DJN April 21, 2022 by The Detroit Jewish News

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS

200 April 21-27, 2022 / 20-26 Nissan 5782

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Sights Set on the Future Temple Shir Shalom embarks on $8.1 million expansion. See page 12

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contents

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April 21-27, 2022 / 20-26 Nissan 5782 | VOLUME CLXXI, ISSUE 10

PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11

Essays and viewpoints.

OUR COMMUNITY 12

Sights Set on the Future

Days of Memory and Meaning

Temple Shir Shalom embarks on $8.1 million expansion.

Detroit prepares a community-wide observance of the Israeli “yoms.”

Meet Carolyn Koblin: The ‘Cueen’ of Giving Back

Happy 50th Birthday, Josh!

JARC person served celebrates birthday with love from family and friends.

Making a Difference in Lansing

NEXT DOR 40

Meet Lauren: Inspired by Generations

“My goal was to be a neighborhood joint,” says Lauren Roumayah of Detroit Cookie Co.

Snuffle Mat Making

SPORTS 44

On Deck

Quick Hits

Inter-Congregational Men’s Club Summer Softball League returns for its 27th season.

MAZEL TOV 48

Moments

A Pesach Message

Saving Ukrainian Teens

Synagogue Directory

A Humanitarian Crisis

ARTS & LIFE 53

Yom HaShoah Remembrance at The HC

Events take place April 28 and May 1.

Helping to Serve and Protect

JCC staffer trains first responders to better serve special needs population.

Film Fest Package: Want to Go to the Movies?

The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival is back in person.

Yad Ezra holds Passover food distribution for 1,000 client families.

Some Jewish policy makers want to restore full care to victims of catastrophic auto accidents who are suffering under Michigan’s new auto insurance reforms.

SPIRIT Torah Portion

Israel’s Hadassah Youth Villages undertake an emergency effort to save youth.

NEXTGen Detroiters make new toys for Friends of Animals of Metro Detroit.

A Passover Drive-Through

MSU Chabad’s Mega Shabbat Dinner

Three Jewish state legislators strive to be effective in a challenging environment.

Congregation Beth Shalom Continues to Innovate

As a pioneering Conservative congregation in Oakland County, Beth Shalom builds on a rich, seven-decade history.

FACES AND PLACES

The Stolen Narrative of the Bulgarian Jews and the Holocaust

Celebrity News Shabbat & Passover Lights

EVENTS 61

ETC.

Community Calendar

The Exchange Spotlight Obits Looking Back

62 64 65 70

Passover Night 7: Thursday, April 21, 8:03 p.m. Passover Night 8/Shabbat: Friday, April 22, 8:04 p.m. Shabbat & Holiday ends: Saturday, April 23, 9:09 p.m. * Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

Cover design: Michelle Sheridan

APRIL 21 • 2022

PURELY COMMENTARY essay

The Time to Talk About Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention is Now

ometimes the most difficult issues to face are the ones in the direst need of attention. Child abuse and neglect are indiscriminate and complex problems. They seep into every corner of society without regard to race, gender or socioeconomic status. They’re also challenging and uncomfortable topics for many to openly discuss because the subject matter — the destruction of Amy Tattrie innocence — is a dark and Loepp weighty talking point for polite conversation. However, there is no better time than the present to continue addressing the need for these conversations because prevention now brings hope for a brighter future for all of us. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and for the past 40 years, Children’s Trust Fund of Michigan has been the only statewide agency solely dedicated to ending cycles of child abuse and neglect by supporting local councils in all 83 counties that strengthen families through education, awareness and programming.

I have been blessed to dedicate a significant portion of my time to area nonprofits striving to help children and families. Children’s Trust Fund has always held a special, personal place in my heart because of the work it performs to provide hope and happiness across Michigan. So, when I was asked by the governor to serve on CTF’s board of directors in March 2020, I jumped at the opportunity to play a part in producing positive outcomes not only for individuals and households but for society as a whole as well. Unfortunately, the negative ramifications of abuse and neglect extend far beyond the boundaries of childhood. Numerous studies have shown the ripples of adverse childhood experiences stretch into adulthood, creating even further societal ills such as repetitive cycles of violence, drug abuse, and mental and psychological consequences. It’s why the importance of early, often and unyielding prevention efforts cannot be understated — and it also highlights why prevention is an issue where we all have a shared invested interest. But what can we do as individuals? The first step is simply awareness. CTF

has a valued partner this year in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to help spread the message that prevention matters. There are a variety of events taking place in local communities across the state to highlight Child Abuse Awareness Month, and our hope is that you take note of them. The second step is to get involved and take an active role. One way to get involved is by volunteering or donating to programs and services offered in your community. Another is to take part in CTF’s 20th annual Pam Posthumus Signature Auction Event on May 17. The annual gathering is being held virtually as well as in-person this year at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing. The more we talk about and implement child abuse and neglect prevention, the less power the issue holds as an uncomfortable and awkward topic. It’s time to open the lines of communication and have a dialogue of empathy, understanding and action. Every voice matters. Amy Tattrie Loepp is chair of the Children’s Trust Fund board of directors. The CTF’s 20th annual Pam Posthumus Signature Auction Event is set for May 17 at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing. For more information, visit michigan.gov/ctf/.

statement

Russian War Crimes in Ukraine

useums are bearers of history. By housing the artifacts and documents of the past, we ensure that the truth, both noble and horrific, of what humanity has done remains shared and accessible. We at Holocaust Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld museums around the world have a particular mission. The stories

APRIL 21 • 2022

we tell are ones of destruction and pain, and of the nobility of upstanders who risked their lives to do what was right and help others. We not only aim to educate, to honor our survivors’ wishes that their stories are not forgotten, but to make a better future where the stories we tell are no longer repeated. So it is with sorrow that we see yet another atrocity in Ukraine, 80 years after the “Holocaust by Bullets” in which Jewish men,

women and children were shot and buried in shallow graves. We are angered by today’s stories of children with their hands zip tied and buried in shallow graves. We are angered by the horrific reports of rape and wanton destruction of lives by the Russian army. These are war crimes, and if we, as the bearers of history, do not speak out, then we have failed in our mission. We call upon our governments

around the world to do more to stop these atrocities and assist those who have been brutalized. We support the International Criminal Court’s investigation of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Seventeen museums from four countries across the world released this joint statement condemning Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld of The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills was one of the signatories.

PURELY COMMENTARY opinion

t a Tel Aviv cafe on the morning of April 11, I overheard a couple talking about the terrorist surge responsible for the fact that the normally packed establishment was as relatively empty as the adjacent Carmel Market. On such Ruthie Blum a beautiful JNS.org day, and with Passover fast approaching, both venues ought to have been teeming with Israelis taking a time out from grocery shopping to sip espresso in the sun. But the shooting spree the week before at one of White City’s popular pubs, as well as other deadly attacks by Palestinians and

like-minded Arab Israelis, has people on edge. This makes perfect sense. Less logical was the conclusion that the husband and wife reached about the perilous situation. In their view, the greatest threat to their safety at the moment is not a potential assault from residents of the Palestinian Authority or their Arab-Israeli brethren. The danger lies, rather, in the slippery trigger fingers of Israeli security forces and members of the general public in possession of firearms. The conversation turned to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s recent call on licensed gun owners to carry their weapons. That this directive came on the heels of heroic acts by armed civilians

Publisher The Detroit Jewish News Foundation

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PHOTO BY NOAM REVKIN FENTON/FLASH90/JNS.ORG

Fear Terrorism, Not the Israelis Defending Against It

Israelis light memorial candles at the site of the April 7, 2022, terrorist attack in Tel Aviv.

against terrorists on a rampage didn’t enter the discussion. They cited two examples, both of which occurred on April 10, to justify their fears. The first involved the shooting to death of an unarmed Palestinian woman in the town of Husan. The second Schwartz, Mike Smith, Steve Stein, Julie Smith Yolles, Ashley Zlatopolsky

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APRIL 21 • 2022

was the killing of a JewishIsraeli man at an intersection near Ashkelon. It’s not clear whether the spouses had bothered to learn the details of each case. Their unified position, which they indicated by nodding and

continued on page 10

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PURELY COMMENTARY essay

From Mourning to Meaning: Remembering the Holocaust Today

“R

emember me,” were the last words that my grandfather, Wolf Gruca (z’l), uttered to my children before he died in 2021 at the age of 101. “Remember” was the challenge Grandpa Rabbi Aaron gave us each Starr Passover when he spoke of his own slavery at the hands of the Nazis. Sadly, not just my Zaydie but also the entire generation of survivors is passing.

Rabbi Aaron Starr, Wolf Gruca (z’l), Caleb Starr. This photo was taken at the bar mitzvah of Caleb Starr in May 2020.

As we prepare to mark a Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) for which few survivors remain, we are

forced anew to confront the question, “What does it mean to remember?” And, as part of that question, we must

wrestle with the commandment of “Never again.” Congregation Shaarey Zedek of Southfield is setting these sacred tasks before the community in marking this year’s Yom HaShoah. We are innovating a new experience to explore meaning more than mourning, and to move from memory to empowerment. Titled “To Remember, To Remind,” and rooted in the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Hitkansut ceremony, we will not only listen to the stories of survivors, but we will seek the lessons learned by their descendants.

column

Detroit Tigers: Past and Present

l Kaline died nearly two years ago on April 6, 2020. The former Detroit Tigers superstar wore a Detroit uniform from 1953 through 1974 and many of us saw him on the field in each Irwin Cohen of those years. During that span, Kaline accumulated many awards and a lot of memorabilia. More than a year after his death at 85, the Kaline family, honoring Al’s wishes, disposed of more than 400 of his personal items bringing in more than $1.64 million via auction. Kaline’s collection included gloves, batting and fielding, and Gold Gloves for being the

APRIL 21 • 2022

best defensive outfielder. There were plenty of bats, balls, jerseys, trophies and even his golf clubs. Kaline’s 1984 World Series ring (he was a broadcaster at the time) went for $87,000. That means mine, with the name Cohen on it and not real gold like Kaline’s, would probably fetch $87. Kaline played with — or saw from the broadcast booth as a color man with George Kell — all of the former Tigers who died in the past year. I saw them play and got to know most of them shmoozing while on the baseball beat. Of course, the one that impacted us the most was Bill Freehan, Kaline’s teammate on the 1968 team that beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1968 World Series. Freehan was 79

when he died last August after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for several years. After his 15-year career as a player (1961-1976), he was a frequent visitor to Tiger Stadium and even stopped in my office a couple of times always wearing a great smile. Tom Matchick, who died at 79, had a six-year big league career and spent three years with the Tigers. Mostly a reserve infielder, he appeared in 80 games for the ’68 Tigers and batted .203. Pitcher Paul Foytack made it to 90 and made the majors with the Tigers in 1953 and spent the next 10 years in Detroit. He loved to talk about his claim to fame in 1963 with the Los Angeles Angels when he gave up four consecutive home runs. Foytack

returned to Detroit after being released and pitched batting practice while holding down a regular job. He was fun to be around and popular with his teammates and writers and always could be counted on for quips and quotes. Johnny Groth lived to experience his 95th birthday and broke in with the Tigers in 1946. When I saw my first big league game in 1950 from the lower left field grandstand, I sat between left fielder Hoot Evers (my favorite player) and Groth, considered one of the best center fielders in the game at the time. Groth was traded in 1952 but reacquired in the late ’50s and played alongside Kaline for three seasons. One of the nicest people in the game and a very religious Catholic who had 10

approach to pursuing justice and caring for the needy. We battle against all forms of discrimination, and we seek to empower and give voice to those historically underprivileged. We remember what it is like to be strangers and slaves, orphans and refugees, and so we seek to remedy the plight of all who fall into these categories because, “If I am for myself alone, what am I?” (Pirkei Avot 1:13). While Jewish values demand the pursuit of all these efforts, our time is limited and our resources finite. In addition to the above ongoing crises, we respond as well to the war crimes committed by Russia against the Ukrainians. Reality dictates, however, that we must prioritize our initiatives as the voic-

daughters and one son, Groth watched his pennies and was able to spend his retirement years living in Palm Beach, Fla. Tigers first base coach Kimera Bartee went to Omaha last December to spend the holidays with his father. While there, he collapsed and couldn’t be revived. The 49-year-old Bartee was one of the nicest, kindest men to ever wear a Tigers uniform. Bartee was with the Tigers as a player when Tiger Stadium hosted its final game on Sept. 27, 1999, and is the answer to the trivia question, who was the last Tiger player to bat in Tiger Stadium.

team is capable of turning that record around. Manager A.J. Hinch has a lot more to work with this season, which should translate into some very exciting months ahead for fans and downtown businesses. New impact players are Javy Baez and rookies Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson. Baez, who ended last season with the Mets and hit 31 home runs, was signed as a free agent by the Tigers. A flashy fielder who can play shortstop and second base, his bat, glove and speed give the team more excitement. Rookies Greene and Torkelson may not be with the team all season, but they already proved themselves at all minor league levels to be headed for superstardom. Both are capable for hitting for a high average and hitting 30

TODAY’S TEAM While we hope the departed Tigers are in a higher league, we can expect the 2022 Tigers to go higher in the standings. The 2021 Tigers won 77 games and lost 85. The 2022

es of those murdered in the Shoah call to us: “If not now, when?” (Pirkei Avot 1:13). The Holocaust’s legacy must help to shape our communal agenda and our individual choices. What does it mean to remember and how do we fulfill the commandment, “Never again”? After my grandfather’s death, my then-13-year-old son Caleb wrote, “Vividly, I recall his exact words as we were about to hang up: in his old, Polish accented voice, he said to my brother and me, ‘Boys, remember me … Remember me.’ From that point on, I promised myself I would always remember him. Not the Holocaust survivor, not the miraculous 101-yearold man, but my Zaydie. My Zaydie. His legacies, his

stories and everything he worked for in this country of opportunity. So, what is the power of memory? Having the person live on throughout your family’s generations. I want my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to remember my Zaydie; to tell his stories and pass on his legacy: ‘Remember me.’” Legacy is family, friends and community. Legacy is also a call to action. Zaydie, we remember. Rabbi Aaron Starr is a spiritual leader at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield. “To Remember, To Remind” will take place on Thursday, April 28. It is open to the entire community, free of charge, and will be led by the Congregation Shaarey Zedek clergy and members of the CSZ family. For more information or to RSVP, call (248) 357-5544.

FLICKR

We will sing, and we will pray. Most of all, we will ask what our obligations are some 80 years after the close of World War II. For some of us, “Never Again” means making every effort to protect Jewish lives and to embrace Judaism. We help Israel defend itself against terrorism and nuclear weapons, and we battle against antisemitism at home and abroad. Our synagogues and our homes offer children and adults alike a joyful, relevant and intellectually rich Judaism, and we focus our charitable giving and acts of lovingkindness on our fellow Jews because, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” (Pirkei Avot 1:13). For others, the legacy of the Holocaust inspires a universal

continued on page 11 APRIL 21 • 2022

PURELY COMMENTARY student corner

How Do You Represent Judaism?

hen I was 9, I wore a Star of David necklace. It was a nice necklace, and I wore it everywhere, even when I went to the park. I did have an interesting experience with it once. I had been playing on the Rebecca swings when Chynoweth a girl came up to me. She told me my necklace was pretty. I said thank you, then she asked what it was. This question confused me because I thought everyone knew what it was. After I finished explaining my necklace, she asked me what it meant to be Jewish. The question made me pause. I had attended Jewish schools my entire life, and I

was unable to immediately respond. I tried my best, and despite not knowing how to explain it well, I think I did a decent job. Sometimes when I wear a Star of David today, I think back to that time at the park. Since then, I have learned to explain Judaism to anyone who wants to know more. It’s hard to be the first Jewish person someone has met because sometimes they ask very broad or difficult questions. When I explain Judaism to someone, I think of a phrase I have heard, “you don’t have to explain your identity to anyone.” However, I disagree with that statement. Despite how many incredible and accomplished Jews there are, many people do not know what it means to be Jewish. I always try my

best to explain to people what Judaism is, and I hope that other Jews will too. It is our responsibility to teach others about Judaism. People can make assumptions or hear misinformation and assume those are facts. After all, we only make up less than 1% of the people in the world. The Jewish people are such a small group that it is the job of each of us to represent Judaism. This doesn’t mean we have to wear a particular item or be perfect Jews, but we have to know who we are. So, how do we represent Judaism? We can do this by sharing our culture and traditions. Sometimes explaining why you participate in particular customs can make a world of difference in understanding. When a friend

asked what Rosh Hashanah was, I explained that it was the Jewish New Year, what it meant to me, and I let her try some apples and honey. She liked the taste, and she went home with the knowledge of what it was. Hopefully, if someone else does not know what Rosh Hashanah is, she can now explain it to them. The more we represent Judaism and share it, the less stigmatized our practices and beliefs become. It feels great when a non-Jew understands why I can’t be at an event because of Shabbat or a holiday. Representation leads to understanding and empathy from the rest of the world. It is vital to our survival and prosperity as a people. Rebecca Chynoweth is a senior at Frankel Jewish Academy.

FEAR TERRORISM continued from page 6

sighing at each other’s comments, was that the specifics were irrelevant. Such an attitude, though far less rampant in Israel than the far-left would have one believe, provides fodder for the foreign press. This is not to say that publications like the Guardian and the New York Times need any help crafting headlines and concocting news stories that completely distort reality. But it sheds light on the tendency of Israeli liberals, like their counterparts abroad, to place blame where it doesn’t belong. Unable, as an eavesdropper, to set the record straight in real time, I am taking the opportunity to do so here

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“IT’S THE JIHADISTS WHO SHOULD BE FEARED, NOT THE MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM — OR JEANS — DEFENDING AGAINST THEM.” for anyone who has a similarly false sense of the above events. THE FIRST INCIDENT Let’s start with the first instance, which took place at a makeshift checkpoint. Widowed mother-of-six Ghada Ibrahim Ali Sabateen charged at Israel Defense Forces soldiers in a suspicious

manner and refused their order to halt. Following standard procedure, the soldiers first shot in the air. When Sabateen ignored the command, they shot her in the leg. As soon as she fell to the ground, the soldiers administered first aid and called an ambulance. Palestinian medics quickly arrived and rushed her to the Al-Hussein

Governmental Hospital in nearby Beit Jala, where she died of blood loss from a torn artery in her thigh. If anything, this incident illustrates the care that the IDF troops took to avoid killing Sabateen, whose behavior indicated that she was seeking to die that afternoon as a “martyr,” rather than by suicide due to deep emotional problems. Now her family is eligible for a hefty monthly stipend from the P.A. THE SECOND CASE The second tragedy in question was equally unavoidable. Though it would subsequently emerge that the victim was not

DETROIT TIGERS continued from page 9

or more home runs. We can’t expect those numbers this year but should next season. I expect that one of them will be the American League’s Rookie of the Year. Greene, a lefthanded batting outfielder, and Torkelson, who played third base before being moved to first base, will replace Miguel Cabrera, who will mainly be a designated hitter. Last season, the Tigers had three players who totaled 67 home runs. Eric Haase and Jonathan Schoop, had 22 each while Robbie Grossman hit 23. This season it’s a good bet the three new Tigers could hit more than 67 homers. The Tigers also shored up pitching and catching. These moves could push the Tigers into the post-season playoffs. While the playoffs aren’t a sure thing this season, Tigers fans could expect that for the next several seasons. Greene

a terrorist, but rather a patient who had escaped from an institution for the mentally ill, his death wasn’t the result of some frivolous error. In the first place, he was wearing pants resembling military fatigues and waving what later turned out to be a toy pistol. Secondly, he assaulted a female IDF soldier at a bus stop and grabbed her rifle, spurring witnesses on the scene to shout, “Terrorist! Terrorist!” At this moment, IDF Binyamin Brigade Commander Col. Eliav Elbaz happened by and called out in Arabic to the perpetrator to put down the weapon. It was only after the man ignored the com-

and Torkelson just need some major league experience. There are a couple of good free agents available, and if the Tigers feel the team is close to contention, management will dust off the checkbook and lure one or two with the knowledge that in 2023, Detroit will be one of the best teams in the major leagues. Happy days are here again for Tigers fans, and those who sit in the outfield will be rewarded with many more home run souvenir baseballs via Tigers players. Author, national columnist and public speaker Irwin J. Cohen headed a national baseball publication for five years and interviewed many legends of the game including Hank Greenberg. After accepting a front office position with the Detroit Tigers where he earned a World Series ring, Cohen went on to write 10 books including the iconic, “Echoes of Detroit’s Jewish Communities: A History.” He may be reached in his dugout at irdav@sbcglobal.net.

mand and kept running that Elbaz shot him dead. Even if the above IDF actions hadn’t been taken under the current circumstances, with a Ramadanspurred terror wave that claimed the lives of 14 innocents in the space of less than three weeks, they would have been completely justified. Contrary to the aspersions cast by external or internal ill-wishers, Israelis are far from trigger-happy. Indeed, it’s the jihadists who should be feared, not the men and women in uniform — or jeans — defending against them.

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS

The Detroit Jewish News

Educator of the Year Teachers are often the unsung heroes who inspire our children to greater heights and whose lessons often last a lifetime. The Jewish News wants to honor the best-of-the-best teachers in our community — in elementary, middle and high school. To nominate a Jewish teacher or a teacher at one of Metro Detroit’s Jewish day schools, send an email to jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com with “Best Teachers” in the subject line. Include the teacher’s name, school, grade/ subject and why you think they deserve to be recognized. Then look for our “Educators of the Year” in the May 19, Cap & Gown issue.

Ruthie Blum is an Israel-based journalist and author. APRIL 21 • 2022

ON THE COVER

Sights Set on the Future Temple Shir Shalom embarks on $8.1 million expansion. KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

APRIL 21 • 2022

hen Rabbi Dannel I. Schwartz envisioned Temple Shir Shalom’s West Bloomfield building, it was to look like a Torah Scroll. “I wanted it to look like a Torah, but we only had enough funds to make it look like a megillah,” he told the JN in 2013. Now, his vision for Shir Shalom is set to become a reality. Shir Shalom will host a groundbreaking ceremony for its $8.1 million expansion on Sunday, April 24. The groundbreaking event will include opportunities for people to memorialize their thoughts, fond memories and dreams for Temple Shir Shalom, which will be placed in a buried time capsule for future discovery. The upcoming Sunday celebration will also feature carnival activities, a picnic lunch and a chance for people to make tiles that will decorate the new space. Named “Project All

FACING PAGE: A rendering of the new outdoor space. TOP: Stained glass at Temple Shir Shalom. ABOVE AND RIGHT: A rendering of the new preschool. ABOVE RIGHT: Children at Shir Shalom’s preschool.

Together,” the eagerly awaited initiative is so far about halfway funded, with funding coming from congregant donations. It is designed to bring Shir Shalom’s preschool on site, as well as to add educational, sanctuary and outdoor spaces for the conRabbi gregation. Michael “We’ve dreamed of this for Moskowitz a while,” says Rabbi Michael Moskowitz, who joined Shir Shalom as its current building was being construct-

ed. Shir Shalom broke ground in August 1994, and the building--- opened in late August 1995. “In August 1995, the vision was that there’d be a phase two one day, that we could complete the Torah,” Moskowitz recalls. “It’s an honor to be a part of this kind of project, to see the excitement it brings to the community, and for us to fulfill our vision and our mission.” The pandemic led Shir Shalom to rethink how its space could be used, Moskowitz says, and challenged Shir

Shalom’s leadership to think about how to stay connected, build relationships and be even more inclusive. Rabbi Daniel A. Schwartz and Cantor Penny Steyer round out the Shir Shalom clergy. During the pandemic, Shir Shalom sent out High Holiday packages and Chanukah packages to community members, ran religious school outside, hosted a cooperative preschool in the social hall, and even held Havdalah in the snow, offering hot beverages around portable fire pits. continued on page 14 APRIL 21 • 2022

ON THE COVER

A rendering of the social hall

“WE RECOGNIZE THE DYNAMICS ARE CHANGING IN THE JEWISH WORLD … WE WANT TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE.” — RABBI MICHAEL MOSKOWITZ continued from page 13

“We’ve gained members in the pandemic and grown as a community,” Moskowitz explains. “We recognize the dynamics are changing in the Jewish world and the Jewish community, and we want to meet people where they are — our space helps with that as well.” CHANGING WITH CONGREGANTS’ NEEDS The facility will soon have room for its preschool to move to Shir Shalom from rented space at Adat Shalom, and additional educational space for adults. The expansion will also include a new sacred space, where people could gather for a meditation service, small luncheon or a bris, and two additional patios that could be used for onegs or

APRIL 21 • 2022

classes, one of which will connect via a glass wall to Shir Shalom’s renovated social hall. From the 30 families who met in a converted office building on Maple Road back in 1988 to the more than 900 families affiliated with Shir Shalom today, the community and its needs have continued to evolve, says Moskowitz. Ideas of how people need and want to be together have shifted, as well as what they appreciate and where they want to be, he says. The building improvements will give them options for being outside and allow for room to spread out, while spending time in a refreshed, enhanced space, he adds. Brian Fishman, Shir Shalom’s exec-

Ian and Ashley Sefferman

Dani Gillman and family

utive director, says the pandemic gave people an even deeper appreciation for their temple Brian community, and Fishman the spaces where they can gather. “The pandemic showed us how much we really like to be together and how tough that was to not be together,” he says. “This will allow us to be together for so many more things.” Ian Sefferman, of Bloomfield Hills, says he’s sure the expansion will help take Shir Shalom’s preschool to the next level. He and his wife, Ashley, plan to bring their kids, ages 5, 2, and 8 months old, to the groundbreaking to see friends and watch the next chapter of Shir Shalom’s history begin. In addition to the significance of having the community under one roof for programming and preschool, their excitement is around the people, he says. “The building itself is going to be fantastic, but the people who are going to be creating this building and filling this building are just the most incredible people we’ve been able to find, and we’re so lucky to share it with them,” he explains. “Everyone will really enjoy it.”

The late June Gurwin with her great-grandchildren

Dani Gillman, of Bloomfield Hills, says she’s glad to see the spiritual and educational home she selected for her family a decade ago, a place also so committed to social justice and social action, thriving. It’s been a welcoming and inclusive space for her and her husband, Ben Chutz, their son Julian, now 8, and her daughter Brodie, 17, who is disabled. “We feel like the rabbis, the clergy, really bent over backwards to make us feel welcome, and to include my daughter. And we instantly fell in love with everything the clergy stands for.” Having seen her son Julian through Shir Shalom’s preschool at two different buildings, she says she also sees the value of centralizing the temple’s programming. “This puts us all under one roof and creates a real home for all of Shir Shalom’s activity,” she says. “It’s an exciting time. It’s an exciting thing to be a part of, and we’re happy to be a part of a congregation that is forward-thinking and continuing to grow in numbers, in space and along spiritual lines.” REMEMBERING JUNE GURWIN The campus will be named in honor of the late June and

the late Robert Gurwin. June committed last year to being a major donor for the project. She had met with temple leadership to see what needs she could help them meet, and after hearing about the building project, decided to make it a destination for her philanthropic giving. “She was so excited to have the religious school all together in the same place, to be able to have a better social hall for events and a better outdoor space for events,” recounts her daughter, Fran Grossman, of Orchard Lake. “My mom thought that was a really, really good idea, and I was on board.” Grossman says she hopes the project brings the community even closer, and that people realize even as a small congregation, they can achieve so much. The message: “You can be a part of this, we can do great things, and everybody can help.” The expansion comes at a time when Shir Shalom is continuing to grow, despite a decreasing Detroit population, competition from other synagogues and temples, and COVID-19, says Franklin resident Steve Ziff. “It’s a wonderful concept that needs to be executed,” says Ziff, who remembers hearing

about Rabbi Dannel Schwartz’s plans for the congregation at its beginnings over tennis, where they met. Ziff, who joined Schwartz’s then-fledgling congregation, says he’s sure the expansion will bring about more programs and interaction, while keeping Shir Shalom’s hallmark focus on making everybody feel comfortable and like they belong. “The expansion, I hope, is going to bring more new members, be it people who are just hearing about temple for the first time or friends of current congregants, and that it’s going to bring more children throughout the various grades of the school,” he said. Meanwhile, Allison Woll Parr, Shir Shalom’s president, says she’s looking forward to seeing everyone at the groundbreaking. “After this difficult past couple years, for me, it represents coming back togethAllison Woll er, safely, and Parr just celebrating something positive when our world can be so challenging, to create this legacy and look at the future of our temple,” she says. “It’s a stop on the way to our future, which I think is pretty exciting.” APRIL 21 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

Days of BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Detroit prepares a communitywide observance of the Israeli “yoms.”

APRIL 21 • 2022

e’re about to celebrate the “yoms.” Three annual observances in Israel, all starting with Yom, meaning “day,” begin the 25th of the Hebrew month of Nisan and continue into the Hebrew month of Iyar. The first day, Yom HaShoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day — takes place April 28. Six days later, May 4, comes another day of mourn-

ing and remembrance, Yom HaZikaron — Day of Remembrance. It memorializes Israeli soldiers who died in defense of the country — they number nearly 24,000 — and victims of terrorism. The following day is a total shift in tone, as Israel celebrates the 74th anniversary of its birth as a modern nation on Yom HaAtzmaut, Independence Day. What do these Israeli

holidays have to do with Americans? A lot, according to Yiftah Leket, Israel’s shaliach (emissary) to Detroit, who is coordinating a community-wide observance of all three “yoms” that feature a variety of events to appeal to all sorts of people, no matter their denomination, level of observance or political leanings. “These are opportunities for all of us to connect to the state

Local Yom Observances her life for the country. “The following day, as we transition into Yom HaAtzmaut, we will close the film festival with a more optimistic movie, Breaking Bread, that shows how food and diversity connect Israelis in our modern era,” Yiftah Leket said. “For me it is about celebrating what is present and good and at the same time looking into the future, into our challenges, into our hopes and dreams,” he said. “The movie deals with the challenge of creating a shared society between Jews and Arabs in Israel through the lens of food.” Detroit’s main Yom HaAtzmaut celebration will start at 4 p.m. May 5 at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield with a concert by The Holy Band from Israel, arts and crafts, and a kosher Israeli dinner ($7 per plate). Participants will create an art installation that will later be displayed in

The Holy Band

various places in the community. “Joining Hands” is the official slogan of Israel’s 74th anniversary. “Joining hands means we are emphasizing our togetherness — people, places, organizations and actions that promote collaboration and a partnership towards a better future,” Leket said. The “yom” events are sponsored by the Jewish Community Center, JFamily, Partnership2Gether, NEXTGen Detroit, JNF and Bnei Akiva.

IDF

LEONARD N. SIMONS JEWISH COMMUNITY ARCHIVES

Local observance begins April 24 with the opening of the Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival at the Jewish Community Center’s Berman Center for the Performing Arts (see story in Arts on page XX). The first evening’s film, Image of Victory, directed by Avi Nesher, may be the largest film project ever undertaken in Israel, Leket said. The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills will hold its traditional Yom HaShoah commemoration ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, with stirring readings, music and a candle-lighting ceremony (see page XX). Admission and valet parking are free. Yom HaZikaron will be observed May 3 at the Berman Center with a ceremony and a one-man play, Knock Knock, featuring Israeli actor Niv Patel. He shows how it feels to be an Israeli parent whose child will have to serve in the Israel army and risk his or

of Israel,” Leket says. “We’ve been very intentional with our programming. We’re trying to tell a story through the yoms.” A STORY IN THREE OBSERVANCES These three “yoms” tell the story of Israel’s tragedies and triumphs. First observed in 1951 and enacted into law by the Knesset in 1959, Yom HaShoah recalls the 6 million Jews murdered

The main community celebration takes place May 5.

by the Nazis. Flags are lowered to half-staff, and public places of entertainment are closed. In a solemn ceremony at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial center in Jerusalem, survivors light six torches, one for each million lost Jews. Anyone who has been to Israel on this day will remember its solemnity, especially when sirens sound throughout the country for two minutes at 10 a.m. and all regular activity

ceases. Cars and buses stop wherever they are, and in many cases, drivers and passengers alight and stand in silence. Yom HaZikaron, also established in 1951, features the same ritual, with a one-minute siren at 8 p.m. as the day begins at sunset and a two-minute siren at 11 a.m. Just about every Israeli knows someone who has died

LEFT: Yiftah Leket.

in defense of the country, and many mark the day with a visit to a cemetery. This holiday has special significance to Leket, who served as a pilot in the Israeli Air Force. “Two of my friends died,” said Leket, who will be thinking of those friends as the sirens wail in Israel. On Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel IDF

Independence Day May 15, 1949, in Detroit.

ABOVE: An aerial demonstration for Yom HaAtzmaut.

continued on page 18 APRIL 21 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 17

Independence Day, the president of Israel honors 120 Israeli soldiers. The International Bible Contest and the awards ceremony for the Israel Prize are held in Jerusalem. Families hang Israeli flags from their balconies and cars, enjoy picnics and barbeques and then turn on their TVs to watch the Israel Song Festival. It’s a day of joyful celebration. Lumping the three special days together as “the yoms” is American slang, Leket said. But it makes the three very different days feel like a bundle, he said. DETROIT AND ISRAEL “Here in Detroit, we started calling them days of memory and meaning because we believe that they are anchored in the past but inspired by the present and by hope for the future,” Leket said. “We are really trying to tell a story —

not only the story of the State of Israel but the story of the connection between the Detroit Jewish community and Israel.” After two years of almost no in-person contact because of the COVID pandemic, Leket is looking forward to bringing people together this year, including youth, both from Metro Detroit and from Detroit’s Partnership2Gether region in the Central Galilee. Shinshinim from the Partnership Region and shlichim from the Bnei Akiva movement in Metro Detroit will play a part at many of the events. And there are many events to choose from: film screenings, ceremonies and plays, a family fun party with a live band from Israel, and more. “Just go to the JLive app and see what events you connect with. The events we created are

not just a checklist of ceremonies. They are opportunities to learn and explore each participant’s relationship with Israel and with Israelis,” Leket said. Leket adds that Yom Hazikaron might be the hardest for the American community to understand. “That’s why they should come. We are creating a special program highlighting different ways of continuing fallen soldiers’ legacies, making Israel a better place by taking a fallen soldiers’ passions and creating different projects based on them,” he said. “We are also bringing a play from Israel, trying to bring to life how it is to be a parent in Israel, knowing your child will go to the army and risk his life. Me, personally, as a reserve pilot in the Israeli Air Force, I already have that in my mind, thinking of my two girls growing up in Israel.” Leket emphasizes that all

events are community-wide and inclusive. Federation worked with a variety of partners, from every denomination and affiliation, to ensure all feel welcome. “We might have religious or political differences,” Leket says, “but Israel is the one thing we all share and the place where we can all come together. Don’t get me wrong. We can argue about Israel all you want. But in the end, it is the Jewish State, and we all care about it.” Leket, 39, is in the middle of his three-year term as shaliach. He and his wife, Paz, live in West Bloomfield with their two daughters, 3 and 1. He said he sees his purpose as bringing the 9 million residents of Israel to Detroit and bringing the Detroit Jewish community back to Israel. “I’m really about creating engagement opportunities with Israel for people in our community,” he said.

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SYNAGOGUE SPOTLIGHT

The exterior of CBS

Congregation Beth Shalom Continues to Innovate TOP: Cutline cutline culine cutine Cutline cutline culine cutine Cutline cutline culine cutine Cutline cutline culine cutine

As a pioneering Conservative congregation in Oakland County, Beth Shalom builds on a rich, seven-decade history. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN VICAR

The sanctuary

APRIL 21 • 2022

ongregation Beth Shalom is a smaller congregation nestled in southeast Oakland County where, according to Rabbi Robert Gamer, people get the opportunity to know each other. “CBS is a warm, welcoming space where Jews can gather to be themselves to pray, study and interact with a broad spectrum of people in the Jewish community,” Gamer said. CBS, a Conservative/Masorti congregation, is also highly participatory. Members take active roles in every aspect of their services. “People make Beth Shalom special,” Gamer said. “The members are welcoming and kind. Children are always welcome in the sanctuary and welcome on the bimah throughout services.”

CBS was the first Conservative congregation in suburban Oakland County. The shul was founded in the early 1950s by residents of Huntington Woods and Oak Park who walked door-to-door asking if people would like to start a new shul. They began meeting in people’s basements until the first stage of the building, still CBS’ only location, was completed in 1957. In the beginning, a combination social hall/sanctuary served the congregation’s needs until the sanctuary, chapel and offices were added in 1965. The unique sanctuary, designed by synagogue architect Percival Goodman, permits more than 500 people to sit within 35 feet or 11 rows of the bimah. A classroom wing was added in 1998. Kehillat Etz Chayim, a Modern Orthodox congregation formed in

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2018 serving residents of Huntington Woods and surrounding cities, currently uses CBS’s small chapel for Shabbat morning and holiday services. KEC is guided by the rabbinic leadership of Rabbi Asher Lopatin. CBS offers daily and holiday services, a men’s club, sisterhood, a joint religious school called “Yachad” with Temple Emanu-El, youth programming through Motor City USY, ongoing adult education and a host of programming for people of all ages. The congregation includes over 200 membership units. CBS was the first Conservative congregation in the Detroit area to call women up for aliyot to the Torah, count women in a minyan and offer bat mitzvahs on Shabbat mornings.

The clergy/executive staff includes Rabbi Gamer, Cantor Sam Greenbaum, Emeritus Rabbi David Nelson, Executive Director Shira Shapiro and Yachad Director Gail Greenberg. Looking to the future with virtual programming, Beth Shalom is now an American Jewish University Maven partner, the second partner congregation in the United States. “AJU offers an impressive array of virtual classes and programming, and we are proud to be part of this effort,” Gamer said. “During the coming year, our congregation will be virtually hosting three AJU speakers.” Learn more at congbethshalom.org. Watch a video with Rabbi Gamer at thejewishnews.com.

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APRIL 21 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK

Meet Carolyn Koblin: The ‘Cueen’ of Giving Back RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

arolyn Koblin, 58, is a JARC board member, “Queen of Trinkets & Trash,” owner of her own company Cueenllc, motivational speaker and so much more. Koblin has been a proud board member for JARC for more than three years. JARC is a nonprofit that serves people with developmental disabilities via group homes, independent living support and in-home respite care. “As long as Carolyn has been on our board, she has gone above and beyond to help wherever she can. She stepped up during the pandemic and delivered meals to our persons-served daily. She wanted to do more, so she started doing monthly virtual story time and really engaged people in the meaningful stories she chose. She is truly an amazing volunteer,” said Jessica Tierney, JARC community engagement manager. While there are many volunteers who help serve JARC, Koblin was nominated for her selfless and inspiring spirit to give back. When asked about what inspires her, Koblin replied, “it’s just who I am. I can’t explain it. You can’t tell me to slow down.”

APRIL 21 • 2022

Throughout the pandemic, Koblin delivered food almost every single day. “It helped me stay focused, have purpose and reason to wake up and keep going,” Koblin added. Koblin says she earned the title “Queen of Trinkets and Trash (Queen TT)” by selling promotional items for 27 years. She also created a company called, Cueenllc (the word “queen” with the “C” standing for her initial), with the goal to inspire people to be their best through motivational speaking. “By sharing stories of my past very authentically and openly, I hope that it encourages people to move forward in facing fears or challenges and start the process of becoming unstuck,” Koblin said. Throughout her life, Koblin says she has faced many challenges, including battling a lifelong eating disorder. “I was diagnosed in my late 20s and I recovered big time. Once you experience something like that, it’s always a part of your life, like alcohol, drugs or anything. But I conquered it and I had the right support. And so I want to give back,” she said. Using her own person-

“Family traditions are important, and I love sharing the holiday celebrations with JARC, too!” Koblin said. Mark Koblin (husband) Alex Koblin (son) and Carolyn Koblin. “Delivering delicious meals during the pandemic was a priority for me, nearly 365 days of 2020-21.” — Carolyn Koblin

al journey as inspiration, Koblin actively lives true to her “Cueen” message to inspire and even wrote a children’s pop-up book titled, The Whimsical Tale of the Letter C with all its support from A-Z. “It’s all about support and respecting our inner ‘Cueen,’” explains Koblin. So far Koblin says she has sold most of her books, raising $3,000 for an entrepreneurial scholarship she started. Koblin says she is working with M3Linked, an

entrepreneurial community group, to help those who are not financially able but want to join the organization and want to explore their entrepreneurial dreams. “I believe passionately that volunteer work is critical to humanity. It is so powerful to give back —the personal and professional growth is incredible for both the giver and receiver,” she said. Read more about Koblin on her website, Cueenllc.com.

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OUR COMMUNITY

Happy 50th Birthday, Josh! JARC person served celebrates birthday with love from family and friends. Jeff Leventhal with Marc Soble

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

arch not only marked JARC’s annual month-long celebration of National Developmental Disabilities Month, but for Jeff Leventhal, a JARC person served, it marked his 50th birthday. Leventhal has been an active part of the JARC community for nearly 30 years. In that time, he’s made friends with many other persons served, developed strong relationships with staff, enjoyed opportunities to get outside of JARC and into the larger community, and gained life skills at his work at the Judson Center and Kroger. While many of his daily activities have changed since the start of the pandemic, his friendly, helpful nature has remained the same. Leventhal has a reputation of being quick to pitch in around the JARC house with chores like folding laundry, putting away groceries, bringing in the Jeff with his mother, Miriam.

newspaper, and his favorite, loading and emptying the dishwasher. The JARC staff are grateful for Leventhal’s help and how his positive attitude has impacted the other men living at the same JARC home. “His outgoing and infectious personality brightens up our community so much, and it’s just one thing that makes him a really good fit for us,” said Jenny Kabert, JARC’s director of philanthropy, Miriam Leventhal, Jeff ’s mother, knows that to be true more than anyone. “People often tell me he has a great smile, and they feel happy when they’re with him,” she said. “And I have to say, that’s true for me as well. There’s just something infectious about him when you meet him or as you get to know him.” For Leventhal’s 50th birthday, Miriam organized a small but thoughtful family celebration, creating a video montage for him where family members and friends were invited to send in a video clip with birthday wishes. “We had a video of about 25 clips, and we presented that to him,” she said. “Almost every time he’s been home since, he’s asked to watch it. That made the birthday special.” Miriam says JARC has been terrific during the last two years in keeping everyone safe and providing virtual activities which Jeff really enjoys. “They’ve provided a lot of stability,” Miriam said. “Even with the difficulties of COVID and the greater isolation it’s imposed on all of us, (Jeff ’s) just had really good support.” A SPECIAL FRIEND An important aspect of Leventhal’s life

APRIL 21 • 2022

has been his connection with Marc Soble, now president of Congregation Beth Ahm, through JARC’s Making Community Connections program. For nearly 10 years prior to COVID19, Soble picked Leventhal up almost every Saturday and took him to Shabbat services, becoming great friends in the process. “We would meet up at (Jeff ’s) house right behind the synagogue and if the weather wasn’t good, we would drive, but as spring and summer came, we would actually walk, and that was a really nice part of the relationship,” Soble said. “He loves to chat and catch up and that gave us an opportunity to talk about things.” In addition to going to services, Soble and Leventhal have been honored with aliyot, opened the arc and attended different shul activities and holiday celebrations together. “One thing I’ve always liked about him, in terms of services, if there was a b’nai mitzvah, he would make a point after the service to go up to them and congratulate them,” Soble said. “It was really important to him. And it wasn’t something I talked to him about; he did it on his own. I always thought that was special.” During the pandemic, the two have regularly kept in touch on the phone and have taken walks together. Though COVID difficulties have mostly curtailed their trips to Shabbat services, the plan is to return to that soon. “He cares about things and people, and he’s always upbeat and positive, and I think that’s the most special thing (about him),” Soble said. “It’s an important relationship and friendship to me.”

OUR COMMUNITY

Making a Difference in Lansing Three Jewish state legislators strive to be effective in a challenging environment. SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

he Michigan Legislature’s three Jewish members — Rep. Ryan Berman (R, 39th District), Sen. Jeremy Moss (D, 11th District), and Rep. Samantha Steckloff (D, 37th District) are all Oakland County natives with strong Jewish backgrounds. They are a small minority among Michigan’s 110 state representatives and 38 state senators. Moss is the only Jewish state senator and Berman is the only Jewish Republican in the state legislature. Each day they are reminded of their minority status when an invocation is given in each legislative chamber. “When the prayer ends in ‘in Jesus’ name,’ you’ve just left me out of the prayer,” Steckloff says. Berman says that before COVID, invocations were typically given by Christian clergy. When it was his turn, he invited Rabbi Paul Yedwab of Temple Israel to speak. “I had to explain what the rabbi did — not just reciting scripture like the Christian clergy.” Steckloff gave a prayer during Sukkot that included a description of the pillars of the holiday. “Some members have never met someone who is Jewish,” she says. Being a Jewish legislator can be “very isolating due to antisemitism from the far right and far left,” Moss says. He cites legislators who have compared COVID mandates to anti-Jewish restrictions during the Holocaust, as well as claims that Israeli actions toward Palestinians are comparable to German persecution of the Jews. Some comments encroach into antisemitism, he says. “We hear things as antisemitic that others don’t hear that way,” explains Moss. Steckloff says that the line between criticism of Israel and antisemitism “was crossed too many times,” referring to

APRIL 21 • 2022

speeches that were given in the Michigan House in May 2021 when there were violent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians. The state House considered a resolution condemning Israel, and she found it difficult to sit through discussion of the resolution. Moss, who previously served two terms in the Michigan House of Representatives, says that “there has been a major shift in discourse” in recent years. Previously, Democrats and Republicans were more likely to come together on some issues but he describes a “very tense atmosphere today. I don’t know if I’m going to get COVID or get shot,” he says. Moss notes that there have been armed men in the state Capitol, notably

during an organized protest in April 2020. Steckloff says that 21 state representatives believe that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. “They believe in conspiracy theories, and they are very loud. “Decorum is no longer there — there is

swearing, yelling — no respect for the institution.” LEGISLATING IN LANSING Berman notes that “there isn’t much interaction across the aisle of the legislature,” where representatives of the two parties are seated in separate areas. When seeking Democratic co-sponsors for a bill, he was surprised at the negative reaction from fellow legislators. “I hate the partisanship. I like to put people over politics,” he says. Despite political divisions, Moss says that most bills are passed unanimously or by a large majority. He adds that he “serves with a lot of great people from both sides.” Moss and Steckloff say that as Jews they feel a special obligation to ABOVE: educate their colleagues Jeremy Moss about potential “uninand Samantha Steckloff tended consequences” of some legislation. As LEFT: Ryan Berman speaks in an example, Moss cited Lansing a bill providing state funding to faith-based adoption agencies that could have rejected Jewish couples as adoptive parents. Another bill concerned the handling of human remains. The bill’s sponsors were unfamiliar with Jewish law that all human remains are sacred and require burial. As recently as 2013, Michigan had five Jewish members in the state house and senate. “Term limits (the state law that limits the number of terms served by state representatives and senators) reduces diversity,” Moss says. Each of the Jewish legislators has par-

1 2

About Michigan’s Jewish State Legislators

ticular legislative interests. Steckloff, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 31, seeks to establish parity for insurance coverage of oral and infused cancer medications. During treatment, her insurance wouldn’t cover oral medications, so she had to take time off from work for infusion treatments. Working with Berman, she has also sought to pass bills that would ensure coverage for mammography and baseline cervical cancer screening for younger women. Steckloff says that the bill passed in the House but had no support in the Senate. GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY Both Moss and Berman are particularly interested in government transparency and open records. Berman believes that government salaries and court records should be easily accessible and consumer-friendly. He supported the Legislative Open Records Act, which is currently awaiting action in the Michigan Senate. Berman also sponsored a bill to provide no-cost state photo identification cards that Michigan citizens could use for voting and other purposes. It was passed by the state legislature but vetoed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. As a state representative, Moss worked across the aisle to pass 10 bills that would open up government records, including the governor’s office and state legislature, to public scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act. The legislators have somewhat different views on the redistricting that has changed the boundaries of legislative districts for the state House and Senate. Moss and Steckloff believe the new districts increase fairness in the election process. Berman disagrees — with the view that “the redistricting commission didn’t do what it could or should have.” Under the new district maps, Moss and Steckloff will be able to seek reelection in districts which include many of their current constituents. Berman is leaving the state house to run for state attorney general.

RYAN BERMAN Berman, 41, was elected to office in 2018, representing the 39th district that includes Wixom, Commerce Township, part of West Bloomfield Township and Wolverine Lake. He and his wife and two daughters live in West Bloomfield. An active community volunteer, Berman serves as a reserve police officer. He was inspired to run for office by David Honigman, a former state representative who is his uncle by marriage. Berman and his family are members of Temple Israel, where his wife is a teacher. He graduated from Michigan State University and Wayne State University Law School and has a private law practice. JEREMY MOSS Moss, 35, was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2014 and served as Democratic Whip. He was elected to the state Senate in 2018 representing the 11th District encompassing Farmington, Farmington Hills, Oak Park, Huntington Woods, Southfield, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Lathrup Village, Madison Heights, Pleasant Ridge and Royal Oak Township. Moss grew up in Southfield, where he currently resides. He was elected as Southfield’s youngest city council member in 2011. A graduate of Michigan State University, he participated in several domestic and overseas humanitarian initiatives during college. He is an advisory board member of the Martin Luther King Task Force in Southfield. Moss is a Hillel Day School graduate and a former board member of Beth Ahm. SAMANTHA STECKLOFF Steckloff, 38, is serving her first term in the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the 37th district comprised of Farmington and Farmington Hills. She is a lifelong resident of Farmington Hills, where she lives with her husband. Steckloff served eight years as a Farmington Hills City Council member. Steckloff worked at Hillel while attending Michigan State University, where she graduated. She attends the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and the Woodward Avenue Shul. Steckloff has a family background of public service. Her mother, Vicki Barnett, served as mayor of Farmington Hills and later in the state legislature as minority whip.

APRIL 21 • 2022

HADASSAH

OUR COMMUNITY

Hadassah CEO Naomi Adler (front row, fourth from the left, wearing a black sweater) with Na’ale students who came from Russia and Ukraine

Saving Ukrainian Teens Israel’s Hadassah Youth Villages undertakes an emergency effort to save youth.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

group of Ukrainian students were scheduled to arrive at Hadassah Youth Aliyah Villages in Israel in September. However, the onset of a vicious and bloody war between Ukraine and Russia pushed them to arrive nearly six months ahead of schedule. As of the most recent count, 21 high school-age Ukrainian

APRIL 21 • 2022

teens arrived at Hadassah’s two youth villages, Neurim and Meir Shfeyah, between March and April. Before the war broke out, they had begun the application process to come to the villages, which provide services like education and vocational training, in addition to teaching youth about Judaism, but the timeline was quickly accelerated to transport them to safety.

Teen participants, who previously arrived prepared, making the journey to Israel with clothing, goods, basic necessities, and even sometimes spending money, are now arriving with just the clothes on their backs. Some come with their families, who shelter in Israel. Many, however, don’t know where their families are. They have parents in transit out of Ukraine, stuck in Ukraine or relatives that they’ve lost contact with all together. Instead of arriving as youth ready to learn, Ukrainian teens now arrive as refugees. “We have had hundreds of students in our two villages who have come from the former Soviet Union,” explains Marcie Natan, national chair of youth aliyah and former national president of Hadassah. “We’ve always referred to them as FSU students.” Nancy Bluth, a member of Hadassah’s youth aliyah team philanthropy division and past region president of Hadassah Greater Detroit, says it’s impos-

sible to fully understand the trauma and uncertainty the Ukrainian teens arriving are going through. “What we can do is give them a safe haven, counseling, some sense of normalcy and belonging,” she says. “Our efforts provide critical support to help restore trust, security and a sense of well-being.” A HOME IN ISRAEL Prior to the war, students who arrived at Hadassah Youth Aliyah Villages were thoroughly vetted and prepared. Many grew up in non-practicing households and wanted to make a connection with their Jewish roots in Israel. The villages have long held special programs geared specifically for the needs of Jewish youth from the former Soviet Union, most of whom never engaged with Judaism due to cultural restrictions. Yet for the foreseeable future, any Ukrainian youth who arrive at the youth villages will remain in Israel. “We’re

Ukrainian refugees shopping for new clothing in Israel

“WHAT WE CAN DO IS GIVE THEM A SAFE HAVEN, COUNSELING, SOME SENSE OF NORMALCY AND BELONGING.” — NANCY BLUTH, PAST REGION PRESIDENT OF HADASSAH OF GREATER DETROIT

Ukrainian students in Youth Village

not sending any of them home,” Natan says. Many of these teens, however, no longer have a home, their cities destroyed in the war. Instead, they’ll spend extended time at the villages and, if needed, will receive the support of an Israeli family willing to shelter them if no relatives or family friends are currently in Israel. Typically, youth in these villages experience the benefits of returning home for things like Passover break. They have opportunities to phone home and speak with family. Neither of these things, however, are now possible for most youth. Some teens living in the villages came from Russia before the war and can’t reach their relatives because of communication restrictions imposed by the Russian government. It’s a situation that’s difficult and heartbreaking for students and staff alike, prompting Hadassah to make mental health a priority throughout the duration of the crisis. “That’s what these kids are dealing with,” Natan says. ARRIVING TO A WARM WELCOME Teens who arrive at the villages are referred by the Jewish Agency and Ministry of Education. All were applicants for the September 2022 program, now accelerated to accommodate the ongoing emergency and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. While a typical timeline to enter the villages includes a thorough evaluation of needs and suitability, the biggest focus right now is to simply save lives. “We need to hire counselors and teachers,” Bluth says, “and purchase personal items, clothing, and furnishings and equipment for our refugees’ lodging.” An interview process has already begun to learn about medical, educational and emotional needs of Ukrainian teens seeking refuge at the youth villages. In the meantime, every effort is made to normalize their lives and create a sense of stability. Kids arrive to a warm welcome, comfortable accommodations and even Shabbat dinner. They take trips to the mall, go bowling on nice days and meet other youth. Ukrainian teens are supplied with laptops and various personal items. They’re not much different from other teens who arrived in better days, except for the tragic reasons they’ve left their homes behind, some of whom may never be able to return to Ukraine. Yet small miracles continue to happen when they’re least expected. While shopping for bedding for a Ukrainian teenage refugee who had just arrived at one of the youth village dorms, a staff member accidentally purchased some sheets and blankets that struck resonance with many, bringing a few close to tears. “I pointed out that the bedding was blue and yellow,” Natan recalls. “The colors of the Ukrainian flag.” APRIL 21 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

A Passover Drive-Through

Yad Ezra holds Passover food distribution for 1,000 client families. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

ARJO PHOTOGRAPHY

Volunteers and staff distributed 700 Passover packages in Yad Ezra’s parking lot.

APRIL 21 • 2022

rom April 10-11, Yad Ezra held a drive-thru Passover food distribution for nearly 1,000 client families in its parking lot. The two-day distribution marked the most open Yad Ezra has been since the beginning of the pandemic. The distribution packages included everything one would need for a seder. “The idea is that someone who wasn’t able to go out and purchase it could get this package and have a seder if they wanted and/or enjoy kosher-for-Passover food for the week,” said Daniella HarPaz Mechnikov, executive director of Yad Ezra. One thousand Passover packages were prepared in total with about 200 packages sent to Hechtman Senior Apartments, Kadima and JARC homes and Jewish communities in Flint and Ann Arbor. About 700 packages were picked up in the drivethrough with just under 100 packages delivered to those who are homebound. About 120 volunteers worked with Yad Ezra staff and the staff ’s family members over the course of the two days to manage the distribution process. Yad Ezra’s Passover drivethrough also took place in 2020 and 2021, but with masks and an obvious heightened level of anxiety. To Mechnikov and everyone involved, this year’s distribution, being the most open it’s been

since the start of the pandemic, gave the two days a special feeling. “Seeing staff in person and then coming for Passover really felt for a lot of people like a cementing of normalcy a little bit, like we’re really back,” Mechnikov said. One woman, originally from Crimea in Eastern Europe, was emotional after receiving her Passover package. The woman currently has family in Kyiv, Ukraine. “She remarked that she had never been here before because she started getting food from Yad Ezra during COVID,” Mechnikov said. “So she was moved to see how many volunteers participated in the distribution of food. To pull up and see so many people outside helping, that’s really what made her so emotional. She didn’t know so many people cared. That moved her more than anything.” Congressman Andy Levin also stopped by Yad Ezra to help with the Passover distribution. “Our goal was not to give anyone a political stage, and it was very nice he took it like that,” Mechnikov said. “He came in the drizzle, took his station, distributed to our clients and helped out with volunteers. As a member of our community, he acted like a member of our community. He was a good team member and a pleasure to have as a visitor.”

A Taste of ReelAbilities

VIRTUAL EVENTS!

EDUCATE. INCLUDE. EMPOWER. The J’s Opening the Doors in partnership with the Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival

JAMIE FELDMAN

A FILM BY DAN HABIB

Rep. Andy Levin volunteered during the two-day event.

Milt Neuman, a Yad Ezra board member and volunteer, was grateful to be able to assist in any way he could. “It means everything. You realize how much you have and how grateful you should be that you’re able to sustain yourself, but in the meantime, you’re able to give back to the community and it’s a wonderful mitzvah to do,” Neuman said. Saree Hantler, who has been volunteering with Yad Ezra since 2009, was happy to see a return to some type of normalcy. “I’m seeing a lot of the volunteers I haven’t seen in a long time,” Hantler said. “It’s nice to see the faces. It’s a little more fulfilling that way. You can see the need. The Jewish community always stands by its own.” “To see our clients in person again, to see people you haven’t seen in two years, and they get to come in and you get to interact with them, there’s nothing like it,” said David Jaffee, Yad Ezra’s director of operations. “I’ve always felt that everybody should be able to have a seder if they want a seder. To be able to provide the food to have that is just very rewarding.”

WATCH THE FILM VIRTUALLY ANYTIME

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Micah Fialka-Feldman is a self-advocate, teaching assistant, outreach coordinator and disability rights advocate. Micah was appointed by President Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and co-teaches at Syracuse University.

Thursday | May 5 2022 | 7:00 PM MODERATOR: Debbie Levin Register at JLive: https://jlive.app/events/2138 | “A Taste of ReelAbilities” is an opportunity to showcase films which celebrate and appreciate the authentic stories, talents, and the artistic expressions of people with disabilities.

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For questions email: openingthedoors@jccdet.org or call Shoshana at 248-432-5543

APRIL 21 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

A Humanitarian Crisis

Some Jewish policy makers want to restore full care to victims of catastrophic auto accidents who are suffering under Michigan’s new auto insurance reforms. LOUIS FINKELMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

bad auto accident can change everything in an instant. Metal meets metal, metal meets flesh, flesh meets concrete, and your anticipated future disappears. Before the accident, you had capabilities, competences, plans and hopes that become irrelevant to your new future. From now on, you might need help to get out of bed, get dressed, use the bathroom, eat, drink or even breathe. And a bad auto accident could happen to anyone who gets in a car as driver or passenger, who rides a bicycle or even

APRIL 21 • 2022

just crosses a street. It could happen to any of us. If you got into one of those terrible accidents in Michigan under the old auto insurance law, though, your insurance would pay for the services you would need. Ever since Oct. 1, 1973, all drivers had to pay for unlimited personal injury protection coverage (PIP) as part of the old no-fault insurance law. One teenager survived an accident that cost her control of her body from the shoulders down. Dr. Owen Perlman, her doctor, describes her life after the accident:

With medical care, attendant care and a home modified to accommodate her disabilities, she completed high school, then college, and then earned her Ph.D. She got an academic Dr. Owen job. She married and had chilPerlman dren. She had the terrible fortune to undergo a catastrophic accident and the good fortune to have this accident under the old no-fault law. In the words of State Sen. Jeremy Moss, “The old law enabled victims not just to live, but to have a life.”

Michigan (DIFS), “Mandatory unlimited Personal Injury Protection (PIP) medical benefits proved too expensive for many Michigan families. Some drivers who could not afford costly unlimited coverage were driving uninsured.” But that meant that if your catastrophic auto accident in Michigan happened after July 1, 2020, you no longer could count on unlimited medical benefits. The law somehow also cut benefits from survivors of catastrophic injuries who were already receiving care under the old law. Anita Fox, director of DIFS, explains that the new law “didn’t change what an accident victim is entitled to; an accident victim is still entitled to anything related to their medical care rehabilitation. But it changed the amount that their providers could be compensated by the insurance company for that care.” Cutting compensation does mean that patients sometimes cannot get the care they need. This was not an unforeseeable consequence of the law. Robert But under this Wittenberg, now treasurer of law Michigan had Oakland County, the highest auto then a representative insurance premiin the Michigan ums in the United House (D), States. From the Sen. explained his vote beginning, oppoJeremy against the law: “I nents have tried to Moss absolutely foresaw repeal expensive Robert Wittenberg the problem, and I provisions of the was worried about law, especially mandatory unlimthe quality of care accident surited personal injury coverage. vivors would receive.” After decades of activity, they A bipartisan group of legissucceeded. lators opposed cutting benefits A bipartisan bill offering the to survivors who were already option of lower personal injury receiving care and opposed the protection and cutting benefits even to those who opt for unlim- sharp limitations to “unlimited” care for future victims. ited coverage, was signed into Dr. Perlman’s patient was law by Michigan Gov. Gretchen one of those who got reduced Whitmer on May 30, 2019. care under the new law. With reduced payments for daily care, THE NEW LAW and unable to pay for an attenAccording to a statement of the dant to get the patient dressed Department of Insurance and and safely to work, the patient Financial Services of the State of

lost her job and, consequently, her home. Survivors of catastrophic injuries now often wind up in nursing homes. WORKING TO MAKE A CHANGE Because of cases like this one, Dr. Perlman founded the Michigan Interfaith Coalition: Advocating to Fix Michigan’s Humanitarian Crisis. Kaci Messeder, policy analyst for Detroit Disability Power, estimates that “over 2,300 survivors who were already receiving care experienced drastic cuts to that care — many have been forced to leave their homes and seven have died.” The legislators have spearheaded bills to patch various holes in the current law. Moss voted against the new law, and declares, “Not a day passes in which I do not work to oppose the new law, and to restore coverage to the catastrophically injured accident survivors.” Sen. Doug Wozniak (R), voted for the 2019 law, but now observes that “legislators from both sides of the aisle have proposed about 10 serious bills to fix the Sen. Doug problems with the Wozniak new auto insurance law. It is not just one side of the aisle.” How does the 2019 law limit “unlimited” care? It caps the number of hours that friends or family receive payments for a patient’s attendant care at 56 per week. The patient may need attendant care all day every day, 168 hours per week, but the insurance does not have to pay for the additional hours. Wozniak says, “limiting the care to 55 hours makes no sense.” Rep. Phil Green (R) has offered HB 5698, which would increase the number of compensated hours per week to 110. The 2019 law caps payments

Anita Fox, the director of the Department of Insurance and Financial Services of the State of Michigan, recommends that survivors of auto accidents and their families call “a special dedicated line for auto no-fault: 1-833 ASK DIFS, so that we can connect with any family that wants our help. We have a website. We have an online complaint form as well . . . Because we do agree that access to care is very important.” DIFS can try to get the best services at current levels of coverage, but DIFS does not have the power to restore the earlier levels of unlimited coverage. for professional attendant care at 55% of what they charged on Jan. 1, 2019. Unsurprisingly, businesses that provide attendant care have closed, and their workers have left the field. Most providers of attendant care, in the best of times a poorly compensated line of work, apparently cannot survive a drastic pay cut. Primarily because of these limits on mandatory payments, the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association now shows a surplus. It holds more money than it expects to need to cover payments. The MCCA has therefore issued a refund of $400 per insured vehicle to insured drivers. Wittenberg observes, continued on page 34 APRIL 21 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY AUTO INSURANCE continued from page 33

Yom HaShoah Remembrance at The HC Events take place April 28 and May 1. JN STAFF

he Zekelman Holocaust Center (The HC) will host its annual communitywide Yom HaShoah commemoration on Sunday, May 1 at 2:30 p.m. The event will take place in-person at The Zekelman Holocaust Center and will also be livestreamed at www. Holocaustcenter.org. This year’s program will be led by local clergy Rabbi Michael Moskowitz of Congregation Shir Shalom and Cantor Michael Smolash of Temple Israel. Members of the community will speak and present stirring readings throughout the commemoration. In addition, candles designed to remember and honor the 6 million Jews lost in the Holocaust will be lit by survivors and children of survivors in the community. Following the event, all who wish to light a memorial candle are invited to do so in the museum at the Eternal Flame. This year’s event is presented in cooperation

APRIL 21 • 2022

with C.H.A.I.M. (Children of Holocaust Survivors Association in Michigan); Hidden Children and Child Survivors Association of Michigan; Michigan Jewish Conference; Program for Holocaust Survivors and Families, a Service of Jewish Senior Life; The Shaarit Haplaytah Organization; and The Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive. April 28 is Yom HaShoah — also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. The day is dedicated to remembering the millions of lives lost to Nazi persecution as well as reflecting on the courageous acts of those who resisted the brutal regime. Gloria Ruskin and Marla Weiss, children of a Holocaust survivor, will share their father’s story at noon. A docent-led public tour is available at 1 p.m. UNTO EVERY PERSON THERE IS A NAME The Zekelman Holocaust Center is inviting the community to participate in Unto Every Person There

is a Name, an international Holocaust memorial project. This project is designed to honor the memory of the 6 million Jews — among them 1.5 million children — murdered in the Holocaust. The project offers the opportunity to remember them as individuals, one at a time, through the public reading of their names. From now through May 1, all members of the community are invited to record a video of themselves reading the names of Holocaust victims and uploading their video to social media. Tag @HolocaustCenter on Facebook and Instagram, and @HolocaustMI on Twitter, using the hashtag #RememberThemHC. In addition, participants are encouraged to tag friends and nominate them to take part in the project as well. To receive a list of names and instructions on how to participate in this meaningful initiative, visit www.holocaustcenter.org/ upcoming.

“I believe that a refund is warranted if the numbers are actuarially sound and won’t impact patient care, but this money could be used for its intended purpose, patient care.” Some of the bills to restore coverage have cosponsors from more than half of the legislature, enough supporters to guarantee passage. However, these bills are bottled up in committee. Insurance Committee Chair Daire Rendon (R) blocks these bills in the House, while Insurance and Banking Committee Chair Lana Theis (R) blocks them in the Senate. Even so, Speaker of the House Jason Wentworth (R) has the power to bring the bills up in the House, and Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R) has the power to do so in the Senate. To date, these leaders have succeeded in blocking all attempts to restore coverage to catastrophically injured accident survivors. Moss expresses his respect for “courageous victims” who “line up their wheelchairs in the corridors of the legislature, lobbying, putting pressure on the legislators to make the situation better.” After reportedly refusing to meet with the catastrophic injury survivors and their advocates, Wentworth declared, “I’ve spent an entire year looking at every idea that was proposed and working with our committee on options. They all either move us back toward the old status quo or put the savings and refund checks for Michigan drivers at risk. At this point, it’s time to move on.”

LEFT: A police officer gets hands-on at one of Zoltownski’s training sessions. RIGHT: More than 1,200 first responders have completed her training

Helping to Serve and Protect JCC staffer trains first responders to better serve special needs population. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

n a daily basis, Stephanie Zoltowski is the special needs director at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield, helping those with autism and other developmental and learning disabilities. That passion, though, doesn’t end with that role. Zoltowski has put her background in those areas to use for the past two years, starting a business that helps train first responders (police, fire departments, emergency medical services personnel and dispatchers) with strategies for situations in which they encounter the special needs population. In just the past year with her business, Spectrum Training Solutions LLC, Zoltowski has trained about 20 departments and 1,200 personnel in Michigan. Zoltowski has worked with the special needs population for almost 20 years and is also a psychologist and former member of the military police. It was during her time as a military police officer that she learned firsthand how vulnerable the special needs population is and how important it is for them to get comfortable with first responders and vice versa. “Both of these populations are really important to me, and I realized there’s such a disconnect between them and there wasn’t really a bridge between them,” Zoltowski said. “So I thought it was a good

opportunity to take my background and population because they learn differently experience and education and connect the and process information differently than two.” neurotypical people do,” Zoltowksi said. The first department Zoltowski worked “By having these, they’re able to address the with was the West Bloomfield Police needs and challenges of the special needs Department. After that session was well population and maximize the effectiveness received, her services spread via word of that interaction with them.” of mouth to other departments across Zoltwoski is seeing a cultural shift in how Michigan. Over the last six months or so, police officers are approaching situations Zoltowski has been invited with somebody that has special to speak at some conferences needs, a change close to her about her work. heart being so close to both Zoltowski’s training sessions populations. with the departments typically “Autism is the fastest growing last four hours. developmental disability in the “One of the things we talk United States. It’s diagnosed in about are myths vs. facts when one in 44 kids now. So this popit comes to special needs,” she ulation is expanding in our socisaid. “We go over how to com- Stephanie Zoltowski ety, and it’s important officers municate with them effectively, some of get this training so they’re fully prepared the red flags and behaviors to look for, and and know what to expect and look for some techniques when it comes to working when they respond to a call from someone with the non-verbal population.” who has special needs,” she said. Of the departments Zoltowski has been Zoltowski feels good being able to train working with, a lot of them are starting to the first responders, especially with many incorporate sensory bags equipped with reaching out afterwards informing her of tools to help first responder personnel situations where the training was helpful to when they respond to someone with special them. needs. The bags contain items designed to “Knowing they feel safer and more conhelp calm the individuals by providing a fident responding to calls is really importsense of comfort. ant to me,” Zoltowski said. “And it’s nice “Departments are having these in their to see the special needs population being patrol cars, and officers are starting to carry approached in the respectful way they more tools and activities beneficial for this deserve.” APRIL 21 • 2022

Yom HaShoah Commemoration Holocaust Remembrance Day In Appreciation of our Generous Sponsors We remember the six million and honor our father, Sandor Adler, who persevered and created a loving family. Nancy & Jeff Adler Sue & Larry Adler Jenifer & Mitch Rosenwasser

In memory of our parents, Irving and Broncha Altus, and all those who perished. Never forget.

Nancy & Harvey Altus Cathy & Joel Altus Brenda & Mark Altus & all their grandchildren

In memory of the six million and in honor of our survivor parents and the lives they made. Sue & Sandy Birnholtz

In memory of Izaak and Sonia Blechman and Samuel and Sarah Weinberger.

Doris & Fred Blechman

In memory of our parents, Hannah and Abe Bleiwas, and the six million who perished.

Jean & Howard Bleiwas

In honor of Lici Calderon who lived, survived, and taught so we will not forget.

Heather & Jack Calderon

With recognition, love, and honor to deeply missed parents, Saul and Regina Muskovitz. Sandy & Jim Danto

In memory of our relatives who perished on August 10, 1941 and September 10, 1942.

We have a responsibility to teach the next generation the lessons of the Holocaust.

To those who died and to those left behind.

To remember those who perished and to honor those who survived the Holocaust.

David Horodoker Organization

Linda & Dennis Deutsch

Never forget.

Elaine & Eugene Driker

In memory of our parents, Bubbe and Zayde - Belle and Isidor Eisenberg.

Robin, Leo, Max, Anna & Louis Eisenberg

In memory of our parents and grandparents, Belle and Isidor Eisenberg.

Marsha, Harry z”l, Emily & Jennifer Eisenberg

We honor, we remember, we must teach and never forget. Joan Chernoff-Epstein & Robert Epstein

In memory of those who gave their lives and in honor of our parents and grandparents.

Susan & David Feber & Family

We honor the righteous who jeopardized their families to save lives. We remember those who perished.

Miriam & Fred Ferber

We remember those who perished and honor the survivors. Adrienne Ruby-Fink & Herschel Fink

Linda & Robert Finkel

Patrick Gallagher

In memory of our courageous and resilient fathers, Joseph Berman and Rabbi Hershel Garden. Helen & Jeffrey Garden

In memory of the Adelsberg, Zycer, Weinberg, and Gildengorin family members who perished in the Holocaust.

Freda & Benjamin Gill

We remember the beloved matriarch of our family, survivor Edith Rosen Erdberg, whose legacy lives on through us.

Tammy & Bruce Gorosh & Family

In memory of Sonia and Izaak Blechman and our family who perished. We honor the survivors. Karen & Ken Goss & Family

In memory of the six million and in honor of our community’s survivors. The Grant Family

We honor, we remember, and we vow to never forget. Nancy & James Grosfeld

We remember the six million that perished and honor our father, Jack Gun, who persevered and created a loving family. Susan & Sam Gun Sandra Gun Ruza & their families

To all who perished and the survivors who gave life to new generations. We honor them and our parents, Brandla and Samuel Small.

Rose & David Handleman Joe Small

In memory of the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. Raina Ernstoff & Sandy Hansell

In blessed memory of Esther and Leon Halpern.

Rebecca, Andrew, Jonathan, Mitchell, & Lauren Hayman

To remember the six million of our people who died in the Shoah. Doreen Hermelin

Honoring the legacy of our parents, Hermina and Bernard Hirsch, and their contribution to the Jewish community. Caryn & Henry Hirsch

In honor of the survivors’ strength and in memory of the six million who perished. Nancy & Joseph Jacobson

Remembering our beloved Jack Pludwinski who survived and his family who did not.

Judy & Sam Jassenoff

In memory of our parents, Viola Kappy and Sophie and Max Fischel, and our relatives who perished. Barbara & Irvin Kappy

We remember our lost family and friends, whose legacies remain strong. The Karp Family

In memory of our mother, Ruth Kent, who died far too young. Nina & Bernie Kent

In memory of all who perished and to ensure that we never forget! Susan & Jeffrey Klein

Remembering the strength of Mania Salinger. Honoring all survivors and memorializing the six million.

Jackie & Larry Kraft

Honoring our mothers, Rosa Krasman and Lisa Dell Silver, and remembering our fathers. Barbara & Manus Krasman

In memory of all who perished and in honor of the survivors. Myra & Larry Lawson

Never forget.

Michael Layne

Jews are survivors. It is our mission.

Karolyn & Arie Leibovitz

Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 2:30 pm, EDT at The Zekelman Holocaust Center or online at www.holocaustcenter.org

Jews die twice, when buried and when their names are forgotten, so it is important to teach about the Holocaust. Michael Liebowitz

Our young people must be taught to remember.

Loomus, Portney & Zaback Families

Remembering the six million we lost while honoring the few survivors, and the vital work of The HC. Donna & Michael Maddin

In memory of our father, grandparents and family murdered in the Warsaw Ghetto and Treblinka. Drs. Jolanta & Edward Malinowski

We remember our lost family members and honor those who survived. Rhodie & Harold Margolis

Honoring the survivors. Marx Layne & Company

In memory of the six million who perished and in honor of the survivors.

Kenneth Matasar, MD & Joan Willens Abraham

In memory of our parents and grandparents, Sam and Minnie Berman.

The Mendelson Family

Our mission to educate our society is never ending. Mara & Andrew Moss

In memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and in honor of survivors. Never again! Debby & Bruce Podolsky

Honoring Doris Stern Friedman. Your strength and love carries on through your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Emily & Michael Rehaut

In loving memory of George Ohrenstein who survived and built a family and a successful business. Denise & Peter Rodgers

In loving memory of my beloved father, Joseph Rose, and our lost family members. Andy Rose

Remembering the six million including dear family members. Rosalie & Bruce z”l Rosen, Julie & Marty Wiener

In memory of Henry and Eva. Global events and rising antisemitism remind us Never Again! Jackie & Sol Rosenblatt

The Zekelman Holocaust Center Yom HaShoah Commemoration Presented in Cooperation with C.H.A.I.M. - Children of Holocaust –Survivors Association In Michigan Hidden Children and Child Survivors Association of Michigan Michigan Jewish Conference Program for Holocaust Survivors and Families, a Service of Jewish Senior Life The Shaarit Haplaytah Organization The Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Honoring our grandchildren, Sarah, Michael, Lauren, Ryan, and Max, and our great-granddaughter, Maya.

Great-Grandma Beverly & Great-Grandpa Robert C. Rosenfeld

In memory of those who perished, and as defiance to the atrocities of the Holocaust... Never Again!

In memory of the six million and in honor of the survivors.

In honor of our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

In honor of those who perished in the Holocaust and to those in our family who survived and help us remember.

In memory of the six million Jews and the heroism of survivors and rescuers.

Lisa & Gary Shiffman

Susan Malinowski & Gary Shapiro

Mindy & Bruce Ruben

In memory of the six million and in honor of the survivors.

Remembering family who survived the concentration camps and those who perished.

In memory of our parents and all those who perished. We honor their memory.

Joni & Neil Satovsky

In memory of Minka and Abraham Narwa and their children: Henri, Leon, Maurice, Daniel, Charles, Marcel, and Suzanne. Sandy Schreier

We remember Mania Salinger who we recently lost and the six million. We will always strive to repair the world in their memory.

Elaine & Michael Serling

We never want the world to forget the premeditated, murderous atrocities perpetrated against our people by the Nazis, in the millions!

Nancy & Sam Shamie & Family

Elly Schnabel Sullivan

Andrea & Ely Tama

In awe of survivors of the Holocaust who rebuilt their lives with love and faith.

Janelle & Stuart Teger

In loving memory of our parents, Harry and Sally. We will never forget. Susan & Marvin Tuchklaper

In memory of Henrietta Weisberg who defeated the Nazis by living a Jewish life filled with love and meaning. Lori Weisberg & Steven Weisberg

In memory of my beloved husband, Jack Weisman, and in honor of Jack’s parents who survived and protected him. Adela Weisman

For more information about the Yom HaShoah Commemoration, please call 248.553.2400 28123 Orchard Lake Road • Farmington Hills, MI 48334 • www.holocaustcenter.org

Gabriela & Walter z”l Weiss

Rita & Larry Winokur

In memory of the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.

Andi & Larry Wolfe

We never forget and make sure that it will never happen again.

Esther & Carlito Young

Remembering the six million and treasuring the courage and resilience of the survivors. The Zekelman Family

Remembering the Czepelinski family members lost in the Holocaust. Cathleen Zepelin

In memory of the six million. Richard Zirkin

In honor of our parents who survived the Holocaust and in memory of those who perished. Cynthia & Marvin Zucker

faces&places

Rabbi Shemtov, co-director of Chabad at MSU, addresses the crowd during Shabbat dinner

Senior Jared Pazner poses with his mom, Monica Moray, one of many parents who came up to MSU to participate in this Shabbat dinner with their Spartans.

Alex Mison and Alli Vanderaue help to open the evening.

Friendship Circle Director Rabbi Levi Shemtov helps a Spartan in laying tefillin at the “Kotel wall.”

Dr. Blake and Noami Casher of East Lansing enjoy the night of Jewish unity.

MSU Chabad’s Mega Shabbat Dinner BRIAN GOLDSMITH SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

uring Chabad’s first year on the Michigan State University campus in the spring of 2019, they held a Shabbat dinner at Spartan Stadium, the first event of its kind in Michigan State’s Jewish history. They did it again on April 8 at Spartan Stadium. “We wanted to do something on campus that everyone walking by and everybody

APRIL 21 • 2022

would see — something fun and cool for Jewish pride,” said Simi Shemtov, who, along with her husband, Rabbi Bentzion Shemtov, founded the Chabad and planned the 2019 Mega Shabbat. Back then, the Shemtovs had to tell the caterers and Spartan Stadium what a Shabbat dinner was. This year the Shemtovs brought more firsts to Spartan Stadium. March 31 marked the first time tefillin had ever been wrapped on the field

at Spartan Stadium. Rabbi Shemtov led Elan Krakoff in the Shema as Krakoff wrapped the black leather straps around his left arm. Another first: Chabad kashered the kitchen in Spartan Stadium’s Huntington Club. More than 300 people came to this year’s Mega Shabbat, which featured many proIsrael related things, including a Kotel photo backdrop and henna painting, all part of the pre-dinner, which Chabad

called the “Israel Matzah Ball Social.” Participants had a ball at the event. “Honestly one of the best Shabboses I have ever had, and I have had over 3,500 Shabboses in my life,” Dr. Howard and Dr. Barbara Belkin of Birmingham wrote after the event. Due to the fighting in Ukraine, Chabad dedicated the dinner to the people of Ukraine.

Join us for a very special community-wide series of Yom events celebrating Israel’s national holidays.

Yom Hashoah

Yom HaZikaron

Yom Ha'Atzmaut

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Israel’s Memorial Day

Israel’s Independence Day

Tuesday, May 3, 6:30 pm

Thursday, May 5, 4:00 – 6:30 pm

Sunday, May 1, 2:30 pm

The Berman Center for the Performing Arts

The Zekelman Holocaust Center Take part in this community commemoration by the Holocaust Memorial Center. Attend in person or online at holocaustcenter.org. Free admission and valet parking. For more information, call (248) 553-2400 or visit holocaustcenter.org

Join us for a moving ceremony to honor the memory and legacy of the many Israelis who have fallen in combat or acts of terror. The event includes a performance of the awardwinning play, Knock Knock by Niv Petel. Register at jlive.app/events/2062

Band starts playing at 4:45 pm Held at Congregation Shaarey Zedek

Israel’s official Yom Ha’Atzmaut slogan this year is ‫“( יד פוגשת יד אחות‬joining hands.”) Let’s join as one Jewish community to celebrate Israel’s 74th Birthday! This one-of-a-kind celebration held with JFamily Detroit will feature live music by the Israeli music group The Holy Band and more! Ilana Block, Yom Ha’Atzmaut Chair Register at jlive.app/events/2071

Yom Yom Yom Hashoah HaZikaron Ha'Atzmaut To see even more Yoms community events, visit the Yoms page on jewishdetroit.org/yoms.

DAYS OF MEM ORY AND M E A NI NG

NEXT DOR

VOICE OF THE NEW JEWISH GENERATION

Lauren Roumayah

Inspired by Generations For the 29-year-old business owner, who owns and operates Detroit Cookie Co. alongside her husband and business partner, Tony Sevy, baking cookies is second nature. Roumayah’s first memory of baking is at the young age of 4, when she’d bake cookies with her mother, Paula. “My mom was the cookie baker in the family,” she recalls. “It went back generations. Around the holidays, we’d make sugar cookies.”

and even friends of her friends, would beg her to make cookies. “I would bake copious amounts of sweets,” she remembers. While dating, Roumayah’s now-husband, Tony, always encouraged her to continue baking. Although she studied fashion merchandising at Wayne State University and went on to work in the field, Roumayah knew her true passion was with making cookies. “It was not making me happy at all,” she recalls of her original career path. One day, her husband asked her, “What do you want to do, in a perfect world?” Roumayah’s response was instant: “I just want to make cookies,” she said. Tony was all for the idea. In 2014, the pair began planning the idea for Detroit Cookie Co. By 2015, it was officially established. At the time, Roumayah continued to work her 9-5 job as the business plan came together. “We were making cookies, but now we had to do it legally because you can’t just make cookies in your house,” she says.

A RETURN TO COOKIES Today, those recipes and memories inspire Detroit Cookie Co. As she grew up, Roumayah continued to bake. Her friends,

FINDING A HOME Therefore, Roumayah began to seek out a permanent location for Detroit Cookie Co. First, she turned to the Culinary Studio,

“My goal was to be a neighborhood joint,” says Lauren Roumayah of Detroit Cookie Co. ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ts most popular cookie is the classic Chocolate Chunk, yet Detroit Cookie Co. is also known for Banana Pudding, Raspberry Cheesecake Oreo and B-Special cookies, the latter of which founder and owner Lauren Roumayah calls “an upgraded snickerdoodle.” Every day, Detroit Cookie Co., which has locations in Ferndale, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids, serves up anywhere from 2,000-5,000 baked-fresh cookies. The work begins at 6 a.m., when bakers first arrive. “We treat it as if we are buyers preparing for the next season, except we do it every single night,” Roumayah explains.

APRIL 21 • 2022

a shared kitchen space in Southfield. As the business grew, a website was established, and Roumayah began fulfilling catering and wholesale orders, the cookie business got to a point where it needed its own roof over its head. “We worked like that for about two or three years prior to opening our first retail location in Ferndale,” Roumayah says. The Ferndale flagship opened its doors to the public in 2017, becoming an instant hit in the Metro Detroit community and beyond. “Everyone was so supportive,” Roumayah recalls. “My whole goal was to be a neighborhood joint where people would come in for their morning cup of coffee and/or afternoon cookie, and that truly happened.” A CRASH COURSE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP Now, some of Roumayah’s top

clientele at Detroit Cookie Co. are also her closest friends. Yet launching the business didn’t come without hurdles. “I wasn’t used to being an entrepreneur,” she says. “It was a huge task for me.” Roumayah put her life savings into the Ferndale location, with the hope that the investment would one day pay off. “I had to quit my job when we opened the bakery,” she continues. “I couldn’t rely on the steady income I was used to having.” As an entrepreneur, Roumayah says “you do everything yourself.” The biggest challenge, she explains, was keeping her head up through the early days with the belief that she’d eventually be able to hire help. Taking that chance, however, was worth it. Detroit Cookie Co. continued to grow. As she had

hoped, Roumayah was able to hire the help she needed. After two years of steady sales, she and Tony began to look for a second shopfront to scale the business. In 2021, they opened a second location in downtown Ann Arbor, followed by a third location in Grand Rapids later that year. Now, Detroit Cookie Co. is a sweet-tooth favorite throughout Michigan and beyond.

They have a steady social media following and have even been featured on the Cooking Channel. Yet Roumayah says the work is far from done. “We want to solidify our franchise model,” she explains. “We’re hoping to provide the opportunity for other people to open Detroit Cookie Co. across the country.” The dream, Roumayah says, is “to be a household brand.”

Need Housing Support?

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

APRIL 21 • 2022

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NEXTGEN DETROIT

NEXT DOR

VOICE OF THE NEW JEWISH GENERATION

Snuffle Mat Making

LEFT: Alana Silver and Alyse Waldhorn, members of NEXTGen Detroit’s Volunteer Committee. RIGHT: Mitch Alpiner, Stephanie Hollander, Stephanie Katz and Jeremy Zickerman enjoy the company and drinks while snuffle mat making.

NEXTGen Detroiters make new toys for Friends of Animals of Metro Detroit. RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

or all those animal lovers out there, NEXTGen Detroit hosted a Snuffle Mat Making event on March 30 at Urbanrest Brewing Company in Ferndale. The event benefited Friends of Animals of Metro Detroit, helping dogs in need. Co-chair of the event Stephanie Hollandar says that a snuffle mat can help dogs in the shelter by teaching them how to be a little more playful. “It’s basically a mat that has a lot of pieces of loose fabric that you can put bits of kibble or treats inside. A dog can scurry through, kind of like a game, or it can help slow down their eating as well,” Hollandar explained. During the event, guests received a mat along with scraps of cloths and were able to design a snuffle mat for a dog in need. While creating the DIY mats, they enjoyed a drink and mingled with other NEXTGen Detroiters. Hollandar said they had a great turnout of more than

APRIL 21 • 2022

25 people, and 20 mats were made to be donated to the animal shelter. Hollander has been involved with NEXTGen Detroit for about a year and says while she loves being involved with the young adult Jewish community, she has a big heart for animals, too. “I am big on animal rescue. I’m fostering a dog right now. So, I just thought it would be a great idea to help co-chair this event because anything that helps animals in need is something I’m really supportive of.” Hollandar says the dog she has been fostering is currently up for adoption and is looking for his forever home. “Einstein is super goofy and playful. He would love to live in a household with another dog. He picks up on new tricks pretty fast and likes to cuddle when it starts to get late. He is fully vaccinated, neutered and microchipped!” To apply to adopt Einstein, visit: rebeldogsdetroit.com/applytoadopt.

Josh Davidson, Abby Rubin and Alana Silver show of their snuffle mats.

LEFT: 3-year-old Einstein is ready to snuggle and find his forever home. RIGHT: This beautiful black pit mix is 64 pounds of love who gets along well with other dogs and humans.

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.

Thank you to the

Barbara and Douglas Bloom Family for your meaningful support of our annual Matzah Factory program!

APRIL 21 • 2022

STEVE ACHTMAN

SPORTS

On Deck

Inter-Congregational Men’s Club Summer Softball League returns for its 27th season. STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

quick hits Ryan’s Hope: Move Up the Junior Hockey Ladder It was a season of mixed emotions for Ryan Berke. The 19-year-old forward from Farmington Hills had 10 goals and 16 assists in 41 games for the Jersey Hitmen Tier III team in the United States Premier Hockey League’s Premier Division. The Wayne, New Jersey-based Hitmen finished 17-24-3, in fifth place

APRIL 21 • 2022

Congregation Shaarey Zedek will defend its Koufax Division playoff championship this season.

believed in 1996 that the league would be thriving nearly three decades later. But he said he knows why the league is doing so well. “Camaraderie. Guys like playing with their teammates and against the other guys in the league,” he said. “And the tradition of playing in the league has been passed on from many fathers to sons. A lot of sons who were bat boys have gone on to become players (18 is the minimum age to play).” Three teams dropped out of the league during the off-season, and two were added. Gone are Bais Chabad Torah Center, Adat Shalom No. 2 and Temple Israel No.

in the seven-team Atlantic East Division and missed the league playoffs. “This was the first time in my hockey career that I was on a losing team,” Berke said. “I’ll admit that was frustrating at times. “I didn’t play as well as I Ryan Berke thought I could, but I was still No. 2 on the team in points, and I feel I matured emotionally as a player.” With last season in the rearview mirror, Berke said he’s looking forward to a May tryout camp

for the Hitmen Tier II team in the National Collegiate Development Conference and playing for the U.S. open division (ages 19-40) hockey team in the Maccabiah Games in Israel after a July 2-5 team training camp in Philadelphia. Next season will be Berke’s fourth and final season of junior hockey eligibility. His ambition is to play college hockey, hopefully at a Division I school, after his junior days are over.

Temple Shir Shalom No. 1 and Temple Beth El No. 2 are the new teams. Each league team is scheduled to play 20 regular-season games on Sundays through July 31 this season, taking time off for Mother’s Day, and the Memorial Day and July 4 weekends. Three weeks of double-elimination playoffs will end with division championship games Aug. 21. League games will be played once again at Keith and Drake sports parks in West Bloomfield although Drake won’t be available until early June because of parking lot work there. Back to defend their division playoff championships are Temple Israel No. 2 in continued on page 46

RYAN BERKE

t’s survived in an era when many recreation slow-pitch softball leagues have contracted or disappeared. It’s powered through a worldwide pandemic, not skipping a beat. It’s time to “Play ball!” in the 27th season of the InterCongregational Men’s Club Summer Softball League. Games in the weekly league will begin April 24. Fourteen teams will compete in the league this season, one fewer than last year but enough to fill the league’s Greenberg, Koufax and Rosen divisions. “The league isn’t just surviving. It’s thriving,” said Steve Achtman, a league organizer along with Michael Betman and Mitch Kline. Betman, who started the league along with Brad Silber and still plays for Adat Shalom Synagogue No. 1, quickly said “No” with a laugh when asked if he

quick hits Frankel Not Affected by Catholic League Expansion

INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING.

The expansion of the Detroit Catholic League will not have an impact on league member Frankel Jewish Academy. At least for now. INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING. Five schools from Toledo, Ohio — Central Catholic, Notre Dame Academy, INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING. St. Francis de Sales, St. John’s Jesuit and St. Ursula Academy — joined the league last month and will begin competing as league members in the 2023-24 school year. “They’re all larger schools than us, and their level of play All Seasons invites you to discover new perspectives and is higher. I don’t see us playing them in the near future,” Frankel enjoy every moment of every day! athletic director Rick Dorn said about the Toledo schools. All Seasons invites you to discover new perspectives and Dorn isn’t concerned about enjoy every moment of every day! travel time if the Jaguars face a Toledo team on the road. A trip from Frankel’s West Bloomfield campus to Toledo is about an hour. For the Joys of Senior Living “Going to Toledo isn’t any farther for us than when we go to (Marine City) Cardinal For the Joys of Senior Living Mooney or (Chesterfield) Austin Catholic,” Dorn said. Already the largest Catholic high school sports league in the country, the Detroit Catholic League will have 32 schools when the Toledo schools hop on board. Frankel has been a league member for about 10 years. 5600 It’s an associate (non-Catholic 5600Drake DrakeRoad Road| |West WestBloomfield, Bloomfield,MIMI| 248.419.7838 | 248.419.7838 high school) league member AllSeasonsWestBloomfield.com along with Ann Arbor Greenhills, AllSeasonsWestBloomfield.com Managed by: Ask Us Why! Proud Recipient of the Prestigious Bloomfield Hills CranbrookKingswood, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett and Managed by: Ask Us Why! Proud Recipient of the Prestigious Managed Ask UsAsk Why! Proud Recipient of of the Managed by: by: Us Why! Prestigious Proud Recipient thePrestigious Macomb Lutheran North.

All Seasons invites you to All West invites you toto discover new discover new perspectives and enjoy AllSeasons Seasons WestBloomfield Bloomfield invites you discover new perspectives and enjoy every moment of every day! every of every day! perspectives andmoment enjoy every moment of every day!

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continued on page 46 APRIL 21 • 2022

the Greenberg Division and Congregation Shaarey Zedek in the Koufax Division. Rosen Division playoff champion Congregation Shir Tikvah has moved up to the Koufax Division. Temple Israel No. 2 and Shir Tikvah also were regularseason division champions in 2021. Shaarey Zedek went 8-111 during the regular season last year and finished in third place in the five-team Koufax Division, but won five straight playoff games (four in one day) after losing its playoff opener to capture the division playoff title. It was Shaarey Zedek’s first league championship since 1996, the league’s inaugural season, when there were only six teams and no divisional setup. Here’s this season’s division lineup: Greenberg — Temple Israel No. 2, Temple Israel No. 5, Temple Israel No. 6, Beth El No. 1 and Shir Shalom No. 2. Koufax — Temple Israel No. 1, Temple Israel No. 3, Shaarey Zedek, Shir Shalom No. 1 and Shir Tikvah. Rosen — Adat Shalom No. 1, Congregation Beth Ahm, Beth El No. 2 and Shir Shalom No. 3. After being awarded to a player in each division in 2020 and 2021, the league’s Jeff Fox Sportsmanship and Michael Yendick Pure Heart awards once again will go to one player for each award this season. League players voted for the change. Please send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

APRIL 21 • 2022

continued from page 45

Meet the 600 Club. From left are Rick Woolman, Gary Goldin, Mike Lieberman and Steve Moss.

Lions Can Win: 600 Club Sweeps B’nai B’rith Bowling Division Titles The 600 Club batted 1.000 during the regular season in the Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson B’nai B’rith bowling league. The team of captain Mike Lieberman, Gary Goldin, Steve Moss and Rick Woolman won the first- and second-half championships in the Lions Division and qualified for the Final Four in the playoffs. The other three divisions in the 22-team league needed a playoff match between the first- and second-half winners April 11 to determine Final Four teams. It was the Rolling Stoned vs. Newbies in the Pistons Division, House Ballz vs. Yogi’s Rollers in the Tigers Division and Mix-N-Match vs. NHL Property Management in the Red Wings Division. The Newbies, House Ballz, NHL Property Management and 600 Club were second-half division winners. Heading into the playoffs, high games in each division were rolled by Ben Sofferin (279/ Pistons), Matt Rappaport (280/Tigers), Aaron Radner (300/Red Wings) and Joey Schechter (279/Lions). High series in each division were rolled by Tom Endean (680/Pistons), Shapiro (730), Radner (755) and Schechter (770). The three-week, single-elimination league playoffs will end April 25 with the championship match at Country Lanes in Farmington Hills, the weekly league’s longtime home.

Star Athletes Add Post-Season Honors to their Resumes Post-season honors were bestowed on these star athletes: • Ohio State University freshman fencer Miranda Freedman from Grosse Pointe Park was named to the All-Central Collegiate Fencing Conference Second Team. Freedman was a member of Team USA at the 2019 Maccabiah Games in Israel. She placed third in junior Miranda Freedman women’s foil and fifth in open women’s foil and was a member of the gold-medal winning senior women’s foil team. • Berkley High School senior 285-pounder Lev Mechnikov and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School sophomore 135-pounder Jack Chudler were named to the Michigan Wrestling Association’s Individual Academic All-State Team. To be eligible for the honor, a wrestler must qualify for the state tournament and have a minimum cumulative grade-point average based on his year in school. Mechnikov has a 4.1 GPA and Chudler has a 3.7 GPA. Just 49 of the 238 Individual Academic All-State honorees were sophomores. • Bloomfield Hills High School junior point guard Noah Adamczyk was named to the Associated Press Division 1 AllState boys basketball honorable mention list. A three-year starter for the Black Hawks, Adamczyk averaged 22 points, four assists and four steals a game this season. OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

continued from page 44

quick hits GARY KLINGER,

SPORTS

THE DETROIT

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MAZEL TOV! MARCH 1, 2022 Erin and Daniel Tochen of West Bloomfield are thrilled to announce the birth of their son, Jordan Reid (Yitzchak Reuven). Proud grandparents are Elaine and Barry Margolis of Ann Arbor, and David Tochen and Mary Beth Schiffman of Bethesda, Md. Delighted and blessed great-grandmothers are Maxine Schiffman of Columbus, Ga., and Irene Lusky of West Bloomfield. Also remembered are late grandfathers, Jack Schiffman and Ben Lusky. Jordan is named in loving memory of his paternal uncle Jack Schiffman Jr. and maternal cousin Rod Brown.

Emy Drew Beckett (Edan Arye) will lead Temple Beth El in prayer in a Havdalah service as she is called to the bimah as a bat mitzvah on Saturday, April 23, 2022. Emy will be joined in celebration by her parents, Sheri Marcus and Bob Beckett; brother, Max Beckett; and proud grandmother, Linda Marcus. She is named after her late maternal great-grandmother Emeline Sampson and is the proud granddaughter of the late Dr. Henry Marcus. Emy is in seventh grade at Derby Middle School in Birmingham. She enjoys helping children with special needs. Sasha Brooke Feld, daughter of Laura and David Feld, will lead the congregation in prayer as she becomes a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Saturday, April 23, 2022. She will be joined

in celebration by her brother, Jordan. Sasha is the loving grandchild of Linda and Edward Shapiro, and Ann and Jeff Feld. She attends Clifford Smart Middle School in Commerce Township. Sasha’s most meaningful mitzvah project was raising money for Camp Tamarack’s CAMPaign for Change; she collected donations for scholarships. Jenna Rose Vinter (Ronit Chava) will be called to the Torah on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield. She is the daughter of Jill RosenthalVinter and Alex Vinter, the sister of Brock Vinter, and the granddaughter of Carol and Mathew Rosenthal, and Jessica Vinter. Jenna is in the seventh grade at Clifford Smart Middle School in Commerce Township. For her mitzvah project, she worked with Good Karma Puppy Rescue, fostering a

SPIRIT

TORAH PORTION

pregnant dog and helping deliver five puppies. She took care of the dogs in her home for three months before helping find their “furever” homes. Brooke Faith Wittenberg, daughter of Staci and the Honorable Jamie Wittenberg, will be called to the Torah on the occasion of her bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Saturday, April 23, 2022. She will be joined in celebration by her sisters, Arielle, Talia and Maya. Brooke is the loving grandchild of Joni and Stephen Redisch, Mollie Wittenberg and Howard Wittenberg. Brooke is a student at Anderson Middle School in Berkley. Her most meaningful mitzvah project was collecting

donations for Cincinnati Children’s Fetal Care Center. Maya Shaye Wittenberg, daughter of Staci and the Honorable Jamie Wittenberg, will be called to the Torah on the occasion of her bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Saturday, April 23, 2022. She will be joined in celebration by her sisters, Arielle, Talia and Brooke. Maya is the loving grandchild of Joni and Stephen Redisch, Mollie Wittenberg and Howard Wittenberg. Maya attends Anderson Middle School in Berkley. As part of many mitzvah projects, her most meaningful was gathering contributions for Cincinnati Children’s Fetal Care Center.

Marcus-Friedman

inda and Harold Friedman are excited to announce the engagement of their daughter Michelle Alyse to Matthew Gregory, son of Nancy and Stephen Marcus of Weston, Fla. Michelle and Matt instantly bonded over their love of outdoor adventures, chocolate chip cookies and family. Their favorite outdoor adventure yet was becoming engaged in Badlands National Park in 2020. The happy couple, who reside in San Francisco, will be wed this year.

It Starts with Me

n Jewish tradition, those suitcase with food and return of elevated spiritual stature to Minsk once more. will sometimes merit to be Upon returning to the visited by Elijah the prophet. home of the poor family, he The story is told of approached the door. But a man who visited the before he had a chance Baal Shem Tov (1698to knock, he heard chil1760), founder of the dren crying. “Mommy, Chassidic movement, we’re hungry, and we do and asked what he not have any food.” He Rabbi Benny could do to see Elijah. listened and he heard Greenwald “Every year, at the the voice of their mother seder, I open the door responding to her crying Parshat Pesach 8: to greet Elijah. I want children, “My dear chilDeuteronomy dren, have faith. Just as to see him,” he said. 14:22-16:17, God sent Elijah to proThe Baal Shem Tov Numbers instructed him to load vide us food for Passover, 28:19-25; up with food and supsurely He will send Elijah Isaiah plies for the holiday again.” 16:22-17:6. and travel to the home The man understood of a poor family that what it was the Baal lived outside of Minsk. “There Shem Tov wanted him to see. you will see Elijah,” he said. To see Elijah, we must be him. The man did as he was told. We must be the angel of salvaOn the outskirts of the city, tion for someone else. he found a small ramshackle While the first days of hut. He knocked and asked Passover celebrate the exodus if he could stay for Passover. from Egypt, the final day “It would be our pleasure!” focuses on the future redempexclaimed the kind man who tion which will be heralded by opened the door. “However, the prophet Elijah. We read I must warn you. We do not (Isaiah 10:32-12:6) of the day have any food to offer you.” when “No one will do evil or “That’s okay,” replied the destroy … for the world will traveler. “I have plenty of food, be filled with the knowledge of and I’m happy to share it with God …” your family.” It is up to us to bring about Over the next few days, the that redemption, by working poor family ate as they hadn’t to make the world a kinder, for years, enjoying all the more Godly place. Elijah will matzah, wine and fine delicathen bring us the news of a cies the man brought. world where there will be no The traveler waited and hunger or pain, no jealousy or waited but did not see Elijah. war. Dismayed, he returned to Rabbi Benny Greenwald is the the Bal Shem Tov to share his director of the Daniel B Sobel disappointment. The Bal Shem Friendship House. Tov instructed that he refill his

APRIL 21 • 2022

SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH

A Pesach Message

he story of Pesach, of the Exodus from Egypt, is one of the oldest and greatest in the world. It tells of how one people, long ago, experienced oppression and were led to liberty through a long and arduous journey across the desert. It is Rabbi Lord Jonathan the most draSacks matic story of slavery to freedom ever told, one that has become the West’s most influential sourcebook of liberty. “Since the Exodus,” said Heinrich Heine, the 19th century German poet, “freedom has always spoken with a Hebrew accent.” We read in the maggid section of the Haggadah of Rabbi Gamliel who said that one who did not discuss the Pesach lamb, the matzah and the bitter herbs had not fulfilled their obligation of the seder. Why these three things is clear: The Pesach lamb, a food of luxury, symbolizes freedom. The bitter herbs represent slavery due to their sharp taste. The matzah combines both. It was the bread the Israelites ate in Egypt as slaves. It was also the bread they left when leaving Egypt as free people.

APRIL 21 • 2022

“FREEDOM IS A MORAL ACHIEVEMENT, AND WITHOUT A CONSTANT EFFORT OF EDUCATION IT ATROPHIES AND MUST BE FOUGHT FOR AGAIN.” It is not just the symbolism, but also the order these items are spoken about in the Haggadah that is interesting. First, we speak of the Pesach lamb, then the matzah and finally the bitter herbs. But this seems strange. Why do the symbols of freedom precede those of slavery? Surely slavery preceded freedom so it would be more logical to talk of the bitter herbs first? The answer, according to the Chassidic teachers, is that only to a free human people does slavery taste bitter. Had the Israelites forgotten freedom they would have grown used to slavery. The worst exile is to forget that you are in exile. To truly be free, we must understand what it means to not be free. Yet “freedom” itself has different dimensions, a point reflected in the two Hebrew words used to describe it, chofesh and cherut. Chofesh is “freedom from,” cherut is “freedom to.” Chofesh is what

a slave acquires when released from slavery. He or she is free from being subject to someone else’s will. But this kind of liberty is not enough to create a free society. A world in which everyone is free to do what they like begins in anarchy and ends in tyranny. That is why chofesh is only the beginning of freedom, not its ultimate destination. Cherut is collective freedom, a society in which my freedom respects yours. A free society is always a moral achievement. It rests on self-restraint and regard for others. The ultimate aim of Torah is to fashion a society on the foundations of justice and compassion, both of which depend on recognizing the sovereignty of God and the integrity of creation. Thus, we say, “Next year may we all be bnei chorin,” invoking cherut not chofesh. It means, “May we be free in a way that honors the freedom of all.”

The Pesach story, more than any other, remains the inexhaustible source of inspiration to all those who long for freedom. It taught that right was sovereign over might; that freedom and justice must belong to all, not some; that, under God, all human beings are equal; and that over all earthly power, the King of Kings, who hears the cry of the oppressed, intervenes in history to liberate slaves. It took many centuries for this vision to become the shared property of liberal democracies of the West and beyond; and there is no guarantee that it will remain so. Freedom is a moral achievement, and without a constant effort of education it atrophies and must be fought for again. Nowhere more than on Pesach, though, do we see how the story of one people can become the inspiration of many; how, loyal to its faith across the centuries, the Jewish people became the guardians of a vision through which, ultimately, “all the peoples of the Earth will be blessed.” 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.

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 52 APRIL 21 • 2022

continued from page 51

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

APRIL 21 • 2022

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

ARTS&LIFE FILM FESTIVAL

Still shot from the film Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen

Want to Go to the Movies? The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival is back in person.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ilm fans who have missed the ambience of watching big-screen cinema while joined by other viewers can look forward to opportunities for that experience at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in West Bloomfield. The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival, running April 24-May 4, invites movie enthusiasts into the Berman Center for the Performing Arts with an offering of nearly 30 films — dramas, comedies, documentaries — and seven filmmaker

presentations. Home viewers can enjoy their own JCC film opportunities as part of the festival — only after the theater showings are completed. Ten films will be available virtually May 5-8 also with the enhancement of pointed discussion. “We are so thrilled to be back in person presenting films from the United States as well as other countries that include Israel, France, Spain and the Netherlands,” said Stephen Kantrowitz, the new senior direc-

tor of Cultural Arts at the JCC. “Our Film Festival Committee, chaired by Eric Lumberg, has maintained the highest of standards in making this year’s selections and has set off the first day with three screenings that involve special programming.” The film Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen, at 1 p.m., will have the mood set by a live fiddler entertaining in the lobby before and after the screening. A Tree of Life, at 4 p.m., will be accompanied by an on-screen presentation moderated by Rabbi Joseph Krakoff and featuring director Trish Adlesic and author Mark Oppenheimer, who wrote the book (Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood), on which the film is based. Image of Victory, at 7 p.m., which is about an attack at a 1948 kibbutz, will feature a pre-recorded interview with director Avi Nesher being questioned by Detroit Shaliach Yiftah Leket. The festival centerpiece is set for 7 p.m. Sunday, May 1, with the presencontinued on page 56 APRIL 21 • 2022

ARTS&LIFE FILM FESTIVAL

What Was Lost

A still shot from the film

riter-director Bianca Stigter’s upcoming appearance at Detroit’s Jewish Film Festival serves as a reunion in some ways. Besides participating in a formal discussion of her documentary, Three Minutes — A Lengthening, she will be meeting with the Metro Detroit family so important to her research. Stigter felt welcomed years ago by relatives of Maurice Bianca Stigter Chandler, 97, identified as a youngster among the people in a web posting of a traveler’s private souvenir movie made in Nasielsk, Poland, a year before the Nazis invaded and decimated the Jewish population in that town. After seeing the three-minute web post and thinking about the time before the Holocaust, Stigter decided to seek out more information about the townspeople shown so she could elaborate on their personal stories before the Holocaust by using the

APRIL 21 • 2022

Three Minutes — A Lengthening shows a snapshot of life before the Holocaust in Poland. SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

impact of professional cinema. “It was wonderful connecting with the Chandler family,” said Stigter, whose interviews with Chandler helped identify some of those who surrounded him and formed the basis for additional research. “They couldn’t have been more hospitable and kind to me, and I couldn’t be more impressed with them. They gave me their time freely.” The film and Stigter’s experiences in making it will be spotlighted at 7 p.m.

Sunday, May 1, at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield. Also participating will be Glenn Kurtz, who found his grandfather’s 16 mm film in the Florida home of his parents, did his own research with the Chandler family as well as through many archival explorations and wrote about those recognized in Three Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). WXYZ newsman Simon Shaykhet will be the moderator. “It’s so meaningful to me that the film will be shown at this festival and that the Chandler family will be present to experience the way this story connects with people,” said Kurtz, who points to positive audience reactions during earlier showings that included presentations at the Sundance Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. “Mr. Chandler’s astonishing memory has been critically important to preserving the continued on page 56

Meet Stephen Kantrowitz The new senior director of cultural arts at the JCC has been busy.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

rom helping to launch a theater reboot of the Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival to beginning a new job as senior director of Cultural Arts at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in West Bloomfield, Stephen Kantrowitz is keeping busy. Although Kantrowitz did not have a voice in choosing what will be offered as part of the 24th annual cinema showcase, he is mapping out logistics for the event and getting acquainted with longtime festival committee members. “I’m very excited to be at the West Bloomfield JCC, and I have great plans for the Cultural Arts Department,” said Kantrowitz, who was a violin performer before transitioning into 25 years of producing and presenting programs to bring more than 1,000 shows to Jewish and nonsectarian venues around the country. “I look forward to working with Metro Detroit’s Jewish community to make the existing initiatives grow and create new and exciting initiatives that will engage a wider audience at the JCC and connect them with our community.” Kantrowitz’s entertainment interests started at age 9, when the New Jersey school he attended offered instrumental training and free instruments. He chose the violin in keeping with the direction then preferred by an older brother and sister, who moved on to other fields. Attendance in the pre-college curriculum at the Manhattan School of Music led to appearances at celebrated venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York. He has worked with well-known Jewish musicians, such as pianists Vladimir Feltsman and Ethan Bortnick. “I decided I wasn’t going to focus on music at Montclair State University because I wanted to explore other things as well, like writing and theater,” said Kantrowitz, who majored in

Stephen Kantrowitz

English. “I continued to play the violin for a number of years while becoming co-founder and co-director of the National Jewish Theatre to produce and tour works by Jewish artists.” That initiative continued through the organization’s transitioning to Broadway Ala Carte and his acceptance of other positions, most recently as director of cultural affairs for the city of Miramar, Florida, where he produced, programmed and administered about 300 presentations annually. He has been at the helm of shows that have reached from the Broadway musical Show Boat to concerts featuring finalists on the TV hit America’s Got Talent. Kantrowitz, who began working remotely for the West Bloomfield JCC in March, has turned over management responsibilities for Broadway Ala Carte to his wife, actress Jodi Chekofsky. Currently getting her attention is the tour titled The Phantoms … Unmasked! spotlighting Phantom of the Opera stars. “I’ve done collaborations and brought programming to venues for many different Jewish organizations — Hadassah, B’nai B’rith, ORT,” said Kantrowitz, who also oversaw cultural arts at the YM-YWHA of North Jersey (JCC). “We’ve done

shows beyond only those with Jewish themes. We did an original salute to the late comedian Fanny Brice (Second Hand Rose) that my wife created before taking on the role.” Besides getting to know the Michigan Jewish community, Kantrowitz is looking forward to getting to know the state. This will be his first experience in Michigan. “The crux of many of my programs has been to bring guest artists to communities and to find ways to connect them with students who are budding artists and budding performers,” Kantrowitz said. “I would be very interested in exploring those types of partnerships with local colleges and schools, and inviting guest artists who are masters in the trade from all over the country. They can share their experiences and help the next generation get ready for their own careers.” At home, Kantrowitz enjoys fusion cooking, mixing traditional Jewish recipes with recipes from other cultures. “I’m a lifelong fan of professional wrestling,” he said. “I like the theatricality. I know it’s fake and not a sport, but it’s very entertaining to me. My father got my brother and me hooked on it.” APRIL 21 • 2022

ARTS&LIFE FILM FESTIVAL

continued from page 54

history of his childhood home and Nasielsk’s Jewish community.” Kurtz’s work on the nonfiction text ensued after Chandler’s granddaughter Marcy Rosen was directed to the three-minute film through the web browsing of friend Jeffrey Widen. She recognized her grandfather because of resemblances to relatives and got in touch with Kurtz to thank him for making the film public through the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Mine was the first in a series of amazing steps, and that was wonderful,” Rosen said. “That’s why the film is so special. It takes this tiny piece and makes it a little bit bigger. You can see a little bit more into this world. “I think it’s so often when we are learning, studying or thinking about the Holocaust, we’re seeing it from a very particular angle. We look at everything that was lost, and the film does show us everything that was

Details

Three Minutes — A Lengthening can be seen at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 1, in the Berman Center for the Performing Arts at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield. $12. To buy tickets, go to theberman. org/on-sale. Masks are required. taken away. “We can also look at the things we still have with these little glimmers into Jewish life. We can try to understand the places that we came from and contributions of people who are nameless but helped preserve us — like the woman who helped save my grandfather.” Stigter approaches the film from the viewpoints she holds as a longtime historian and cultural critic in the Netherlands. “I always want to know what it was like before — what was there before,” she said. “We know what happened afterwards.” In taking on this project, Stigter also was affected because the vacation film was in color.

Maurice Chandler shares his story at Hillel Day School surrounded by great-grandson Lev Eisenberg, granddaughter Marcy Rosen and daughter Evelyn Rosen.

“We tend to see the world from before 1950 in black and white,” she said. “Here, you suddenly see it in color, and that made it very vivid for me. I want viewers to understand that the film [vividly] shows a different world and a different time as proof of what really happened and then not to forget it.” As both an historian and filmmaker traveling to festivals, Stigter expresses concerns about advancing technology distorting film content such that movie viewers can turn skeptical about

what they see or react to the distortions that actually promote propaganda. Chandler, who divides his time between Michigan and Florida, has been impressed with Stigter’s persistence and efforts in establishing the content for the film narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, but as one of the few Nasielsk survivers, he has a stronger overall message. “We have to think about survival every day,” Chandler said. “We have to look out for the Jewish people.”

FILM FESITVAL continued from page 53 Still shot from the film The Conductor

DETAILS

To get a full list and synopsis of films, go to jlive.app/ organizations/118. To buy tickets, go to theberman. org/on-sale/. Prices range from $5 (virtual) to $12 (in person). Masks are required at the JCC.

tation of Three Minutes: A Lengthening, a documentary with Detroiter connections to Poland before the Holocaust. Famed filmmaker

APRIL 21 • 2022

Bianca Stigter, based in the Netherlands, appears for the showing and discussion session that includes author Glenn Kurtz, who wrote the

book Three Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film (see accompanying story). Among the films filling out

the festival in theater are The Levys of Monticello, about a Jewish family that preserved Thomas Jefferson’s home; Tiger Within, about the friendship shared by a Holocaust survivor and homeless teen; The Conductor, about a woman breaking the orchestral glass ceiling; and One More Story, about a skeptic’s encounter with love. The virtual presentations include A Common Goal, about Muslim members of an Israeli soccer team, and Love and Mazel Tov, about romance amid comedic misunderstandings.

ARTS&LIFE BOOK REVIEW

Jews who were held at Balkan Tabak are walking toward the Dupnitsa train station. From there they would be shipped via Lom and Vienna to Treblinka.

LOUIS FINKELMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ompared with the fate of Jews in other European countries during the horrible years of Nazi conquest, a high percentage of the Jews of Bulgaria survived. The numbers of the Jewish population of Bulgaria in 1939 was 52,000. After expulsions, 48,000 remained. and 13,000 Jews were added from annexed territories. Who deserves credit for the survival of the majority of Bulgarian Jews? Various interested political interests have championed their favorite heroes in this story. In the immediate aftermath of the war, Bulgaria was a Communist state: school texts explained that the Communist Party had protected the Jews. When the Communists lost power in 1989, nationalists lauded the wartime King of Bulgaria, Boris III, as having saved his Jewish subjects by skillfully resisting German demands. Michael bar Zohar

agreed, declaring the King a rescuer in his 1998 book, Beyond Hitlet’s Grasp. In 2003, the U.S. Congress put forth a more diffuse answer, claiming that the parliament, the king, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Bulgarian people as a whole protected their Jewish neighbors. A veteran of the Bulgarian army, Professor Dimitar Nadikov, recently published The Bulgarian Army and the Rescue of Bulgarian Jews — 1931-44,” touting the Bulgarian army as the heroes of this story. According to each variation of this heartwarming story, an Axis power scored a victory in saving its Jews. Everyone claims a part of the victory. As President John Kennedy said, “There is an old saying that victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan.” Documentary filmmaker Jacky

Comforty explores this heartwarming story in The Stolen Narrative of the Bulgarian Jews and Holocaust, which he wrote with Michigan writer Martha Jacky Aladjem Bloomfield. Comforty Comforty traveled the world to interview historians, political scientists, military analysts and other experts to develop an unvarnished picture of Bulgarian actions during the war. Martha Most significantly, Bloomfield Comforty, Israeli-born son of Bulgarian immigrants, interviewed his own parents and 150 Bulgarian Jews and non-Jews for their personal recollections of Jewish life in Bulgaria before and during the rise of Nazism. These interviews develop a darker portrait of Bulgaria. continued on page 58 APRIL 21 • 2022

IMAGE COURTESY COMFORTY COLLECTION.

The Stolen Narrative of the Bulgarian Jews and the Holocaust

ARTS&LIFE BOOK REVIEW

LEFT TOP: The Jewish forced labor camp celebrates in December 1942. The first snow meant that soon they will be sent home for the winter. Jacky’s father, Bitush Comforty, is on the right. LEFT BOTTOM: Ika (the author’s mom) and Vicki Ovadia in Pleven 1943.

first counted as part of the Jewish population in the unified kingdom but were later denied the right to stay where they were born and were not granted Bulgarian citizenship — and were deported later.

continued from page 57

At the start of the 20th century, Bulgaria contained a mix of religious and ethnic groups that had arrived as invaders, immigrants or refugees. The majority group, Eastern Orthodox Christians, lived in relative peace with Greeks, Turkish Muslims, Roma, Jews and others. The Jewish population also came from different waves of immigration: As Jewish life in other countries had deteriorated, the ancient Jewish community that spoke Yavanic (a Jewish language based on Greek) was joined by Ladino-speaking Jews from Spain and Portugal, and Yiddishspeaking Ashkenazi Jews from the north. Located at a crossroads, Bulgaria, had some independent times but also was controlled over the centuries by the dominant Byzantine and Ottoman empires before it was liberated in 1878. In the immediate pre-war period,

APRIL 21 • 2022

the king wanted to regain control of Macedonia (from Yugoslavia), Thrace (from Greece) and Dobruja (from Romania), and any other territory that had belonged to Bulgaria in past centuries. A deal with Nazi Germany gave him that opportunity. As the Nazi party grew and came to power in Germany, sympathizers in Bulgaria started their own National Socialist movement. When the Germans invaded Poland in 1939, Bulgaria was officially neutral, but King Boris III had already committed to purchasing German arms and training its officers. In March 1941, Bulgaria officially joined the Axis and allowed Germany to use its territory to attack Greece and Yugoslavia in April. The victorious Germans gave Bulgaria these territories, which were annexed in 1941. The Jews in these territories were

THE JEWS IN BULGARIA Beginning in 1941, Bulgaria instituted the classical list of Nazi anti-Jewish legislation. The new laws successively denied Jews their rights as citizens, their occupations, their freedom of movement. They were assigned special taxes and required to wear the yellow star, and then confined to ghettos. All Jewish males ages 20-40 were sent to Bulgarian slave labor camps. The Bulgarian government and the 1942-established Commissariat for Jewish Affairs planned the next step: deportations to German death camps. On Feb. 22, 1943, Bulgaria and Germany signed a (unique) agreement to ship 20,000 Jews from cities throughout Bulgaria. The deportations began on March 3. Between March 3-12, the Bulgarian army, Gendarmerie and special forces rounded up some 12,000 Jews from the newly annexed territories and deported them to Treblinka, where they were annihilated. The other 8,000 Jews destined for deportation were spared due to frantic efforts of the Jewish community, who succeeded in getting help from politicians and the church to delay the deportation. Comforty details the efforts that the Jewish community made to intervene. Somehow, these efforts resulted in postponing — but not cancelling — the transport of Jews from inside Bulgaria. They got off the death trains. Dimiter Peshev, vice president of the National Parliament in Sofia, apparently

succeeded in delaying the deportations. The king and prime minister retaliated — the parliament voted to remove him from his post on March 26. Jews from the newly acquired territories were deported to death camps. The Bulgarian government would not listen to appeals for those Jews. Comforty interviewed Nir Baruch, who reported that 11,363 were deported from Macedonia, Thrace and the city of Pirot. Only 12 survived. In negotiations with Von Ribbentrop in early April, Boris III agreed to the deportations and agreed to deport half of the remaining Jewish population. The next month, Jews from Sofia

A KEY PART OF THE SURVIVAL OF NEARLY 50,000 BULGARIAN JEWS CAME FROM TIMING. were forced to self-deport themselves to provincial towns as first step toward deportations. The death of the king stopped that second part from happening. Some credit also belongs to Bulgarians who opposed the antisemitic laws and actions. In addition to Dimiter Peshev, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and its metropolitan bishops as well as hundreds of other individuals tried to delay

or derail the murder of the Jews. But, as Comforty’s informants made clear, a key part of the survival of nearly 50,000 Bulgarian Jews came from timing. On Aug. 28, 1943, Boris III died from heart failure. Bulgaria needed to organize a new government, which began to distance itself from the German war machine. During the next year, the Russian army approached and eventually took Bulgaria.

The experience of Jews of Bulgaria included all the steps of the horror of the Holocaust up to — but generally not including — the last one, getting murdered. Survivors bear the scars of years of uncertainty, fear and deprivation. Historians, politicians and even the successor king of Bulgaria each get a few pages to explain their understanding of Bulgaria during the days of the Final Solution in Jacky Comforty and Martha Aladjem Bloomfield’s The Stolen Narrative of the Bulgarian Jews and the Holocaust. To learn more about the book and the authors’ collaboration, go to www.the-stolen-narrative.org.

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ARTS&LIFE CELEBRITY NEWS

Sean Penn

APRIL 21 • 2022

Nat Faxon

when Ehrlichman was present. Why? They knew that Ehrlichman’s father was a Jew who converted to Christian Science, John’s mother’s faith. I do have to note, here, Sean Penn’s humanitarian work. It was once again in the news when Penn spoke to MSNBC and Fox News shortly after his return (April 4) from Ukraine, where he was making a documentary that began filming before the Russian invasion. He talked about his admiration for President Volodymyr Zelensky, about their friendship, and about the work that CORE, a humanitarian organization he founded, is doing in Ukraine and Poland (helping refugees). As I saw Penn talk about the Ukraine war, I thought about his sharp reaction to comments that he was “unpatriotic” when he opposed the Iraq War (20034). He bristled as he pointed-out that his late father, actor/director Leo Penn, was a WWII bomber crew member who flew 25 missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. CORE’s first mission (2010) was helping Haitian hurricane victims. Early in the pandemic, CORE gave thousands of free COVID tests to Americans. Later, it gave free vaccinations to thousands.

As I’ve noted before, Penn arranged the “jail-break” (2013) of an Orthodox Jewish businessman held in a Bolivian prison on trumpedup charges. We Own This City is an original, limited HBO Max series that streams the first of its six episodes on April 21. We Own tells the story of the amazingly corrupt Gun Track Task Force (GTTF), a (real) unit in the Baltimore Police Department. In 2017, all eight members of the GTTF were arrested and were subsequently convicted. We Own is familiar ground for series co-creator David Simon, 62, a Baltimore native. He was the creator, or co-creator, and principal writer of three other Baltimore-based series that focused heavily on the troubled relationship between Baltimore’s poor and the police — Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-99), an NBC series; The Corner, a 2000 HBO mini-series; and the HBO series The Wire (20022008). The large cast includes Jon Bernthal, 45, as Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, the worst of the very bad GTTF cops; Josh Charles, 50, as Daniel Hersl, another GTTF member; and David Corenswet, 28, as David McDougall, a county deputy sheriff who

David Simon

initiated the GTFF corruption investigation. Bernthal is having a career year, with high profile roles in King Richard and the HBO Sopranos movie; Charles, a Baltimore native, is still best known as the co-star of The Good Wife. Since that series ended, he and his wife, journalist Sophie Flack, 38, have had two children; and Corenswet (The Politician), may have a career breakthrough role with We Own. His late father came from a prominent New Orleans Jewish family. His mother is a “WASP.” He identifies as Jewish.

BY PEABODY AWARDS

BY SEHER SIKANDAR

SEAN PENN, ON-SCREEN AND OFF; BAD BALTIMORE COPS; AND TEN COMMANDMENTS NEWS Gaslight is an eight-episode limited Starz series that begins streaming April 24. Early in 1972, John Mitchell (Sean Penn, 61), Nixon’s Attorney General, resigned and became Nixon’s re-election campaign head. His wife, Martha (Julia Roberts), had some info about the Watergate break-in (June 1972). John knew she probably would give this info to the press. Just days after the break-in, John arranged for his wife’s kidnapping and imprisonment in a hotel room. Martha managed to call a top Washington reporter and briefly talk about Watergate before the phone was ripped from her hand. John then orchestrated a smear campaign to paint his wife as a drunk and a “nut.” Nat Faxon, 44, whose mother was Jewish, plays top Nixon aide Bob Haldeman. Like Nixon’s other top aide, John Ehrlichman, Haldeman did prison time for his Watergate crimes. The Nixon tapes disclosed that Haldeman and Nixon often made antisemitic remarks, but never did so

BY MINGLE MEDIA TV

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

OY VEY CORNER! Every year, around Pesach, ABC airs The Ten Commandments, the 1956 blockbuster. A few weeks ago, schedules said it would air on April 17 (Passover/ Easter weekend). For unknown reasons, its air date was changed to April 9. It was too late to change my last column, and I apologize to anyone who tuned in to watch it and it “wasn’t there.” I wanted you to see the film because I very recently interviewed Cantor Riselle Bain, 74, who played “Young Miriam” in the film. The good news is that I discovered there’s a (free) really high-quality complete copy of the film on YouTube. On YouTube, search just like this: “The Ten Commandments 1956.” You’ll find it. Bain’s scene is in this copy’s Part I, about four minutes into the movie. As I wrote last week, it’s the scene in which Young Miriam (Bain) puts the basket holding the baby Moses into the Nile River.

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

THE PIN-UP GIRLS NOW-MAY 20 MUSICAL PREMIERE NOW-MAY 20 The Pin-Up Girls, by James Hindman and Jeffrey Lodin, runs at Meadow Brook Theatre on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester. Tickets range from $36 to $46 and are available by calling the Meadow Brook Theatre box office, 248-377-3300, or going online at ticketmaster. com. Student discounts are available at the box office. Groups of eight or more should call 248-370-3316 for group pricing. JET REOPENS APRIL 21-MAY 15 First production of season: Same Time, Next Year by Bernard Slade. In 1951 at a small California Inn, George and Doris have an affair. Instead of writing it off as a one-night stand, the lovers agree to meet at the inn once a year — every year. This classic romantic comedy follows Doris and George throughout the decades in this charming play about love, intimacy and marriage. Ticket info: call 248-788-2900. All per-

NORM LEWIS APRIL 23 formances: Thursday 7:30 pm; Friday 8 pm; Saturday 5 pm; Sunday 2 pm. JET is located at 1124 E. West Maple Road, Walled Lake. CABARET 313 6:30 & 8:45 PM, APRIL 23 Broadway, movie and television actor Norm Lewis will perform at the Garden Theater, 3929 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Audiences will be socially distanced and seated safely apart at tables. Masks will be required to be worn for the duration of the performance. Upon entry, attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test that was taken within 72 hours of the event. Tickets will not be sold at the door. A cash bar and free garage parking will be available. Tickets: $200 front and center, $60 for general seating, $25 for 40 and younger. For full season information, visit cabaret313.org or call 313405-5061.

MR. B APRIL 23 MR. B PERFORMS 8 PM, APRIL 23 At The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor. Born in Flint and a true Michigan institution, Mr. B (Mark Braun) is a rare living link to the early days of boogie woogie, having learned directly from legends like Little Brother Montgomery and Blind John Davis. Info: theark.org/ events. Cost: $30. JHSM BOOK CLUB 7 PM, APRIL 25 The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan will host this in-person event at Congregation Beth Ahm, 5075 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield: a discussion of Mary Doria Russell’s novel, The Women of Copper Country. Special guests include outstate friends Carol Ellstein, Susan Burack and Lynnette Weber, who will Zoom in to offer remarks on Jewish connections to the novel and its historical material. As a Great Michigan Read partner, JHSM has 50 free copies of the book and supporting educational materials. The first 50 regis-

trants will receive one free set each, while supplies last. Materials will be available for local pickup only. Suggested donation: $36 per ticket. Info: michiganjewishhistory.org. Register by 9 pm April 24. HADASSAH PROGRAM 7 PM, APRIL 26 Pamela Talkin, former U.S. Supreme Court Marshal, will answer questions about current developments at the Supreme Court and what to anticipate in the future. Info: greaterdetroit@ hadassah.org or 248-6835030. Register by April 24: $15 online event fee; hadassahmidwest.org/ GDAttorneysJudges. ARTIST SPOTLIGHT 8 PM, APRIL 26 At The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor. Described as “one of the best acoustic pickers on the scene today,” Cary Morin brings together the great musical traditions of America and beyond like no other. With deft fingerstyle guitar and continued on page 62 APRIL 21 • 2022

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS continued from page 61

vocals that alternately convey melodic elation and gritty world-weariness, Morin crafts an inimitable style often characterized as acoustic Native Americana with qualities of blues, bluegrass, jazz, jam, reggae and dance. Free. EXPLORING GOV’T 8:30 AM, APRIL 27 Join the Jewish Community Relations Council/American Jewish Committee for its annual Legislative Series, which explores different levels of government and the current priorities of elected

officials. The next program will feature U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters. Register at jlive.app/events/2091. WINDSOR FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 25-28 19th Annual Ruth and Bernard Friedman Windsor Jewish Film Festival at the Cineplex Devonshire Cinemas. 3100 Howard Ave., Windsor. Info: contact Film Festival Coordinator Richie Kamen at richard@ jewishwindsor.org.

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SETH MEYERS APRIL 29 SETH MEYERS PERFORMS 7 PM, APRIL 29 Forgotten Harvest’s annual comedy night fundraiser featuring comedian Seth Meyers will be live at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. Proceeds from tickets,

sponsorships and auction sales will benefit Forgotten Harvest’s distribution efforts to its network of more than 180 agencies in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Tickets for the event range from $35-$175 and are on sale now. No masks, proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative tests are required to attend. For event and ticketing information, visit forgottenharvest.org/ comedynight2022. Compiled by Sy Manello/Editorial Assistant. Send items at least 14 days in advance to calendar@ thejewishnews.com.

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SPOTLIGHT

The proclamation is signed in Genesee County.

CHAIM members relished the chance to meet in person.

CHAIM Welcomes People Back ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Nice to see you again. Members of CHAIM (Children of Holocaust Survivors Association In Michigan) relished their first in-person opportunity to be together since 2020 when CHAIM hosted a re-opening event, attended by 25, at The Zekelman Holocaust Center (HC) in Farmington Hills. Feiga Weiss, HC’s librarian and archivist, lectured March 27 on “Discovering Our Roots.” She brought handouts and non-circulating reference books from the library. “So many people asked good questions about how to find information to search for their family’s roots before the Holocaust and also about fam-

ily members who perished,” said Dr. Charles Silow, CHAIM co-president with Sandra Silver. “Feiga educated us on the latest websites.” Silow founded CHAIM in 1979 to give children of Holocaust survivors “a sense of comfort and belonging.” The museum’s meeting rooms display “Portraits of Honor,” a CHAIM-initiated project. Anyone connected to a Michigan Holocaust survivor may have the person’s photograph included, with wartime information added to a database. CHAIM dues are $18 annually. For information, email CHAIM2gen@gmail.com or visit the CHAIM Facebook page.

JN Educator Awards Teachers are often the unsung heroes who inspire our children to greater heights and whose lessons often last a lifetime. The Jewish News wants to honor the best-of-the-best teachers in our community — in elementary, middle and high school. To nominate a Jewish teacher or a teacher at one of Metro Detroit’s Jewish

APRIL 21 • 2022

day schools, send an email to jheadapohl@thejewishnews. com with “Best Teachers” in the subject line. Include the teacher’s name, school, grade/ subject and why you think they deserve to be recognized. Then look for our “Educators of the Year” in the May 19, Cap & Gown issue.

The City of Flint and Genesee County Marked ‘Education Day’

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein, County Prosecutor David Leyton, Sheriff Chris Swanson and Flint Mayor Sheldon Neely recognized the Rebbe’s influence in bringing education and morality to the forefront of public discourse on the Rebbe’s 120th birthday. They proclaimed April 12, 2022. to be “Education and Sharing Day, Genesee County” and “Education and Sharing Day, Flint” in recognition of the crucial importance of ethical and moral education. Education and Sharing Day will bring to the forefront the importance of morality in education, a cause championed by

the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory. For more than 40 years, presidents, houses of congress and local governments have recognized the date corresponding to the Rebbe’s birthday on the Jewish calendar as Education and Sharing Day, honoring an individual who brought education to the forefront of public discourse. In keeping with the Rebbe’s lifetime goals and teachings, local, state and federal governments are issuing proclamations recognizing the need to teach moral and ethical values to our youth.

Canada Set to Outlaw Holocaust Denial (JTA) — Canada is set to outlaw Holocaust denial, a move that has the backing of the governing Liberal Party government coalition and the opposition Conservative Party. The CTV reported that language adding Holocaust denial to the criminal code is in the must-pass government budget. Coalition officials cast the change as consistent with existing Canadian laws criminalizing incitement to hatred and promotion of genocide. “There is no place for antisemitism and Holocaust denial in Canada,” Marco

Mendicino, the public safety minister, told CTV. “That’s why we’ve pledged to prohibit the willful promotion of antisemitism through condoning, denying or downplaying the Holocaust. The Holocaust was one of the darkest chapters in human history. We must preserve its memory, combat contemporary antisemitism and be unequivocal when we say: never again.” Canada joins a number of European nations, including Germany, that have criminalized Holocaust denial.

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

LISA COLTON, 91, of West Bloomfield, died April 7, 2022. She was an active volunteer c. 1990 with Hadassah, Hungarian Club and she loved her Canasta Group. Mrs. Colton is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Marcy Colton of Farmington Hills; daughters and sons-in-law, Elaine and Bruce Weingarten of Southfield, Debby and Alberto Katan of West Bloomfield; grandchildren, Ryan and Katie Vieder, Jeffrey and Heather Vieder, Adam and Amber Vieder, Eric and Amy Rosenblum, Daniel and Laura Rosenblum, Dana Rosenblum, Michael and Nicole Colton, Jennifer and Josh Bienstock, Sean and Katie Weingarten, Adam Weingarten, Danny Katan; great-grandchildren, Stella, Jack, Paige, Brody, Grayson and Charlotte Vieder, Erin, Morgan, Hayley and Juliana Rosenblum, Chloe Bienstock, Max Bienstock, Sonomoa Weingarten, Andrew Colton, Harper Bienstock, Matthew Bienstock. Mrs. Colton was the beloved wife of the late Andy Colton. Contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, 20450 Civic Center Drive, Southfield, MI. 48076; Autism Society of Michigan, P.O. Box 45, Bannister, MI 48807; or Deaf-Can, Deaf Community Advocacy Network, 2111 Orchard Lake Road, #101, Sylvan Lake, MI 48320. A graveside service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

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23 Nisan April 24 Gertrude Garmel Mildred Frances Glassheim Solomon Goldberg Litman Gould Frieda M. Green Max Lipson Gould Litman Harry Meretsky Kalman Schweitzer Joseph David Steinberg 24 Nisan April 25 Martin Baggleman Louis Dinkin Miriam Dubin Beila Einhorn Miriam Einhorn Dovid Einhorn Yeshaya Einhorn Chana Einhorn Hershel Einhorn Yitzchok Einhorn Sarah Fantich Bernard Helfgott Joseph Kohn Mollie Lewinter Aharon Lewinter Hershel Lewinter Lazer Lewinter Mayer Lewinter Shlomo Lewinter Mary Papo

Isadore Podolsky Isadore Rabinovitz Baila Revzin Rose Wool 25 Nisan April 26 Leo Simon Fanny Weindling Isaac Zingeser 26 Nisan April 27 Moe Breuer William Goldstein Hyman Gross Raphael Herschfus Maurice Kahldon Pearl J. Klein Barnet Lynn Mildred Schmuann Morton Schuster Etta Shapero Norman Silverman Bob Torgow Joseph Weinenger 27 Nisan April 28 Philip Aaron Rosabelle Berman Ben Bloom Dolores Fox Esther T. Haas Rose Komisar Fannie Litmak Jochewet Rozenberg Leah Rozenberg

Miriam Rozenberg Pawa Rozenberg Henny Rozenberg Scott Randall Schubiner Samuel Herman Singer Abe Slotnick Sarah Roslyn Smith Norma Stahl Refael Yosef Weingarden Edith Wineman 28 Nisan April 29 Jacob Buehler Harry Cohen Eliyahu Greenbaum Morley Kessler Dora Lipman Mariya Paskalskaya Lila Robbins Abraham Rubin Gertrude Schechter Dr. Herbert Waldman Rachel Irene Wohl 29 Nisan April 30 Kurt Ehrlich Hyman Feldman Morris Freedman Evelyn Kunin Judith Lampert Zalman Raimi Joseph Schmitz George Sofferin Isaac Jack Zuckerman

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 65

MAURICE HERSKOVIC, 72, of West Bloomfield, died April 7, 2022. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Leigh Herskovic; sons and daughters-in-law, Aaron and Dr. Shira Herskovic, and David and Natalie Herskovic; daughter, Lauren Herskovic; grandchildren, Abigail, Olivia, Isiah, Jordyn, Charlotte and Gideon Herskovic; brother, Thomas Herskovic. Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, holocaustcenter.org; or Hillel Day School, 32200 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, hillelday.org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. ALLEN KAMINSKY, 74, of Southfield, died April 11, 2022. He is survived c. 1984 by his wife of 46 years, Cindy Kaminsky; son and daughter-in-law, Ian and Anna Kaminsky of Greenwood Village, Colo.; daughter and son-in-law, Hallie and David Freed of Toledo, Ohio; sister, Iva Kaminsky; nieces and nephews, Stacey and Bernie Boyd, Jaykelen and Dominic Lociento, Tyler Nelkin; great-nieces, Cameron and Peyton Boyd; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, William Nelkin, Eric and Sandy Nelkin. Mr. Kaminsky was the trea-

sured son of the late Marion and the late Harry Kaminsky; dear son-in-law of the late Edna and the late Marvin Nelkin. Contributions may be made to Jewish Family Service, 6555 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322; or MORC, morcinc.org. A funeral service was held a Hebrew Memorial Chapel. Interment took place at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. HARRY W. KEIDAN, 77, of Scottsdale, Ariz., died April 8, 2022. He is survived by his sister, Sara Keidan; many devoted friends and cousins Mr. Keidan was the loving son of the late Jacob and the late Miriam S. Keidan. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jewishhospice.com. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. THOMAS N. KLIMKO, 91, of Novi, died April 14, 2022. He is survived by his beloved wife, Beverly Klimko; sons and daughters-in-law, Justin and Joanne Klimko, Christopher and Virginia Klimko, Charles Klimko, Peter (Tina Goss) Klimko; daughters and sons-in-law, Anne Marie and Richard Dodd, Mary Ursula and

David Klimko-Shelton, Connie Klimko and Kenneth Edwards; grandchildren, Andrew (Kristen) Dodd, Claire Klimko, Alex Klimko, Benjamin Klimko, Michaela Edwards, Liam Edwards, Gemma Goss and Kelly Goss, Jason Bliss, Melissa Bliss, Amy and John Schiffman; great-grandchildren, Nathan Dodd, Jason Bliss Jr., Sophie Schiffman, Jackie Schiffman; many other loving family members and friends. Mr. Klimko was the father of the late Theresa Klimko. Interment took place at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to the Thomas N. Klimko Scholarship Fund at Youngstown State University, Congregation B’nai Moshe or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

YETTA KUTNICK, 90, of Birmingham, died April 9, 2022. She is survived by her children, Paul (Nancy) Kutnick, Linda (Pierre Chrest) Kutnick-Chrest and Marcia (Bruce) Fogel; grandchildren, Jennifer Fogel, Samantha (Adam) Mendelsohn, Geoffrey Kutnick and Timothy (Elisha) Kutnick; many other loving family members and friends. Mrs. Kutnick was the beloved wife of the late Harold Kutnick. Interment was held at Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

DR. IRVING M. LEFTON passed away March 30, 2022, after an extended illness. He had a long, successful career as a dentist after serving in the Army in WWII. More importantly, he weathered the loss of his first wife, Sally Lefton, and had the courage to bring two families together when he married Zenia Jacknow. His love for all things family was immense. The joy he got from watching his grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow and thrive kept him vital throughout his life. Irv was also an avid reader who enjoyed traveling, dancing and gem cutting. He will be so missed, especially around the dinner table where most of his stories led off with, “This probably goes back

30 or 40 years ago.” The family knows that he will forever have a seat at the table. Combined, the family had seven children, Chuck Lefton (Hannah), Mitch Lefton (Sherry), Gerry Jacknow (Karen), Janice Lefton, Barbara Jacknow Shreve (Mark Shreve), Eric Lefton (Pam) and Dale Jacknow (Daniel Brenner). Irv was also blessed with 10 beloved grandchildren, Steven Lefton (Jenn), Kevin Lefton (Nicole), Julie Lefton, Alexis Jacknow (Rick Diaz), Alan Shreve, Lauren Shreve, Ben Lefton, Emma Lefton, Ari Brenner and Kira Brenner. To add to all those blessings, Irv had five amazing great-grandchildren, Dylan Lefton, Owen Lefton, Caitlyn Lefton, Caroline Lefton and Mallory Lefton. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Instead of flowers, feel free to make a continued on page 68

Most cremations are performed due to financial pressures. Allow us to give you options.

APRIL 21 • 2022

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contribution to Temple Israel, 248-661-5700; or to Residential Hospice, 866-902-5854. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. MARVIN MILLER, 86, of Farmington Hills, died April 8, 2022. He is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, David (Paula Majerfeld) Miller and Joseph (Aija Grindulis) Miller; loving grandchildren, Noah Miller and Avi Miller. He is also survived by his devoted companion, Barbara Katkowksy; and many other loving family members and friends Mr. Miller was the beloved husband of the late Carole Miller. Contributions may be made

APRIL 21 • 2022

to the Detroit Institute of Arts or to the Holocaust Memorial Center. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. NORMAN PHILIP PRADY, 88, of Berkley, died April 8, 2022. He graduated from Central High School in 1951 and attended Wayne State University from 1951-1953. He was a reporter and feature writer at the Detroit Times from 1955-1960, followed by a career in advertising as a writer and creative director at various firms, including Stone, August & Company, CampellEwald, and the Norman Prady Company. Mr. Prady served on the board of directors of the

American Red Cross, Detroit since 1983. Mr. Prady is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Anne and Michael Sheehan; son and daughter-in-law, Bill Prady and Jessica Queller; grandchildren, Matthew, Nicholas, Benjamin, Stella and Asher. He is also survived by his former wife, Susan Prady. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jewishhospice.org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. JORDAN RABENS, 27, of West Bloomfield, died April 12, 2022. He is survived by his parents, David and Jenise Rabens; sisters, Rebecca Osinski, Jennifer

Rabens; brother, Nathan Rabens; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. Interment took place at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to the Jamie Daniels Foundation. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. IRIS ROSEN, 84, of West Bloomfield, died April 13, 2022. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, David and Miriam Rosen of Birmingham, Mark and Anne Rosen of West Bloomfield; daughter and son-in-law, Karyn and Barry Shatzman of Franklin; grandchildren, Aaron Rosen and fiancée, Hannah Stanhope, Sydney Rosen, Jenna Rosen, Carly Rosen, Scott and Katie Shatzman, Stephanie

CARL STEGER, 96, formerly of Detroit of Sarasota, Fla., passed away March 31, 2022. He was a longtime entertainment fixture in the Detroit area for decades, and one of his biggest fans was the late Danny Raskin. Danny wrote of Carl many times in his “Best of Everything” columns. Once, he observed, “Carl Steger thrives on the 88 ivories and it seems to put renewed vigor in him as time goes by.” Mr. Steger was best noted for his style of interweaving familiar names and places in his songs. He is survived by his beloved wife, Carol; children, Dawn (Ron) Davey, Todd Steger, Scott (Jorge Bardowell) Steger, Kim (Wayne) Sherrill, Tim (Mimi) Steger and Ann (Tom) Goshorn; 11 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren. HAROLD SUCHER, formerly of Detroit, passed away peacefully on April 11, 2022, at the age of 96. He was born on Feb. 22, 1926, in Detroit to Feige and Benjamin Sucher. Harold served in the U.S. Army from 1944-46 and participated in the occupation of Japan. He and his wife, Janet, the mother of his chil-

dren married on July 11, 1945. Harold built a successful gas station and trailer rental business in Detroit, beginning in 1947, moved the family to Farmington in 1956 and retired in 1988 at age 62; he then enjoyed 34 years of adventurous retirement. Harold was an avid world traveler, having visited all seven continents. He enjoyed mountain climbing and hiking, including climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro at age 60. He loved music, particularly Frank Sinatra and the song “My Way,” which describes how he led his life. He was an avid jogger (well into his 80s) and loved horseback riding. During his many trips to Las Vegas, the highlight was attending a New Year’s Eve Barbra Streisand concert (her return to the stage after 22 years, in 1994). Mr. Sucher is survived by his three children, Michel (Susanne) Sucher, Barbara (Yitzhak) Ben-Zvi and Benjamin (Eugenia) Sucher. He is also survived by his three grandchildren, Erin (Danny) Merritt, Britton (Jesse Newmark) Schwartz and Sara Lewin; four great-grandchildren, Jalen, Sonora, Reina and Olivia; and his loving and devoted companion and friend, Adelle Abrahams. He was predeceased by his parents; his sister, Edith; wife, Janet; and his second wife, Phyllis; numerous uncles, aunts and first cousins. Harold was the oldest ever living Sucher and he truly had “nine lives,” cheating death in a plane crash, in a car crash, from prostate cancer and multiple other close calls. The family wishes to give a special thanks to Valentine Gradinariu and the staff at Simply Together, who provided such loving care to their father during the last two years of his life. Thanks also extend to American Premier Hospice, Dr. Jorge Chavez and his professional staff for the comfort and compassion they provided.

Gilbert Gottfried Dies at 67 RON KAMPEAS JTA.ORG

ilbert Gottfried, the comic with a grating persona, has died. His family announced Gottfried’s passing “after a long illness” on April 12, 2022, on Twitter. He was 67. Various outlets reported he suffered from a heart condition related to myotonic dystrophy. A 2017 documentary revealed that contra his foulmouthed routine, Gottfried was a sweet and loving Jewish dad. Gottfried was reluctant to let that truth get out. “I was too much of a wimp to say no” to the filmmaker, Neil Berkeley, he said. Gottfried, who affected a high nasal voice for his comic appearances, was a boundary crosser, and it got him into trouble at times. In 1991, Fox apologized after Gilbert, hosting the Emmy awards, kept joking about fellow comic Peewee Herman’s recent arrest for masturbating in an adult movie theater. That dampened Gottfried’s career — for a while. He continued to score gigs in movies, on talk radio (frequently with Howard Stern), on sketch shows and sitcoms, and as a voice on cartoons. He was the funny animal sidekick, Iago the parrot, in Disney’s Aladdin. Then he famously told perhaps the first joke about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, just a few days after terrorists piloted airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. “I’ve always said tragedy and comedy are roommates,” Gottfried told Vulture in 2019. “Wherever tragedy’s around, comedy’s a few feet behind them sticking his tongue out and making obscene gestures.” Aflac, the insurer whose

SLAVEN VLASIC/GETTY IMAGES FOR SIRIUSXM

Shatzman; great-grandchildren, Emerson, Lulu; loving caregivers, Latrice and Gloria; other relatives and friends. In memory of her dog, the late Chichi. Iris was the beloved wife of the late Leo Rosen; cherished daughter of the late Kay and the late Louis Topor; dear sister of the late Susan Topor. Contributions may be made to JARC, 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 100, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301; or to a charity of one’s choice. A funeral service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park. Interment took place at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

Gilbert Gottfried at SiriusXM Studios in New York City, Feb. 3, 2020.

trademark duck Gottfried voiced and which was his most lucrative gig, dropped him in 2011 after he made jokes on Twitter about the tsunami in Japan. “I don’t regret the joke,” he told JTA. “I regret losing the money.” Gottfried credited his wife for turning him around from a notoriously parsimonious bachelor into an attentive dad who walked his two kids to Hebrew school. He met Dara Kravitz, a music executive, in the late 1990s at a Grammys party he was attending because of the free food. She dropped food on the table, and he picked it up and put it on his plate. Gottfried grew up in secular Jewish home in Brooklyn — he told JTA his Jewish knowledge was limited to “I know that if we’re ever rounded up again, I’ll be on the train.” When he and Dara married in 2007, she insisted on a wedding under a chuppah and raising their children with a Jewish education. His family, in their message, appealed to the public to keep Gottfried’s love for humor in mind. “Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor,” the message said. APRIL 21 • 2022

Looking Back

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

An Incredible Communicator: Charlotte Dubin

first met my friend a few years ago, when I was director of the Walter Reuther Library at Wayne State University. Another longtime friend and professional partner, Sharon Alterman, and I were working on an exhibit about the buildings on campus that were Mike Smith named in honor of Alene and Graham Landau Jewish donors. Archivist Chair Sharon assembled a team from the Jewish community that included Susie Citrin, Harriet Saperstein, Stan Meretsky and others. One member of the group asked if she could help with the writing of the text panels. I said sure. What I must admit I did not know at the time was that I would benefit from the skills of a great writer: Charlotte Dubin. Indeed, “by Charlotte Dubin” was a mainstay for many years in the JN. Charlotte’s work as well as stories of her achievements are found on 579 pages of the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History, including a great feature article in the Jan. 5, 2001, issue. Charlotte followed in the footsteps of her father, Lewis Hyams. He was a writer and editor of a small community newspaper. Charlotte earned a degree in journalism at Wayne State, where

APRIL 21 • 2022

she was the editor of the student newspaper, the Daily Collegian (now known as the South End). After graduating, Charlotte wrote for the Pontiac Press. In 1964, Charlotte was hired as the JN’s city editor. For the next 10 years, she worked for legendary publisher and editor Philip Slomovitz. As Charlotte states: “No classes taught me as much as what I learned from my boss.” In 1966, Charlotte met Harold Dubin, then associate director of the Jewish Community Council. They were married in 1967 on the last day of the Six-Day War. Sadly, Harold passed away in 2010. The JN headline read: “City Editor Leaving Jewish News to Go on Israel Aliya” in 1974. She and Harold moved to Israel where Charlotte worked for the

United Jewish Appeal (July 19, 1974). Charlotte and Harold returned to Detroit in 1976. For the next 24 years, Charlotte was director of communications and associate director of marketing for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Charlotte’s career at the Federation was remarkable. Special Adviser to the Detroit Jewish News Foundation Board Mark Davidoff spoke of her expertise: “In my years at the

Federation, Charlotte Dubin was the oracle, crafting the right messaging to help the community understand the critical role the Federation played in our daily lives” At the Federation, Charlotte had many accomplishments. For one example, she was heavily involved in the Federation’s First Michigan Miracle Mission in 1993 and the second in 1995. Charlotte received the Federation’s first William Avrunin Fellowship in 1993. She was also instrumental in creating the Simons Jewish Community Archives. In 2011, Charlotte received the prestigious Leonard N. Simons History Award from the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan. The above contributions to Detroit’s Jewish community are just the tip of Charlotte’s leadership iceberg. She supports Hebrew Free Loan, Camp Tamarack, Israel and, dear to my heart, the William Davidson Archive. Always looking forward, at Adat Shalom, she conceived of “Tech Connect,” a program where teens helped the older generation with the digital age (Feb. 6, 2014). I really enjoyed writing about my friend, a real mensch. I just hope my prose meets Charlotte’s standards! Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

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DJN April 21, 2022

Articles inside

Looking Back

Obits

Spotlight

The Exchange

Community Calendar

The Stolen Narrative of the Bulgarian Jews and the Holocaust

Celebrity News

A Pesach Message

Film Fest Package: Want to Go to the Movies?

Moments

Torah Portion

Meet Lauren: Inspired by Generations

Helping to Serve and Protect

Snuffle Mat Making

MSU Chabad’s Mega Shabbat Dinner

Yom HaShoah Remembrance at The HC

A Humanitarian Crisis

Congregation Beth Shalom Continues to Innovate

Sights Set on the Future

Happy 50th Birthday, Josh

Meet Carolyn Koblin: The ‘Cueen’ of Giving Back

Essays and viewpoints

Saving Ukrainian Teens

Days of Memory and Meaning