DJN March 17th, 2022

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS 200 March 17-23, 2022 / 14-20 Adar II 5782

$

thejewishnews.com

There’s A Group for That Federation’s Affinities Department offers lots of options for Gen Xers.

See page 12

S:6.875"

Good health requires nourishment for your body and your mind.

We’re here for it all.

S:9.375"

Confidence comes with every card.®

At Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, we’re here for you with access to care for both your physical and mental health wherever and whenever you need it. Including online visits from the privacy of your own home. Because we know that good health is whole health.

Learn more at HereForItAll.com Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

BCB144260_DivPrint_GH_NewWholeHealth_JewishNews_F1_12-16-21_Ins.indd 1

12/2/21 4:26 PM

contents

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

March 17-23, 2022 / 14-20 Adar II 5782 | VOLUME CLXVI, ISSUE 5

PURELY COMMENTARY 4-10

37

Essays and viewpoints.

Students saw Ukrainian refugees in need of food, so they went grocery shopping.

OUR COMMUNITY 12

16

20

22

There’s A Group for That

Federation’s Affinities Department offers lots of options for Gen Xers.12

Marathon on the Lanes

A global network is sending Ukrainian civilians supplies, battling Russian propaganda.

39

Quick Hits

Someday … Is Here

41

Local Effort Effecting Change

Torah Portion

A Lone Soldier’s Story

44

Left- and Right-Brain Judaism

46

Synagogue Directory

Real-Time Help

Zoom seminar will help you plan your Pesach budget.

Across the world, the Chabad network is saving Ukrainian Jews.

More than 100 people attend program with Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein.

Stop Hate!

14-year-old Girl Scout wins award for project on Holocaust.

Retiring Owner Completes Hygrade Deli Sale

Stuart Litt plans on staying on through March to help with the transition.

NEXT DOR

36

ARTS&LIFE 48

Evening with Fiddler on The Roof

Community, passion and philanthropy meet at U-M event.

28

Book review: One Week in 1930’s Detroit

Savage City, by Donald Levin (Poison Toe Press: Ferndale), 2021

50

Ties with India

52

Celebrity News

Chabad JCC Grand Opening

BUSINESS

34

Moments

43

26

32

MAZEL TOV SPIRIT

A Stress-Free Seder

30

Snowstorm forces Frankel bowlers to roll 12 games in one day.

Rabbi Josh Warshawsky will lead Shabbaton at Congregation Shaarey Zedek March 25-26.

Grandson of local Holocaust survivor honors his family by serving in Israel Defense Forces.

16

SPORTS 38

24

28

MSU Students in Poland Moved to Action

New book looks at synergies between Judaism and Indian religions.

EVENTS 54

Community Calendar

ETC.

34

The Exchange 55 Obits 57 Looking Back 62 Shabbat Lights

Shabbat begins: Friday, March 18, 7:24 p.m.

Shabbat ends: Saturday, March 19, 8:26 p.m. * Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

Meet Sruli Klein

For thousands of Jewish customers, his service helps provide full kosher travel experience.

ON THE COVER: Cover photo/credit: Wolfe flight simulator. Photo courtesy of Federation.

Cover design: Michelle Sheridan MARCH 17 • 2022

|

3

JEWISH AGENCY FOR ISRAEL

AMERICAN JEWISH JOINT DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE

PURELY COMMENTARY

update

Federation’s Ukraine Crisis Fund

I

t is in times of crisis that the strength and resilience of our local and international Jewish community is most evident.

This remarkable community has raised over $3 million to provide urgent support to the Jewish population of Ukraine.

Roughly half of those funds have been allocated through the Jewish Federation’s Ukraine Emergency Campaign to our international partners on Matthew B. the ground: American Joint Lester Distribution Committee (JDC), The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and World ORT. The other half of the funding has been made directly to those relief organizations by a variety of local Jewish foundations and Dennis S. funders. Once again, we want to Bernard express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has participated in this effort.

Tragically, the crisis continues to deepen. As we watch events unfold in Ukraine, we continue to pray for the safety and Steven well-being of our Jewish family, Ingber as well as the entire civilian population.

Your support makes a difference. Below you’ll find information on how our partner agencies have been providing critical humanitarian aid during this crisis.

JEWISH AGENCY FOR ISRAEL (JAFI) • The Jewish Agency for Israel has received

4

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

some 6,000 requests to immigrate to Israel in recent days and believes that up to 15,000 Ukrainian immigrants could arrive in Israel in the near future, in what would only be the first wave of refugees headed to the Jewish state.

Seven hundred Jews have so far arrived at aliyah (immigration to Israel) processing centers including 100 Jewish orphans.

• The Agency is now operating both within Ukraine and within Poland, Moldova, Romania and Hungary — all neighboring countries — at five different crossings and have secured over 5,000 beds in transit facilities. The Agency reports that they are seeing a significant increase in the number of people seeking to reach the border and they are helping families and refugees escape through various and complex rescue/transportation channels.

• 150 community organizations across Ukraine identified by the Jewish Agency’s Security Assistance Fund will receive immediate assistance for protection. This budget will be used to implement security measures at Jewish organizations and institutions across the country.

AMERICAN JEWISH JOINT DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE (JDC) • In more than 1,000 locations across Ukraine, JDC provides a lifeline for an estimated 40,000 Jewish elderly and 2,500 poor Jewish children and their families through its network of services, Jewish community programs and Jewish leaders.

• In total, JDC has helped shelter approximately 1,500 Jewish refugees, and given other support to some 3,000-4,000 Jews, plus thou-

sands more non-Jewish refugees. The assistance includes transit advice, food and more.

• JDC has also evacuated more than 3,000 Jews together with Chabad, local Jewish communities in Ukraine, the Jewish Agency, and the Jewish communities of Romania, Poland, Moldova and Hungary.

WORLD ORT • World ORT supports seven schools in Ukraine: in Chernivtsi, Dnipro, Belaya Tzerkov, Odessa and Zaporozhe, and two in Kyiv. These schools educate more than 3,000 full-time students.

• ORT also runs KesherNet centers, which support unemployed women with job training, as well as an education center in Kyiv and a technology center in Dnipro. As a result of the war, all ORT schools in Ukraine are currently closed and mobility is limited.

• As a result of 25 years of building schools and training centers in Ukraine, there are today more than 8,000 people who rely on ORT as part of their daily lives. Since the start of the conflict, these lives have, of course, been upended by rockets, sirens and violence.

• The ORT School in neighboring Moldova is preparing to eventually accept ORT Ukraine refugees at their school and is helping with accommodations and essentials.

Donate to the Ukraine Emergency Campaign at jewishdetroit.org/ukraine.

Thank you for your support, and for all you have done for our local and international Jewish community.

Matthew B. Lester is president of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, Dennis S. Bernard is president of the United Jewish Foundation and Steven Ingber is CEO of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

Just a

Drive Away

Two Amazing Courses

One Membership

Lincoln Hills GC 2666 West 14 Mile Road Birmingham, MI 48009

(248) 530-1670

Call Us to Register Today!

GolfBirmingham.org

Springdale GC 316 Strathmore Birmingham, MI 48009

(248) 530-1660

PURELY COMMENTARY update

Operation Re-Connect

A

fter two years of COVID-restricted travel to Israel, Michigan Israel Business Accelerator (MIBA) CEO Scott Hiipakka finally arrived in the Start-Up Nation for a five-day whirlwind visit in Naomi Miller January. Meeting hosts rolled out the “red carpet” — meeting a real live American in the flesh, without the filter of a computer screen, was both exciting and encouraging as we hopefully turn “the COVID corner.”

The MIBA team in Israel, myself and Liza Yedwab, accompanied Scott throughout the week, meeting with multiple business and government

partners on the ground, separated only by masks. While most visits were defense oriented, MIBA’s other strategic areas of focus were addressed, including health, sustainability and mobility. The message at all meetings was clear — do not underestimate the potential of collaborating with Michigan!

We were welcomed warmly at Elbit, Israel’s largest privately traded defense electronics company. They were excited to learn about furthering relationships with Michigan, especially when hearing about the options for defense product experimentation in Michigan’s National All Domain Warfighting Center — Camp Grayling.

Our meeting with the Defense Cooperation of the U.S. Embassy surpassed

Israel-based staff Naomi Miller and Liza Yedwab with MIBA CEO Scott Hiipakka.

expectations. We were pleasantly surprised to be welcomed by six embassy representatives, including the defense attaché. Again, they were fascinated to learn about the state of Michigan and its potential in the defense arena.

A day with the leaders of the innovation teams at Ben Gurion University of the Negev and the Municipality of Beer Sheeva showcased the endless creativity and innovation of this southern desert city. Focusing on future collaboration in areas including sustainability, digital health and cyber, they showed deep interest in developing a strong

relationship with the city of Detroit and with the innovation segments of Michigan universities. The encounters with them were inspiring.

They proudly fulfill the legacy of the namesake of their university, David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister and advocate of the potential of the desert when he said, “It’s not enough to be up to date, you have to be up to tomorrow.”

It is not often that Israelis, who serve in compulsory military service from age 18 and continue in reserve duty into their 40s, meet a U.S. Brigadier General (CEO Scott continued on page 9

Publisher The Detroit Jewish News Foundation

| Board of Directors: Chair: Gary Torgow Vice President: David Kramer Secretary: Robin Axelrod Treasurer: Max Berlin Board members: Larry Jackier, Jeffrey Schlussel, Mark Zausmer

Senior Advisor to the Board: Mark Davidoff Alene and Graham Landau Archivist Chair: Mike Smith Founding President & Publisher Emeritus: Arthur Horwitz Founding Publisher Philip Slomovitz, of blessed memory

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

Schwartz, Mike Smith, Steve Stein, Julie Smith Yolles, Ashley Zlatopolsky

| Advertising Sales Director of Advertising: Keith Farber kfarber@thejewishnews.com Senior Account Executive: Kathy Harvey-Mitton kmitton@thejewishnews.com

| Business Office Director of Operations: Amy Gill agill@thejewishnews.com Operations Manager: Andrea Gusho agusho@thejewishnews.com Operations Assistant: Ashlee Szabo Circulation: Danielle Smith Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner

| Production By Farago & Associates Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Kelly Kosek, Kaitlyn Schoen, Deborah Schultz, Michelle Sheridan

MISSION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will be of service to the Jewish community. The Detroit Jewish News will inform and educate the Jewish and general community to preserve, protect and sustain the Jewish people of greater Detroit and beyond, and the State of Israel.

VISION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will operate to appeal to the broadest segments of the greater Detroit Jewish community, reflecting the diverse views and interests of the Jewish community while advancing the morale and spirit of the community and advocating Jewish unity, identity and continuity.

6

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

1942 - 2022 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week

DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520) is published every Thursday at 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: send changes to: Detroit Jewish News, 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334

To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.djnfoundation.org

An Imperial Mughal Album Folio 4.27.22 6:00p

FIA Theater

Guest Lecturer

Dr. Katherine Kasdorf In 2019, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) acquired a richly detailed, double-sided folio that once belonged to an album commissioned by the emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628–58), patron of the Taj Mahal, toward the end of his reign. In this presentation, we will take a close look at the DIA folio, as well as related works, exploring its details, its historical and artistic contexts, and what it tells us about imperial Mughal art-collecting practices.

Dr. Katherine Kasdorf is Associate Curator of Arts of Asia and the Islamic World at the Detroit Institute of Arts. She received her Ph.D. in South Asian art history from Columbia University in 2013.

Prior to joining the DIA in 2017, she held a WielerMellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellowship at the Walters Art Museum (Baltimore). She has published articles on architectural reuse in Hindu and Islamic contexts in South Asia, and on works of Tibetan art at the Walters Art Museum.

Complimentary Admission

The Sheppy Dog Fund, Dr. Alan Klein, Advisor, presents topics of art, religion, and history through its funded lecture series.

Upcoming Lectures 6.15.22 & 6.22.22 Real Books of Magic

7.20.22

Beautiful Death

11.9.22

The Search for the Lost Shapira Dead Sea Scroll—Was it Genuine or a Modern Forgery?

12.7.22

Leonardo da Vinci, the Last Supper, and the Art of Throwing a Great Dinner Party

1120 E Kearsley St, Flint 810.234.1695 flintarts.org Mughal, Indian, Portrait of a Courtier, Folio from the Late Shah Jahan Album (verso), portrait, ca. 1650, borders between 1650 and 1658; Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper, 151/4 x 10 inches. Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, 2019.98.B. Detroit Institute of Arts.

PURELY COMMENTARY from Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs

T

he war raging in Ukraine today has plunged Jews in that country into the most acute crisis that has faced any large Jewish community in decades.

We, the global Jewish community, are therefore Dr. Nachman facing the biggest Shai test in a generation to demonstrate as a people the solidarity and care for our brothers and sisters facing such danger that previous generations showed in similar situations.

Ukraine is home to at least 200,000 Jews and those with Jewish ancestry, comprising one of the biggest Jewish communities in the world outside of Israel and the U.S. That

community, along with all other Ukrainian citizens, is now facing the most dire circumstances imaginable, from indiscriminate aerial and artillery bombardment to food shortages, loss of property and possessions, and exposure to the bitterly cold Eastern European winter.

If ever there was a time for the global Jewish community, in Israel and the Diaspora, to take responsibility for its brethren, then that time is now.

I believe that the initial response shown by the government of Israel and world Jewry represents the opening of a new chapter of Jewish solidarity, something which is particularly needed and welcome in Israel.

In the past and even today, the default attitude of many Israelis, including opinion mak-

NATI SHOHAT/FLASH90

One People, Dispersed Around the Globe

Jewish Ukrainian refugees sit at an emergency shelter sponsored by the IFCJ (International Fellowship of Christians and Jews) and the JDC in Chisinau, Moldova, March 5, 2022.

ers and senior government officials, to the concerns of Jews in the Diaspora has often been to tell them simply to make aliyah.

Even in the early 2000s, when

Jewish leaders were reviving Jewish life in the former Soviet Union, former prime minister Ariel Sharon reprimanded them for building Jewish life anew in

Babyn Yar, the site of the massacre of 33,000 Jews in World War II, is home to a Holocaust memorial site.

This area was a recent victim of Russia’s attacks on the 31-year-old independent country of Ukraine. After breaking off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1991, Ukraine is once again under scrutiny.

In modern times, Zionist movements are often obstructed by misinterpretation in the media and across the world. Frankel Jewish Academy (FJA) teaches that a strong connection to Israel is essential to the maintenance of a strong Jewish people.

By maintaining a concrete connection to Israel, we preserve an influential Jewish community. When the Jewish people are banded together, we are able to condemn antisemitism and world leaders attempting to disrupt our self-sufficiency. Now is the time to combat antisemitism.

Now is the time to support Israel. It is our responsibility to respond, and condemn, any and all forms of antisemitism across the world. If enough people hear and read bigoted statements, we will lose our ability to assert our free will.

While events like the Russian invasion into

student’s corner

Let Freedom Prevail

“N

ever shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself.

Never,” wrote Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in his poem Never Shall I Forget.

“We shall Harry Shaevsky never forget” is often repeated on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, to mourn the death of more than 6 million Jewish people. Six million mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and friends.

Now, more than ever before,

8

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

it is the time to unify and push back against world leaders who attempt to revive world powers of the past.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is one of as many as 400,000 Jewish people still living in the European country of Ukraine.

Zelensky’s grandfather was the only brother of four who survived the Holocaust.

Zelensky has displayed tremendous bravery; the Ukrainian embassy in Britain says Zelensky refused United States’ offers to escort him away from Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city. Zelensky made clear to the U.S., “I need ammunition, not a ride.”

those lands, saying it was stymieing aliyah.

Today, however, the situation in Israel is changing.

The State of Israel has acted swiftly to assist Ukrainian Jewry. We have approved the transfer of NIS 15 million (some $4.5 million) to two large Jewish organizations on the ground for them to purchase food, medicine and other necessities. The money is also being used to provide physical security for Jewish communities in the country, a crucial necessity in such unstable times, and to help transport those seeking to reach the borders.

In addition to this support, the Jewish Agency and Nativ have been working in incredibly difficult circumstances to assist Jews in Ukraine who have requested to make aliyah during this time get that process moving.

And of course, Israel’s foreign Ukraine may seem rather irrelevant to the tasks presented in our everyday lives, we must understand its similarities to Adolf Hitler’s 1939 invasion of Poland.

Hitler’s invasion was a sign of his intention to not only obtain more land, but also more influence. This invasion of a bordering country, like the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict, would be the first act of Hitler’s regime, and the beginning of the genocide of 6 million Jewish people.

Citizens of the world must not let Russia’s attack on its western neighbor lead to invasions on North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) territory or any other independent nations.

Many politicians refer

ministry has worked tirelessly to extract thousands of Israelis from the country, as is the responsibility of any sovereign country to its citizens.

At the same time, the world Jewish community has mobilized in full force to take care of our Jewish brothers and sisters facing the awful and perilous realities of modern warfare.

Whether it is the incredible work of the Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod, the JDC, Chabad and numerous other groups, Jews around the world have come together at this moment in solidarity with their brethren in Ukraine.

What we are witnessing in Israel, in particular, is the beginning of the emergence of a true sense of Jewish solidarity, in which the Jewish state seeks to assist all Jews, wherever they might be and where they are at the time of their distress. to the Russian invasion as an “unprovoked attack,” similar to Hitler’s assault on Poland. It is our obligation to educate ourselves on the reality of the current situation and support Jewish people in Ukraine by donating resources and supporting organizations for those attempting to flee to a neighboring country.

Additionally, we should support Zionist organizations because with the current trajectory of world annexation, it is impossible to predict how our right to freedom of religion, or our Israeli homeland, may be targeted in the future.

Harry Shaevsky is a sophomore at Frankel Jewish Academy. This is the first in a series of essays from students at Metro Detroit day schools.

If Ukrainian Jews or any other Jewish community need Israel as a place of refuge, then we will of course welcome them with open arms. But we in Israel must be also be ready and willing to assist Jews even if they do not wish to move to this country. The assistance that we have provided to Ukrainian Jewry is a crucial next step in solidifying Israeli solidarity with Diaspora Jews. And the provision of this aid is testament to the readiness of the Israeli government to look out for the wellbeing of the global Jewish people and our desire to take the lead on this front as well.

The decision to extend this assistance received broad and positive coverage in the Israeli media and has helped to demonstrate to the Israeli public at large what Jewish peoplehood actually means. Israelis are now seeing in real time what peoplehood means, and what taking

care of Jews abroad actually looks like.

JEWISH PEOPLEHOOD For me, Jewish peoplehood, the idea that we are indeed one people despite being dispersed around the globe, is a critical concept for the global Jewish people today.

If Israel and its citizens cannot understand how important its relationship with Diaspora Jewry is, the Jewish state is likely to become alienated from large parts of the Jewish people, a trend which has already begun within certain demographics.

Equally, world Jewry must also work to ensure that it does not lose its sense of belonging to the Jewish state, a key anchor for Jewish identity, culture and indeed security for the global Jewish people.

The Jewish nation is small continued on page 11

OPERATION RE-CONNECT continued from page 6

Hiipakka) who understands and speaks their military language. This was most evident in the numerous meetings MIBA held with the Israel Ministry of Defense and the IAI Israel Aerospace Industries, the country’s major aerospace and aviation manufacture.

No visit to Israel is complete without exploring the country’s fascinating history. We were hosted by the dynamic Father Kelly at Magdala, a crossroads of Jewish and Christian history.

An active dig and archaeological park on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the site commemorates the public life and ministry of Jesus. Its modern church boasts magnificent mosaic floors and installations, all inspired by the recent discoveries from the ancient syna-

gogues and public structures in the town.

This successful week of visits lay the groundwork for the upcoming MIBA defense delegation of 15 Michigan companies this month. They will meet with Israeli corporate counterparts, government representatives and participate in ISDEF, an annual Israeli defense conference that hosts more than 100 Israeli international exhibitors. We are looking forward to turning our delegations back on and hosting our friends from Michigan to Israel.

Naomi Miller is Director of Israel Partnerships at the MIBA and Director of Missions and Israel Representative at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

9

PURELY COMMENTARY essay

Playing the Hand You’re Dealt

I

and a lot of other folks recently have learned how important our regular poker/canasta/bridge/mahj games were, when COVID showed up and made it much harder for us to meet in person.

And while many of us found ways Jeff London to play online or on Zoom, we soon learned that the intimate experience of guys or gals getting together around a card table was not the same online.

There’s something special about getting together in person for a regular game.

There’s the commitment, evident when you say, “See you next week” as you’re leaving.

There’s the feeling of camaraderie, similar to being on a softball or bowling team or in a tennis or golf league.

Although in a card game you are not all on the same team against other teams, you still feel like you belong to something. There are shared memories of “Do you remember the time when …?”

My Thursday night poker game includes seven or eight guys who have met almost every week for 40-plus years, with each guy, in turn, hosting the group. While most of us don’t socialize often outside of the “Game,” we enjoy each other’s simchahs and are there for each other’s losses.

However, the mild-mannered guys in our cohort suddenly morph around a card

10

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

table into vehement poker mavens, with nicknames like the Bad Seed, the Eggman, the Sandman or Last Card London.

Most of the guys are now retired or semi-retired. For a long time, when we all were working, Thursday-night poker served a vital function to get us through our work weeks. I recall a voice in my head which called to me, starting on each Monday morning: “Thursday night, if you can only get to Thursday night, you’ll have the Game to help you get to Friday and the weekend.”

The anticipation of our weekly game felt like an oasis in the desert: A place apart from the rest of the world and the demands of work, parental and spousal duties. We could almost be guaranteed at least one or two belly laughs each week.

However, scheduling the game has recently been more and more difficult, due first to some of the guys spending more time in Florida in winter months and then to COVID. The game took a major hit 15 years ago when my best friend from childhood, Wally (called Walt by the poker guys) moved to Arizona.

Wally was the cause of more raucous laughter than all the other guys combined. As an example, one of the guys, before COVID, who commuted to our game almost every Thursday from Windsor, was immortalized by Walt’s

famous comment: “There are 50 words for snow, but apparently no Canadian words for ‘I fold!’”

An even more serious blow was the loss of our good friend Marty to lung cancer three years ago. Marty (the Kid) was a guy who knew how to tease me and others, but always in a loving way.

Since his passing, we play his favorite game our first hand every week in his honor, and we are always aware of his absence from the table. He was a wonderful friend who taught us all the meaning of healthy competition and overall menschiness.

Our good buddy Eliot (Bubba) also had the nerve to move to Florida last year with his significant other. Some folks just have no sense of priorities. The rest of us are still trying to keep the game alive, but some weeks are tougher than others.

I am reminded of a memory from my childhood of my dad’s weekly Monday bridge games with his friends. I liked it when they came to our house after dinner, for their two-table game, about once every two months. My siblings and I got first dibs on the snacks, and my dad let

me deal out the cards, until one week where I sneakily gave one player 13 spades.

The guys were ready to call Ripley’s Believe It or Not until I fessed up.

But my memory shifts to a later time, recalling how my dad’s weekly game was forced to change as his guys got older. First, they moved to playing during the day, since driving at night wasn’t so easy. Then, they started having more difficulty finding enough guys for a game, due to deaths and illnesses.

Eventually the game just stopped. At the time, I saw how disappointed my dad was, but, of course, I didn’t foresee anything similar ever happening to me.

So now, of course, what goes around has come around. When I look around the poker table, I see an older version of our younger selves. We have more difficulty seeing the cards as they are flipped up on the table.

And we all make a few more mistakes in playing the hands we are dealt, which we laugh about with a shared sense of the inevitable.

On a recent plane trip to visit family in St. Louis, I was talking to the fellow next to

me, and the subject of our respective weekly poker games came up. This guy was flying to St. Louis to meet up for a poker weekend with his old poker buddies who had spread throughout the country. He was planning to drive 500 miles to pick up a friend who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to come to the reunion game.

The prospect of my weekly poker game disappearing is sad and scary. While we continue to look forward to playing in person when most of the guys return from Florida, the handwriting is on the wall. It turns out that Thursday-night poker, like

almost everything else in life, is a finite process. All good things eventually must come to an end.

For now, we will keep trying to meet together every week we can, keeping the faith, hoping we have enough guys for a poker minyan.

And I’m sure that if I share my feelings with my poker buddies, they will most likely respond in their usual manner, with a heartfelt “Okay, Jeff, just shut up and deal.”

And that’s exactly what I’m going to do, God willing, as long as I am able.

Dr. Jeff London is a retired child psychiatrist from Farmington Hills.

ONE PEOPLE continued from page 9

one, and has always been so throughout history, often with few reliable friends upon whom it could depend and trust. That is why Jewish solidarity and Jewish peoplehood are so critical. On whom can we ultimately rely for support and succor if not ourselves?

If the ties that bind us weaken too far, perhaps, ultimately, we would not be there for one another in times of need. That would be one of the most calamitous tragedies of our history.

That is why the relationship between Jews in Israel and the global Jewish community is a strategic asset for both halves of the Jewish people today, and why the current Israeli government, including my ministry, is working hard to ensure that we do as much as possible to bolster these ties, including advancing the concept of Jewish peoplehood.

As I see it, this mission is one of the most important challenges facing the Jewish

state today. But I also believe that there has been a change in Israel over the last 20 years and a growing acknowledgement of the importance of global Jewish peoplehood.

The work we in Israel have done for our fellow Jews in Ukraine is surely evidence of that, and shows an evolution within Israeli society, which now elicits a greater understanding of the value of mutual responsibility between Israel and the Diaspora.

There is however still much work to be done, among both halves of the Jewish people, to ensure that this principle is advanced and sustained.

The concept of Jewish peoplehood is crucial to the vitality, integrity and security of the global Jewish people.

The ongoing cultivation and preservation of this value must be the work of us all in the coming years.

Dr. Nachman Shai is Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs.

SURVIVORSHIP EVENT

There are over 3 million prostate cancer survivors in the U.S. Supporting the Caregiver Addressing the emotional and physical needs of caregivers and survivors.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 at 6pm Facebook Live: facebook.com/MIUMensHealth Panel experts: Kathleen Hardy, LMSW Oncology Social Worker, Karmanos Cancer Institute Julie Booksh, MA, LPC Life Coach Counselor Moderated by Dr. Michael Lutz President, MIU Men’s Health Foundation

www.MIUMensHealthFoundation.org info@miumenshealthfoundation.org

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

11

ON THE COVER

There’s A Group f

12

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

p for That Federation’s Affinities Department offers lots of options for Gen-Xers.

JENNIFER LOVY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PROFESSIONAL GROUPS “Find your tribe within the tribe” is the department’s tagline in reference to the special interest groups designed to bring like-minded people together for social, educational and networking opportunities.

The Maimonides Society (although formed before the department’s creation but now under its umbrella) connects

COURTESY OF FEDERATION

N

eil Sherman didn’t grow up in Metro Detroit and wanted a better understanding of the Jewish community.

Bill Goldstein “got invited to a fun event.”

Stacey Goodman wanted to give back to the organization that supported her family when she was younger. Her mom struggled financially, but she was able to go to Camp Tamarack because they received financial assistance.

Josh Rubin went to Israel on a Federation mission two years ago.

When he returned, he vowed to “dig deep and give back, beyond just writing a check.”

Their paths to community involvement may be different, but each of these Gen-Xers is actively involved in the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit’s Affinities Department, created to engage adults in their 40s and 50s in the Jewish community.

“Federation was doing a great job with a younger demographic, but we realized we were kind of missing the mark with this segment of our community,” said Affinities Director Karen Kaplan.

“We started thinking about how to engage this age group, which doesn’t necessarily want to sit on committees and really wants a reason to be involved. They’re all busy with their families and careers, and they’re looking for ways to get involved with the community that are meaningful to them. We realized that a really great way to engage them was to create these affinity groups.”

physicians to each other, the community and Jewish philanthropy through social and educational events and international mission opportunities.

While the Maimonides Society is the oldest group, the newest is an

TOP: Neil Sherman & Randy Wertheimer at the Real Estate Group event at the Shinola Hotel.

ABOVE: Josh Rubin was among the particpants of the Andi & Larry Wolfe Gen X Mission in Israel. FACING PAGE: Karen Kaplan and Jodi Feld in Israel on the Forman Leadership Mission II.

continued on page 14 MARCH 17 • 2022

|

13

ON THE COVER

Participants in the Andi & Larry Wolfe Gen X Mission in Israel.

continued from page 13

attorneys section that launched last fall.

The real estate group had a brainstorming session in 2020 to discuss the issues members faced due to the pandemic.

According to Kaplan, participants offered great ideas on handling difficult situations created by COVID. Sherman, a 45-year-old Bloomfield Hills real estate attorney and investor, is involved with the attorney and real estate groups. He says the nature of them is really about the organic connections made through participation.

“I’ve been connected to a number of individuals that I’ve subsequently done business with because of my involvement in the Affinities programs,” he said. “The program has set up some really incredible events and unique opportunities, too. For example, we had a tour of the Pistons’ practice facility and got a behind-the-scenes experience in the practice facility and then had a chance

14

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

to listen to Pistons’ leadership talk from a real estate perspective, a business perspective and a city perspective. That’s like going to business camp. You can’t beat that.”

LOOKING FOR FUN Not all groups are career-focused. There’s a men’s group called Pound for Pound, a social group with programs carefully designed to offer a “cool experience that makes guys want to leave their houses,” said Kaplan, 43. Whiskey tasting and axe throwing are two examples of recent programs.

And these are a fraction of what Affinities offers. In addition to a young women’s philanthropy group, there are mission programs for those who haven’t been to Israel or visited the country many years ago. There’s a mission for physicians and their spouses, as well as a trip for interfaith couples.

There are also what Kaplan calls entrée

programs; Launch for men and Debut for women. Both started recently and are geared toward those looking to get involved in the community. These three-session programs expose participants to Federation and its agencies, and connect them to programs, events and committees that match their interests.

They also have broad Gen-X engagement programs, including annual mega events like an ’80s bash, late-night road rally and drive-in BINGlow, which typically sell out, attracting hundreds of participants.

“The events have just the right amount of Federation content to explain how important Federation is without pushing too hard on the solicitation side of things. It’s really a very different approach to fundraising.

And it benefits everyone,” said Goldstein, a 58-year-old ophthalmologist.

Affinities has become one of Federation’s more successful programs, with some

participants crediting Kaplan for the program’s accomplishments.

“A number of us participate because of the overreaching gift she has to be a connector within our community. It’s a balancing act of putting on a great event, getting a strong group of people there, tying them to our community; and she’s masterful,” said Sherman.

Kaplan, however, praises the department’s associate director Jodi Feld, the lay leaders and Federation staff for the program’s achievements.

Even during the height of the pandemic, Affinities offered what Kaplan estimates to be 64 programs, from online speakers to a road rally and other socially distant events. One of her favorites, held in conjunction with the archives department, was an experiential package program that examined Velvet Peanut Butter and its Detroit Jewish roots. Participants picked up a package containing information about the archives and Velvet Peanut Butter and the ingredients to make chocolate peanut butter lava cookies.

Goodman, 45, became involved with Federation several years ago but said the Affinities programs drew her in because of what it offered young women and families.

“I think it’s important that this age group understand that if we don’t continue to come together and support those that have come before us, and those who will come after us, then our community will be at risk. We need to remember where we’ve come from and how we’ve gotten here. That message is crucial for our age group because we are now the ones leading the way.

“When you graduate college, people tell you that you’re the next generation.

Well, we’re here. This is it,” she continued. “We’re the adults, edging on potentially having to take care of our parents or losing our parents, and we’re also at that point where we’re raising our children and teaching them about why it’s so important to be a part of this community and to continue on the tradition.”

Stacey Goodman, Lindsey Weitzman and Becca Schostak at the Drive-In BINGlow event at Shaarey Zedek’s Parking Lot.

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

15

OUR COMMUNITY

Local Effort Effecting Change A global network is sending Ukrainian civilians supplies, battling Russian propaganda.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

R

Jenny Feterovich at a protest March 6 in Hart Plaza

16

|

ussian Five (2018) filmmaker Jenny Feterovich, a Soviet Jewish immigrant, is on the phone day and night organizing supplies and medical care for Ukrainian civilians stuck in the middle of war. One hour, she’s working on Jenny Feterovich finding shelter for nearly two dozen orphans. Another, she’s assembling what she calls a “laundry list” of firstaid items, like bandages and tourniquets, for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians injured in attacks by the Russian forces. “I’m getting phone calls from various groups,” Feterovich says, “and they’re saying, ‘I need x, y and z.’

Through our channels, we’re getting things delivered.”

The Bloomfield-based filmmaker, who immigrated to Metro Detroit from Moscow in 1989, has strong ties to Ukraine. Her wife was born in Crimea and lived in Kyiv for most of her life.

“This is highly personal to me,” Feterovich, 46, says.

“We have friends, family and people who work for us [in Ukraine].”

As part of a global network of people assisting Ukraine in its fight against Russia, Feterovich works with contacts in Germany, Poland the Netherlands and more to get people to safety.

“In real time, I’m helping people either get out, get situated once they cross the border or helping people inside the country,” she explains. “It’s all-hands-ondeck.”

THE SITUATION IS ‘MINUTE-BY-MINUTE’ In the city of Kherson, which became the first major city in Ukraine to fall to Russian forces, there is only one man left baking bread for a population of nearly 300,000.

“He’s baking 24/7,” Feterovich describes. “We’re on a mission to support him so he can continue to feed the people. Unfortunately, there’s not enough Red Cross on the ground. It’s regular people that are trying to accomplish these things.”

The global network that Feterovich belongs to was assembled on a whim, she explains, going up in a matter of days ready to assist millions of Ukrainians trapped without food, shelcontinued on page 18

MARCH 17 • 2022

MAX BROOCK BLOOMFIELD HILLS #1 AGENTS

MELANIE

BISHOP

NOAH BISHOP-COHEN

The Next Generation Of “SOLD” MELANIE BISHOP ns.cohen26@gmail.com “SOLD” is my middle name

“SOLD” is my middle name melaniesold@aol.com

248.867.7800

MELANIESOLD.COM NOAH BISHOP COHEN melaniesold@aol.com

The Next Generation of “SOLD” OVER $94 MILLION SOLD IN 2021!

Your Area Residents & Experts.

WE SELL MORE! 248.867.7800 MelanieSold.com ns.cohen26@gmail.com

4130 Telegraph Rd. Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302

• Over $94 million SOLD in 2021!

• We live & work in your area.

• 2 top agents for the price of one!

• Call now for a free market analysis.

• It’s the right time to sell!

• Crain’s Top 100 Real Estate Agents in Michigan • Ranked in the Top 1/2 of 1% of Realtors Nationwide • Real Trends 500 America’s Best Real Estate Agents • Hour Detroit Real Estate All Stars • Recognized by The Wall Street Journal as Leading Top Producers

COMING SOON MAX BROOCK

COMING SOON

COMING SOON

CONDO WITH SPECTACULAR VIEWS

ORCHARD LAKE

DETROIT RIVERFRONT

4130 Telegraph Rd., Bloomfield Hills MI 48302

WEST BLOOMFIELD

WEST BLOOMFIELD

All sports Walnut Lake lakefront, Birmingham Schools. 2518 sq. ft. 3 bedrooms, 2 full & 1 half baths. Western exposure.

4210 sq. ft. plus additional 1827 finished sq. ft. in walk-out lower level.5 bedrooms, 4 full & 2 half baths.

$1,799,000

$1,500,000

2136 sq. ft. plus 1800 finished sq. ft.

12th floor end unit, 2 bed, 2 bath, in walk-out lower level. 5 bedrooms, 1215 sq. ft. Renovated with open floor 5 full & 1 half baths. plan, floor to ceiling windows, wood floors, island kitchen. Gated & secure, $736,000 covered parking, workout room, pool.

Views of river and Belle Isle.

$399,000 SERVING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOR OVER 30 YEARS!

YOU’RE INVITED

Support Group Series at Waltonwood Twelve Oaks

The 3rd Tuesday of every month 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

With Alyssa Tobias, Alyssa Tobias, MSW, Geriatric Social Worker Join us for insights into common issues associated with aging: March 15th April 19th May 17th June 21st July 19th August 16th

Aging in Place: When to Make a Transition Communicating with Loved Ones that Have Cognitive Disorders Covid and Senior Depression Hospice and the “Stigma” Elder Scamming: What to Look For End of Life Decisions: How to Navigate Them

RSVP by the Friday prior

248-735-1500

Independent Living, Licensed Assisted Living & Memory Care 27475 Huron Circle, Novi, MI 48377

Waltonwood.com | SinghCareers.com MARCH 17 • 2022

|

17

OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 16

ter, water, heat or means of escape. They work together through WhatsApp, Telegram and other cell phone apps, while raising money to help support various projects.

“It’s a minute-by-minute type of situation,” Feterovich says.

Currently, the network assists all areas of Ukraine: Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson and regions in western Ukraine where many civilians are escaping to get away from the fighting. The biggest needs, Feterovich says, are medical supplies and squaring away logistics for those who need a place to live once they safely cross the Ukrainian border.

“Food is also becoming a need very fast,” Feterovich says.

“Where is the world? Why is it the private citizens that are left to do this? What is happening?”

PROPAGANDA MACHINE In Ukraine, the concept of private property has gone out the window. Civilians share vehicles, homes, clothing and food with strangers, with the hopes of staying alive. It’s what Feterovich calls “one united nation,” where everyone is ready to protect their country and even more importantly, its people.

However, many Ukrainians have family members in Russia who struggle to believe that the war is real.

“As the Russian propaganda machine ramps up, the number one thing that people need to understand is that it’s on a whole other level,” Feterovich explains.

According to her contacts in Kherson, a Russian film crew was recently on the ground filming a fake film. “They’re pretending that the Ukrainians are meeting them with flowers,” Feterovich says, “and

18

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

An elderly woman being evacuated.

Russians for Ukraine

Hasidic Jews in Dnipro who are ready to fight against the Russians.

they’re distributing them to citizens. People need to understand this reality.

“Russian people that are in Russia, they don’t even know what’s happening,” she continues. “This is not a war of the Russian people. This is a war of the regime. There’s not a single independent person reporting in Russia right now.

Everything has been shut down. Everything.”

UNIMAGINABLE REALITY As they battle the propaganda, Feterovich continues to keep her focus on Ukraine. So far,

she estimates her network has helped thousands of people — and plans to help thousands more.

“Communication is hard,” she says. “Everything changes by the minute.”

In recent phone calls begging for help, Feterovich has heard horrible stories: One city has 30,000 people trapped under rubble in basements; another has 3,000 children who can’t get through the proposed green corridor to receive humanitarian aid. A third city has just one priest, with one car, driving civilians out of city

limits to safety.

For the Soviet Jewish immigrant, who escaped religious persecution in the former USSR, where Jews had limited opportunity for career and educational advancement, Feterovich never thought something like this could happen.

“It’s absolutely surreal to me,” she says. “They can’t get help fast enough.”

To help, you can donate to the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee of Michigan at https:// tinyurl.com/2p8e5hyn; or EO Poland at https://tinyurl.com/mwtz2mc4.

NEW INVENTORY ARRIVING DAILY

WE ARE YOUR #1 Honda DEALER IN DETROIT!

0.9

% ON SELECT

AS LOW AS

APR NEW VEHICLES!

READY TO TURN YOUR LEASE IN EARLY? WE CAN HELP!

$

3,000 Cash

AS LOW AS

0.99

%

APR

OR

$

3,000 Down Payment Assist!

ON SELECT CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLES!

*Available on approved credit through Honda Financial Services, 0.9% APR for up to 48 months on select new and unregistered 2022 Honda Pilot and HR-V models through 05/02/2022, for well-qualified buyers. Not all buyers will qualify. Higher financing rates apply for buyers with lower credit ratings. Actual down payment may vary. **$3,000 cash or $3,000 down payment assistance - trade value estimate based on 3rd party valuation guides such as Kelley Blue Book, Black Book, or vehicle condition and value. Based on market conditions, lease payoff and equity. ***0.99% APR financing available on approved credit through Honda Financial Services for 36 months on all 2017-2021 NADA. See dealer for assessment of your vehicle’s HondaTrue Certified+ and HondaTrue Certified Accord, Civic, CR-V, and HR-V vehicles through 3/31/22 for well qualified buyers. Dealer sets actual price. See dealer for details. #1 Honda Dealer in Detroit based on AHMC 2021 new & pre-owned sales.

248.430.4631

586.298.2921

28585 Telegraph Rd. Southheld, MI 48034

30800 Gratiot Ave Roseville, MI 48066

www.Tamaroff.com

www.JeffreyAuto.com

OUR COMMUNITY

Someday … Is Here Rabbi Josh Warshawsky will lead Shabbaton at Congregation Shaarey Zedek on March 25-26.

JN STAFF

D

o you ever put the next steps of your Jewish journey in the “someday” section of your calendar? We’ve all been there. And honestly, many of us are there right now. But Congregation Shaarey Zedek (CSZ) is ready to say that “someday” is here!

CSZ will hold a Shabbaton the weekend of March 25-26 with special guest Josh

Warshawsky, an internationally known performer, composer and rabbi. Originally from Deerfield, Ill., Josh has shared his original melodies with more than 100 Jewish communities throughout the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Israel.

He has released four albums of Jewish music with a fifth one scheduled for release during the week of the Shabbaton.

Why a Shabbaton? “The

pandemic has changed us — it’s time for us to reconnect with one another and find community. We are seeking new levels of meaningfulness and spiritual nourishment through the CSZ community,” said Rabbi Yoni Dahlen.

“The Shabbaton will jump start our Jewish journey together. We want to be able to build on and enhance this journey through our holi-

AN INTERVIEW WITH RABBI WARSHAWSKY Rabbi Josh Warshawsky serves as the rabbi-in-residence of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Metropolitan Chicago. He was ordained as a rabbi in May 2019 from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles and has spent the past 20 summers at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, and the last nine summers also teaching and performing at Ramah camps across the country. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife, Adina Allen.

Last month, Rabbi Dahlen was able to interview Rabbi Josh.

Here are some highlights from that conversation.

Rabbi Dahlen: Could you tell us just a little bit about your career?

Rabbi Josh: I went to Israel for a year before I went to college, and I studied at the Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

I love studying Jewish text and

20

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

Hebrew, and so I wanted to continue learning. While I was in school, I needed a job and found one at a Hebrew school in the area that was looking for a music teacher. I said, “I play guitar. I went to summer camp. I think I could probably do that.” So I did, and I learned a lot about what it meant to create music and community for people.

Rabbi Dahlen: Why did you decide to pursue ordination?

Rabbi Josh: I like Judaism. I like music. I like doing the things that I do, but maybe there’s something else that’s out there for me. Jews are a meaningmaking people, right? That’s what we do. When we say a brachah, a blessing, we’re noticing a moment in time and saying this moment is important to me. We say a blessing when we light candles for Shabbat. This moment is important to me.

Rabbi Josh Warshawsky

days and the activities we do together.”

The Shabbaton is open to all: families, singles, children and non-Jewish spouses and partners.

“Anyone ready to come together for a really wonderful weekend full of great music, great friendship, and opportunities for a mindful, purposeful, meaningful experience,” Dahlen said.

We’re trying to live lives of meaning and purpose and trying to figure out how we can be a better version of ourselves today than we were yesterday. When I realized that’s so embedded in all that Judaism is, I wanted to share that with as many people as possible.

Rabbi Dahlen: I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on why prayer with intentionality can be so hard for us. How can we get into a place where prayer speaks to us as opposed to feeling like it’s a structured obligation?

Rabbi Josh: When I talk to kids about prayer and about Judaism, I say it’s all about awareness. It’s about noticing the things happening in the world around us.

You have to give yourself a chance to look at what the words are saying — how amazing, how awesome, how different are all of God’s creations.

Each one of us has our own purpose. Each one of us has our own reason for being here. And that means that we also each come with our own expectations when we enter a sanctuary for prayer. Maybe there’s a moment that isn’t as empowering or as exciting or as crying or as uplifting for you, but maybe that moment is for the next person. The idea of coming together in community is to hold each other up so that somebody else can have their moment of prayer.

And then I can have my moment in prayer, and altogether we’re creating something where it’s meaningful for someone at every

moment and maybe not for you the whole time, but that’s what it means to be a part of a community — to lift each other up.

ferent. It has a whole new creative aspect to it when you get to sing in different communities, but still with that same energetic vibe.

Rabbi Dahlen: Like you said, Rabbi Dahlen: The theme of our Shabbaton this year is these things can speak to us “Someday ... Is Here.” These on completely different levels last few years of the pan— powerful, beautiful levels. demic have been a drain on I think you do a remarkable all of us. We’re job of bringing our hoping that this attention to some will be a good of those pieces of opportunity for liturgy. And in that us to put all that way, your music aside. What is isn’t so performative your “someday” as it is an open invimoment? What tation to come and is something join in liturgy. How that’s inspiring do you shape your Rabbi Yoni Dahlen you right now music that way? and something that you’re working on?

Rabbi Josh: I think there’s something powerful that Rabbi Josh: My someday is happens when music is shared in community, right? exactly what we’re doing for There’s something that goes the Shabbaton. It’s getting beyond just the music itself. to come back together with people in community. I realThere’s an energy that’s crely, really miss that. I’m gearated when you get to sing ing up for a whole spring with people in one space. of renewal, of renewing our In some ways, we haven’t gotten to do as much of that sacred spaces, renewing our sanctuaries and coming in recent times as we had back to what it means to in the past, but I’m hoping sing together and gather that we can get back even together. more to what it means to And, for me, it’s also be in the same room with about noticing the things people and lift each other that are happening in our up with song. lives and giving those We record our music live and post it on YouTube. You moments importance. I think prayer gives us the can see we’re crafting the music together in one space. perfect opportunity to do that. So, I’m trying to develWe want people to experiop a more consistent and ence what it’s like when the music was originally created. better prayer practice for myself.

We do that in communities.

We can go into these spaces See the unabridged interview and sing it in that same way at https://www.youtube.com/ and lift it up and build that watch?v=aLfoO2ZDnRc and same kind of energy with a watch a sample of Rabbi Josh’s different group of people, music at www.youtube.com/c/ JoshWarshawsky. and it sounds and feels dif-

DETAILS FRIDAY, MARCH 25 FAMILY SHABBAT DINNER, 6 PM Bring the kids and together we’ll say the meal prayers, sing Shabbat songs and get to know one another over a dairy meal. Cost: $10 per adult, $5 per child ages 2-12 Then, refresh your soul with Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv services led by the CSZ clergy and featuring guest Rabbi Josh Warshawsky at 7 p.m.

Following services, CSZ Village invites young professionals (ages 21-45) to stick around for drinks, desserts and learning with Rabbi Yoni Dahlen at Kiddush and Kibbitz – Young Professionals Oneg at 8:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, MARCH 26 TIMELY TORAH, 9 AM SHABBAT MORNING SERVICES, 10 AM Grab some coffee and nosh as Rabbi Dahlen guides conversation on the weekly Torah portion, followed by a Shabbat morning service and lunch. CSZ clergy and Rabbi Josh Warshawsky will guide us through a new way of looking at ritual and song. Shabbat lunch follows services, and age-appropriate activities for children will be available.

FREE CONCERT, 8:30 PM Join us as we conclude Shabbat and welcome in the new week with the renewing magic of Havdalah and a concert featuring Rabbi Josh Warshawsky, which is also open to the public.

For details, registrations and more, visit shaareyzedek.org/ shabbaton.

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

21

OUR COMMUNITY

A Lone Soldier’s Story

Grandson of local Holocaust survivor honors his family by serving in Israel Defense Forces.

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

W

COURTESY FIDF

ABOVE: Joseph Icikson during Chanukah.

LEFT: Icikson is an active soldier in the IDF.

22

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

hile there are many soldiers throughout Israel who serve for various reasons from the U.S. some follow in their family’s footsteps. That’s exactly what Joseph Icikson, whose grandparents live in Metro Detroit, decided to do.

Joseph Icikson of New York, age 22, is an active combat soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Instead of studying in college like most people his age, he decided to serve as a soldier in one of the world’s most dangerous war zones.

Joseph shared his pride with the Detroit Jewish News over an email saying it’s an honor to serve. “I am truly lucky to have the opportunity to continue the legacy of both my family and all of the Jewish people.

It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come from where we were not too long ago,” he wrote.

Joseph’s grandparents are William and Esther Icikson.

They spoke over the phone with the Jewish News, saying how happy they are after hearing their grandson wanted to follow their example.

“Israel was very special and deep in our heart because I served in the army and my husband fought for Israel. So, it’s very special,” Esther said.

William is also a survivor of the Holocaust,

Joseph Icikson stands in between his grandparents Esther and William Icikson.

who suffered and lost other family during World War II. “If the Jewish people had an army 80 years ago, we wouldn’t have had the Holocaust. Through his actions — and those of his fellow soldiers — the IDF is ensuring that the horrors we have seen in the Holocaust were not in vain, and that these atrocities will never happen again,” William said.

Esther went on to explain how Joseph’s love for Israel started when he was a young boy. “We’ve traveled to Israel many times, and we talked about Israel all the time. I think it was when he was a little boy, he developed a love for the land.

“When he graduated high school, he went to the Mechina and he developed a very special feeling and he decided he wanted to stay in Israel. He made aliyah and went to the army,” she added.

Esther says Joseph keeps in touch with his family regularly and when he can he makes trips back to the states. Organizations like the Lone Soldier Program with the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) help

some actve soldiers stay in touch with family in the states.

Paula Lebowitz, director of Michigan’s chapter of the FIDF, says the organization was founded by Holocaust survivors back in 1981 and helps to ensure soldiers are taken care of.

“I think it’s just important to stay connected and make sure those soldiers have everything they need because they’re far away from home in a place that’s kind of scary, and we want them to be safe. We want them to feel connected, and we want them to know that they can reach out to FIDF for anything,” Lebowitz said.

Esther says the Lone Soldier program is terrific and she was able to see Joseph last summer. “We are very proud of him. Joseph has a family that supports him, and his adoptive family and friends make sure that they can help any time he needs help … everybody should be very proud of these young people.”

For more information about the FIDF or the Lone Soldier program, visit www.fidf.org/how-we-help/lone-sol-

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

23

OUR COMMUNITY

A

StressFree Seder

Zoom seminar will help you plan your Pesach budget.

ALISON SCHWARTZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

P

assover can be one of the most expensive holidays on the Jewish calendar, and for the Orthodox community, who purchase many more kosher-for-Passover specialty products and carry out extensive additional cleaning, the cost can be thousands of dollars, causing financial stress.

Even for those who consider themselves to be less observant, the costs associated with putting on a seder — especially with a large family or group of friends — can be alarming.

JVS + Kadima joined forces with Jewish Family Service and Lev Detroit to offer “Planning Your Pesach Budget: Simple Steps for a Stress-Free Seder.” This free, interactive Zoom workshop on Thursday March 24, from 8-9 p.m. will provide tips on creating a budget for an affordable Yom Tov celebration and is presented

by JVS + Kadima’s Julia Tapper, a financial educator and housing counselor

24

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

Julia Tapper

who is certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Tapper is also a trained Mesila coach (a financial coaching program for Orthodox Jews) with 10 years of experience counseling Orthodox families on financial issues.

Tapper explained the thought process behind the event. “We were looking at what holidays were the most expensive for the Jewish community, and Passover is a one of those holidays which is both long and has many components,” she said.

“If you are religious, there

are potentially many foods and products that you need to purchase, which can be overwhelming if you don’t have a budget or know how to save money.”

For a family with six adults, Tapper estimates it could cost upwards of $5,000 for an Orthodox family to celebrate Passover. During the program, she will discuss budgeting and having shopping lists for different categories of expenses.

Tapper’s shopping list covers everything from tomato sauce and baking chocolate to plastic tablecloths and scouring pads. Expenses and prioritizations are similarly detailed, including sections for Erev Pesach, Aliyah Laregel, food, clothing and shoes, and expenses on Yom Tov. Participants in the program will be encouraged to look at expenses in several different ways: as a necessity, a possibility or a luxury.

Part of the program will also include money-saving tips, such as encouraging people to examine the use

of packaged foods compared with cheaper alternatives for many meals. An example might be comparing the cost of pre-packaged kosher waffles for Passover with sticking to matzah and cream cheese for breakfast or making homemade matzah meal pancakes. There will also be time to discuss applying the budgeting knowledge gained from this year’s holiday to next year’s; for example, storing disposable items, looking at foods that weren’t used and can be saved for the following year, and noting which products weren’t needed at all.

“Although our program focuses on the Orthodox community who may have greater costs at this time of year, Pesach is still an expensive time for everyone, so we hope the advice will be helpful to others in the community, too,” Tapper said.

In addition, Jewish Family Service recognizes that the Yomim Tovim can sometimes be a financial strain, so is providing food gift cards to help qualifying families prepare for Pesach.

Applications for assistance are at www.jfsdetroit. org/Passover. For more information, contact Lev Detroit at (248) 970-2040 or passover@jfsdetroit.org.

To join the Pesach budget workshop, go to Zoom Meeting ID: 824 0078 8052; Password: chametz; Call-in Number: 1-646-558-8656. For more information, call Lev Detroit at 248970-2040 or email passover@jfsdetroit. org.

Need Help with an IRS or State Tax Problem?

Need Help with an IRS or State Tax Problem?

• Tax Liens

As featured on:

Let our team of Attorneys, CPAs, Call Tax the experts at Consultants and former IRS Revenue Officers provide you with immediate relief.

• Collection Notices • Penalties • Unfiled Tax Returns • Audits

Why Choose Levy & Associates to help with your tax problems?

M.F.: Owed the State of Michigan $100,578.

With our help, the case was settled for $100.

1-800-TAX-LEVY (829-5389)

R.N.: Owed the IRS $709,000.

Our firm negotiated an Offer in Compromise to settle the debt for $1,000.

• 22 years of specializing in tax resolution and working with the IRS and State Taxing Authorities • We have helped thousands of clients nationwide to

Let our team of Attorneys, CPAs, Tax Consultants and former IRS Revenue Officers provide you with x Liens S.F.: With our assistance, client’s IRS debt SAVE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EACH YEAR! immediate relief from IRS and State tax problems. of $207,663 was reduced to $5,837. ollection Notices • A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau Why Choose Levy & Associates to help with your tax problems? nalties Call us today to answer your questions nfiled Tax Returns • 22 years of specializing in tax resolution and working the IRS and orwith to schedule a meeting and say WeNeed Listen...

We Care...

We Help!Tax Problem? udits Help State withTaxing an IRS or State ed on: Authorities goodbye to those sleepless nights!

Callhelped the experts at clients Results will vary based upon financial condition. to save tens of millions of • We have thousands of clients nationwide

Owed the IRS $207,214. our help, the case was d for $7352.

1.800.TAX.LEVY

dollars each year!

Client owed the IRS 203. Our firm negotiated an AS FEATURED IN in Compromise to settle the or $12,226.

•

Unlike other firms, all work on your account is kept in-house

•

A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau

Sincerely, 1-800-TAX-LEVY (829-5389)

www.levytaxhelp.com

28400 Southfield Rd, Lathrup Village, MI 48076

Call us today to answer your questions or to schedule a meeting and say to those sleepless nights!

Let client’s our team of Attorneys, CPAs, Tax Consultants provide you with Lawrence B. Levy, Presidentand former IRS Revenue Officersgoodbye ith our assistance,

relief from IRS and State tax problems. bt of $1,014,078immediate was otices ed to $100,490. Why Choose Levy & Associates to help with your tax problems?

Returns www.levytaxhelp.com • 22 years of specializing in tax resolution and working with the IRS and

1-800-TAX-LEVY (829-5389)

State Taxing Authorities

• We have helped thousands of clients nationwide to save tens of millions of Listen ….

We Care … We Help! dollars each year!

Q

•

Facing financial HQ: Southfi Road., Lathrup Village, Michigan 48076 Unlike other 28400 firms, all work on youreld account is kept in-house diff iculty?

the IRS negotiated an ise to settle the

•

A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau

tance, client’s 078 was 90.

Lawrence B. Levy, President

$207,214. case was

Sincerely,

☐ Call jhelp at 1-833-445-4357

Call us today to answer your questions Visit or to schedule a meeting☐and sayjhelp.org goodbye to those sleepless nights!

☐ Chat online with a staff or schedule a 1-800-TAX-LEVY member (829-5389) call at jhelp.org www.levytaxhelp.com

X

☐ Do all of the above

n …. We Care … We Help!

HQ: 28400 Southfield Road., Lathrup Village, Michigan 48076

We Have Answers.

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

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

25

CHABAD.ORG

OUR COMMUNITY

Real-Time Help Across the world, the Chabad network is saving Ukrainian Jews.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

U

Some examples of Chabad’s work in Ukraine before the Russian invasion. Today, Chabad is concentrating its efforts on helping Ukrainian Jews with basic necessities. TOP: Teen volunteer gives a Chanukah menorah kit to an elderly Ukranian Jew. MIDDLE: In Sumy, Ukraine, a small town near the Russian border, Rabbi Yechiel Shlomo Levitansky serves a Jewish community of about 3,000. BOTTOM: Children at the Mishpacha Orphanage in Odessa.

26

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

kraine is home to some 350,000 Jews. Now, ChabadLubavitch is tapping its sprawling international network to help keep them safe during the Russian invasion.

“We’re in touch very much with what’s going on in Ukraine,” says Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov of The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch in West Bloomfield. “There is a very active effort right now of a very large proportion on many levels.”

The Shul is one of many Chabad locations organizing a mass donation campaign to raise money for work in Ukraine. These donaRabbi Kasriel tions, Rabbi Shemtov Shemtov explains, are essential to saving lives and getting people out of harm’s way as Russians advance.

Present in 35 cities and towns across Ukraine, Chabad has mobilized its entire community to provide food, shelter, transportation and medical care to Ukrainian civilians.

Rather than leaving the country for safety, many Chabad contacts remain onsite in the midst of war, putting the needs of the Jewish community and beyond first and foremost.

“At this point, there are 15,000 Jewish refugees that have made it out of Ukraine,” Rabbi Shemtov says, “but there are still about a quarter of a million Jews in Ukraine that need help.”

A “TREMENDOUS” EFFORT Shemtov explains that many Ukrainian Jews have opted to wait out the war. Some cannot physically leave, while others don’t want to cross

the border without men in their family who are of fighting age between 18-60 and kept in the country by martial law.

Others, he says, don’t see the possibility of going to a foreign country and starting a new life, especially without time to prepare. Therefore, getting real-time help on the ground in Ukraine is crucial. Right now, civilians and volunteers alike are forced to work with cash only as banks remain closed, which makes the situation harder to navigate.

Food is also being distributed by Chabad where possible, though some channels are becoming more narrow as Russian forces lay siege to large cities. The network is also assembling buses to transport civilians to safety or getting them train tickets to go west.

Rabbi Shemtov says that Chabad’s budget of $12 million to help Jewish refugees in Ukraine is expected to double or triple very quickly. “It’s a tremendous amount of effort,” he explains. “There are very dedicated people that are going beyond the call of duty.”

Many Chabad centers across Ukraine have been converted into shelters. They’re now refugee centers, complete with cooks preparing food, beds to sleep in and medical care. At these shelters, Jews from across the country gather in safety, working on fortifying their cities to protect them from Russian attacks.

For Ukrainians who manage to cross the border into neighboring countries, Chabad is utilizing its networks in countries like Germany and the Netherlands, among others, to organize evacuation and housing plans for refugees.

“A Chabad in Vienna offered to take in 1,000 refugees,” Rabbi Shemtov says as an example, one of many offers that have come through in recent days.

DOING MITZVAHS FOR UKRAINE The quick and effective mobilization by Chabad, he says, leaves many people amazed, including himself.

“It’s very heartwarming to see,” Rabbi Shemtov says.

“We stand in awe watching these people doing things that seem superhuman, and we want to help them.”

Chabad’s effort, paired with others, has encouraged many Metro Detroiters to step up and offer resources or financial support. Right now, Rabbi Shemtov says the most pressing need is donations, which go directly to the network on the ground in Ukraine to continue gathering food and supplies. “That goes right to the frontline,” he explains.

Outside of that, Rabbi Shemtov is encouraging the Jewish community to support one another through the crisis. “We’re focused on doing mitzvahs, bringing people to light Shabbos candles,” he says, “or doing a mitzvah in [Ukraine’s] honor, which is spiritually very important.”

One of the biggest lessons coming out of the crisis, Rabbi Shemtov continues, is how connected the Jewish community truly is. “It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming,” he says, “the devotion of not forgetting about fellow Jews. It should be an inspiration to us all.”

Pilar’s Foundation to Support Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County Pilar’s Foundation is now officially a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which means it is a registered charitable organization with the IRS, and that all donations to support our mission qualify for tax exemption.

Over the past 20 years Pilar’s Foundation has worked hard through celebration, community-building, and the power of love, sponsoring events that bring our citizens together to eat, listen to music and contribute relief during times of disaster or crisis.

Pilar’s Foundation’s first event as an “official” 501(c)(3) organization — Pilar’s Stands with Local Afghan Refugee Families — is planned for Sunday March 27, 3-6 p.m., with tamale meal pick-ups at Zion Lutheran Church, 1501 West Liberty St., Ann Arbor, to raise funds for Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County’s refugee family program. Order ahead and have a meal ready for that night’s Oscar Awards-watching party by visiting pilarsfoundation. org/buy-tickets.

Donors who wish to contribute to Pilar’s Foundation can visit https://pilarsfoundation. org.

Journey to the past.

ON SALE NOW! FISHER THEATRE • MAY 3-8

BroadwayInDetroit.com • ticketmaster.com • 800-982-2787 Groups (10+) broadwayindetroitgroups@theambassadors.com (subject: Anastasia) OC- Friday, May 6, 7:30pm

To donate to The Shul’s Ukraine campaign, visit theshul.net/special/ campaigns/ukraine/donate.htm.

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

27

OUR COMMUNITY

Chabad JCC Grand Opening

More than 100 people attend program with Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER JAMIE FELDMAN

O

ver 100 Jews came together March 7 for the grand opening of the Chabad Jewish Community Center located in Auburn Hills. The event featured a ribbon cutting, building dedication, live music and a talk by Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein.

More than two years after opening the Chabad Jewish Center of Troy, Rabbi Menachem and Chana Caytak took the next step in Fall 2021: signing a lease for the JCC after operating out of multiple locations for the two years prior.

The center is focusing on reaching out to Jews who live throughout northern Oakland County, including Troy, Rochester, Rochester Hills and even out to Lake Orion, as well as east, going into Macomb County.

Located in the heart of downtown Auburn Hills, the Chabad JCC will be a base for everything Jewish and for every type of Jew, regardless of affiliation or observance, with children, teen, Oakland University and community programming.

The new Chabad JCC was packed for the grand opening.

“The goal of the center is to provide a home for every Jew in the area”, said Rabbi Menachem Caytak. “The Jewish Community Center is following the vision of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneersohn, accepting every Jew, regardless of their background or upbringing.”

Many members of the community, who had never engaged in Jewish com-

Rabbi Menachem and Chana Caytak cut the ribbon.

28

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

munal events before Caytak knocked on their doors, spoke at the event.

Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov, vice president of Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan, says it’s an exciting opportunity to start a JCC in this location with the warmth and spirit of creating and being there for the community.

“Many people walking in here were not involved in any formal Jewish organization, but now they’re here, and this is a

place that can unite them, and everyone can grow in their spirit and connection with community and God,” Shemtov said. “Every Jew has it within them, and all you need is to create a space and shine a light and everyone comes together. In a time like this when so much is happening around the world and everyone is concerned, this is what we need. We need unity of mind and unity of spirit. When we can care and be there for each other, we can also be there for people around the world, too.”

Also in attendance were Padma Kuppa, state representative for Michigan’s 41st House District, and Maqbool Tahir, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Michigan Chapter, representing the new JCC’s connection to the general community.

“We are just a couple miles from here, so this is our neighbor,” Tahir said. “We have been very good friends with the Jewish community, and we welcome them here and also want to invite them as well. They can visit our community center any time they like.”

Even while being pulled in many different directions, Caytak knows the significance the night held.

“I think this is the beginning of a major step for the Jewish

TOP: Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov and Rabbi Menachem Caytak.

ABOVE: Michigan Supreme Court Richard Bernstein was the guest speaker at the grand opening.

community,” he said. “This is going to be the one-stop base for everything Jewish. The fact probably 130-140 Jews packed in here to celebrate a Jewish beginning means it’s a vibrant and growing community. It’s literally one person at a time, looking at every person — not for what they do, not where they come from — but who they are. If they’re Jewish and have a Jewish soul, that’s enough.”

Caytak also announced they’re going to be holding services at the center and are starting a Sunday school this fall.

“This is the beginning of something big,” Caytak said.

“Stay tuned.”

A view from the street

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

29

Stop

OUR COMMUNITY

Emma Beach

Hate!

14-year-old Girl Scout wins award for project on Holocaust.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

F

or 11 years, Emma Beach has been a member of the Girl Scouts, a youth organization with more than 10 million members worldwide.

The 14-year-old Rochester resident, like many other Girl Scouts, has made it a mission to help make the world a better place — a core building block of the Girl Scouts program. Yet for the teen, who is of Asian descent and grew up in a Catholic family, teaching the lessons of the Holocaust were of utmost importance, especially to other young people her age.

Last year on Zoom, Beach put together a

30

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

presentation with the help of her mentor, Brenda Rosenberg, an author, former Girl Scouts member and expert in interfaith communication, to share the lessons of the Holocaust with 40 other Girl Scout members.

Beach’s project, which took 60 hours to complete, won her a GS Silver Award, the highest award for her age group.

“I made a project about the Holocaust, what caused it and what we can learn from it,” Beach explains of her work, “so things like that don’t happen anymore.”

Presented to youth across the United States in grades 4-12, “Stop Hate! Lessons to Learn from the Holocaust” was designed to teach participants how to use knowledge of the Holocaust to help stop hate in our current society.

Activities included learning about how Jewish people

ing about how Jewish people overcame she feels the Holocaust is not underantisemitism; watching movies or read- stood in detail. ing stories about children like Anne “They know something, but they Frank, who experienced the Holocaust; don’t,” she says of youth in her generunderstanding hate speech; and visiting ation. “They know what is taught in a local Holocaust museum. their history classes, rather than The Girl Scouts were how it started and the facts also asked to brainabout what people went storm ways to create through, how they felt social change, and what they expepaint a rock rienced.” with positive To research her images or words project, Beach read to keep on a numerous books desk or drawer to better underas a reminder stand the moment of being kind in time. Rosenberg to others, and also helped her complete acts of gather informakindness for family tion and find the right members or neighbors. resources.

Each participant was given a “It’s something that’s importProject list of activities to choose from ant to me,” Beach says about the and were required to complete Holocaust. “I want people to anywhere from four-to-eight activities, know about it, too.” depending on their grade.

Teaching the lessons of the “The Holocaust was started by blamHolocaust, however, was the core building a group of people,” Beach describes. ing block of the Girl Scouts project.

“I thought that could be used as a les“We decided to make it more generic son and applied to discrimination in than just about the Holocaust because our current society.” we’re seeing so much hate going on,” In addition to winning an award for Rosenberg says of the recent rise in her program, Beach says she received antisemitism and hate against the Asian an overwhelmingly positive response community, among others. “I was very from participants. excited to work with Emma.”

“A lot of people said that they learned things that they didn’t know,” she SOLVING ANTISEMITISM AND recalls.

RACISM IS A GROUP EFFORT Experiencing the “Stop Hate! Lessons to TEACHING THE YOUNGEST Learn from the Holocaust” presentation GENERATIONS left participants moved, particularly It’s a topic that’s especially important Rosenberg. “I was so impressed with for her age group, Beach says, because this 14-year-old,” she recalls. “She ran

COME TO FLORIDA IN IN THETHE NEW YEAR COME TOTO FLORIDA NEW YEAR COME FLORIDA IN THE NEW YEAR COME TO FLORIDA IN THE NEW YEAR COME TO FLORIDA IN THE NEW YEAR Boca Raton,

Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Boca Raton, Boca Raton, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and Beyond!

Delray Beach, Boynton Delray Beach, Boynton Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and Beyond!

Boca Raton, Delray NowBeach, selling Boynton Sound Beach Now Valencia andselling Now selling Now selling Now selling & Beyond!

Avalon Trails Valencia Sound and Valencia Sound and Valencia Sound and and Valencia Sound Avalon Trails Avalon Trails Avalon Trails Avalon Trails

Buying or Selling? We Specialize in Active Adult Buying orClub Selling?

We Specialize in Active Adult Buying orSelling?

Selling?

Specialize inin Active Adult Country and Beachside Communities Buying or WeWe Specialize Active Adult Buying or Selling?

Specialize in Active Adult Country Club Beachside Communities Country Club andand Beachside Communities Country Club Beachside Communities Country Club and Beachside Communities Advantage Plus Advantage Plus 601 S. Federal Hwy. • Boca Raton, FL 33432 Advantage Plus Advantage Plus Advantage Plus

®

®

®

Elly & Federal EdHwy. Lepselter 601 S. Federal •Hwy. FL 33432 601 S. •Raton, Boca Raton, FL 33432 601 Federal Hwy. •Boca Raton, FLFL 33432 601 S.S. Federal Hwy. •Boca Boca Raton, 33432 (561) 302-9374 • Visit us at &www.edandellyhometeam.com Elly Elly &Lepselter Ed Lepselter Elly &Ed EdLepselter Elly & Ed Lepselter ••Visit (561) 302-9374 (561) 302-9374 us at www.edandellyhometeam.com (561) 302-9374 Visit•usVisit usatatwww.edandellyhometeam.com www.edandellyhometeam.com ®

®

a Zoom [meeting] all by herself, presenting this to other Girl Scouts. It was amazing.”

Even the Anti-Defamation League, or ADL, was “blown away” by the presentation, continues Rosenberg, who shared the project with people in her network. “They were beyond themselves.”

Though Rosenberg helped guide Beach through the project, she gives all credit to the teen.

“This is really Emma’s work,” Rosenberg says. “To think that a 14-year-old girl wants to utilize the Holocaust to stop hate … that’s so important.”

The biggest lesson to learn from the project, Rosenberg believes, is the power of working together. “I want the Jewish community to know that we can’t solve antisemitism ourselves.”

Keyes Real Estate Throughout South Florida, Including Boca, Boynton, Delray, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties

Beach Beyond!

Beach andand Beyond!

Beach and Beyond!

Now selling Valencia Sound & Avalon Trails

Brenda Rosenberg

(561) 302-9374 • Visit us at www.edandellyhometeam.com

Let Old Friends be your Michigan-Florida Connection Nina Spinner-Sands

Rita Morse

(954) 290-8293

(305) 609-7559

NinaSpinner-Sands@keyes.com RitaMorse@keyes.com

Buy • Sell • InveSt

Estate Property Sales from Listing to Clean-Out! MARCH 17 • 2022

|

31

BUSINESS

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Stuart Litt and his wife, Terri, at Litt’s retirement celebration event in February.

Retiring Owner Completes Hygrade Deli Sale Stuart Litt plans to stay on through March to help with the transition.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

A

fter 50 years behind the counter of Detroit staple Hygrade Deli, Stuart Litt is

retiring.

Litt announced the sale of the business and building last March, and the deli’s sale was completed in December.

The deli originally opened in 1955.

Litt’s father, Bernie, bought the business in 1972. It’s known for its corned beef sandwiches, soups, chili and the deli’s signature sandwich, the Hygrade Reuben.

The Hygrade Reuben, named one of five “Great Corned Beef Sandwiches” by the Detroit Free Press, features sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese and a sweet

32

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

Thousand Island dressing on rye. In January 2021, Food and Wine magazine named Hygrade Deli’s Reuben to its best sandwich in every state list.

Litt is passing the torch to Chuck Nolen, owner for 17 years of Cutter’s Bar and Grill, in the Eastern Market area. Litt plans to stay on through March to help with the transition.

Customers can expect the same from the new owner, Litt said, and his staff will stay on.

Litt says the last 50 years have been a blessing and quite a rollercoaster ride.

“When my dad bought it, the area was thriving with business and people.

Then Detroit started to die out in the 1980s and it hurt them bad,” Litt said.

“It was a major struggle for me, lots of sacrifices were made by me, my family and employees.”

When Dan Gilbert started buying up property Downtown right after the 2008-2009 recession, people started moving back in and Detroit slowly started coming back, which led to a resurgence for the deli.

“We started to get some of that action,” Litt said. “Social media also helped out tremendously. We started getting foodie reviews and newspaper articles and started getting movies and TV shows shot at the store.”

The deli had scenes in the short-lived ABC series Detroit 1-8-7, in the 2010 movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and in the 2016 movie The Pickle Recipe.

“All this publicity, plus Detroit regenerating itself, helped to regenerate the deli to where business over the last four or five years has just started to trend upward. Last year, we had one of our best years ever,” Litt said. “As we got more well known, we had a lot of dignitaries and well-known sports personalities come through the store.

Those are the things I really enjoyed, and I’ll really miss.”

Most of all, though, Litt will miss the customers.

“It’s the daily interaction. Being a place like ours, we have regulars that come in every day or every other day, and there’s a lot of schtick that goes on at the store. The schtick is all generated by me, and we call it entertainment,” he said. “After all these years, the customers kind of expect it when they come in for me to greet them the way I do. I’m going to miss that.”

In February, the deli celebrated Litt’s retirement and introduced Nolen as its new owner. Mayor Mike Duggan and other dignitaries were in attendance.

“What I told everybody in the store when I made my speech, and I’m including my dad in this, all we ever did was come in and show up for work every day,” Litt said. “To me, that says a lot. All we wanted to do was offer the community a good, fair product at a reasonable price. We were there every day and I think we succeeded for the 50 years we’ve been down there.”

NEXT DOR

VOICE OF THE NEW JEWISH GENERATION

U-M students Ella Olesen (Tzeitel) and Diego Rodriguez (Motel Kamzoil) star alongside Broadway veteran Chuck Cooper (Tevye) in UMS’ production of Fiddler on the Roof.

Evening with

Fiddler on the Roof Community, passion and philanthropy meet at U-M event.

SHIMON LEVY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

O

n the night of Saturday, Feb. 19, 26 young Jewish professionals attended an event with the University Musical Society (UMS), sponsored by Nicole and Matt

Lester.

The event included a pre-reception at the Bell Tower Hotel, with appearances by University of Michigan Hillel Executive Director Tilly Shemer, NEXTGen Detroit Director Tomer Moked and JFMD Shaliach Yiftah Leket. UMS president Matthew VanBesien provided a welcome speech and overview of the performance. Then, as the group walked to the Hill

34

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

LEFT TO RIGHT: Steve Davis, Kelly Sternberg, Michael Sternberg, Elise Gilbert, Eddie Aronowitz, Jennifer Levy, Jacob J. Krause, Shimon G. Levy.

Auditorium, they could hear a medley of tunes from Fiddler on the Roof performed on the Charles Baird Carillon by current graduate student and Hillel student leader Kevin Lieberman.

This semi-staged concert performance of Fiddler on the Roof featured the Grand Rapids Symphony playing the firstever live performance of John Williams’ orchestral arrangement of the movie score, which premiered over 50 years ago. This unique collaboration explored the beloved musical and its timeless theme of “Tradition!” through a modern lens and proved relevant given the current conflict in Ukraine.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Joshua Goldberg, Sammy Dubin, Ilana Block, Adam Block, Shimon Levy, Daniel Warsh, Ryan Warsh.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Evening sponsor Nicole Lester and her guest Ashley Adelman.

This production offered a group of 14 musical theater students from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater & Dance a different educational opportunity — the chance to perform alongside Broadway actors in a production led by a professional creative team, including Broadway director Sarna Lapine, music director Andy Einhorn, and lead actors Chuck Cooper (Tevye) and Loretta Ables Sayre (Golde). And did they deliver, with a marvelous performance by all!

In this age, where, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), antisemitism is at an all-time high since tracking began in 1979, seeing classical old Yiddish-language stories of Sholem Aleichem, acted on stage by people of diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and beliefs, was nothing short of remarkable.

Fiddler on the Roof explores the tension between tradition and evolving norms in Anatevka, a poor Jewish shtetl (village), in early 20th-century Russia. Tevye — the dairyman — extols the traditions that govern Anatevka, as he dreams of a more comfortable existence and seeks to arrange favorable marriages for his daughters. His daughters, on the other hand, long to depart from tradition, and the shtetl faces imminent threats to its existence from pogroms — the deadly antisemitic massacres that displaced scores of Jewish communities in Czarist Russia.

Seeing an African American actor portray Tevye and a performer of Asian descent play Golde, in addition to the diverse backgrounds of key student actors, was transformational. It allowed audiences of all backgrounds, faiths and religions to

relate, connect and explore Jewish culture and story through their personal lenses.

I believe that the Jewish story is not only our story — it is ours to share, expand and cultivate a willing audience to embrace it. Whether through their personal or professional experience, that is what Fiddler on the Roof provided.

UMS President VanBesien told me that student actors of different faiths struggled with what they perceived as their inability to adequately present a culture not their own and their concern in expressing it. Through their struggle and educational journey, they allowed us, the audience, to contemplate our own approach to the story and journey of the characters. It was apparent, appreciated and embraced by the audience.

The story extends beyond the performers, and the overwhelming presence of young Jewish professionals from Metro Detroit shows how community, passion and philanthropy come together: • Community, the NEXTGen-age professionals came together to learn, engage and get involved in building and invigorating a post-pandemic Jewish community.

• Passion, seeing how the passion for the arts and culture through involvement with UMS, students and professionals alike led with their hearts and enthusiasm.

• Philanthropy, seeing our philanthropic dollars invested in the arts and having Nicole Lester and her parents present to share her family’s love and commitment to the arts and building a vibrant, invested and forward-thinking community.

On behalf of everyone in attendance, we would like to thank Matt and Nicole Lester for making this evening possible. Through Matt’s role as Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit President, he made it possible to connect, explore and act on all three elements above. May we be so lucky to continue engaging meaningfully, as an inclusive community, in the areas that we’re passionate, committed and united to support philanthropically.

UMS President Matthew VanBesien speaking to the reception guests.

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

35

NEXT DOR

COURTESY OF SRULI KLEIN

VOICE OF THE NEW JEWISH GENERATION

LEFT: A luxury home available for rental.

RIGHT: A sukkah Klein’s Rentals put up

Meet Sruli Klein For thousands of Jewish customers, his service helps provide full kosher travel experience.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

S

ince he was just 14 years old, Sruli (Michael) Klein has made it a mission to help people. The CEO and founder of Klein’s Rentals, a resource that assists Jewish families in creating a full kosher vacation experience, launched his first business in high school — a landscaping company.

Before he was 15 and Sruli Klein able to legally drive, Klein, now 26, hired two full-time employees. Later, he started a property A collage of Klein’s Rentals’ most popular items.

36

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

restoration company to help people recover from disaster damage.

That idea of giving back has always been at the forefront of Klein’s business ventures. When he noticed a gap in services that help the Jewish community have a full kosher vacation — a not always-easy endeavor — he realized there was an opportunity to create a business that specifically catered to this underserved need.

“Throughout COVID, I noticed everybody was in lockdown and eager to travel

again,” Klein recalls of how the Oak Parkheadquartered business was born. “But even before that, I noticed when growing up with my family and going on vacation, and being a kosher Orthodox Jew, having a kosher vacation was very limiting.”

TAKING AWAY THE STRESS FROM VACATION PLANNING Klein explains that it’s often difficult for Jews who keep kosher to find kosher food outside of big cities and especially in areas without sizable Jewish populations.

“Even separate from food, there are things like being able to rent kosher cooking items or kosher plates — simple stuff like that can be a hassle on vacation,” he says.

Klein’s Rentals aims to take away the stress of securing everything necessary for a full kosher vacation experience, from freezers to barbecues to even basketball hoops and baby cribs.

“I thought about what I would need in a vacation and traveling with a large group,” Klein says, noting that most of his clients travel in sizable groups of 20-45 people. “I tried to create a one-stop shop for a kosher traveler without having to compromise or miss on any aspect of their vacation.”

Klein’s Rentals can help with all elements of vacation planning, including finding a vacation villa house to rent. The business, which serves 1,200 families nationwide each year (roughly 10,000 individuals), also partners with different synagogues and local rabbis in various cities to help set up kosher items in rental homes for families.

SERVING CUSTOMERS NATIONWIDE Outside of Orlando, Klein’s Rentals works with clients traveling to New York, New Jersey, California, Miami and even Up North Michigan, like Mackinac Island. All rental items are stored in a large warehouse full of thousands of products that clients can use for their full kosher vacation experience.

Now, Klein is gearing up for the busiest travel period of the year — Passover. “We expect to help thousands of people for Passover,” he says.

“I would love it when you think of planning a kosher vacation, that anybody in the country automatically thinks of Klein’s Rentals,” he says.

“I WAS RAISED TO ALWAYS WORK HARD TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MYSELF AND FOR MY FAMILY.” — SRULI KLEIN

“A newer service we recently added a few months ago is kosher personal shopping,” Klein says. Right now, the business’ main target area is Orlando, Fla., which Klein explains is quickly becoming the No. 1 Jewish travel destination in the country.

“Kosher food in Orlando is very limited,” he adds. “When we started kosher personal shopping, customers simply provide us with the kosher groceries or items they need, and we’ll go out and shop for them, stocking their fridge and their house with everything they need.”

That way, when customers arrive, they can “focus on their family and their vacation and have a great time,” Klein continues.

He even hopes to one day potentially branch his business out to Israel, a major destination spot for the Jewish community. “We have a lot of customers that ask us about helping them in Israel,” Klein adds, in addition to requests for vacations in Greece. “That’s definitely a goal for us.”

In the meantime, however, as he builds his dream business, Klein continues to give back to those in need.

“I was raised to always work hard to create opportunities for myself and for my family,” Klein says, who also supports Yad Ezra, Oak Park EZ-Roll and mentors young Jewish entrepreneurs in the area. “I was raised to help others and to give back, to help them be successful in what they do.”

Back at the Ukrainian refugee center: the students, volunteers and refugees.

MSU Students in Poland Moved to Action Students saw Ukrainian refugees in need of food, so they went grocery shopping.

JN STAFF

T

hree Michigan State University students, Jared Pazner of Franklin, Darren Hollander of Farmington Hills, and Tamara Hyman of Satellite Beach, Florida, are on the Chabad on Campus Alternative Spring break LivingLinks trip.

LivingLinks is an educational and inspirational student trip to Poland. According to its website, “the weeklong journey traverses through cemeteries, death camps, ghettos and other vestiges of Jewish life and loss across Poland.”

On March 8, the students were in Lublin, Poland, where the Jewish community is working at a Ukrainian refugee center, providing clothing, food and other necessities for thousands of fleeing Ukrainians.

While the students were speaking with some of the volunteers, they learned the center was out of food.

The students wanted to help. They pooled together funds by posting on social media and asking friends and family,

and then went off to the grocery store.

Rabbi Benzion Shemtov, co-director of the Chabad Student Center at MSU, received a direct text from the students along with the photo: “We just left a refugee center. They were out of food, so we are getting more.”

The students were able to fill several grocery carts with food they brought back to the center.

MSU students Jared Pazner, Darren Hollander and Tamara Hyman load up grocery carts with food for Ukrainian refugees.

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

37

BRIAN SEVALD

sports HIGHlights

TOP: Frankel bowling team seniors (from left) Oz Gamer, Charlie LaBelle, Eli Gordon, Andy Tukel, Daniel Stryk and Adam State line up with Coach Joe Bernstein.

BRIAN SEVALD

Marathon on the Lanes Snowstorm forces Frankel bowlers to roll 12 games in one day.

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I

t was a long day at Ten Pin Alley in Tecumseh for the Frankel Jewish Academy bowling team.

Frankel bowlers normally compete in the individual and team portions of the MHSAA regional tournament at Ten Pin over two days — individual on Thursday instead of the scheduled day Saturday, and team on Friday, the scheduled day.

But the Jaguars bowled

38

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

only on Thursday this season (Feb. 24) because a snowstorm delayed the start of competition Friday (Feb. 25) by several hours.

“Ten Pin Alley, the MHSAA and host school for the regional are always wonderful to work with and accommodating for us, and that was particularly the case this year,” said Frankel coach Joe Bernstein.

“Doing everything on Thursday was the best idea

Frankel bowler Eli Gordon locks his eyes on the pins.

for us. I didn’t want to force our bowlers make a decision to continue bowling or go home Friday afternoon (for Shabbos) if there was a chance to qualify for state.”

Bernstein said Frankel’s five bowlers each rolled the equivalent of 12 games over threeto- four hours with about a half-hour break Feb. 24. No substitutes were available to

give the five a rest.

“People don’t think bowling is a tiresome sport, but when you roll that many games very quickly, it’s tiring,” Bernstein said.

Frankel senior Eli Gordon said he felt fine at the beginning of the day in his first three individual games, then started tiring, but he perked continued on page 40

quick hits

She’s Been a Bulldog This Season at Yale Elle Hartje has had a remarkable sophomore season with the Yale University women’s hockey team.

As the regular season came to a close in early March, the sophomore forward from Bloomfield Hills led the Bulldogs with 16 goals and she had a team single-season record 34 assists for 50 total points.

Her point total at the time was the most for any Yale women’s hockey player in the last 37 years, and she ranked Elle Hartje third in NCAA Division I in assists per game and 10th in points per game.

Yale advanced to the ECAC playoff championship game March 5, but lost 2-1 in overtime to Colgate, a team it had shut out twice in two previous meetings this season.

Earlier in the week, Hartje was named to the all-ECAC first team.

Despite the loss to Colgate, Yale (25-8-1) had a good shot to get an all-large berth in the NCAA tournament.

Yale didn’t play in the 2020-21 season, which was canceled by the NCAA because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hartje spent the season in Bratislava, Slovakia, playing for a club team and the Slovakian national team.

The Detroit Country Day School grad’s maternal grandparents were born and got married in Bratislava. An aunt lived there until she was 4.

YALE UNIVERSITY

BY STEVE STEIN

The roster is set.

Twenty-three teen athletes will represent Detroit at the revived JCC Maccabi Games this summer in San Diego.

The Maccabi Games were canceled in 2020 and 2021 by the JCC Association of North America because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Not bad. Our allotment was 40 athletes, so we got more than 50% of that,” said Karen Gordon, Detroit’s delegation head, about the size of the Motor City Maccabi Games contingent.

“I’m so excited these kids are going,” Gordon said.

There aren’t enough Detroit athletes to form a team in any of the team sports, so Detroit athletes will join with athletes from other delegations on teams.

Here’s a list of Detroit athletes who will compete in San Diego (golf, swimming and tennis are individual sports): 14U baseball — Drew and Eli Edelstein, Ari Gottlieb, Alexander Scheinfeld.

14U boys basketball (3 vs. 3) — Ari Ellis.

16U boys basketball (3 vs. 3) — Gideon Lopatin, Shmuel Shottenstein.

16U girls soccer — Eva and Vivienne Alfonso, Sydney Goldman.

Dance — Emily Feinstein, Addison Fenster, Madison Kraft.

Girls basketball — Layla Hill, Grace Kleinfeldt.

Golf — Alex Lustig.

Hockey — Aiden BenEzra, Brennan Gesund, Aaron Goldman, Lucas Hutten, Braylon Juszak.

Swimming — Megan Zelmanov.

Tennis — Sarah Krivichkin.

The Maccabi Games will be held July 31 through Aug. 5, hosted by the Lawrence Family JCC. Founded in 1982, the Maccabi Games have grown into the largest Jewish sports competition in North America.

This is the 40th year for the Maccabi Games. Detroit was a host city in 2019, the last time the Maccabi Games were held.

Bloomfield Hills Star Marches into State Tournament with a League Championship Noah Adamczyk and the Bloomfield Hills High School boys basketball team did what they needed to do.

Adamczyk scored a game-high 15 points and the Black Hawks beat Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 62-35 on March 3 to earn a share of the Oakland Activities Association White Division championship.

Bloomfield Hills and Lake Orion each finished 6-2 in league play.

Two days before it defeated Stoney Noah Adamczyk Creek (0-8), Bloomfield Hills rallied for a 52-50 win over Lake Orion.

Adamczyk scored 17 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter of that game. Also, the star junior point guard caused a Lake Orion turnover that resulted in the winning free throws.

Bloomfield Hills opened Division 1 district play with a 60-46 victory March 7 over West Bloomfield. Adamczyk had 28 points in that game.

MICHELLE ADAMCZYK

They’re Going to the Maccabi Games

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

39

sports HIGHlights

quick hits

BY STEVE STEIN

Jack Chudler lost both of his matches March 4 at the MHSAA Division 2 individual state wrestling tournament.

But the Orchard Lake St. Mary’s sophomore didn’t leave Ford Field in Detroit unhappy. Just making it to state was good enough for him this year.

“I really didn’t expect to be there,” he said. “I thought I wrestled well at state, and the experience will help me in the future.”

Chudler didn’t exactly get an easy draw at state in the 135-pound bracket.

He was pinned by St. Clair Shores Lakeshore’s Aaron Lucio in 2:18 in his

40

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

CHUDLER FAMILY

Wrestler Jack Chudler States his Case at Ford Field

Family members celebrate sophomore wrestler Jack Chudler’s district championship.

From left are Jack’s brother Anthony and parents, Loren and Angel.

opening match.

Lucio went on to win the weight class championship as expected and

Frankel bowlers and Coach Joe Bernstein huddle during the team’s lone home match of the season, a 29-1 victory Feb. 1 over Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes.

Six seniors were on Frankel bowling team this season: Gordon, LaBelle, State, Andy Tukel, Daniel Stryk and Oz Gamer.

There were five juniors: Taylor-Abt, Aiden Schafer, Evan and Ethan Weitzman and Zion Rozin.

Sophomores Jonah Miller,

finish the season with a 54-0 record.

Cole Riedel of St. John’s pinned Chudler in 2:48 in wrestle-back’s, ending Chudler’s time at the tournament and leaving him with a 24-10 season record.

There were plenty of reasons for Chudler to celebrate post-season success before he got to the state tournament.

He was the 135-pound champion at the Warren Fitzgerald district, and he finished fourth at the Adrian regional, earning a state tournament berth.

“Winning districts was a big goal for me this season, and I did it,” Chudler said. “Also, being a district champion gave me a better draw for regionals, which helped me get to state.”

Avi Shere and Ari Michaels and freshmen Shomer, Brody Fleishman and Areyh Gamer rounded out the roster.

Langan’s All Star Lanes in Walled Lake is Frankel’s home base.

Please send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

This Hornet Is Buzzing at the Plate Ben Chosid is off to a hot start with the hot Kalamazoo College baseball team.

The senior shortstop from Ann Arbor had two hits in the Hornets’ 8-6 win over Manchester on March 6 in Indianapolis in the Ben Chosid second game of a doubleheader.

Kalamazoo swept that twin bill after another doubleheader sweep of Manchester (0-7) a day earlier.

Chosid went 8-for-17 at the plate in the season-opening four games for a .389 average. He scored four runs and drove in three.

The Ann Arbor Huron High School grad batted .320 and had 26 RBI last season in 40 games for the Hornets. He scored 21 runs and had seven doubles and two triples.

Next for Kalamazoo (4-0) is a spring break trip to Tucson, Arizona. The Hornets will play eight games there beginning March 17.

KALAMAZOO COLLEGE

Shomer (68th with 673) also competed for the Jaguars.

Frankel finished 10th among 15 teams with 2799. The team competition starts with six Baker games (team members alternate shots) and finishes with three regular games.

The top three teams qualified for state.

There were 17 bowlers on the Frankel team this season, the most in Bernstein’s eight years as coach, “and probably the most in program history,” he said.

“These guys are quintessential student-athletes. I haven’t checked, but we have to have the highest or close to the highest team GPA at our school.”

up “probably because I was getting used to bowling a lot.

“I actually liked bowling the individual and team rounds in the same day. It was fun, and we didn’t have to drive to Tecumseh twice (Tecumseh is about a 75-minute trek from Frankel).”

Gordon finished 36th among 80 bowlers in the individual regional competition with 866 for six games. The 173 he rolled in his last game was his highest score of the six.

The top 10 individual finishers qualified for state.

Frankel’s Charlie LaBelle was 40th with 848. Adam State (59th with 719), Ben TaylorAbt (67th with 675) and Meir

MOLLI SPALTER

continued from page 38

MAZEL TOV!

JAN. 12, 2022 Alexis Sack is so excited to announce the birth of triplets: Olivia, Brody and Drew. Grandparents are Lee and Bruce Sack. Olivia Kate (Aliza Chaya) is named for her great-grandmother Annette Sack; Brody Dylan (Benyamin Dov) is named for his great-grandfathers David Milgrom and Murray Sack; Drew Gabriel (Gavriel Yitzchak) is named for his great-grandfather Jack Barish. Greatgrandmother Harriet Barish is most pleased to welcome Olivia, Brody and Drew. We also remember great-grandmother Shirley Milgrom.

NOV. 4, 2021 Melanie and Michael Lieberman of New York City are thrilled to announce the birth of their son, Louis Elliott (Lev Elan). Proud grandparents are Nancy and Steve Kirshenbaum of Scarsdale, N.Y., and Rochelle and Joel Lieberman of Farmington Hills. Louis is named for his great-grandmothers Lucy Kirshenbaum and Eve Lieberman.

Gotlib 100th

S

amuel “Sam” Gotlib D.D.S., was born Feb. 18, 1922, in Toronto, Canada. He lived in Flint for 70 years and in Florida for 30 years. He was married to Muriel (Effman) Gotlib, who died three years ago after 72 years of marriage. His children are Michael and Sylvia Gotlib of Arizona, Deborah and Jules Marks of Illinois, and Daniel and Joanne Gotlib of Southfield. He has numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A celebration was held in Boca Raton, Fla., on Feb. 20, 2022, when Sam was surrounded by all his children, many of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, a niece and nephew, along with a few friends.

Mia Olivia Gantz, daughter of Jill and Adam Gantz, will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Saturday, March 19, 2022.

She will be joined in celebration by her brother, Michael. Mia is the loving grandchild of Idee and Alan Fox, Susanne and Richard Thomas, and Carl Kahn. She is the loving great-grandchild of Dorothy Krashin.

Mia attends Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills.

Her most meaningful mitzvah project was making sandwiches for the homeless.

Noah Brady Tepper, son of Jodi and Brian Tepper, will be called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, March 18, 2022. He will be joined in celebration by his sisters Jordyn and Allie.

Noah is the loving grandchild of Joyce and Michael Levin, Stephen Tepper and Charyl Apple, and Bev and Michael Wallace. He is the loving great-grandchild of Mary Blitz.

Noah is a student at West Hills Middle School in West Bloomfield Township.

His most meaningful mitzvah project was collecting and donating sporting equipment and shoes to those less fortunate with the hope that all kids have what they need to play the sports he loves.

Garfield-Blum

T

racye and Robert Blum of Beverly Hills, Mich., are pleased to announce the upcoming marriage of their daughter Natalie Blum to Kevin Garfield, son of Elle and Finn Garfield of Bloomfield Township.

Natalie received her doctor of osteopathy degree from Michigan State University.

She practices pediatrics with her father and grandfather at Southfield Pediatrics in Bingham Farms and Novi.

Kevin received his doctor of podiatry degree from Kent State University. He practices with his father at Garfield Podiatry in Birmingham.

Natalie and Kevin will be married in spring 2022 at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. continued on page 42

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

41

STAR DELI

“…one of America’s finest carryout-only delicatessens!

Star’s reputation has never wavered!”

— Danny Raskin

COMPARE OUR LOW PRICES WITH ANY DELICATESSEN IN TOWN! MEAT TRAY

$14.99 per person

DAIRY TRAY

person $24.99 per

SALAD TRAY

$15.99 per person

SALAD TRAY W/ LOX & CREAM CHEESE

$19.99

per person

PRE ORDER YOUR GEFILTE FISH & KP DESSERTS TODAY! Support Local Businesses

Also Available:

Best Deli Trays In Town!

Chopped Liver, Veggie Chopped Liver & Matza Ball Soup TEMPORARY HOURS: 8AM -7PM EVERYDAY Carry-Out, Delivery & Curb Side Available

24555 W. 12 MILE ROAD

5 OFF

$

On Star’s beautiful already low-priced trays

Just west of Telegraph Road • Southfield

Expires 03/31/2022. One Per Order.

Not Good Holidays. 10 Person Minimum. With this coupon.

www.stardeli.net

DELIVERY AVAILABLE

248-352-7377 Prices subject to change

continued from page 41

Blum-Garcia

T

racye and Robert Blum of Beverly Hills, Mich., are pleased to announce the upcoming marriage of their son Cameron Blum to Kassidy Garcia, daughter of Jill Garcia and John Young, and Bert Garcia and Lisa Danford, all of Pittsburgh, Pa. Cameron received his master’s degree in organizational leadership, with a concentration in project management, from the University of Denver. He is a guest research analyst with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment in Orlando, Fla. Kassidy received her bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of South Florida. She is a civics teacher at Water Spring Middle School in Windermere, Fla. Cameron and Kassidy will be married in fall 2023 in Florida.

Hechler 74th

FREE Y DELIVER

IMMUNIZ AND S ATIONS SHOTS AHINGLES VAILABL E

10%

SENIOR CITIZ Not Valid on

MAZEL TOV!

EN DISCO

PrescriptionsUNT

MAPLE PHARMACY

R

ose and Mark Hechler of Southfield are celebrating their 74th anniversary, feeling very blessed with children, Ellen Hechler, Andi and Mark Weiss, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. They will be celebrating with family and friends.

MAKE MAPLE PHARMACY… YOUR PHARMACY! Maple Pharmacy offers: • Low Price Medications • 90 Day Supplies • Durable Medical Equipment • Diabetic Supplies

ring Now offe the COVID Vaccine!

• Natural Supplements, Vitamins and Nutraceuticals • Compounding bio-identical hormones, pain creams & other medications • Blister Packaging Available

5829 Maple Rd. Ste. 129 West Bloomfield, MI 48322

248.757.2503

www.maplepharmacyrx.com OUR MISSION IS TO BRING SERVICE BACK TO PHARMACY FOR A HAPPIER, HEALTHIER YOU!!

42

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

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.

SPIRIT

TORAH PORTION

It Is All Relative

W

mention Aaron. Rashi tells hat do Brian us that this omission is Doyle-Murray, intentional and that Aaron’s Frank Stallone relationship with God is less and Joey Travolta have in than that of Moses. common? You’re correct if One explanation for you answered that they are Aaron’s “second tier” status talented show busiis due to his role in ness personalities the Golden Calf story.

While Moses is on who have a more Mount Sinai, receiving famous brother. the Torah, the Israelites Then there’s demand that Aaron Tommie Aaron. He help them build a false was a quite decent Rabbi Elliot god to worship, and major league baseball Pachter Aaron seems to complayer in the 1960s ply. and early 1970s.

Parshat Tzav: While seemingly Though Tommie Leviticus inappropriate behavior Aaron didn’t merit 6:1-8:36; for a leader of Israel, induction into the Jeremiah it is also noteworthy Hall of Fame, his 7:21-8:3; that Aaron is not punachievements would 9:22-23. ished for his dubious normally merit the act. In fact, the great praise and pride of sage Hillel describes Aaron one’s hometown and family. as a lover and pursuer of But Tommie Aaron is the peace. In other words, our brother of Hank Aaron. rabbis see Aaron’s building Tommie does share the the Golden Calf as a means record, with Hank, of most of keeping peace in the career home runs by brothIsraelite community until ers, 768, far outdistancing Moses returns. the three Dimaggio brothThough not as strong ers. or effective a leader as his Turning from baseball to younger brother, Aaron, Torah, the name Aaron is nonetheless, plays a vital still associated with a less role in Jewish history. In the famous brother. Moses’ battle with Amalek. Aaron older brother, Aaron, has was chosen to be one of the remarkable accomplishtwo people to hold Moses’ ments ­— as Judaism’s first arms in the air, thereby high priest, a prophet and ensuring an Israelite victory. the one who accompanied Is Aaron as great as his Moses when speaking before brother Moses? Certainly Pharaoh. not. But is Aaron a leader, a Yet, Aaron always lived positive contributor to Jewish in the shadow of his more history and, in many ways, a famous brother. more achievable role model Parashat Tzav begins for all of whom will never be with God telling Moses to like Moses? Yes, indeed. command Aaron regarding the priestly rituals — indiRabbi Elliot Pachter is the cating that Aaron plays an rabbinic adviser at the Frankel important role. However, Jewish Academy and rabbi emeritus in the opening of Leviticus, at Congregation B’nai Moshe, both in when calling out to Moses, West Bloomfield.

God specifically does not

Thursday, May 12, 2022 T E M P L E I S R A E L O U T D O O R PAV I L I O N 6:15 PM REGISTRATION 7:00 PM PROGRAM ADMISSION $65 After being a finalist on the NBC show Last Comic Standing, comedian Gary Gulman is shining a spotlight on mental health in his HBO special, The Great Depresh, from executive producer Judd Apatow.

With humor, vulnerability, and honesty, Gary destigmatizes mental illness, normalizes treatment and offers hope. Join us as he takes the stage for a night of comedy and connection.

For registration and sponsorship information, visit jfsspotlightevent.org or call 248.592.2339.

Dollars raised enable JFS to address the greatest needs of the community and continue serving the most vulnerable.

Jewish Family Service will follow guidelines from the CDC regarding COVID-19.

SPONSORED BY THE REVA STOCKER LECTURE SERIES

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

43

SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH

Left- and Right-Brain

Judaism

RABBISACKS.ORG

T

he institution of the haftarah — reading a passage from the prophetic literature alongside the Torah portion — is an ancient one, dating back at least 2,000 years. Scholars are not sure when, where and why it was instituted.

Some say that it began when Antiochus IV’s attempt to eliminate Jewish practice in the second century BCE sparked the revolt we celebrate on Chanukah. At Rabbi Lord that time, so the tradition Jonathan goes, public reading from Sacks the Torah was forbidden.

So the Sages instituted that we should read a prophetic passage whose theme would remind people of the subject of the weekly Torah portion.

Another view is that it was introduced

44

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

to protest the views of the Samaritans, and later the Sadducees, who denied the authority of the prophetic books except the book of Joshua.

The existence of haftarot in the early centuries CE is, however, well attested.

Early Christian texts, when relating to Jewish practice, speak of “the Law and the Prophets,” implying that the Torah (Law) and haftarah (Prophets) went hand-inhand and were read together. Many early midrashim connect verses from the Torah with those from the haftarah. So the pairing is ancient.

Often the connection between the parshah and the haftarah is straightforward and selfexplanatory. Sometimes, though, the choice of prophetic passage is instructive, telling us what the Sages understood as the key message of the parshah.

Consider the case of Beshallach. At the heart of the parshah is the story of the division of the Red Sea and the passage of the Israelites through the sea on dry land.

This is the greatest miracle in the Torah.

There is an obvious historical parallel. It appears in the book of Joshua. The river Jordan divided allowing the Israelites to pass over on dry land: “The water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away … The Priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.”

(Josh. ch. 3).

This, seemingly, should have been the obvious choice as haftarah. But it was not chosen. Instead, the Sages chose the song of Devorah from the book of Judges. This tells us something exceptionally significant: that tradition judged the most important event in Beshallach to be not the division of the sea but rather the song the Israelites sang on that occasion: their collective song of faith and joy.

This suggests strongly that the Torah is not humanity’s book of God but God’s book of humankind. Had the Torah been the book of God, the focus would have been on the Divine miracle. Instead, it is on the human response to the miracle.

TWO VOICES IN HARMONY So the choice of haftarah tells us much about what the Sages took to be the parshah’s main theme. But there are some haftarot that are so strange that they deserve to be called paradoxical, since their message seems to challenge rather than reinforce that of the parshah. One classic example is the haftarah for the morning of Yom Kippur, from the 58th chapter of Isaiah, one of the most astonishing passages in the prophetic literature: “Is this the fast I have chosen — a day when a man will oppress himself? … Is this what you call a fast, ‘a day for the Lord’s favor?’ No: this is the fast I choose. Loosen the bindings of evil and break the slavery chain. Those who were crushed, release to freedom; shatter every yoke of slavery.

Break your bread for the starving and bring

dispossessed wanderers home. When you see a person naked, clothe them: do not avert your eyes from your own flesh. (Is. 58:5-7) The message is unmistakable. The commands between us and God and those between us and our fellows are inseparable.

Fasting is of no use if at the same time you do not act justly and compassionately to your fellow human beings. You cannot expect God to love you if you do not act lovingly to others. That much is clear.

But to read this in public on Yom Kippur, immediately after having read the Torah portion describing the service of the High Priest on that day, together with the command to “afflict yourselves,” is jarring to the point of discord. Here is the Torah telling us to fast, atone and purify ourselves, and here is the Prophet telling us that none of this will work unless we engage in some kind of social action, or at the very least behave honorably toward others. Torah and haftarah are two voices that do not sound as if they are singing in harmony.

The other extreme example is the haftarah for this week’s parshah. Tzav is about the various kinds of sacrifices. Then comes the haftarah, with Jeremiah’s almost incomprehensible remark: “For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey Me, and I will be your God and you will be My people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.” (Jer. 7:22-23) This seems to suggest that sacrifices were not part of God’s original intention for the Israelites. It seems to negate the very substance of the parshah.

What does it mean? The simplest interpretation is that it means “I did not only give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices.” I commanded them but they were not the whole of the law, nor were they even its primary purpose.

A second interpretation is the famously controversial view of Maimonides that the sacrifices were not what God would have wanted in an ideal world. What He wanted was avodah: He wanted the

Israelites to worship Him. But they, accustomed to religious practices in the ancient world, could not yet conceive of avodah shebalev, the “service of the heart,” namely prayer. They were accustomed to the way things were done in Egypt (and virtually everywhere else at that time), where worship meant sacrifice. On this reading, Jeremiah meant that from a Divine perspective, sacrifices were bedi’avad not lechatchilah, an after-the-fact concession not something desired at the outset.

A third interpretation is that the entire sequence of events from Exodus 25 to Leviticus 25 was a response to the episode of the Golden Calf. This represented a passionate need on the part of the people to have God close not distant, in the camp not at the top of the mountain, accessible to everyone not just Moses, and on a daily basis not just at rare moments of miracle.

That is what the Tabernacle, its service and its sacrifices represented. It was the home of the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, from the same root as sh-ch-n, “neighbor.” Every sacrifice — in Hebrew korban, meaning “that which is brought near” — was an act of coming close. So, in the Tabernacle, God came close to the people, and in bringing sacrifices, the people came close to God. This was not God’s original plan. As is evident from Jeremiah here and the covenant ceremony in Exodus 19-24, the intention was that God would be the people’s sovereign and lawmaker. He would be their king, not their neighbor. He would be distant, not close (see Ex. 33:3). The people would obey His laws; they would not bring Him sacrifices on a regular basis.

God does not need sacrifices. But God responded to the people’s wish, much as He did when they said they could not continue to hear His overwhelming voice at Sinai: “I have heard what this people said to you.

Everything they said was good” (Deut. 5:25).

What brings people close to God has to do with people, not God. That is why sacrifices were not God’s initial intent but rather the Israelites’ spiritual-psychological need: a need for closeness to the Divine at regular and predictable times.

JUDAISM’S MORAL DIMENSION What connects these two haftarot is

their insistence on the moral dimension of Judaism. As Jeremiah puts it in the closing verse of the haftarah, “I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” (Jer. 9:23). That much is clear.

What is genuinely unexpected is that the Sages joined sections of the Torah and passages from the prophetic literature so different from one another that they sound as if coming from different universes with different laws of gravity.

That is the greatness of Judaism. It is a choral symphony scored for many voices. It is an ongoing argument between different points of view. Without detailed laws, no sacrifices. Without sacrifices in the biblical age, no coming close to God. But if there are only sacrifices with no prophetic voice, then people may serve God while abusing their fellow humans. They may think themselves righteous while they are, in fact, merely self-righteous.

The priestly voice we hear in the Torah readings for Yom Kippur and Tzav tells us what and how. The prophetic voice tells us why. They are like the left and right hemispheres of the brain; or like hearing in stereo or seeing in 3D. That is the complexity and richness of Judaism, and it was continued in the post-biblical era in the different voices of halachah and Aggadah.

Put priestly and prophetic voices together, and we see that ritual is a training in ethics. Repeated performance of sacred acts reconfigures the brain, reconstitutes the personality, reshapes our sensibilities. The commandments were given, said the Sages, to refine people. The external act influences inner feeling. “The heart follows the deed,” as the Sefer ha-Chinuch puts it.

I believe that this fugue between Torah and haftarah, priestly and prophetic voices, is one of Judaism’s great glories. We hear both how to act and why. Without the how, action is lame; without the why, behavior is blind. Combine priestly detail and prophetic vision and you have spiritual greatness.

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.

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

45

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

46

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bais Haknesses Hagrah Oak Park (248) 542-8737

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Temple Jacob Hancock templejacobhancock.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ANN ARBOR

Temple Beth El Battle Creek (269) 963-4921

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

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

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

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

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

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

MINYANS Fleischman Residence West Bloomfield (248) 661-2999

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

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

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

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

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

47

ARTS&LIFE BOOK REVIEW

Savage City, by Donald Levin (Poison Toe Press: Ferndale), 2021

T

he era of 1930s Detroit was a period of extreme upheaval. The Great Depression, the worst economic disaster in American history, reigned for the entire decade. Heavily dependent upon automobile manufacturing, Detroit felt the ravages of the Depression more deeply than any other major city.

Severe economic distress, however, was just one of Mike Smith many serious issues facing Alene and Graham Landau Detroiters: there were also Archivist Chair dangerous threats from crime and racketeering; civic corruption; white supremacy movements; rampant antisemitism and racial prejudice; and pitched battles between corporate powers and labor organizations. As the title of Donald Levin’s new novel suggests, Detroit was a Savage City.

Recently released, Savage City is a historical novel about Detroit during the Great Depression. Best known for his seven Martin Preuss mysteries, Levin takes a deep dive into the noir side of the city by focusing on the lives of four main characters during a critical week in 1932 and a pivotal event: the Ford Hunger March.

48

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

The novel begins with Clarence Brown, a migrant from the American South and one of only a few Black police officers in Detroit.

He is also a detective, which makes him an even rarer commodity on the force. Brown is an honorable man who faces racial prejudice and slights every day of his working life, both from within the police department and without. In his part of the story, Brown faces many obstacles while trying to solve the lynching of an African American man that most of police force is willing to falsely declare a suicide.

Prohibition is still in effect and the distribution of illegal booze is a profitable enterprise in 1932. Although its power was on the wane, the most famous set of Detroit racketeers was the Purple Gang. Its founders and leaders were young Jewish men. Another of Levin’s characters, Ben Rubin, is a petty thief who dreams of joining the gang, but instead, becomes a target of the “Purples.” Rubin is not a bad guy, but he sees crime as a career path out of poverty until he meets Elizabeth Waters.

The scale of poverty in the United States during the Depression was unprecedented and the federal government did not seem

to have any solutions to the problem. To many, it also seemed uncaring. As a result, many citizens began to consider alternative political ideologies such as communism, socialism and other “isms.” Elizabeth Waters is just such a person. Renouncing the security of her Grosse Pointe upbringing, Waters supports the communist-initiated Unemployment Councils. She’s a free spirit, an idealist, but after participating in the Hunger March, Waters finds herself jailed and abused by cops. Ben Rubin is also a victim of the Hunger March, and a bond develops between them.

The Ford Hunger March was an actual event that occurred on March 7, 1932. In protest over the lack of jobs, unemployed workers marched from the western Detroit border to Ford Motor Company’s giant River Rouge Industrial complex in Dearborn.

There, they were met by police, Ford Service Department thugs led by Ford’s famous thug-in-chief, Harry Bennett, and by bullets.

At the end of the clash, four marchers were dead (one died a few days later) and dozens were beaten and injured. Levin uses the Hunger March as a backdrop.

Finally, there is Roscoe Grissom. Grissom

doesn’t have a job and he is disgruntled, mad at the world. He also sees himself as a victim of a changing society that includes African Americans, Catholics, Jews and communists, along with a grudge against a wide range of recent immigrants.

Grissom is a perfect recruit for the notorious KKK-like organization in Detroit: the Black Legion. For the decade or so that the Black Legion existed, it had members in auto factories, Metro Detroit police forces, local governments and other entities.

Following his four main characters, Levin weaves an interesting, often hard, and, at times, lurid story as his protagonists navigate police corruption, antisemitism, the Hunger March and Black Legion terror, all leading to an assassination attempt on the mayor of Detroit. Along the way, his narrative includes brief appearances by many real-life characters such as famed Jewish labor lawyer Maurice Sugar and Detroit Mayor Frank Murphy, to name just two.

Although there are several instances where the insertion of real-life characters seems a bit gratuitous, such as a clandestine Black Legion leadership meeting with Henry Ford, Father Coughlin, Harry Bennett and recalled Detroit Mayor Charles Bowles (who was indeed supported by the KKK), overall, the historical figures are appropriately entered into the narrative at key points.

This is a fascinating portrait of Detroit in 1932, a most tumultuous period of the city’s history. It is also a good read. The pacing of the prose is swift. His main composite characters are solid representations of certain types of people that populated the city, and their actions are plausible and true-to-life.

Three of them try to do the right thing and readers will have empathy for them. Levin’s command of details about the city is also impressive.

Levin’s historical portrait of the era is not pretty; but although dark, it rings true.

There is redemption for some characters, while others contribute to terrible developments that still haunt us. In this sense, there is an underlying lesson regarding how we got to today’s era of rising antisemitism and far-right white supremist organizations.

As Savage City illustrates, the battle against these rotten elements is nothing new.

Meet Don Levin An award-winning fiction writer and poet, Donald Levin is the author of seven Martin Preuss mysteries, as well as the novel The House of Grins and two books of poetry. He has worked as a warehouseman, theater manager, advertising copywriter, scriptwriter, video producer and political speechwriter. He is now the retired dean of the faculty and professor of English at the former Marygrove College in Detroit.

Why did you decide to write this historically based fiction?

I had published seven Martin Preuss mysteries in a row, and I felt the need to step back from writing contemporary mysteries to work on a broader canvas. My last novel, In the House of Night, saw my main character, private investigator Martin Preuss, taking on far-right, white supremacist terrorism. That book came about because of the revulsion I felt at the 2017 Nazi rally in Charlottesville. My research showed me that white terrorism in Michigan has a long and unfortunate history.

How did you prepare to write this volume?

I did a lot of research, consulting books, articles, pamphlets, videos of participants in the Hunger March, old newspaper clippings, maps and photographs, as well as looking to historians of the city. I did intensive research in the language and culture of the 1930s. I wanted to get every detail as right as possible, so researching this book was a much more granular process than researching my Preuss mysteries.

The more I thought about it, the more 1932 called to me as the time to set the story, in a city beset by the chaos of the Depression. The March 7 Ford Hunger Strike seemed like it brought many of the themes from the era together and would, above all, help me tell a good story.

Are there historical characters that inspired your characters?

I had planned for several real-life people of the period to have cameo roles — Maurice Sugar, Henry Ford, Father Charles Coughlin, Mayor Frank Murphy, to name just a few — so fictionalized versions of them make appearances. I developed four main characters that would represent the different worlds the book would portray, with a large cast of supporting roles. The only one of those main characters who was based on a real person is Detective Clarence Brown of the Detroit Police Department, who is based on an actual Black detective of the time; but, of course, I fictionalized him and his plot for the purposes of my story.

You write about a lot of dark times in Detroit history. Are there lessons for readers within your work?

I hope so. For readers who take a look around at today’s situation and wonder how we got here, the book’s partial answer is, we’ve always been here. The Detroit of 1932, rife with hatred, racism antisemitism, anti-labor sentiments, xenophobia, the unbearable struggle of poverty and inequality, and government corruption, is sadly similar to the state of America in 2022. At the same time, considerable hope runs through the book. Each of the four main characters wrestles with the question — how can I live in such a world? And each comes to his and her own accommodation. I hope readers will be inspired by what my characters discover.

How did your personal background impact your book?

I am Jewish, and it very much informed the work. One of the main characters is Jewish and struggles with the antisemitic climate of the time, just as I’m struggling with the resurgence of antisemitism that we see daily. One of the other main characters is a member of the Black Legion, an explicitly antisemitic, racist organization.

I hope the parallels between the book and today’s rise in white supremacist terrorism are both instructive and chilling.

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

49

ARTS&LIFE BOOKS

Ties with India New book looks at synergies between Judaism and Indian religions.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

E

xperiences gained during 20 trips to India and more times to Israel, joined with research gleaned from dozens of texts, enter into the pages of Susan Adelman’s third book, From Jerusalem to Delhi, through Persia (Gorgias Press), published this March.

Adelman, a Southfield resident active with Adat Shalom Synagogue, Susan is scheduling preAdelman sentations to introduce her book-expressed impressions exploring interreligious connections — from legends, through customs

50

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

and into languages.

Two speaking/book-signing engagements represent the religious reach of her chapters: 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 27, at Adat Shalom in Farmington Hills and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at the Bharatiya Temple in Troy.

“I’ve allowed myself to tell personal stories and to express my feelings about India, as well as spiritual and mystical experiences, in a way that I’ve never allowed myself to express before,” Adelman said.

“My first book, The Rebel: A Biography of Ram Jethmalani, is about an extremely famous Indian lawyer and friend, and I felt my job was to tell his story

and not intrude with my own thoughts. My second book, After Saturday Comes Sunday, is the history of the last living people who speak Aramaic.”

Adelman, 80, a retired pediatric surgeon who continues a longtime professional sideline of

artistry — painting early on and making silver jewelry now — became curious about India in the 1970s. A neighbor working with traditional Indian textiles stirred her interest in seeing more authentic artistry.

“I had no exposure to the Indian religions until my husband, Martin, and I went to India,” Adelman said.

Initially impressed with the architectural artistry of the temples, she made a point of getting to know about the beliefs expressed inside and the people who expressed them. Describing herself as “scholarly by nature,” Adelman launched her own book studies back home, and as her learning expanded, she became engrossed with new notions of religion, spirituality and mysticism.

Adelm India

Susan Adelman will discuss From Jerusalem to Delhi, through Persia and sign discounted copies ($30) at 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 27, at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills (masks required) and 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 3, at the Bharatiya Temple, 6850 N. Adams Road, Troy. For information, call Michael Kuper at the Jewish Community Relations Council (248) 642-5993.

COURTESY OF SUSAN ADELMAN

Details

“This new book really is, in many ways, a meditation on the experiences I’ve had through many years of traveling back and forth to India and back and forth to Israel,” said the author, whose husband twice yearly teaches aspects of patent law in Israel. “It also draws on the first two books because I learned a great deal about India in the course of all that time.”

The time frame covered in the book dates back 2,500 years and reaches into the present as the author explores reasons why

Adelman visits an Indian temple.

Israelis and young Jewish adults from America travel to India and adapt some spiritual practices encountered during their journeys.

BORROWING EASTERN PRACTICES Besides chapters that describe the specifics of religions that include Buddhism, Hinduism and Zoroastrianism, Adelman considers the thinking behind the large numbers of Israelis traveling to India and what she describes as the “modern

Susan Adelman with Ari and Ella Moskowitz in Israel

A meeting of people representing different religions.

“MY RESEARCH ACTUALLY ENHANCED MY UNDERSTANDING OF MY OWN RELIGION.” — SUSAN ADELMAN

wandering Jew.” “When I began studying Hinduism and Buddhism, I feared I was betraying my Judaism only to find out on later visits to Israel that my attraction to India made me a typical Israeli,” said Adelman, who attends synagogue services every week, studies Hebrew and has regular one-to-one rabbinical learning sessions.

The book presents annotated statistics about Jewish travelers to India and Jews who take on the practices of other religions — from meditation to yoga — while maintaining their Jewish identity. Adelman delves into the search for spirituality outside of Judaism.

“The more I learned, the more I came to believe that there’s no need to have concerns about studying other religions,”

she said. “My research actually enhanced my understanding of my own religion.”

In explaining her understanding of that concept, she tells a rabbinical allegory about a Jewish man looking for gold in a distant land and finding it in his own home with the help of an individual representing another religion.

“Tzaddiks (Jewish spiritual leaders) and gurus (Hindu spiritual leaders) have a lot in common,” she said. “We watched Sikhs read from the Granth, their holy writings, with the same reverence Jews read Torah.”

Completing her third book took one year for Adelman as she did research on the web and ordered referenced volumes —nearing 50 — for her direct review.

“I got guidance and assistance from friends in Israel and India,” she explained. “One particular friend has a degree in Jewish studies and is very much interested in Buddhism.

“With this guidance, the book shows how Jews and Indians were linked by the ancient Persian empires and their religions, and I make the argument that these connections have remained in the collective Jewish memory.”

Adelman shows how the early Zoroastrian and Hindu works lean back to the same times and a later compilation of the Zoroastrian work and the Babylonian Talmud go back to the same time and place.

“The majority of the people that I read about and wrote about who were Jewish remained Jewish as they became involved with Indian Ashrams and Buddhist centers,” she said. “One of the beauties of Eastern religions is that Jews can recast most of the meditation and mindfulness as therapy, and that’s been extremely successful.”

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

51

ARTS&LIFE

GREG2600 VIA WIKIPEDIA

Amy Schumer

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

Life & Beth is a limited series that will begin streaming on Hulu March 18. All 10 episodes will be released then. This comedy/drama stars Amy Schumer, 40, as Beth.

Schumer also wrote and directed the series.

The advance publicity doesn’t reveal that much.

Here’s the gist of what it says. Beth is seemingly doing fine. She makes a good living as a wine distributor. She’s in a longterm relationship with a good guy. Then a sudden incident forces Beth to deal with her past. Through flashbacks to her teens, Beth learns a lot about

52

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

herself. She gradually gets on the path of becoming the person she really wants to be.

Advance info about the supporting cast is limited to their characters’ names.

“High in the credits” is Michael Cera, who almost always plays nice guys. I bet he plays Beth’s nice boyfriend. You might

Michael Rapaport

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE TV, CC BY 3.0

SCHUMER’S NEW SERIES, WEWORK FIASCO, NEW SIT-COM

remember Cera playing the nice Jewish boyfriend of the title character in the hit film Juno (2007).

Veteran actor Michael Rapaport, 51, is “high up” in the credits, like Cera.

You know Rapaport, even if you can’t place him immediately. He’s a burly red-haired guy with a strong NY accent who has been in a lot of movies and TV shows. He was a series regular on Boston Public.

WeCrashed is a feature film that chronicles the rise and fall of WeWork, an office-sharing company. It premieres on Apple + TV March 18. WeWork was founded in 2010. It was financed by a Korean bank that invested so much money in the company that it couldn’t just walk away.

So, when things went sour in 2019, it paid company founder Adam Neumann, 42, $1.7 billion to go away.

It put in others to run the company, which still limps along.

On paper, Neumann and his wife, Rebekah Neumann, 44, were a model Jewish couple.

They are the good-looking parents of five and are practicing Jews. Adam was born in Israel and had a fine, long career in the Israeli navy. But, WeWork, while not quite a scam, was shamelessly over-hyped by the Neumanns.

Lee Eisenberg, 44, co-wrote the film. Here’s my kvetch: as usual, nonJews play a “very Jewish” couple — Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway play the Neumanns.

Aya Cash

Welcome to Flatch is a Fox sit-com that premieres March 17 (9:30 p.m.). Capsule plot: A documentary company stumbles on a small Midwestern town with many eccentric residents. Aya Cash, 39 (You’re the Worst and Boys) co-stars as Cheryl Peterson, a documentary maker. Cash’s father is Jewish, and she was raised Jewish. She’s married to Josh Alexander, a (Jewish) writer.

In my last column, I wrote about Pieces of Her, an eight-episode series that is now streaming on Netflix.

The series has got great reviews and big viewing numbers. Vague advance publicity led me to misdescribe the role that Jessica Barden, 29, plays.

She plays Jane, the name the lead character, Laura, had as a child and young woman. Barden appears in tiny flashbacks until the fifth episode, when long flashbacks of Jane begin to appear. One bit of advice: stay with this series to the end. You may be frustrated that you don’t know who the “good and the bad guys” are until late in the series. It’s worth the wait.

BY MINGLE MEDIA TV

CELEBRITY NEWS

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS 200 Feb. 11-17, 2021 / 29 Shevat-5 Adar 5781

$

thejewishnews.com

36 36

Meet the cohort of 2021 — young Jews making a difference in our community.

See page 8

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS

$

200 Feb. 18-24, 2021 / 6-12 Adar 5781

thejewishnews.com

Sense of

Duty Young Detroiters serve in the IDF to “give back” to Israel.

See page 12

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS 200 Feb. 25-March 3, 2021 / 13-19 Adar 5781

$

thejewishnews.com thejewishnews

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS

$

200 March 4-10, 2021 / 20-26 Adar 5781

thejewishnews.com

LIKE

Floating Cloud ON A

With Detroit’s help, Israeli firm creates app to give your car a smoother, more efficient ride.

See page 12

Todah Morim!

Thank you, teachers!

An appreciation of our day school educators during this pandemic.

See page 13

Subscribe Today!

See Our Improved Features to Help Manage Your Account!

1 Year In State $85 2 Year In State $153

• Online Account Access for Immediate Updates

1 Year Out of State $125

• Submit Address Changes, Starts and Stops

2 Year Out of State $225

• Easy Renewal Payments • Manage Gift Subscriptions • More ways to get in touch

Email Us: subscriptions@thejewishnews.com Reach Out Through Our Website: https://thejewishnews.com/contact/ Or Call 248.234.9057

Name: Address: City: State:

Zip Code:

Phone Number:

Credit Card Number: Exp. Date: We Accept:

Security Code: Check or Money Order

SEND TO: DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 32255 NORTHWESTERN HWY. SUITE 205, FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

EVENI N COME G OF DY 8 PM, MARC H 21

Suzanne Westenhoefer

IRISH MUSIC 8 PM, MARCH 17

BENEFIT CONCERT 7:30-10:30 PM, MARCH 17 Jewish Ferndale, 1725 Pinecrest Drive in Ferndale, will stage a benefit concert for Ukrainian refugees.

Ethan Davidson will headline local musicians playing various genres of music.

Cost for admission is a donation to Ukrainian refugees at jewishferndale.com.

A ’60S PURIM 5 PM, MARCH 17 At the Windsor Jewish Community Centre. Cost: $25 per adult; $18 kids 12 and older; under 12 free.

Reserve: windsorchabad. com.

IRISH MUSIC 8 PM, MARCH 17 At The Ark in Ann Arbor: Hannah O’Brien & Grant Flick, an Irish-AmericanSwedish-Folk-Jazz duo in an evening of Irish music for St. Pat’s Day. Tickets: $20. Info: theark.org.

PURIM CARNIVAL 9:30 AM-NOON, MARCH 20 Congregation Shir Tikvah invites you to join its annual Purim carnival. Megillah reading at 9:30 am and the

54

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

Spitalnick regarding the landmark Grant Flick & Hannah O’Brien court case and the broader carnival runs from 10 am to fight against violent white noon. Enjoy bouncy houses, supremacy.

The event will sports and carnival games, be moderated by Barbara prizes, a cake walk, make McQuade, a professor at mishloach manot. Entrance the University of Michigan fee is $5 per individual, max $20 per family. A pizza Law School. There will be lunch is available for a small a presentation by Amy Spitalnick, followed by a fee in outdoor tents. dessert reception at each seating. Membership BOOKSTOCK begins at $50, includes a COLLECTION year of free museum admisNOON-2 PM, MARCH 20 sion per household and is Drive up and drop off tax-deductible. To become your gently used books a member and register for and audiobooks, records, the program, call 248-536CDs and DVDs at Laurel 9605. If you are already a Park Place, Six Mile member, you can register at Road between I-275 and holocaustcenter.org/thanNewburgh Road, on the north side of Dunham’s. For kyou. further information, visit FREE CONE DAY www.bookstockmi.org.

11 AM- 9 PM, MARCH 21 CHARLOTTESVILLE Sponsor: Beaumont TRIAL Health Foundation.

1 & 4 PM, Participating Dairy MARCH 20 Queen restaurants At the Zekelman are celebrating the Holocaust Center. first day of spring Featuring Integrity by giving customers First for America a free, small vanilExecutive Director la, soft-serve cone.

Amy Spitalnick. There Participating locations will be two seatare also hosting a Dip ings of “Defeating It for Kids campaign, Nazis in Court – The which gives guests the Charlottesville Trial,” opportunity to add a dip and a conversation with

to their DQ cones for just $1. The additional dollar will be donated to benefit programs and services at Beaumont Children’s, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, as well as any other donations collected that day, at participating Southeast Michigan Dairy Queen locations. To find a participating DQ location, visit DQ.com. More about Children’s Miracle Network at Beaumont Children’s: Beaumont.org/CMN. LUNCHTIME LEARNING NOON, MARCH 21 & 28 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites you to join Rabbi Aaron Bergman when he presents “Dreams and Shadows.” He will be looking at Jewish texts on dreams and their dreamers from the Torah to today.

The program is on Zoom.

RSVP to Kellie Yost: kyost@ adatshalom.org. Info: adatshalom.org.

HOW TO PREPARE 7:30 PM, MARCH 21 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites you to join Rabbi Blair Nosanwisch, director of spiritual care, as she teaches on Zoom. She will consider how the practice of mikvah can be a means of preparing the self for both important ritual moments, as well as life’s

the exchange community bulletin board | professional services personal moments. To register and receive a Zoom link, contact Jodi Gross, jgross@adatshalom.org or 248-851-5100.

EVENING OF COMEDY 8 PM, MARCH 21 At The Ark in Ann Arbor: Suzanne Westenhoefer.

Tickets: $25. After 25 years of groundbreaking, stereotype-shattering and brutally honest comedy, she’s not about to start pulling punches now. Enjoy a wild night of comedy.

Info: theark.org.

FRANKEL CENTER EVENT 4-6 PM, MARCH 22 “The Society of Savage Jews: The Politics of Jewish Primitivism,” organized by the University of Michigan Frankel Center for Judaic Studies. Samuel J. Spinner will discuss the unlikely poetic relationship between the German poet Else LaskerSchüler and the Yiddish and Hebrew poet Uri Zvi Grinberg. Register for the Zoom webinar at: myumi. ch/844Z6.

Zack Bodner

BOOK TALK 7:30 PM, MARCH 22 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites you to join Rabbi Dan Horwitz on Zoom for his interview with author Zack Bodner. Through a combination of personal stories, insights from some

of the world’s greatest teachers and contemporary analysis, Bodner’s book, Why Do Jewish? A Manifesto for 21st Century Jewish Peoplehood, takes one of our oldest wisdom traditions and provides an accessible guide to anyone looking for answers to life’s most important questions. To RSVP and receive the Zoom link, contact Jodi Gross at jgross@adatshalom.org or 248-851-5100.

SOUTH AFRICA NIGHT 7 PM, MARCH 23 The Windsor JCC will host as part of the Food & Wine Around the World Series. The event will include a variety of kosher South African wines and food, guided by in-house sommelier Michelle Turnbull. Hear a short presentation on South Africa by Executive Director Dan Brotman, as well as a panel of local Jewish Southern African Windsorites sharing memories from their homeland. Cost: $30. Info: Joe Schnayer at joe@jewishwindsor.org or at 519-9731772, ext. 225.

CAREGIVER SUPPORT 1:30-2:30 PM, MARCH 24 Virtual Caregiver Support Groups are for individuals who are care partners for those living with cognitive changes including various types of dementia. Please contact Dorothy Moon, Brown Adult Day Program social worker, for Zoom link and more information, 248-233-4392, dmoon@ jvshumanservices.org.

For information regarding advertising please call 248-351-5116 or 248-234-9057 or email salessupport@thejewishnews.com Deadline for ad insertion is 9 a.m. on Friday prior to publication.

JF Green Renovations

Your Trusted Local Expert For Interior & Exterior Restorations

NO MORE DEBRIS

5” and 6” GUTTERS NEW INSTALLATIONS CLEANING & REPAIR GUTTER COVERS ROOFING ROOFING REPAIRS SIDING ROTTEN WOOD REPAIR CHIMNEY RESTORATION

CALL JOHN: 248 -770 -8772 FORMER MARINE

HEALTHCARE A1 CAREGIVER/COMPANION. Experienced, excellent references. 248-991-4944 Caring, Compassionate, Experienced Caregiver.

Immunized. References Upon Request 248-390-4485 Caregiver seeking live-in position for elderly care.

15 yrs. exp. Call Melinda 248-550-5637 Family in need of Long term live-in nanny for a 10yr old boy with Down Syndrome/ Autistic. $1400 a month, private room/bath included.

Call Amy (248)921-1093.

Cita Angels Home Care.

Caregiver Services 24 hr. care.

We assist in cooking, cleaning, bathing/grooming, doctor appointments, errands, etc.

We accept private pay and Medicaid payment. Please call 1-866-542-6435.

Highly qualified Polish caregiver available.

References upon request.

Please call Renate (586) 604-1544

Exp West Bloomfield Resident Caregiver. FT/PT with excellent reference. Mildred (248) 212-6173 G&F Professional ServicesCompassionate, affordable, responsible and efficient homecare. Call Georgiana (248) 571-1837 or (947) 234-2647 (www. gfprofessionalservices.com) Private duty caregiver with 15 years experience and vaccinated. Very Compassionate and would love to care for your loved one.

Please call Yvone (313) 454-6222 or leave message and I will return your call.

TRANSPORTATION A1 DRIVER for Drs appts,shopping, errands,airports and more.

(248) 991-4944 Reliable Driver-Best Rates Airport, appts., errands, shopping & more or ask?

Call David 248-690-6090

APARTMENTS/ CONDOS FOR RENT Room for Rent in West Bloomfield Condominium.

Upstairs, Private Bathroom, Access to Kitchen. Please Contact Harold 248-978-7669 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Molly’s Quality Home Health and Cleaning Services: CNA care and housekeeping (313)658-6350 MollysQualityCare@gmail. com ANTIQUES WANTED. / BUYING / ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES COINS, STAMPS, WATCHES, CAMERAS Please Call (248) 259-8088 or Text (313)395-8599 Website= a.airsite.co Email= wevexgotxstuff@aol.com

SERVICES AAA Cleaning Service.

15 yrs. in business.Natalie 248-854-0775

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

| |55 55

MARCH MARCH17 17• •2022 2022

the exchange community bulletin board | professional services

24/7

$65

Emergency Service

SERVICE FEE

ELECTRONICS UNLIMITED MAX THE HANDYMAN Sales

FAMILY OWNED

SINCE 1973

Aaron Mendelson Heating and Cooling, LLC. 248-855-0437 Cell: 248-912-2292

For information regarding advertising please call 248-351-5116 or 248-234-9057 or email salessupport@thejewishnews.com Deadline for ad insertion is 9 a.m. on Friday prior to publication.

•

Ser vice

Sound Systems • TV Mounting WiFi & Network Wiring Telephone Systems • & More Warren Mendelsohn 248-470-7715

You Name It – I’ll Do It! Toilets • Disposals • Electrical • Door & Lock Repair • Shower Grab Bars • ETC

Maintenance, Installation, Repair & Hot Water Heaters License # 7118488

248-356-0114

Ajmendelson1@gmail.com

A &E C

REMODELING

248-425-9565

HANDYMAN SERVICE

onstruCtion

Serving the Jewish Community for Over 25 Years

• • •

Kitchen Bath Basement

Heating, Air Conditioning Service and New Installations

24 Hour Emergency Service RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Serving the Community for Over 55 Years

• Carpentry • Plumbing • Electrical

FREE ESTIMATES • LICENSED & INSURED

Custom Closets,Inc. 248.855.8747

as featured on

HGTV

Leading the industry with over 30 years experience in the Metro Detroit Area.

Now also organizing the Metro Denver Area with our 2nd location Custom Closets, West, Inc. Call today for your free in-home consultation

248-352-4656

Junk-B-Gone We Haul It All!

WHERE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

Caren Bass

WHATEVER IT TAKES:

Email: jrcmycomputerguy@gmail.com

Still the Lowest Prices in Town!

SAME DAY SERVICE! Proudly Serving the Jewish Community for over 25 Years Owner Present on EVERY job!

248-760-4450 FREE

ESTIMATE

Mention the Jewish News and get 10% Discount

SENIOR AND MILITARY DISCOUNTS

25

Bought Bought & & Bought & BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS Sold SoldSold

Lois Haron Designs Full Service Decorator

It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, only look like it.

Stay in the know with all LIBRARY BOOKSTORE things Jewish...

Open 7 Days M. Sempliner

169 W 9 BOOKSTORE Mile Rd. | Ferndale, MI 48220 LIBRARY

Lois Haron

Interior Designer Allied ASID

(248) 851-6989

loisharondesigns@gmail.com www.loisharondesigns.com

56

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

LIBRARY BOOKSTORE

Open 7 Days M. Sempliner Open 7 Days248.545.4300 M. Sempliner

Get The Detroit Jewish News print edition delivered to your door every week for less than $2 per issue.

248.545.4300 248.545.4300 Books Your Home thejewishnews.com/subscription OpenBought Tues.–Sat.In| 10am–6pm Books Bought In Your Home

Books Bought In Your Home

Subscribe Today!

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

CHARLES BENDER, 92, of Commerce Township, died Feb. 24, 2022.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Sharon Bender; sons and daughters-in-law, Bruce and Betsy Bender, Larry and Renee Bender, Jonathan Ocker; daughter, Stefanie Ocker; sister-in-law, Sandy Alfred; daughter-in-law, Kathy Bender-Slagen; brother, Marty Edelman; grandchildren, Joshua, Melanie (Nick), Michael, Emily and Corey, Lindsey, Ben and Andrew; great-grandchildren, Tucker, Ava, Ayden, Augustus, Delilah Rose and Ayden Bent Bender; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends; his loyal companion, Bella.

Mr. Bender was the father of the late Mark Bender; brother of the late Roz Gold and the late Mildred Wish.

Interment took place at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia.

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

Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

MICHELE BENJAMIN, 53, of Bloomfield Hills, died Feb. 25, 2022.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Mike Rowoldt; parents, Rosalie and Allan Benjamin; brother, David Benjamin; many loving family members and friends.

Interment was held at Adat Shalom Memorial

NO ONE LIKES TO PLAN A FUNERAL.

BUT YOU CAN PLAN TO LIKE THE GUIDANCE AND SERVICE YOU GET FROM A FUNERAL HOME. Arranging a funeral is an emotional process.

But choosing the right funeral home can help alleviate the stress. That’s why people turn to us. We understand the wants and needs of families from all walks of Judaism. Our fresh look and feel make everyone feel welcome. We’re centrally located, and our pricing is fair. Our care—and our caring—help ease the burden of a loss. Making a Dorfman difference everyone will appreciate.

30440 W. TWELVE MILE ROAD, FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334

248.406.6000 | THEDORFMANCHAPEL.COM

continued on page 58

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

57

Monument Center Inc.

“Same Location Over 80 Years” Monuments and Markers Bronze Markers Memorial Duplicating MONUMENT CENTER Cemetery INC. Lettering & Cleaning “Same Location 80 Years”

CEMETERY INSTALLATION ANYWHERE IN MICHIGAN Monuments and Markers 248-542-8266 Bronze Markers Memorial Duplicating Cemetery Lettering & Cleaning CEMETERY INSTALLATION ANYWHERE IN MICHIGAN

Call 248-542-8266

661 E. 8 MILE ROAD FERNDALE 1 1/2 blocks East of Woodward

www.MonumentCenterMichigan.com

If you are not wearing it… sell it!... or BORROW on it!

You can’t enjoy jewelry if it’s sitting in your safe deposit box. Sell or borrow on it for immediate cash.

We deal in jewelry, watches, diamonds and coins.

A Service to Private Owners, Banks & Estates

Coins & Jewelry

Contact Raymond Jenkins

33700 Woodward Ave. • Between 14 Mile & Adams • Birmingham, MI

248-644-8565

Some days seem to last forever…

We’re offering one that actually will.

You can honor the memory of a loved one in a most meaningful way by sponsoring a day of Torah learning at Yeshiva Beth Yehudah.

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

3 Adar II March 6 Regina Jablonka 15 Adar II March 18 Helen Weiss 17 Adar II March 20 Birdie Barris Lillian Belkin Bernice Daniels Sarah Eizen Kate Henock Szmul Jutkiewicz Maurice Katz Isaac Levine Bernard Naiman Paula Dresner Renaud Gertrude Schwartz 18 Adar II March 21 Samuel Beznos Stuart Samuel Chosid Steven Marshall Gotlib Hedwig Greenbaum Moses Hausman Louis Hyman Fannie Komisar Harold Moshel Abe Nusbaum Louis Pelavin Harry Raskin Al Shacket Max Sherman 19 Adar II March 22 Harry Averbuch Rose Baggleman

Leo Barth Bertha Glazer Rebecca Katzer Dr Leslie I Moss A. Leon Peck Kate Pitkowsky Rose Ross Rachel Scherr Jack H. Schey Anna Schwartz Eva Shlakman Edward Tarnopol Julius Wasserman Meyer Weisberg Katie Zamler 20 Adar II March 23 Lillian Bluestein Anne Cooper Emanuel Danzig Sadie Delin Esther Jacobson Beth Mindy Kaplan Morris Korman Abraham Morris Kreplak Hyman Mickelson Mack Pitt Max H. Sallan Samuel Wiernik 21 Adar II March 24 Jen Alexander Louis Barsky Chaja Sora Blank Jacob Chaben

Clara Elukin Elizabeth Joseph Hyman Lerner Leah Menuck Dora Norber Sylvia Silverstein Nellie Wolf 22 Adar II March 25 Harry Antman Hymie Armeland Rex William Berman Ethel Bruseloff Ethel Dworkin Mollie Goldberg Louis Honigman Sarah Karbal Pearl Keller Anna Pesochinskaya Roy Radner Max Rosenfeld Isaac (Izzy) Sigal Irving Lawrence Stern 23 Adar II March 26 Betty Barill Alexander Farber Norman Fill Sarah Horovitz Rebecca Lipshitz Anna Silverman Beckie Traub Wendy Weitzman Samuel Winograd

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

58

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 57

Park Cemetery in Livonia.

Contributions may be made to the Peritoneal Mesothelioma Research Foundation or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements

by Dorfman Chapel.

BARBARA DANN BERRY, 95, Bloomfield Hills, died March 5, 2022.

While her family was the center of her life, Barbara was also an active and devoted member of several Jewish organizations, including Hadassah, Jewish Family Service, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, American Friends of the Hebrew University and Shaarey Zedek Sisterhood.

She took special joy in mentoring young, low-income single mothers in need of support and strongly supported Planned Parenthood.

Mrs. Berry had a great love of traveling, having traveled all over the world with her husband, Harold, during their 67 years of marriage. She was also an avid supporter of the arts and had an especially keen eye for fashion and interior design. In her final years, she battled courageously with her declining health, but to the great relief of her family, she never lost her delightful sense of humor.

Mrs. Berry was the cherished mother of Lawrence (Sharon) Berry, Elliott Berry (Campbell Harvey) and Miriam Berry (the late Peter) Seagle; proud grandmother of Matthew Berry (Josh Goldfoot), Katherine Berry (Michael Stewart),

Jacob (Anna) Berry, Meggie Berry Harvey (Ash Mohney), Olivia Seagle (Timothy) Brennan and Elizabeth Dann Seagle; adoring great-grandmother of Eliana Seagle Brennan, Nora Berry Brennan, Jonah Harold Berry and Evan Bartlett Berry. She is also survived by loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold Berry; parents, Moe and Dorothy Dann; brothers, Alvin Dann and Mike Dann; and sister-in-law, Selma Snider Schwartz.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to Jewish Family Service, 6555 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jfsdetroit.org; Planned Parenthood, 3100 Professional Drive, P.O. Box 3673, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, plannedparenthood. org; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

RUSSELL KASMER, passed away Feb. 26, 2022, surrounded by his family, in West Palm

Beach, Fla. Russell “Russ” Eric Kasmer was born in 1947 in Detroit to Eleanor Selik (Kasmer) and Alex Kasmer. He was employed as an electrician for 58 years and for 24 years with Florida Power and Light in the Fort Lauderdale area.

He graduated from Nova Southern University with a master’s degree in business.

Mr. Kasmer is survived

by his wife, Judy; daughter, Emily; many stepchildren and grandchildren; sister, Carol Irving (Kasmer); many nieces and nephews in Montana and Michigan.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Eleanor Selik and Alex Kasmer; and his brother, Bob (Robert) Kasmer.

Per his wishes, there will be no funeral services.

JANET ROSENBERG LEINWAND, 85, of West Bloomfield, formerly of Tarrytown, N.Y., died March 6, 2022.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Jamie and Barry Ludwig; and grandchildren, Lane and Jake.

She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Burton Leinwand.

Contributions may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or to a charity of one’s choice.

MARILYN RUTH LESSE, 95, of Farmington Hills, died March 2, 2022.

She is survived by her husband, Harold Lesse; son and daughter-in-law, Steven and Katherine Lesse of Ann Arbor; daughters and sons-in-law, Karen Lesse Chinich of Hillsborough, N.J., Gina and Christopher Pyzik; grandchildren, Sera

and Neil Vajda, Amber Lesse and Daniel Solomon, Julian Lesse, Madelline and Andrew Carano, Emma and Taylor Wood, Ian Chinich, Derek and Melissa Chinich, Nathanial Pyzik, Noah Pyzik; great-grandchildren, Evelyn Vajda, Jude Vajda, Nevaeh Carano, Elle Carano, Kristin Carano, Kira Chinich; by many loving cousins, other relatives and friends.

Mrs. Lesse was the loving daughter of the late David and the late Zella Werber; dear sister and sister-in-law of the late Annalee and the late Martin Bierman.

Contributions may be made to a breast cancer charity. A graveside service was held

at Beth Tikvah Cemetery.

Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

ARLENE PEISS, 88, of Cypress, Texas, died March 9, 2022.

She is survived by her children, Sharilyn (Joseph) Milcoun, Stuart Peiss and Judy (the late David Snyder) Peiss-Snyder; grandchildren, Andrea Podlesney, Jeffrey (Chelsea) Milcoun, Erin Peiss (finace, Nick Bretthaver), and Matthew Peiss; great-grandchildren, Dominick, Mason and Scarlett; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.

Mrs. Peiss was the beloved wife of the late Seymour Peiss. continued on page 60

We understand that grief is a part of love.

Let us assist your family during this difficult period.

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

59

OBITUARIES

Influential Reform Rabbi Shim Maslin Died

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 59

Interment was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia.

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

Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

JERRY ZABEL, a resident of West Bloomfield, died on March 9, 2022, at the age of 77.

He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Rochelle Zabel; daughters and son-in-law, Marla (Jason) Golnick and Elisa Zabel; his adoring granddaughters, Ariel and Rayna Golnick, and Lillian and Ruby Harwin; sister, Judith “Cookie” Stein (late husband

60

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

Sol Stein); his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Frank and Beth Grund; many nieces, nephews and cousins who absolutely cherished him. In addition, he leaves behind a lifetime of wonderful friends.

Mr. Zabel was predeceased by his siblings, Phyliss (the late Sonny) Damraur, Marlene “Malky” (the late Hersh) Goldberg, Herbert “Sonny” (the late Sharon) Zabel.

Interment was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia.

Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, to Congregation Beth Ahm or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements

by Dorfman Chapel.

Rabbi Simeon “Shim” Maslin, a national leader in the Reform movement who pushed Reform Jews to embrace lifecycle traditions and a more substantive interpretation of mitzvah, died from cancer on Jan. 29, 2022. He was 90.

Maslin was the senior rabbi at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, for 17 years, from 1980 to 1997 — his last stop in a 50-plus-year career that included positions in Chicago, Curaçao and Monroe, New York.

He also served as president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, an organization uniting about 2,000 Reform rabbis.

As a Reform leader, Maslin wrote the book Gates of Mitzvah in 1979, which introduced classic Jewish life cycle practices into the Reform movement.

Maslin’s insight helped modern

Jews go deeper and conduct baby namings, marriages and funerals in an authentic fashion.

“He played that role of reintroducing tradition into Reform Judaism,” current Keneseth Israel Rabbi Lance Sussman said.

The book was so influential that Sussman had read it before he’d even met the leader of the congregation he would one day lead.

Maslin was a proponent of other innovative ideas within the Reform movement, including interfaith hospitality.

Maslin described himself as a “religious naturalist.” In a 1997 piece for the Inquirer, he wrote: “The function of a Jew is to be co-creator, with God, of the world. The task of the human being is to perfect the world, using the tools God gives us.”

Source: Philadelphia Jewish Exponent via JTA

OBITUARIES OBITUARIES

Special Obit Headline He Dressed Others for Success Deck 14/15

OF OF BLESSED BLESSED MEMORY MEMORY continued from page XX

Persons name Persons name from pay equity to from pay equity to ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER sexual harassMosexual harassMoLincoln Proxima Nova/Regular luptas imincieni luptas imincieni everalutecte weekscullatem have passed since utecte cullatem world,” said Amy. “But my dad didn’t just WRITERS NAME CONTRIBUTING WRITER Robert volor “Rob” minusapis Wachler,et68, died in volor minusapis et help people get dressed for work; he helped s women’s issues earum de plias offictu for earum eniminvel his Pleasantearum Ridge et home et onearum Feb. 21,eniminvel earum et et them get ready for life.

WithetThreads — from pay Success, equity he helped sandit eium quiget tem facea for 2022, que modit of an auditory reictiumnerve earumtumor. Inque thatmodit reictium earum students dressed to sexual harass sequatur, time, ratque hisvollorunt mother, Barbara labo. UtWachler, said ratque shevollorunt labo. Ut their future doluptas with confidence. ” accul Moluptas imincieni utecte et offictu sandit hasn’t repello stopped ratur, optat. “hearing love stories repello from ratur, optat.

“Dad felt likedea plias lighthouse to my famiObissitiorum natioreius cullatem volor minuslyapis et myeium anyone, males as natioreius well as females, who Obissitiorum ever — me, sisterqui andtem myfacea mom,doluptas ” Sarah nosanih illatet uritis etur?People are nosanih earum enim invel earum et Philip iumquam hilicidus maximet had any contact with him. say- illatet uritis etur?

Wachler said. “He was always the nonsequi des’”maio Luptius nonsequi des maio et que modit reic tiumsteady earum odiyou diocould te nosgoestoint aut or ing,Luptius ‘He changed my life.

That’s because, beacon forutadvice eium excerum laut debis eium excerum laut ratque vollorunt labo.toUtask questions. et sequatur, accull abo iditae forEt alldebis his accomplishments in businessEtand ” vent as et laut dit porestrum, vent as repello ratur, optat. vollorunt ut landio.

Et a sumcharitable work, Rob found his biggest suc- et laut dit porestrum, Sarah hadequiatur, an opportunity during et plaborporunt as eatquaeet plaborporunt as eatquaeObissitiorum natioreius cess in life through his human relationships. mer college break to work at a guest ranch pelit pro bearum, a volorpos pelit pro bearum, a volorpos NameWyo. this is Her LincolnProxima Nova nosanih illatet uritis etur?

Professionally, Rob had a long career as in Jackson Hole, “unparalleled estias dolupie ndenduciatem estias dolupie ndenduciatem Bold Italic 8/10 information is Lincoln Luptius nonse qui des aconsequ haberdasher.

For more than 25 years, he dad” quickly decided to “take a week out of istiis quam, ipicilit consequ istiis quam, ipicilit Proxima Nova light italic 8/10 maioEt debis eium excerum was associated with Nashville-based clothier his life and drive out west with me. ” Staying volupti oribusam fuga. Menis volupti oribusam fuga. Menis laut vent as et laut ditanother por- five days, they took overnight Tom Company in Southfield.vent doluptatem et earchil vent James doluptatem et earchil estrum, et plabo rporunt as Earlier, Rob worked in the Wachler familicatibus. licatibus. backpacking trips. When Sarah felt scared Ut Osmuns eum voloand corJohn ad Kent clothing Uga. Ut eum volo cor ad eatquaepelit pro bearum, ly’sUga. former for him to leave, Rob said, “‘You need to Rob Wachler quam and nulliquo tem facea quam nulliquo tem facea dipa volorpos estias dolupie stores, as a manager at dipthe former do this on your own. You’re going to have idel enieniant ndendu ciatem consequ Jacobson’s store in Birmingham. idel enieniant Dec. 16, 1978. an adventure. You’re going to be fine.’” The | His retailing and relationship-building istiistogether, quam, ipicilit volupti “Throughout our 45 years “nudge” he gave “built confidence that I Persons name Persons name oribusam fuga. vent handle different situations.” abilities served Rob well as board chair of we were often surprised and delighted

by Meniscould from pay equity to from pay equity to doluptatem et earchil licatiThreads for Success. The nonprofit orgaeach new stage of loving each other, ” Judy Her children, ages 13, 11 and 8, always sexual harassMosexual harassMobus vent dolupt atem.Uga. Ut alone with their grandparents nization he founded in 2006 has mentored Wachler said.

“I feel that we reached a pingot a week luptas imincieni luptas imincieni eum volo cor ad quam more than 1,000 young men graduating nacle in our last year as Rob’s disease proeach year.

“Dad took my oldest son, Jack, utecte cullatem utecte cullatem from high school.

The culmination is each gressed.

As his life was drawing to a close, then 11, to the Baseball Hall of Fame in volor minusapis et volor minusapis et THIS A SUBHEAD graduate receiving top-quality, custom-fit- we spokeeniminvel often of this pure and IS intense love Cooperstown, N.Y.,” Sarah said. “He’d play earuma eniminvel earum Harum hic ted suit,etcomplete with shirt to looket etwe earum et que modit reic-and tie,earum quehad modit reic- in those discovered sad yetsinveliqui beautifuluntSpiderman on the floor with his youngest tium earum ratque vollorunt ratque tet facid que consequ grandson, iatiori Miles, and they would go sledhis most professional at business andtium aca-earumdays. ” vollorunt labo. Ut repello ratur, optat. labo. Ut repello ratur, optat. rum audam earum deding. plias demic interviews. ” As for his granddaughter Sam — “she Obissitiorum natioreius natioreius quihis princess.” It was special for the family Rob was born in Detroit on May 26,Obissitiorum DEVOTED TO FAMILY et offictu sandit eiumwas OBITUARY nosanih illatet uritis etur? nosanih illatet etur? tem facea doluptas sequatur, 1953, to Barbara and the late Norman Theuritis Wachler daughters, Sarah and Amy, in January when, in spite of his illness, Rob Luptius nonsequi des maio Luptius nonsequi des maio CHARGES accul11laborum Wachler, a longtime executive of the nonwere born during the family’s years initae voluptatparticipated in Jack’s bar mitzvah in Ohio.

Et debis eium excerum laut Et debis eium excerum laut Theisprocessing feehis forwife, expelen isciiss equiatur, profit agency Rabbi M. Robert Syme Huntington Woods. The ibus family’s final move Rob Wachler survived by vent as et lautJARC. dit porestrum, vent as et laut dit porestrum, obituaries is: $125 for ut landio. utatem reperch officiated at Rob’sasbar mitzvah at Temple was to Judy,Et a teachJudy; daughters, Sarah (Ben) Philipup of et plaborporunt eatquaeet plaborporunt asPleasant eatquae-Ridge in 1990. to 100and words; $1 per word ilignat iore dam adit ant, Israel in Detroit.

The Wachlers later moved er, said she and Rob were active parents at Columbus, Ohio, Amy (fiancé, Francis pelit pro bearum, a volorpos pelit pro bearum, a volorpos thereafter.

A photo counts as to Huntington their daughters’ schools. quiae as aut hil iumquam Sams) Wachler of Boston; grandchildren, estias dolupie Woods. ndenduciatem estias dolupie ndenduciatem 15 words.

There is nomother, charge ant, quiae as aut Jack, Samantha and Miles Philip; Karen Wachler adored her big brother.

Wachler father “worked consequ istiis quam, ipicilit consequ istiisAmy quam, ipicilitsaid her adit for a Holocaust survivor icon. sinveliqui unt voluptiasoribusam fuga. Menis fuga.

“From long as I could remember,volupti people oribusam hard but wasMenis always present.Harum ” They shared Barbara Wachler; and sister, Karen (Charley The JN reserves the right vent et earchil vent” doluptatem hic tet facid que consequ of all doluptatem ages were always so drawn to Rob, a bondetasearchil marathon runners.

“This January Stern) Wachler. editofwording conform to licatibus. licatibus. iatioriorrum audam earum she said. “I felt like the luckiest person in in Houston, I reached a goal I had worked He was thetoson the latetoNorman Uga. Ut eum volo cor ad Uga. Ut eum volo cor ad its style considerations.

ForAnn de plias et offictu sandit the world because it was like living backhard at — running a marathon under 3 Wachler and brother of the late Judith quam nulliquo tem facea dipquam nulliquo tem facea dipinformation, have your funeral eium qui tem facea doluptas stage with a rock star!” hours,” Amy said. “He was so excited seeing Wachler. idel enieniant idel enieniant call themay JN be or you sequatur, laborum iditae Prior to college, Rob joined the Peace me run the race of my life.

Dad wasacc (virtuMemorial director contributions designatmay call Sy Manello, editorial isciiss Corps. He met his future wife and fellow ally) with me every step.” voluptatibus The next dayexpelen he ed to Threads for Success at assistant, at (248) 351-5147 landio. Et utatem reperch volunteer, Judy Coomes of Chicago, flying told her he was starting hospice. threadsforsuccess.org. or emailgathering him at smanello@ ilignat iorepudam from New York to Tunisia in North Africa.

Both daughters hold fond memories of Harum A private funeral took place thejewishnews.com. unt hic tet facid They taught English before returning to watching their dad at his sinveliqui clothing stores.

Feb. 22. A celebration of his life is being continued pageofXX que consequ audam Detroit in 1977. Their wedding day was “He soldon some the finest clothing in iatiorio the planned for Memorial Day Weekend.

S

A

MARCH 17 • 2022

|

61

Looking Back

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

Ukraine and JN — A Long History

H

istory does not repeat itself, but at times, it sure does rhyme,” says Mark Twain. In this respect, I’ve been thinking about Ukraine. The nation is a dominate topic in American and Jewish media. Ukrainians — Jewish and non-Jewish — are suffering as the Russian army wages an unprovoked war against them.

As the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History reveals, Ukraine has often been a topic in the Detroit Jewish Chronicle and the JN over the past 100 years. The land that Mike Smith produced famed Israeli Alene and Graham Landau writer Amos Oz, Israeli Archivist Chair Prime Minister Golda Meir, famous Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson has been mentioned on more than 3,000 pages in the Archive since 1917.

It may be surprising that the decade of the 1920s has the most stories featuring Ukraine; there were reports on 778 pages.

Unfortunately, they are largely sad, dismal reads, full of news about pogroms against Jews, hunger and suffering. An estimated 50,000-100,000 Jews were killed in the years following World War I, largely at the hands of Ukrainian nationalistic forces, as well as (not surprisingly) the Soviet Union.

For just one example, see the front-page story for the Jan. 16, 1920, Chronicle. It was an era of virulent antisemitism.

World War II with its Nazi-promulgated atrocities was an era of antisemitism at its absolute worst. During the Holocaust, more than 6 million Jews were killed; an estimated 1.5 million of them died in Ukraine, which had the third largest Jewish population after Poland and the U.S. The Babi Yar massacre in Ukraine in 1941 was one of the Shoah’s worst slaughters: more than 34,000 Jews were killed by the Germans in two days.

After WWII, Ukraine, one of the USSR’s “republics” since 1922, reverted to Soviet

62

|

MARCH 17 • 2022

rule after nearly three years of German occupation. In 1991, with the dismantling of the Soviet Union, Ukraine finally became an independent state.

Since then, Jewish Ukrainians have experienced a positive resurgence. Recent Pew polls indicate that levels of antisemitism in Ukraine are lower than those of many European countries, including Russia. Moreover, current president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish.

Not all the stories about Ukraine in the Archives are gloomy (although, at this time, it is going through another period of massive suffering and destruction). There are many stories in the JN about Jewish Detroiters whose roots are in Ukraine, and about recent connections between the Jewish community and Ukraine. A story in the Oct. 18, 1991, JN — “Once Upon a Time” — is a primer on the UkrainianAmerican community in Detroit.

Individuals have also had an impact.

Michigan State University professor Dr. Alexander Tetelbaum grew up in the Soviet era and established the first Jewish university in Ukraine (Oct. 15, 1993). Susan Citrin, Beverly Liss and Sandra Jaffa traveled to Ukraine as part of United Jewish Appeal Chairman’s Mission (Sept. 12, 1997). In 2017, Camp “Ramah Yachad” in Ukraine, generously funded by the Harriet & Ben Teitel Foundation and Jerry Cook, among others, marked its 25th anniversary.

And, I haven’t yet mentioned Jewish Detroiters with Ukrainian ancestors such as Andi Wolfe, Ricky Stoler or my JN colleague Associate Editor David Sachs or recent Ukrainian immigrants like Vladimir Gendelman and his family.

There are thousands more in Michigan.

Jewish Ukrainians have proven themselves resilient in the past. We hope for the best for them and all Ukrainians in these dark times.

Want to learn more? Access the DJN Foundation archives for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

THIS PASSOVER, ENJOY HOME COOKING, WITHOUT COOKING AT HOME! To place your Passover order: order online at QualityKosher.com call us - 248-352-7758

ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY MONDAY, APRIL 4TH 2022 DRIVE-THRU PICK UP THURSDAY, APRIL 14TH FROM 12PM-7PM*

at the Shaarey Zedek Main Entrance 27375 Bell Rd. Southfield, MI. 48034 *please come at the time you selected when placing your order

PASSOVER MENU 2022 COMPLETE SEDER PACKAGE FOR 2!

Includes: 1 Seder Plate*, 1 Charoset*, 1 Saltwater, 1 order of Gefilte Fish (5), 1 Horseradish Slaw, 1/2 Gal Chicken Soup, 1 order of Matza Balls (5), 2 Stuffed Chicken Breast, 1 Potato Kugel, 1 lb of Carrot Tzimmes, and 1 Seven Layer Cake. *Contains Walnuts

SIDES

S TA R T E R S SEDER PLATE All the traditional symbolic foods on a seder plate plus saltwater, ready to use Contains Walnuts

174.95

19.95

POTATO KUGEL (SERVES 6) A great seder classic Gluten Free, Vegetarian

14.95

Z’ROAH SHANKBONE A roasted traditional symbolic seder staple (Free with the purchase of a seder plate) Gluten free

1.95

MATZA KUGEL SERVES 6) Wonderful savory side dish Vegetarian

14.95

SALTWATER (½ PINT) A traditional symbolic seder staple (Free with the purchase of a seder plate) Gluten Free, Vegan

1.95

PORTABELLA MUSHROOM SPINACH SOUFFLÉ (SERVES 3-6) Great as a side or vegetarian entrée Vegetarian

16.95

CHAROSES (½ PINT) Fresh apples, nuts, wine, and cinnamon Contains Walnuts, Gluten Free, Vegan

7.95

REDSKIN POTATOES (SERVES 3-4) Seasoned with rosemary and a touch of garlic Gluten Free, Vegan

12.95

CARROT TZIMMES (SERVES 3-4) With raisins and a touch of brown sugar Gluten Free, Vegan

12.95

ROASTED ASPARAGUS (SERVES 3-4) Seasoned with olive oil and fresh herbs Gluten Free, Vegan

14.95

ROASTED VEGETABLE MEDLEY (SERVES 3-4) Chef's selection of colorful vegetables Gluten Free, Vegan

12.95

HONEY GLAZED SALMON (3-3OZ SERVINGS) A nice addition to the seder and great for lunch Comes with lemon wedges and a dill aioli Gluten Free

24.95

GEFILTE FISH (PACK OF 5) Traditionally handmade with the freshest fish

29.95

BEET SLAW WITH HORSERADISH (½ PINT) Serve with gefilte fish or as delicious side salad Gluten Free, Vegan

5.95

CHOPPED LIVER (½ PINT) With eggs and sauteed onions Gluten Free

7.95

VEGETARIAN CHOPPED LIVER (½ PINT) With eggs, walnuts and sautéed onions Contains Walnuts, Gluten Free

7.95

CHICKEN SOUP (½ GAL. SERVES 5-7) Rich consomme Gluten Free MATZA BALLS (PACK OF 5) Fluffy and flavorful Vegetarian

QKC’S FAMOUS PASSOVER DESSERTS

16.95

8.95

CUCUMBER SALAD (PINT) With julienne onions marinated in a sweet and tangy vinaigrette Gluten Free, Vegan

8.95

SWEET POTATO SALAD (PINT) With a creamy apple cider vinaigrette Gluten Free, Vegan

8.95

ENTREES HALF ROAST CHICKEN (2PC) Oven baked to a golden brown Gluten Free

24.95

BONELESS STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST (2PC) With a mushroom vegetable stuffing Gluten Free

24.95

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST (2PC) Flame grilled, boneless chicken breast with light glaze Gluten Free

19.95

SLOW ROASTED BRISKET (SERVES 2-3) Thin sliced, tender and delicious Gluten Free

39.95

RED WINE BRAISED SHORT RIBS (SERVES 2-3) With pearl onions and button mushrooms Gluten Free

39.95

PRIME RIB ROAST (SERVES APPROX. 5) Encrusted with garlic, pepper, and seasonal herbs Gluten Free

199.95

SEVEN LAYER CAKE (SERVES 8-10) Gluten Free

24.95

APPLE COFFEE CAKE (SERVES 8-10)

26.95

LEMON ALMOND CHIFFON (SERVES 8-10) Contains Almonds, Gluten Free

29.95

CHOCOLATE FUDGE OBLIVION (SERVES 20-25) Gluten Free

54.95

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CAKE (SERVES 16-22)

59.95

MOCHA TORTE (SERVES 16-22) Contains Walnuts

59.95

FRESH FRUIT PLATTER (SERVES 15-20) Gluten Fre

42.95

COOKIE “GIFT PLATTER” A dozen of each of our cookies and brownies Contains Nuts

74.95

BROWNIES (1 dozen) Contains Walnuts

24.95

MACAROONS (1 ½ dozen) Contains Almonds, Gluten Free

21.95

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (1 ½ dozen)

21.95

THUMB PRINT COOKIES (1 ½ dozen) Contains Almonds, Gluten Free

24.95

CHOCOLATE PLAQUE Your personalized message on chocolate for that special person or occasion

9.95

The Garage Door Company You Trust!

WE OFFER A WIDE VARIETY OF ENTRY DOORS

SPECIAL OFFERS FOR FOR SPECIAL OFFERS DETROIT JEWISH NEWS READERS, CHALDEAN NEWS READERS, JUSTMENTION MENTION THIS JUST THISAD! AD!

WE ALSO OFFER A WIDE VARIETY OF ENTRY DOORS

248.290.8035 586.422.1283 TownAndCountryDoor.net TownAndCountryDoor.net GARAGE DOORS

I

OPENERS

I

SERVICE

I

E M E R G E N C Y S A M E - D AY S E R V I C E ( N O E X T R A C H A R G E - O P E N 7 D AY S )

0000-0000XX

$100 OFF THE PURCHASE OF ANY NEW GARAGE DOOR