DJN May 5, 2022 by The Detroit Jewish News

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS 200 May 5-11, 2022 / 4-10 Iyar 5782

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Witness to War

JFS social worker aids Ukrainian refugees in Poland. See page 14

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contents May 5-11, 2022 / 4-10 Iyar 5782 | VOLUME CLXI, ISSUE 12

PURELY COMMENTARY 4-12

Essays and viewpoints.

OUR COMMUNITY

NEXT DOR 37

NEXTGen Detroit’s Day of Service

Witness to War

Finding Balance

Synagogue Spotlight: Temple Kol Ami

Send a ‘Book’ to Camp!

Meet Mike and Sandi Malowitz

MAZEL TOV

JFS social worker aids Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

Prides itself on inclusiveness and social action.

Windsor couple keeps things moving at the Windsor Jewish Community Center and Federation.

Honor These Eight Over Eighty

The 29th annual celebration takes place on Zoom May 22.

Bookstock Is Back!

After a two-year pause, the epic sale has more books and media than ever.

Antisemitism Rises in State

Eclectic Artist

Award-winning Artist Alice Frank has a show at Lawrence Street Gallery.

Art Tours at the DIA

Jewish Historical Society plans to restart Jewish-themed tours.

Farber High School students, staff raise money for Ukrainian orphans.

Diplomatic Seder

SPORTS 35

Berkley resident Shawn Achtman runs in the first spring Boston Marathon since 2019.

An Expert in Intimacy

Jewish therapist focuses on helping religious couples get more satisfaction in their relationship.

LAST CHAN C

Moments

Is Self-Interest Incompatible with Altruism?

Synagogue Directory

ARTS & LIFE 46

Pianist Among Pianists

The dea dlin in your fr e for sending the Cap ee listing for approac & Gown issue is hin high sch g. Submit your listing at ool graduate’s the com/cap jewishnews. -and-go wn.

To Israel and Back

Old Heart

Jeffrey Lodin’s unplanned musical theater career.

Native Metro Detroiter brings Peter Ferry’s award-winning novel to the stage.

Celebrity News

EVENTS 53

Young Artist Award-winner Maxim Lando to play at the Gilmore International Piano Festival in Kalamazoo.

Community Calendar

Marathon Man

HEALTH 36

Join Tamarack Camps by adding your favorite new or gently used book to camp’s new lending libraries.

Torah Portion

Facebook @DetroitJewishNews Twitter @JewishNewsDet Instagram @detroitjewishnews

Love, work and new motherhood: Mental health therapist Ronit Szczotka on navigating life.

Cooking for Ukraine

SPIRIT

ADL cites a 56% increase in incidents in 2021.

FACES & PLACES 34

thejewishnews.com

ETC. 54 56

The Exchange Spotlight

57 62

Obits Looking Back

Community news you can use.

Shabbat Lights

Shabbat begins: Friday, May 6, 8:20 p.m. Shabbat ends: Saturday, May 7, 9:27 p.m.

* Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

ON THE COVER: Cover photo/credit: Courtesy of Yuliya Gaydayenko Cover design: Michelle Sheridan CORRECTION In “A Humanitarian Crisis” (page 32, April 21), it should have been noted that Dr. Owen Perlman was the co-founder of the Michigan Interfaith Coalition along with Bonnie Anderson of Bingham Farms.

MAY 5 • 2022

PURELY COMMENTARY for openers

Of Pain And Suffering

amlet bemoaned suffering the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” Many of us, it would seem, could easily share his feelings as we note the references to bodily discomfort we make in our daily conversations. If you know of an incident where someone has done you wrong, you have Sy Manello experienced dealing with a Editorial back stabber. When hearAssistant ing of bad news, you may respond, “Oh, my aching back.” Admit it; you do feel good knowing that you are a “sight for sore eyes.” However, if you overstay a welcome, you may become a pain in the neck (or a bit lower down).

You never want your actions to reflect badly — giving you a black eye. It is truly a kick in the teeth to learn that someone in the family has become a royal pain. That might even put your nose out of joint. No one likes to pay through the nose, but be careful not to put your foot in your mouth when complaining when those who are in control are within earshot. They may turn a deaf ear or give you a slap on the wrist. Are you a practical joker? Then you may have to twist someone’s arm to go along with your gag until the one being fooled realizes that you are pulling his leg. Such antics are usually a result of

growing pains and not meant to really give someone a pain. Not invited to the latest open house given by your cousin’s brother’s latest girlfriend? Well, just take it on the chin; not all such omissions are deliberate slights. If all this talk of discomfort has left you weak in the knees, please know that I share your pain and will just limp along until my next brainstorm.

column

Israel Retains High Favorability in U.S.

ccording to the February annual Gallup poll of country favorability, 71% of Americans accord Israel a “very favorable” and “mostly favorable” rating. This matches Israel’s average favorability since 2013, compared to 58% in 2002, Yoram Ettinger 71% in 2012, JNS 69% in 2019 and 75% in February 2021. Israel’s all-time high favorability was in February 1991 (79%) in the aftermath of the JanuaryFebruary Iraqi Scud missiles striking Tel Aviv. Israel is ranked seventh among countries rated by

MAY 5 • 2022

Gallup, trailing Canada, Britain, France, Japan, Germany and India. However, none of these countries has been targeted — as has Israel — for daily criticism by the U.S. State Department (which fiercely opposed Israel’s establishment in 1948), the United Nations, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, CNN, MSNBC and many of the political and social-science departments on North American campuses. While Israel is considered favorably by 71% of Americans, the Palestinian Authority earned a meager 27% favorability rating, at the bottom of the favorability scale along with Cuba, 40%; Pakistan, 21%; China, 20% (an

all-time low); Libya, 19%; Iraq, 16%; Iran, 13%; Afghanistan, 12%; Russia, 12%; and North Korea, 10%. Furthermore, Israel has retained a high level of favorability among all three major U.S. political groups: 63% of (mostly moderate) Democrats, 71% of Independents and 81% of Republicans. At the same time, the Palestinian Authority received a 38% favorability rating among Democrats, 29% among Independents and 14%

among Republicans. The 2022 Gallup poll reflects the unique bottom-up phenomenon of the U.S. attitude toward Israel, which is largely determined by the U.S. constituency’s traditional affinity toward the Jewish state, contrary to the top-down phenomenon of U.S. policy toward other foreign countries, which is generally determined by the White House and the State Department. continued on page 10

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PURELY COMMENTARY essay

Israel and Me: Birthday Twins

y Israeli husband, Mickey, and I are on our way to Israel. We will be celebrating Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s 74th birthday in the “hatzar,” the yard, of the home where Mickey grew up and his family has lived continuously since 1934. Independence Beverly Kent Day celebrations in Goldenberg Israel, in the yard, are a long-held tradition. It is a festive gathering for the extended family and friends. Israeli flags decorate the entrance gate, the home, and the yard. The barbecue continuously produces displays of a variety of delicious meats. Visitors bring salads and

accompaniments from pitas to desserts. The day is highlighted by stories, sing-alongs and even dancing. We excitedly board our plane anticipating the joyous day to be with Mickey’s family. Israel and I will both be celebrating birthday number 74. I am a post-World War II baby. I, too, was born in the spring of 1948. Growing up in Detroit, my mother made sure our joint destiny of birth dates was a fact that I was keenly aware of with each passing year. We, Israel and I, were new, exciting entities hoped for by my mother: I, the gift from my father’s recovery from severe World War II wounds; Israel, the hoped-for Jewish state that arose from the ashes of the Holocaust.

My mother was a passionate, proud Zionistic Jew. Each year, she announced, “You and Israel are celebrating your 10th, 16th, 21st birthday (whichever one it happened to be). Little did she know then that our joint destinies would become more firmly tied. When I graduated from college, free to go anywhere, I decided that this was the time to visit the mysterious place that shared my birthday. I signed up for an ulpan (Hebrew immersion program) in Israel on Kibbutz Mayan Tzvi. My college roommate, Debbie, prepared me for

my forthcoming adventure. She taught me important words in Hebrew: ice cream, bathroom, please and thank you. I have now visited Israel many times, yet the initial impressions of awe of actually seeing the land and places that I learned about, heard about and studied can never be forgotten. The phrase “So, this is …?” repeatedly played in my mind. “So, this is a kibbutz?” “So, this is Jerusalem?” “So, this is the Western Wall?” Where Jesus walked? The blooming desert? The “Skadia” (almond tree) that we sang about on Tu continued on page 12

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MAY 5 • 2022

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PURELY COMMENTARY essay

The Love in the Room

y Aunt Jeannette London Lowen passed away in 2019 after living more than 100 years. Now that I’ve had some time to reflect on her life, this seems like a good time to write about her legacy. Aunt Jeannette (let’s call her AJ) Jeff London led a most interContributing esting and colorful Writer life. I could write a book about her life and only scratch the surface. She was certainly a survivor of many of life’s challenges. But the time that had the most impact on me, my wife and my siblings, somewhat surprisingly, was the last few years of her life, especially the last three years, after she went into assisted living. Prior to that time, AJ had lived independently in Florida for almost 50 years after retiring from her job as a social worker in Berkley schools. But inevitably, as happens to all of us, her health began to fail, and she could no longer care for herself. And that’s where this story begins. I need to give you some backstory first. My aunt, who was born to immigrant parents in 1918, was always a unique person She had strong Jewish roots, yet led a mostly secular life. She went to college, unlike most Jewish women of her generation. She had her own unique sense of style, including bright vibrant colors to match her personality. She helped out in the family delicatessen, but was clearly more interested in intellectual pursuits. She felt a strong Jewish identity, but her Jewishness was more culturally based.

MAY 5 • 2022

Jeff’s Aunt Jeanette London Lowen, of blessed memory.

She was married four times (twice to the same man). Her parenting style always seemed a bit haphazard. My siblings and I always looked at AJ, her son and daughter with mixed feelings of uncertainty, fascination and some envy. AJ had moved to Florida with Les, her third (and fourth) husband. They lived in a senior complex, and became very involved with various classes and discussion groups. AJ published many philosophical articles for journals of free thought and even authored a few books, including one titled Imagine, related to the message of the popular song by John Lennon. Her husband, Les, passed away a few years after their second marriage, leaving AJ to fend for herself. She developed a pattern of going in the late morning most days to her favorite diner and sitting for a few hours, researching and writing her articles and books.

She increasingly relied on the help of her daughter Kathy, who was by then a nurse living in New York City. More than ever, Kathy became her mother’s lifeline and primary support. AJ also would visit Kathy in NYC many summers, taking in the culture (especially opera) and vibrancy of a city that she loved. Wherever she went, my aunt would fend for herself and had a knack of finding people to help take care of her, especially as she aged, even in the hustle of Manhattan. And then, abruptly, when my aunt was 85, her beloved 55-yearold daughter Kathy suddenly became ill with pneumonia and died. RESPONSE TO DEATH We all assumed that Kathy’s death would hasten the death of our aunt. But that’s not what happened. Don’t get me wrong — she was overwhelmed by the loss of her daughter. But instead of giv-

ing up on life, AJ somehow found a way to maintain the connection to Kathy by writing to her and talking with her on a daily basis. My aunt also rededicated herself to examining her own life and times in her writing. And she soon reached out to my sister, my brother and me, helping us to define specific ways to become more involved in her life. We had interacted with AJ periodically, but after Kathy’s untimely death, my wife and I began to plan visits to Florida each winter to see her. My sister, brother and their spouses, began to join us when they could. We also began having more frequent phone contact with AJ. The results were surprising and even life-affirming. We didn’t come up with a new plan right away after our cousin’s death. To be honest, we all worried a bit about being drawn into feeling overly responsible for my AJ. But, with our aunt’s help, we realized that we were needed, and my sister and I agreed to keep in touch with her much more frequently. I found our phone calls mysteriously rejuvenating rather than depleting. We would catch up on each other’s news, but we also talked about world events, and I was amazed at my aunt’s unique way of seeing life through her 90 plus years. She was thrilled about Barack Obama’s election and what it said about our country. We discussed conversations she recalled from many years ago. She recalled things I and others had said (that I usually didn’t remember saying) that had stuck with her and helped her get through tough times. She always had a way of helping me feel appreciated and of teaching me about continued on page 12

PURELY COMMENTARY student corner

Understanding Jewish Philanthropy

his year, I was fortunate to be included in a very rewarding Jewish program. As part of the Morris J. & Betty Kaplun Foundation Youth Board, I recently presented $5,000 in grant money to two incredible nonprofits. The Samantha board, composed Camiker of passionate students from around the country, spent several months learning the grant-making process and eventually applied that knowledge to fund some amazing organizations. First, we learned about consensus; we often broke into smaller groups, in which we could each share our own perspectives and opinions, then reconvened to report our findings and make decisions together. Using consensus, the board chose two main Jewish values to help us determine which organizations to fund: justice (tzedek) and lovingkindness (gemilut chasadim).

Next, we began the grant-making process by writing our mission statement: “Guided by the Jewish values of lovingkindness and justice, the 2021-22 Morris J. & Betty Kaplun Foundation Youth Board seeks to support organizations that promote education and literacy for youth. The board’s goal is to help young people from any background connect to and learn about community-based social justice needs, and gain access to resources and opportunities to promote career development.” We then sent out our RFP (Request for Proposal). When we received proposals, we split into groups to study and create presentations on each application. The next step in our process was, in my opinion, the most gratifying: site visits. Over the course of a week, we joined various virtual calls and connected with the people behind the proposals. Diving deeper than our initial research, we got up close and personal with our applicants,

ISRAEL RETAINS HIGH FAVORABILITY continued from page 4

The poll also demonstrates the wide gap between most Americans (who are largely supportive of Israel) and the “elite” media (which is systematically critical of Israel). Israel’s 71% favorability rating attests to the fact that most Americans realize the inaccuracy and immorality of the State Department’s claim of moral equivalence between Israel and the Palestinians. They identify Israel as a reliable, democratic and productive ally, and view

MAY 5 • 2022

the P.A. as a member of the rogue entities of the world, associated with terrorism, in general, and enemies and rivals of the United States, in particular. Irrespective of the New York Times’ attitude toward Israel, most Americans empathize with Israel culturally, historically, ideologically and strategically. They identify the Jewish state with key precepts that have shaped American culture, civic and judicial systems

asking questions and getting to hear more about these projects from the most enthusiastic, driven people. The most exciting part of this experience, however, was getting to lead these meetings ourselves. During meetings, the board members asked all the questions and directed the interview. For teenagers to have the opportunity to not only meet with prominent figures in nationwide organizations but also to lead those meetings was truly exceptional. CHOOSING CHARITIES Finally, the board decided on two nonprofits to fund: the Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights (TOLI), which works through seminars to educate teachers on Holocaust education, spreading awareness to teachers’ students, schools, and communities; and C.B. Community Schools, which provides classes on school subjects and life skills to vulnerable students in the child since the Early Pilgrims and the Founding Fathers, such as faith, the Mosaic legacy, civil liberties, patriotism, optimism, defiance of odds and a can-do mentality. Moreover, they consider Israel a unique force and dollar multiplier for the U.S. economy and defense in the face of mutual threats (e.g., Iran’s Shi’ite ayatollahs, Sunni Islamic terrorism) and in the pursuit of a U.S. commercial and military technological edge over China, Russia and Europe.

welfare or juvenile justice system. Both of these organizations are truly outstanding, and I am so grateful that the Kaplun Foundation provided our board with the resources necessary to connect with and support these projects. This program as a whole was just about the most meaningful and impactful journey I’ve ever experienced. Not only did we learn such crucial skills as conducting research, creating proposals, directing meetings and making difficult decisions, but we all got to partake in real philanthropy with the most compassionate people. Our journey to granting this money was such an exciting and educational process and one that I will never forget, and I am so looking forward to taking this experience with me and continuing this rewarding path of Jewish philanthropy. Samantha Caminker is a sophomore at Frankel Jewish Academy.

Israel’s 71% favorability demonstrates that most Americans subscribe to the following assessment made by Adm. James Stavridis, former Supreme Commander of NATO: “Our best military partner in the region, by far, is Israel. … It truly is a case of two nations that are unarguably stronger together.” Yoram Ettinger is a former ambassador and head of Second Thought: A U.S.-Israel Initiative. This article was first published by The Ettinger Report.

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PURELY COMMENTARY

Mickey Goldenberg and Beverly Kent Goldenberg

ISRAEL — MY BIRTHDAY TWIN continued from page 6

b’Shevat? Seeing Israel itself with my own eyes, I attempted to bring my experiences and visions into sync with my imagined images. I also discovered something new, as well: the Chagall Windows at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem. On a tour of this amazing world-class research hospital, I was smitten. I fell in love with the windows. I had no idea then that Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, which supports this hospital, would become part of my life and that I would bring items for the hospital on my visits, and become a life member. On subsequent visits to Jerusalem, I always insisted upon driving to Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem to see my beloved windows. MEETING MY SABRA Upon my return home, despite my scoffing at my mother’s suggestions, I did go to the Jewish Community Center, where she said I would meet a nice Jewish boy. Oh, those mothers are always

right! However, the nice Jewish boy was not a young American professional lawyer or doctor as my parents had expected. In 1976, at the Israel Independence Day celebration at the JCC, I met Mickey, an Israeli sabra (a native Israeli, as they are called, because, like the sweet cactus fruit, they are prickly on the outside, but sweet on the inside). In 1978, I married Mickey, adding another dimension to my ties to Israel. My connection to the land and people of Israel expanded as we became a bicultural, bilingual family, and me, a part of Mickey’s loving, supportive, extended family. My birthday twin and I have a lifetime of experiences to reflect upon; the joyous and the sad. We have marked celebrations together, raised families, progressed technologically. We have both lost friends and loved ones along the way. Dor l’dor, now, my own children, Etai, a urologist, and Oren, a filmmaker, and our grandchildren, Leo, Ami, Estee and Elie,

THE LOVE IN THE ROOM continued from page 8

“finding the love in a room.” After about 20 minutes, she would say “I’ll let you go.” I almost always felt surprisingly energized by these interactions. A PILGRAMAGE With my aunt’s failing health, the logistics for our visits became more challenging, but seemed even more important. Our visits felt like a pilgrimage to our aunt. We would have long conversations about life and people. Often, my brother or I would bring a guitar and we’d sing together as a family. After she moved into assisted living, we interacted with my aunt’s Jamaican caretakers. We watched with amazement at how much

MAY 5 • 2022

love they showed my aunt and how much she knew about each of their personal lives. She knew how to engender a loving community around her, and these special people responded in kind to my aunt’s curiosity and caring about them. Even though her vision and hearing were gradually failing, she never gave in to despair. She just seemed to persevere. And she talked about the continued value of her written and verbal communication with her departed daughter. My siblings, spouses and I always felt emotionally replenished by spending time with my aunt. AJ’s way of looking at life served as an enduring legacy. She

have their own ties and intimate connections to their father’s homeland, their Jewish homeland, my mother’s passion. On Yom HaZikaron (Remembrance/Memorial Day), the day before Israel’s Independence Day, we will honor those who lost their lives, so that we, Israel and the Jewish people, could be safe, protected and free. We will stand in silent tribute, stopping all activity when the sirens blast for a moment of silence. As the day closes, Yom Ha’Atzmaut, (Independence Day) Israel’s birthday, will begin. Together with Am Yisrael, I will sing, dance and celebrate the

anniversary of meeting my husband and both of our birthdays. As the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah” (the Hope) proclaims, Israel and I will rejoice together as “free people, in our Jewish homeland.” L’chaim to both of us!

helped us to be and to feel useful to her. And we always left feeling uplifted. On her 100th birthday, her assisted living facility held a special celebration for my aunt, coordinated with our yearly visit. My brother and I each wrote a song for her, and there was a party outside which included her caretakers and fellow residents. It truly felt like a celebration of her life and her way of connecting with people. Inevitably, my aunt’s health continued a downward slide. At the end, her grandchildren came down to bury her in the Florida Jewish cemetery she had chosen to rest in peace. My siblings and I did not attend the funeral. We felt we had said what we needed to say while she was alive.

Instead, we headed down to Florida for our yearly visit a few months later. We made a stop at her assisted living home, and we expressed our thanks in various ways to those who had cared for our aunt so lovingly. We decided that AJ would have been okay with that. My aunt taught us many things. If you are caring and curious about the people who surround you, they are more likely to care about you. Help people to know what you need and what you can do for yourself. Death does not end a relationship. One of the challenges of aging is to continue to find purpose in your life. And maybe the most important message is: If you look for it, you can almost always find “the love in the room.”

Beverly Kent Goldenberg of Huntington Woods has been a life member of Hadassah since 1968. She is a member of the Eleanor Roosevelt Chapter, Hadassah Greater Detroit. A social worker by profession, she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan. Beverly worked at Jewish Family Service and Hillel Day School of Metro Detroit for over 30 years, creating social skills programs for children that were modeled statewide.

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MAY 5 • 2022

ON THE COVER

Witness to War JFS Detroit social worker aids Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

YULIYA GAYDAYENKO JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE

TOP: Ukrainian refugees at the airport before their flight to their new life in Israel. ABOVE: The Ghetto Wall marker in Warsaw.

MAY 5 • 2022

hen the war in Ukraine started, I felt shocked. My family and friends speak Russian, and we are all from different parts of the former Soviet Union. Many of my friends and colleagues are from Ukraine. I am a social worker focusing on older adults at Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit, having come to the U.S. in 1995 as a refugee from Moscow, Russia. One of my grandparents was born in a little shtetl in Ukraine, and my mom and her parents lived in Kharkiv for 10 years with the fondest memories of the beautiful city. Or what the city was before this war. It felt absurd, surreal, and there was nothing I could do to change that. I could try to help my friends, talking them through the grief and betrayal. I could lead a group meditation and facilitate a trauma impact conversation with our staff at JFS who had family in Ukraine or worked with Holocaust survivors, many of whom were born in Ukraine. I donated money to humanitarian aid organizations and talked to our partner agencies about any plans for refugee resettlement for those escaping war. But I wanted to do more. And when our agency received a request from the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, calling on Russianspeaking mental health professionals to volunteer in Poland assisting Ukrainian refugees, I raised my hand. With the blessing and support of Jewish Family Service CEO Perry Ohren, I applied for a twoweek deployment with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and was selected for this mission, funded in part by the Jewish Federations of North America.

I tried to prepare the best I could, gathering donations for the urgent need items we received from JAFI staff. A week later, after running around like a wild woman, gathering medical certification that I was in good enough shape for this trip, signing my life away in liability forms, and meeting with my family and friends before I left, I was traveling to New York and onward to Warsaw, Poland, from there, with my own small suitcase and a larger one filled with donations. My family and friends were somewhat worried (probably an understatement), but I overruled their anxiety, as I felt I could contribute my skills and expertise to help. At our orientation before the trip, we were told we would live in the same hotel where refugees are placed, eat the same food and would be sharing a room with another volunteer. That last one was the scariest part for my American friends, but for those of us who came from the former Soviet Union, sharing living space (and taking turns to use a shared bathroom and shower) was nothing new. I’ve heard horrible, painful stories from my friends about their family members’ and friends’ war experiences in Ukraine. So, I thought I was totally mentally and emotionally prepared for the trip and knew what to expect. ARRIVAL IN POLAND The first thing I saw as I arrived at the hotel in Warsaw was that it was much nicer than I expected, probably what we would rate a three-

or four-star hotel. The next thing I saw, when I entered my assigned room that I was to share with a stranger, was one big bed. After the first moment of slight shock, I realized that there were two twin beds put together, and the hotel staff was able to pull them apart, albeit only a few inches. My roommate turned out to be a wonderful nurse from Montreal, Canada, who was born in Kyiv, then repatriated to Israel, and after 13 years of working in a hospital with patients wounded by rockets, decided to move to Canada. There were six other people from Montreal in our volunteer group, and they all spoke Hebrew, English and French in addition to Russian (and some Ukrainian and some Polish). There were also two Israelis, who currently live in the U.S. (and spoke three languages). And the group was rounded out by three Americans (including me) and one Israeli, the four of us “only” bilingual and feeling slightly inadequate in the group that kept switching among languages. That first night we met with some of the JAFI staff and a small group of previous volunteers, who were preparing to depart the next day. Our group had social workers, teachers, medical and IT professionals, so we tried to assign jobs to ourselves where we felt we would fit. I helped with kids’ activities on the first day, but after that had to step in and assist in the Humanitarian Aid store, where I was then needed for the rest of the deployment. continued on page 16

TOP: A volunteer sorts through donations in the Humanitarian Aid store. MIDDLE: Volunteer nurses at work. BOTTOM: Volunteers make challah with refugee families before Shabbat.

MAY 5 • 2022

“LISTENING WHEN THERE WAS A NEED TO HEAR, HUGGING WHEN A HUG WAS NEEDED, CRYING WITH THOSE WHO CRIED AND JUST BEING THERE FOR OTHERS.” — JFS’ YULIA GAYDAYENKO

Yuliya (center) with fellow volunteers

MAY 5 • 2022

ON THE COVER continued from page 15

I was also busy assisting a Holocaust survivor in getting to the dining hall for breakfast, lunch and dinner, checking on families quarantined in their rooms due to COVID, and many other “small” things that were needed. Listening when there was a need to hear, hugging when a hug was needed, crying with those who cried and just being there for others. Our volunteers helped with anything they could to assist JAFI staff and refugees: helping on the border, helping in the hotel, working with kids, staffing the medical room and Humanitarian Aid store, purchasing the supplies, accompanying refugees to medical clinics and their pets to the vet appointments, ensuring those with medical needs unable to be in the dining hall received food, organizing a trip to a concert and a tour to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, taking a group of kids and parents to a park, and so much more. REFUGEE STORIES All my mental and emotional preparation still did not prepare me for the raw wave of emotion I was hit with as refugees, mostly women with children and older adults, shared their stories. Some of the stories hit me in the gut, got hooked in my heart — and it was at that point I probably realized that I was not there just to help. We were also there to witness. And to bring some of these stories back, so everyone who reads it would feel that this pain and suffering is happening in the 21st century to people just like us. There are people just like us who are suffering from families being separated, killed and losing everything they’ve worked for their entire lives, whether they are fleeing Ukraine, Syria or Afghanistan, or other war zones. Here are some of the stories that stayed with me: • A young woman with a 3-month-old baby and a 7-year-old daughter from Mariupol, accompanied by her husband’s grandmother. Her 32-year-old husband was killed when he left the basement of their house to get water for an elderly neighbor. The 7-year-old doesn’t know her daddy is dead and is waiting for him, drawing pictures for him in a kids’ group run by a volunteer. His grandmother came to the Humanitarian Aid store and cried on my shoulder, saying that she couldn’t cry in front of her grandson’s wife. Grandma raised her grandson and was repeating, “I don’t want to live. Let them take me instead of him.” • An 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, who evacuated from Odessa in 1941 when she was 5 years old, and now again, in a wheelchair, needing assistance to get out of the room during mealtimes and

with personal care. I ended up helping to bathe her, as we couldn’t find anyone else to do it. • An elderly man from Mariupol, putting his 10-member family, a dog and a pregnant cat in three cars and slowly making his way out, having to stop for days at a time to gather enough gasoline to continue their escape. He left his house after a rocket exploded in his yard, busting his windows and hitting his leg with a piece of shrapnel. They had to abandon their cars near the border. His son, an Israeli citizen, was not allowed through, as he was also a Ukrainian citizen and under 60. The elderly man was emotionless as he told us, “I am from a city that doesn’t exist anymore,” and sharing that tanks “ironed out” an old cemetery, so he won’t be able to find his mother’s grave when he comes back. He held a piece of shrapnel in one hand and a newborn, blind kitten, the size of a small apple, in his other hand. His cat had five kittens the day after they arrived at the hotel, after almost four weeks of travel, and he said that this was what kept him sane and moving forward — his family and this pregnant cat with precious cargo in her belly. • A tall, powerful looking woman with a proud carriage, a former model, crying in the elevator, as she was preparing to send her 13-year-old son off to a special program for teenagers in Israel (similar to a boarding school) alone, while she was going back to Ukraine to join her husband. • An elderly woman, whose mother was the Righteous Among the Nations, saving a Jewish family during World War II, evacuated from Chernigov by an Israeli vol-

unteer, staying at the hotel for a few days before she flies to Israel to stay with the descendants of the Jewish family. A circle of kindness and humanity closing in a full loop. • And so many others, coming with no change of clothing, needing everything from underwear, socks, a T-shirt, pants, a coat and shoes to a toothbrush and toothpaste. BACK HOME I am now back in Michigan, safe and sound. I was in Poland for 11 days, but it feels that I see life very differently, even after such a short time. Amidst all the pain, loss and all the trauma of the war, I saw amazing spirit, dedication and so many Light Workers gathering to help. continued on page 18

TOP: A volunteer nurse sorts through donated medical supplies. ABOVE: JAFI staff with volunteers. LEFT: A piece of shrapnel that was taken out of an elderly man’s leg after his home was hit.

MAY 5 • 2022

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS

ON THE COVER continued from page 17

“I WAS NOT THERE JUST TO HELP. WE WERE ALSO THERE TO WITNESS.” — JFS’ YULIA GAYDAYENKO

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.

MAY 5 • 2022

I am grateful and honored to have met the Jewish Agency for Israel staff, many of whom are refugees from Kyiv themselves, working nonstop at all hours of the day and night on the border and then to settle newly arriving refugees from the border into the hotel, working with the Israeli Consulate, making arrangements for transporting thousands of people in a month-and-a-half, including medical transport for people unable to sit on the airplane as well as transport for animals. And doing so much more, working with donors and volunteers to ensure all needed supplies, volunteer medical professionals, etc. I am grateful and honored to have met volunteers from Poland, Israel, Canada and the U.S., supporting the JAFI staff in anything that needed to be done. I am grateful and honored to have met amazing people, experiencing loss and unimaginable pain and, at the same time, gathering to learn Hebrew with their kids, preparing for their new life in Israel, doing a Zumba class with their kids, and teaching their dogs to walk with a muzzle and their cats to stay in the crate for their travel. I am grateful and honored to have met donors who showed up with money collected from friends and

colleagues, ready to purchase any needed supplies. I am grateful and honored to have been trusted with donations from my own friends and colleagues, which allowed me to purchase whatever was needed for the day: deodorants, T-shirts, shoes, flip-flops, hairbrushes, pants, dog and cat food (and more deodorants, T-shirts and pants). And I am very grateful and honored to have represented the Jewish Federations of North America and to have been supported by an amazing agency where I have worked for the past 13 years, Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit. Thank you, everyone, for your support! If there was one thing I could ask for as you read this, it would be to stop for a minute and send your light, your prayers and your good thoughts to help heal the torn land and the torn apart families. If we all join forces in doing that at least once every day, we can help create a communal healing that is so much needed. Yuliya Gaydayenko, LMSW, MA, is Chief Program Officer, Older Adult Services, at Jewish Family Service, and the 2015 Mandell L. & Madeleine H. Berman Award for Outstanding Professional Jewish Communal Service winner. She was resettled as a refugee from Moscow, Russia, in Flint with her family in 1995.

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OUR COMMUNITY SYNAGOGUE SPOTLIGHT

Temple Kol Ami

Prides itself on inclusiveness and social action. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

emple Kol Ami is an intimate Reform congregation in West Bloomfield with roughly 250 member families. Daniel Mesa, TKA’s executive director, says what makes TKA special is its inclusiveness, its position as a social action temple and the well-roundedness in the activities it does. “This year, eight new families joined. For our congreDaniel gation, that’s a huge number,” Mesa Mesa said. “The biggest reason they all said is they love the community feel. People come up and they talk. There are not different types of groups; everyone kind of belongs to one group itself. They feel comfortable and belong immediately.” In 1966, eight founding families formed “The New Temple,” a reform Jewish congregation serving Metro Detroit with a strong dedication to liberal Judaism, a socially conscious philosophy, and a commitment to Israel and the Jewish people. In 1970, the congregation adopted the name Temple Kol Ami (Kol Ami means “Voice of My People”). Here’s a brief timeline: • In 1975, under the leadership of Rabbi Ernst Conrad and Music Director Nathalie Conrad, TKA opened its own building — one of the first Jewish organizations with a building in West Bloomfield. • In 1986, Rabbi Norman T. Roman joined TKA as its second senior rabbi and would hold that post for 30 years. Roman became Rabbi Emeritus in 2016. • In 2007, TKA broke ground on a new wing to house the TKA Family Religious School. • In 2010, B’nai Israel Synagogue (BI), a Conservative congregation down the

MAY 5 • 2022

street, needed a new home. TKA and BI leadership worked out an arrangement to share TKA’s building. The two congregations often overlap when it comes to services and programs. • In 2012, TKA became a model in congregation financing by eliminating dues and launching a pledge system. Members pledge the amount that works for them as their annual financial commitment. TKA has been running a food pantry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since early July 2020. It started small with just a few families and grew steadily. At its height, it fed more than 90 families a week. The pantry has worked in partnership with Hazon, which collects the food each week. Originally intended to last two to three months as a pop-up pantry, Mesa says the pantry will continue indefinitely. “It really makes a huge difference for people,” he said. “The Green Team” is an active piece of the TKA Social Action Committee, initiating programs around recycling, sustainable gardening, bioswales and more. Mesa says TKA prides itself on their participatory services and, starting next year, will be offering more themed services. TKA often takes services and their congregation outside the temple for Havdalah and has planned retreats in the future. “What we’ve learned is you don’t necessarily have to use the sanctuary just to pray; you can pray wherever you are,” Mesa said. “Your community can go anywhere.” TKA started doing a talent show this past year, with members of all ages getting involved and engaged. “We had kids all the way from 5 years old to members who were in their 80s performing,” Mesa said. “It’s about making people feel comfortable in who they are

Volunteers at TKA food pantry

here and allowing people to practice their Judaism however they want to practice it.” TKA members take active and meaningful roles at the congregation, whether their interests lie in Torah study, weekly Shabbat worship services, social action, religious school for their children or adult Jewish education, Mesa says. “If you’re somebody who really just wants to dive into what Judaism means to you and be able to spread your wings, you can dive into the different aspects of Judaism and feel you’re getting something from it,” Mesa said. “We truly encourage people to come experience what Temple Kol Ami is all about.”

VOLUNTEERS OF THE WEEK

Meet Mike and Sandi Malowitz

Windsor couple keeps things moving at the Windsor Jewish Community Center and Federation. RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ike and Sandi Malowitz have both been nominated to be our volunteers of the week for being active with the Windsor Jewish Community Center and Jewish Federation. The retired couple feel it’s important to keep the Jewish identity strong in their community and will do whatever they can to make it better. Mike is the president of Windsor JCC and Federation while his wife, Sandi, is an active volunteer for the organization. Sandi said she used to work as a program director. “I was staff at Federation JCC for many, many years, and then I retired and now I’m just involved with Mike on

programs and activities.” Mike added that he’s very community-minded and just gets a kick out of being involved. “I’ve also been president of our congregation and long past president of the Dental Society. This is actually my second round as president of the of the center. I was president roughly 25 years ago and I know a little bit more than I did the first time.” He says while it’s a volunteer position, he has a lot of fun with it. “I enjoy it. It’s for the betterment of the community. And that’s where my head is. So that’s what I do,” he added. Just recently, the couple says the Windsor Federation has worked

hard to put on its 19th Annual Ruth and Bernard Friedman Windsor Jewish Film Festival that began April 25. “I do the creative part, the brochure or the poster, the PowerPoint, before each film. I just get a kick out of it. I enjoyed doing it. So, every year it’s gotten a little better and the committee’s wonderful to work on,” Mike said. Since the pandemic, the Windsor Federation has continued to keep things going with virtual events, but both Mike and Sandi say they are excited to be back in person again with the goal of doing one program a week. “We’re very active. We’re back programming as much as we can,

Mike and Sandi Malowitz

as quickly as we can. We’re just setting up now for the summer day camp. We’re planning some other things that will be ongoing. They’re not finalized yet,” he said. Mike says even though the Windsor community is smaller than the Metro Detroit community, they are actively working to build a strong Jewish identity and hope to become more involved with the Metro Detroit Jewish community. To find more details about the Windsor Jewish Federation and its upcoming events, head to their website: www.jewishwindsor.org.

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OUR COMMUNITY

Honor These

Shirley Benyas

The 29th annual celebration takes place on Zoom May 22. JN STAFF

MAY 5 • 2022

Charles Danto

Dr. Joseph Jacobson

ince 1993, Jewish Senior Life has honored eight remarkable people in our community, each 80 years of age or older, with the Tikkun Olam Award for helping to “Repair the World.” This year’s outstanding honorees are Shirley Benyas, Charles Danto, Dr.

Sophie Klisman

Joseph Jacobson, Sophie Klisman, Rene Lichtman, Rae Sharfman, Jerry Soble, and Sylvia Starkman. Among this year’s group of honorees are businessmen, artists, human rights activists and Holocaust survivors. In partnership with the Frankel Jewish Academy, students interview the

Eight Over Eighty

Rene Lichtman

eight honorees and lifelong friendships are made. This year’s FJA students are Allison Feldman, Erin Grey, Aliyah Lofman, Merrick Michaelson, Caleb Robbins, Zion Rozin, Erin Starr and Ben TaylorAbt. Eight Over Eighty is Jewish Senior

Rae Sharfman

Jerry Soble

Life’s major annual fundraiser. Proceeds from Eight Over Eighty enhance the quality of life for residents throughout all JSL communities, with an emphasis on subsidizing the cost of food for low-income residents. Join the virtual celebration on May 22 at noon by visiting jslmi.org/8over80.

Sylvia Starkman

You can recognize these leaders of the community by becoming a sponsor or purchasing an ad in the Eight Over Eighty Ad Journal. Make your donation online at jslmi.org/8over80 or by contacting Amanda Martlock at (248) 592-5098, amartlock@jslmi.org. Ad Journal deadline is May 6. MAY 5 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

LEFT: Shoppers browse at a past Bookstock sale. RIGHT: Honorary Co-Chair and Detroit Free Press Columnist Neal Rubin and Alycia Meriweather, DPSCD Superintendent and Bookstock Honorary Chancellor.

Bookstock Is Back!

After a two-year pause, the epic sale has more books and media than ever. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

fter a two-year COVID-induced absence, Metro Detroit’s “biggest and best used book and media sale” will return to Livonia’s Laurel Park Place from May 15-22. New this year, in addition to more than 200 tables brimming with used books and media inside the mall, shoppers can find a great sampling of Bookstock’s offerings in their outdoor tent. Even with the two-year pause, the Bookstock leadership team stayed together and has been working diligently behind the scenes to make sure the sale, first launched 20 years ago, would return. “A small group of volunteers continued to meet weekly at our book depot, now at Congregation Beth Ahm, continuing to sort books and hold a few pop-up sales for members of Bookstock’s partner agencies,” said Beverly Phillips, Bookstock’s publicity chair. “Even during COVID we were meeting, trying to figure

MAY 5 • 2022

out how we could come back because we knew we were out of people’s minds and memories for two years. We knew that would be a challenge.” Proceeds from Bookstock benefit literacy and education projects throughout Detroit and Oakland and Wayne counties, as well as several counties in northern Michigan. Detroit Free Press Columnist Neal Rubin is Honorary Chairperson of Bookstock and Alycia Meriweather, deputy superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), is Bookstock’s Honorary Chancellor. Bookstock 2022’s Presenting Sponsor is the Mike Morse Law Firm. THIS YEAR’S KICK-OFF Bookstock’s Pre-Sale will kick off on Sunday, May 15, at 8:15 a.m. with a performance by members of the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s Renaissance High School Marching Band. There is a $20

admission charge for the presale only, which runs through 11 a.m. and offers shoppers and collectors first crack at Bookstock’s treasure trove of bargains. This year, Bookstock offers more than ever before, with hundreds of thousands of gently used books, DVDs, CDs, books on tape and vinyl for sale at bargain basement prices. The sale will continue through Sunday, May 22, running Sundays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and Monday through Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Bookstock 2022 will celebrate teachers with Teacher Appreciation Days on May 17 and May 18, giving 50% off to all teachers with a valid ID from 2-7 p.m. On Tuesday at 5 p.m., the Bookstock B.E.S.T. Awards (Bookstock’s Extraordinary Student/School/ Teacher essay contest) will be presented to DPSCD fourthgrade students, and cash prizes

will be given to students, their teachers and their schools. There will be a Half Price Finale on Sunday, May 22. Over its nearly two decades, Bookstock has generated more than $2.25 million for literacy and education projects in Michigan. Nearly 700 volunteers work together throughout the year to organize and staff the weeklong Bookstock sale. Over the course of the pandemic, Bookstock increased their social media presence. In December, Bookstock started holding a series of Facebook

Live events at independent bookstores. Rubin conducts all the interviews for the events. “We felt because our focus is literacy, we want to also highlight the independent bookstores that are the lifeblood of

INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING.

our community in terms of INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING. literacy,” Phillips said. Bookstock also had one event at the Southfield Library. Guests include local authors and bookstore owners. Phillips says Bookstock wants to come back in the biggest way possible, as they’ve been holding back INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING. for two years. “I hope it really solidifies people’s passion for literacy, INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING. education and their love of reading. Bookstock is a great recycling event because it gets books out of people’s basements and back in other people’s laps, where they belong.” Sharon Resnick, a Bookstock volunteer and co-chair who helps lead the charge in sorting books at All Seasons invites you to discover new perspectives and their depot, says they have enjoy every moment of every day! more inventory than ever before. All Seasons invites you to discover new perspectives and “Right now, I’d say we have 3,000-3,500 boxes of books enjoy every moment of every day! and media,” she said. “I would say we have easily well over 300,000 items to sell.” Resnick views Bookstock’s return as a return to normal For the Joys of Senior Living life and looks forward to seeing Bookstock friends and clearing out everything they have stored so they can start For the Joys of Senior Living fresh in the fall. “I would love to get as many of these books and media into the hands of people as we can, and I would love to see people in the mall happily taking home new treasures,” Resnick said. Bookstock is brought to the community by a consortium of nonprofit orga5600 nizations that support edu5600Drake DrakeRoad Road| |West WestBloomfield, Bloomfield,MIMI| 248.419.7838 | 248.419.7838 cation and literacy projects AllSeasonsWestBloomfield.com throughout Metro Detroit. AllSeasonsWestBloomfield.com Managed by: Ask Us Why! Proud Recipient of the Prestigious For more information about Bookstook, call the Bookstock hotline, (248) Managed by: Ask Us Why! Proud Recipient of the Prestigious Managed Ask UsAsk Why! Proud Recipient of of the Managed by: by: Us Why! 645-7840, ext. 365, or visit Prestigious Proud Recipient thePrestigious bookstockmi.org.

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MAY 5 • 2022

OUR COMMUNITY

Antisemitism Rises in State

ADL cites a 56% increase in incidents in 2021. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

he 2021 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents issued April 26 by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) shows antisemitic incidents in Michigan increasing on an alarming trend, mirroring nationwide figures. Michigan saw a significant increase from 51 incidents in 2020 to 112 incidents in 2021. Antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high in the United States in 2021, with a total of 2,717 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism reported to

Antisemitic Incidents in Michigan Five Year Review

the ADL. The 34% year-overyear increase represents the highest number of incidents on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979. Michigan was once again among the states with the most incidents. Incident reports came from 32 cities across the state, said Carolyn Carolyn Normandin, ADL Normandin Michigan regional director. “This is troublesome, and it has been troublesome for several years,” Normandin said. “There are more incidents reported to our office than ever before. It’s really problematic that hate, and particularly antisemitism, has become so common in this country and state that we see these numbers at alltime highs.” The audit reported 104 continued on page 28

MAY 5 • 2022

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Eclectic Artist

Award-winning Artist Alice Frank has a show at Lawrence Street Gallery.

Alice Frank. RIGHT: “Golden Lady,” 25x25 fired metal by Alice Frank.

JN STAFF

ward-winning artist Alice Frank has a large solo show opening May 6 at the Lawrence Street Gallery, a cooperative, member-run gallery in Ferndale. Alice and her husband, Sidney, are longtime members of Temple Kol Ami and have been Metro Detroit residents for more than 52 years. Her work was recently honored by the Michigan Watercolor Society and went on tour with Mercedes Benz. An original enamel sculpture of hers was acquired by the The Zekelman Holocaust Center. Frank has shown work in

competitively juried art shows across the state (from East Jordan to Petoskey to Ann Arbor) and in galleries across the country. Now it’s available — and affordable — for local art lovers. Frank said she’s always gathering new sources of inspiration, from studying the textures of the bark on trees during a walk in Cranbrook later to be echoed in her mixed media pieces to charming neighborhood dogs and translating their whimsy into her playful metal sculptures and prints. Her show will feature enamel, mixed media, watercolor,

handmade paper, fiber arts, silver jewelry and much more. In another artist’s hands such a diversity of work could feel too wide ranging but with over 35 years of study and experimentation, her artwork comes together as thematic, expressive and incredibly captivating. Prices of works range from $35-$2,000 so there is something memorable for every budget. The show runs through the month of May (closing the Saturday before Memorial Day).

Small Copper Pin by Alice Frank

ANTISEMITISM RISES IN STATE continued from page 26

harassment incidents in Michigan, cases where one or more Jews reported feeling harassed by antisemitic language or actions, and eight vandalism incidents, cases where property was damaged in a manner that harmed or intimidated Jews. Twelve of Michigan’s incidents were classified as extremist related; Folksfront, a neo-Nazi group, was very active with propaganda across the state. Eighteen incidents involved Jewish schools or institutions and 11 incidents occurred in non-Jewish schools or universities. ANN ARBOR FACTOR Witness for Peace (WFP), an antisemitic and antiIsrael group, continued its weekly protests outside Ann Arbor’s Beth Israel Congregation throughout 2021

MAY 5 • 2022

(the protests began in 2003). Prior to 2021, ADL tabulated these harassment incidents once a month. In 2021, the methodology was updated to more accurately reflect the disruptive and traumatic impact that these weekly violations are having on many Jews in Ann Arbor. “WFP’s weekly agitation of the congregants at the synagogue for nearly two decades is outrageous,” Normandin said. “Although the degree of the spike in Michigan was impacted by the change in counting methodology for the WFP incidents, even excluding those numbers, Michigan still saw a 56% increase.” On a national scale, the ADL audit found that antisemitic incidents reached a high watermark across virtually every category. Attacks against

Jewish institutions, including Jewish community centers and synagogues, were up by 61%. Incidents at K-12 schools increased 106% and incidents on college campuses rose 21%. Incidents were reported in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia. Assaults, considered the most serious incident type because it involves person-on-person physical violence triggered by antisemitic animus, increased 167%, jumping to a total of 88 reports in 2021 from 33 in 2020. Incidents of harassment were up 43%, and acts of antisemitic vandalism rose 14%. A substantial surge was reported during the May 2021 conflict between Israel and Hamas. There was a 148% increase in reports of antisemitic incidents that month

when compared to May 2020. A total of 387 incidents were reported that month with 297 of the incidents occurring after May 10, the date marking the official start of military action. With continuing alarming trends state-wide and nationally, Normandin urges people to combat the hate by using their voice and urging others to do the same. “My No. 1 guidance is that we must stand up to antisemitism and all forms of hatred,” Normandin said. “We cannot let this become normalized behavior. Let’s make sure everyone holds public officials and civic leaders accountable. They must speak out against antisemitism. That’s got to be a standard practice.”

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Art Tours at the DIA

Jewish Historical Society plans to restart Jewish-themed tours. SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

arbara Madgy Cohn, a trained docent at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), has been to the museum many times, but a few years ago, she noticed for the first time four paintings that included Hebrew writing. An art history specialist with a master’s degree in museum studies from Johns Hopkins University, Cohn undertook research to learn about the meaning and context of these paintings. This led her to develop a Jewish-themed art tour at the DIA for the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan (JHSM); she is one of its vice presidents. The first tour in 2019 was enthusiastically received with 80 participants and a waiting list. Unfortunately, the pandemic meant that additional tours were put on hold. But now, JHSM is planning to start the tours again in June. Recently, Cohn led a pilot tour with JHSM members Ron Elkus, who has served as a JHSM docent; Jeannie Weiner, a JHSM vice president; and Suzanne Curtis, who serves on its board of directors. The group viewed a diverse selection of paintings with Jewish themes, such as The Jewish Cemetery by Jacob van Ruisdael, Ben Shahn’s Book Shop, and portraits of Samson and Delilah with Hebrew names above them.

MAY 5 • 2022

ABOVE: Barbara Cohn describes features of Diego Rivera’s mural to Ron Elkus and Jeannie Weiner. RIGHT: Jeannie Weiner and Suzanne Curtis at the DIA.

Cohn views the art tour as “a way to connect with the DIA in a new way.” The museum has one of the largest and most prestigious collections in the U.S. with 65,000 works of art. In addition to paintings with Jewish themes and references, including biblical stories, Cohn pointed out several works of art originally owned by European Jews that were taken from them by the Nazis and later “restituted”— returned to the original owners or their descendants. In 1950, the

DIA was the first U.S. museum to return a piece of Nazilooted art, a painting by Claude Monet, to its rightful owner. The DIA’s very famous and popular Detroit Industry murals, which adorn the walls of the Rivera Court, have a Jewish connection. The murals painted by Diego Rivera include portrayals of Henry and Edsel Ford. But they also depict a tool and die worker named Harry Glicksman — an Orthodox Jew who worked at Ford from 1916 to 1952. Cohn

munity who have donated explained that Rivera wantfunds or artwork to the ed to depict a German person on the assembly line and museum. Albert Kahn, a German Jewish thought that immigrant Glicksman was OPPOSITE PAGE, who became a a Jewish name. LEFT: Barbara Cohn with Head of a Saint world-renown (Glicksman was (shown mounted architect, was actually born in on another artwork) asked to design Poland.) In the donated by Albert Kahn. a bigger DIA mural, he wears museum on a cap typical of BELOW: Harry Woodward the 1930s but Glicksman is pictured in the front Avenue during switched to a row, fourth from left, the 1920s. yarmulke when in Detroit Industry. According to he left the facCohn, Kahn tory. declined the prestigious The DIA has benefited commission due to other from many generous members of Detroit’s Jewish com- work commitments but served on the Art Commission that chose Paul Cret as the architect for the new building. Kahn had an extensive art collection and donated some artworks to the DIA. Cohn showed the JHSM members several examples including Head of a Saint, a Spanish limestone sculpture from the early 13th century. Kahn also gave two sets of beautiful silver candlesticks to the museum; these are exhibited in glass cases. Today the DIA has several galleries named after major Jewish art collectors and donors from the Detroit area. JHSM is training members to be docents for the Jewish connection art tours and hopes to begin offering them in June. Information will be available at michjewishhistory.org. The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan, a nonprofit educational organization, was founded in 1959 to interpret and highlight the history of Jewish Michigan. JHSM offers docent-led tours, lectures, classroom materials and publications.

The shops at

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Lincoln Shopping Center GREENFIELD and 10½ MILE MAY 5 • 2022

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Cooking for Ukraine Farber High School students, staff raise money for Ukrainian orphans. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER TOP: Hodaya Ellis, Alyssa Skoczylas, Jordana Jacobs, Daphna Feldman and Rena Press work together. BELOW LEFT: Farber student Jordana Jacobs preparing Yerushalmi Kugel. RIGHT: Farber students Avi Selesny. Aharon Kosofsky and Aviel Siegel hard at work.

MAY 5 • 2022

ast month, Farber High School students and staff came together to help those in need halfway around the world. Daphna Feldman, Farber High School’s Hebrew coordinator, watched the news when the war started in Ukraine and, like everybody else, was very upset and disturbed. Feldman then read about children from two Jewish orphanages in Odessa who fled the country seeking refuge and felt something needed to be done. Together with her faculty, it was decided to launch a fundraising activity. Feldman and her team decided they were going to cook — making enhancements for the Shabbat Hagadol meal, the Shabbat before Passover. It was decided they would cook the food and sell it with all proceeds raised going to the Jewish children who were forced to leave their orphanages in search of safety. The food

was sold to Farber families and some families from Young Israel of Oak Park. About 30-35 Farber high school students and five Farber teachers from the Hebrew department did the cooking. The youth organization Bnei Akiva also joined them. The cooking was done in stages and took place over two weeks. The food was cooked out of Farber’s school kitchen and the Young Israel of Oak Park kitchen. Rabbi Sharly Digedker also spent many hours in the kitchen helping out. “We felt our students should be engaged in something like this, and they should learn when our fellow Jews are in trouble, we need to help them,” Feldman said. “And rather than just go and ask them to bring me a certain amount of money from home, I wanted them involved in doing something and feel they’re actually doing something to help the kids.” The five-course enhancements included Yerushalmi Kugel, seasoned rice, puff pastry filled with mushrooms, Salatim (Israeli salad) and chocolate cake. Daphna Feldman, fundraiser organizer, helping prepare the food.

More than 50 families ordered the meals and around $3,000 was raised for the orphans. Feldman said some families donated money. Some families sponsored the fundraiser, giving them a bigger amount of money to help cover their expenses. Feldman says the students were truly engaged in the fundraiser, which she hoped would be the case. “I really wanted to stress to them that if we don’t help our fellow Jews wherever they are in trouble, then who is going to help them?” Feldman said. “Indifference is something we don’t live by. We have to show we care, and if we could just put a smile on these Jewish orphans’ faces for Passover, if they can get something new for Passover, that would be nice. I think it’s a very important lesson to teach our students.” Feldman would like to see other schools do the same thing or something similar to help the cause. “I’m hoping if other schools read about it, they’ll do something too,” Feldman said. “We need to take care of each other.”

A Conversation with Bernie Smilovitz CHAIM, Children of Holocaust Survivors in Michigan, welcomes WDIV sports anchor Bernie Smilovitz for a community conversation Thursday, May 12, at 7 p.m. at The Zekelman Holocause Center in Farmington Hills. Bernie will share stories about his mother, survivor Rita Smilovitz. Channel 4 anchor Devin Scillian will be host. Attendance is free, but space is limited. Please RSVP

Rita and Bernie Smilovitz

by Tuesday, May 10, to chaim2gen@gmail.com.

SOAR to Hold Mock Trial

The SOAR Mock Trial, a recurring program offered by SOAR Lifelong Learning Institute (formerly the Society of Active Retirees) is back. Produced by Stephen Steinhardt, this popular event puts audience members in the jury box as they listen to a cast of real-life expert witnesses and attorneys who offer testimony as to whether President Gerald Ford was justified in his decision to pardon his predecessor Richard Nixon. At the conclusion of the event, the “jury” will render its decision. This free event will take place attThe Hawk Community Center Auditorium, 29995 W. 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, on Friday, May 6, at 1 p.m. The two-hour event is structured like a real trial in which the “jury” hears arguments from attorneys and expert witnesses. Attorney Chris Nesi will serve as the prosecutor/ plaintiff and argue that Ford was not justified: the central core of his argument being that whatever other circumstances were involved, the President of the United States must be held to the same or better legal, mora, and ethical standards. Pardoning Nixon when others were convicted and served time set a poor precedent for future presidents and their behavior. The defense, led by Professor Robert Sedler, Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus at Wayne State University, will argue that by accepting a pardon, there was an admission of guilt: the system worked, Nixon stepped down, it was time to let the country heal. Richard Nixon, played by Judge Michael Warren, will take the stand to attest to the accomplishments of his time in office and that his resignation allowed the country to move on without impeachment hearings. And the final witness, Gerald Ford, played by journalist Jack Lessenberry, will testify his actions were in the best interest of the country, that by accepting the pardon, Nixon admitted guilt. Other witnesses include Other Joe Kosmala, Dana Warnez and John Chmura. Reservations are required. SOAR follows current CDC COVID guidelines. For more information and tickets, go to www.soarexplore.com or call, (248) 626-0296.

MAY 5 • 2022

faces&places

Diplomatic Seder LAUREN GARFIELD-HERRIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg tells guests about the bimah and shows them a Torah scroll at Congregation Shaarey Zedek.

Monique Brewer, in between her parents, Barbara and Pastor Brewer, sang “Oh Freedom.”

FAR LEFT: The Consuls General and JCRC/AJC staff at the Diplomatic Seder. LEFT: Co-chairs Howard Brown and Carol Ogusky.

he Jewish Community Relations Council/American Jewish Committee had the honor of once again hosting its annual Diplomatic Seder in person, the first time since 2019, at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in early April. An inspiring evening, Honorary Consul of Korea David Rodon served as the honorary chair and was joined by fellow members of the Michigan Diplomatic Corps representing countries such as Great Britain, France, Canada, Poland, Latvia, Belgium and Brazil. The diverse audience, who were filled with joy to once again join together, included JCRC/AJC

MAY 5 • 2022

board members and past presidents, as well as friends representing the Muslim, African American, Christian and Hindu communities. Led by Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg, alongside JCRC/AJC Board President Seth Gould, Executive Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin and Diplomatic Committee Co-Chairs Howard Brown and Carol Ogusky, the seder began in the main sanctuary where attendees learned about the different parts of the bimah and viewed a Torah scroll. A highlight was when “Oh, Freedom” was sung by Monique Brewer, alongside her parents Barbara and Pastor Brewer.

Guests then moved into Handleman Hall for the main part of the program, where a moment of silence was held for the people of Ukraine. Diners at each table enjoyed learning and informative conversation, some of which included the four questions said in the diplomats’ own language, as well as a traditional Passover meal. For JCRC/AJC, one of the organization’s main hopes is to build bridges to peace between all faith communities. The evening was a success as Passover customs, from slavery to freedom, were shared and warmly embraced.

SPORTS

Marathon Man

Berkley resident Shawn Achtman runs in the first spring Boston Marathon since 2019. the 126th Boston Marathon was 3:03.55. “Disappointing,” he said when asked about his time. “I wanted to at least beat the time I ran in the Detroit marathon.” So what caused his disappointment on the iconic 26.2-mile Boston Marathon course that stretches from Hopkinton to Copley Square? “I was told not to go out too fast because the first 15-16 miles of the race are mostly downhill and the rest of the race is mostly uphill, but I did,” he said. “I went from a 6:30 per mile pace to a 7:01 per mile pace. “Also, I didn’t train as much as I did for the Detroit marathon. Running in Michigan during the winter is a challenge. “I’d say it was the lack of enough training more than any-

thing else that caused me to run Boston slower than Detroit.” Despite the disappointment about his time, Achtman said he’s happy he competed in the Boston Marathon. A big reason is because he shared the experience with more than 28,000 other runners and hundreds of thousands of spectators, including his wife, Jenny, their children Aden, 3, and Demi, 1, and his brother Ryan, who traveled from his home in Brooklyn, N.Y. “The weather was great for the race. It was about 45 degrees with no clouds. My right arm and right shoulder got sun-burned,” Achtman said. “In the world of running, it’s a dream to compete in the Boston Marathon, and I did it.” That dream had been a night-

Shawn Achtman enjoys a post-race moment at the Boston Marathon with his brother Ryan, wife, Jenny, and their children Demi and Aden.

SHAWN ACHTMAN

n his job, Shawn Achtman says, it’s important to practice what you preach. Achtman is a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician in a private practice. He helps patients with physical issues manage those issues and be as active as possible. Physical fitness is a core value of Achtman’s life. He lifts weights every day and plays basketball and golf competitively. Running isn’t one of his physical fitness fortes. But that didn’t stop the 34-year-old Berkley resident from competing last month in the Boston Marathon, the world’s most famous and prestigious marathon. “I was confident that I could qualify to run in the Boston Marathon because I’m in good shape,” he said. “Of course, being a top runner is a whole different beast.” Achtman qualified for the Boston Marathon in October at the Detroit Free Press Marathon. His time of two hours, 54 minutes was six minutes under the three-hour Boston Marathon qualification time for the 18-34 age group. Achtman had run just one marathon previously, and that didn’t end well. “I ran the Detroit marathon about 10 years earlier. I had to walk the last three miles because I was cramping,” he said. “A buddy suggested last summer that I should run in the Detroit marathon. I decided to do it, but only if I had a goal: qualify for the Boston Marathon.” Achtman’s time April 18 in

SHAWN ACHTMAN

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Shawn Achtman is on the run at the Boston Marathon.

mare for runners since 2019, the last time the Boston Marathon was held on Patriots Day. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the race to be canceled in 2020, then delayed, canceled and delayed again until October last year, when a small, socially distanced field competed. Each runner in the 2021 Boston Marathon had to be vaccinated, tested and wear a mask when indoors. Boston Marathon runners had to be vaccinated (or have an exemption) this year, but testing was optional and masks were mandatory only on the buses that took runners to the start of the race. The 2021 race was the only time the Boston Marathon has ever been held in the fall. Achtman said he’s thinking about trying to qualify again for the Boston Marathon. If he does qualify, he said, he’ll train longer and do less weightlifting before the race. Before all that happens, the 5-foot-8, 165-pounder is going to give CrossFit a try. CrossFit is a rigorous workout and competition regimen of aerobic and body weight exercises, gymnastics and weightlifting. Please send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

MAY 5 • 2022

HEALTH

An Expert in Intimacy

Jewish therapist focuses on helping religious couples get more satisfaction in their relationship. STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

rowing up in in Milwaukee, Stefani Goerlich, 52, owner of Bound Together Counseling, recalled that there were three things polite people do not speak of openly in mixed company: religion, politics and sex. “I guess I’ve made a career of all the things you are not supposed to talk about,” said Goerlich, a nationally known sex therapist and author of the bestseller, The Leather Couch: Stefani Clinical Practice with Kinky Clients Goerlich (September 2020, Routledge). The book won the 2020 Book Award of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. This month, Goerlich’s book will be honored with the 2022 Professional Book Award Winner from the Society for Sex Therapy and Research. Goerlich, who lives in Sterling Heights, began her career as a crisis hotline moderator and first worked as an advocate of those victimized by sex trafficking with at-risk girls and women in Detroit. Since her youth in Milwaukee, she said she was drawn to the clergy. At one point, she thought she would join the Navy to become a chaplain. A later-in-life delve into Judaism and Jewish texts led her to begin rabbinical school, but her life took a different direction when her sons developed serious health issues. “Rabbinical school meant I would need to spend a substantial amount of time living in Israel, but my sons’ entire medical team of doctors and specialists were here in Detroit,” Goerlich said. She went on to earn her master’s in social work from Wayne State University, specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy. She completed her post-graduate certificate in sex therapy at the University of Michigan where she is on the teaching faculty of the Sexual Health Certificate Program and holds a Ph.D. in clinical sexology. “My goal was always eventually to circle back and to finish my rabbinical training, but

MAY 5 • 2022

I came to the conclusion that I could serve God and support people in all kinds of ways,” said Goerlich, whose family belongs to Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township and who also enjoys attending events at the Chabad Jewish Center of Troy. “Being a rabbi means to do deep healing work with people from a uniquely Jewish lens. So, I took it as a sign, and I think that this is where God clearly wants me to be from a career standpoint.” A SPECIAL CLIENTELE Because of her interest and knowledge of religion, Goerlich focuses on treating religious clients. Of her Jewish clients, their sexual knowhow runs the gamut between inhibition and sexual experimentation, including religious couples who married young but realize they need guidance in getting satisfaction in the bedroom and beyond, she said. “Some of my favorite people to work with are religiously conservative young couples who are Jewish, Christian and Muslim, who get married very young because that’s the only way to morally explore their sexual desire for one another,” Goerlich said. “Then they realize they don’t know what to do or were not as sexually compatible as they believed.” Much about a satisfying sex life sometimes has to do with mystery, physical distance and a temporary unavailability of one’s partner, things that have all been hard to come by during the pandemic. Goerlich said that this topic is also like a two-sided coin: While the pandemic has left her single clients battling loneliness and isolation, married couples have had a bit too much togetherness. “The social isolation and inability to meet people and look for partners has been very painful for my single clients,” Goerlich said. “[Psychotherapist] Esther Perel talks about how couples need some distance and separation to maintain desire and attraction. That’s been difficult in the last two years.” Goerlich advised that intimacy begins before the bedroom. Elevating mealtime by

cooking together, a backrub or even having a technology-free eye-to-eye conversation can be considered foreplay. “We rarely have conversations around what we fantasize or are curious about,” explained Goerlich. “Many couples think this means talking dirty or watching something erotic; and for religious couples, that’s not a viable option. But you can talk with your partner about what you find sexy, erotic or loving. Direct conversations like that can be very surprising and can create a sense of intimacy and newness, even if we have not had a chance to experience that in the last few years.” Goerlich has also long been an ally to the LGBTQ community. “My LGBTQ clients who receive acceptance and affirmation from their families come to me not because of their sexual identity, but because they may be working through anxiety or depression,” Goerlich explained. “For the patients who have not received that love and support, the pain they feel is the most difficult part of my work. I also support my clients seeking gender-affirming care.” Find out more at https://www.stefanigoerlich.com.

NEXT DOR

TOP: David Moiseev, Jeremy Zickerman and Stephanie Hollander clear out the vegetable beds and plant marigolds.

VOICE OF THE NEW JEWISH GENERATION

BELOW: A group photo of all the volunteers, David Moiseev, Alyse Waldhorn, Jared Kohlenberg, Jeremy Zickerman, Arie Zeidner, Stephanie Hollander, Alana Silver and Abby Rubin BOTTOM LEFT: NEXTGen Detroit volunteers collect tools to start their work: Alana Silver, Abby Rubin, Cameron Billes and Stephanie Hollander.

NEXTGen Detroit’s Day of Service RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR PICTURES COURTESY OF NEXTGEN DETROIT

o bring in the spring season, NEXTGen Detroit Volunteers partnered up with Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) for a day of service. On Sunday, April 10, a group of volunteers helped the nonprofit organization get their garden ready for the spring and summer. “We had about 10 volunteers from NEXTGen Detroit come out to the farm for a couple hours,” said Alyse Waldhorn with NEXTGen Detroit Volunteer Committee. “We cleared out some of the vegetable beds and we planted marigolds

around the perimeter.” The volunteers got to speak with the founder of the farm and learn about the organization’s history. Alyse says the NEXTGen Volunteer Committee likes to host a couple volunteer events a year. “The volunteer committee likes to bring people together who want to lend a hand and make a difference. It’s also a nice way to meet new friends and give back at the same time.” To learn more about the events hosted by NEXTGen Detroit head to https://jlive. app. MAY 5 • 2022

NEXT DOR

VOICE OF THE NEW JEWISH GENERATION

Finding Balance

Love, work and new motherhood: Mental health therapist Ronit Szczotka on navigating life. ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

rowing up, mental health therapist Ronit Szczotka read the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, where everyday people share personal journeys and challenges. “I would read the books and relate to others,” the 31-year-old recalls. She experienced mental health struggles in her family as a kid and didn’t understand them. “In the early-to-mid’90s, I saw how challenging it could be to not only access services, but also the stigma that surrounds it.” At the time, people just didn’t talk about mental health, Szczotka explains. “It was something not to be discussed with anyone out of fear that it could negatively impact your relationships, or even your career to the point where you would be fired.” The secrecy of mental health led Szczotka down a journey to learn more about it and to find answers to the many questions she had about what mental health truly was. OPENING THE DIALOGUE ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH As she grew older, she became a big fan of the hit TV show

MAY 5 • 2022

Law and Order SVU, where she first saw the field of forensic psychology and the career opportunities it offered. “It was shedding light and opening the dialogue about mental health and how it can impact people’s behaviors and actions,” she recalls. Inspired by the show, Szczotka attended Beloit College in Wisconsin with the goal of going into forensic psychology. Yet, toward the end of her college career, “I found social work and realized I could still explore mental health without attending medical school,” she explains, hesitant to spend 12 years pursuing a medical degree. Graduating in 2012, Szczotka immediately entered Avodah’s Jewish Service Corps where she got what she calls her “first taste of social work.” She worked as a housing case manager finding homes for men who were homeless, while also learning about mental health conditions like bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia. Later, while doing clinical rotations as a grad student at Wayne State University, Szczotka was placed at an inpatient psychiatric hospital where she learned even

TOP: Ronit Szczotka and her daughter Orli. ABOVE: Ronit, Michael and Orli Szczotka.

more about mental health conditions and their diagnoses. It led her to pursue an outpatient setting, where she continues to work today as a mental health therapist. “I primarily work with young adults struggling with various life stressors through the lens of anxiety and depression,” she says of her work’s focus. Szczotka is driven by the ability to provide a safe place for individuals to share their thoughts without judgment.

went far too long without asking for help because as a mental health therapist, I was like, ‘I have all the tools I need to combat my own mental health,’” she recalls. Healing both physically and mentally, Szczotka says she’s now reached a point where she feels more connected to motherhood while also achieving work-life balance. She and Michael are set to welcome their second child in October and are thrilled to do so.

BECOMING A MOM IN THE PANDEMIC Now, Szczotka, who is a dual citizen of the United States and Australia, where she was born, balances work with the journey of being a new mom. Her daughter Orli, almost 2, taught her the most important life lessons yet that she shares with others on her Instagram, @rediscovering_ronit. “When our daughter arrived, my husband, Michael, seamlessly stepped into dad mode as if he were born to do it,” Szczotka recalls, “whereas I, on the other hand, took some time to find my footing.” Szczotka struggled with breastfeeding, something she thought would be “the most natural thing in the world,” because her body was still physically healing from the pregnancy. She also felt the first symptoms of postpartum anxiety, a mental health condition she says isn’t as well known or understood as postpartum depression. Finally, after postpartum anxiety had begun to interfere with her ability to enjoy life’s most precious moments, such as a birthday party for her daughter, Szczotka sought out help. “I

FINDING BALANCE IN LOVE AND LIFE Szczotka, who was recently featured in pictures for a new JFamily Facebook group, has also learned different ways to find balance in the interfaith relationship she shares with her husband. While their children are being raised Jewish, they continue to celebrate the cherished traditions of Michael’s Catholic upbringing and family life. “I personally love Christmas,” Szczotka says. “For us, it’s about coming together and having a tree and looking at lights. It’s the tradition we’ve held for 15 years together [of being in a relationship since high school].” In her spare time, Szczotka enjoys the simple things in life, like going on walks with Orli or heading to brunch with her girlfriends. She also enjoys barbecuing with Michael in the summer. “To be honest, I’m just winging it every day,” she admits. “But something someone told me when I was in the thick of it was remembering that the sun will always set on the hardest days and a new day will quickly follow. And it has stuck with me.”

Send a ‘Book’ to Camp!

Join Tamarack Camps by adding your favorite new or gently used book to camp’s new lending libraries. CAMP TAMARACK STAFF

tarting today, Tamarack Camps is hosting a community wide book drive to bring the gift of reading to campers. Thanks to the support of Applebaum Family Philanthropy’s Compass Fund, Tamarack Camps is creating unique lending libraries and additional educational programming this summer. Each lending library will be dedicated to a specific camper population (starting with second grade and going through ninth grade). The grant dollars will support the materials for the libraries’ design and production. Grant funding will also help facilitate reading and educational programming throughout the summer. The addition of lending libraries will provide significant benefits to Tamarack’s entire camp community during the summer of 2022 and beyond. The new libraries will allow campers and counselors to pursue their individual passions for reading throughout the summer. Further, as part of the agency’s efforts to respond to mental health challenges, the lending libraries will provide campers with quiet, contemplative respite activities. “When we heard about the lending libraries concept and the need to provide additional mental health support and enrichment opportunities for campers, we knew we wanted to be involved,” said Molly Applebaum-Wyett, co-trustee of the Applebaum Family Philanthropy Compass Fund. “This is just the latest example of camp evolving for the

needs of the community.” Rebecca Applebaum-Wyett, co-trustee of the Applebaum Family Philanthropy Compass Fund, added. “A key component of the Compass Fund’s mission is to help our future Jewish community and to respond to emerging issues. The lending libraries for campers is an excellent innovative model to encourage meaningful camper connections while providing the important space to read and wonder. We are so pleased to support Tamarack through our Compass Fund for this purpose.” Please join in filling camp’s new lending libraries by donating new or gently used books in good condition. Books can be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the lobby of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit in Bloomfield Township through June 3. “We are thrilled to launch our book drive in partnership with the Applebaum Family Philanthropy Compass Fund. It was important to involve our community in this initiative and we are excited that more people will have the opportunity to be part of camp’s magic this summer by sharing their favorite books and stories with our campers,” says Ashleigh Imerman, chief advancement officer of Tamarack Camps. For questions regarding the book drive, call (248) 647-1100. To learn more about Tamarack Camps, visit www.tamarackcamps. com. To learn more about the Applebaum Family Philanthropy Compass Fund, visit www.applebaumphilanthropy.org.

MAY 5 • 2022

MAZEL TOV! MAY 10, 2021 Daniel Zimmerman and Amanda SacksZimmerman of Brooklyn, N.Y., joyfully announce the birth of their son, Gabriel Noah, who also was welcomed home with love by big brother Jonah Samuel. Proud grandparents are Lonny and Gail Zimmerman of West Bloomfield, and Michael and Frances Sacks of Manhattan, N.Y. Gabriel Noah is named in loving memory of all four of his great-grandmothers: His first name honors paternal great-grandmother Eleanor Dorfman and maternal great-grandmother Bertha Liebowitz; his middle name remembers paternal great-grandmother Helen Zimmerman and maternal great-grandmother Frances Sacks.

6, 2022. She will be joined in celebration by her sisters Jadyn and Kendyl. Reese is the loving grandchild of Sheri and David Jaffa, and Karen and Jerry Kaufman. Reese attends Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills. Her most meaningful mitzvah project was spending time and building relationships with the residents at JARC.

Lexi Grand (Amiorah Sarah), daughter of Amy and Daniel Grand, will lead the congregation in prayer as she becomes a bat mitzvah at Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield on Friday, May 6, 2022. She will be joined in celebration by her sister, Jordyn. Lexi is the loving granddaughter of Sharon and Michael Silverton of Farmington Hills, Cheryl and Joel Grand of West Bloomfield, and Bobbie Friedman of Las Vegas, Nev. Lexi is in the seventh grade at Clifford Smart Middle School in Commerce. For her

Riley Jordyn Raznick, daughter of Stacey and Jason Raznick, will become a bat mitzvah at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township on Saturday, May 7, 2022. She will be joined in celebration by her siblings Josh and Aria. Riley is the loving grandchild of Nancy and Phil Bortman, and Elaine and Mel Raznick. Riley is a student at Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills. For her mitzvah project, she volunteered at Building Beds 4 Kids.

mitzvah project, she was an ambassador for Donate 2 Dance and collected new and used dance costumes and shoes. The donations will help support the RBS Dance and Music Academy in Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel, Rachel Factor’s Jerusalem Center for the Performing Arts and other dance schools and dancers in need around the world. Reese Nicole Kaufman, daughter of Sabrina and Brian Kaufman, will lead the congregation in prayer as she becomes a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, May

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Ella Rose Stybel, daughter of Abigail and Jeremy Stybel, will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, May 6, 2022. She will be joined in celebration by her brother Landon. Ella is the loving grandchild of Ruth and Irving Foon, and Debbi and Harvey Stybel. Ella is a student at West Hills Middle School in West Bloomfield Township. Her most meaningful mitzvah project was raising money for Almost Home Animal Rescue. HOW TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS Mazel Tov! announcements are welcomed for members of the Jewish community. Anniversaries, engagements and weddings with a photo (preferably color) can appear at a cost of $18 each. Births are $10. There is no charge for bar/bat mitzvahs or for special birthdays starting at the 90th. For information, contact Editorial Assistant Sy Manello at smanello@thejewishnews.com or (248) 351-5147 for information or for a mailed or emailed copy of guidelines.

SPIRIT

TORAH PORTION

Richmond 61st

ene and Claire Richmond marked their 61st wedding anniversary on Dec. 26, 2021. They plan to celebrate this summer, when COVID no longer threatens, with their children, grandchildren and friends.

Shapiro 100th

thel Shapiro of Farmington Hills turns 100 on May 24, 2022. At the age of 17, she married the “greatest man in the world, Seymour Shapiro.” She was known as “Dear” for 68 years. Together they had four beautiful daughters who married, had children and made her a Nana. Ethel is celebrating with her eight children, 14 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and many friends. Her secret to long life is being gorgeous every day and staying glad not mad.

Feldheim-Harvie

everly and Stuart Feldheim of West Bloomfield wish to announce the engagement of their daughter, Kimberly Shindel to Jamie Harvie, son of Alex Harvie and Katherine Fowler of Troon, Scotland. The pair met in Glasgow, where Kim was attending graduate school. A September wedding is planned at Oran Mor in Glasgow, Scotland.

Exploiting Weaknesses

magine this scene: A mother bling block before the blind.” says to her daughter, “Have If we, for example, offer food a good time playing outside; or drink to an individual that be a good girl, be honest; respect we know should not have it, or people you meet; by the way, if tempt someone to violate what you see a blind person on the we know to be their values and street don’t put something commitments, we are in his way so he trips and transgressing the mitzvah. falls.” In addition, there is That last instruction another interpretation, would seem unnecessary which says the stumbling after the general instrucblock reference means tion to be “good.” Yet, that Rabbi Robert giving someone advice Dobrusin is exactly what we read in that is not appropriate for this week’s Torah portion. him or her. How often do Parshat The parshah begins we find ourselves willing with the general introduc- Kedoshim: to offer our ideas to someLeviticus tion: “You shall be holy one else without thinking 19:1-20:27; for I, the Lord your God, Amos 9:7-15. whether the advice is am holy.” Then we read a good for them? How often rather long list of specific do we, instead of telling a mitzvot, including respect your friend to consult a physician, an parents, observe the Shabbat, attorney or a counselor, decide don’t bear a grudge, love your to dispense “wisdom” based on neighbor as yourself and don’t our experience — experience put a stumbling block before the that might be totally or even blind. subtly different from theirs? In How are we to understand that way, we are, in fact, leading the last mitzvah in this list? someone astray and perhaps Wouldn’t we have known not causing them to stumble. to do something so horrendous Of course, giving advice to a without the Torah reminding us? friend isn’t always a bad idea; The rabbis of tradition had an and, while it is good to be senanswer to this question. They sitive, it is up to an individual understood the use of the phrase to act on advice, accept or not “stumbling block before the accept it. Each person must be blind” as referring to actions that aware of his or her own weakwe might be less careful to avoid; nesses and not simply blame and, thus, the mitzvah becomes someone else for tempting them. a critical part of teaching us In commanding us to be holy, to be “holy.” They interpreted the Torah instructs us to take “blind” to refer to someone who on more responsibility in caring is, metaphorically speaking, for the well being of others. By blind in a particular way. being sensitive to others, we take The rabbis understood that a step closer to the Torah’s ultiif someone has a weakness mate goal. that they struggle with that is beyond their control and Robert Dobrusin is rabbi emeritus at another person takes advantage Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor. of that weakness, that person This article originally appeared in the is, in essence, “putting a stumJN April 28, 2011. MAY 5 • 2022

SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH

Is Self-Interest Incompatible with Altruism?

rom the moment of our birth, we clamor for our wants and needs, and we spend the rest of our lives pursuing them. Clearly, God has hardwired self-interest deep into the human psyche, so it’s certainly not something we view as necessarily evil. On the contrary, halachah — Jewish law — explicitly reflects this. The Talmud sets out Chief Rabbi the following scenario: Warren two people are walking Goldstein in the desert, and one of them has a flask of water. There’s only enough water for one of them to make it to civilization; if they share the water, they will die. The great Talmudic sage, Rabbi Akiva, rules that in such a case, “your life comes first;” the one who has

MAY 5 • 2022

the water drinks it. Survival of the self comes first. At the same time, while self-interest is a powerful and unshakeable force of human nature, it can also be extremely destructive. Even self-destructive. As the Mishna in Pirkei Avot says: “Jealousy, physical desires and the pursuit of honor remove a person from this world.” Jealousy, desire and honor are all self-centered forces within a person, and the Mishna is saying that a person who is self-centered ultimately brings destruction on himself. God has created the world in such a way that when a person blindly pursues self-gratification, he paradoxically does grave harm to himself. Those who are consumed with jealousy, with the pursuit of their physical desires, with acquiring honor and

recognition from others at all costs, find no peace of mind and are drawn to act in ways that harm not just the people they perceive to be standing in their way — they harm themselves, too. It goes beyond that, to our ultimate calling in this world, which is a calling toward holiness. This week’s parsha, Kedoshim, opens with a clarion call to the Jewish people: “You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your God, am holy.” (Vayikra 19:2) What is this call to holiness? What does it mean to be holy? And what does it mean that God is holy? Rabbi Shimon Shkop, one of the great Lithuanian sages of the pre-war years, has a fascinating explanation. He says God’s essential “characteristic,” as far as we can talk about such things, is His pure goodness and kindness. God is

completely self-sufficient; He needs nothing, nor does He receive anything, and everything He does is therefore an act of pure, unreciprocated kindness — from the creation of the universe to taking care of our smallest needs, and the needs of the smallest and seemingly most insignificant of creatures. This selfless giving is how Rabbi Shkop defines holiness, and it is this we are called on to emulate so that we, too, can become holy. It’s a beautiful idea, but the Midrash gives us pause for thought, saying God reaches a level of holiness that no human being can. Rabbi Shkop explains the Midrash: No human being can ever attain this ideal like God because we have been created with an intrinsic love of and concern for the self, which will always factor into the equation.

kiddushin, which comes from the Hebrew word kedusha, meaning holiness. In what way is marriage an act of holiness? Creating a marriage should be the ultimate act of giving to another. By defining marriage as an act of holiness, our sages are teaching us that marriage is all about selfless giving, and that the creation of a family is all about expanding the concept of “self ” and reaching out to others; transcending the self to becoming a greater person. When fulfilling each other is a priority for husband and wife, other desires and preferences become subordinate. By putting our own needs aside, we don’t feel that we are sacrificing anything. Essentially, then, through marriage a person expands his definition of self and demonstrates that his life is not only about his own immediate, personal, selfish needs, but rather the needs of another human being, to constitute a broader, greater human being. As it says in the book of Bereishit, when God gave direction for the very first marriage in history between Adam and Eve, He said: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (2:24) Marriage is about two people becoming one, a process of transcending the self and evolving to become a greater being. And that is why the bringing together of Adam and Eve is prefaced with the words: “It is not good for a person to be alone.” It is not good for us to be limited, when this expanded definition of the self, this broadmindedness, this human greatness and holiness is ours for the taking. That definition of self is further expanded as children are born. Life is a journey toward holiness, a journey toward expanding the self and achieving the greatness that God knows we are capable of.

“THE CALL TO HOLINESS IS NOT ABOUT SELF-DENIAL. IT IS A CALL TO BECOME A GREATER PERSON BY EXPANDING THE DEFINITION OF ‘SELF.’”

HOW DO WE BECOME HOLY? So, we have a dilemma: How do we attain holiness — defined as acting purely selflessly — when we are unable to do so? How do we reconcile the conflicting ideals of self-interest and pure giving? Rabbi Shkop has an answer that is deep and beautiful. If the self is getting in the way of helping others, then we need to expand our definition of the self. When we refer to “I,” who are we talking about? Who or what is contained in our definition of self? Rabbi Shkop explains that a lowly, coarse person sees himself, defines his “I,” as purely a physical body. Someone slightly more elevated sees his soul as part of his self-identity. At a higher level, one’s identity encompasses one’s spouse and children, and then one’s community, and so it goes. An even greater person includes the entire Jewish people in his sense of “I,” and even beyond that — the entire world. The more spiritually elevated a person, the more people included in that person’s sense of “I.” So, the call to holiness is not about self-denial. It is a call to become a greater person by expanding the definition of

“self ” and, in so doing, unleashing the powerful force of giving and kindness to so many more people, and in a much richer, more fulfilling, far holier way. Of course, it’s not so easy; it is, indeed, a lifelong journey. Initially, life is only about meeting our own needs. Then we graduate from this survivalist state of being; we marry and start a family, assuming greater responsibility, expanding our definition of self to encompass others. And we continue expanding our world, taking on responsibility for our community, for those around us, for the Jewish people as a whole and even for the entire world. It’s a cosmic journey of self-discovery and self-transformation whose destination is the soul’s perfection and its ultimate expression. Essentially, the more we reach out to others, the greater we become. This is why, when a child is born, we pray: “May this katan” — this small one, “become gadol” — become big. We pray for this infant, so naturally preoccupied with meeting its immediate physical needs, to become an adult in the fullest sense of the word, to become someone who sees the people around him, really sees them, and has an expansive perspective of the world and an expansive definition of self. This worldview touches on so much of Judaism. There are many mitzvot of chessed (lovingkindness): comforting mourners, visiting the sick, burying the dead, tzedakah — helping those in need. So much of the Torah is about reaching out to others, about taking responsibility for community and making the world a better place. On a personal level, it is also about building family. The act of constituting a marriage is termed by our sages as

Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, who has a PhD. in Human Rights Law, is the chief rabbi of South Africa. This article first appeared on aish.com.

MAY 5 • 2022

SPIRIT

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

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

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

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

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

MAY 5 • 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bais Haknesses Hagrah Oak Park (248) 542-8737

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

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

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

Congregation 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

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

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

Temple Emanu-El Oak Park (248) 967-4020 emanuel-mich.org MAY 5 • 2022

MATT DINE

ARTS&LIFE MUSIC

Maxim Lando

Pianist Among Pianists Young Artist Award-winner Maxim Lando to play at the Gilmore International Piano Festival in Kalamazoo.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Details

Maxim Lando will be performing at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at Chenery Auditorium in Kalamazoo. Zaide Pixley, adjunct professor of music at Kalamazoo College, will give a free concert preview at 3 p.m. In-person tickets: $7-$65; virtual tickets: pay what you can. For more information on this program as well as all the others, go to thegilmore.org.

MAY 5 • 2022

axim Lando, in 2020, believed he was getting a scam call when hearing he won a $25,000 Young Artist Award given by the Gilmore International Piano Festival in Kalamazoo. The award is presented to go along with the biennial entertainment event and, in the same year, is received by two pianists age 22 and younger. It allots $15, 000 toward career and educational development and $10,000 toward a new piano commission. Winners also are invited to showcase their talents among programming that features world-renowned musicians. “It was the greatest phone call of my life,” said Lando, 19, a first-year Juilliard student and one of 38 to receive the award since 1990. “I knew the award existed but not that I was nominated [as is the practice of the anonymous selection committee].” Lando, happy to appear this year because the 2020 festival was canceled due to the pandemic, will be featured with orchestra and other young awardees for the event finale, on May 15. He hopes he will have time to watch live performances spotlighting diverse guest artists, from classical notables to jazz stylists. This year’s lineup includes Emanuel Ax, Igor Levit, Kirill Gerstein, Jonathan Biss, Fred Hersch and Emmet Cohen. It started April 24 with digital viewing opportunities. “It’s great that there are so many different types of acts,” said Lando, pointing out that Canadian jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall also will be appearing.

Lando will be part of a program that additionally features two other Young Artist Award winners on stage with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Julian Kuerti. He will join Misha Galant, the other 2020 awardee, for Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos, and both will be joined by Wei Luo, a 2018 winner, for Bach’s Concerto for Three Pianos. “I’ve been wanting to do the Poulenc piece, and it was a great surprise to get that offer,” Lando said. “It’s a bundle of fun with three pianists, and I love the whimsical, almost sarcastic, character [of the piece]. “Poulenc is such an interesting composer. A lot of times, he gets categorized as composing salon music. There is so much personality and so much wit and charm that goes on and so much darkness and edginess at the same time. It’s so much fun to explore the different personality twists of Poulenc.” Lando was introduced to instrumental music at an early age by his instrumentalist parents, performers and co-directors of the Great Neck Music Conservatory on Long Island. His mother, Pippa Borisy, is a pianist, and his dad, Vadim Lando, is a clarinetist who regularly appears with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. “They’re the best people and, in my opinion, the best role models,” the Gilmore awardee said. “She was my teacher steadily [along with others] and has helped me learn music and dive into it.” Like his parents, Lando has traveled extensively to showcase his talents as a soloist and beyond. This year’s bookings have placed him with violinist Abigel Kralik in California, violinist Daniel Hope in Germany, the Danish String Quartet in Denmark and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Earlier in his teens, Lando enjoyed exploring religious connections through the people and landmarks in Israel when he performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Haifa and Tel Aviv. The Gilmore honoree had been invited by pianist and conductor Arie Vardi after the two met in a Beijing program. Vardi was conducting, and they presented Bach concertos. “My parents went with me to Israel, and we had a lot of fun,” Lando said. “My dad got to see a relative he hadn’t seen for a number of years.” Lando said he enjoys celebrating Jewish holidays and defined his bar mitzvah as unconventional. A great uncle, who is a rabbi in Florida, officiated at his parents’ music school. “I did a prayer, and the rest was all musical,” he said. “We did Hebrew songs and folk music.” Instrument versatility, as Lando defines it, has drawn him to the piano. “One of the main things that attracts me to the piano is how much you can do on it,” he said. “You can mimic a lot of the other sounds that you hear. You can get a very orchestral sound. You can get a virtuosic sound. There’s so much repertoire. There are so many sounds and types of pieces. It never becomes boring, and you never get stuck. There’s always something to explore.” And exploring new sounds has come into Lando’s life as this classical pianist has begun songwriting along the lines of rock, professing that he also “loves the sounds of guitars.”

SPRING OPEN STUDIO MAY 7 + 8 2022 10AM - 5PM

WORKSHOPS + GALLERY 770 Orchard Lake Rd Pontiac, MI 48341 (248) 745-3786

THE ART OF

ALICE

fiber, fired metal, jewelry & watercolor

May 4th-27th, 2022

Lawrence Street Gallery 22620 Woodward Ave Ferndale

OPENING RECEPTION: Friday May 6th, 6pm-8:30pm MID -SHOW RECEPTION: Sunday May 15th, 2pm-5pm

MAY 5 • 2022

ARTS&LIFE

PHOTO BY SEAN CARTER PHOTOGRAPHY

MUSICAL THEATER

Grace Choi, Brittany Jeffery, and Brooke Quintana in The Pin-Up Girls at Meadow Brook Theatre through May 15.

To Israel and Back

Jeffrey Lodin’s unplanned musical theater career. JULIE SMITH YOLLES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

DETAILS

The Pin-Up Girls runs at Meadow Brook Theatre on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. through May 15. Tickets range from $36 to $46 and are available by calling the Meadow Brook Theatre box office at (248) 377-3300 or going online at www.ticketmaster.com. Student discounts are available at the box office. Groups of eight or more should call (248) 370-3316 for group pricing. Masks are encouraged, but not required. Meadow Brook does not require proof of vaccine or proof of a negative COVID-19 test at this time.

MAY 5 • 2022

s his mother tells the story, Jeffrey Lodin started playing music on a Magnus Chord Organ at age 3. By age 7, he was acting and starring in productions at his school, community theater and synagogue. “I was humming songs before I could talk. Instead of playing chords with the buttons on the organ, I could just play chords with my left hand. It was like speaking English,” says Lodin, a composer, music director, arranger and co-author of the musical The Pin-Up Girls, running at Meadow Brook Theatre now through May 15. “I would have rather played football with my brothers than practice piano. I always loved theater, but I never thought of it as a career choice in any form.” Jeffrey Lodin Following his bar mitzvah at Beth Torah Synagogue in North Miami Beach where he grew up, Lodin continued religious studies and started cantorial school. “What derailed me was the language. I couldn’t retain the Hebrew or speak it fluently to any degree at all. I didn’t understand what I was praying, and it just became rote. And the fact that those around me didn’t seem bothered that I didn’t understand it caused me to rebel and stop,” Lodin said. During that same time, Lodin met with his chazzan who played Lodin the new soundtrack of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. “It blew my mind. ‘I can do that,’” Lodin thought. “It sent me flying toward a career in musical theater, and I never

looked back.” Though he always envisioned going to college to be a psychologist or architect, Lodin, who was “always the pianist,” went to the University of Miami as a music composition major before he left school after a year to go on tour as the musical director of a professional production of Godspell. That gig led to others including touring with Andy Gibb, younger brother of the Bee Gees; playing club dates as a starving artist in New York and playing piano for Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria. A CROSSROADS Then, one day in 1982, Lodin received two calls: one to go on tour with Diana Ross and the other to be a musical director for a new show called Broadway Dance Marathon in Israel. “That was the fork in the road for me,” said Lodin. “I had never been to Israel, and I really wanted to go. By that time, I knew that I wanted to make a life in the theater. This is what I was meant to do.” Lodin spent six months in Tel Aviv developing the musical during the 1982 Lebanon War. Lodin’s work in Israel led to getting the plum job of touring as Chita Rivera’s musical director for a yearand-a-half. “Chita’s a force of nature,” says Lodin, who serves on faculty for the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). Complementing his musical composition and arranging background, Lodin had a successful career as a commercial-jingle writer for more than 20 years. That experience led him to being hired by playwright James Hindman, who grew up in Michigan, for Hindman’s Popcorn Falls. Hindman hired Lodin to write

a jingle for one of the scenes, which led to writing additional music for that show. And from that collaboration, they joined creative forces to write the musical The Pin-Up Girls, which made its Michigan premiere at Meadow Brook Theatre on April 20. “It’s serendipitous and all a fairytale on how things can turn out — rarely with a plan,” Lodin says. Hindman and Lodin wrote the musical as an homage to those who have served in the military. When the longtime friends, who entertain veterans at their local VFW hall, discovered a collection of letters from sailors, soldiers and airmen over the past 100 years, they decided to put on a musical review. “The musical is based on a trove of letters we found that tell beautiful stories. We wanted to write a love letter to honor the men and women who made a sacrifice to our country. It’s not political or from any one specific war or period of time,” says Lodin, who wrote several new songs for the show as well as rearranging songs from the public domain to bring a fresh twist to the score. Audiences can look forward to old classics like “Ain’t She Sweet” by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” by Hughie Prince and Don Raye, and “Someone to Watch Over Me” by George and Ira Gershwin to newer songs like “On a Bus to St. Cloud” by Gretchen Peters, originally sung by Trisha Yearwood; and Beyonce’s “All the Single Ladies.” “The letters told beautiful stories, and it was our job to find songs that augmented those feelings,” Lodin added. These true stories served as inspiration for every single moment of the show.”

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A NEW PRODUCTION BY

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MAY 5 • 2022

ARTS&LIFE THEATER

Old Heart

Native Metro Detroiter brings Peter Ferry’s award-winning novel to the stage.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

n the midst of a varied writing career — articles, books, feature films — Roger Rapoport decided to go live with the immediacy of a theatrical presentation. The impetus came in 2019 after reading Peter Ferry’s award-winning novel Old Heart, which is about an American veteran attempting to reconnect with a World War II Netherlands romance that had dimmed as the war ended. The play’s debut is scheduled for two performances at the Redford Theatre: 7 p.m. Saturday, May 14, and 4 p.m. Sunday, May 15. “When I read the novel, I saw it as an intimate drama that would work really well on stage,” said Rapoport, who grew up during family moves from Detroit, into Oak Park and then Muskegon, where he resettled some 18 years ago after pursuing career opportunities in other states. “I like that this story resonates across a cultural divide. These two people in the story are from vastly different worlds, and their ability to share who they are is complicated by language, upbringing and the war itself. He’s African American, and she’s Jewish. “I knew this story would have special appeal for families involved with assisted living decisions, and that’s where the play starts.” Tom Johnson, the main character played by Ed Gaines in later years and Jakari Carson in flashbacks, is a Detroiter who was in college when the war started and then joined the army. Sarah van Praag, played by Melanie Lamrock, was in hiding after the Nazis invaded the Netherlands. Ironically, the backstory involving the circumstances surrounding the two brings up similarities to the devastation of conditions occurring in Ukraine, observed Rapoport, whose family ancestry is based in Ukraine.

MAY 5 • 2022

The couple in the play joined forces with the resistance movement to smuggle food for starving populations, and television allows today’s viewers around the world to watch volunteers trying to combat the tragedy of starvation as the Russian military blocks relief efforts. The play is directed by Karl King and produced by the Redford Theatre, King and Glenside Productions, Rapoport’s company. Among Jewish community members helping to get the word out about the production are Mark Jacobs, co-director and co-founder of the Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity, and Ted Cohen, chief marketing officer at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. “I am blessed because my films have had a remarkable group of stage actors,” said Rapoport, whose myriad of recent projects has included screenings of his latest movie, Coming Up for FAir, which delves into teenage mental

Roger Rapoport

health problems. “During the 10 years that I’ve been producing films, the actors all said trying to do a play is a lot more complicated. “I learned that the writing process for a play is much more collaborative. We did a series of table reads, and every time the actors went through the script, they would change the dialogue spontaneously. They took the written word and made it more colloquial. Invariably, the changes were better. “We’ve been doing reads for over two years, and I like the group aspect of it, even during COVID, when we had to do this on Zoom. [Entering the collaborative writing process going into theater is like] going from being a diver to joining a soccer team.” A DIVERSE CAREER Rapoport became interested in a writing Promotional ph otos for Old He art, featuring Sarah van Praa Melanie Lamrock as g and Jakari Ca rson as Young Tom Jo hnson.

Details

Old Heart w May 14, an ill be presented at 7 d 4 p.m. Su p.m. Saturd n Theatre, 17 a 360 Lahse day, May 15, at the R y, r, Detroit. $ edford (with desse 25 rt redfordthe meet-and-greet). (3 , $50, $75 13) 462-97 atre.com. ro 21. gerrapopo rt.com.

career while attending high school in Muskegon, where his family has belonged to Temple B’nai Israel and where he has resumed affiliation. His professional commitment was perked by reading the Stanford University student-run campus newspaper, The Stanford Daily, edited by his older brother Ron, who went on to achieve recognition in sports journalism. When Rapoport attended the University of Michigan, he edited the student-run campus newspaper, The Michigan

Daily, and went on to work at California newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Tribune. For 17 years, he had a book publishing firm (RDR Books) and accepted some Holocaustcentered texts. His attention to Jewish history additionally has been expressed through various articles, such as one circulated by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. It has to do with a man believed to be Crete’s last Holocaust survivor. “Peter’s book — and so this play — is about the Holocaust, but it’s not a Holocaust book

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per se,” Rapoport, 75, said about what captured his attention. “It’s a wider story than that.” Rapoport’s reentry into the Michigan artistic community evolved after he was invited to give a speech at the Muskegon library in 1995, when family considerations began motivating his return. Meetings with writing pros connected him to filmmakers, and his early feature film venture included another book adaptation, WaterWalk, which is about a father and son tackling travel along the Mississippi River. A multi-tasker, Rapoport is

looking forward to the publication of his first novel, My Search for Sarah Price, to be released later this year by Lexographic Press in Chicago. Earlier books have centered on travel, aviation, politics and biography. Regardless of project, this writer may randomly disperse his work time throughout the day. “If I don’t write down an idea right away, it will drift,” he said. “When I have something I want to say, I need to have a record of it even if I never use it. That saves me an enormous amount of time because sometimes you get an idea right the first time.”

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ARTS&LIFE CELEBRITY NEWS

MAY 5 • 2022

Vanessa Bayer

lie will come back and bite her. Veteran actor Jason Schwartzman, 41, plays Joanna’s nice boyfriend. Jason’s late father, a film producer, was Jewish. His mother is actress Talia Shire (The Godfather, Rocky). Shire is the sister of Francis Ford Coppola. Jason was raised secular. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (opens May 6) is a superhero movie based on the Marvel comic hero Dr. Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch). The plot, as with all “Marvel Universe” films, is super convoluted, so I won’t go into it here. Here’s the Jewish angle: the film is directed by Detroit-area native Sam Raimi, 62, who has a raft of superhero film credits (creator, director, producer, etc.). Raimi’s wife of 29 years, Gillian, is the daughter of the late Lorne Greene, the Bonanza star; Michael Stuhlbarg, 51, has a supporting role as Nicodemus, a rival of Dr. Strange; and Elizabeth Olsen, who isn’t Jewish, co-stars as superhero Wanda Maximoff. In the comics, Maximoff is Jewish. In the “Marvel Universe”

films, her Jewish back-story has been “scrubbed-out.” On May 5, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds begins streaming on Paramount+. It is a prequel to the original Star Trek series. ‘Trekkies’ know that the 1960s original series had a failed pilot episode that was later “cut up” and crafted into two “flashback” (original) Star Trek episodes. Christopher Pike was the Enterprise starship captain in the “flashback” episodes. Strange New Worlds follows Pike’s adventures during the decade before Captain Kirk (William Shatner) took command. There are no Jewish actors in the main cast, but it’s interesting to note that Ethan Peck, the grandson of Gregory Peck, plays Mr. Spock. The Jewish “contribution” is behind the scenes. The three series creators are Jewish — Akiva Goldsman, 59, Alex Kurtzman, 48, and Jenny Lumet, 55. All three have many “Trek Universe” credits. The series composer is Naama “Nami” Melumad, 33, an Israeli who became (2019) the first woman ever to score a Star Trek episode. Robert Morse died on April 20, age 90. Primarily a stage actor, he is best known for roles that he played

Robert Morse

BY DOMINICK D

Jason Schwartzman

BY SACHYN - OWN WORK

BAYER TELLS A BIG FIB; DR. STRANGE; STAR TREK PREQUEL; ROBERT MORSE, JEWISH (!) I Love That for You is an eight-episode comedy series that premiered on Showtime April 29. Vanessa Bayer, 40, co-created the series and plays the star character, Joanna Gold (as I write this, it hasn’t been disclosed whether Gold is a Jewish character). Bayer is best known as a Saturday Night Live star cast member (2010-2017). Jewish viewers will vividly remember her recurring SNL/Weekend Update appearances as Jacob, the bar mitzvah boy. Bayer created this character and wrote Jacob’s SNL skits. When Bayer was 15, she was diagnosed with leukemia. Her experience with leukemia, Bayer says, partially inspired her new series. As I Love begins, Joanna gets her dream job — hosting on a shopping channel. But Joanna really isn’t that good a host and she knows she is about to be fired. So, she tells everyone at work that she had childhood leukemia (true) and it has returned (a lie). Her colleagues rally around her, but her parents warn Joanna that this

BY BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE TV

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

during the beginning and the end of his long career. In 1962, he won a Tony award for best actor (musical) for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and he reprised that role in the film version of “How To…” (1967). From 2007-2014, he frequently guest-starred as Bertram Cooper, the quirky, but sharp founding partner of Sterling Cooper, a big advertising agency at the center of the acclaimed series Mad Men. Morse got five Emmy nominations for this role. Frankly, I never guessed that Morse was Jewish. It wasn’t “out there anywhere.” Right after his death, a friend “dug-out” Morse’s background in public records. His father’s German Jewish ancestors came over in the mid-1800s, and one ancestor (Leopold Morse) was the first Jew to serve (1877) as a New Hampshire congressman. Morse’s mother’s parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. I was a bit amused that a Jew played Bertram Cooper. Cooper wasn’t a virulent antisemite, but in the early 1960s (and before), New York city ad agencies and top law firms were either “Jewish” or “WASP.” This division persisted until circa 1970. In an early episode (set in 1960), Sterling Cooper was trying to get the ad biz of a big Jewish-owned department store and they hunted frantically for a Jewish Sterling Cooper employee to attend their first meeting with the store owners. They finally found a Jewish employee — a guy in accounting.

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ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

Originally known as the Birmingham Fine Art Festival, this art fair takes place on the streets surrounding the Shain Park in downtown Birmingham. Convenient parking for fairgoers. The event will showcase jury-selected artists in an elegant and extraordinary setting. The event is free to attend and is a Mother’s Day weekend tradition. SPRINGFEST 2-3:30 PM, MAY 8

THE SWEET WATER WARBLERS AT THE ARK / 8 PM, MAY 6 NEW OPERA 7 PM, MAY 5 At Bethel Community Transformation Center, 8801 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Overture to Opera, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. In celebration of Detroit Opera’s new production, join the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, Breakers Covenant Church International and Detroit Opera for an evening of discussion and performance, examining the life and legacy of Malcolm X. Featuring Rabbi Ariana Silverman, Pastor Aramis Hinds, Detroit Opera Artistic Director Yuval Sharon and others. To attend, RSVP to awhite@detroitopera.org. MOCK TRIAL 1-3 PM, MAY 6 The SOAR Mock Trial, a recurring program offered by SOAR Lifelong Learning Institute (formerly the Society of Active Retirees) is back. This free event takes place at the Hawk Community Center Auditorium, 29995 W. 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills. This event puts audience members in the jury box as they listen to a cast of real-life expert

witnesses and attorneys who offer testimony as to whether President Gerald Ford was justified in his decision to pardon his predecessor Richard Nixon. At the conclusion of the event, the “jury” will render its decision. Reservations are required. SOAR follows current CDC COVID guidelines. For information and tickets, go to soarexplore.com or call 248626-0296. AT THE ARK 8 PM, MAY 6 The Sweet Water Warblers at The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor. Michigan songbirds Rachael Davis, Lindsay Lou and May Erlewine’s organic vocal harmonies and seamlessly interwoven instrumentation leave listeners breathless. Cost: $25-$50. Info: theark. org/events. ICE CREAM OUTING 7 PM, MAY 7 BBYO: Meet at Clark’s Ice Cream, 3312 12 Mile Road, Berkley. We’ll buy your ice cream treat and then we will all hang out together. Open to all 8th-12th graders. Info: abloomberg@bbyo.org.

Chamber Soloists of Detroit “Springfest” concert at the Hawk Community Center in Farmington Hills. Violinists Amy Schwartz Moretti and Timothy Braun, and cellists Edward Arron and Erik Ásgeirsson join pianist Pauline Martin and guest violist Paul Laraia in a program featuring Mozart’s elegant Piano Quartet K. 493 in E flat, the delightfully witty Piano Trio by Jean Francaix and Schubert’s monument of string chamber music, his beloved Cello Quintet. Info: chambersoloistsdetroit.org. COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE 7-8 PM, MAY 10 Have a teen getting ready to apply for college? Join this one-hour virtual free event designed to help Jewish families in Michigan get their high school juniors application-ready. Three experts will share helpful advice about navigating the college application process, writing an effective college essay and locating funding sources to help pay for your teen’s higher education. Sponsored by JFamily Detroit and Hebrew Free Loan. Register: jive.app/events/1957. EXPLORING GOV’T 10:30 AM, MAY 11 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 State of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Register at jlive.app/events/2091. GLOBAL CONNECTIONS 4-5 PM, MAY 11 American Friends of Rabin Medical Center organized this Zoom presentation. “Extreme Weather Trends” with Robert Siegel (former senior host of NPR’s All Things Considered for 31 years). He will interview Elizabeth Kolbert (Pulitzer Prize author; The New Yorker magazine), Dr. Gavin Schmidt (NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies director), Dr. Rachel Cleetus (Union of Concerned Scientists, Climate and Energy Program). Free registration: rb.gy/ix9llk. AUTHOR SPEAKS 7 PM, MAY 11 Andrey Kurkov, one of Ukraine’s most renowned authors, will speak at Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church, 17150 Maumee, Grosse Pointe City. This event is sponsored by the Grosse Pointe library. Register to attend: the bookbeat.com. BAKING LESSON NOON, MAY 15 The Adat Shalom Synagogue Sisterhood invites the community to meet Israeli Idan Chabasov, known as the “Challah Prince,” during his world tour. He is the viral sensation teaching gorgeous ways to braid dough along with a mindfulness of baking. Join us to learn about how to braid and leave with a fresh challah to bake at home. For info, fees and registration: adatshalom. org/challahprince or call 248851-5100. Registration deadline May 11. continued on page 54

MAY 5 • 2022

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS continued from page 53

AIDING WOMEN 10 AM-NOON, JUNE 15 (DROP OFF) Tikvah Hadassah would like assistance in collecting feminine hygiene products to distribute to homeless and highrisk girls and young women. Several shelters and organizations have been identified for serving this population in helping them be safe, grow strong and make positive choices in their lives.

If you want to order from Amazon, go to smile.amazon. com, indicate “Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America,” as the charity of choice on your order. Hadassah will then get credit for 5% of your purchase. Orders for this collection campaign can be sent directly to: Tikvah Hadassah, c/o Barbara Charlip, 5035 Pheasant Cove, West Bloomfield, 48323. If you

wish to drop off products on a date other than June 15, (Sarah & Ralph Davidson Hadassah House, 5030 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield) contact Barbara at (248) 470-4515. GALLERY EXHIBIT NOW-JULY 29 Habatat Galleries, now called Habatat Detroit Fine Art, is the oldest and largest contemporary art glass gallery

in the world and it is located right in Royal Oak (4400 Fernlee). The gallery will host Habatat’s International Year of Glass50 Award Exhibition. The gallery is open daily Tuesday through Saturday. Tuesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Compiled by Sy Manello/Editorial Assistant. Send items at least 14 days in advance to calendar@thejewishnews. com.

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Dayenu protested in front of Chase Bank in Ann Arbor.

Dayenu Holds Protest

On April 20, Jewish leaders from Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, Jewish Youth Climate Movement (JYCM), The Shalom Center, MI Interfaith Power and Light, and more gathered in front of the Ann Arbor office of Chase Bank to demand that JPMorgan Chase take immediate action to end their investments in polluting fossil fuels. Emphasizing the urgency of the moment and lifting up the symbols of Passover, community leaders proclaimed the plagues that fossil fuel “Pharaohs” — coal, oil and gas companies — have inflicted. They held up matzah to demonstrate the urgency needed to confront the climate crisis and urged Chase to “move their dough”’ out of polluting fossil fuels.

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JVS + Kadima and its computer training division, the Hermelin ORT Resource Center (29699 Southfield Road, Southfield), will have free drop-in sessions for Metro Detroiters looking to use a computer as part of their job search. In addition, JVS staff will be on-site and available to assist with resumes, cover letters, job searches, LinkedIn setup and to help complete online job applications. The initiative is part of a pilot program aimed at increasing access to computers for job seekers. Sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday in May and June. No registration is necessary and job seekers can just drop-in.

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Soul Café Wants Your Input West Bloomfield’s Soul Cafe’s delicious fully kosher menu is getting an exciting refresh. The Friendship Circe Soul Cafe team has been creating tasty new dishes to launch a new menu, and they’re turning to their dedicated community to help choose a new dish to include on the updated menu. The public will have the opportunity

MAY 5 • 2022

to sample and vote on their favorite Soul Cafe pizza, and the dish with the most votes will be added permanently to the new menu. Pizza lovers can visit Soul Cafe through May 7 to try a taste of the three pizzas and cast their vote for their favorite. For Soul Cafe customers who can’t make it into the restaurant, voting will also be

held online at: www.friendshipcircle.org/ soul/pick-your-pizza. Friendship Circle’s Soul Cafe provides vocational opportunities to adults with special needs. The cafe staff teaches trainees fundamental skills, including food prep, cooking, hosting and serving.

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

STEVEN AUGUST, 22, of West Bloomfield, died April 23, 2022. He is survived by his loving and devoted parents, Scott and Anne August; his loving brother, Jared August; his adoring grandparents, Mitch and Helene August; his dear uncles and aunt, Ryan August, Todd August, Elizabeth Shapiro and Alan Shapiro; his great-uncle, Tom Klein. Steven was the cherished grandson of the late Dr. Donald and the late Susan Shapiro. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Friendship Circle, 6892 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, friendshipcircle.org/donate. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. WALLACE BRATT, 91, of West Bloomfield, died April 1, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Marlene Bratt; daughter and son-in-law, Janet and Frank Ginis of Troy; son and daughter-inlaw, Harry and Elizabeth Bratt of Mt. View, Calif.; grandchildren, Rachel Bratt, Owen Bratt, Charlotte Ginis. Mr. Bratt was the loving son of the late Ida and the late Harry Bratt; dear brother of the late Samuel Bratt, the late Bella Dinah Bratt. Contributions may be made to National Fragile X Foundation, fragilex.org; or Yad Ezra, 2850 W. 11 Mile

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continued on page 58 MAY 5 • 2022

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

STEWART, Robert A. The officers, board, and staff of the American Technion Society (ATS) mourn the loss of Robert A. Stewart of Birmingham, Mich. Together with his beloved wife, Yan, Bob was a Technion Guardian, a designation reserved for those who have reached the highest level of support. Among the key projects they supported are the Center for Excellence in Stem Cell and Tissue Regeneration Research, the Robert A. Stewart Scholarship Millennium Fund, the Robert A. Stewart Endowed Scholarship Fund, and the Robert A. Stewart Graduate Fellowship Fund. We extend our condolences to Yan, children Samantha, Sasha, and Philip, and the entire Stewart family. American Technion Society Steve Berger, President Zahava Bar-Nir, Chair of the Board Michael Waxman-Lenz, CEO

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Louis Please Dr Leo Schatz Eva Wainer Estelle Wainer Leslie Yesner Marsha York Marie Zarkin 10 Iyar May 11 Lena Alexis Moshe Ben Yonah Hanna Bordelow Louis Entus Bessie Goldsmith Fannie Goren Lewis Lionel Helpert Ida Karbel Rose Kelman Jacob Lechtzin Harry Lindenbaum Ida Reiser Vera Rib Helen L Rosenberg Philip Ross Murray Jacob Spring 11 Iyar May 12 Sidney Applebaum Fannie Freedman Victoria Freedman Toby Lerner Gus Lew

7 Iyar May 8 Hyman Averbuch Philip Feinstein Julius Greenberg Albert Kaplan Ida Katzman Louis Konikof Charles Krassov Louis Lichtman Mishka Lieberman Lena Littman Karl Marx 8 Iyar May 9 Charles Berger Charles Cornfield Merrill Goodman Charlotte Hoffman Celia Rosen Betty Saltz Abraham Zack 9 Iyar May 10 Sarah Rose Apt Sally August-Eder Mose Barnett Ida Borkin Dorothy Foster Sharon Gatien Max Goldhar Sadie Lynn Bertha Merzon

Rose Lipson Louis Melton Harry Shapiro Isidore Shindler Jennie-Kogen Singer 12 Iyar May 13 Abraham Berris Eva Bryman Eva Goldin Hannah Goldstein Shlomo Leib Hollender A Charles Lipchinsky David Modlinsky Anna Rabinovitch Samuel Rosenthal Chashe Scherr Judah Scherr Joe Shanbaum Joseph Whitefield Sadie Woolf 13 Iyar May 14 Jacob Berner Sara Bernstein Lena Bodzin Clara Sarah Drescher Pauline Garelick Mildred Litwak Sarah Shulman Gabriella Weiss Gertrude Wohl

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MAY 5 • 2022

continued from page 57

Road, Berkley, MI 48072. A graveside service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park Cemetery. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. DR. CLIFFORD BUCHMAN, 76, of Farmington Hills, died April 21, 2022. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Janice Buchman; son, Jacob Buchman; daughters and sons-in-law, Jamie Buchman and Steve Maguire, and Allison Buchman and Ira Miller; grandchildren, Emily and Lucy Miller, and Hugo and Meabh Maguire; brother and sister-in-law, Edward and Michelle Buchman; cousins, Ellen and Mel Rosen, and Elliot and Sheila Barden. Dr. Buchman was preceded in death by his parents, Emily and Isadore Buchman; his brother, Neil Buchman; aunt and uncle, Mamie and Lou Parr; and his nephew, Dylan Buchman. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Frankel Jewish Academy, 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, frankelja.org; Jewish Family Service, 6555 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jfsdetroit.org; or Adat Shalom Synagogue, Adat Shalom-Beth Achim Learning Community, 29901 Middlebelt, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, adatshalom. org/tributes-make-a-donation-in-honor-or-in-memory. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

NATALIE REVA CANVASSER, 100, of Bloomfield Hills, died April 21, 2022. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Sandi and Dr. Thomas Millman; son and daughter-in-law, Charles M. and Marci Canvasser; grandchildren, Jodi Robin Millman, Shelley Jaye Millman, Alana Canvasser Wolf and Evan Wolf, and Kayla Nicole Canvasser; great-grandchildren, London Drew Wolf and Pierce Aspen Wolf; sisters-in-law and brotherin-law, Harriett Freedman, and Byron and Maxine Canvasser; many loving relatives and friends. Mrs. Canvasser was the beloved wife of the late Donald Canvasser; the loving sister of the late Lewis and the late Marion Freedman, and the late Morton Freedman; the dear sister-in-law of the late Marvin and the late Elaine Canvasser, and the late Robert and the late Beverly Canvasser. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Yad Ezra, 2850 W. 11 Mile Road, Berkley, MI 48072, yadezra.org/donate; Hospice of Michigan, 43097 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302, hom.org/ donations; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

JOAN COHEN, 78, of Farmington Hills, died April 23, 2022. Joanie enjoyed nothing more than spending time with her family. She loved to cook, bake and take care of people. She is survived by her husband, George Cohen; daughters and son-in-law, Michelle and Jeff Gilbert, and Tracey Cohen; brother and sisterin-law, Buddy and Ursula Budson; grandchildren, Ashley Gilbert and Gabby Gilbert; many other loving family members and friends, who admired her quiet strength and cherished her kind, generous and gentle soul. Joan was the sister of the late Dr. David Budson. Interment took place at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Birmingham. Contributions

may be made to the Michigan Humane Society, St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital or the Autism Alliance of Michigan. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. STANLEY N. FREEDMAN, 83, of Bloomfield Hills, died April 26, 2022. He was a CPA for more than 50 years in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. In the early 1980s, he was the managing partner of the Southfield (Detroit) office of the national accounting firm, Fox & Company. In 1984, he partnered with Dennis Frank to form Frank & Freedman P.C., which is now Frank, Hirsch, Subelsky & Freedman P.C., until Stanley “retired” from public accounting on Dec. 31, 2009.

Ever the tireless worker, on Jan. 1, 2010, he became the CFO of Mobile Care Group based in Sylvania, Ohio, affectionately known to the family as “MCG”. Stanley loved working for MCG and considered it an honor and privilege to work with its owner, Joe Wallace, and grow MCG until it was sold last year. Stanley spent many years volunteering his time on the board of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Detroit and acted as its president from 1984-1986. He was also the treasurer of Congregation Beth Shalom for 10 years as well as the treasurer of Yad Ezra for more than 10 years. Mr. Freedman is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Marcia Freedman; sons and daughters-in-law, David and Ellen Freedman, Mark and

Mary Feedman, and Jeffrey Freedman; grandchildren, Sydney, Seth, Rachael and Lindsey Freedman; sisters and brother-in-law, Barbara and Terry Fields, and Janie Slayden; brother-in-law, Larry (Gladys) Rockind; sister-inlaw, Shelly (Michael) Gordon. He is also survived by his former daughter-in-law, Lisa Barak-Freedman; and many other loving family members and friends. Stanley was the son of the late Simeon and the late Charlotte Freedman; son-inlaw of the late Geraldine and the late Leo Rochkind. Interment took place at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Birmingham. Contributions may be made to Ronald McDonald House, Yad Ezra or a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. continued on page 60

Jews believe that death is not a tragic end, but a transition. Let us assist your loved one in that journey.

MAY 5 • 2022

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 59

TERRY GLADSTONE, 74, of West Bloomfield, died April 26, 2022. He is survived by his daughter and son-inlaw, Sari Baskin-Blackman and Jeff Blackman; grandchildren, Andrew Baskin, Brandon Gladstone, Matthew Blackman and Mitchell Blackman; sister and brother-in-law, Lissa and Don White; a world of devoted relatives and friends. Mr. Gladstone was the cherished father of the late Bradley Gladstone. Contributions may be made to Parkinson’s Foundation of Michigan, 30400 Telegraph Road, Suite 150, Bingham Farms, MI 48025, parkinsonsmi.org; or to a charity of one’s

MAY 5 • 2022

choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

Ferndale. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

LEONA GROSSINGER, 63, died April 25, 2022. She is survived by her loving family, including Mendi and Miriam Goldstein, Moshe and Miriam Shapira, Dr. Yosef and Dr. Michael Ferenz, Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Miriam and Yehuda Wolberg, Rifka and Motti Messing, Milka and Rabbi Yaakov Buskila, Dalia Benzion Vataro, David and Regina Grozinger, Rachelle Abrahamovich, Nathan Shleifer. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. A funeral service was held at Hebrew Memorial Chapel. Interment took place at Machpelah Cemetery in

DEAN MICHAEL PERACH, 36, of Farmington Hills, died April 26, 2022. He is survived by his loving parents, Anita and Asi Perach; brother and sister-in-law, Donny and Amanda Perach; sisters and brothers-in-law, Nicole and Scott Mitnick, Natalie (Joel Kerwin) Perach; nieces and nephew, Zev and Zara Perach, Isabelle and Eva Mitnick, and Chloe Kerwin; many aunts, uncle, other family members and friends. Interment took place at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Birmingham. Contributions

may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

OBITUARY CHARGES The processing fee for obituaries is: $125 for up to 100 words; $1 per word thereafter. A photo counts as 15 words. There is no charge for a Holocaust survivor icon. The JN reserves the right to edit wording to conform to its style considerations. For information, have your funeral director call the JN or you may call Sy Manello, editorial assistant, at (248) 351-5147 or email him at smanello@ thejewishnews.com.

In Love With Life

olda Indig, 91, of Wilmette, Ill., died April 28, 2022. A life spanning nine decades, five countries, six languages, and countless latkes recently came to a peaceful end. Golda Indig died with family at her side. Born in 1930 in what was then Czechoslovakia, Golda grew up as part of a large Jewish family, one of seven siblings. She moved to Sighet, Romania, when she was young and spent most of her childhood there, days full of baking with her grandma Malka and playing with her sisters and brothers. When she was 7, she lost her dad to cancer, the first of many painful losses. When she was 13, the Nazis came to town. Golda was forcibly removed from her home and sent to Auschwitz with her family. Her grandma, mom and two younger siblings were murdered there. Her two older brothers died later in the war. Alongside her older sister Blimchu, Golda survived. At Auschwitz, she was sent to the gas

Golda Indig

chambers twice and escaped both times, always finding her way back to her sister. She spent a year hiding from the Nazis inside their own concentration camps, sneaking into the camp kitchen to secure food for her, her sister and the rest of their barrack. At 14, she was liberated as an orphan, refugee and survivor of three Nazi concentration camps: Auschwitz, Christianstadt and Bergen Belsen. Two years after liberation, at 16, she married Benti Indig. The two applied for resettlement and were accepted into Canada in

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1950. They had three children together and lived in Canada for 13 years before coming to the United States. In the States, Golda found a job at General Motors, sewing the leather seats in Cadillacs and cleaning offices. She turned what was supposed to be a short-term job into a 31-year career with the company and used her benefits to support her family, including her grandkids. The trauma of her past became the jet fuel of her life. Golda was known for her ingenuity, lively spirit and relentless generosity, giving whenever and wherever she could. She loved to feed people and was a phenomenal baker and cook. She worked, cooked, sewed, crocheted, earned her American citizenship and fed anyone and everyone she possibly could. She spent her last years swimming, playing Rummikub and collaborating with her granddaughter Brooke Randel on a Holocaust memoir, still in the works. She will be remembered for the fierce way she loved, the quality of her hugs, and

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how easily she filled others with food, kindness and good company. From the wake of genocide, Golda created a full, loving life. She is survived by three children, Hedi Bednarz, Harry Indig (spouse Karin Indig) and Gail Randel (spouse Derek Randel); seven grandchildren, Rebecca Feldman (spouse Larry Feldman), Justin Morgan (fiancé Holly Leverton), Michael Morgan (spouse Emily Stern Morgan), David Indig, Stacey Indig, Scott Randel (spouse Dana Randel), and Brooke Randel; six great-grandchildren, Alexa Feldman, Mara Feldman, Lily Morgan, Ben Morgan, Abe Randel and Theo Randel. Services will be held at Hebrew Memorial Chapel followed by interment at Shaar Hashomayim in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Contributions may be made to 3GNY-Descendants of Holocaust Survivors (3gny.org); Nova Ukraine (novaukraine.org) or Hadassah (hadassah.org). Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

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Looking Back

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

ay 8 is Mothers’ Day. It is now an international holiday in more than 40 nations. In fact, various celebrations of mothers have existed for centuries. One might say honoring our moms is a universal tradition. There is clear evidence that, in the United States, there were celebrations of mom long before the 20th century. The current American Mother’s Day is credited to Anna Jarvis of West Virginia, who declared such a day in Mike Smith 1908. President Woodrow Alene and Graham Landau Wilson made Mother’s Day Archivist Chair an official U.S. holiday in 1914, to be held annually on the second Sunday in May. Ironically, Jarvis later tried to remove Mother’s Day from the calendar because she thought it had become too commercial. Regardless of its commercialization — not unlike many other holidays in America — Mother’s Day remains a special occasion for our moms and their families. Beginning in its first year of publication, Mother’s Day was a celebrated holiday in the Detroit Jewish Chronicle. The JN has also never failed to honor Mom on her day. Indeed, Mother’s Day is mentioned on 3,610 pages of the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History in thousands of stories and advertisements for Mother’s Day gifts and for restaurants serving special menus for mom. The first advertisement that promoted gifts for Mother’s Day was in the May 12, 1916, Chronicle. Florista Telegraph Delivery suggested that Mom would like flowers on her day. Another early Florista ad was a beautiful work of graphic art that included a mom and her son in the Army (May 11, 1917) — the U.S. had just entered World War I in April of that

MAY 5 • 2022

year. Two years later, the Florista ad for May 5, 1919, was jubilant: “Happy is the one who can bring home a few flowers to Mother.” Michigan Gov. Albert E. Sleeper’s Mother’s Day proclamation was published on the front page of that same issue. This was one of the earliest homages to our moms in the local Jewish press. In the May 5, 1917, issue of the Chronicle, the Atlas Floral Company of Detroit suggested that readers “Remember the Mothers in Israel.” It’s an interesting ad since it would be another 31 years before the State of Israel was officially established. But I think readers got the point. Planting trees in Israel in honor of Mom became a standard recommendation for many years. For example, see the article in the May 5, 1950, JN: “Detroit Jews are Asked to Plant Trees in Israel on Mother’s Day.” Many great stories have been published about Jewish moms in Metro Detroit. I cannot cite them all, but here are a few highlights. The cover of the May 8, 1998, JN features a lovely photo of Marissa and Gail Wiener. It also notes that the feature story is “Love Letters from Mom.” Speaking of love letters, the May 10, 2020, JN, has a series of notes from the mouths of babes, so to speak: “My Mom is Special Because ...” This is a really fun read. Or on a more serious note, see “Mom Power” in the May 10, 2000, issue. On Mother’s Day that year, “Jewish moms joined the nation in support of stricter gun laws.” I need to make just one more point for a special reader — Hi, Mom! Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

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DJN May 5, 2022

Articles inside

Looking Back

Spotlight

Obits

Community Calendar

Celebrity News

Old Heart

Send a ‘Book’ to Camp

Pianist Among Pianists

To Israel and Back

Is Self-Interest Incompatible with Altruism?

Moments

Torah Portion

NEXTGen Detroit’s Day of Service

Finding Balance

Marathon Man

Diplomatic Seder

Honor These Eight Over Eighty

Synagogue Spotlight Temple Kol Ami

Bookstock Is Back

Cooking for Ukraine

Meet Mike and Sandi Malowitz

Essays and viewpoints

Witness to War

Antisemitism Rises in State