belle Kohen; and great-grandmother is Sheri Kohen.

Lily is a student at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills. For her mitzvah project, she raised money for food allergy research at the University of Michigan.

HOW TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS Mazel Tov! announcements are welcomed for members of the Jewish community.

Anniversaries, engagements and weddings with a photo (preferably color) can appear at a cost of $18 each. Births are $10. There is no charge for bar/bat mitzvahs or for special birthdays starting at the 90th.

For information, contact Editorial Assistant Sy Manello at smanello@ thejewishnews.com or (248) 351-5147 for information or for a mailed or emailed copy of guidelines.

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Glen 65th

E

llie and Sid Glen of West Bloomfield will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary on Feb. 10, 2022.

The Glens’ four children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild wish them continued health and love.

SPIRIT

Smith 74th

A

rthur and Dotty Smith of West Bloomfield celebrated their 74th wedding anniversary on Jan. 27, 2022. The couple met at a Hillel dance after which Arthur had his more outspoken but similar sounding brother arrange their first date. Arthur served as a communications officer in the Navy in WW II, completed his college education at Wayne State University and worked as a CPA and entrepreneur. Dotty got her teaching degree and taught special education for 30 years. They had two children and have four grandchildren. They describe raising their children as their golden years. The couple enjoy reading, travel adventures, and sharing closeness and love with friends and family.

Sokol-Daien

M

ara and Gary Daien of Livonia are thrilled to announce the engagement of their daughter Rachel Elizabeth Daien to Barry Samuel Sokol, son of Michele and Dan Sokol of Dayton, Ohio. Barry surprised Rachel with a romantic November 2021 engagement in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Rachel is an elementary school counselor and former middle school teacher for Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. She graduated with a B.S. in elementary education from Eastern Michigan University, earned her M.A. in teaching from Marygrove College and graduated with an M.A. in counseling from Eastern Michigan University.

She is also a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) for the state of Michigan.

Barry is a mathematics and social studies teacher formerly of the Columbus, Ohio, area. He received his B.S. and M.Ed. in education from Ohio State University, with a specialization in middle grades. Barry previously coached seventh-grade boys basketball and is passionate about sports.

The couple reside in Commerce Township. They are excited to celebrate their May 2022 wedding with family and friends in Novi. A Hawaiian island-hopping honeymoon is planned for June.

TORAH PORTION

Developing Relationships

A

bout 2,000 years ago, substitute for the Temple until it when the Temple is rebuilt, is a place to work on in Jerusalem was our relationship to come closer destroyed, the concept of havto the Creator, the Controller ing a synagogue in every neigh- of the world. This relationship borhood was a brilliant innova- ultimately defines all other relation that has since been tionships in our lives. duplicated by religions The greatest love in the all over the world. world is that of a parent for In this week’s Torah a child. This type of love portion, we read one of is greater because of the its longest narratives. It selfless devotion a parent discusses the construcpours into their child.

Rabbi Tzali Freedman tion of a temporary As physical beings, we temple to be used by could not have a relationParshat the Jewish nation while ship strictly based on an Tetzaveh: journeying through emotional level that only Exodus the desert. The Torah utilized our hearts. We 27:20-30:10; usually reveals vast needed the physical service Ezekiel amounts of details in a in the Temple, today rep43:10-27. concise manner leaving resented by our service in it to the Talmud to the synagogue, as a place elaborate on the specifics. to develop our souls, analogous The laws of kosher, Shabbat, to going to the gym to develop mezuzah, tefillin and holiour bodies. days are all taught with just a This week’s portion discusses few verses or several words. the korban tamid, the sacrifice Conversely, the construction brought in the morning and of the temporary temple is a the afternoon. It was exactly glaring exception to the normal the same twice every single day brevity. The question is, why because service does not necthis exception, particularly for a essarily have to be innovative. mitzvah that was only relevant Greatness often comes from for a brief period? repetitive efforts.

The fact that the Torah dedAll relationships, whether icates so many chapters to the with humans or our Creator, laws of this temporary strucbenefit from devotion that is ture indicates that it wishes to both disciplined and consisemphasize a point. Although tent. This is the reason why throughout much of Jewish his- we have services in our synatory we would be bereft of our gogues twice daily. There, in Temple, it should never be forthis sanctified space, we are saken as its lessons will remain able to express our allegiance central to the Jewish practice and ensure that our personal for eternity. relationship with the Creator of The Temple’s main service the universe remains constant, was the sacrifices. The Hebrew meaningful and robust. word is korban, more accurately Rabbi Tzali Freedman is regional translated “coming close” from director of Central East NCSY in the Hebrew word karov. The Southfield. synagogue, which serves as a FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH

T

here are lives that are lessons. The late Henry Knobil’s was one. He was born in Vienna in 1932.

His father had come there in the 1920s to escape the rising tide of antisemitism in Poland, but like Jacob fleeing from Esau to Laban, he found that he had fled one danger only to arrive at another.

After the Anschluss and Kristallnacht, it became clear that, if the family were to Rabbi Lord survive, they Jonathan had to leave.

Sacks They arrived in Britain in 1939, just weeks before their fate would have been sealed had they stayed. Henry grew up in Nottingham, in the Midlands.

There he studied textiles, and after his army service went to work for one of the great British companies, eventually starting his own highly successful textile business.

He was a passionate, believing Jew and loved everything about Judaism.

He and his wife, Renata, were a model couple, active in synagogue life, always

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inviting guests to their home for Shabbat or the festivals. I came to know Henry because he believed in giving back to the community, not only in money but also in time and energy and leadership. He became the chairperson of many Jewish organizations, including the national Israel (UJIA) appeal, British Friends of Bar Ilan University, the Jewish Marriage Council, the British-Israel Chamber of Commerce and the Western Marble Arch Synagogue.

He loved learning and teaching Torah. He was a fine raconteur with an endless supply of jokes and regularly used his humor to bring “laughter therapy” to cancer patients, Holocaust survivors and the residents of Jewish Care homes. Blessed with three children and many grandchildren, he had retired and was looking forward, with Renata, to a serene last chapter in a long and good life.

Then, seven years ago, he came back from morning service in the synagogue to find that Renata had suffered a devastating stroke. For a while, her life hung in the balance. She survived, but

RABBISACKS.ORG

Crushed for the Light their whole life now had to change. They gave up their magnificent apartment in the center of town to a place with easier wheelchair access.

Henry became Renata’s constant caregiver and life support. He was with her day and night, attentive to her every need.

The transformation was astonishing. Before, he had been a strong-willed businessman and communal leader. Now he became a nurse, radiating gentleness and concern. His love for Renata and hers for him bathed the two of them in a kind of radiance that was moving and humbling. And though he might, like Job, have stormed the gates of heaven to know why this had happened to them, he did the opposite. He thanked God daily for all the blessings they had enjoyed.

He never complained, never doubted, never wavered in his faith.

Then, a year ago, he was diagnosed with an inoperable condition. He had, and knew he had, only a short time to live. What he did then was a supreme act of will. He sought one thing: to be given

the grace to live as long as Renata did, so that she would never find herself alone. Three months ago, as I write these words, Renata died. Shortly thereafter, Henry joined her.

“Beloved and pleasant in their lives, and in their death undivided.” Rarely have I seen such love in adversity.

In an earlier Covenant and Conversation, I wrote about the power of art to turn pain into beauty. Henry taught us about the power of faith to turn pain into chessed, loving-kindness.

Faith was at the very heart of what he stood for. He believed that God had spared him from Hitler for a purpose. He had given Henry business success for a purpose also. I never heard him attribute any of his achievements to himself.

For whatever went well, he thanked God. For whatever did not go well, the question he asked was simply: What does God want me to learn from this? What, now that this has happened, does He want me to do? That mindset had carried him through the good years with humility. Now it carried him through the painful years with courage.

Our parshah begins with

the words: “Command the Israelites to bring you clear olive oil, crushed for the light, so that the lamp may always burn” (Ex. 27:20). The Sages drew a comparison between the olive and the Jewish people. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi asked, “Why is Israel compared to an olive?

Just as an olive is first bitter, then sweet, so Israel suffers in the present but great good is stored up for them in the time to come. And just as the olive only yields its oil by being crushed — as it is written, ‘clear olive oil, crushed for the light’ — so Israel fulfils [its full potential in] the Torah only when it is pressed by suffering.”

The oil was, of course, for the menorah, whose perpetual light — first in the Sanctuary, then in the Temple, and now that we have no Temple, the more mystical light that shines from every holy place, life and deed — symbolizes the Divine light that floods the universe for those who see it through the eyes of faith. To produce this light, something has to be crushed. And here lies the life-changing lesson.

Suffering is bad. Judaism makes no attempt to hide this fact. The Talmud gives an account of various Sages who fell ill. When asked, “Are your sufferings precious to you?” they replied, “Neither they nor their reward.”

When they befall us or someone close to us, they can lead us to despair.

Alternatively, we can respond stoically. We can practice the attribute of gevurah, strength in adversity. But there is a third possibility. We can

respond as Henry responded, with compassion, kindness and love. We can become like the olive which, when crushed, produces the pure oil that fuels the light of holiness.

When bad things happen to good people, our faith is challenged. That is a natural response, not a heretical one.

Abraham asked, “Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?” Moses asked, “Why have You done harm to this people?” Yet in the end, the wrong question to ask is, “Why has this happened?” We will never know. We are not God, nor should we aspire to be. The right question is, “Given that this has happened, what then shall I do?” To this, the answer is not a thought but a deed. It is to heal what can be healed, medically in the case of the body, psychologically in the case of the mind, spiritually in the case of the soul. Our task is to bring light to the dark places of our and other peoples’ lives.

That is what Henry did.

Renata still suffered. So did he. But their spirit prevailed over their body. Crushed, they radiated light. Let no one imagine this is easy. It takes a supreme act of faith.

Yet it is precisely here that we feel faith’s power to change lives. Just as great art can turn pain into beauty, so great faith can turn pain into love and holy light.

The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks served as the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, 1991-2013. His teachings have been made available to all at rabbisacks.org. This essay was written in 2020.

JARC Receives $25,000 Grant

J

ARC, a Metro Detroit based nonprofit agency that serves individuals with developmental disabilities, has received a $25,000 grant from the Donald R. and Esther Simon Foundation to support a relatively new therapeutic program to combat isolation and depression brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program provides individualized support, enabling each person served to partake in activities that benefit them. This grant will also allow the program to promote leisure time and will be led by newly hired JARC therapeutic staff who will engage with persons served in JARC group homes in a COVID-safe way.

One of the biggest challenges of the pandemic for JARC persons served has been isolation.

“Most of those we serve have even more down time now, and that has brought with it mental health struggles such as depression and anger,” said JARC CEO Shaindle Braunstein.

“Mental health plays a strong role in physical health, so it is crucial that we address isolation and do what we can to safely mitigate its effects. The JARC therapy program addresses that need by providing the necessary mental stimulation and encouragement needed for persons served to be active and engaged.”

Serving mental health needs has always been vital, but the pandemic has amplified its importance in JARC homes, especially when day programs were closed, and persons served were unable to socialize outside of the home.

While the State of Michigan provides much of the funding for their physical needs, other costs for needs like mental health, therapeutic activities and engagement are not funded.

Part of JARC’s mission is to meet this need and, as a result, JARC pays for these services independently.

To date, the newly instituted program already has several success stories. These new activities combined with individualized therapies with a trained professional has helped JARC persons served to further express themselves and uncover new abilities.

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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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

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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 10 • 2022

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ARTS&LIFE CABARET

and a Cabaret 313 rings in Valentine’s Day weekend with Broadway couple Josh Young and Emily Padgett.

JACKIE HEADAPOHL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL

W

hen Broadway actor Josh Young originally wrote the Cabaret Valjean, Cosette and a String Quartet before the pandemic lockdown in 2020, he had no idea that it would be nearly two years before he would perform it in front of an audience, but he’s thrilled it’s finally going to happen.

On Feb. 12, Cabaret 313 will host Young and his wife, Emily Padgett, to ring in Valentine’s Day weekend for a night of cabaret performances in the Great Hall inside the Detroit Institute of Arts. Valjean, Cosette and a String Quartet is a musical tribute to the couple’s favorite decade of musical theater: the 1980s. The program features music from Les Misérables, Cats and Phantom of the Opera, among others.

Young and Padgett will be joined by the Kalkaska String Quartet. The Michigan-based ensemble performs both classical music as well as original arrangements of popular contemporary songs. The quartet is made up of violinist Meg Rohrer, violinist Emelyn Bashour, violist Nathaniel Cornell and cellist Wesley Hornpetrie.

Padgett grew up in North Carolina before starting her Broadway career. She is known for her work on Broadway as Daisy Hilton in Side Show and Sherrie Christian in Rock of Ages, as well as for originating the roles of Lucy Grant in Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Bright Star and Mrs. Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

She and Young met on “kind of a blind date,” she said.

Although they knew of each other and shared the same talent manager, they had never worked together before. Their talent manager set them up on a date, not thinking it would last. “It Josh Young lasted,” Padgett said with a laugh. She now works as a lecturer and dance and vocal coach at OU. Young is a Tony Award-nominated actor who made his Broadway debut as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, which transferred to New York after an acclaimed run at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in The Grapes of Wrath, Evita and Kiss Me, Kate at Stratford, as well as a national tour of Les Miserables and an international tour of West Side Story. He also performed in A Little Night Music, A Chorus Line, Hairspray and Othello.

NEWCOMERS TO MICHIGAN Young grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia and had his bar Young and Padgett, who live in Lake Orion, both teach at mitzvah at a Conservative congregation in his hometown.

Emily Padgett Oakland University. They moved to Michigan in 2019 — He’s been singing since elementary school. “My teachers took right after the birth of their daughter, Adele May — so Young could notice and saw I had some talent,” he said. “I had supportive parents take a position as assistant professor of theater at OU. Six months later, who put me in community theater — Young People’s Theatre Workshop COVID hit, everybody went into lockdown and Broadway dimmed its in Swarthmore, Pa., where I learned to love musical theater.” After collights. lege, Young returned to that theater to teach.

“We felt lucky,” said Padgett, who converted to Judaism before marYoung recalls his Broadway debut as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar as rying Young in 2018, “but we were brand new in town with a little baby a role where his Judaism really came into play. and few friends.”

“I looked at Judas as the hero trying to save the Jewish people and

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played him as the hero not the villain,” he said. “I believed that although Judas loved Jesus, who was an amazing person, he was afraid if [Jesus] raised too much of a ruckus he would hurt the Jewish people.”

His director was on board with his interpretation of the character. Young wore a hamsah around his neck and davened on center stage while singing “Heaven on their Minds.”

At OU, Young is proud of his students and of creating a new way to teach musical theater when it was unsafe for everyone to be in the same room (because singing produces so many droplets in the air). He had three rooms hardwired with cameras, audio and video. His class is in one room, the accompanist in one room, and he and the singer (safely distanced) are in another.

Other universities have taken notice of this technique and it has increased applications to OU’s theater department by 90%, he said.

Young and Padgett said they are still limited in what they can do because of the pandemic.

Both of their children are too young to be vaccinated: Adele is 3 and baby brother Leo Elliott was born in 2020. They’re being safe, but looking forward to becoming more active in the Detroit Jewish community when they can. Before the pandemic hit, they went to Temple Israel a few times and plan to go back.

“This is the year we want and need to start making friends,” Padgett said.

DETAILS

A LOVE OF CABARET Young and Padgett met Allan Nachman, cofounder of Cabaret 313, which brought professional cabaret to Detroit in 2013, shortly after they arrived in Michigan. Nachman knew of Young through his work in theater. The couple went to a Cabaret 313 event and were invited backstage.

“Since then, he and his wife have been our surrogate parents,” Padgett said. “They’ve been so kind to us and our children.”

In 2021, Young and Padgett performed tunes by Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber as part of a virtual show for Cabaret 313.

Following the performance, they engaged with audiences for a live Q&A. “Our audiences were captivated by their stage presence last year, which was clear even through the screen,” said Cabaret 313 Executive Director Sabrina Rosneck. “We are looking forward to our audiences experiencing their performance live and in-person this year.”

The Feb. 12 performance will be the debut of Valjean, Cosette and a String Quartet. “This is the first one I’ve written for Emily and myself,” Young said. “The songs we’re singing weren’t meant to be sung to a seven-piece band, so we chose to have a string quartet along with piano. The combination sounds really beautiful. We’re so thrilled we can have our debut with Cabaret 313.”

Valjean, Cosette and a String Quartet will be performed at 6:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Feb. 12 in the Great Hall inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (5200 Woodward Ave.). Audiences will be socially distanced and seated safely apart at tables. Masks will be required to be worn for the duration of the performance. Patrons will be asked for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 taken within 72 hours of the event. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

Complimentary valet parking is available. Tickets range from $25-$200. To purchase tickets, visit cabaret313.org or call (313) 405-5061.

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W E D N E S DAY, F E B R U A R Y 2 3 AT 7 P M E S T Learn about Holocaust films from cinema expert Richard Brownstein. Find more info at holocaustcenter.org and (248) 553-2400.

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ARTS&LIFE THEATER

A New Way to Experience

Fiddler on the Roof

Renowned conductor Andy Einhorn to lead concert version of Jewish classic.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

C

ollaboration remains a compelling enjoyment factor in the conducting achievements of Andy Einhorn, who has expressed this value since his student years growing up in Texas.

This month, he brings that outlook to Ann Arbor as he joins University of Michigan (U-M) musical theater students with award-winning Broadway stars and the Grand Rapids Symphony to present a concert version of Fiddler on the Roof hosted by the University Musical Society.

Einhorn, who has appeared in Ann Arbor as conductor for Audra McDonald and in the Motor City with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, takes the stage SaturdaySunday, Feb. 19-20, in Hill Auditorium for the first live performance of John Williams’ Andy orchestral arrangement of the Einhorn movie score.

“We’re combining enormous talents from different organizations, and that synthesis is the true essence of collaboration,” said Einhorn, whose most recent live New York projects included serving as music supervisor and musical director for productions of Hello, Dolly! starring

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Bette Midler and Carousel starring Renée Fleming.

“We have a script and will be presenting the libretto trimmed down a bit. We don’t have the same scenic element onstage, but we do have some scenic elements onstage, props and costumes so that people understand the time period and the place of the story we’re telling.”

Taking the leading roles will be Chuck Cooper (Tevye), who won a 1997 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical as he appeared in The Life, and Loretta Ables Sayre (Golde), a 2008 Tony nominee for Best Featured Actress in a Musical as she appeared in South Pacific.

“The amazing thing about Fiddler on the Roof is that it’s universal,” said Einhorn, who served as music director of HBO’s Peabody Award-winning documentary Six by Sondheim and music supervisor for Great Performances Peabody Awardwinning special Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy on PBS. “Fiddler is for everybody because it’s a story of tradition and family. Our approach to the show and the way that I’m approaching the music can relate to every person no matter what color, gender, race or who that

person is. They all understand family and tradition — all the good and the bad.

“Fiddler on the Roof in a new context can remind everybody why this is a universal piece and [give] reason for talking about this piece today with immigration, racism and antisemitism going on in the world.”

SOMETHING NEW One film musical technique that is being adapted to stage with this concert is underscoring, using music that’s never been heard to accompany the script.

“In old musicals, underscoring was used as transition music,” Einhorn explained.

“In the Fiddler film, John Williams created underscoring for emotional storytelling, and we’re using underscoring to enhance the script here.”

“John Williams won his first Academy Award for the work he did on Fiddler, and I think it’s an unparalleled device to use his underscoring to support the storytelling of this production. He laid the groundwork for what we do in contemporary musicals now to better serve the telling of the story.”

Einhorn has performed in many presentations of Fiddler music — at summer camp, in high school and across many

concerts. He considers the song “Do You Love Me?” — about an arranged marriage deepening into one of love — a mini three-act play.

Carly Meyer, a U-M sophomore assigned to be assistant dramaturg while taking the motherly role of Shandel, also took part in a high school production of Fiddler.

“This production is so overwhelmingly special,” said Meyer, who grew up in Illinois and volunteered at the Jewish Community Center near her home. “I get to be with my university peers dedicated to welcoming people into a specific part of Jewish culture. Also, getting to Carly work with legends in the field is Meyer simply transformative every day in rehearsal.

“Fiddler is a story close to my heart.

Growing up, I didn’t see many shows about Jewish tradition or culture in popular media, but Fiddler is always an exception. I felt represented and cared for in a way that doesn’t always happen in the world of musical theater.”

Meyer, as dramaturg, does research that informs the cast about the history of the show and how it relates to Judaism now, including issues of antisemitism. Meyer, as cast member,

Programs on Fiddler

is happy to appear with the ensemble presenting many songs she treasures.

“I adore ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ because it is hauntingly beautiful,” said Meyer, who has appeared professionally for Writers Theatre in Chicago as well as concert programs and played Jewish comedian Fanny Brice as the lead for a U-M student-run production of the musical Funny Girl. “‘The Dream’ is artistically fulfilling, and ‘Tradition’ is such a classic that being able to sing it onstage feels like I’m continuing some form of legacy.”

Einhorn has followed a tradition of attending Sabbath services thanks to a connection at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit — collaborating remotely.

“I have a dear friend, Samantha Woll, who is president of the Downtown Synagogue, and I sign on for services,” he said. “I like their mission and community.”

Free programs associated with the Fiddler on the Roof production are being offered by the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, Center for Russian and East European Studies, Copernicus Center for Polish Studies and Center for European Studies to offer historical context and draw connections to modern migration and diasporic cultures: • From There to Here: The Yiddish Origins and the Cultural Travels of Fiddler on the Roof – noon, Wednesday, Feb. 16 (online) • Refugee Crises in Contemporary Europe, From the English Channel to the PolishBelarusian Border – noon, Friday, Feb. 18 (online) • Fiddler on the Roof: A Story Told on Polish Posters – Through Friday, March 18, at Weiser Hall Gallery Space, 500 Church St., Ann Arbor For full information, go to ums.org.

DETAILS Fiddler on the Roof in Concert will be performed at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20, at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor. $10-$20. (734) 764-2538. ums.org.

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ARTS&LIFE CELEBRITY NEWS

I WILL BARELY WATCH THE OLYMPICS; CAROLE KING & HER ALL-KOSHER BACKING BAND I doubt I will watch the Beijing Olympic Games. Maybe I’ll look at a few event clips. Holocaust-related recent news stories have cemented my feelings.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) knew that China was not likely to turn into a democracy or stop persecuting its citizens when they awarded the 2022 Games to China in 2015. But that didn’t stop them.

When Nazi Germany hosted the 1936 Olympics, the IOC at least had the weak excuse that the 1936 Winter and Summer Games were awarded to Germany in 1931, when Germany was still a democracy.

Before 1936, no non-democratic country hosted an Olympics Games and the stench of “Hitler’s Olympics” seemed strong enough that the Games would never go to a non-democratic country again.

But that assumption ended in 2008 when authoritarian China hosted the Summer Games. In fairness, there was a weak, if plausible excuse — many still thought that China would evolve into a more democratic country.

Any illusions about the IOC vanished when Russia was awarded the 2014 Winter Olympics. Russia got the Games despite “everybody knowing” that Putin had, step-by-step, turned Russia into an increasingly repressive dictatorship. During the 2014 Games, Russia portrayed itself as “a nice place.” This mirrored Nazi Germany, which suspended its public persecution of German Jews just before and during the 1936 Games.

Weeks after the 2014 Games ended, Russia invaded the Crimea, a part of Ukraine, and annexed it. In 2016, it was revealed that Russia had given performance-enhancing drugs to most of its athletes — something no democracy would try — and the

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FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

Carole King

BY JOHN MATHEW SMITH VIA WIKIMEDIA

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

IOC slapped Russia’s wrists. Now the speculation is that Putin is waiting for the Beijing Winter Games to end before invading Ukraine.

Since 2008, China has morphed into a much more repressive society under the leadership of Xi Jinping.

This has led Israeli human rights activist Natan Sharansky, French writer Bernard-Henri Levy and Elisha Wiesel (Elie Wiesel’s son), to take a full-page ad out in the NY Times (Jan. 31) asking athletes and supporting corporations to walk away from the Games until China stops its quasi-genocidal treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority.

A “walk-away” is very unlikely.

NBC, which paid billions for the TV rights, will concentrate almost entirely on the athletes and say the least they possibly can about China itself and about the human rights violations in China.

As for me, I will vote with my TV “clicker” and hardly watch the Games.

The good news in winter sports is that the most recent issue of Jewish Sports Review reports that 10 Jews are playing in the NHL this year. This is the first time I can recall that there is a “minyan” of Jews in a major pro sport. Please check online for more player details than I can fit in here. Here’s the list:

Jakob Chyrchrun, defenseman, Arizona; Adam Fox, defenseman, NY Rangers; Mark Friedman, defenseman, Pittsburgh; Jack Hughes, center, NJ Devils; Quinn Hughes (Jack’s brother), defenseman, Vancouver; Zach Hyman, center, Edmonton; Luke Kunin, center, Nashville; Chase Priskie, defenseman, Florida Panthers; Nate Thompson, center, Philadelphia; Jake Walman, defenseman, St. Louis; and Jason Zucker, defenseman, Pittsburgh.

I know that there are strong Detroit ties to Toronto. Mark Friedman, Zach Hyman and Jake Walman hail from that city. Also, a shout-out to Michigan natives who are playing hockey for Div. I colleges: Josh Nodler (Michigan State); Zach Dubinsky (Rensselaer Poly); and Max Miller (Harvard).

I Want You Back is an original Amazon Prime romantic comedy film that will premiere on Feb. 11.

Capsule plot: Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate, 39) are strangers who bond over the fact that they have just been dumped by their respective partners. Their relationship begins as a “misery loves company thing.” But it morphs into a “revenge” thing when they discover their former partners are in happy new romances.

On Feb. 10, HBO will begin streaming Just Call Out My Name. This documentary follows Carole King and James Taylor’s 2010 Troubadour Tour, and it features clips from the tour and interviews with King, 79, and Taylor about their long history of musical collaboration.

Also interviewed are guitarist Danny Kortchmar, 75, drummer Russ Kunkel, 73, and bassist Lee Sklar, 74. These great rock musicians played behind the duo during all their shows (from 1970-2010).

Sidenote: Kunkel’s first wife, Leah Cohen, now 73, was the sister of “Mama” Cass Elliott of The Mamas and Papas fame. After Cass’s sudden death in 1974, they raised her then 8-year-old daughter.

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

NOSH & KNOWLEDGE NOON, FEB 10 “Caring Capacity: A Jewish Perspective” will be presented on Zoom, sponsored by NCJW | MI and featuring Rabbi Blair Nosanwisch, director of spiritual care at Adat Shalom Synagogue. To register, visit NCJWMI.org.

REPAIRING LOVE LIVES 7-8 PM, FEB 10 Ian Kerner will discuss online his new book, So Tell Me About the Last Time You Had Sex: Laying Bare and Learning to Repair Our Love Lives.

Visit jlive.app/events/1013.

BOOK DISCUSSION 7-8 PM, FEB 10

BOOK DISCUSSION 7-8 PM, FEB 10 Join Rabbi Aaron Starr online for a discussion of People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present

by Dara Horn. Register at jlive.app/ events/1418 and receive the link to join on Zoom. In these essays, Horn

reflects on subjects as far-flung as the international veneration of Anne Frank, the mythology that Jewish family names were changed at Ellis Island and more.

CIRQUE CARNIVAL 8 PM, FEB. 11 Troupe Vertigo will lead a breathtaking journey with stunning aerial acts and acrobatic perfection synchronized with the music performed by the DSO at Orchestra Hall: tickets.dso.org.

MEADOWBROOK PLAY 6-8 PM, FEB 12 Writing Kevin Taylor will be performed at Meadow Brook Theatre, Wilson Hall, Room 20, Rochester. Ticket info at ticketmaster.com.

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION 2-3 PM, FEB. 14 Join Jewish Community Relations Council/American Jewish Committee and NCJW | MI online for a discussion with Michigan Sen. Rosemary Bayer for “The State of Gun Violence Prevention – Past, Present and Future.” Visit: jlive.app/ events/1530.

FEEDING THE FUTURE NOON, FEB. 16 “Technion’s Ingenious Approach to

Sustainable Food Tech” will be discussed by Professors Marcelle Machluf, Ester Segal and Uri Lesmes. Register: uso6web.zoom.us. Info: info@ats.org.

NETWORKING 6-7:30 PM, FEB. 16 NEXTWork is NEXTGen Detroit’s professional development and networking series for young Jewish Detroiters.

Jason Raznick, co-founder and CEO of Benzinga, will present. Check out Benzinga’s space in the Compuware World Headquarters building, Compuware World Headquarters, Suite 200, Detroit, and hear from Jason on what lessons he’s learned as a self-proclaimed start-up junkie that can be applied to anyone’s professional journey.

Cost: $10. Visit jlive.app/events/1469.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING WEBINAR 7-9 PM, FEB. 17 The NCJW | MI Human Trafficking Awareness Committee presents “Human Trafficking – A Different Perspective” webinar with Eli Zucker, accountability director of the Lantern Project. The webinar will focus on the normalization of sexual violence in the socialization of men and boys and its connection to human trafficking. Program is free, but registration is required at ncjwmi.org.

Compiled by Sy Manello/Editorial Assistant. Send items at least 14 days in advance to calendar@ thejewishnews.com.

The Zekelman Holocaust Center 2022 Art & Writing Competitions The Zekelman Holocaust Center looks forward to receiving creative entries from Michigan students in the areas of poetry, prose and art (2D and 3D pieces).

The Elie Wiesel Night Competition is for grades nine-12, and the Kappy Anne Frank Competition is for grades seven and eight.

The theme of this year’s competition is “The Power of Your Voice.”

Survivors — as well as those who perished during the Holocaust — have shared their voices through diaries, writings, testimonies, speeches, artwork

and many other mediums over time.

These pieces help us to learn about the Holocaust and to reflect on its meaning in the world today.

Aligning with The HC’s mission to engage, educate and empower by remembering the Holocaust, they invite students to share their own unique voices in this competition.

Visit www.holocaustcenter.org/ competition2022 to find competition rules, guidelines and entry forms.

Entries will be accepted until April 20, with the awards ceremony taking place in June.

Past Elie Wiesel Night Competition creative entries.

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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ILENE DUNN, 91, of West Bloomfield, died on Feb. 2, 2022.

She was the beloved wife for 70 years of Jerry Dunn; cherished mother of Margie Dunn (Mark Davidoff) and Karyn Dunn; grandmother of Avi (Amanda) Davidoff, Kale Davidoff and Reese Hood; adored great-grandmother of Chase Davidoff, Audrey Davidoff and Emmett Davidoff; sister of Diane Kaplan, Marlene Nessel and the late Carolyn Leiderman.

Interment was at Hebrew Memorial Park Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

SANFORD P. FLAYER, 69, of Southfield, died on Jan. 27, 2022.

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Finkel (Rocco Marinaccio) and 15 yrs. in business.Natalie Mark (Jan) Finkel.

JN 1/8 page 248-854-0775 Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions JN 1/8 page may be made to U-M Rogel Cancer Center, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, CCGC 6-303, Ann Arbor, MI 48109Weekly 0944; or National Foundation Headlines for Cancer Research, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 1105, Delivered Rockville, MD 20852. to Your Inbox.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

thejewishnews.com/newsletter

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SHIRLEY “RUTHIE” FULLER, 77, of Birmingham, died Jan. 26, 2022.

She is survived by her sons and daughters-inlaw, Allan (Katya Tsviardova) Licht, Brian and Barbara Light; daughter, Dawn Light; grandchildren, Rachel, Sarah, Jordan, Hannah, Naomi, Simone and Francis; great-grandchild, Delilah; brother and sisterin-law, David (Hope GellerFischel) Fischel; sisters, Alice Boerstler, Charlene Epstein, Marlene Fischel and Sally Kourtakis; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends She is also survived by her devoted loving cat, Roxy Fuller.

Mrs. Fuller was the beloved wife of the late Arnold Fuller and the late Jerry Light.

Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

RUTHE GOLDSTEIN, 84, of West Bloomfield, died on Feb. 1, 2022.

She was the beloved wife of the late Samuel Goldstein; cherished mother of Jonathan Goldstein (partner, Cheri Bashara) and Deborah Goldstein; grandmother of Tyler and Samantha Goldstein, and Marc Green; great-grandmother of Hazel HeidenreichGoldstein; sister of Judie Blumeno (Arnold Levitsky).

She is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews and a world of friends.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions continued on page 64 FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 10 10 •• 2022 2022

|| 63 63

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 63

may be made to Congregation Shaarey Zedek, Abe and Bea Katzman Camp Ramah Scholarship Fund, 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, MI 48034; Karmanos Cancer Institute, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI 48201; American Diabetes AssociationLocal Chapter, 20700 Civic Center, Southfield, MI 48076; Jewish Family Service, 6555 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

LAWRENCE JONAS, 76, of West Bloomfield, died on Jan. 30, 2022.

He was the husband for 54 years of Shirley Jonas; cherished father of Franklin Jonas and Joseph Jonas; brother-in-law of Aaron

and Cynthia Greenspon; cousin of Richard and Dena Sanders.

He is also survived by a world of friends.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Israel Defense Fund, P. O. Box 999, Walled Lake, MI 48390; Congregation Shaarey Zedek, 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, MI 48034; or to a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

MARTIN W. JOSEFF, 98, of West Bloomfield, died Jan. 28, 2022.

He is survived by his beloved wife, c. 1943 Corrine Joseff; son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Sherri Joseff; daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Edward Nager; grandchildren, Jennifer Joseff, Bree Goldsmith and Jason (Rita) Nager;

great-grandchild, Shay; many nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.

Mr. Joseff was the devoted brother of the late Ellanore (the late Merle) Bronstein, the late Blanche (the late Nardy) Levin and the late James (the late Rita) Joseff; son of the late Isadore and the late Yetta Joseff; son-in-law of the late Louis and the late Lena Corman; brother-in-law of the late Ralph and the late Marilyn Bernstein.

Interment took place at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Birmingham. Contributions may be made to the Jewish War Veterans or the Michigan Humane Society. Arrangements

by Dorfman Chapel.

JOYCE NELSON, 79, passed away on Jan. 31, 2022.

She was deeply loved for her selflessness, love of friends

and family, and enormous heart.

She was born June 28, 1942, in Detroit. Joyce was married to Elliott Nelson for 56 years; she proudly raised her family before retiring to Las Vegas in 1998.

Joyce was CEO of the Nelson family, where she sat front row center as captain of their cheer team for absolutely everything.

Later, she was promoted to bubbie as she mentored, loved and spoiled five of her proudest achievements, her grandchildren, a role she was born to play.

Joyce’s kitchen served as headquarters for friends and family to convene. She always had everyone’s favorite dessert and snacks and free flowing coffee. She lit up a room with her personality, kindness and positive disposition. She was a trusted ear and adviser to all.

Mrs. Nelson is survived by her husband, Elliott. She was an incredible mother to Marc Nelson, Lori Kraft (Paul), and

Yeshiva Beth Beth Yehudah Yeshiva Yehudah expresses its heartfelt and deepest condolences to the family of expresses its heartfelt and deepest condolences to the family of

Lois Avern Shiffman a”h Judge Cohn

a”h

Yeshiva dedicated the the learning learning for byby ourour students TheThe Yeshiva hashasdedicated forthis thismonth month students and KollelScholars Scholars in in the the merit of of and Kollel meritofofthe theneshama neshama Avern Cohn, ofofblessed Lois Shiffman, blessedmemory. memory.

Along with herCohn husband, Milton Shiffman, a”h, shetodedicated Judge will beDr. remembered for his dedication herJewish life and efforts to Education for all.

Education andsupporting his empathyJewish for those less fortunate.

May her virtuous efforts on behalf of the Jewish People May his virtuous efforts on behalf of the Jewish People and the Detroit community be a blessing to her family and to us all. and the Detroit community be a blessing to his family and us all.

Gary Torgow President Gary Torgow President 64

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FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

Rabbi Gershon Miller Dean Miller Rabbi Gershon Dean

Rabbi Shragie Myers Executive Rabbi ShragieDirector Myers Executive Director

Wendy Riback (Steve); and grandmother to Jake, Ashley, Gabi, Zak and Rosie. She is also survived by her brother, Ken. She was preceded in death by her sister, Micki Grossman; and brother, Sandy Sherman.

To honor Joyce, donations to the National Kidney Foundation or Nathan Adelson Hospice would be appreciated.

JOSEPH R. PAPO, passed away on Jan. 18, 2022.

Joe worked as a financial adviser for Roney and Company (now Raymond James) for 36 years until his retirement in 2007.

He loved and cherished his “girls,” loved watching the Tigers and Lions with Nancy, all of Carrie’s baked goods and going to Addy’s softball games.

He will be greatly missed.

He was a loving husband for 58 years to his wife, Cindy, whom he met on a blind date and they had not been apart since. He is also survived by two daughters, Nancy Papo and Carrie Kannisto (Mark); and one granddaughter, Addison (Addy); sister, Jean (Susan) Alspector (Stanley) of Colorado; in addition to several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Mr. Papo was predeceased by his parents, Sam and Pearl Papo.

Cremation has taken place.

There will be a celebration of life at a later date. Contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to Lewy Body Dementia Association or St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

BERNARD RUSS, 98, of Delray Beach, Fla., died Feb. 1, 2022.

He is survived by many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.

Mr. Russ was the beloved husband of the late Rose Russ.

Interment was held at Beth

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OBITUARIES

In Memory of Ruben Kurnetz, MD

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 65

Feb. 17, 1924 – Feb. 9, 2019 RUTH GRIMALDI SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

O

n Feb. 17, Dr. Ruben Kurnetz would have celebrated his 98th birthday. There is not a day that passes that I don’t think of him and miss him.

My life has never been the same since his death three years ago. He was only 94 years old, and we all needed him so much. I really thought he would live forever, and he will always be alive in my heart.

It was my distinct privilege to have met and known Dr. Kurnetz through his son, Sid, who was our former neighbor for a decade and with whom my husband Marv and I retain a friendship. During this time, a friendship evolved with Dr. Kurnetz, which Marv and I will always treasure.

Each morning, I shared daily telephone conversations with Dr. Kurnetz well before he left home for his daily walk at the First United Methodist Church in Birmingham. In my mind, I can still hear his strong resonant voice greeting me with “Yell-ow” — his signature greeting.

When he tired of chatting, he would end the conversation by saying “I’ve had enough of your mishigas; Call me tomorrow.” And I always did.

Dr. Kurnetz once shared with me that he was not a religious man, but a moral man. When we spoke of his theological beliefs, he once said, “God does not have a cellphone.”

I remember making reg-

Dr. Ruben Kurnetz

ular visits to the cemetery to visit his grave hopeful to, once again, hear his words of wisdom. One time, despite the regularity of my visits, as I stumbled over snow- covered ground, I simply could not find his grave.

I can still remember tears streaming down my face, saying Kaddish, audibly beseeching the bleak, gray skies. ‘Where are you, Dr. Kurnetz?” I listened intently and I heard his response despite the answer I would have preferred.

“Hey, kiddo, I’m not here anymore. Where I am I see things from a totally different perspective. You don’t need to come here anymore.”

I think Dr. Kurnetz finally found the cellphone.

One day, too, I will find the cellphone. Until then, I will find comfort in the knowledge that, until we meet again, I will know that I was blessed to share a friendship with a “straight shooter” who will remain in my heart and in my memory bank for the duration of my years.

Dr. Kurnetz’s memory is for a blessing.

continued from page 65

El Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions can be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

PHYLLIS MARSHA SALOMON, 82, of Commerce Township, died Feb. 3, 2022.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Marvin Salomon; daughters and son-in-law, Joanna and Jack Geer, Anita Salomon; son and daughter-in-law, Alan and Ann Salomon; grandchildren, Joshua Geer, Leah and Jeremy Salomon, and Wylie Farris; sister and brother-in-law, Sheila and Sheldon Kohn; sister-inlaw, Lorraine (William) Irving; many other loving family members and friends.

Interment took place at Beth El Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to Hermelin Brain Tumor Fund or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel NORMA STOLLER, 100, of West Bloomfield, died Jan. 28, 2022.

She is survived by her children, Elaine (Kerry) Greenhut, Dr. Kenneth (Sheryl) Stoller, Lisa (Larry) Jackson and Howard (Carol) Stoller; grandchildren, David (Dr. Dana) Greenhut, Rebecca (Steven) Blaharski, Sandra (Bryan) Hamburger, Daniel (Rachel) Stoller, Jeffrey Stoller, Joel Jackson (fiancée, Rachel Kraig), Jared (Whitnee) Jackson, Steven Jackson, Jacob Stoller and Shannon Stoller;

great-grandchildren, Andrew, Alyssa, Julia, Leslie, Alex, Hayley and Charlotte; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.

Mrs. Stoller was the beloved wife of the late Sol Stoller.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

BRUCE E. THAL, 90, of Birmingham, passed away due to complications from Parkinson’s disease on Jan. 29, 2022.

He graduated from Central High School in 1949 and the University of Michigan School of Business in 1952. It was at the Michigan League on the U-M campus that he

met Ileane Levine, beginning a romance that would endure until her passing in 2015.

They married in 1953 and raised their family in Oak Park and then Huntington Woods, before moving to Birmingham.

Bruce’s life was one of professional achievement and community service. His 40-year career in accounting began in the local partnership he launched as a young postgraduate and culminated as a partner of Deloitte. He served as president of the boards of Sinai Hospital and of Jewish Vocational Services and as a board member of the Michigan Humane Society and the City of Birmingham Planning Board. As a civic leader, he was invariably wise and steady.

Beyond all these achievecontinued on page 68

We understand that grief is a part of love.

Let us assist your family during this difficult period.

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 67

ments, Bruce was a mensch.

Everyone who met him knew him to be warm, generous, soft-spoken, with a self-deprecating sense of humor. But he also had a sense of integrity that was unshakeable, an instinct for doing right, a sharp and curious mind, and a deep sense of loyalty to all his communities. His friends from every phase of his life — his Detroit neighborhood, Central High, the University of Michigan — remained friends for life, sharing golf games, diner lunches and political arguments decades later.

Most of all, he took endless delight in his family: in the careers of his children and their partners, in the soccer, softball and baseball

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games, singing performances and life adventures of his grandchildren. He also loved the dogs in his life: Caesar, Slicker, Max and Gracie.

After retirement, he and Gracie would spread that joy by visiting residents in the adult care facility of Jewish Vocational Services.

Bruce was a lifelong devotee of Metro Detroit, its cultural institutions and its sports teams. Another great love of his life was the University of Michigan. He attended football games at the Big House for 75 years, always equipped with ponchos for the rain, hand heaters in the snow, and with maize and blue paraphernalia. It is a great joy and comfort to his loved ones that in the fall of 2021, at the age of 90, he was able to attend five U-M games and the team went undefeated in

all of them.

Mr. Thal is mourned by his children, Denise (David Scobey), Robert Thal and Susan (Ed Siebert); his grandchildren, Jake, Rafe and Isaac Scobey-Thal, and Samantha, Jesse and Lena Siebert; his partner, Heather Armbruster; and by a large extended family of nieces, nephews, cousins and a community of friends.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Ileane Thal; brothers, Donald and Richard Thal; parents, Ellis and Dorothy Thal.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to Temple Israel, Dorothy Thal Summer Camp Fund, 5725 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

The Jewish News was saddened by the death of Judge Avern Cohn on Feb. 4. Look for a remembrance of his life and legacy in next week’s issue.

CORRECTION The obituary for Donald Davis (Feb. 3) should have indicated that he was also survived by brother-in-law and sister-inlaw, Bob and Reva Rosen.

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

U-M’s Constitutional Scholar

P

rofessor Yale Kamisar, legal scholar and author, died peacefully on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, surrounded by his loving family.

Yale was born in the Bronx, N.Y., on Aug. 29, 1929, to Samuel and Mollie (Levine) Kamisar, Eastern European Jewish immigrants with limited formal education. From these modest beginnings, he became an eminent legal scholar, author and teacher.

At the time of his passing, Yale was the Clarence Darrow Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Michigan, where he had taught (and entertained) students for 40 years.

A nationally recognized authority on constitutional law and criminal procedure, Professor Kamisar was often referred to as the “father of Miranda” for his influential role in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision of Miranda v. Arizona in 1966. The Court cited one of Kamisar’s most famous essays, “Equal Justice in the Gatehouses and Mansions of American Criminal Procedure,” in that decision.

But Professor Kamisar’s contributions to the field of criminal law extend far beyond Miranda. His writings on criminal law and the administration of justice spanned decades, influencing generations of scholars, jurists and lawyers.

Professor Kamisar’s work has been cited in more than 30 U.S. Supreme Court opinions and hundreds of lower federal court and state court decisions.

Francis A. Allen, former dean

of University of Michigan Law School, described Yale’s book Police Interrogation and Confessions: Essays in Law and Policy (1980), as “one of the great achievements of legal scholarship since the end of the Second World War.” Professor Kamisar also wrote extensively on the U.S. Supreme Court, contributing to five annual volumes of The Supreme Court: Trends and Developments, as well as chapters on criminal procedure for The Burger Court: The Counter-Revolution That Wasn’t, The Burger Years and The Warren Court: A Retrospective.

A prolific casebook writer, Professor Kamisar co-authored 10 editions of Modern Criminal Procedure: Cases, Comments & Questions, and 10 editions of Constitutional Law: Cases, Comments & Questions over a 50-year span. Most law schools continue to use these textbooks today, a testament to the enduring value of his work.

Over the years, Professor Kamisar received a range of honors and awards in recognition of his contributions to law and legal scholarship. In 1978, he received an L.L.D. honorary degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.

The following year, he received an honorary degree from the University of Puget Sound. In 1990, the National Law Journal named him as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in the country.

When Professor Kamisar retired from full-time teaching in 2004, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote a tribute, stating that “from his early years as a

Yale Kamisar

law teacher, Yale produced path-marking scholarship.” She added: “with Yale … I have seen not only the mark of a great warrior, ever ready to leap into the breach to relieve injustice. I have seen, as well, a fine thinker at work, one ready to reconsider even long-held beliefs in hopes of finding a better answer.”

Professor Kamisar was an alumnus of New York University, which he attended on an academic scholarship, and Columbia Law School, where he was a member of the Columbia Law Review and graduated second in his class.

Professor Kamisar was also a veteran who served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army during the Korean War. In 1952, he commanded a platoon in the assault on T-Bone Hill, during which he was wounded in one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

During that battle, he ascended the enemy-occupied hill in broad daylight with just one man in front of him and hundreds of soldiers behind him.

He was awarded four military medals: the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation,

the National Defense Service Medal and the Republic of Korea-Korea War Service Medal.

After the war, he began his legal career as an associate at Covington and Burling in Washington, D.C., where he practiced antitrust law under the mentorship of firm partner Dean Acheson, former Secretary of State in the Harry S. Truman Administration.

Yale soon left private practice to begin his teaching career at the University of Minnesota Law School and then Harvard Law School. In 1965, he became a tenured professor at the University of Michigan, retiring in 2003.

Yale was a loving husband, father and grandfather, who will be deeply missed by his family. He will be remembered not only for his devotion to his family but also for his keen sense of humor and extraordinary ability to tell a great story, a talent that has been passed on to his sons.

Professor Kamisar is survived by his wife, Joan (Russell); sons, David (Denise) Kamisar of West Bloomfield, Gordon (Karen) Kamisar of Sammamish, Wash., and Jonathan (Stacy) Kamisar of Weston, Conn,; grandchildren, Jennifer, Nicholas, Ben (Shelby Lopez) and Mia Kamisar; sister, Myrna (Jerry) Berkin; extended family members, friends, colleagues. He was preceded in death by his twin sister, Bernice (Samuel) Adler.

Interment was at Forest Hill Cemetery, Ann Arbor.

Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

FEBRUARY 10 • 2022

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Looking Back

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

To Boldly Go …

I

have a quiz for you. Do you know Captain Kirk or Dr. Spock? Are you familiar with humanoids from other planets such as Klingons or Romulans?

Can you recognize the profile of the Starship Enterprise? Are there times you wish you had a transporter? Or a phaser?

Better yet, can you perform the Vulcan hand gesture (one hand facing outward, fingers up, open space between the third and fourth finger to form a V)?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you have watched Star Mike Smith Trek on TV or a Star Trek Alene and Graham Landau movie at the theater. If Archivist Chair you answered yes to all the questions, you might just be a “Trekkie.”

I recently read about the Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center, a prominent and large Jewish cultural institution in Los Angeles, California. Organized by the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington, Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds brings together rare artifacts, props, costumes and other objects, as well as photo and video interactives, all about the fictional adventures of the Starship Enterprise.

The message of Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds is that a science fiction franchise that began with a network television series in 1965 has had a lasting impact upon modern society. Proof of this thesis can be found in everyday life, and in 268 pages of the JN in the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History.

One can also argue that Star Trek was heavily influenced by Jewish culture.

First, three Jewish actors — William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Walter Koenig — had key roles in the original television series. If I attempted to list all the Jewish guest stars in the original series, subsequent spin-offs and feature

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films from the last 50 years, I would need a page or two in the JN. What is most fascinating to me is the infusion of Star Trek into our society.

The first mention of Star Trek is an announcement for Henry Ford High School’s “Bandtastic” program, during which teachers did a spoof of Star Trek (March 14, 1969). Indeed, there have been many concerts that include music from Star Trek (June 27, 1980). Of course, there are lots of ads for theaters showing Star Trek movies and video stores (remember them?) with the latest releases of Star Trek on VCR tapes and/or DVDs. To say nothing of advertisements for Star Trek collectables as well as various activities of “Trekkies;” that is, seriously devoted fans.

The affect on everyday Jewish Detroit was immense. For example, individuals placing announcements in the JN’s “People Connector” in the 1990s would cite their love of Star Trek. The obituary for Harvey Weisberg. executive of the local Chatham Supermarket chain and prominent Jewish communal leader, cited his interest in Star Trek (July 7, 2016). In 2016, the Jewish Book Fair had a “Night of Star Trek.” It cited 30 events that “boldly go where no book fair has ever gone before” (Oct. 20, 2016).

Even the JN’s supreme wordmeister, Sy Manello, referenced Star Trek in one of his columns (Sept. 27, 2007).

I’ll conclude with the Vulcan farewell that seems a little bit Jewish to me. There is a good chance you already know it: “Live long and prosper.”

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

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