DJN March 31, 2022

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS 200 March 31- April 6, 2022 / 28 Adar II – 5 Nissan 5782

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thejewishnews.com

WAR

Through the Rearview Mirror On the ground with Ukrainian refugees fleeing into Poland.

See page 12

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contents

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March 31 – April 6, 2022 / 28 Adar II – 5 Nissan 5782 | VOLUME CLXVIII, ISSUE 7

PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11

Essays and viewpoints.

OUR COMMUNITY 12

War Through the Rearview Mirror

elebrate

HOM E

Fun & Learning for Kids

Apple Tree

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AND

GARD

EN

On the ground with Ukrainian refugees fleeing into Poland.

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JCC in Krakow Aids Refugees

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Sensational Soiree in the Sunshine State

Friendship Circle hosted an elegant evening in Palm Beach County, showcasing the talent from the Soul Studio Art Program.

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Feeling the Impact

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Getting into the Purim Spirit

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A Night Out for a Good Cause

Shir Tikvah installs Rabbi Alicia Harris.

Israel’s Efforts in Ukraine

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Jews in the Digital Age: Jewish TikTok

The Well partners with Zingerman’s for Pesach experience April 10.

Houses of Worship Receive Security Grants

Aging Support Group Series

Find advice the third Tuesday of the month through August at Waltonwood Twelve Oaks.

FACES AND PLACES Temple Kol Ami Hosts Shabbat for the Tots

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Community-Wide Purim Fun

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Purim Fun at Temple Kol Ami

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JARC Board Members Deliver Purim Joy

SPORTS Terrific Tanzman Tournament

Fun, food, friendship and an amazing comeback by Farber make for a memorable weekend.

Partners Detroit Women’s Division Team hosts a Hamentash Bake.

NEXTGen Detroit’s Distilled and Chilled was a successful winter fundraiser.

JNF to provide update at free event April 6.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas visit Zekelman Holocaust Center.

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Friendseder Community Brunch

It’s Official!

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NEXT DOR 35

Adat Shalom Synagogue Receives Hoax Bomb Threat

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OIT S H NEW

ETR THE D

JEWIS

War in Ukraine stirs up memories for Holocaust survivors, while first Ukrainian refugees reach Metro Detroit.

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ED BY

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TION PR

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Happy Passover

FOOD 38

Celebrate with Sides

These dishes will add Sephardic flare to your seder table.

MAZEL TOV 42

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Torah Portion

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The Power of Praise

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Synagogue Directory

HOME & GARDEN 47-59 A special JN section to help get your home ready for sprint.

BUSINESS

A Peek Back in Time

The Glass Plates of Lublin: Found Photographs of a Lost Jewish World.

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Bon Appetit!

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Celebrity News

Douglas Sills Is Chef Baudin in HBO’s The Gilded Age.

EVENTS 97

Community Calendar

HEALTH & WELLNESS 99

A Post-Pandemic World?

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Don’t Suffer in Silence

Moments

SPIRIT

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ARTS & LIFE

COVID-19 may soon reach an endemic phase. What will that look like?

Physical therapist helps women dealing with pelvic pain and post-partum issues.

ETC.

The Exchange Obits Looking Back

102 104 110

Shabbat Lights

Shabbat begins: Friday, April 1, 7:40 p.m.

Shabbat ends: Saturday, April 2, 8:43 p.m.

* Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

Keeping it Limber

Stretch Zone celebrates its anniversary with a deal for JARC.

CELEBRATE! 61-90 JN’s annual section dedicated to simchahs.

ON THE COVER: Cover photo/credit: 100-year-old Tamara Butencae waits for friends who will transfer with her to Berlin. The flower was given to her in honor of International Women’s Day. Photo by Carole Rosenblat.

Cover design: Michelle Sheridan MARCH 31 • 2022

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PURELY COMMENTARY essay

The Surprising Power of Diplomacy

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MARCH 31 • 2022

JCRC/AJC

S

everal years ago, I joined the board of the Jewish Community Relations Council/American Jewish Committee (JCRC/AJC). Much of the organization’s mission spoke to me then and continues to do so, maybe even more, now Carol as I have joined Ogusky the executive committee.

Part of the mission of the nonprofit is to represent the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish community, Israel and Jews throughout the world to the general community, and to establish collaborative relationships with other ethnic, racial and religious groups. In addition, JCRC/AJC educates and advocates on important issues, seeking consensus with a commitment to Jewish values.

One of the important ways we embrace this mission is through our Diplomatic Committee, which I have been blessed to co-chair for the last two years alongside my able partner Howard Brown, who has been engaged in this work for going on two decades.

Through our team’s efforts, we meet with consuls general and honorary consuls general representing an array of countries with offices in the Midwest. The goal of this outreach, which we do in conjunction with the American Jewish Committee, is to build long-term relationships and mutual understanding and support through which actions or changes are more likely to occur.

Via meetings and events, our lay leaders promote dialogue

JCRC/AJC’s Diplomatic Committee with Rabbi Benny Greenwald (standing, third from left) next to the Consul General of Japan (seated) at the Soul Cafe last fall

and communicate concerns about critical issues related to Israel and world Jewry.

Said Howard Brown, “Diplomatic work is very important and meaningful to me. It is not every day you get to meet with a local consul general to discuss important policies and issues facing us like the NO HATE Act, COVID19, locally and in their countries, local and world events, our beloved Israel, the United Nations and community relations near and far.”

Prior to the pandemic, we would meet with the local individuals in person. Obviously, things have changed in the last two years, and many of our meetings have had to move to Zoom, which has been a bit of a blessing in that we have had the opportunity to meet with a greater number of diplomats.

However, there is something special that is lost by not meeting in person and that something can best be illustrated by this: Last fall, several JCRC/AJC lay leaders and staff were having

lunch with the Consul General of Japan outside at the Soul Cafe in West Bloomfield. It was the first time during the pandemic that we held a meeting in person — and it made all the difference.

Before lunch was served, Friendship Circle Rabbi Benny Greenwald came to me, quietly asking if he could have a private word with the Consul General. I was surprised that he could tell that is who we were meeting with and, therefore, must have had a questioning expression on my face. The rabbi persisted, holding up his phone, clearly wanting to share something that was on there. I agreed quietly and introduced the rabbi to the Consul General, who was sitting next to me.

After introductions, Rabbi Greenwald then showed all present a picture of his grandfather, sharing that Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat for the Japanese Empire in Lithuania during World War II, saved his grandfather’s life during the war. In fact, he

helped thousands of Jews flee Europe by issuing transit visas so they could travel through Japanese territory. In doing so, he risked his job, as well as his life and that of his family. In 1985, Israel honored him as one of the Righteous Among the Nations, the only Japanese national to hold that honor.

The Consul General was visibly moved by this revelation, and we could see how important a moment this was for both him and the rabbi. Frankly, it was a very emotional moment for us all.

Said Rabbi Greenwald, “Seeing the Consul General brought to the forefront of my mind, and my heart, the power one individual can have. My grandfather was a Chabad yeshivah student. On the outside, there was no connection between him and the Japanese diplomat. However, with God’s help, Mr. Sugihara’s self-sacrifice brought me here today, and for that I’m forever grateful. It was powerful for me to be able to express gratitude to the Consul General.”

Thanks to this one man who let his conscience guide him, it has been estimated as many as 100,000 people alive today are the descendants of the recipients of Sugihara visas.

As, hopefully, the pandemic continues to lift, I grow eager to see how many more experiences like this that the Diplomatic Committee will have the blessing to witness.

Carol Ogusky is an executive committee member of the Jewish Community Relations Council/American Jewish Committee. She also is a past president of Hadassah Greater Detroit and sits on several other local boards.

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PURELY COMMENTARY essay

Europe’s ‘Bloodlands’

W

illiam Brawer, my maternal great-grandfather, was born in a village just outside the Galician town of Rohatyn. An acquaintance has devoted herself to preserving the history of that Rob shtetl — erectFranciosi ing a memorial, Grand Valley State creating a vast University digital archive, retrieving matzevot (sacred pillars) unearthed during construction projects. She and her husband, both from California, even relocated to the nearby city of Lviv, and my wife has regularly lobbied for a visit to Rohatyn. “We’ll be so close,” she said a few months ago about my upcoming work

in Poland. “You really need to go back to Ukraine.”

Like millions of American Jews with Ashkenazi roots, I can link my family to the troubled lands that now fill our newsfeeds each morning, though the complex borders of Eastern and Central Europe can frustrate those seeking ancestral connections.

For many years, I accepted what the Ellis Island and census records said: that my great-grandfather was from Austria, and even imagined him waltzing in Vienna.

In fact, over his 84 years, Pomonieta changed hands five times: surrendered from the Austrian empire to Poland after the First World War, overrun by the Soviets as part of its 1939 non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany, con-

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The Babyn Yar Memorial in Ukraine

quered by Hitler’s forces in 1941, and then “liberated” by Stalin’s army in 1944 — a brutal shotgun marriage endured for five decades.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, that small village an hour from Lviv at last became part of an independent Ukraine. At the time of this writing in midMarch, Pomonieta, about 100 miles from the Polish border, Schwartz, Mike Smith, Steve Stein, Julie Smith Yolles, Ashley Zlatopolsky

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MARCH 31 • 2022

remains under Ukrainian control, though missiles have rained down near Lviv.

Each day I read news of the conflict. And each day I remember my visit to Kyiv in 2016. That trip across Eastern Europe, sponsored by the Holocaust Education Foundation, attracted me for two reasons: we would work in neglected Jewish cemeteries, and we would visit the

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Ukrainian capital. I had read a great deal about what was perpetrated at BabynYar, the ravine in Kyiv where in September 1941 more than 30,000 Jews were murdered in two days, but never expected to stand there.

As soon as we arrived in Kyiv, however, I noted the complex and conflicted relationships faced by those seeking traces of Jewish life.

Concerned mostly with the past, we were faced with a city scarred by reminders of recent history in the making. Independence Square had always been a gathering place for celebrations, like our Times Square, but in 2013-14 it was the site of anti-government protests after the country’s leaders, under pressure from Russia, rejected a widely supported pact between Ukraine and the European Union.

Shooting erupted on Feb. 18, and nearly 100 protesters and 13 police were killed.

These events, known as the Revolution of Dignity, toppled the government and reasserted the Ukrainian desire for European democracy instead of Russian autocracy.

THE ‘NEW’ UKRAINE The emergence of a new Ukraine, however, one hoping beyond hope to join NATO, was met with early manifestations of what we are now witnessing. Within weeks of the overthrow of the Russianbacked government in Kyiv, Vladimir Putin sent troops to Crimea and began supporting separatists in Ukraine’s east.

The conflict between them and the Ukrainian army was still raging when we arrived in the summer of 2016.

On our visit to Independence Square, we viewed memorials to those

who died during the February revolution. Further up a hill that frames the square was a long wall of photographs in tribute to fallen soldiers on the Ukraine-Russia border.

There were hundreds — as well room for many, many more. Looking at the mostly young faces on that wall, none of us could have imagined that they represented just the first rippling of the deadly wave that now engulfs their countrymen.

And while our quest for Jewish history remained central to our travels, encounters at museums and sites in Kyiv reminded us that Jewish life there had not existed in a vacuum. Signs of the country’s tragic past were everywhere. We visited the powerful museum to the Holodomor, the deliberate famine ordered by Joseph Stalin which took the lives of some 3 million Ukrainians.

We also contemplated the gigantic Motherland Monument, 50 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, whose sword-bearing figure holds a shield emblazoned with the communist hammer and sickle — a “gift” from the Breshnev era which many have called to be dismantled.

At Babyn Yar the story was doubly tragic, as for decades the fate of the murdered Jews had been erased, with an enormous Soviet-era statue memorializing only the “victims of fascism.” A menorah-shaped monument near the site was erected in 1991, 50 years after the massacre, but what some have termed a high-tech Holocaust Disneyland is now being built nearby — and according to Ukrainian reports, several Russian missiles have struck near the area.

Thinking about Babyn Yar and of Ukraine’s desperate

plight, I keep returning to one realization: the land now being fought over, what historian Timothy Snyder terms Europe’s bloodlands, was both home and hell for the Jews who lived there. Decades before Hitler, many thousands had been murdered

by Ukrainian nationalists in waves of pogroms between the 1880s and the 1920s, victims of the persistent violence that convinced those like my great-grandfather to seek a better life, a safer life, in America. As for the genocidal complicity of their Ukrainian neighbors in small cities and towns during the Holocaust, that remains another bloodsoaked stain on Jewish memory of these strife-ridden lands.

The dual catastrophe of Hitler and Stalin, however, could not extinguish Ukrainian longings for autonomy and freedom. Nor could the darkness of the 20th century snuff out Jewish life in a land where it had flourished for a thousand years.

Before the war — the current war — an estimated 350,000 to 400,000 Jews resided in Ukraine, the fifth-largest community in the Jewish world, though many have fled to Israel and other places of refuge. Who knows how many will return.

At least the election — and heroic leadership — of Jewish president Volodymyr Zelensky offers a glimmer in the darkness. Will the world continue to support a free Ukraine, one capable of facing its troubled past while striving for a brighter future?

Time may tell, but history will judge.

Robert Franciosi is a professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Grand Valley State University.

letters

‘Beacon of Strength’ Regarding “Beacon of Strength” in the March 10 Detroit Jewish News, I met Alan Yost along with the Congregation Beth Achim team at the initial meeting with the Adat Shalom Synagogue team for merger discussions in 1998.

The merger was a resounding success in no small part due to Alan’s efforts in unifying the membership of both congregations.

Those of us that took part in the merger effort know Alan’s incredible work within Adat Shalom to welcome the Beth Achim family as if they were always members of the Adat Shalom family.

The teams and united members within Adat Shalom Synagogue wish Alan a yasher koach and, along with Beverly, a long and happy retirement.

— Ed Kohl West Bloomfield

Proud of Carl Levin’s Role in Ukraine Over 30 years ago, in January of 1992, the late Sen. Carl Levin traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, to ensure that the nuclear missiles stored there were dismantled.

Many times, it is years after something positive is done that we see the benefit. Sen. Carl Levin, may his memory be for a blessing.

— Joel E. Jacob West Bloomfield

‘We Didn’t Do Enough’ Thanks so much for the excellent series of articles, “Standing with Ukraine,” including ‘A Modern Maccabee,” about Ukrainian President Zelensky, in the March 10 Jewish News. continued on page 10 MARCH 31 • 2022

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PURELY COMMENTARY opinion

What Zelensky Gets Wrong About the Holocaust in Ukraine

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HISTORICAL ARCHIVES/WARSAW

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n his March 20 speech to Israeli lawmakers, Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky invoked the Holocaust as analogous to what his country is currently experiencing.

“I have the right to this parallel and to this comparison,” he said in his video Jeffrey address.

Veidlinger JTA But as a historian of the Holocaust in Ukraine, I know how problematic this comparison is. Zelensky, who played a history teacher on TV, should know better, too.

The war is horrific, and Russia’s apparent deliberate targeting of civilians is abominable. But like most wars, this war is being fought over the political control of a territory and the sovereignty of a people; unlike the Holocaust, it is not an attempt to murder every single member of an ethnic, racial or national group. In contrast to Zelensky’s assertion, the threat is not the same.

For example, Zelensky could, theoretically, turn over the power of government to a Russian appointed puppet and allow his people to live as a Ukrainian minority within an oppressive Russian state.

It’s not a good choice, but it is a choice. The Nazis provided no such option for the Jews of Europe. There was no choice that led to physical survival, no offer to surrender.

Russian President Vladimir

A photo of one of the German army mobile killing units, or Einsatzgruppen, shooting Jews near Ivangorod, Ukraine, in 1942 was mailed from the Eastern Front to Germany and intercepted at a Warsaw post office by a member of the Polish resistance collecting documentation on Nazi war crimes.

Putin, too, has invoked the Holocaust when justifying his invasion of Ukraine, claiming that it was his intention to “denazify” the country. That, too, is disingenuous. Ukraine is a free and democratic state, with a government that was popularly elected and that has, for the most part, protected the rights of all its citizens.

It is little wonder, though, that the Holocaust has such resonance in Ukraine. Over one-quarter of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, approximately 1.5 million people, were killed within the territory of what is now Ukraine. Millions of non-Jewish Ukrainians also perished under German occupation as prisoners of war, slave laborers, soldiers, partisans, and ordinary townsfolk and peasants. Zelensky is right that the war was “a tragedy for Ukrainians, for Jews, for Europe, for the world.”

Urging Israel to provide more military aid to Ukraine, Zelensky asked the “people of Israel” to make a choice, just as Ukrainians made their choice 80 years ago. With 2,673 Ukrainians recognized by Yad Vashem for their efforts to save Jews, Zelensky can legitimately boast that “Righteous Among the Nations are among us,” as he did in his speech. But this claim obscures the role that far more Ukrainians played in collaborating with the Germans and facilitating the murder of their Jewish neighbors.

The Germans knew that Ukraine would be fertile ground for their exterminationist plan. As I show in my recently published book, In the Midst of Civilized Europe: The Pogroms of 1918-1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust, only 20 years earlier, Ukrainians opposing Bolshevik rule had

murdered tens of thousands of their Jewish neighbors. The Jews and the Bolsheviks, they had falsely claimed, were one and the same.

The Nazis purposefully revived this myth. They enticed Ukrainians to assist in murder as revenge for the crimes the Bolsheviks had inflicted in Ukraine — mass arrests and executions, and, most notably, forced grain requisitions that had resulted in a famine killing 3.5 million people in 1932-1933.

A QUICK HISTORY In Lviv, the first major city the Germans captured in Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers recruited from abroad with the false promise of German support for Ukrainian statehood, rounded up Jews and threw them to the crowds.

“They were beating up Jews, killing Jews, beating them to death on the street,” recalled one witness. German special units with the collaboration of Ukrainian auxiliary police and militia killed between 2,000 and 5,000 Jews in the city in July 1941.

Similar scenes were repeated elsewhere. During the first month of the German invasion, between 12,000 and 35,000 Jews were killed in eastern Galicia and western Volhynia — two regions that the Soviet Union had taken from Poland in 1939. Many of these massacres were perpetrated by locals, and some without even a German prescontinued on page 11

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PURELY COMMENTARY student corner

Just Call Me 42

W

hen I was 6 years old, a random act of strangeness changed my life. It all started when my dad picked me up from gymnastics practice. I got in his car and randomly said to him, “From now on, call me 42.”

Aliyah My dad was Lofman beyond confused and still, to this day, we’re perplexed as to where it came from. Nevertheless, ever since that car ride, the number 42 has become my number.

It appears everywhere for me, following me around wherever I go. Whether on a receipt or on a clock, I find great comfort in spotting this number in many aspects of my life.

Until recently, I did not think of 42 as having any significant meaning, other than being lucky for me. That changed a few weeks ago when I came across an article from The Times of Israel titled “Forty -Two letters continued from page 7

I just watched and listened to Zelensky speaking to Congress on March 16, which included the incredibly powerful video which showed some of the horrors that Putin’s Russian army has inflicted on Ukraine and its people. I am relieved that the U.S., NATO, and so many countries have banded together to give money and weapons to Ukraine as well as inflicting strong economic sanctions on Russia. Still, I can’t help thinking about Schindler’s List,

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Journeys to the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.” This article revealed to its readers the vast and powerful connections that the number 42 has to Judaism, and more specifically, to Kabbalistic tradition.

For instance, in the Torah portion Massei, (Numbers 33-35), the 42 locations that the Children of Israel camped at after the Exodus from Egypt are illustrated. Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, a Jewish mystic from Poland who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism, interpreted this by explaining that “The forty-two ‘stations’ from Egypt to the Promised Land are replayed in the life of every individual Jew, as his soul journeys from its descent to Earth at birth to its return to its Source.”

Not only is the number 42 embedded in the lives of all Jews, but according to the Zohar Chadash — a Kabbalistic book — G-d brought the Jews out of Egypt with the mystery of the horrors of the Holocaust, and remembering Schindler’s memorable line, “I didn’t do enough!”

We sit back in our comfortable homes in the United States, watching calamities night after night on our TV screens and feel awful and futile in the face of such devastation. It is great that democracies have come together, and that Democrats and Republicans are mostly united against Putin. But when a heroic and desperate Zelensky admits that “today, my age stopped when the hearts of more than 100 children stopped beating. I see no sense in life

his 42-letter name, just like how heaven and Earth were created.

The universe was created with this specific name of G-d, and it just happens to be the significant ineffable 42-lettered name.

Another instance of 42 in Judaism appears in the wellknown prayer, Ana BeKoach.

This prayer, dating back to the first century, was created by a Kabalistic rabbi — Rabbi Nehonia. Ana BeKoach is composed of seven lines, each having six words, totaling 42 words in the prayer. When taking each first letter of every word, the result is a 42-letter name, which is said, by Kabalistic scholars, to be the essence of the creation,

and the name of G-d. For these reasons, and many others, Ana BeKoach is regarded in the mystical tradition as no less than “a portal to the power of creation itself and to creation’s source.”

Coming across all of these connections and interrelations between my lucky number and my religion was enlightening and substantiated my realization that there had to be a bigger reason as to why I embraced this number at such a young age. Maybe it was not so random after all.

if it cannot stop the deaths,” my heart and millions of others virtually stopped for a few moments as well.

It is commendable that every U.S. senator voted to condemn Putin as a “war criminal.” But if the words from the Talmud, “Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire,” are even vaguely true, then we, even after all of our donations and thoughts and prayers, must still accept the truth that we didn’t do enough.

We didn’t do enough.

CORRECTIONS • Despite reports in the March 10 JN, the rocket that damaged the Kyiv TV tower in Ukraine did not, in fact, harm the Babyn Yar memorial, located in an adjacent area, according to a veteran Israeli journalist, Ron Ben Yishai, who toured the site and saw no signs of damage.

— Arnie Goldman Farmington Hills

Aliyah Lofman is a junior at Frankel Jewish Academy.

• In “A Lone Soldier’s Story” (page 22, March 17), Joseph Icikson’s age and rank were incorrect. Joseph Icikson is 22 and an active soldier in the IDF. Also, Icikson was drafted into the IDF; he did not volunteer.

WHAT ZELENSKY GETS WRONG continued from page 8

ence. “The ones that did the shooting, and the ones that did the arresting, and the ones that carried out these atrocities were not Germans; this was the local Ukrainian police,” recalled Simon Feldman of Boremel.

As the Germans moved further east into Ukraine, they intensified their massacres. In hundreds of locales with the assistance of local Ukrainian collaborators, they gathered Jewish men, women and children, marched them to the outskirts of town, stripped them naked, and shot them in ravines or trenches.

Locals were then permitted to scavenge the clothing of the dead. The organization Yahad in Unum, which has been mapping Holocaust-era mass graves, has identified nearly 1,000 such sites in Ukraine.

The largest is Babyn Yar, in the suburbs of Kyiv, where over 33,000 Jews were killed on Sept. 29-30, 1941. Weeks before Babyn Yar, 23,600 Jews were executed in the fortress town of Kamianets-Podilskyy.

By January 1942, some 500,000 Jews had been killed in Ukraine.

After an initial wave of killing during the German advance, the German military established some 250 ghettos in Ukraine and required Jews to wear armbands with stars. Ukrainian police enforced the regulations.

In contrast to the walled ghettos established in Poland, in Ukraine ghettos tended to be more porous, marked by barbed wire and sometimes only with signs. They were never intended to be permanent. By spring 1942, most of the ghettos were liquidated, and another 500,000 Jews were murdered.

Because so many Jews were killed at close range, near their homes, by conventional weapons, historians have termed German atrocities in Ukraine the “Holocaust by Bullets.”

Indeed, by the spring of 1942, before most of the death camps in German-occupied Poland began operating, nearly twothirds of Jews in territories now part of Ukraine had been exterminated.

Addressing lawmakers around the world, Zelensky has repeatedly sought to invoke traumatic moments in each country’s history — the London Blitz in his speech to the British parliament, 9-11 and Pearl Harbor in his address to the U.S. Congress and the Berlin Wall in his address to the German Bundestag.

It’s understandable that Zelensky is making use of

whatever reference points he think will help his country.

It’s also true that Jews like Zelensky who grew up behind the Iron Curtain didn’t learn this history in the same way or on the same timeline as Jews living in the rest of the world. And I’m sympathetic to the idea, expressed by Israeli leaders to rebuff criticism of Zelensky after his speech, that we can all cut some slack to a world leader in a situation of life and death.

Still, Zelensky’s voice matters. And when he utters untruths about the Holocaust, it’s important not to let them stand.

Jeffrey Veidlinger is Joseph Brodsky Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan and the author of In the Midst of Civilized Europe: The Pogroms of 1918-1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust.

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WAR

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CAROLE ROSENBLAT

Through the Rearview Mirror

MARCH 31 • 2022

On the ground with Ukrainian refugees fleeing into Poland.

Editor’s Note: Carole Rosenblat is an American journalist living in Budapest. She headed to the Polish border with Ukraine on a humanitarian mission and found herself witness to a mass exodus from a brutal war. Here is her witness testimony and stories of the people who fled.

A

nna Yemchenko sits next to 4-year-old Yeva at a picnic table under the perpetually gray, early March skies of Hrebenne, Poland. Smoke from flaming logs on the ground and in cans lit to warm cold hands of refugees and aid workers fills the air. Until the war began, they lived in a two-bedroom apartment she owned in Kyiv. Her daughter’s father, her parents, brother and his family, and other relatives are still in Ukraine, with most living in the cities of Enerhodar, Zaporizhia. The name of the city literally means “energy gift” and is named such as the city is the base of a nuclear power plant.

Anatevka, Anatevka Underfed, overworked Anatevka.

Where else could Sabbath be so sweet?

Carole As we talk, she takes breaks to calm her Rosenblat daughter’s cries and hold back her own.

Yeva is overtired and over-stimulated.

Anna pulls a laptop from her bag and opens a cartoon stored on it as an aid worker brings bowls of soup.

“What have you told her?” I ask. It’s a question I’ll ask many moms over the next few days. “I told her we’re going on a trip.”

How does one decide what to take when they don’t know if they’ll return?

“Warm clothing, some hygiene items. I took a lot of things for her and less for me, all the paperwork for everything, food, a blanket and that’s it.”

Anna’s parents are originally from Russia but found themselves working at the plant in Ukraine when the USSR still ruled. The communist government told them they needed to move there and work at the plant, so they did. That’s how communism works.

“Why did they stay when the fighting began?” I ask.

“When we were discussing the plan in case something happened, they said they were not going to leave anyway because all their life they lived there. Also, to understand fully, it’s that a nuclear power station is not a place to play with weapons. They knew that, for the citizens of the town, nothing’s basically going to change because nuclear power stations demand people to work for it to sustain it. It would be really stupid to bomb the town where the station is, so their life is definitely going to change if the [government] powers change, but they’re

THIS PAGE: (ABOVE) Signs dot Warsaw calling for an end to the war. (LEFT) Flags and other signs of support are on display across Europe.

FACING PAGE: A woman sits at the border refugee area with possessions she was able to gather before leaving Ukraine.

not going to leave because it’s just too [incomprehensible] for them to leave.”

After a couple of hours, Anna’s arranged ride can’t seem to find his way to this border encampment. He’s a friend of a friend whom she’s never met. I arrange for him to find a business to park at and send me the name.

Within a few minutes, we’ve loaded Anna and Yeva into my rental car and driven five minutes to a convenience store with a parking lot that looks like rush hour on I-696. Dozens of cars wait to meet evacuees that they continued on page 14

MARCH 31 • 2022

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13

ON THE COVER continued from page 13

may or may not personally know. The connection is made, and we hug goodbye.

HOW DID I GET HERE? My conversation with Anna took place at the outdoor refugee area, the first stop immediately after crossing the border from Ukraine to the Polish City of Hrebenne. It was 10 days after the first bombs fell.

Originally from the Detroit area, I currently live in Budapest, a city I fell in love with after I first visited in 2015.

My Ashkenazi Jewish roots had me feeling at home in Budapest, and this current situation made me feel the presence of my grandparents and great-grandparents who had fled similarly more than 100 years ago.

Budapest is only about an eight-hour drive from Hrebenne, but the journey

had begun five days prior with a post on a Facebook expat group. Someone had requested help getting handheld radios from a local store and delivering them to Steve and Maddie, an American volunteer translator and nurse, at the airport in Budapest, before they traveled to the border.

Everything was fluid as getting into Ukraine could be just as dangerous as getting out, and, as they were meeting a team of volunteers, some loosely affiliated with various volunteer agencies including the United Cajun Navy, it was still undetermined through which border they would enter.

We never secured the radios as the two shops that carry them in Budapest were out, but somehow things snowballed, and I became part of the team.

After a long and winding

road overcoming stumbling blocks of lost luggage containing body armor, impossible-to-obtain Western Union Transfers to bring cash to the team, and a farmhouse hotel with shady Russians dressed in all black and smoking outside, we made it to the border city of Hrebenne, where Steve and Maddie met their contact who would help them catch a bus the 45 miles to Lviv before curfew, as they’d been warned of a high chance of being shot if out after.

THE FACES IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR I find a place to sleep that night in the last room in a small hotel a couple of miles from the border. It’s inexpensive. My room smells like sewage, and the restaurant serves vodka. I have no complaints. Many will

many faces of war

TOP/MIDDLE: individuals hold signs at a main refugee center offering rides to cities across Europe.

RIGHT: Helen, a Ukrainian English teacher, fled with her dog. They wait for their ride on the Polish side of the border.

FACING PAGE: Volunteers help in a refugee center near the Ukrainian border.

be standing in the cold waiting up to 80 hours to cross the border tonight. I give instructions to the hotel that, should any evacuees need a room, I have a sleeping bag and will sleep on the floor and allow them the bed. Later, when no one claims

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These are not normal times.

The following day I hear about a refugee center set up in what had been a shopping center about 80 minutes away.

On my arrival, I find a parking lot filled with buses, cars, people, outdoor cooking tents, first aid stations and news crews from around the world. Inside are thousands of people, some walking around and some planting themselves on army cots.

A group of people in suits surrounded by plain-clothed and uniformed security walk past. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is touring. For a popup, overcrowded refugee center, things are fairly organized. I take a photo of the QR code shining on a computer at the front information desk, register my name, car, how many I can transfer and to where, and if I can provide housing. The volunteers write that information in Ukrainian on a large piece of paper which I hold above my head in a line with others offering cars to Berlin, Krakow, Dusseldorf, France and beyond.

Within minutes, a volunteer approaches and, before long,

we’ve loaded Jania, mother of 8-year-old Zarima and 2-yearold Sasha, along with her mother, into the car, stuffing it with a random collection of bags they’d fled with along with some diapers and snacks provided by the refugee center for the four-hour trip to Warsaw.

Anatevka, Anatevka.

Intimate, obstinate Anatevka, Where I know everyone I meet.

They speak little English, and I speak absolutely no Ukrainian, but we bond over Lady Gaga playing through the speakers. We try talking some, learning bits of each other’s languages, but we all know they need sleep. I look in the rearview mirror and see the eyes of my ancestors running from similar horrors.

Arriving at their friend’s house in Warsaw at about 10:30 p.m., they’re welcomed with hugs and a hot meal. After a quick coffee and bite of chicken, I head back to my hotel in Hrebenne. Arriving at 2:45 a.m., I sit on the edge of the bed, allow a few tears to escape, and try to sleep.

THEY JUST KEEP COMING The days continue like this. continued on page 16

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ON THE COVER

LEFT: Unidentified woman holds a flag signed by 14 members of a Ukrainian army battalion. At the time this photo was taken, the woman said three had survived. RIGHT: Irina and her daughter, Anastasia, head into the Warsaw train station to an uncertain future. continued from page 15

A smaller refugee center was opened in a school across the street from my hotel. I pick up Yaroslava and her 13-year-old daughter along with another mother and her 13-year-old son and transfer them to the Warsaw train station which, due to crowds, takes nearly two hours to enter and exit. On the way, while on her phone, a couple of tears escape from Yaroslava’s eyes. As she hangs up, I reach out to hold her hand. “My house is gone,” she says.

“Bomb?” I ask.

“Bomb.”

In between, I take a day off from driving here and there to spend time answering the pleas for help I’m receiving through various messaging apps.

Coordinating with the team in Ukraine I’m now working with, we try to help a mother whose baby is to be born via surrogacy in two days. The clinic with the paperwork is closed and she has valid concerns about getting her baby out. I try to help a woman in France whose 83-year-old mother is the only person left in her apartment building in Kyiv.

She’s too afraid to leave, but also too afraid to stay. The mother refuses our help and her daughter is heartbroken.

I arrange housing for an old friend who contacts me about a

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Ukrainian ice dancer who trains in Michigan. His mother and a skating coach are at the Warsaw train station with no place to go. Like other older people, his mother is afraid to go very far from Ukraine. She doesn’t want to leave Warsaw, but I’ve found a family to host them a few hours away by train and, working by phone with a volunteer at the train station, we convince them to go.

While using the hotel’s small restaurant as an office, I meet 100-year-old Tamara Butencae who was an army nurse in World War II and is now fleeing to Germany to escape the Russians.

Irony abounds in a war zone.

THERE WERE NO TREES I also meet 29-year-old Marie, mother of a seemingly happy and energetic 3-year-old named Alissa. I ask my usual questions: “What did you bring? What did you tell her?”

“I brought one bag, mainly her things. I brought nothing of my own.” Pointing to the sweater she wears, “These are my only clothes.

“She woke up when the bombs started to fall one night. She asked if it was thunder. I was honest; I told her, no, those are the bombs. The war is here. We went to an underground parking

garage. We spent every night for five nights there. In the morning we would go back to our apartment. One morning I came out and there were no trees.”

No trees; the bombs had destroyed them.

“When we decided to leave, I explained that we were a team, and we had to help each other to be brave. I told her it was time only for us to leave. It wasn’t time for daddy to leave.”

Soon I’ll be a stranger in a strange new place, Searching for an old familiar face MY TIME TO LEAVE On my final day, I collect Steve, the translator, at the border, along with an EMT from Malta.

He’s leaving our little group of volunteer misfits and joining a larger NGO to re-enter the country. They can provide life insurance. These are the things you consider when going into a war zone.

Steve’s flight departs from Warsaw the following day, so we stop at the refugee center to offer a ride. That’s how we meet Irina and her daughter Anastasia. Irina is a doctor and her husband is a stay-at-home dad. She stayed in the country as long as possible, knowing her medical skills were needed. Finally, they made the tough decision for Irina and

Anastasia to leave. As healthy men between 18-60 with less than five children aren’t allowed to leave, it’s up to Irina to get their daughter to safety. We say a muted, tearful goodbye at the train station where they board a train to Germany and an uncertain future.

I drop Steve at the airport the following day before heading back to Budapest.

From Anatevka.

I belong in Anatevka, Tumble-down, work-a-day Anatevka.

Dear little village, little town of mine This, a synopsis of my weeklong experience at the border, tells some of the stories of the people I met. There are many more. After a short visit to the U.S., I will return to the border to assist. In the meantime, I continue to receive messages requesting help getting out of Ukraine and work with my new friends in the country to try to facilitate escape methods and routes. Friends and strangers have been kind enough to donate money to assist my efforts.

Detroit’s Federation has provided a link to aid Ukrainian refugees: jewishdetroit.org/ukraine.

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LAZAR BERMAN/TIMES OF ISRAEL

OUR COMMUNITY

Jonathan Ornstein in his office.

JCC in Krakow Aids Refugees

J

onathan Ornstein, executive director of Krakow’s Jewish Community Center, has spent years working to rebuild Jewish life in a city that was an important Jewish center before the Holocaust.

Now he finds himself working tirelessly to assist the wave of Ukrainian refugees.

As of mid-March, Poland has welcomed nearly 1.8 million refugees, about 140,000 in Krakow.

Neither the U.S.-born Ornstein nor his JCC members expected a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, but once it began, the community sprang into action.

The 750-member JCC, which hosts a preschool and programs for Holocaust survivors, was transformed overnight.

In weekly email updates to supporters, Ornstein said, “Our JCC team of staff and volunteers is entirely focused on helping those affected by the war, Jews and non-Jews, in Poland and Ukraine. Thanks to the incredible generosity

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MARCH 31 • 2022

of friends and supporters worldwide, we have been able to quickly and effectively take action and help people.”

Krakow’s JCC is functioning seven days a week, 14 hours a day as a collection and distribution point for food, medicine, hygienic supplies, toys and clothing. Between 300 and 500 Ukrainians a day come in to take whatever supplies they need. As of March 10, more than 2,000 Ukrainians refugees received supplies there. To increase its capacity, the JCC has hired 11 full-time staff members, including four Ukrainians.

“We have teamed with a local partner to design and equip a 2,500-square-foot safe space five minutes from the JCC, for mothers and children,” Ornstein said. “It will provide childcare as well as Polish and English classes for moms who will also have access to psychological assistance and job counseling.

“We have formed a coalition with four local NGOs and together are running an information point with Ukrainian

LAZAR BERMAN/TIMES OF ISRAEL

TIMES OF ISRAEL/JN STAFF

The entryway to Krakow’s JCC with a sign welcoming Ukrainian refugees.

speakers providing a full array of social services. A few dozen people live in the space at any time, and we are providing meals to them. We are also beginning to provide them with Ukrainian language legal and psychological counseling.”

The JCC has also partnered with a local NGO to transport loads of supplies to the border and into Ukraine and then on the return trip bring people out. As of mid-March, more than 3,000 people have escaped Ukraine that way.

“Among the many organizations across Poland taking action, the JCC is unique in

that it can access the financial resources of American Jewish communities and institutions,” Ornstein said.

“We, as a Jewish institution, are very much guided by the idea of tikkun olam,” Ornstein said, referring to a Jewish concept meaning “repairing the world.”

“Poland has been amazing.

The turnout in Poland to support Ukraine has been unbelievable,” he said.

Donate to the JCC Krakow’s efforts at www.friendsofjcckrakow.org/ukraine.

Times of Israel reporter Lazar Berman contributed to this report..

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Dylan and Jeannine Somberg

LIZA KUE/FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE

OUR COMMUNITY

Sensational Soiree in the Sunshine State

Friendship Circle hosted an elegant evening in Palm Beach County, showcasing the talent from the Soul Studio Art Program.

CARLA SCHWARTZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS | PHOTOS BY LIZA KUE

“T

his was a crazy idea we had a year ago, but our friends helped us” said Rabbi Levi Shemtov of Friendship Circle. The rabbi is referencing “Soiree in the Sunshine State,” an event filled with extraordinary art, food and libations. More than 160 patrons and friends attended the event and auction.

The evening began with schmoozing and viewing the exhibition at the Arts Warehouse in Delray Beach, Florida. A

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variety of media, from oil paintings to ceramics to digital art and more by Soul Studio’s participating artists filled the space.

Upon entering the gallery, visitors were handed a booklet of the displayed artwork and an explanation of the artist’s inspirations. The auction raised $33,300.

Friendship Circle, founded in 1994 by Rabbi Levi and Bassie Shemtov in West Bloomfield, is a nonprofit organization that supports children, teens and adults

with special needs and their families. One of its many projects is the Vera and Joesph Dresner Foundation Soul Studio. The studio is a professional art space and gallery encouraging the creativity of any individual with cognitive or physical disabilities, regardless of artistic talent. Completed artwork is displayed in a curated exhibition at the studio and other venues.

“The vision of the Rebbe inspired us to help one person at a time and to see the bigger picture,” said Bassie Shemtov. “We have many friends in Florida, and we needed to bring the artists and the artwork to the next level,” she added. She described the Arts Warehouse space as a new and exciting platform to showcase the talent.

Artist Dylan Somberg, 28, of Shelby

Rabbi Levi and Bassie Shemtov

Township, who has autism, had three artworks on display.

One was a ceramic clam with a pearl inside and the others were multimedia paintings.

“I just love animals, and I’m very passionate,” Somberg said. One animal painting had a three-dimensional look with turtles, fishes and birds suspended. His fascination with nature and geometric shapes combines many processes and techniques.

Dylan’s mom, Jeannine Somberg, praised Friendship

Estelle and Phillip Elkus

Circle and the Soul Studio.

“This is a special place, because my son is safe there, and his self-esteem soared,” she said.

“I know they don’t see a disability; they see an ability,” she added.

Proud supporters Estelle and Philip Elkus, of Bloomfield Hills and Boca Raton, were part of the host committee and have been involved with Friendship Circle since the beginning. They introduced others to the programs.

“My friends, Estelle and

Gail Danto and Art Roffey

Philip Elkus, took me on a tour of Friendship Circle, and I was amazed,” said Rhoda Tobin, of Orchard Lake.

Friendship Circle is a family affair for Gail Danto and her husband, Art Roffey, of Palm Rhoda Beach Gardens.

Tobin “We were involved with the Soul Studio when it was just an idea,” Danto said. Her brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Sandy Danto, were also on the host committee.

Dana and Rick Loewenstein, of West Bloomfield, came to support their friend Ron Hodess, who is chairman of the board. The Loewensteins are longtime supporters of people with disabilities and are also supportive of the inclusive environment of the Soul Studio. Rick Loewenstein is the former CEO of JARC. With the artists, the artwork and all the supportive friends, it’s evident the magic of the Soul Studio came to the Sunshine State. Bassie Shemtov summed up the vision: “Miracles do happen.”

Carla Schwartz is the former editor of Style magazine, a former Jewish News columnist, community relations consultant and blogger. Visit her blog at motownsavvy.com.

Rick and Dana Lowenstein

JFamily’s Passover Fun Matzah Factory is back in person April 10.

JN STAFF

It’s back! The community-wide Mega Matzah Factory event from the JCC’s JFamily will be outdoors and in-person after two years of Passover pivoting because of the pandemic.

This family celebration is free and open to all families in the Metro Detroit Jewish community — bring your kids, parents, grandparents and friends! The fun takes place from 2-5 p.m. Sunday, April 10, at the JCC in West Bloomfield.

The holiday celebration will be full of hands-on experiences, including matzah making and baking; candy matzah pizza decorating with Party Sistas; splatter paint box art with Brooke Leiberman; petting farm with Chamberlin Pony Rides; spring sensory stations with JCC’s Pitt Child Development Center; inflatable bounce slide and outdoor games with JCC Day Camps; photomosaic art with JCC’s Janice Charach Gallery; LEGO building and robotics with Snapology of Troy; Passover play with Rabbi Shneur Silberberg of Bais Chabad and more.

The JCC building will be open, and indoor offerings will include kosher pizza available for purchase at the JCC’s new Porch Café, Quiet Zone in Shalom Street seating areas and restrooms.

If you plan to come, register in advance as crowd size is limited because of COVID protocols and safety standards.

Register at https://jlive.app/ events/1820/tickets.

MARCH 31 • 2022

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OUR COMMUNITY

Feeling the

Impact War in Ukraine stirs up memories for Holocaust survivors, while first Ukrainian refugees reach Metro Detroit.

Children in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII.

A

s the war in Ukraine rages on, Holocaust survivors are feeling the impact.

“There is a highly emotional response,” says Yuliya Gaydayenko, chief program officer of older adult services at Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit. This Yuliya sector of JFS, Gaydayenko which works with older populations that include Holocaust survivors, is actively providing support to those who are being emotionally impacted by the Ukraine crisis.

“People sometimes feel like they’re back in World War II,” Gaydayenko explains.

For the population served

by JFS, which has a lot of child survivors in particular, and many from the former Soviet Union, seeing the heartbreak

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on the news and from family members still in Ukraine is stirring up difficult memories and feelings, while triggering past trauma.

For child survivors, who remember being cold and hungry as kids during the WWII, witnessing the impact Families crossing into Poland from Ukraine in 2022. on today’s young generations of Ukrainians is heart-wrenching. Survivors PREPARING FOR AN don’t have a right to rent in Metro Detroit come from INFLUX OF REFUGEES an apartment,” Gaydayenko a host of places, including Now, JFS is seeing the first explains, “or the ability to Russia, Moldova and many families from Ukraine head work. They are fully reliant from Ukraine itself. to Metro Detroit to reunite on the families [here] that “They’re feeling like they’re with their relatives and find often have very low or fixed back in this time and it’s safety. So far, four families income themselves.” happening to them [again],” have made the journey to the Many survivors, specifiGaydayenko continues. area, though JFS expects a cally from the former Soviet Survivors with family in bigger influx in the weeks to Union, arrived here in the Ukraine are also feeling like come if the crisis doesn’t end. ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, shortly there’s little they can do, The issue, however, is before or just after the fall of Gaydayenko adds. “Their fami- that Ukrainian refugees are the USSR. Like today’s reflies are not safe. They feel help- coming to the U.S. with tem- ugees, they were helped and less because they are here, and porary tourist visas, which sponsored by relatives living their families are there — that’s don’t give them a right to in Metro Detroit. “Usually, they the second big piece of it.” work or go to school. “They came here because they had or

BY MVS.GOV.UA

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

knew somebody in Detroit,” Gaydayenko says.

Now, JFS and other human services agencies are hopeful that the U.S. will reopen and expand the Lautenberg Amendment, first enacted in 1990 to facilitate resettlement of Jews from the former Soviet Union, to include the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. The amendment allows certain individuals legally residing in the United States to bring their family members to the U.S. “We know many more families are coming,” Gaydayenko says.

FINDING WAYS TO HELP As they field calls and requests for assistance, and as Ukrainian families wait for visas to enter the United States, JFS is focusing on helping survivors navigate the crisis. “Each survivor

“THEY’RE FEELING LIKE THEY’RE BACK IN THIS TIME AND IT’S HAPPENING TO THEM [AGAIN].”

— YULIYA GAYDAYENKO

that works with our agency has a care manager and a social worker,” Gaydayenko explains. Social workers help teach survivors how to validate their feelings and normalize their responses, while also supporting them and reassuring them.

“They are safe right now,” Gaydayenko says of the key message social workers share with survivors. “It’s not like what was happening in World War II. They are supported.

They have food, shelter; they have all of their basic needs met. We’re helping people

acknowledge that this situation is different.”

JFS also helps survivors navigate feelings of helplessness by identifying smart ways they can actively help and make a difference for Ukrainians impacted by the war. Some people opt to make donations, while others say a prayer for comfort. Some survivors even choose to advocate for the reopening of the Lautenberg Amendment.

“That gives them things to do to feel that they are in control,” Gaydayenko says.

JFS, which works with 500

survivors a year on a local level and also serves survivors on a regional scale outside of the Metro Detroit area, recently partnered with Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit for the Ukraine Emergency Fund (https:// jewishdetroit.org/ukraine).

The fund is sending 100% of donations to rescue and relief efforts for victims of the crisis in Ukraine.

Those who have family members in Ukraine receiving visas to enter the United States are encouraged to call JFS for support. “We’re here to help, and all people need to do is call our resource center,” Gaydayenko says. “We have a Russian-speaking resource specialist on staff who answers all inquiries in Russian and Ukrainian.”

Get in touch with JFS at www. jfsdetroit.org/contact-us.

Need to find help during a family crisis?

Call jhelp at 1-833-445-4357 or visit: jhelp.org Your one-stop for support from Jewish Detroit.

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

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SHIR TIKVAH

OUR COMMUNITY

Rabbi Alicia Harris and Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg

IT’S OFFICIAL!

Shir Tikvah Installs Rabbi Alicia Harris.

KATHRYN NELSON AND VALERIE MERCADANTE SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

I

t was a warm, spiritual and totally welcoming Shabbat service as Congregation Shir Tikvah honored Rabbi Alicia Harris on her installation at Shir Tikvah on March 11.

The rabbi’s family, special guests from Jewish, Muslim and interfaith groups, along with Mayor Ethan Baker of Troy, Mayor Roslyn Grafstein of Madison Heights, and Sooji Min-Maranda, the executive Director of ALEPH, joined the congregation to celebrate the new rabbi and spiritual leader. Expressing support from afar, a congratulatory letter was read from Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) President Rabbi Rick Jacobs.

After two years of worship at a distance, the sanctuary was full of song, prayer and

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a feeling of a new beginning. “It was us — it was like us in the pre-pandemic days,” said Lorelei Berg, executive director at Shir Tikvah. “It felt so good to finally be back together, in our building, in community.”

Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg, Rabbi Emeritus of Shir Tikvah, spoke to the congregation, recalling how they supported his time at Shir Tikvah and will do the same for Rabbi Alicia. With heartfelt remarks, he spoke directly to the rabbi, “You are the real deal, so deeply caring … able to express that caring in a way we feel palpably.”

The installation was conducted by Rabbi Alicia’s friend and local colleague Rabbi Jennifer Lader of Temple Israel. Lader, along with the congregation, led the bless-

ings for Rabbi Alicia.

Rabbi Lader told the parable about blessing a tree so that all its seedlings grow: “It’s in that way Rabbi Alicia will lead the congregation, encouraging growth for all its members,” she continued. “With Rabbi Alicia at the helm, Shir Tikvah will continue to be a place where not only all are welcome but are celebrated … for the tent is open wider and wider.”

During Friday’s service, Rabbi Alicia spoke of how she was called to Shir Tikvah. As a new rabbi looking for a congregation during a pandemic, she faced a job search where no one was meeting in person. Even with only virtual interviews and no on-site visits, her beliefs and how she expressed them made it clear to the Shir Tikvah Search Committee that they had found a match. Rabbi Alicia started with Shir Tikvah in July 2020 as an interim rabbi and became the principal rabbi in July 2021.

From the strong connection that’s developed to the double rainbow in the sky after Yom Kippur services, Rabbi Alicia knows she has found her place.

“There have been a million moments that have pointed me here, to this moment, this time,” she said.

The celebratory installation Shabbat service included a festive oneg with a “to-go” option. Saturday’s festivities brought a virtual Havdalah and Schmooze and Jewish Bingo with Rabbi Arnie. Rabbi Alicia was presented with a video from the congregation. Members recorded messages of encouragement, memories and thanks.

On Sunday, as families gathered for services, the Religious School madrichim presented Rabbi Alicia with a bejeweled kippah made by a Shir Tikvah member.

Shir Tikvah has dedicated a family tzedakah project to celebrate Rabbi Alicia’s installation. Students in religious education classes decorated tzedakah canisters for every family at Shir Tikvah.

Throughout the year, families are encouraged to contribute to what will become a donation to HIAS, a group that supports services to refugees and asylum seekers around the world.

Rabbi Alicia arrived at Congregation

Adat Shalom Receives Hoax Bomb Threat Regular, in-person Shabbat services returned last week.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

A

TOP: Shir Tikvah President Patty Rehfus, Director of Lifelong Learning Sarah Chisholm, Rabbi Alicia Harris and Executive Director Lorelei Berg.

Shir Tikvah during the pandemic summer of 2020. She held dozens of meetings with the staff and committees, “meet-and-greets” with families and made new friends with the Sunday school students, all virtually.

By the time the High Holidays came around, Shir Tikvah was ready to welcome its congregation. Using Zoom, YouTube and the outdoor sanctuary, Rabbi Alicia conducted beautiful and inspiring services. Since then, in the return to normalcy, the building is open more often.

People gather for services; students attend religious

school in person; and when the congregation gathers for social justice projects, it’s done together. All safely, of course.

Along with her rabbinic duties at Shir Tikvah, Rabbi Alicia is a member of the Commission on Social Action through the Religious Action Center. She says she is learning about the Detroit area, making new friends and waiting until she can “strap on her shiny shoes and salsa the night away.”

Shir Tikvah, 3900 Metro Parkway in Troy, is a Reform and Renewal synagogue that welcomes new members. www.shirtikvah.org.

The congregation celebrated Rabbi Alicia Harris on March 11.

bomb threat scare give up who we are,” Bergman at Adat Shalom added. “It was true for our Synagogue in ancestors. It is true for us Farmington Hills on March 18 today.” led to the building being evacAdat Shalom’s Executive uated without incident and Director Michael Wolf says Friday night Shabbat services there were only about 5-10 being conducted via Zoom. people inside the synagogue Adat Shalom’s Rabbi Aaron at the time of the threat.

Bergman sent out a letter to “We did what we had the community on Friday to do when we answered afternoon with the details. the phone call and “At 3 p.m., our office made sure everyone received a phone call was safe,” Wolf said. from someone with an “We’re grateful for out-of-state area code the tremendous work who said that he planted the Farmington Hills Michael a pipe bomb at the synaPolice and firemen do, Wolf gogue. The building was for our rabbis and clerevacuated immediately gy, and we’re grateful without incident, and the to have a caring conpolice and Federation gregation that looks security were called. The out for each other.” police responded immeThe Antidiately, including with Defamation League’s Rabbi Aaron bomb-sweeping dogs,” most recent Audit of Bergman Bergman relayed.

Antisemitic Incidents “So far this seems to be a in the United States, issued cruel hoax designed to terin April 2021, recorded 2,024 rorize our communities. We acts of assault, vandalism and will not allow these terrorists harassment, the third-highest to win. However, out of an year for incidents against abundance of caution, and in American Jews since ADL order to allow the police to started tracking the data in fully investigate every part of 1979. the building, we will be having The audit showed cases of services tonight only by Zoom. antisemitism in the state of We will resume our regular Michigan rose by 21% from Shabbat services tomorrow the year prior, which continmorning in the sanctuary, with ued a concerning trend of our regular option to Zoom upward increases. The spike for those who wish.” represented an increase of The incident took place the 240% since 2016, with 51 inciweek of Purim. dents total. The 51 incidents “Purim reminds us to placed Michigan at eighthalways be strong and never most in the country.

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JNF

OUR COMMUNITY

Israel’s Efforts in Ukraine JNF to provide update at free event April 6.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

hen Jerusalem Post Political Analyst and Chief Political Correspondent Gil Hoffman crossed through four countries in early March to cover Russia’s war on Ukraine from Moldova, he saw throngs of women and children passing through the border.

Many of the little girls carried pink backpacks stuffed with as much of their precious belongings as they Gil could carry.

Hoffman “I really felt like I was traveling back through time, to a different era that I never thought I would see for myself,” said Hoffman in an interview with the JN from his home in Jerusalem. “These little girls probably did not have much time to decide what was put in those backpacks, and they left not knowing if they would ever come back.”

Hoffman, who covers the war and ensuing refugee crisis through an Israeli lens for the Jerusalem Post, will be the keynote speaker at Jewish National Fund-USA’s Midwest Breakfast for Israel, held virtually 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 6. The free virtual breakfast intends to update the American Jewish community on JNF’s efforts on the ground and in Israel to provide aid and support for Ukrainian refugees. Register to attend the free virtual event at jnf.org/ BFImidwest or contact Kim R. Levy, Executive Director, Midwest at klevy@ jnf.org or (847) 656-8880, ext. 763.

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Representatives of the Jewish National Fund have traveled to the Ukraine border to provide aid.

Hoffman will discuss how Israel has ended up leading the way in the war in its humanitarian and diplomatic efforts and will give a behind-the-scenes perspective on how this happened.

“The war ended up putting Israel in a very strange position to be among the leading countries in the world that feels the responsibility to try to end the conflict (it is not directly involved in) as opposed to being part of a conflict as a combatant,” Hoffman said.

“Israel made very clear (to Ukrainian President Zelensky) that it would provide humanitarian aid but not defensive weapons aid. That has to do with the sensitivities of Russia being here on our border in Syria. It has to do with the sensitivity that there are tens of thousands of Jews, both in Ukraine and in Russia, who want to move to Israel.”

As the situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate, JNF-USA’s volunteers have traveled to the Ukrainian border to support local Jewish communities in need.

JNF recruited Ukrainian and Russianspeaking volunteers to facilitate finding shelter for women and children, distributed food, baby formula and blankets, diapers and toys to refugees fleeing Ukraine.

In Israel, JNF is preparing for the absorption of immigrants and refugees from Ukraine by lining up volunteer families who will welcome them into their homes. Because they are escaping from a war zone, Jews making aliyah

from Ukraine are eligible to receive a larger government aliyah grant, according to reports from the Jerusalem Post.

Hoffman saw the on-the-ground humanitarian work of organizations like JNF and others as he visited activities on the Ukrainian border on a trip funded by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, an organization aimed at building cooperation between the two religions and support for Israel.

“I left (Moldova) hopeful because I got to see incredible humanitarian efforts by many Israeli and Jewish agencies, including JNF, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and IsraAid,” Hoffman said. “These were the first tents, from these Israeli organizations, right at the border, tents full of toys, games, baby food and diapers to help the women with small children and babies and provide them with a safer, warmer space.”

According to Kim Levy, Jewish National Fund-USA executive director, Midwest, “Jewish National Fund-USA is supporting Ukrainian refugees and providing immediate aid during this crisis.

“JNF-USA is also planning to support these refugees in the long term after the Ukraine crisis is no longer in the news.

We will be there for the long haul, ensuring that they have a home and a community where they can prosper.”

To learn more how JNF is providing relief to Ukrainian refugees, go to jnf.org/Ukraine.

RESCHEDULED FOR

April 10, 202 2 Answer the Call.

Your donation supports our Jewish community.

Please note our new Super Sunday date and time!

On Sunday, April 10 between 9:30 AM and 1 PM, our community volunteers will be making calls to secure donations to Federation’s 2022 Annual Campaign.

Every day, Federation’s partner agencies are taking care of older adults, children and other vulnerable individuals. Providing emergency financial assistance for families in need, and educational supports for our day schools. Delivering mental health services for those that are struggling.

This is all possible thanks to more than 10,000 donors to our Annual Campaign. Please join the effort.

Answer the call or make your donation now at jewishdetroit.org/donate.

Interested in volunteering for our Super Sunday Team? jewishdetroit.org/supersunday2022 Other questions? Contact Marianne Bloomberg at bloomberg@jfmd.org.

OUR COMMUNITY

and removing their content. Additionally, there have been many antisemitic slurs in the comment section of videos uploaded by these Jewish content creators.

Nevertheless, these new Jewish internet celebrities have persevered and continue to churn out videos that go viral, even educating people about Judaism and dispelling myths along the way.

So, who are these Jewish TikTok content providers?

JEWS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Challah Prince

Jewish TikTok RABBI JASON MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

U

nless you’ve been hibernating for the past couple of years, you’ve probably heard of TikTok. It’s a social networking app that features short videos and has taken the world by storm.

Today, you can watch the latest dance craze or see teens doing pranks and stunts. You can also watch actual video footage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine shot on cell phones along with stay-at-home dads telling their favorite jokes and highlights of the latest sporting events.

The Chinese-owned TikTok only allows the upload of short (15 seconds to three minutes) videos and has gained in popularity since the demise of similar apps like

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Vine and Musical.ly (another Chineseowned app that merged with TikTok). It became the first non-Facebook mobile app to reach 3 billion downloads globally this past summer.

Like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, Jewish content is readily available on the TikTok platform. The app has given rise to a new crop of Jewish personalities who are profiting from creating popular content for the Jewish community (as well as Jewish content for non-Jews, too). A recent NBC News article interviewed several Jewish creators on the TikTok app who said they feel they have been subjected to a type of censorship, with the app regularly flagging

JewCrazy

CRAZY BROTHERS-IN-LAW (@JEWCRAZY) Tommer and Yossi are brothers-in-law who must have looked at the typical dance memes on TikTok and determined that they could do those with a Jewish flavor. This duo has half a million followers, 10 million likes, and make money selling JewCrazybranded merchandise.

In one of their most popular videos, the two men appear to be getting into a fight with a gangster who tells them to come back to the alley strapped. Instead of returning strapped with guns, they reappear wearing the leather straps of their tefillin.

Tommer and Yossi regularly answer questions from commenters in a cynical manner, but ultimately educate the public about what it means to be observant Jews.

Many of the comments on their videos bring up millennia-old stereotypes about Jewish people (e.g., do Jews have horns, do Jews control the banks, etc.), but @JewCrazy responds to these misguided commenters

by setting the record straight.

Many of their videos just put a Jewish spin on viral TikTok dances and memes. For example, they remade the famous Island Boys video substituting the lyrics with “I’m a Menorah Boy.” Like other popular Jewish TikTok users, @JewCrazy has had Jewish- and Israel-related videos censored on the app and has even been banned for several weeks. The pair does not do anything more obscene or offensive than many other accounts on TikTok, but they have been targeted for their Jewish content.

jokes. Known as the Accidental Talmudist, Litvak has close to 40,000 followers and a quarter of a million likes.

While some of the 72 greatest jokes of all time that he tells will undoubtedly be familiar to most, you’ll still chuckle with Litvak’s delivery. He often makes himself laugh after telling the joke. A longtime Jewish educator, Litvak peppers some Jewish teachings into each video, often explaining Jewish concepts that non-Jewish viewers might find confusing.

Talmud

THE JEWISH HOME (@REALMELINDASTRAUSS2.0) Despite being kicked off the TikTok platform several times for no apparent reason, Melinda Strauss continues to build her following by offering practical Jewish advice. As her website explains, “Melinda Strauss rose to fame with her Kosher Food Blog … Over the years, she has become a health coach, podcaster, influencer, conference organizer, business coach and amassed an impressive TikTok following where she shares the nuances of life as an Orthodox Jew.” Her TikTok channel is essentially answering viewers’ questions about all things Jewish. In recent videos, Strauss has discussed how Jews repent, how to get the home ready for Shabbat and what Type 1 diabetics should do on a fast day.

She’s dispelled the myth that kosher food is healthier, shown how to find kosher food at a farmer’s market and, of course, how to braid a challah. One of her most popular videos is showing her son, who has diabetes, putting on tefillin after his bar mitzvah (a proud Mom moment).

CHALLAH TIME (@CHALLAHPRINCE) Baking and braiding challah became a very popular activity during the COVID pandemic. In fact, at the beginning of the quarantine period, it became impossible to buy yeast at the grocery store because everyone seemed to be staying home and baking.

Idan Chabasov has taken the lead as the most popular challah baking artist of TikTok. His tens of thousands of followers learn to bake the most creative challah breads and rolls by watching his TikTok channel. A Sephardic Jew with roots in Turkey and Uzbekistan, Chabasov says that he didn’t grow up watching his mother braid challah dough.

He considers himself an artist who didn’t have much of a connection to Judaism.

That was until he was in Germany and was seeking out Shabbat dinners. As a guest at these meals, he began baking challah and, then during the COVID lockdown, he would watch YouTube videos for challah-braiding tricks. After creating an Instagram account to show off his heart-shaped challah creations, Chabasov discovered how many others were equally passionate about new ways to shape traditional bread. His artistic challah baking creations have provided him with a huge global following and brought him closer to his Jewish roots.

“THE APP HAS GIVEN RISE TO A NEW CROP OF JEWISH PERSONALITIES WHO ARE PROFITING FROM CREATING POPULAR CONTENT FOR THE JEWISH COMMUNITY.”

TALMUD TIKTOK (@MIRIAMANZOVIN) Miriam Anzovin has been spreading Talmudic teachings to the world thanks to her popular TikTok account. Anzovin began the new cycle of Daf Yomi before the COVID pandemic started in January 2020, and she’s amassed a whole following of students who start their day with her TikTok channel. She opens each video with her

motto, “Shalom, Friends!”

Anzovin is certainly not what most people think of when they think of a Talmud scholar, but her modern, creative way of teaching the daily page of Talmud (known as Daf Yomi) has caught on and helped a whole new generation of Talmud students fall in love with the ancient Jewish learning process.

Anzovin’s approach is to bring the sometimes bizarre stories of the Talmud to life by adapting them to 21st-century language, full of analogies and references to pop culture. The way she makes the ancient Talmud (written in Aramaic) accessible to the modern student is akin to retelling Shakespeare as a high school love drama set in the current period.

JEWISH JOKES (@SALVADORLITVAK) There’s a certain skill involved in telling Jewish jokes well. Salvador Litvak has that skill. The Chilean-born filmmaker and social media influencer in his mid-50s has a wonderful cadence to telling age-old Jewish

Rabbi Jason Miller is a local educator and entrepreneur. He is the president of Access Technology in West Bloomfield. He also officiates bar and bat mitzvahs around the country (mitzvahrabbi.com).

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Houses of Worship Receive Security Grants

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE JN

OUR COMMUNITY

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas visit Zekelman Holocaust Center.

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

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Peters and Mayorkas had a full day scheduled with events throughout Metro Detroit to discuss the critical role DHS plays in protecting Michigan communities, starting at the Zekelman Holocaust Center.

“We wanted to start here and have religious leaders come together to talk about security threats that they face, or insecurities that they have, and how we can help address those,” Peters said.

“I will say Secretary Mayorkas, who I’ve had the privilege of working with over the last couple of years, is a great partner in this effort.

I chair the Senate Committee on Homeland Security. We work very closely on a variety of issues. And when I invited him to come to Michigan, he wanted to have this meeting as a priority. He is absolutely focused on safeguarding places of worship.”

During the press conference, someone asked Peters and Mayorkas how the Department of Homeland Security and its various agencies plan to build trust with minority and immigrant

Mayorkas speaking at the Zekelman Holocaust Center with Gary Peters

At Selfridge Air National Guard Base

communities. Mayorkas said that trust isn’t built over night, and they are focused on building that trust. “That’s quite frankly, why we built the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships in the Department of Homeland Security, to reach out to communities that might not feel that the bridge of distrust has been closed, to prove to them that we are worthy of their trust, that we are here for them … and to make them secure and safe in the practice of their

faith and not shrink from their identity,” said Mayorkas.

Later in the day, Peters and Mayorkas met with leaders of Michigan’s Arab and Muslim American communities to discuss civil rights issues, including travel screening processes.

They then finished their visit by touring DHS facilities and meeting with employees of the U.S. Coast Guard, Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DHS PHOTOGRAPHER BEN APPLEBAUM

M

ichigan U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas visited the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills on March 18 to discuss threats against houses of worship and funding increases for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).

Peters helped secure nearly $250 million for the NSGP, a $70 million increase from previous funding levels, as part of the government funding bill President Joe Biden signed into law on March 15.

“Congress has come together to provide resources to bolster the efforts that the Department of Homeland Security is engaged in, from intelligence gathering to security assessments, for places of worship to make sure there are actual resources to put in, cameras or whatever system is being recommended by the Department of Homeland Security,” Peters said.

Aging Support Group Series

Find advice the third Tuesday of the month through August at Waltonwood Twelve Oaks.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

I

f you have a loved one who’s aging and wonder how to deal with the many challenges that stage of life brings, a new support group series is now available to anyone in the community.

Novi senior living community Waltonwood Alyssa Twelve Oaks is Tobias presenting the series with insights into common issues associated with aging, presented by

Independent Living Manager Alyssa Tobias, LLMSW. The events take place from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month through August. Tobias started the series due to the number of people reaching out for resources as well as the effects of the pandemic.

“COVID hit and I saw the incredible despair of what was going on in my community, and I knew if it was going on in my community, it was going on everywhere else,” Tobias said. “I

decided it was time to give back and offer some services for people that really need them.”

Tobias says the events are mostly geared as outreach for people outside of the Waltonwood community.

Tobias planned the series with what she thought were the most important and relevant topics for people to know.

The first event, “Aging in Place: When to Make a Transition,” took place on March 15 and focused on how to speak with an aging family member and find available resources.

The next event, “Communicating with Loved Ones that Have Cognitive Disorders,” takes place on April 19. Tobias will provide resources of how to can cope and what kind of support is out there. The events will be online as well as in-person.

The May 17 event will focus on “COVID and Senior

Depression.”

Guest speakers will be brought in for the final three events. A hospice professional will be brought in for the June 21 event, “Hospice and the Stigma.” A police officer will appear for the July 19 event, “Elder Scamming: What to Look For,” and Josh Tobias, funeral director at Ira Kaufman Chapel (and Tobias’ husband), will be brought in for the Aug. 16 event, “End of Life Decisions: How to Navigate Them.”

“For me, it’s really just a mitzvah to do this work,” Alyssa Tobias said. “It’s my life’s work, and if I can give back in any way and share this knowledge with anyone, it’s really my joy to do it.”

Those interested are asked to RSVP by the Friday prior to the events by calling (248) 735-1500.

faces&places PHOTOS COURTESY OF TEMPLE KOL AAMI

Temple Kol Ami Hosts Shabbat for the Tots RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

T

o celebrate the Sabbath, Temple Kol Ami of West Bloomfield hosted a family-friendly event for the congregation, Goofy Guf Tot Shabbat. Cantorial Soloist Janet Christensen says the event was fun for both parents and kids. On Feb. 18, the Reform congregation welcomed families to learn about their bodies.

“The idea came about in last week’s Torah Parshat Ki Tissa.

God does not show Moses his face but his back. So, it bears the question, if God has a back does God have feet?

We humans are all made in

Lilah Samet, Lyla and Vered Gutmann finger paint duing the Goofy Guf Shabbat craft.

Lilah Samet and Lyla Gutmann finger painting.

God’s image, B’tzelem Elohim.

We wanted to celebrate our

bodies, our Gufs,” Christensen said. “Composer/performer Noah Aronson wrote an amazing song called ‘Goofy Gufs,’ inspiring us to use our bodies, which we had the parents and kids sing and dance to. Rabbi Gutmann told a story with a puppet

that tied it all together. We end Tot Shabbats with craft time, so naturally, celebrating our bodies, we did finger painting,” Christensen added.

For more details about Temple Kol Ami’s events, head to https://tkolami.org/ calendar.

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faces&places

It all started with the Family Musical Megillah & Shpiel: Rabbi Steven Rubenstein, Congregation Beth Ahm; Hazzan Daniel Gross and Rabbi Aaron Bergman, Adat Shalom Synagogue

Community-Wide Purim Fun

The age-old custom is to dress up in costumes for Purim.

COURTESY OF ADAT SHALOM

T

he family-friendly, community-wide Purim celebration at Adat Shalom Synagogue, from the Megillah & Shpiel to the Purim Carnival, and on through the service and Megillah reading brought together people of all of ages. The carnival featured games, inflatables, music and activity booths led by summer camps and Motor City USY (MCUSY). The enthusiasm was high, the costumes were spectacular, and participants helped support Yad Ezra by bringing unopened boxes of pasta to use as groggers.

The Purim partners were Adat Shalom Synagogue, Congregation Beth Ahm, Congregation B’nai Moshe, Congregation B’nai Israel, Congregation Beth Shalom and the Detroit Jewish News. Dish Kosher Cuisine and Star Trax once again provided community Purim fun!

Spiderman (Rabbi Dan Horwitz) and his family.

Waiting to hear “Haman” and make some noise!

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Purim Fun at Temple Kol Ami Experiential Judaism is one of Temple Kol Ami’s core religious school missions, and its annual Purim Carnival was another huge success. As much fun as it for the younger kids to attend, it’s just as much fun for the West Bloomfield synagogue’s teenagers to organize and work the event. It was yet another great day at Temple for both age groups, with many wonderful memories created.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TEMPLE KOL AMI

Reed Chudnof and Ruth Mosseri race down the slide.

Finn Leary tries his hand at knocking down the tin cans.

TKA teacher Margery Jablin watches as Addey Bishop loves her custom-made balloon.

Jordana Mesa tries the car game.

JARC Board Members Deliver Purim Joy PHOTOS COURTESY OF JARC

The ladies at the Nusbaum Home pose with JARC board member Sharon Alterman. Sharon went to the Nusbaum Home to deliver Purim gifts and treats.

Purim is always a joyous holiday of rejoicing and exchanging food. This year was also the first opportunity that members of JARC’s Board of Directors had to visit with the people JARC serves inside their homes since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Participating board members were assigned to JARC homes to package and deliver gifts for

David Grand, a JARC board member, spends time with Jonathan, a person served by JARC.

the people living there. It was particularly nice to those people that joined the Board since the COVID-19 restrictions began to join in the fun.

The packages included snacks and fruit, socks and other small gifts. All participants were thrilled to finally be able to interact in person in a COVIDsafe way .

Sandra, a person served by JARC, sits with Gail Ruby, a JARC board member.

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ARI ERSHLER

SPORTS

Terrific Tanzman Tournament Fun, food, friendship and an amazing comeback by Farber make for a memorable weekend STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

RACHEL LOPATIN

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Israeli soldiers Benji Marcus (left) and Ari Ershler, former Tanzman basketball tournament players from Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh and Farber, watched their current teams face each other in the tournament via live stream in Israel.

RACHEL LOPATIN

T

he David Tanzman Memorial for her work “single-handedly” organizing Tournament returned to Farber meals for the players.

Hebrew Day School in Southfield “All the teams had a great time,” said Avi this year after a one-year absence caused by Selesny, also a Farber basketball player and the COVID-19 pandemic. a tournament co-commissioner.

Despite the unexpected layoff, the tourThis was the first time the Atlanta Jewish nament was a slam dunk.

Academy competed in the tournament.

Players on six basketAJA assistant coach ball teams from small Neil Kalnitz said he Jewish high schools of was “tremendously less than 100 students impressed” with how competed, socialized Farber organized with new and old the tournament, and friends, and ate meals AJA players were still and spent Shabbos talking about the good together over four busy time they had several days during a weekend days after returning in early March. home.

Here are some rave “The Farber comreviews of the fourth munity was very welannual tournament, coming,” Kalnitz said. named for a Farber “We normally stay Farber’s Aaron Adler drives past a Columbus Torah Academy player. school founder and in a hotel when we basketball fan and orgatravel for a tournanized mainly by Farber students: ment and don’t interact much with the “Fantastic camaraderie, a model for host community. sportsmanship, a feed good event, as pos“This time, all of our players and itive an experience as we hoped, and it coaches stayed with host families, which brought the Farber community together,” was great (there were 22 host families).” said Farber head of school Josh Levisohn.

While the basketball competition was “The tournament went amazingly well. tough, Kalnitz said, players bonded off I’m so happy we had it,” said Farber basthe court and were menches with each ketball player Aaron Adler, a tournament other. co-commissioner, who praised Naomi Fuchs Mizrachi School from Cleveland Gardin, Farber’s administrative assistant, won the tournament for the third time

Beth Adler, mother of Farber basketball players Aaron and Micah Adler, was one of the volunteers who prepared nine meals for the six Tanzman tournament teams.

in four years. Rabbi Avery Joel, head of school, was the team’s chaperone this year.

“The basketball in the tournament is

NEXT DOR

VOICE OF THE NEW JEWISH GENERATION

Friendseder Community Brunch The Well partners with Zingerman’s for Pesach experience April 10.

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Tournament Skills Competition Winners Hot spot — Yisrael Attali and Avi Selesny (Farber).

Shooting stars — Steven Brenis (Fuchs Mizrachi).

3-point shootout — Netenal Jacobs (Fuchs Mizrachi).

always challenging. It pushes us to the limit,” he said. “But while competitive basketball is the focus of the tournament, the tone always is an opportunity for each player to connect with the other players and grow as a person.”

Farber went 3-1 in its four tournament games and finished in third place.

After an exciting 43-40 victory over Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh and a 55-47 win over Columbus Torah Academy, Farber fell 60-34 to Atlanta.

That set up the third-place game against Pittsburgh, and

Farber won the rematch 45-41.

Farber overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Pittsburgh in the teams’ first meeting.

“That game was intense,” Selesny said. “Our crowd was amazing that night. There was a mosh pit celebration on the floor after the game.”

Fuchs Mizachi defeated Atlanta 47-31 in the tournament championship game.

Columbus defeated Denver 41-37 in the fifth-place game.

Tournament all-stars were Ari Jacoby (Fuchs Mizrachi), Noah Kalnitz (Atlanta), Adler (Farber), Noam Azagury (Pittsburgh), Yaki Liebesman (Columbus) and Izzy Potestio (Denver).

The tournament MVP was Ephraim Blau from Fuchs Mizrachi, who impressed fans with not only his dunking, but his post-game ritual of hugging opposing players and thanking his parents.

Send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

F

riendseders started in 2019, inspired by the Friendsgiving trend, having a meal with friends leading up to the big Thanksgiving holiday.

“Friendseder is the sidekick to Passover that helps you gather with your friends prior to (or during) the week of Passover to make this holiday your own,” according to The Well’s Director of Operations of Marisa Meyerson says, “The idea of having to lead a Passover seder is intimidating for a lot of young adults. So it started as a way to say hey, you know, you can do this too, and you can modernize it and make it more relevant, more meaningful to you and your friends.”

This year, The Well is stepping up its game with the hope of demystifying the idea of leading a Passover seder. The Well will be hosting both an in-person and virtual Friendseder Community Brunch on April 10 at Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor.

“We are working with [Zingerman’s] to create the menu and to do all of the

learning in between the dishes that will connect some of Zingerman’s favorite brunch dishes with their respective components of the Friendseder,” Meyerson said.

Those who want to attend the event virtually on Zoom can purchase a tasting kit to pick up or have delivered. During the Friendseder Community Brunch, Zingerman’s Event Coordinator Tessie Ives-Wilson and Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh will be leading guests through the special menu — the tastes, products, ingredients, meaning, ritual and traditions.

“It’s a really fun way to think about the Passover story and the concepts that it teaches us while not necessarily having to go through a full Passover seder,” Meyerson said.

The Friendseder Community Brunch is family-friendly, young-adult friendly, multi-generational and is open to all backgrounds. For information and to purchase tickets for the in-person or virtual experience ($10-$65), log on to www.zingermansdeli.com/ event/friendseder-brunch.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF PARTNERS DETROIT WOMEN’S DIVISION TEAM

NEXT DOR

VOICE OF THE NEW JEWISH GENERATION

Getting into the Purim Spirit

Partners Detroit Women’s Division Team hosts a Hamentash Bake.

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

P

artners Detroit Women’s Division Team hosted a PrePurim Hamentash Bake in February to help get into the Purim spirit. “It was really a display of Jewish unity from women across the Jewish spectrum coming together and enjoying each other and uniting with what we all have in common, which is our Jewish heritage,” said Shaindel Fink, a member of the Women’s Division Team.

The event took place at the Partners Detroit Royal Oak location, Platform 18. Fink said 60 women of all ages showed up to bake hamentashen and learn about the holiday.

“We had a breakfast buffet, and then everyone went to

their table where they had their own kit to create hamentashen,” Fink said.

During the event, the women also listened to Dassie Bausk, a fellow member of the Women’s Division Team, who spoke about what Purim is all about. Fink said it was reenergizing to see multiple generations baking together and learning about the holiday. Everyone went home with a tray of hamentashen.

The Women’s Division Team hopes to continue empowering and sharing knowledge, showing women throughout Metro Detroit what it means to be a Jewish woman.

For information about Partners Detroit Women’s Division Team and upcoming events, visit https://partnersdetroit.org.

FROM TOP: Mrs. Dassie Bausk shares words of Purim inspiration.

A full house at Platform 18 in Royal Oak. Three generations of Jewish women bake Hamentashen together: Jen Ostroff, Judy Sima and Noa Ostroff. Iris Farhy, Julie Lask, Sheri Aaron-Miller, Shelby Miller, Erin Steibel, Shaindel Fink, Sara Burnham, Lily Jacobson and Jill Menuck.

Sheryl Klinger, Racheli Indig, Cami Katzen and Edie Schwartz.

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Chair of Fundraiser along with members of the committee were all smiles ahead of the event: Meredith Kay, Becca Fishman, Joshua Ketai and Matthew Barker

NEXTGen Detroiters Brittany Feldman and Noah Levinson enjoy Detroit City Distillery’s signature spirits.

A Night Out for a Good Cause

Emily Langnas and Jacob Gordon during the VIP whiskey tour and tasting

NEXTGen Detroit’s Distilled & Chilled was a successful winter fundraiser.

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

N

DETROIT

EXTGen Detroit hosted a successful winter fundraiser on March 10 at the Whiskey Factory in Detroit.

“Over 200 young adults joined us at Distilled & Chilled, and each one of them made a donation to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit’s 2022 Annual Campaign,” said Mimi Marcus, NEXTGen Detroit Senior Campaign Associate and lead staff for the event.

The fundraiser featured live music from local artists Sean Blackman, Thornetta Davis, Nappi Devi and Stevie Soul. It also included a whiskey tour and tasting for VIP guests and drinks from Detroit City Distillery’s signature spirits.

The money raised during the Distilled & Chilled night out in the in the Motor City benefits the Jewish Federation’s 2022 Annual Campaign. “Almost half of those who came were first-time donors to the Campaign. It was a great event, and it was also a great opportunity for young adults to learn about the work of the Federation and make an investment in our Jewish community and Jewish future here in Detroit and around the world,” Marcus said.

PHOTOS

COURTESY OF

NEXTGEN

, Jace Allison Levine s Andrew Mos d an an Gittlem

For more info about NEXTGen Detroit and its upcoming events, visit https://jewishdetroit.org/events.

ABOVE: Zach Wettenstein and Ashley Goldberg hit the dance floor.

RIGHT: Allie Rosen, Sam Dickow, Amanda Sloan, Brad Sloan and Arie Zeidner.

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FOOD

Basic Beef Brisket

Celebrate with Sides These dishes will add Sephardic flare to your seder table.

F

or Passover, I prefer the gastronomic “middle ground” which means you make your usual entrees — simple and delicious — and elaborate on the side dishes.

But in truth, foods do not have to be “traditional” to any holiday for inclusion. Salad for example, is an American addition that has nothing to do with, well, anything. Still, we like to serve greens in one form or another.

They make us feel lightAnnabel er and healthier. And Cohen there’s no reason it can’t Contributing writer be included as part of the main meal, along with a vegetable or served as a bed for gefilte fish.

Some foods are almost always reserved for the week of Pesach and special holidays. Matzah brie is one that quickly comes to mind. While some of us may eat matzah from time to time

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during the year (even buying it when it’s not “the season”), most people just don’t think of it as a year-round food.

For that reason, we tend not to prepare matzah brie many other times of the year.

The most adventurous will risk it all by serving new foods at the first seder.

Most American-style Jewish foods are Ashkenazi, or of Eastern European origin. Sephardim, the other major classification of Jews, have their roots in Southern Europe and the Middle East. Most Israeli Jews, no matter where they came from, enjoy mostly Sephardic foods, with Middle Eastern influences.

Why, then, do Americans choose to prepare the more Ashkenazi-inspired holiday foods? Perhaps because serving Israeli or Sephardic foods during Passover just doesn’t feel right or special to some who wait all year for gefilte fish and matzah brie.

The greatest Passover food disparity has

to do with kitniyot (legumes or grains).

While Ashkenazim permit no kitniyot, other than those used in matzah during Passover, many Sephardim allow the use of fresh legumes and rice. The main reasoning is that “in the past” for Jews living in the countries of the Sephardic diaspora, legumes and rice were the major sources of nourishment.

The following recipes are Sephardic in origin, using the flavors and ingredients inherent to the Sephardic diaspora, but contain no kitniyot for our American sensibilities. Try adding a few of these recipes for your seders or during the week of Passover.

GOOD BASIC BEEF BRISKET Some people trim the fat from the brisket before they cook it, others do so afterwards. It’s a matter of preference but trimming first is easier and makes for a leaner sauce, right off the bat.

Ingredients 1 5- to 6-pound beef brisket (first cut is best), trimmed of extra fat Salt and pepper to taste 4 cups chopped onions 1 Tbsp. minced garlic 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 2 cups red wine, any kind 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce 1 bay leaf Water Directions Preheat oven to 400°F. Place brisket in a large roasting pan. Season it with salt and pepper and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Turn brisket over and roast another 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle onions, garlic and brown sugar around the meat. Pour the wine and tomato sauce over the onions and add enough water to reach about halfway up the side of the meat. Add the bay leaf to the liquid.

Cover the pan well with foil and cook 325ºF., covered, 3½ hours.

Remove the beef from the oven and chill for 4 hours or up to one day (the brisket may not be tender at this point.)

Remove the meat from the liquid (it will most likely be slightly jellied).

Discard fat from the top of the brisket liquid (a spoon should lift the solid stuff quickly) and discard it.

Slice the cold brisket against the grain into about ¼-inch slices and replace it in the pan (If there is a lot of liquid, remove some of it to a sauce pan and boil to reduce the amount and thicken the liquid before returning it to the pan).

Cover the pan with foil and heat for 1 to 4 hours at 250ºF. Or, carefully transfer the meat to an ovenproof serving dish with the sauce poured over, and heat it the same way.

Makes 6 or more servings.

BERENJENA (Savory Eggplant Stew) This is a vegetarian version of a recipe that calls for cooked ground lamb or meatballs.

Ingredients ¼ cup olive oil 1½-2 cups chopped onions 1 Tbsp. minced garlic 1 large green bell pepper, chopped 3 medium eggplants (about 3 pounds), cut into ½-inch cubes 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice Juice of 1 lemon 1 cup fresh chopped parsley Kosher salt pepper to taste ½ cup lightly toasted almonds 1 cup yellow raisins, optional Directions In a large pan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often for about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook for 1 min-

ute more. Add the eggplant, tomatoes and lemon juice, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the parsley, almonds and raisins if using.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes more. Keep warm until ready to serve. Serve alone or over rice. Makes 12 servings or more if serving with other foods.

PIGNOLI AND DRIED-FRUIT FARFEL PILAF Ingredients ¼ cup olive oil 1½ cups chopped onions 1 teaspoon minced garlic 8 cups matzah farfel 2 cups chicken or beef stock or broth ¼ cup lightly toasted pine nuts or pignoli 1½ cups dried sweetened cherries or other dried fruit (golden raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or a combination of these), chopped if large ½ cup fresh chopped parsley Salt and pepper to taste Directions Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the farfel and sauté until the farfel is lightlytoasted and browned.

Add the stock and sauté until the liquid is incorporated. Add remaining ingredients and season to taste.

Cover and chill until ready to continued on page 40

ROASTED CARROTS WITH ONIONS AND SAGE Ingredients 3 lbs. (pounds) carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch diagonal pieces ¼ cup olive oil 1 cup minced onion Kosher salt and pepper seasoning to taste ¼ cup fresh chopped sage leaves Directions Preheat oven to 425ºF. Toss carrots with oil in a large bowl and transfer to a roasting pan or disposable aluminum pan (the carrots should be in a single layer as much as possible).

Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Turn the carrots and roast for 10 minutes more, until just tender-crisp (do not overcook).

Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss with the sage. May be made several hours in advance (do not add sage) and reheated in the microwave oven (add sage after reheating). Makes 8 or more servings..

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FOOD

LEMON CHICKEN Ingredients Boneless and skinless chicken breast halves, about 2 pounds Matzah cake meal (for dredging chicken) start with 1 cup Olive oil for sautéing chicken ½-1 bottle white wine (any kind) Salt and pepper to taste Juice of up to 2 lemons Chopped parsley, garnish (at the last minute) Optional: Artichoke hearts (not marinated), capers, slivered almonds as garnish, sliced mushrooms Directions Pound chicken breasts slightly to make them more or less the same thickness throughout, or, continued from page 39

serve. Reheat in the microwave and serve warm. Makes 8 or more for servings.

KEFTES DE PESCADA (Sephardic Fish Patties) For variety, replace the fish with fresh cooked spinach (well drained) and serve with a wedge of lemon.

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if breasts are large, slice through them horizontally making two halves for each breast half. Dredge the chicken pieces in the matzah cake meal and coat well.

Heat oil, about ¼ cup or more, in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.

Sauté the chicken breasts (you’ll need to do this a few times if you have a lot of breasts) on each side until they are light golden.

Remove and set aside to finish remaining breasts (you may need more matzah cake meal).

After all the breasts have been cooked, place them back in the pan. Pour wine over the

breasts and cook until the wine mixture is reduced and makes a thickened sauce.

At this point, you could put this away until the next day or later the same day (place in glass baking dish in fridge).

Or, serve right away with juice sprinkled on top and garnished with artichokes, etc. If keeping to serve later, 1 hour before serving, place in 250ºF oven with garnish ingredients (except parsley) and heat through. You may need to add more liquid if the sauce has become too thick. Wine or chicken broth will do.

Ingredients Sauce: 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 tsp. minced garlic 1 can (28-ounces) diced tomatoes in juice or 4 cups fresh chopped plum tomatoes 2 bay leaves Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste ½ cup fresh chopped basil Fresh chopped parsley, garnish

Patties: 2 pounds skinned and boned cod (salmon or whitefish) ground or chopped in a food processor 1 cup finely chopped onions 2 eggs 2 cups matzah meal 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley Vegetable oil for frying 1-2 cups matzah meal (to coat fish patties)

Directions Make sauce: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste and add basil. Keep warm until ready to serve or chill and reheat.

Combine cod, onions, egg, matzah meal, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and mash well with your hands until the mixture is uniform. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 or more hours (up to overnight).

Heat about ¼-inch of oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Place 1 cup of matzah meal in a shallow dish. Using wet hands, shape the fish mixture into flattened patties (about one-third cup of mixture each).

Carefully dredge the patties in the matzah meal and fry on both sides until golden. Place the finished patties on the prepared baking sheet.

Add more oil if needed and the second cup of matzah meal if needed for dredging.

About 30 minutes before serving, place the patties (uncovered) in a 250ºF. oven to heat. Serve keftes with sauce spooned over the top and sprinkled with chopped parsley. Makes 8 servings.

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MAZEL TOV! FEB. 13, 2022 Lisa and Evan Sack of East Lansing are so excited to announce the addition of their daughter, Emma Lee, to their family. Big brother Ethan welcomes her with all his heart. Grandparents are Lee and Bruce Sack, and Cindy and Ray Stewart.

Proud great-grandparents are Harriet Barish, and Bob and Barbara Riley.

They also remember great-grandparents Murray and Annette Sack, Jack Barish, Dave and Shirley Milgrom, and Orville and Georgia Fowlkes, who remain in their thoughts always.

SPIRIT AUG. 4, 2021 Michelle and Eddie Rubin of West Bloomfield are thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter, Maeve Eleanor. Loving big sister is Beatrice. Proud grandparents are Rick and Renee Unger of Commerce, and Edie Rubin of West Bloomfield.

Maeve is named in loving memory of her maternal cousin Michael Berke and her paternal great-grandmother, Elaine Fagenson.

Brandon Carter Witt, son of Julie and Franklin Witt, will lead the congregation in prayer as he becomes a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Saturday, April 2, 2022. He will be joined in celebration by his sister, Samantha. Brandon is the loving grandchild of Burton and Barbara Weintraub, and Frank and Wanda Witt.

Brandon is a student at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills. As part of many mitzvah projects, he played piano for residents in assisted living and for those with Alzheimer’s disease.

Brookenthal-Aaronson

B

ella and Paul Brookenthal of Bloomfield Hills and Michael and Suzie Aaronson and of El Paso, Texas, are delighted to announce the engagement of Steven Joel Brookenthal to Shelley Lauren Aaronson. Shelly is also the daughter of the late Sherry Aaronson.

Ms. Aaronson is a graduate of University of ColoradoBoulder and is a real estate agent with Sotheby’s International Realty. Dr. Brookenthal is a veterinarian practicing in Los Angeles.

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TORAH PORTION

Jewish Devotion Elevates the Soul

G

reat art requires two eleburning the daily sacrifice. Let it ments: technical mastery burn on the altar all night. and deep inspiration.

In Chasidic eyes, the verse In the magical moments when came to have a different meansuch art is created, the artist ing. Numerous stories of the becomes a medium for Baal Shem Tov make the point translating inspiration that only inspired prayers can into reality, thereby ascend to heaven. This verse transforming the world now makes the same point. itself.

What type of sacred learning The Jewish philoscan truly ascend to God? Only opher Martin Buber Rabbi Daniel that which burns on the altar — Nevins wrote about the that is, only that Torah which constant interaction is kindled with sacred enthuParshat between inspired siasm.

Tazria: moments and those What power does such Torah Leviticus that are superficial and possess?

It can burn throughout 12:1-13:59; flat. For him, any interthe night, even through the II Kings action — social, artistic darkness of exile and suffering, 4:42-5:19. or religious — had the until the dawn of redemption. potential to soar or Our simple verse teaches stumble. A certain intensity was a profound insight about the necessary to escape the shackles importance of inspiration. Jewish of ordinary experience and condevotion, like great art, requires nect with the Divine. both technical mastery and inspiBuber was influenced by the ration. To do the mitzvot sloppily, dialectical philosophy of his day, without attention to detail, is but his ideas were deeply rooted to disrespect them. To content in the thought of early Chasidism. oneself with technique, forgetting Using this lens, we learn that the transformative mission of Jewish ritual can be either fora mitzvah results in a neutered mulaic or transformative. Torah and lifeless practice of Judaism. study can be pompous or proTo connect ourselves with God’s found. Thus, mitzvot require not greatness — gedulah — we must only effort but also passion, joy attend to the details and the and inspiration. inspiring experience of reliving an A perfect example comes from ancient redemption, anticipating a the opening words of this week’s future one. portion. The daily burnt offering If we do it right, we will was called the olah, which literally enjoy the upcoming Passover means “elevation” because it was holiday that is both kosher and burnt up. Moses is told to comjoyous. May this be an inspiring mand Aaron and his sons: Zor season for all Jews as we relive Torat haolah, “This is the Torah our national origins and unite of elevation: It is the elevation on in our prayers for peace and the hearth upon the altar all night redemption. until morning; the altar fire shall This article originally appeared in the JN burn within it.”

On the surface, this verse mere- April 6, 2001. Rabbi Nevins then was a rabbi at Adat Shalom Synagogue. ly describes the procedure for

SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH

The Power of Praise F

rom time to time, couples come to see me before their wedding.

Sometimes they ask me whether I have any advice to give them as to how to make their marriage strong. In reply, I give them a simple suggestion.

It is almost magical in its effects. It will make their relationship strong, and in other unexpected ways it will transform their lives.

Rabbi Lord They have to commit Jonathan themselves to the following Sacks ritual. Once a day, usually at the end of the day, they must each praise the other for something the other has done that day, no matter how small: an act, a word, a gesture that was kind or sensitive or generous or thoughtful. The praise must be focused on that one act, not generalized. It must be genuine: it must come from the heart. And the other must learn to accept the praise.

That is all they have to do. It takes at most a minute or two. But it has to be done, not sometimes, but every day. I learned this in a most unexpected way.

I have written before about the late Lena Rustin: one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. She was a speech therapist specializing in helping stammering children. She founded the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering in London, and she had a unique approach to her work. Most speech therapists focus on speaking and breathing techniques and on the individual child (those she worked with were on average around 5 years old). Lena did more.

She focused on relationships and worked with parents, not just children.

Her view was that to cure a stammer, she had to do more than help the child to speak fluently. She had to change the entire family environment. Families tend to create an equilibrium. If a child stammers, everyone in the family adjusts to it.

Therefore, if the child is to lose his stammer, all the relationships within the family will have to be renegotiated. Not only must the child change. So must everyone else.

But change at that basic level is hard.

We tend to settle into patterns of behavior until they become comfortable like a well-worn armchair. How do you create an

atmosphere within a family that encourages change and makes it unthreatening? The answer, Lena discovered, was praise. She told the families with which she was working that every day they must catch each member of the family doing something right, and say so, specifically, positively and sincerely. Every member of the family, but especially the parents, had to learn to give and receive praise.

Watching her at work I began to realize that she was creating, within each home, an atmosphere of mutual respect and continuous positive reinforcement. She believed that this would generate self-confidence not just for the stammering child but for all members of the family. The result would be an environment in which people felt safe to change and to help others do so likewise.

I filmed Lena’s work for a documentary I made for BBC television on the state of the family in Britain. I also interviewed some of the parents whose children she had worked with. When I asked them whether Lena had helped their child, not only did each of them say “Yes,” but they continued on page 44 MARCH 31 • 2022

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SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH continued from page 43

went on to say that she had helped save their marriage. This was extraordinary. She was, after all, not a marriage guidance counselor but a speech therapist.

Yet so powerful was this one simple ritual that it had massive beneficial side effects, one of which was to transform the relationship between husbands and wives.

THE POWER OF WORDS I mention this for two reasons, one obvious, the other less so.

The obvious reason is that the Sages were puzzled about the major theme of Tazria-Metzora, the skin disease known as tsaraat. Why, they wondered, should the Torah focus at such length on such a condition? It is, after all, not a book of medicine, but of law, morality and spirituality.

The answer they gave was that tsaraat was a punishment for lashon hara: evil, hateful or derogatory speech. They cited the case of Miriam, who spoke negatively about her brother Moses and was struck by tsaraat for seven days (Num. 12). They also pointed to the incident when at the burning bush Moses spoke negatively about the Israelites and his hand was briefly affected by tsaraat (Ex. 4:1-7).

The Sages spoke more dramatically about lashon hara than any other offence. They said that it was as bad as committing all three cardinal sins: idolatry, incest and murder. They said that it kills three people: the one who says it, the one he says it about and the one who listens to it. And in connection with Tazria-Metzora, they said that the punishment fitted the sin.

One who speaks lashon hara creates dissension within the camp. Therefore, his punish-

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ment as a metsora (a person stricken with tsaraat) was to be temporarily banished from the camp.

So far, so clear. Don’t gossip (Lev. 19:16). Don’t slander.

Don’t speak badly about people. Judaism has a rigorous and detailed ethics of speech because it believes that “Life and death are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21).

Judaism is a religion of the ear more than the eye; of words rather than images. God created the natural world with words, and we create or damage the social world with words. We do not say, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me.” To the contrary, words can cause emotional injuries that are as painful as physical ones, perhaps more so.

So Lena Rustin’s rule of praise is the opposite of lashon hara.

It is lashon hatov: good, positive, encouraging speech. According to Maimonides, to speak in praise of people is part of the command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” That is straightforward.

But at a deeper level, there is a reason why it is hard to cure people of lashon hara and harder still to cure them of gossip in general. The American sociologist Samuel Heilman wrote an incisive book, Synagogue Life, about a Modern Orthodox congregation of which, for some years, he was a member.

He devotes an entire lengthy chapter to synagogue gossip.

Giving and receiving gossip, he says, is more or less constitutive of being part of the community.

Not gossiping defines you as an outsider.

WHAT ABOUT GOSSIP? Gossip, he says, is part of “a tight system of obligatory exchange.”

The person who scorns gossip completely, declining to be either donor or recipient, at the very least “risks stigmatization”

and at the worst “excludes himself from a central activity of collective life and sociability.” In short, gossip is the lifeblood of community.

Now, not only Heilman but probably every adult member of the community knew full well that gossip is biblically forbidden and that negative speech, lashon hara, is among the gravest of all sins. They also knew the damage caused by someone who gives more gossip than he or she receives.

They used the Yiddish word for such a person: a yenta. Yet despite this, argued Heilman, the shul was in no small measure a system for the creation and distribution of gossip.

Synagogue Life was published 20 years before Oxford anthropologist Robin Dunbar’s famous book, Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language.

Dunbar’s argument is that, in nature, groups are held together by devoting a considerable amount of time to building relationships and alliances.

Non-human primates do this by “grooming,” stroking and cleaning one another’s skin (hence the expression, “If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”). But this is very time-consuming and puts a limit on the size of the group.

Humans developed language as a more effective form of grooming. You can only stroke one animal or person at a time, but you can talk to several at a time. The specific form of language that bonds a group together, says Dunbar, is gossip — because this is the way members of the group can learn who to trust and who not to. So gossip is not one form of speech among others. According to Dunbar, it is the most primal of all uses of speech. It is why humans developed language in the first place. Heilman’s account of synagogue life fits perfectly into this pattern. Gossip creates

community, and community is impossible without gossip.

If this is so, it explains why the prohibitions against gossip and lashon hara are so often honored in the breach, not the observance. So common is lashon hara that one of the giants of modern Jewry, R. Yisrael Meir ha-Cohen (the Chofetz Chaim) devoted much of his life to combatting it. Yet it persists, as anyone who has ever been part of a human group knows from personal experience. You can know it is wrong, yet you and others do it anyway.

This is why I found Lena Rustin’s work to have such profound spiritual implications. Her work had nothing to do with gossip, but without intending to she had discovered one of the most powerful antidotes to lashon hara ever invented. She taught people to develop the habit of speaking well of one another. She taught them to praise, daily, specifically and sincerely. Anyone who uses Lena’s technique for a prolonged period will be cured of lashon hara. It is the most effective antidote I know.

What is more, her technique transforms relationships and saves marriages. It heals what lashon hara harms. Evil speech destroys relationships. Good speech mends them. This works not only in marriages and families, but also in communities, organizations and businesses.

So, in any relationship that matters to you, deliver praise daily.

Seeing and praising the good in people makes them better people, makes you a better person and strengthens the bond between you. This really is a life-changing idea.

The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks served as the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, 1991-2013. His teachings have been made available to all at rabbisacks.org. This essay was written in 2017.

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

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 continued on page 46 MARCH 31 • 2022

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

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

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

MINYANS Fleischman Residence West Bloomfield (248) 661-2999

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

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

Temple Jacob Hancock templejacobhancock.org

Yeshivat Akivah Southfield (248) 386-1625 farberhds.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

Temple Beth El Battle Creek (269) 963-4921

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

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

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

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

REFORM/RENEWAL Congregation Shir Tikvah Troy (248) 649-4418 shirtikvah.org

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

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

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

Temple Beth Israel Bay City (989) 893-7811 tbi-mich.org

SECULAR/HUMANISTIC Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Metro Detroit Farmington Hills (248) 477-1410 chj-detroit.org

Temple Beth Israel Jackson (517) 784-3862 tbijackson.org

Sholem Aleichem Institute West Bloomfield (248) 865-0117 secularsaimichigan.org

Congregation T’chiyah Ferndale (248) 823-7115 tchiyah.org Reconstructionist Congregation of Detroit (313) 567-0306 reconstructingjudiasm.org REFORM Congregation Beth El Windsor (519) 969-2422 bethelwindsor.ca Congregation Beth Shalom Traverse City 231-946-1913 beth-shalom-tc.org Congregation B’nai Israel Muskegon (231) 722-2702 cbimkg@gmail.com

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

ANN ARBOR

CONSERVATIVE Beth Israel Congregation (734) 665-9897 @BethIsraelCongregation ORTHODOX Ann Arbor Chabad House (734) 995-3276 jewmich.com 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

SEPHARDIC Keter Torah Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 681-3665 rabbisasson.wixsite.com/ keter

SECULAR HUMANISTIC Jewish Cultural Society (734) 975-9872 jewishculturalsociety.org

Ohr Hatorah Oak Park (248) 294-0613 Ohrhatorah.us

Please email factual corrections or additional synagogues to list to: smanello@thejewishnews.com.

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

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HOME & GARDEN

David Lowenstein — Entomologist He offers tips on how to convert part of your lawn to native plants.

LOUIS FINKELMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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nsects are David Lowenstein’s professional expertise. He works as an extension educator for MSU Extension, helping people in Michigan learn how to deal with insects and how to care for their lawns, flower gardens, vegetable gardens and trees.

Growing up in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, Lowenstein did not have a garden. His parents’ apartment on the first floor David looked out on the lawn, so Lowenstein he could see the landscaping service cut the grass. Once, he planted tomato plants outside the apartment, but the landscapers mowed them down.

He says he did take care of a spider plant inside the apartment.

On the way to his undergraduate degree in biology at City University

of New York, Lowenstein helped with a professor’s research project on the varying diets of fish in the Bronx River.

Mostly the fish ate insects; the mix of insects varied according to the urbanization of the surrounding area. At a summer internship at the University of Wisconsin, Lowenstein worked on biological controls, essentially, using good insects to manage harmful ones, especially the brown marmorated stink bug, which infests fruit trees. He went back to Madison to earn his master’s degree, followed by his Ph.D. in Urban Agriculture at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

“This is not a typical path for a Jewish boy from the Bronx, but I enjoy it,” he says candidly. In a way, though, this career does represent a return to his ancestral roots. His grandparents in

Germany worked in cattle trading.

People call on Lowenstein for advice about how to convert part of their lawns to native plants. Why might someone want to do that? Lowenstein says, “Turf looks nice, but it requires maintenance. Turf provides not much food for beneficial insects. Butterflies and bees do much better with native wildflowers and ornamental grasses.

Native plants require no herbicides or pesticides; you might fertilize wildflowers every couple of years.”

How does working as an entomologist and agricultural adviser impact living as a Jew? “My supervisors and employers have always been fully accommodating about Shabbat observance and taking off for Jewish holidays,” he says. “That has not continued on page 50 MARCH 31 • 2022

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PHOTOS COURTESY MSU

HOME & GARDEN

The green sweat bee, Lowenstein’s favorite insect continued from page 49

been a problem at all. The biggest problem has been that most jobs in this field take you to small towns and rural places with no Jewish community. In Oregon, I was not near a vibrant Jewish community although, ironically, I was only an hour from Eugene, where I could get the best lox.”

Lowenstein now lives, not in some small rural area, but in Huntington Woods.

GETTING STARTED To start a garden or to convert a lawn to wildflowers, Lowenstein suggests assessing the drainage of the area and the amount of sunlight it gets. That will help the MSU Extension match the plants to the conditions. A soil test

Replacing sod with native plants helps beneficial insects

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will provide more detailed information about your prospective garden. The soil test from MSU Extension cost $26.50.

You can bring a soil sample to the MSU Extension office or order a soil test kit online. Mail the test kit to East Lansing and get the results mailed back.

When you are ready to plant, you can start with seeds, plugs (flats of small plants) or mature plants. Lowenstein generally recommends starting with plugs. Seeds might not germinate evenly, and mature plants cost more than plugs.

Sedges and ornamental grasses, such as Switchgrass and Little Bluestem, are native to this area. These native plants grow quickly to heights of 2 to 6 feet, providing habitat for beneficial insects.

The plants tend to crowd out any invasive weeds. Every spring, you have to cut them back close to the ground, and that is about the only maintenance.

“You did not ask me about my favorite insect,” Lowenstein says. “It is the green sweat bee. It has a beautiful metallic green color, like some tropical insect, but it is native here. It pollinates many flowers in this area. It is a tiny bee, often mistaken for a fly, if people notice it at all. If you have flowers in this area, though, you have green sweat bees, whether you have seen them or not.”

Access MSU Extension by calling (888) 678-3464 or online at ask2.extension.org.

Available at gardner-white.com 248-481-2200

HOME & GARDEN

2022 Top Garden Trends and Expert Tips for Success TOP: Megawatt Begonias BELOW: Butterfly Bush

BPT

LOW MAINTENANCE, HIGH IMPACT Do you want a magazine-worthy landscape but don’t want to spend every day tending to plants? The trick is to strategically select eye-catching flowers that are easy to care for.

There are many plants that offer beautiful blooms with surprisingly little work.

Beacon Impatiens are the ideal plant for flowerbeds with partial sun, rewarding you with ample, long-lasting color for the shade. Add Megawatt Begonias in pots

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PIXABAY

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nterest in gardening continues to blossom as more people decide to exercise their green thumb and make the most of their outdoor spaces. Whether it’s a quaint balcony, large backyard garden or front yard landscaping, gardening opportunities are bountiful.

With a little creativity and some expert insight, anyone can be a successful gardener. The team at Ball Horticultural Company shares simple tips and the top trends for 2022 to inspire every type of gardener.

and transition spaces — this bigger-thanlife hybrid provides rich color and glossy foliage with little care. For sunny spots, you can’t go wrong with low-maintenance E3 Easy Wave Petunias. This spreading petunia comes in a variety of hues, adding sweeping color that will be the envy of the neighborhood.

FUN AND FLAVORFUL FOODS As the sustainability movement continues, more people are interested in growing their own food. Whether it’s a small herb garden or a large vegetable

plot, having homegrown food at your fingertips can help you eat healthier and fresher.

Many vegetables and herbs do as well in containers as they do in the ground, so if you’re short on space, you can still succeed with growing vegetables as long as you can give your plants a sunny spot and adequate water. An insider tip is to skip seeds and buy garden-ready plants that are already established, such as Burpee vegetables and herbs. This helps support successful growing and faster harvests.

Tomatoes are a must for any vegetable grower. But what if you don’t have an outdoor growing space? No garden, no problem with the Kitchen Minis collection of indoor potted vegetables.

Look for Siam Tomato, which gives you several weeks of cherry-sized fruit for your fresh eating and recipes. Enjoy it on a sunny windowsill indoors or next to your other easy-access countertop herbs.

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POLLINATOR GARDENS Pollination is essential for plants to flourish, and according to the U.S. Forest Service, pollinators are responsible for assisting over 80% of the world’s flowering plants to reproduce. This includes hard-working insects like butterflies, bees and birds.

Because of their essential work, everyone can enjoy plants that delight the eyes and tasty foods that tantalize the taste buds.

Some pollinator populations are diminishing, so people are taking action by planting pollinator-friendly gardens. For example, if you want butterfly bliss in your garden, choose Chrysalis Buddleia. Known as Butterfly Bush, this plant has an abundance of flowers but grows in a manageable size — perfect for a small hanging basket. Add in a few

Shamrock Lantana, whose blooms are an attractive, soft landing pad, and you’ll be creating a pollinator paradise.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS After spending the last few years close to home, people are taking exceptional pride in their property by prioritizing curb appeal. Friendly yellows and vivid purples are on trend and broadly appealing, making your home stand out on the block.

For a sunny show all season long, plant Bee’s Knees Petunias. The intense yellow color of each big bloom adds brightness to your landscaping. Juxtapose the yellow with Jolt Purple Dianthus, adding a vivid magenta shade that instantly adds personality.

Curb appeal can come from more than just flowering plants, of course. For visual interest in a fruiting plant, check out Pepper Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry. With variegated foliage and uniquely striped fruit that changes from green to chocolate and cherry red, this is a treat for the eyes and the stomach.

No matter the size of your garden space or the time you can put into your plants, there’s something for everyone in the top gardening trends of the year.

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Hunter Pasteur Offers Low Maintenance Luxury Living in West Bloomfield’s Gramercy Ridge!

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It is Hunter Pasteur’s goal to provide every homeowner with a seamless and rewarding experience, from their first

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Each luxury condo includes a first-floor owner’s suite, spacious open floor plans, optional second floor featuring 1 or 2 bedrooms with Loft Space and an optional finished basement. In addition to the numerous high-end included features, Gramercy Ridge offers hundreds of designer options to choose from to personalize each condo.

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The Gramercy Ridge decorated Model is now open daily for tours. It showcases

the beautiful and upscale design options through the interior design. Visiting the community offers the opportunity to learn about the interior and exterior options to choose from during the Selections Process. The Gramercy Ridge Sales Team leads the Selections Process and can share more about the experience and the options during a tour.

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HOME & GARDEN

Refresh Your Outdoor Space with These 5 Tips BPT

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ver the last few years, you’ve likely spent more time at home than ever before. As a result, you’re more conscious of how you use your space and how design can impact your comfort and ease. To give you a bit more variety beyond your home’s walls, consider redesigning your outdoor spaces to create a haven for recreation and relaxation. Best of all, outdoor spaces add value to your home if you plan to sell.

If you need ideas on how to revamp your outdoor spaces, consider these top five outdoor design trends. Get inspired and create your own outdoor oasis.

1. FUNCTIONALITY Homeowners are prioritizing day-to-day use of their outdoor spaces instead of entertaining, driving a need for functionality. Practical elements like lighting and audio technology can elevate the outdoor space. Other features like shade structures, privacy walls and screens, built-in barbecue grills and Wi-Fi allow you to use the space for working, relaxing, cooking and more.

2. DEFINED ROOMS Whether it’s an outdoor kitchen, office or living room, homeowners are leaning

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toward more efficient, defined outdoor spaces. Homeowners want to use outdoor living on a day-to-day basis to unwind, connect with nature and take advantage of the health and well-being benefits the outdoors provide. Having an outdoor office can increase your productivity while decreasing stress as you enjoy the greenery and fresh air. Adding an outdoor kitchen may inspire you to make dishes using herbs and veggies you’ve grown in your garden, and an outdoor living room can help you bring the family together at the end of the school and workday.

3. MONOCHROMATIC COLORS WITH ACCENTS While lighter, tone-on-tone color palettes remain popular, accent colors and accessories are on the rise. Using cool, monochromatic tones with choice accent colors can create a brighter or contrasting outdoor living space. Jetset, Belgard’s 2022 Color of the Year, is a true blue that is the perfect pop of color to enhance any color palette. “Jetset is a much-needed dose of liveliness and joy,” said Joe Raboine, director of residential hardscapes at Belgard. “It represents the excitement of a new year and the readiness to do more, be more and live more.”

4. MODULAR DESIGN AND GEOMETRIC PATTERNS Another popular trend is modular, geometric standard patterns composed of clean lines and simple formats. Simple patterns create a modern, uncluttered aesthetic that emphasizes furniture or other focal points in the space. Large format patterns and pavers also lend themselves to this style, allowing for more efficient installation.

5. ENTANGLED DESIGN As people blend their outdoor spaces to serve as extensions of their homes, many are focusing on entangled design, which combines the surrounding landscape with the hardscape design. Fractured edges with no defined break, natural stone transitions and irregular edges blended with boulders, grass and aggregate create a more natural, organic look that enhances design continuity. To increase the depth of greens, grays and other neutral tones associated with entangled, biophilic design, consider using Jetset as the accent color for your outdoor spaces.

Feeling inspired but don’t know where to start? For more inspiration and a templated approach to design outdoor spaces that fit your needs and style, visit Belgard. com/Rooms.

HOME & GARDEN

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f your family is like most, you have “junk” in your basement, garage or attic, such as sports cards, memorabilia and toys. Before you toss them out during spring cleaning, check again.

How can you determine if your stuff is valuable and, if it is, how can you sell it?

A widely accepted rule for sports cards, memorabilia and toys is that older items are worth more. However, these days even more recent items are also commanding high prices.

“Don’t assume sports cards or other memorabilia have to be old to be valuable. Modern cards of such stars as Tom Brady, Mike Trout, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter can sell for lots of money,” says Al Crisafulli, auction director at an internet sports and memorabilia auction.

Here are some tips to determine if your belongings are valuable: SPORTS CARDS Cards from the 1960s and earlier are collectible, and those from before the 1940s can be extremely valuable. Big-name Hall of Famers like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, Mickey Mantle and others bring high prices.

With old cards from the 1880s and early 1900s, look for tobacco and candy brands, such as Old Judge, Piedmont, Sweet Caporal or American Caramel.

Prices on recent baseball, basketball and football cards have risen rapidly. The three keys are condition, star power and cards from early in player careers.

Check if your cards are denoted as Rookie, Prospect, Draft Pick or other indicators they’re from a player’s first season.

And condition is king, as cards that look pack-fresh with sharp corners and a well-centered image command highest prices.

MEMORABILIA Do you have old advertising posters depicting sports stars or famous entertainment personalities together with food, tobacco or sporting goods brands. Many original signs, store displays and promotional items are collectible, especially those dating from the early 1900s into the 1960s. But low-quality reproductions aren’t.

Look for memorabilia spotlighting sports heroes, superheroes, early Walt Disney characters and Star Wars subjects.

So, while you’re spring cleaning that attic, basement or garage, don’t rush to the garbage.

Before throwing out old “junk,” determine if it’s valuable!

surface from accidental marks and scratches, and offers personalized self-expression at a reasonable price.

According to Jones, there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing wallpaper. Here are a few insights to get started:

Choose the Best Wallpaper Design STATEPOINT

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hinking about using wallpaper to transform your walls from drab to fab? You’re in good company.

Wallpaper’s popularity is on the rise in both residential and commercial spaces and gaining an edge over paint.

Experts believe this trend reflects a growing recognition of wallpaper’s unique benefits. It’s cost-effective, protects the wall

TYPE First, determine how long you’d like the wallpaper to remain on your walls. Some types of wallpaper are more suitable for long-term use and others are best for those who wish to change their designs with the seasons or on a whim. For this reason, Spoonflower offers three types of wallpaper: 1. Prepasted Removable Smooth: Longlasting, but fully removable (and recyclable), this option is great for homes, rental spaces, accent walls or temporary art installations.

2. Peel and Stick Removable Woven: Removable and repositionable, this option won’t leave a residue behind. Whether you’re renting or you love to stay on-trend, temporary wallpaper is a great alternative to traditional wall coverings.

3. Traditional Pebble: This traditional wallpaper has a subtle leathered texture, matte finish, is paste-activated and is highly durable. Not only is it PVC-free, it is also moisture resistant.

DESIGN To take the guesswork out of wallpaper design selection, consider using a wallpaper digital marketplace. You can easily narrow down your choices by searching for designs based on category keywords, color or by styles, such as Mid-Century Modern, Cottagecore or Paisley. For those with a specific design already envisioned, these sites allow you to upload your own design and have it custom printed on wallpaper.

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MARCH 31 • 2022

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BUSINESS

COURTESY OF JARC

Caryn Martel and CJ Dedrich

Keeping it Limber

Stretch Zone celebrates its anniversary with a deal for JARC.

BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

C

OVID restrictions turned many of us into couch potatoes, and the problem may have been more pronounced among the clients of JARC. The organization is dedicated to providing housing and services to enable adults with developmental disabilities to live full and meaningful lives.

JARC serves 108 residents in 21 group homes and more than 40 people who live independently.

During the pandemic, many JARC clients exercised less and ate more junk food,

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said Shaindle Braunstein, JARC’s executive director. But in March, the group home residents got a boost: a month of free assisted stretches at Stretch Zone.

The Michigan franchise of Stretch Zone, with locations in Bloomfield Hills, Royal Oak and Livonia, is owned

by Howard Luckoff and Sam Grey. They made the offer to JARC as a way of celebrating their fifth anniversary.

Luckoff, of Bloomfield Hills, is a long-time JARC board member and the organization’s immediate past

president. Now on the board of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, he became interested in JARC because one of his four children, now 25, has developmental disabilities. He and his wife, Nancy, are members of Temple Israel.

Gray, a chiropractor, lives in Bloomfield Hills with his wife, Lori, and is a member of Congregation Shaarey Zedek.

Luckoff and Gray have been friends since they met in kindergarten at Burton Elementary School in Huntington Woods. After Luckoff, a commercial real estate attorney, retired from the Honigman law firm, Gray suggested they partner to buy the Michigan Stretch Zone franchise.

The JARC residents, many of whom suffer from longterm arthritis or pain from old injuries, found the Stretch Zone offer a good way to increase mobility and reduce pain.

“Many of these adults aren’t able to access services that can help their overall quality of life,” Gray said. “JARC residents are an important part of our community, and we are excited to welcome them into Stretch Zone.”

Braunstein appreciated the offer. “We want to keep them (the residents) as mobile as possible,” she said.

The company describes its services as practitionerassisted stretching, which some clients view as a mashup of yoga, massage therapy and physical therapy. Trained practitioners perform personalized routines using a patented strapping system and tables to position, stabilize

and isolate muscles. The practitioner does the work, and the client gets the benefits, Luckoff said.

“Sam describes it as ‘lazy person’s yoga,’ but it’s so much more,” he said. “The method works by increasing the active range of motion.” Luckoff says he himself enjoys a stretch session after a hard run.

Based in Florida, Stretch Zone has165 locations in 16 states. Clients range from professional athletes to arthritic seniors.

The Stretch Zone method promotes increased flexibility over time, said Luckoff. New clients often start with two sessions per week, then cut back when they start feeling better.

“The product sells itself,” Luckoff said. “I can’t think of anyone who has tried it who hasn’t liked it.”

Sheryl Garfinkel, who has lived at JARC’s Keller Walch Home in Farmington Hills since 1991, enjoyed her recent stretch session with practitioner CJ Dedrich.

“When he was done, my knee didn’t hurt anymore.

That makes me feel good,” she said.

Her housemate Caryn Martel, who has been with JARC since 1994, is also a fan.

“I feel so much lighter when I get up,” she said. “I want to come again and again.”

Stretch Zone services are not currently covered by health insurance, said Luckoff, but clients with health savings accounts can usually be reimbursed.

New clients interested in giving Stretch Zone a try can take advantage of a free introductory session.

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Better Late than Never 81-year-old shares the bimah with granddaughter for their b’not mitzvah.

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Chuppah Adornments Wood cut chuppah topper becomes a keepsake for the couple’s home.

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Black and White and Love All Over Sami Perry’s bat mitzvah party dreams come to life.

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Top Trends in Men’s Wedding Attire David Elkus shares the top four wedding suit and tuxedo trends for 2022.

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Shining Bright A neon-infused bat mitzvah party is all about energy.

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Celebrate Listings COVER PHOTO: Photo by Dianne Scafone Photography Mark Jacobs celebrates the bat mitzvah of his daughter, Bailey Jacobs, at Temple Israel on Feb. 12, 2022.

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Rabbi Marci Bloch, Flo Bloch, granddaughter Lexie Bloch, 14. Lexie shared her bat mitzvah with her Bubbie, and Auntie Marci officiated.

Better Late than Never 81-year-old shares the bimah with granddaughter for their b’not mitzvah.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Flo and her husband, Louis “Lucky” Bloch

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fter creating a legacy of Jewish learning as the founding Jewish education director at Temple Shir Shalom of West Bloomfield — including inspiring eight students over the decades to pursue rabbinical careers — Flo Bloch, who now lives in Boynton Beach, Fla., became a bat mitzvah at age 81 on March 5.

Sharing the bimah and the Torah portion Pekudei with Flo at a service and celebration held in Boca Raton, Fla., was her granddaughter Lexie Bloch, 14, of Boca Raton.

Marci Bloch, one of Bloch’s six children and rabbi at Temple Dor Dorim in Weston, Fla., said the meaningful weekend and family gathering not only honored the Jewish value of l’dor v’dor (from generation to generation), but the celebration date fell close to the timing of the 100th anniversary of when Judy Kaplan, America’s first bat mitzvah, was called to the Torah.

“We celebrated the bat mitzvah of both my mother and niece in the same year that this country had its first bat mitzvah ceremony a century ago,” said Marci, 47. “My mom came of age when it did not cross many people’s minds that girls could become a bat mitzvah, and it’s meaningful to see how times have changed. My mother has always been my inspiration to pursue Jewish learning and become a rabbi. My mom has done everything possible to lead (by example) to make sure Judaism is part of our family.” continued on page 68

MARCH 31 • 2022

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continued from page 66

From her earliest years of sitting beside her mother in the women’s section of the Orthodox Hungarian synagogue on Glynn Court in Detroit, Flo said she was always interested in Jewish learning. But her family could not afford to give her a formal religious education. She began learning when her older sister, Beatrice, got a job teaching Hebrew school at Beth Aaron on Wyoming, and she was allowed to tag along to attend class.

“For three years, I went to religious school and learned Jewish history, Hebrew and prayer, and I loved every bit of it,” said Flo, whose mother was the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and whose grandfathers perished in the concentration camps.

“I always had a strong, deep feeling of wanting to teach and spreading a love of Judaism. It was just in my blood.”

Flo married in 1965 after earning her bachelor’s degree in medical technology; but still, she yearned to be in the Jewish

Flo studying for her bat mitzvah.

classroom. Soon, she began teaching at Temple Beth El on Woodward Avenue, where she and her husband were members, and went on to be a grade supervisor and planned many city-wide Jewish education workshops.

Shortly before taking on the post as

Shir Shalom director of education, she earned her Reform Jewish Educator Certificate from the Union of American Hebrew Congregations-Central Conference of American Rabbis Joint Commission on Jewish Education in the mid-1980s. In 1988, she became the founding director of Jewish education at the fledgling Shir Shalom congregation when it opened.

Flo said all her life, she had intended to have a bat mitzvah ceremony for herself, but she was always busy teaching other children or busy being a mother and then grandmother.

“When I was education director, I helped the students choose their Torah portions, and then I would tutor them in the Hebrew, but I never read from the Torah,” Flo recalled. “As I grew older, I got busy with my own kids’ b’nai mitzvot, and then eventually their weddings, and

continued on page 70

Flo is wrapped in her tallit by daughter Marci Bloch and sister Beatrice Mandell.

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continued from page 68

then with my grandchildren. So this was the first time I had the time to learn the trope and learn how to chant,” Flo said.

Flo worked with Shir Shalom’s Cantor Penny Steyer to select the Torah verses and worked off Steyer’s recordings. But daughter Marci said that Flo learned the verses on her own and sometimes studied together with her granddaughter to prepare.

“My mom was the best bat mitzvah student I’ve ever had,” Marci said.

At the celebration, each grandchild, ranging in ages from 25 to 6, proudly brought a tallit bag that was needlepointed and custom-designed by Flo. Flo’s sister, Shir Shalom member Beatrice Mandel, 91, presented Flo with her tallit.

Flo has made a tallit bag for each of her 16 grandchildren, even the ones who have not reached the age of a b’nai mitzvah.

Each contains a handwritten note inside from Flo to be opened at their b’nai mitzvah.

“At the bat mitzvah I wanted a photo with all 16 of them holding their own tallit bags,” Flo said, “even the ones that were too young. I said they could hold them, but could not open them until they reached the age of bar or bat mitzvah.”

As she and her granddaughter chanted from the Torah, they stood beneath a chuppah created by Flo and adorned with many Jewish symbols. It was held by four of her grandsons.

“One day, I hope that my grandchildren will use this chuppah at their weddings,” she said.

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ABOVE: The chuppah Bubbie Flo made for her 16 grandchildren to all get married under one day, held by four of her grandsons, Jacob Bloch, Zachary Bienstock, Sam Bloch and Aaron Bienstock.

TOP: Flo Bloch’s 16 grandchildren holding the tallit bags she made for them.

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STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMY STERNBERG

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Shabbat plate with tea light candle cutout

are Amy Sternberg of West Bloomfield and Shannon Brown of Chattanooga, Tenn.

The artists found each other on Etsy, a creative artisan online marketplace platform, and have put their creative energies into Judaica artwork for about two years.

With her eye for color and design, Sternberg customizes and hand paints gifts such as children’s furniture to desk accessories and sells them on her website, Artworks by Amy. A few years back, she also began to create Judaica when her daughters, now grown and one a rabbi in New Jersey, asked her to design pieces like a Shabbat board with tealight candle cutouts.

“I am always doodling; that’s how I relax,” Sternberg said.

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have been creating Judaica for two years now. Brown said in her work, she has been approached with many different ideas and enjoys the possibilities that come from taking on new projects.

“Amy approached me asking if I can create Jewish pieces,” said Brown, who has had her Etsy shop since 2009. “She sent me these wonderful ideas and drawings and asked if I can create them, and I said, ‘absolutely.’ Since then, I have really enjoyed making these pieces of Judaica, and I have enjoyed learning about Jewish symbols and traditions along the way as I carve and paint.”

Sternberg said orders are coming into her Etsy shop.

“My clients tell me they want to continue to shop small and support artists who are still creating and trying to keep their businesses open and running.”

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

The self-described self-taught artist has worked in publishing, and her painting has wound up on everything from handbags to clothing to home furnishings.

Sternberg discovered Brown’s website, Wood With Heart, that featured handcarved, hand painted creations like lazy Susan’s, dressers, tables and household decor. Seeing how their talents would meld, she reached out to Brown to see if she would carve and create her creations — including Hebrew letters and Jewish symbols, even though Brown was not Jewish.

Since she started creating burned-wood carvings with Sternberg, Brown said she has learned much about Jewish culture and symbolism with each chamsa and Jewish star she carves.

Though they have yet to meet face to face, the artists

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H

MARCH 31 • 2022

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Sami Perry (center) with (left to right) brother Ben, mom Stephanie, dad Jeff and sister Rachel.

Star Trax’s graphic designer created a blackand-white pattern used throughout the venue, including a custom dance floor wrap.

Black White and and Love All Over

Jell-O shots by Boozy Bites were embellished with logo stickers and passed to adults on the dance floor.

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Sami Perry’s bat mitzvah party dreams come to life.

LYNNE KONSTANTIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIANNE SCAFONE continued on page 76

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CELEBRATING ITALIAN OPERA

In its 13th year, Antonio’s joins Michigan Opera Theatre

MOT will present a special concert performance of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana , a one act opera presented in cooperation with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, on May 15. That performance will be held outdoors at Meadow Brook Amphitheatre in Rochester Hills.

TICKETS AVAILABLE

SALUTING OUR VETERANS

at www.michiganopera.org

WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH Italian OPERA DAY at Antonio’s & Roman Village Where a portion of proceeds from each restaurant will be donated to Michigan Opera Theatre Direct donations will also be accepted for MOT at all locations.

locations only)

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH Month of October

Pizza boxes will be sporting pink. $2 will be donated for every Large Pizza sold.

Benefiting “Brest Friends Forever” at St. Joseph’s Mercy Health System; supporting care of underserved women who are in need of treatment.

In memory of Fernanda Santioni

Y 5TH DAY, MA

WEDNES

RA DAY at www.antoniosrestaurants.com Italian OPE oman Village onio’s & R Ant oceeds from rtion of pr to Where a po ant will be donated ur each resta n Opera Theatre. pted ga ce hi Mic also be ac tions will cations.

Direct dona at all lo

Veterans Day, Friday, November 11th

The Rugiero Promise Foundation Benefiting Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan Medicine We invite you to join us at the Charity Event of the Year!

CASINO ROYALE CARNIVALE 2022 In Person Saturday, October 8th

with

Killer Flamingos Band Ford Community & Performing Arts Center-Dearborn

Professional Style Gaming/Strolling Supper Dancing/Entertainment Live & Silent Auctions/Prizes Benefiting Diabetes Research through the Antonio Rugiero Sr. Research Fund One in ten Americans has diabetes and another 80 million are at risk.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DAY

Monday, October 10th “In 1942 Christopher Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue…”

Order any entrée off the menu and pay $14.92, includes dessert and a nonalcoholic beverage.

Dine-in only, tax and gratuity not included, some exclusions apply.

Removing the Columbus statue does not rewrite history.

To understand who we are we need to understand where we came from.

All past & present U.S. military receive 50% off lunch or dinner.

Beverages & gratuity are not included. U.S. Military ID is requested (dine-in only).

A donation will be made to Veterans Outreach Project of Southwest Michigan.

BENNY NAPOLEON’S CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE Benefitting Good Fellows “No Child Without a Christmas” November 26th-December 4th

In memory of Sheriff Napoleon and his ongoing friendship with Antonio’s we continue his work to provide every child a Christmas! Please DROP an unwrapped toy at any Antonio’s location and it will be donated “No Child without a Christmas”, bringing toys to underserved children.

THANK YOU!

14th ANNUAL LUNCH with SANTA! Saturday, December 3rd (Canton) Sunday, December 4th (Dearborn Heights)

Reservations will be taken after November 1st By calling Samantha at (734) 981-9800 (Canton) and Brandon at (313) 2786000 (Dearborn Heights) Tickets $23 per person, Children 3 and under $8 Tax (6%) and Gratuity (20%) will be added Each guest is required to bring an unwrapped toy or make a donation and toys will be purchased to benefit Benny Napoleon’s Christmas Toy Drive.

continued from page 74

ami is totally into fashion and design,” Stephanie Perry says of her daughter, a student at West Hills Middle School.

“We wanted her bat mitzvah party to reflect that but didn’t want it to be a specific theme. We wanted black and white with pops of color — to be clever, but not too sophisticated for a 13-year-old.

“Jen took that and ran with it,” Perry says of Jen Ajlouny, a senior event director at Star Trax Events’ full-service design team, called the A Team. “She came up with the most amazing ideas.

She listened to me and Sami and created a team that was beyond what we could have dreamed. There is not a single thing I would change.”

A few favorite details included an exquisite full-size photo of Sami with real florals spilling from her dress across

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Starting with a photo from Sami’s pre-mitzvah shoot with Dianne Scafone, Debbie LeClaire festooned the skirt with live florals.

the wall; drink stirrers and straws with Sami’s name on them; custom Jell-O shots by Boozy Bites in flavors like Moscow Mule and Margarita; and hiring a fashion illustrator to create stylized “caricatures” of guests, a stunning way of bringing in Sami’s passion for fashion.

The event, held on Nov. 6, 2021, at Temple Israel, Fashion illustrator happened during a small Nicole Jarecz window of relative comcreated fort before Omicron hit, “caricatures” for each guest. and the family was ready to party.

“Everyone was so excited to be out and have some sense of normalcy. We were so lucky to be able to celebrate together,” Perry says. “Jen and her team made it flawless and fun, from the moment you walked in ’til the moment you left.” continued on page 78

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The black-and-white geometric design was punctuated with pops of pink.

Acrylic place cards and pink and white florals accented with black goblets line the long acrylic tables.

MC Dennis and MC Teddy with Sami.

THE TEAM WHO WHERE WHEN INVITATIONS PHOTOGRAPHER EVENT PLANNING, DESIGN AND ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT DESIGN, FLORAL & DECOR VIDEOGRAPHER DAY OF MANAGEMENT RENTALS, LIGHTING AND STAGING, DANCE FLOOR LINENS DRAPING

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Sami Perry, daughter of Jeff and Stephanie Perry Service and party at Temple Israel Nov. 6, 2021 The Paper Press by Franci Hirsch Dianne Scafone Photography Star Trax A Team, Star Trax Events MC Dennis, DJ Dimes, additional dancers including MC Teddy Debbie LeClaire Designs Blue Puffin Media Red Coat Ladies Pruett Custom Events, InkRedIble Dance Floors, Udesign Ghost Chair, Band-Ayd Events Group, Event Theory Fabulous Events Linens and Beyond

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Celebrate COURTESY OF DAVID ELKUS

Top Trends in Men’s Wedding Attire David Elkus shares the top four wedding suit and tuxedo trends for 2022.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

T

his year, a host of new colors and styles are on the docket for 2022 wedding trends.

David Elkus, president of Baron’s Wholesale Clothiers and Todd’s Menswear, a Jewish family-owned business that has been a staple of Metro Detroit since 1934, says 85% of their wedding business is suits, with the other 15% belonging to tuxedos.

Elkus is the third generation in the Elkus family to work in the men’s clothing business, following his father, Philip, and David Elkus grandfather, Nathan, whose nickname was Toddy (the inspiration behind the name of Todd’s Menswear). He has seen a number of trends come and go since joining the company in 1985.

While some trends are timeless and always in demand, others offer a fresh and unique take on the traditional men’s wedding look. These are the trends Elkus says we can expect to see a lot of in 2022 and how those styles continue to evolve over time.

SPLASHES OF COLOR The majority of tuxedos men seek out for weddings are classic black notch lapel, Elkus says, a traditional look that fits just about any wedding. However, 2022 is seeing more men turning to brighter shades. “There are some people that are looking for splashes of colors,” Elkus explains. “They’re usually burgundy although we have gotten a request or two for green.” continued on page 82

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TOP TO BOTTOM: Navy is the most popular color of the season, followed by black and indigo.

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BONELESS STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST (2PC) With a mushroom vegetable stuffing Gluten Free

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GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST (2PC) Flame grilled, boneless chicken breast with light glaze Gluten Free

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SLOW ROASTED BRISKET (SERVES 2-3) Thin sliced, tender and delicious Gluten Free

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CHOCOLATE PLAQUE Your personalized message on chocolate for that special person or occasion

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199.95

MARCH 31 • 2022

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Nick Beard chose indigo suits for his groomsmen.

continued from page 80

GREEN ACCESSORIES Green can be a tricky color to work with, though, as it can sometimes be tough to find the exact shade a groom-to-be has in mind. For that reason, green doesn’t always get picked up, Elkus says, but many men turn to green accents as a colorful alternative, such as a green tie.

“It’s more of a sage as opposed to an olive,” Elkus describes of the shade of green that men tend to go for.

There’s also the concern of what full-on green could look like next to a wedding dress.

“When the bride starts thinking about an entire sea of green, she tends to go elsewhere and look for green accessories instead,” Elkus adds.

BLUE, GRAY AND TAN SUITS While black has historically been the top-selling solid color suit, navy blue is now “far and away the best seller,” according to Elkus. “The next group of colors [after navy] come in at about the same rate are charcoal gray, medium gray and indigo blue, or a light gray and tan.”

At a recent wedding show he attended, Elkus says the overwhelming trends in the spotlight included combinations of navy and cobalt blue, along with a mix of black and silver.

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The Habels went with a cobalt blue tux.

The Gittens chose a gray suit for the groom.

BUYING INSTEAD OF RENTING For years, it was often easier to rent a suit or tuxedo for a wedding than to buy one, generally saving men money and also not leaving them stuck with an outfit they may only wear once. Now, however, there are surprising benefits to buying instead of renting that Elkus says are encouraging more and more men to consider owning and investing in their wedding outfit.

“It costs about $185 to $250 these days to rent something,” Elkus says. New purchasing incentives, though, are giving men a chance to buy a suit or tuxedo package for approximately $130 — saving up to $120 on traditional rental prices, while also allowing them to keep the set.

“It makes no sense [to rent] when you can have something that’s brand new,” Elkus says. “You can have it tailored to your shape, to your body, something that you’re sure you can look good in.”

This groom chose a charcoal suit.

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Celebrate

Clara Laker (center) with (left to right) brothers Miles and Eli, dad Michael and mom Cristina.

Shining Bright

A neon-infused bat mitzvah party is all about energy.

LYNNE KONSTANTIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER PHOTOGRAPHY BY JUSTIN MUNTER

W

The first look.

hen Cristina Laker came to Jen Ajlouny for help with her daughter Clara’s bat mitzvah party, she knew what to expect — it was the third time she’d worked with her.

“The trust aspect was already there,” says Ajlouny, a senior event director at Star Trax Events’ full-service design team, called the A Team. “We had a conversation with Cristina and Clara, who was excited to have an active role in the creation of her party. But they also gave us a lot of creative freedom because they knew we got it — they approved most of what we proposed.” continued on page 86

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We are so glad to be able to serve our clients. We couldn’t do it without the help of the community. Thank you to all who contribute their time, effort and donations.

MARCH 31 • 2022

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LEFT: Custom personalized neon pink chargers for each guest hold custom plates, place cards and escort cards. Pink goblets from Event Theory soften the look. BELOW: Clara’s name in neon, by Debbie LeClaire BOTTOM LEFT: Pillows convey the evening’s sentiments; a Vogue Booth from Star Trax lets guests pose inside a lit tunnel. Other extras included basketball hoops and glitter tattoos.

THE THETEAM TEAM

Who Clara Laker, daughter of Michael and Cristina Laker Where Service at Temple Israel, party at Knollwood Country Club When Feb. 12, 2022 Invitations The Paper Press by Franci Hirsch

continued from page 84

Photographer Justin Munter

What they wanted was a fun party with bright neon accents. What Ajlouny and her team created was everything Clara, a student at Detroit Country Day, dreamed of: A vibrant space brimming with color and energy. Neon pink and blue against a clubby black backdrop, with details like witty sayings on signs and pillows (“Make Pour Decisions” at the bar and “I’ve Got a Crush on You” with an Orange Crush display), neon tubing in abstract designs and a lightning bolt “collage” behind the dance floor.

“Jen is organized, detail-oriented and has incredible creative vision,” Laker says. “Our first look at the transformation of the room — we were absolutely speechless. We could not believe this type of transformation was possible. continued on page 88

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Event Planning, Design and Entertainment Star Trax A Team, Star Trax Events Design, Floral and Decor Debbie LeClaire Designs (“A genius,” Laker says) Day of Management Red Coat Ladies Rentals, lighting+staging, dance floor Pruett Custom Events, Udesign Ghost Chairs, Band-Ayd Events Group, Event Theory Linens Linen Hero and Fabulous Events Draping Linens and Beyond

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continued from page 86

“MC Josh was amazing with the kids, and so easy to work with and talk to,” Laker says — the heart of a celebration when friends and family get to be reunited. “The dance floor was packed all night,” she says.

“Everyone was so happy to see each other after a difficult two years in a setting that was high energy, youthful and festive.”

Clara’s favorite part? “Everything.”

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CLOCKWISE: A tribute to Orange Crush. Clara Laker. Star Trax dancer Devon works the dance floor.

LISTINGS

ANDIAMO – BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 6676 Telegraph Road Bloomfield, MI 48301 (248) 865-9300 andiamoitalia.com Andiamo Bloomfield has a large banquet room and many smaller private dining spaces. With restaurant-quality cuisine, we are the perfect backdrop for any wedding, corporate event or celebration. We can create a customized, memorable experience for you.

ANDREA SOLOMON 6405 Tamerlane Drive West Bloomfield MI 48322 (248) 535-0402 andreasolomon2554@gmail. com As far back as can be remembered, people around the world have gathered to celebrate life’s special moments. Whether you expect 20 or 2,000 guests at your next event, let me, event planner Andrea Solomon, make your planning and party run smoothly. My knowledge and experience mean your wedding mitzvah bridal/baby shower/ birthday/anniversary or corporate party will be a huge success. Working with me will allow you to enjoy your party as much as your guests do. Packages are custom-designed to meet your needs. Call for an appointment today.

ANTONIO’S CUCINA ITALIANA Canton: (734) 981-9800 Dearborn Heights: (313) 278-6000 Farmington Hills: (248) 994-4000 Dearborn: (313) 842-2100

Livonia: (734) 513-8000 (No Banquets) antoniosrestaurants.com Antonio’s Cucina Italiana, the Rugiero family and its staff have impressed their guests since 1964 with their traditional and authentic Italian cuisine and signature dishes like Gnocchi Rita, Chicken Antonio, mouth-watering veal dishes, our famous bread and awesome pizzas.

A banquet facility, full bar and extensive wine list are available at Dearborn Heights, Canton, Farmington Hills and Roman Village in Dearborn.

AVY SCHREIBER ORCHESTRA Oak Park, Michigan (248) 376-0407 avy@avyschreiber.com avyschreiber.com Avy provides music for all types of events including weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, cocktail parties, corporate functions and philanthropic dinners. He performs both as a solo musician and with a specialized musical ensemble to create the experience you need. Let Avy “set the tone” for your upcoming event, and the memories will last a lifetime.

BIG TOMMY’S PARTHENON COMEDY CLUB & BANQUET CENTER 40380 Grand River Ave. Novi, MI 48375 (248) 615-2102 bigtommys.com Big Tommy’s Parthenon is a family-run business with more than 40 years of service. We strive to provide each guest with an enjoyable experience filled with traditional Greek cuisine and favorite American entrees.

DETROIT MARRIOTT AT THE RENAISSANCE CENTER 400 Renaissance Drive Detroit, MI 48243 (313) 568-8000 prince.williams@marriott.com marriott.com/en-us/hotels/ dtwdt-detroit-marriott-at-the-renaissance-center facebook.com/detroitmarriott An unforgettable experience awaits at Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.

Situated Downtown along the International Riverwalk, our Downtown hotel is a premier destination for meetings and social gatherings/celebrations.

We are pleased to offer one of the largest event venues in Michigan, the stunning Renaissance Ballroom. Our 42 Degrees North ballroom, with floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooks the Detroit River and offers an outdoor patio option.

HURON-CLINTON METROPARKS 13000 High Ridge Drive Brighton, MI 48114 metroparks.com/plan-yourevent Planning an event? A reunion?

Corporate offsite? Birthday party? Outing for your community group? Whatever your occasion, the Metroparks have all kinds of facilities and amenities across our 13 parks to make your event unforgettable.

INTRIGUE Stella Actis Aldo www.intritue-online.com (248) 839-1625 INTRIGUE is regarded as one of the most sought-after bands in the Midwest. Their versatility is featured in their awesome playlist performed by outstanding

vocalists and musicians who will rock your party. Led by Stella Actis Aldo, Intrigue with their energy and excitement will guarantee an amazing celebration!

JOE MUER SEAFOOD -BLOOMFIELD HILLS 39475 Woodward Ave. Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 (248) 792-9609 www.joemuer.com Joe Muer Seafood features private and semi-private dining options. All provide an elegant setting, flawless service and exquisite cuisine. Choose from our tiered menu options or have our executive chef design a custom menu just for your event.

KRYSTYNA’S EUROPEAN SPA 31815 Southfield Road, Suite 32 Beverly Hills, MI 48025 (248) 540-0600 Krystynaseuropeanspa.com Krystyna’s European Spa is a quiet retreat from the frenzied urban existence. Whether it’s a luxurious pedicure, a relaxing massage or a gift for a friend or loved one, our team is ready to help you celebrate all of life’s milestones, so you leave feeling truly rejuvenated.

LIEBERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY 4312 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 300 West Bloomfield, MI 48323 (248) 706-0100 Liebermanphotogrpahy.com Liberman Photography captures all of life’s beautiful moments.

We’ve been providing first-class personalized service to our clients for the last 30 years in the following areas: weddings, mitzvahs, babies, children, families, seniors and corporate. continued on page 90 MARCH 31 • 2022

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LISTINGS continued from page 89

M1 CONCOURSE 1 Concourse Drive Pontiac, MI 48341 (248) 326-9999 M1concourse.com Opened in 2021, the M1 Concourse Event Center has the capability to host a variety of corporate, social and private events. With indoor, open-air and outdoor spaces and stunning views of Champion Motor Speedway, we can accommodate events from 20 to 2,000 guests. Our in-house lighting, furniture, state-of-the-art audio and live-stream capabilities are always available, and our events team will provide a convenient, efficient and creative one-stopshop experience to complement your next event. Contact us at events@m1concourse.com for more information.

NEXT SPACE GALLERY 530 Hilton Road Ferndale, MI 48220 (248) 342-5074 nextspaceferndale.com Next Space gallery and event space is owned and operated by Ceramicist Kaiser Suidan. Conveniently located in Ferndale, Next Space is a functioning art gallery featuring works by local and national artists. With a variety of both indoor and outdoor spaces, this alternative event space is perfect for weddings, entertaining, corporate events and more.

PARADISE PARK 45799 Grand River Ave. Novi, MI 48226 (248) 735-1050 paradiseparknovi.com Paradise Park is a 10-acre family entertainment facility and is sure to have something the entire family will love. With over 17 years in the event business, a full-service restaurant and two bars, we specialize in first- class service in every regard. We are available to host all your events including birthday parties, mitzvahs, corporate events, nonprofit, school and much more. Whether you are hosting an event for 2,000 guests or an

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adult party for 10, Paradise Park is sure to wow your guests.

PICKLES & RYE DELI 6724 Orchard Lake Road West Bloomfield, MI 48322 (248) 737-3890 picklesandryedeli.com Since 2014, we’ve offered our guests a delicious menu filled with a variety of options that are sure to satisfy. As a family-owned business, we take great pride in the food that we prepare, as we know we’re feeding our neighbors. To the delight of our guests, we locally-source our ingredients and prepare everything fresh in-house — no canned vegetables here. We serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and are known for our fabulous soups. To be sure, we are a tray- catering specialist for all occasions. Additionally, we prepare all the holiday favorites for your catering needs. A family-friendly atmosphere, prompt service and delicious food options, we’re your go-to deli.

QUALITY KOSHER CATERING 27375 Bell Road Southfield, MI 48034 (248) 352-7758 qualitykosher.com Quality Kosher Catering is a kosher cuisine catering company that strives to provide the best food, experience and personal service that this universe has to offer. Providing anything from a personalized birthday cake to a gourmet home-delivered dinner, to the wedding of your dreams, the excellence we offer with our food, service and dedication to our clients allows us to truly turn moments into memories.

SIMONE VITALE BAND 505 S. Lafayette Royal Oak, MI 48067 info@simonevitale.com simonevitale.com Simone Vitale Band is your assurance of a great evening … Personal attention … We become part of the family … The variety of music is extensive …

High energy … Every song is a performance to rival the original.

STAR DELI 24555 W. 12 Mile Road Southfield, MI 48034 (248) 352-7377 stardeli.net The Star Deli is a take-out only restaurant that also provides personal catering deli trays, using only the highest quality products. Serving the Metro Detroit community for over 40 years, everyone is warmly welcomed, whether you are a lifelong customer or just coming in for the first time.

STAR TRAX EVENTS 2560 Wolcott Ferndale, MI 48220 info@startrax.com (248) 263-6300 Startrax.com Star Trax Events specializes in full-service event planning, design and management. Along with in-house AV systems, furniture rentals, interactive experiences, entertainment and valet, our team coordinates every aspect of an event, including conceptualizing, budgeting, planning, execution and maintaining vendor partnerships.

STEVE’S DELI 6646 Telegraph Road @ Maple Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301 In the Bloomfield Plaza (248) 932-0800 stevesdeli.com Steve’s Deli is one of Metro Detroit’s most popular and wellknown delis. Providing quality food and service, Steve’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and offers a fabulous carryout department with hot dinners to go every night. We also provide party trays and catering for home and business events.

We will assist in all your shivah needs and offer suggestions for delicious Shabbat dinners.

Steve’s is a little bit of New York right here in Bloomfield Hills.

THE GROVE 25155 Greenfield Road Southfield, MI 48075 (248) 569-5000 The Grove (formerly One Stop Kosher) carries a variety of

kosher groceries and has an in-house bakery, deli and butcher to help you prepare for any simcha.

THE PAPER PRESS (248) 568-1739 franci@thepaperpress.net thepaperpress.net The Paper Press offers all your print-to-party planning needs.

Services include bar and bat mitzvah invitations, address printing, napkins and kippahs.

TEMPLE ISRAEL www.temple-israel.org/ happening/caterer Temple Israel is the ultimate allin-one venue with many unique spaces. From lavish weddings to out-of-the-box bar/bat mitzvah parties, intimate Shabbat dinners, baby namings and more, we can host it all.

THE TOWNSEND HOTEL 100 Townsend St. Birmingham, MI 48009 (248) 642-7900 townsendhotel.com Located in the heart of the walkable upscale community of Birmingham, the Townsend Hotel is known for its exceptional service and amenities, including an award-winning contemporary restaurant and a variety of world-class banquets, catering and wedding services.

The Townsend is a AAA FourDiamond hotel and a Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star boutique luxury property.

YAD EZRA 2850 W. 11 Mile Road Berkley, MI 48072 (248) 548-3663 info@yadezra.org yadezra.org Yad Ezra, Michigan’s only kosher food pantry, is an independent organization that provides free groceries and household items to low-income families in Southeast Michigan.

COURTESY OF GRODZKA GATE THEATRE CENTRE, LUBLIN, POLAND/WHITE GOAT PRESS.

ARTS&LIFE BOOK REVIEW

A few photos from The Glass Plates of Lublin.

A Peek Back in Time The Glass Plates of Lublin: Found Photographs of a Lost Jewish World.

LOUIS FINKELMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I

n 2010, Krysztof Janus, an architectural engineer working on renovating some buildings in Lublin, Poland, found an unexpected treasure in the abandoned attic at 4 Rynek. There he discovered, buried under trash and dirt — actual soil — glass plates, photographic negatives on thin glass sheets, each a bit smaller than four by six inches.

Digging further, the engineer found about 2,700 of these glass plates, a package weighing some 440 pounds.

The local cultural center, Grodzka Gate — NN Theatre, arranged to have the mysterious glass plates cleaned and restored.

Some of the plates went on display at Grodzka Gate, located in the 14th-century building that marked the border between

the Jewish and non-Jewish areas of Lublin.

On a trip in 2018 exploring other aspects of Jewish history, Aaron Lansky and Lisa Kassow happened to see the glass plates on display there. Lansky, whose field is Yiddish literature, and Kassow, a former professional photographer, felt astonished by the treasure they had seen.

When the cultural center first got the photographic negatives, Lansky observes, “No one had a clue where they came from, or who took them or how they got there.”

In 2015, one of the Grodzka Gate associates, Jakub Chmielewski, discovered a German document from 1940 identifying a resident of 4 Rynek as “Abram Zylberberg, photographer.” Later research uncovered a few details about

Aaron Lans

ky

Zylberberg. He wore sidelocks, but not so long as those of the Hasidim. He went everywhere with his tripod and camera. He also worked as a carpenter.

Lansky, director of the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, assigned a staff member, Lisa Newman, to work with Piotr Nazaruk, the curator of Grodzka Gate, to research the photographs in the hopes of developing a documentary or a book.

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Nazaruk, Newman and Lansky worked on this project for four years, and now White Goat Press of the Yiddish Book Center combines with Grodzka Gate to jointly publish The Glass Plates of Lublin: Found Photographs of a Lost Jewish World, displaying about 160 of the 2,700 photographs taken by Abram Zylberberg between 1913 and 1930.

Many of the photographs show Jewish life in the bustling city, including sports clubs, political meetings, yeshiva teachers with their students and people at work or on holiday. Others show non-Jewish farm workers at work or relaxing. Street scenes show Polish urbanites, who could be Jews or nonJews. Poland was becoming modern, and the scenes include bicycles, automobiles, industrial engines, sewing machines, railroads and radios.

Lansky says, “You can see the complexity of this world, and also the integration of Jews into this society. I don’t want to overstate that. They spoke a Jewish language, Yiddish. They spoke Polish too, but mostly Yiddish at home. Many of them were going to a Jewish school. They weren’t immediately identifiable, as earlier generations had been. They went into modern professions as well.

These photographs show young women sunbathing, wearing bathing suits, and sports clubs, as well as rabbinical students.”

The photographs, as restored, look technically beautiful, models of composition, and perfectly in focus, the work of a professional photographer.

In another way, these are ordinary photographs. They show people, Lansky says, “full of life and promise.

These people are like us, living their lives, full of life and full of hope.”

That captured vitality makes these photographs fascinating. Another part of their fascination comes, not from the photographs, but because we know what was in store for these vibrant lively subjects; people who, of course, had no clue of what was going to come.

It remains difficult to find out who

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Yiddish Book Center

appears in most of the photographs.

After all these years, hardly anyone remains who can identify the subjects; the Jews of Lublin before the war numbered about 40,000; only about 200 lived there after the war. Many of the photographs appear with only general descriptions, with no caption or with painfully incomplete captions.

A poignant example: One photograph shows six young women relaxing on a forest floor. Two hold musical instruments. The caption partly identifies only one of the women as either Maria, Leja or Chaya Milsztajn.

Lansky explains that a woman called

In 1989, Aaron Lansky took a two-year sabbatical from graduate school (at McGill in Montreal) to try to try to save the world’s Yiddish books. He went to New York to meet with scholars to set up a plan of action, to rescue what they estimated were about 7,000 Yiddish books.

Lansky says, “They were so far off that it is preposterous.” To date, the Center has recovered more than 1.5 million books.

Lansky returned to Amherst, Massachusetts (where he had done his undergraduate work at Hampshire College) and began the Yiddish Book Center. In the spring of 1990, he sent out word that the Yiddish Book Center was ready to receive Yiddish books.

Now, 43 years later, Lansky still heads the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst. It has collected more than a million volumes, donating duplicate volumes to students and libraries around the world. In 1997, the Yiddish Book Center started the Steven Spielberg Digital Yiddish Library, making works available for free dowload. Digitizing continues, with more than 12,000 volumes now available, which have generated more than 1.6 million downloads. The Book Center also started White Goat Press to publish works translated from the 39,000 different Yiddish books collected at the center. The Glass Plates of Lublin is not translated from the Yiddish, but it too represents a sliver of Jewish history salvaged from the destruction of Yiddish culture.

Yeshiva Chochmei Lublin

to tell him, ““Oh, my God, I recognize this photo in the book. My whole life, that was on my mother’s bedside table. That was one of several women sitting together, and one of the women was my mother’s sister. One of the women in the photo is my aunt.”

Her aunt that she had never met, of course; her mother had three sisters.

She didn’t know which of

the three is in the photograph. No one has identified the other five women.

The book ends with the poignant request: “If you recognize any of the people or places in these photos, please let us know at: White Goat Press, Yiddish Book Center, 1021 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002, USA, or whitegoatpress@yiddishbookcenter.org.

The Glass Plates of Lublin includes photographs of dignitaries laying the cornerstone for the Yeshiva Chochmei Lublin on May 22, 1924, and of the Yeshiva’s opening on June 24, 1930.

At the time, it was among the largest institutions for traditional study of Jewish sources in the world. The building of the Yeshiva Chochmei Lublin now houses 190 Jewish refugees from Ukraine.

Rabbi Meir Shapiro, founder of the Yeshiva, appears with other rabbinic leaders in several of the photographs. Rabbi Shapiro also originated the popular Daf Yomi project, setting up a schedule for Jews to study the same two-sided page of Talmud each day, and so to complete learning the entire Talmud in more than seven years. Around the world, Talmud students celebrated the 13th Siyyum (rejoicing at completing the Talmud) in January 2020; one celebration took place in Lublin in the building that had held Yeshiva Chochmei Lublin.

The Yeshiva met in its building in Lublin until the German army came to Poland in 1939. The scholars who remained in Poland were doomed. Rabbi Moshe Rothenberg, who had escaped Poland, became the founding dean of a successor Yeshiva Chochmei Lublin, founded in Detroit in 1942. He welcomed many refugee scholars who had escaped from Europe.

Among the refugees who settled in Detroit from Chochmei Lublin Yeshiva in Poland Yeshiva were Rabbi Shapiro’s assistant Baruch Elbaum and Rabbi Itzhak Kuperman.

294 E Brown Street, Birmingham, Michigan 48009. © 2022 Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are service marks registered or pending registration owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.

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ARTS&LIFE

*

TV

Appetit!

Douglas Sills Is Chef Baudin in HBO’s The Gilded Age.

JULIE SMITH YOLLES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ABOVE: Douglas Sills is Monsieur Baudin in HBO’s The Gilded Age.

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T

he big reveal came for Sills’ character, French Chef Baudin, during the season finale on March 21, along with the bonus announcement that The Gilded Age has been picked up for a

second season. Sills already has the first three scripts.

“I’m looking forward to reading the upcoming episodes. Being in a Julian Fellowes’ production is kind of like being in a scavenger

hunt — you don’t decide your destiny for the next year; he does,” said Sills, who grew up in Detroit and then Franklin Village. Fellowes is also the mastermind behind the Downton Abbey franchise.

As Monsieur Baudin for the first eight episodes, Sills’ character oversees the lavish menus of railroad tycoon George Russell (Morgan Spector) and his social-climbing wife, Bertha (Carrie Coon) in New York City, 1882.

Filmed over nine months during the pandemic, and under strict safety protocols, The Gilded Age was shot on location around New York City, and Sills’ scenes in the servants’ kitchen were shot at the Elms mansion in Newport, Rhode Island.

“The series has been fun to work on. I have often been tossed things that more mainstream performers might not be comfortable with. Creators often turn to me to create something from the past, something quirky — the crazier the better,” says Sills who has starred on Broadway in War Paint, Living on Love, Little Shop of Horrors and in his Tony and Drama Desknominated performance as The Scarlet Pimpernel.

“Doing dialects isn’t new to me. Besides French, I’ve done British, Slavic, Southern and Latin/Hispanic, to name a few.

Working with an accent coach, studying period manners, working with a chef coach — these are all things that an actor revels in and what I went to grad school for,” said Sills, who received his MFA in classical drama at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. “The time period that the show is set in, with the war of the classes and the haves and have nots of the society at that time, is all candy for an actor.”

The Zotz fizz candy surprise came for Sills and viewers in the season finale. Just days before the “coming out” debutante ball for George and Bertha’s daughter (Taissa Farmiga), Monsieur Baudin confesses to George Russell that he isn’t French after all but, rather, plain

ol’ American Josh Borden from Wichita, Kansas.

“Having a secret identity is something that is not difficult for me to play. I’ve always had a double identity as a gay Jew living in a straight, Christian world. For people who grew up in the ’70s, if you were gay, there wasn’t a place for someone like me in a Conservative synagogue. I knew I had to make my own way and carry my Judaism where I went,” said Sills who attended Congregation Shaarey Zedek with his three siblings.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH THEATER Sills first found his way to theater after performing in the talent show at Camp Tanuga in Kalkaska, Michigan, which was co-owned by Sills’ uncle, the late Bernie Friedman, and being in musicals in high school at Cranbrook.

“I always got cast as the gentile. I never looked Jewish enough or gay enough or straight enough or sometimes too gay. Whatever it was, it wasn’t enough,” says Sills, who played a disciple in Godspell in 1977 the summer before his senior year at Cranbrook.

“Godspell was a funny show for me to produce and be in. Listen, Jesus was a Jew before anything else, right?”

Sills’ comedic mastery has served him well in a field that is becoming much smaller for Jewish actors.

“If they want to be in performing arts, they’ll be writers, producers, directors or agents.

You just don’t have enough power as an actor,” Sills says.

“Most Jews will say it’s too hard to make your mark and be competitive. Most Jews are looking to have a place where they have control over their professional destiny.”

To be a successful actor, Sills advises, you need excellent comedic timing.

(From left) Sid Friedman, Michael Bank, Carey Gluckman and Douglas Sills in the Camp Tanuga Talent Show, 1977.

Douglas Sills produced the musical Godspell in 1977 and was a disciple in the ensemble.

“It’s what’s going on around you, the lens that you look through at the world — at your house, with your relatives. It’s the oral tradition of telling a good story — like Milton Berle, the Marx Brothers or Mort Sahl did. Then you ask, ‘Is the person a J.K. — Joke Killer?’ Does the performer know where the funny is? As a Jew, oftentimes, you and the writer know where the funny is,” Sills says.

“As a performer, I’m a member of two minorities — as a gay person and as a Jew. It’s a lot that you carry around — the fear of being excluded, humiliated or beat up,” he adds. “That basic tension or fear leads to a lot of humor.”

Sills had to go on an acting hiatus following the death of his father, Arthur Sills. Douglas came back to Michigan fulltime from 2007-2010 to run

the family business, First Holding Corporation in West Bloomfield, with his sisters, Claudia Sills and Susan Sills.

At that time, they digitized 45 years’ of documents, which was particularly helpful during the pandemic and while filming The Gilded Age. “I would be in my trailer in Newport having a Zoom meeting with staff and partners about design elements of the new ground-up apartments in Ferndale or reviewing the resurfacing of a parking lot or remodeling Ann Arbor apartments or discussing the refinancing of an office building, and I’d have The Gilded Age script out in front of me, highlighted, with the latest changes for that day’s filming,” Sills says.

“So, to be able to participate in both creative and more logical enterprises going on at the same time, and at such a high level of craft, is a profound privilege.”

For now, Sills is enjoying his return to performing and working alongside his fellow Broadway peers, all who were unemployed due to the pandemic. This pause in the theater world proved very fortuitous for casting directors Bernard Telsey and Adam Caldwell. The Gilded Age is packed with a roster of Tony Award winners and nominees, including Broadway legends Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald, Kelli O’Hara, Nathan Lane, Donna Murphy, Michael Cerveris and Celia Keenan-Bolger. KeenanBolger, who also grew up in Detroit, plays Mrs. Bruce, the head housekeeper of the Russell family.

“You never know. There’s talk that there could be a shidduch with Chef Borden and Mrs. Bruce in season two,” Sills says with a laugh.

Season 1 of The Gilded Age is now streaming on HBO Max.

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ARTS&LIFE CELEBRITY NEWS

A Disney Movie and, Finally, a Disney Jewish Superhero, Ben Franklin NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

T

he Disney+ original film Better Nate Than Ever premieres on April 1. Nate, 13, is an unpopular Pittsburgh teen who fantasies that he will become a big Broadway star. His best friend, Libby, convinces him to go to New York and audition for a big Broadway musical.

He lucks out when he runs into his Aunt Heidi (Lisa Kudrow, 58), a “showbiz smart” person who has long been estranged from Nate’s parents.

April 4-5 most PBS stations will air a two-part biography of Benjamin Franklin (8-10 p.m.).

Documentary maker Ken Burns directed the episodes. It is narrated by actor Peter Coyote, 80.

I doubt that Burns (whose wife is Jewish) will even mention this — but I will — in case you come across the many antisemitic sites that say Franklin wrote a lengthy attack on Jews.

Usually called the “Franklin Prophecy,” this “big lie” junk was actually written by a notorious antisemite in the 1930s. Check the very good Wikipedia entry (entitled “Franklin’s Prophecy”) for more details.

As many scholars have noted, Franklin (really) gave a small cash donation to a struggling Philadelphia synagogue. Not something an antisemite would do.

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Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant in Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight.

MARVEL STUDIOS. ©MARVEL STUDIOS 2022.

Moon Knight, a Marvel Comics character, is the title character of a five-episode Disney+ mini-series that will begin streaming on March 30. The Moon Knight character was introduced in 1975 and was a hit with readers. Moon Knight was co-created by Don Perlin, now 92, the son of Jews who fled Russia in 1905.

Here’s Moon Knight’s comic book “origin story.”

He was born Marc Spector, the son of a rabbi who fled Europe in the 1930s.

Spector experienced antisemitism as a child and as a young man. He served briefly in the Marines, became a mercenary and was killed. But he was brought back to life by the Egyptian moon god. This “god” turned Spector into “Moon Knight,” a superhero who “redeems his life of violence by protecting and avenging the innocent.”

(It’s important to know that Spector suffers from dissociative identity order.

He has other personalities “in his brain” and isn’t sure who he really is.)

There has been a big controversy in comic book fan land, and elsewhere, preceding the premiere of the Moon Knight TV series.

Fans, Jewish or not, have been outraged by the way Disney has eliminated the Jewish origins of Marvel Comic characters when

they appear in films or on TV. The site InsideMagic recently said [fans are anxious because] “Marvel Studios has erased the Jewish heritage of similar characters such as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlett Witch.”

This site, and others, also noted that Wanda, and other Jewish characters, were played by non-Jewish actors, and that casting practice continued in Moon Knight. Oscar Isaac, a Hispanic actor who was raised an Evangelical Christian, plays Moon Knight in the Disney series.

Isaac has had a good run playing Jewish characters. He played the main Israeli agent in Operation Eichmann (2017), and he played the Jewish husband in the HBO series Scenes from a Marriage (2021). This is fine — except when you remember the flack Steven Spielberg got for casting an actress of Colombian background to star as Maria, a Puerto Rican character, in West Side Story.

For months, nobody connected to the Disney series would say whether the Moon Knight character would remain Jewish. Finally, on March 20, there was an answer from Mohammed Diab, the Egyptian director of three of the Moon Knight episodes. InsideMagic

reports that in response a fan question whether Oscar Isaac’s character would share the Jewish heritage of the comics version, Diab tweeted, “Wait until the end of the show. You’ll be pleased.”

When We Were Bullies, an Oscar-nominated documentary, will premiere on HBO on March 30. Director Jay Rosenblatt interviews his fifth-grade teacher about a brutal bullying incident. Also on HBO is the original series Julia, about the life of Julia Child, the famous chef and cookbook writer. The first three episodes will premiere on March 31. Bebe Neuwirth, 64, plays Avis Devoto, a good cook and a top book editor who was a great friend of Ms. Child.

Judith Light, 73, has a supporting role as Blanche Knopf (1894-1966), the wife of Julia’s publisher, Alfred Knopf (1892-1984).

The Knopfs were born into affluent New York Jewish families. They bonded over their love of books. They were a professional team, a rare thing in their day.

Three years after Knopf books was founded (1915), Blanche was named a vice president. She became president in 1957 (Alfred was made chairman).

She was a top editor who launched the careers of many famous writers.

1969 with their fabulous musicianship and sly, exquisitely timed between-song humor. Cost: $11, $10 members, students or seniors.

Info: theark.org/events.

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS 9:30 AM, APRIL 3 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites adults of all ages to join Rabbi Aaron Bergman for a class designed to help individuals find their internal spirituality and realize how Judaism can make them happier. The community is welcome. There is no charge. For info: adatshalom.org or (248)851-5100.

THE RFD BOYS MUSIC AT THE ARK 8 PM, APRIL 2 ART SHOW & SALE APRIL 1-15 The 37th annual Our Town Art Show & Sale is hosted by the Community House in downtown Birmingham.

This juried, all media art show provides a forum for Michigan artists to showcase and sell their work.

Thirty-five percent of the proceeds from the art sales will be used to fund the Community House outreach programs for adults and children. The virtual show goes live on April 1; art enthusiasts may view and purchase art by going to communityhouse.com/ event/ourtown2022.

READING TALMUD 11 AM, APRIL 1, 22, 29 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites you to join Rabbi Aaron Bergman on Zoom to read together the writings of great contemporary Talmud scholars such as Rabbi Dr. Judith Hauptman and Dr. Ruth Calderon to gain insight into how these texts can still create meaning for all of us today.

All texts available free of charge at sefaria.org. Free.

To RSVP and receive the Zoom link, contact Jodi Gross, jgross@adatshalom. org, 248-851-5100, ext. 238.

CATHOLICS & JEWS 1 PM, MARCH 31 Host: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America on Zoom. His Eminence Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory will briefly discuss some of the history of Catholic-Jewish dialogue, which has flourished since the promulgation of the Second Vatican Council’s 1965 Decree on non-Christian religions, Nostra Aetate. Cardinal Gregory will then reflect on current topics in Catholic-Jewish dialogue and consider how these topics might guide Catholic-Jewish relations in the future. Info: jtsa.edu.

NEW ARTWORK 6-9 PM, APRIL 1 The virtual and in-person experiences launch during a gallery reception at CultureVerse Gallery, 309 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; the second in-person gallery reception for physical artworks opens on April

8 from 6-9 pm at 211 Fort St., Detroit. “The House of Han from A to D” is a diptych exhibition by Mike Han in collaboration with CultureVerse. Han’s work explores sustainability and our perceptions of value by creating digital and analog works of art that are separate yet deeply connected.

CultureVerse is a Michigan nonprofit corporation whose mission is to serve the keepers, creators and curators of art, culture and knowledge. Info: thehouseofhan.com.

SHALOM SHABBAT 10:30 AM, APRIL 2 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites you to join Rabbi Dan Horwitz for songs, prayers, fun and friends.

Registration and information: adatshalom.org/familyshabbat or contact Sammi Shapiro: sshapiro@adatshalom.org, 248-626-2153.

MUSIC AT THE ARK 8 PM, APRIL 2 At The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor. The RFD Boys have been delighting Michigan audiences since

ANTIQUE APPRAISALS NOON-4 PM, APRIL 3 Rochester-Avon Historical Society hosts Antique Appraisal Day at Rochester Hills Van Hoosen Farm, 1005 Van Hoosen Road.

If you have antique treasures or family heirlooms that you’ve long wondered about, bring them. All items are appraised at fair market value, and each participant is allowed to bring up to five items. Each appraisal costs $5 — cash only. This event is open to everyone.

For information, visit rochesteravonhistoricalsociety. org or call 248-688-2434.

GALLERY EXHIBIT 1-4 PM, APRIL 3 At an opening reception, the Janice Charach Gallery and Michigan Hot Glass will present the 4th Michigan Regional Glass exhibition, juried by Alli Hoag. Gallery open hours: Sunday-Tuesday, 11 am-3 pm; Wednesday 3-7 pm or by appointment.

MUSICAL EVENING 7:30 PM, APRIL 3 At The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor. Watchhouse with opener Erin Rae. Tickets: $35, $60. Info: theark.org/events. continued on page 98 MARCH 31 • 2022

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PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS continued from page 97

THE RABBI TALKS 7 PM, APRIL 4 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites you to join Rabbi Aaron Bergman via Zoom for a discussion of things he finds interesting about Judaism. Free. To RSVP and receive the Zoom link, contact Kellie Yost, kyost@ adatshalom.org, 248-8515100, ext. 246.

PASSOVER: IN THE BAG NOON, APRIL 6 Hosted by JFamily Detroit at the Janice Charach Gallery, 6600 W. Maple, West Bloomfield. A special, keepsake family art project to adorn your Passover table for years to come.

This “mini” version of the “It’s in the Bag” initiative will include several custom-created seder plate design options and all the supplies you need to create, seal and use the seder plate at your holiday table.

Cost: from $10. Info: jlive. app/events/1832.

TAKE A HIKE 1:45 PM, APRIL 6 A Hadassah of Greater Detroit event with naturalist Lauren Azoury.

At Marshbank Park, 2805 Hiller Road, West Bloomfield. Walk through beautiful trails and share in this informative and restorative afternoon. In the event of inclement weather, an alternative date with be arranged. Register

by April 4. $10 in-person event fee. Register hadassahmidwest.org/GDHike.

Info: greaterdetroit@hadassah.org or 248-683-5030.

GLOBAL CONNECTIONS 4-5 PM, APRIL 6 American Friends of Rabin Medical Center presents a

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discussion of “Navigating the New Normal – Russia: A New Cold War?” Robert Siegel (former senior host of NPR’s All Things Considered for 31 years) interviews Ambassador Ivo Daalder (Chicago Council on Global Affairs, president; U.S. Ambassador to NATO, 2009-2013;), Robin Wright (The Wilson Center & The New Yorker magazine), Dr. Kimberly Marten (Barnard College, political science) and Dr. Donald Jensen (U.S. Institute of Peace, director, Russia and Europe). Free registration: rb.gy/ix9llk.

WOMEN’S SEDER 5:30-7:30 PM, APRIL 6 Temple Beth El will host “Bringing Women Together.” Dinner, wine and activities included. $25 per TBE member/ECC Parent; $30 per guest; $18 per teen. To RSVP or for information, contact Debbie Morosohk at dmorosohk@ tbeonline.org.

MICHIGAN WWII MEMORIAL GROUNDBREAKING 2 PM, APRIL 7 Local and state officials will be in attendance joining numerous veteran organizations, including Michigan Jewish War Veterans. The Color Guard from American Legion Post #253 of Royal Oak will open the festivities followed by the singing of the National Anthem by Karen Newman.

MATRIARCH STORIES 7 PM, APRIL 6 Kelley Coblentz Bautch, a research fellow at the Frankel Institute for Advanced Judaic

Studies at the University of Michigan, will discuss “Recovering Stories of the Maccabean Matriarchs” in a free virtual lecture. The speaker, a professor of religious and theological studies at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, will explore the ways in which these women of antiquity impacted national and international affairs.

To register for the program, sponsored by the Frankel Institute and SAJE (Seminars for Adult Jewish Enrichment), go to Jlive. app/events/1697.

SHAUL MAGID FRANKEL CENTER LECTURE 7-8:30 PM, APRIL 7 The Frankel Center in Ann Arbor will host the 32nd Belin Lecture: “‘God Shed His Light on Thee’: American and Jewish Exceptionalism in the Thought of Meir Kahane.”

Speaker: Shaul Magid of Dartmouth College. He will explore notions of American exceptionalism and Jewish exceptionalism in the diasporic and Zionist thought of Meir Kahane. This is a hybrid event. Advanced registration is required for the free virtual stream: myumi.ch/DJwAG. Info: events.umich.edu/ event/92403.

BOOK DISCUSSION 7-8 PM, APRIL 7 “srael: A Simple Guide will be discussed on Zoom

by Temple Israel’s Cantor Smolash. He will delve into the issues that make Israel

such a controversial subject, teach you how to respond to the most common critiques about Israel and discuss why anti-Israel sentiment is a form of antisemitism in disguise.

Order your copy of the book from your favorite bookseller.

Info: temple-israel.org.

PASSOVER FOR SENIORS DELIVERY APRIL 13 Tikvah Hadassah is seeking help in making Passover goodie bags for senior residents of Fleischman Apartments in West Bloomfield. So that all 45 residents receive similar bags, they ask that you create a “gift bag(s)” that includes: 1 box of matzah, 1 box of Passover cookies (macaroon, chocolate chip, almond, etc.), a few pieces of fruit (apples/ oranges), 2 personal notes in each bag (one note will stay in the bag; the other will be delivered to the Coville Residents at Fleischman in Oak Park) and 1 small hand lotion. In your note, please let them know you are a Hadassah member and sign your name. All food items must have a P, U or Star K symbol next to the kosher circle K, showing it is kosher for Passover. To comply with COVID-19 guidelines, volunteers with “open trunks” will be waiting in the Hadassah House, 5030 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, parking lot. Simply put your bag(s) in their trunk, and they will deliver the bags to Fleishman, where they will be distributed to residents.

Register by Wednesday, April 6. To be certain that we have a bag for each resident, indicate the number of bags you will provide when registering: hadassahmidwest.org/ TikvahGoodie. Questions?

Contact tikvah@hadassahmw.org or 248-683-5030.

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS

A Post-Pandemic World?

COVID-19 may soon reach an endemic phase.

What will that look like?

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

T

wo years after COVID19 was first declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, medical experts are now hopeful the deadly virus will become endemic.

“When something is endemic, it’s essentially part of the population on what is a small, but consistent basis,” explains Dr. Steve McGraw, EMS medical director for the Oakland County Medical Control Authority and medical director of Hatzalah of Michigan, a Jewish organization that provides rapid response to medical emergencies in the Oak Park area.

In an endemic phase, overall COVID-19 cases would become static, rather than rising or falling. The virus could eventually become similar to influenza, which has been classified as endemic for decades. Endemic diseases are also more predictable and manageable.

However, the classifications can sometimes be tricky to differentiate: to be considered an epidemic, an outbreak sees a sudden increase in cases.

If that disease then spreads across several countries and affects a large number of people, then, like COVID-19, it becomes a pandemic. If the disease reaches an equilibrium, an endemic phase is likely.

CREATING AN ENDEMIC LABEL Yet if COVID-19 becomes endemic as experts predict and hope, what will that mean for the general population? Doctors and health organizations still believe a robust policy response will be necessary, as will regular vaccinations, potentially on a yearly basis.

McGraw says that before COVID-19 can be considered endemic, enough evidence has to be gathered on an international scale. “They’re going to want to see other populations, not just in the United States but throughout the world, reaching this kind of smoldering, steady state,” he explains of a decision to

Dr. James Bragman

Dr. Steve McGraw

label COVID-19 as endemic.

In his opinion, however, McGraw argues that we’ve already reached the endemic phase of the virus that has now killed more than 6 million people worldwide and more than 35,000 people in Michigan. “We have a very low frequency of transmission,” he explains. “Our positivity rate is under 5%. We are much less vulnerable than we were.”

McGraw says vaccines have done a tremendous job in reducing vulnerability to the

Dr. Russell Faust

deadly virus, while natural immunity has also done its part in potentially moving COVID-19 into an endemic phase.

“We can’t go through a surge again like we did without the virus manifesting some really dramatic mutational change,” he continues.

“It would almost need to be a different virus to really put us down again.” continued on page 100 MARCH 31 • 2022

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CURRENT HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS If COVID-19 becomes endemic, McGraw says we may see seasonal transmissions between Thanksgiving and February, similar to influenza. “We’ll see a big surge right around Christmas and Chanukah,” he predicts. “And that’s because it’s endemic.”

McGraw estimates that COVID-19 vaccines could be combined with flu shots, which are reviewed annually to combat any changes or circulating viruses. While there’s always a possibility for COVID-19 to revert to a pandemic classification, McGraw says this doesn’t follow the “evolutionary impulse.”

“Most diseases that are contagious become more transmissible and less lethal,” he says of nature’s trends.

For now, most indoor mask wearing requirements have been dropped.

“Omicron seems to spare the lungs, which is a remarkable turn of events,” McGraw explains of the latest COVID-19 variant, which has a lower severity compared to previous variants.

Low hospitalization rates “make it likely that we will have no mask requirements,” he adds.

McGraw believes that unlike previous months, it’s no longer a stretch to talk without masks. However, those who are vulnerable should still consider wearing them. “People on cancer chemotherapy, anti-rejection drugs, or people who have respiratory or cardiovascular diseases put them at great

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“THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS ZERO RISK.” — DR. RUSSELL FAUST

risk,” he explains. “I don’t think we’ve reached a point where I would [recommend] they go without a mask indoors yet.”

However, it’s safe for those individuals who don’t fall into these categories to consider going maskless in places where masks are no longer required, such as restaurants or grocery stores. At the end of the day, though, McGraw says it’s most important to respect your own comfort level, which greatly varies from person to person.

“I respond to folks that say, ‘I’m not comfortable enough’ or ‘I’m not ready to do that,’” he explains. “I say, by all means, wear a mask all you want. I have no problem with that, and I don’t think anyone else should either if wearing a mask makes you feel more secure.” McGraw likens mask-shaming to seat belt-shaming. “It’s outrageous,” he adds.

PRECAUTIONS FOR ELDERLY POPULATIONS West Bloomfield-based internist Dr. James Bragman, who specializes in geriatric medicine, says vaccines, and especially boosters, are a must for older individuals.

“It’s been shown repeatedly to have a favorable impact on long-term morbidity and mortality,” he explains.

Data from the CDC shows that full vaccination against COVID-19 in adults 65 and older results in a 94% reduc-

tion in risk of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Bragman says there’s a new product on the market as well called CofixRX, a nasal spray that promises to boost one’s immune system.

He’s now recommending it to senior patients. “It works anywhere from 6-8 hours with all over-the-counter ingredients,” he describes.

“In addition to masks and vaccination, it has a favorable impact. If a person wants to go out to dinner, for example, a couple spritzes will help protect them.”

Like recommendations for general populations, Bragman says older individuals with chronic conditions or debilitating medical conditions should continue to exercise caution. He suggests that those visiting elderly or sick loved ones in nursing home facilities should still wear masks, since those populations tend to be more vulnerable. KN95 or K95 masks give optimal protection, though surgical masks still give some protection.

Bragman explains that a sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor for COVID-19, so it’s important for the elderly population to continue to get exercise and move around if possible. “When people are physically active, you enhance your immune system,” he says. Sleep also matters. “When you’re well-rested, your immune system is bolstered.”

CHILDREN AND COVID-19 As it stands, the latest recommendations for COVID19 vaccinations include children ages 5 and older, says Dr. Russell Faust, medical director for Oakland County.

Faust, who spent most of his career working in pediatric health, explains that the CDC has dropped the mask mandate; however, children living in multigenerational homes with elderly relatives or children with chronic ailments should continue to wear masks.

“When these folks do become infected, they’re at greater risk of severe side effects,” Faust says. “Do my own kids wear masks to school? Yes, they do. When I’m indoors, around a crowd, I also wear a mask.”

Luckily, the Omicron variant, like in other age groups, hasn’t hit the pediatric population hard with severe side effects, Faust continues.

“I don’t think there’s really a need to steer clear of much,” he says of activities for children or families. “But anything that’s indoors or in a crowd is a greater risk.

There’s no such thing as zero risk.”

As the weather warms up and Michigan has more opportunities for outdoor socialization, Faust is “cautiously optimistic” that COVID-19 will continue to improve. Whether or not the disease will become endemic, though, is too early to tell just yet.

“We all need a break,” he says. “Everybody needs a break.”

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Don’t Suffer in Silence

F

or weeks after Gail T. of Oak Park gave birth to her first child, she experienced tremendous pain and discomfort. Veteran moms told her this was her official welcome to motherhood and that she would learn to live with it.

Fortunately, her obstetrician suggested physical therapy and that’s when Gail wound up in Rinku Singh’s office in Farmington Hills.

“All that pain was normalized, and it really bothered me,” Gail, an Orthodox Rinku mom of two, shared. “But Singh Rinku showed me how to strengthen my muscles and helped fix my scar tissue from the birth. Within a couple of weeks, I could feel the difference.”

When Gail discovered she was pregnant the second time, she was extremely nervous but didn’t experience any issues at all.

Gail said, “Everyone had told me to just get used to the pain, but why? It can

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Physical therapist helps women dealing with pelvic pain and post-partum issues.

ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

be fixed! Every woman should get physical therapy after having a baby.”

Singh has been a practicing physical therapist for 21 years. She began her career in sports medicine and did a stint in outpatient neurology, but didn’t find it completely fulfilling. A co-worker confided she’d been experiencing pain during intercourse for nine years, which was cured after two months of physical therapy.

After hearing about her co-worker’s experience, Singh became interested in

the topic, took classes in women’s health, became board-certified and completely switched her specialty in 2011. Now a certified pelvic floor specialist with the American Physical Therapy Association and a board-certified women’s clinical specialist with the American Physical Therapy Associaton, Singh works with women suffering from painful periods or sexual intercourse, difficult pregnancies, incontinence, postpartum pain and more.

“When women first meet me, they often feel very alone and embarrassed and I provide a safe, comforting place,” Singh said.

T.S, another Orthodox woman from Oak Park, went to Singh because she was experiencing a prolapse. She said Singh was able to help her restore her pelvic floor strength in just eight sessions.

“Never just say ‘this is life.’ Every woman should see a therapist when they’re uncomfortable. There are solutions. There is always help available,” T.S. said.

MARCH 31 • 2022

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HEALTH & WELLNESS continued from page 101

“NEVER JUST SAY ‘THIS IS LIFE.’ ...

THERE ARE SOLUTIONS. THERE IS ALWAYS HELP AVAILABLE.”

the exchange community bulletin board | professional services

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.

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HELP FOR WOMEN Singh sees all ages, from newlyweds through women experiencing menopause.

She can even prescribe gentle exercises during pregnancy.

Sessions begin with a full history, assessment exam and treatment plan. She sees her patients once or twice per week for up to three months at a time or until the issue is resolved, giving them appropriate exercises to do as homework between sessions.

Most women come in extremely skeptical at first — and emotional, as this is such a personal topic — but most of their issues resolve within a few weeks, and they leave feeling very happy.

“I love what I do, and I’m so happy to provide this service for women,” shared Singh, who sees many women from the Jewish community around Metro Detroit. “I love helping these women in their healing process so that they can lead the lives that they want.”

Singh says that by their last session, she feels like she’s saying goodbye to a dear friend and often leaves them with her personal cell number.

“Women should know that they’re not alone,” Singh said. “In Europe, it’s standard practice for moms to go for physical therapy after having a baby as a

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form of preventative medicine. Unfortunately, it’s not the same here — but it should be. I’m working to build this standard for our society, starting with my own practice.”

Lexie Garfield-Turner of Berkley, an LCSW who specializes in eating disorders and body acceptance, shared that she first met Singh years ago for help with extreme urinary urgency. Within a month or so of Singh teaching her strengthening muscle techniques and pelvic floor exercises, Garfield-Turner could see the difference.

“It’s an added bonus that Rinku’s personality is the best, so seeing her was always very fun,” GarfieldTurner said. “Pelvic floor therapy is very common and necessary for all types of diagnoses and struggles in both women and men … I hope this article helps break the stigma, that there’s nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about when seeking a provider like Rinku. It’s a wonderful service that can be so helpful.

We all have different journeys with our bodies and different ways to help facilitate our body’s growth repair and maintenance.”

Rinku Singh is the owner of Lifespan Therapy and Wellness LLC in Farmington Hills. For more information, go to www.ahealthylifespan.com or call (248) 489-1070.

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

Madeleine Albright, First Woman Secretary of State Dies at 84 RON KAMPEAS JTA

M

adeleine Albright was the quintessential late 20th-century Jewish diplomat, haunted by the Holocaust and determined to use what tools her adopted country had to crush inhumanity when it arose.

Except she didn’t know she was Jewish until she was in her 50s, or so she claimed, a revelation that led some Jews to embrace her and others to question whether, like so many others, she had been driven by persecution into denial.

Albright, 84, died March 23, 2022, of cancer, 25 years after making history by becoming the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state.

“The world has lost a champion for democracy,” said Tamara Cofman Wittes, who was mentored by Albright when they both served on the National Democratic Institute, and who has been nominated for a senior State Department position under President Joe Biden. “America has lost one of its greatest (as she always said, grateful) patriots. Women have lost a trailblazer and role model.”

Albright was adept at outmaneuvering statesmen — always men — who thought they knew much better than she did. She also delighted in subsequent years in the fact that two close friends, Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, followed her into the secretary of state role, to which she had been nominated by Clinton’s husband, President Bill Clinton.

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Albright hated macho posturing. If she had a credo, she stated it at the U.N. Security Council in 1996, after the Cuban air force shot down two small civilian craft attempting to flee the country, killing four people aboard. “Frankly, this is not cojones,” she said. “This is cowardice.”

TWO-TIME REFUGEE But though she cherished the feminism she embraced in her 40s when her husband, a newspaper fortune heir who made her wealthy, abruptly left her for another woman, her drive was informed less by her status as a woman than as a two-time refugee: in 1939, fleeing her birthplace, Prague, as a toddler, and then in 1948, when she was 11, fleeing the city once again as Communist troops moved in.

That sensibility informed her tough-minded diplomacy.

Clinton’s second term marked a shift in his diplomatic footing from the Vietnam war opponent wary of American involvement overseas to a robust interventionist whose policies and credible threat of military force helped end carnage in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq, and expanded the NATO footprint right up to Russia’s doorstep.

Key to that transition, which still reverberates in the crippling American sanctions on Russia for its war against Ukraine, was switching secretaries of state from the reserved and camera-shy Warren Christopher to the gabby,

Madeleine Albright

soundbite-friendly Albright.

Albright, an early backer of Bill Clinton when he was a relatively unknown Arkansas governor, was his first U.N. ambassador, repayment in part for the money she helped raise for his campaign. She chafed at her relative lack of influence in the administration, however; Clinton’s lack of action in Rwanda infuriated her.

Years later, she still fumed, telling an interviewer who challenged her on her efforts at the United Nations to preclude an international effort to stop the genocide that she was “glad you asked that.”

“President Clinton has said repeatedly that failure to act in Rwanda was the biggest policy mistake of his presidency,” Albright told the Washington Post in 2014. “It’s my biggest regret from that time.”

As she matured into her role as U.N. ambassador, she could no longer contain herself. The images of Serbs forcing Bosnian Muslims onto rail cars reminded her of the Holocaust, in which many members of her extended family were murdered. She

lobbied for airstrikes against Serbian targets, once telling Colin Powell, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “What’s the point of having this superb military you’re always talking about if we can’t use it?” Powell, famous for his Vietnam-era-founded reluctance for military intervention, said the question nearly caused him an “aneurysm.”

As secretary of state, she could, and did, address the frustrations she had endured as U.N. ambassador. She was behind Clinton’s decision to confront the Serbian military in 1999 as it bore down on Kosovo. Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic once told her, “Madam Secretary, you are not well informed.” Albright, whose father Josef Korbel, had served as a diplomat in Belgrade, countered, “Don’t tell me I’m uninformed — I lived here.”

She also muscled Boris Yeltsin’s Russia into not blocking the entry into the NATO alliance of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

The ethos that brought Albright to diplomacy was one that spurred so many other American Jews to enter public service, a dedication borne of the horrors of the midcentury to seek a benevolent American hegemony in its latter half and into the 21st century.

“I am an optimist who worries a lot,” is how she characterized her outlook when she spoke in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2012 on a book tour.

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

ANNE COLMAN died March 24, 2022.

She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Cindy and Fred Leff, and Brenda and Jim Herman; son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Douglas and Judy Colman; grandchildren, Brian and Aimee Leff, Randy and Carrie Leff, Jordan and Caroline Leff, Michael Colman, Sara and Adam Herbert, Dana and Michael Gutman, Alex Herman, Joey and Corey Levin, and Robbie Herman and Julia Pockros; great-grandchildren, Reagan Leff, Whitney Leff, Reese Leff, Elliot Leff, Jamey Leff, Emily Herbert, Lily Herbert, Sasha Gutman, Ella Gutman, and Lou Levin; brother, Hubert Katz; loving nieces and nephews, Lora Katz, and David and Jessica Katz; the adoring Glass family in Toronto, Ontario.

Mrs. Colman was the beloved wife of the late William “Bill” Colman; the devoted daughter of the late Eva and the late Joseph Katz.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 2265 Livernois, Suite 410, Troy, MI 48083, detroit@cff.org; or Smile Train, 41 Madison Ave., 28th Floor, New York, NY 10010, smiletrain.org. Arrangements

by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

LAWRENCE MARTIN GOLDIN, 76, of Dorr, Mich., died March 7, 2022.

Larry worked in his parents’/grandparents’ kosher butcher market. He was

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 105

active in DeMolay. He attended Monteith College, part of WSU. He was a Measures and Weights Inspector for the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

Larry maintained a lifelong love of classical music, listening to and reading scores, especially of Wagner.

He was an avid reader.

Larry was predeceased by his parents, Jack Goldin and Shirley Goldin, and by his sister, Bobbie Gavorin.

He is survived by his sister, Pennie Michelin; and his nephew, Joshua Michelin. He is also survived by his ex-wife, Linda Goldin; and maternal aunts, Pearl Dubin, Yona Rudyan and Ilene Rubin.

Cremation will take place and no services are planned.

Arrangements are by Dykstra Funeral HomesDowntown Chapel. To sign an online registry or leave a memory, visit dykstrafuneralhome.com.

HELEN GREENBLATT, 84, of Ferndale, died March 17, 2022.

She is survived by her sons and daughterin-law, Harry Greenblatt, Phillip and Susan Greenblatt; daughter, Julia Greenblatt; grandchildren, Andrew Greenblatt and Elyse O’Barr, Olivia Greenblatt, Sarah-Peninnah Bitton, Jonah Greenblatt, Joshua Greenblatt. Helen was passionate about animals and is also survived by her furbaby, Chazak.

Mrs. Greenblatt was the beloved wife for 56 years of

the late Samuel Greenblatt; loving mother of the late Paula Greenblatt; cherished sister of the late Phillip “Coco” Pollack; dear mother-in-law of the late Mary Claire.

Contributions may be made to FURKIDS, 5235 Union Hill Road, Cumming, GA 30040; or Michigan Humane Society, 30300 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025.

A graveside service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park.

Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

LOIS KATZ, 88, of Bloomfield Hills, died March 20, 2022.

She is survived by her daughters and son-in-law, Allison and Jeffrey Berlin, and Alicia Katz; grandchildren, Ari Berlin, Olivia Berlin, Cory Lucas and Jackie Nixon; sister, Barbara Asnien; loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Mrs. Katz was the cherished mother of the late Mia Denise Katz.

Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park.

Contributions may be made to Jewish National Fund, 42 E. 69th St., New York, NY 10021, jnf.org; ORT America Michigan Region, 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 375, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301, ortamerica. org; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. continued on page 108

A Respected Businessman

F

rank Peter Kaszynski, 80, of Detroit, was born on March 23, 1942. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by his loving family and dearest friends on March 17, 2022.

Frank was Head of the X-ray Technology Department at Alexander Blaine Memorial Hospital.

After retirement, he pursued his love for architecture, design, history and antiquities. His passions led him to create Edmund Frank & Associates, which was established 46 years ago with his beloved partner of 30 years Edmund Traver. Together their business flourished in the Detroit Metro area.

Frank Kaszynski

Frank was a member of the Historic Boston-Edison Association and frequently hosted events, Christmas tours and parties at his beautiful home on West

Boston Boulevard. He took pride in hosting cast parties and small private concerts for the Michigan Opera Theater.

From the time Frank was born, he was loved by his family and friends for his humor, wit and passion for life and learning. He would want his friends and customers to know how much they were loved and cherished by him.

Frank was predeceased by his parents, Frank and Cecelia Kaszynski; brother, Michael Kaszynski, and partner, Edmund Traver.

He is survived by his sister, Marcy Gumbel (Greg); nieces, Michelle (Joe)

and Riley; sister in-law, Gina Kaszynski; nephews, Michael Jr. (Stephanie) and Andrew; nieces, Jennifer Andersen (Roy) and Ashley; goddaughters, Liane (Karas) Benventi and Diana Casetti; stepson, Shawn Traver (Liz); his grandchildren, Shane and Sarah.

In lieu of a traditional memorial service, Frank requested a private celebration of life and would be appreciative of being honored in your hearts and in your memories whenever you think of him. Whether you knew Frank for a few minutes or several years, he left an impression and/or a lifelong friendship.

Judaism embraces all facets of life . . . including death.

Trust us to assist you with dignity and grace.

MARCH 31 • 2022

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 106

JEROME LEADERMAN, 82, of Oak Park, died March 21, 2022.

He is survived by his daughter, Rachel Leaderman of Waterford; sister, Rochelle Koppele; many dear nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.

Mr. Leaderman was the beloved husband of the late Carol Leaderman.

Contributions may be made to Macomb Oakland Regional Center, morcinc. org; or Michigan Humane Society, 30300 Telegraph Road, #220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025. A funeral service was held at Hebrew Memorial Chapel. Interment took place

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at Hebrew Memorial Park.

Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial. Chapel.

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, Ambe 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.

HAROLD NIMCHONOK, 83, of West Bloomfield, died March 23, 2022.

He is survived by his son, Robert Charns;

daughter, Nancy Farris; grandchildren, Allie and Ryan Farris; sister-in-law, Kitty Charns; many loving cousins, nephews, friends; his loving dog, Lizzie.

Mr. Nimchonok was the beloved husband of the late Barbara Nimchonok; the dear brother-in-law of the late Phillip Charns.

Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

DR. LINDA BETH ROSS, 72, died March 4, 2022. After a long illness, she died peacefully at home late one night as Joel held her hand.

Linda loved life and lived it to the fullest, always eager to learn, quick to catch on and utterly fearless. Born July 13, 1949, and raised in Detroit, she quickly showed her abil-

ity to excel at everything she undertook.

An outstanding scholar, she also shone in creative pursuits, attending Interlochen National Music Camp and Cass Tech High School, where she won notice as a pianist, harpist and ballet dancer. Equally outstanding in athletics, she starred in high diving, ice skating and even baseball for an intramural men’s college team.

In 1973, she attended the University of Michigan, moving on to its medical school, where she achieved a residency in dermatology, the first woman to do so in 35 years. She became a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and paved the way for other women.

While in training, she met and married fellow student, Joel Ross. The two physicians moved to San Diego. There, Linda maintained a large practice with many devoted, grateful clients.

A series of chronic illnesses forced early retirement, but she continued to pore over the latest medical journals to keep up with advancements in her field. Despite recurring illness and pain, she was always warm, loving and charitable to a fault. She never failed to display humility, grace, kindness and consideration to others.

She was loved, admired and respected by all who knew her.

During her 50+ years of marriage to Joel, she saw her son Andrew become a dermatologist and marry Tiffany Green, whom Linda loved like a daughter. During her final years, her greatest joys were her two grandsons, Jordan and Kobe.

She is interred at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, Calif.

SUSAN RYCUS, 75, of Howell, died March 15, 2022.

She is survived by her daughter, Shari Klein; many other loving family members and friends.

Susan was the daughter of the late Ida and the late Lou Rycus; sister of the late Bob Rycus and the late Brenda Rycus.

Interment took place at Beth El Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

CELIA SIGMAN, 96, of Skokie, Ill., died March 22, 2022.

She is survived by her sons and c. 1944 daughters-in-law, Dr. Garry and Helen Sigman, Barry and Katherine Sigman; daughter, Carol Shuster; grandchildren, Dr. Richard (Emily) Shuster, Dr. Adam (Dr. Anna) Shuster, Andrew Sigman, Lee (Jenna) Sigman, Dr. Michael (Dr. Joselyn) Sigman, and Joshua (Mariella) Sigman; great-grandchildren, Ryan, Ari, Jacob, Maya, Zachary and Cooper; many other loving family members and friends.

Mrs. Sigman was the beloved wife of the late Julius Sigman; the mother-in-law of the late Dr. Allen Shuster.

Interment took place at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to Detroit Public Televison-DPTV or the Red Cross. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

A Generous Spirit

N

ancy Ellen Siegel, 72, (née Mitchnick), beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, niece, cousin and friend, passed March 19, 2022.

A Detroit native, she graduated with distinction from Mumford High School and Wayne State University’s Monteith College and commenced a lifelong career of service to others. Her ability to gain people’s trust and understand their needs and dreams propelled Nancy Siegel her through positions in the arbitration, medical administration and real estate professions.

Nancy and her husband, Alan, met in 1973 at a party that their respective friends had encouraged them to attend. Alan remarked, “I fell in love with her at first sight; with her beauty and keen mind, I felt I was the luckiest guy in the world.” They married soon after and were blessed with the birth of their son Joshua in 1979. Nancy and Alan rejoiced in raising Joshua and their 48-year long marriage.

In addition to centering her life on Alan and Joshua, Nancy also loved celebrating holidays with extended family, attending the theater and traveling. She possessed a strong Jewish identity and was a dedicated member of Temple Kol Ami, serving in its sisterhood and membership and fundraising committees. Throughout her life, Nancy was also an advocate for social justice, notably

pursuing action to advance workers’ rights, racial equity and LGBTQ+ rights. Her son Josh recalled that, “My mom taught me from an early age that all people are worthy of dignity and respect.”

Faced with medical issues in midlife, Nancy persevered and continued family activities and community involvement. “We cherished these extra years with Nancy, with the joys, the tears, and the adventures,” said her sister Karen.

Nancy will be deeply missed by all who knew her and were touched by her kindness, warmth, generosity of spirit and sense of humor.

Nancy is survived by husband, Alan Siegel; son, Joshua Siegel (partner Paul); sister, Karen Strichartz; niece, Jessica Strichartz; nephew, Aaron Strichartz (partner, Sarah) aunts, cousins and many friends. Nancy’s family would like to offer special thanks to Nancy’s caregivers and the hospice staff at Chester Street Residence, who provided her with exceptional care and comfort.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, Abraham and Sylvia (née Pasmanter) Mitchnick.

Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park.

Contributions may be made to the Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan or Leader Dogs for the Blind.

Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

MARCH 31 • 2022

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Looking Back

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

The JN Turns 80

W

e had a notable birthday this week. The Detroit Jewish News turned 80 on March 27. In an age where thousands of local newspapers in America, including those from Jewish communities, have closed their doors, this a great accomplishment.

The current editors, writers, sales and support staff all agree — we are honored and happy to continue the eight-decade tradition of bringing you essential Jewish news.

The JN began when Philip Slomovitz resigned Mike Smith as editor of the Detroit Alene and Graham Landau Jewish Chronicle. Slomovitz Archivist Chair was on his way to legendary status and would later be known as America’s “Dean” of English-language Jewish newspaper editors. In 1942, however, he was unhappy with the editorial direction of the Chronicle and decided to publish another Jewish newspaper in Detroit.

The Detroit Jewish News was launched on March 27, 1942. Its mission was to focus on the Detroit Jewish community, to fight against antisemitism in all its forms and strongly support Zionism.

The mission still holds true for today’s JN. Launched during WWII, the JN also closely followed events in Europe at the time, including the atrocities against Jews that became known as the Holocaust.

For nine years, Detroit had two Jewish newspapers until July 13, 1951, when the JN acquired the Detroit Jewish Chronicle and the Chronicle ceased publication.

Over the past 80 years, the JN has evolved and constantly moved forward.

Slomovitz sold the JN to a Baltimore publisher in 1984 but continued to write a column until 1995. Arthur Horwitz arrived in Detroit as JN publisher in 1986, a position he held for 36 years until Oct. 1, 2020, when the nonprofit

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Detroit Jewish News Foundation became the publisher of the JN. The Detroit Jewish News Foundation was established in 2011 with a singular mission, the digitization of the complete run of the JN. The online, searchable and free archive was launched in 2013. In November 2015, the digital Detroit Jewish Chronicle was added to the Archive resulting in 100 years of the history of Jewish Detroit — your history — preserved for the future.

On Jan. 1, 2021, the Detroit Jewish News Foundation was restructured to manage the publishing of the Detroit Jewish News and the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History. Its current mission is much like that of 1942, to “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.”

The Archive was renamed the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History in honor of a major grant from the William Davidson Foundation. It is one of the premier digital newspaper archives in America. You can now access the Archives from both the JN and Foundation websites.

To fully celebrate the JN’s birthday, there will be an 80th anniversary edition on July 14. We’d like your help with this issue. We are looking forward to featuring the fond JN memories of our readership. If you have a anecdote or recollecton of how the Jewish News impacted your life, please send an email to JN Editor Jackie Headapohl at jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com. Also, if your ongoing business was around in 1942, please email your memories to Jackie as well.

Want to learn more about Jewish Detroit history? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

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