DJN June 3, 2021

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS 200 June 3-9, 2021 / 23-29 Sivan 5781

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thejewishnews.com

BattleTested, BoardApproved New Federation CEO Steve Ingber earned the job.

See page 13

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contents June 3-9, 2021/ 23-29 Sivan 5781 VOLUME CLIX, ISSUE 18

44 Shabbat Lights

Shabbat starts: Friday, June 4, 8:47 p.m.

Shabbat ends: Saturday, June 5, 9:59 p.m.

* Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

ON THE COVER: Cover photo/credit: Steven Ingber. Photography by John Hardwick.

Cover design: Kaitlyn Schoen

thejewishnews.com Follow Us on Social Media:

38 PURELY COMMENTARY

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OUR COMMUNITY 13

Battle-Tested, Board-Approved

New Federation CEO Steve Ingber earned the job.

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Under Attack

Anti-Israel activists target local restaurateur.

Better Together

Adat Shalom teens pair up with older adults for intergenerational learning.

It Takes a Big Heart to Shape Little Minds

Royal Oak Chabad Jewish Center to open new Lamplighters Preschool.

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A Son’s Lifesaving Search Living donors wanted for those in need of a kidney.

Freshen Up Your Home

Check out the new Home Décor Room in Berkley’s Council Re|Sale store.

30-Year Success

Hillel Day School students bond with JARC residents.

Mental Health Support

Leaders for Tomorrow

Applications being taken now for second cohort that begins in the fall.

‘Bobby Had Game’

Story of barnstorming Black basketball promoter Bobby Grund is a perfect book for the times.

WORLD 37

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A Passion for Jewish Learning Hillel unlocks a love of Judaism in this graduating cohort.

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Oodles of Doodles

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‘A Violin Tribute to the Holocaust’

Jessica Hauser’s ‘Joy Doodles’ bring back childhood memories of her late father.

HMC to host digital program starring Arnaud Sussmann.

41

Medical Students Learn from a Holocaust Survivor

Film Review: Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog

42

Celebrity News

Moments

SPIRIT 32

Tikkun Olam — It’s Not Just a Jewish Concept

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Torah portion

34

Synagogue Directory

ERETZ 36

Metro Detroit journalist is being held in a Myanmar prison.

Hillel of Metro Detroit Leadership Lab

MAZEL TOV 30

Detained on His Way Home

ARTS&LIFE

JEWISH@EDU

Divisiveness on Campus

MSU Student Government passes bill to condemn Israel’s role in conflict.

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SPORTS 27

Facebook @DetroitJewishNews Twitter @JewishNewsDet Instagram @detroitjewishnews

Meet Max Kresch

Former Akiva/FJA student went to Israel for a gap year — and stayed.

EVENTS 42

Community Calendar

NOSH 44

The Breakfast Club

BUSINESS 45

People We Know & Stories We Don’t: Moshe Newman

ETC.

The Exchange Obituaries Danny Raskin Looking Back

46 48 53 54

A new Mood Lifters session runs June 10-Sept. 23.

JUNE 3 • 2021

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PURELY COMMENTARY editorial

Thank You for Your “Community” Service

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s is highlighted in our cover story (page 14), Steve Ingber is the newly appointed CEO of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

Now, that may seem like the often-reported “People on the Mark Move” that we Davidoff see in various publications regarding a job change or a promotion.

However, this is no ordinary announcement.

Having spent 12 years of my career working at the Jewish Federation, initially as chief financial officer and eventually as chief operating officer, I have been behind the curtain, and I have seen how the kosher sausage is made.

Federation executives, those

who work at Federation, other agencies or within our synagogue network, don’t have easy jobs. It is not for everyone.

The needs and demands of the community are complex and ever-changing, and it takes a steady hand and a strategic mindset to make it work. It is a series of balancing acts between mission and margin, between governance and management, and between risks and rewards.

Most of the opportunities for Federation are difficult to land and most of the challenges are not easily solved. But over the many decades and over the body of work through the years, the mission is realized.

I had the unique opportunity to learn from two of the profession’s finest, Bob Aronson and Michael Berke. They ran the Federation playbook with an air of sophistication and the art of diplomacy. Until you

have spent a day within the cherished walls of the Max M. Fisher Federation Building, you cannot possibly appreciate what happens there every single day.

It’s fast-paced, dynamic and unpredictable.

The Federation is the address where many of the community’s most complicated issues and unexpected crises get delivered. And it is the CEO who must sign the receipt accepting that delivery, working with lay leadership partners who ensure Federation is best positioned to find the solutions, raise the funds and, above all, protect the health, wellbeing and continuity of our community.

As Steve Ingber transitions into this role, he and his family know they are making a sacrifice on behalf of the community. Near the completion of my tour of duty at Federation, those closest to me would ask,

“Why do you do it?” I would respond, “It’s not for the stock options.”

You only take on such roles because it is in your DNA and because it is in your heart. You come out the other side a different person, but it is worth every moment.

Years from now, and hopefully many years from now, when Steve completes his tour of duty, the community will say, “Thank you.”

Well, I say “thank you” to Steve Ingber today. Thank you for your community service.

Thank you for stepping up and leaning in to take on this role.

You have our support, and you have our commitment. All the very best on the journey ahead.

Mark Davidoff is senior advisor to the Detroit Jewish News Foundation Board and oversees the Detroit Jewish News.

essay

Jewish Community Must Play Active Role in Michigan’s Redistricting Process

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very 10 years, following the national census, every state is required to redraw the electoral districts by which citizens elect their representatives to the state legislature and the U.S. Noah Arbit House of Representatives.

For decades,

political parties have sought to abuse the redistricting process by drawing districts that slice and tear through contiguous communities or jam dissimilar cities together to give their party an unfair advantage — a process known as gerrymandering.

During the 2018 election, Michigan voters overwhelmingly voted to eradicate unfair partisan gerrymandering by passing

Proposition 2 (“Voters Not Politicians”), which created the new Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC). The MICRC is comprised of four Democrats, four Republicans and five Independents, who are in charge of soliciting input from the public to draw Michigan’s congressional, state house and state senate districts in effect for the next

decade.

The foremost among a number of metrics the MICRC will use to determine the boundaries of Michigan’s new congressional and state legislative districts is what is known as “communities of interest.” A community of interest may be neighboring municipalities that form an economic corridor, or it may be an ethnic, cultural, religious or issue-oriented continued on page 6

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JUNE 3 • 2021

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PURELY COMMENTARY REDISTRICTING PROCESS from page 4

community spanning several municipalities.

To ensure fair representation, it is incumbent upon the public to advise the MICRC of the communities of interest throughout the state. To that end, the MICRC is holding public hearings, including ones at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 8, at Suburban Showplace in Novi and at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 10, at the Marriott in Pontiac.

Engaging with the 2022 redistricting process is critical to Metro Detroit’s Jewish community. Not only does the Jewish community constitute a community of interest under redistricting guidelines, but, since 2010, West Bloomfield Township, the municipality with the greatest number of Jews

in the state, has been gerrymandered to ensure that a municipality almost 25% Jewish that consistently votes for Democratic presidential nominees by almost 2:1 margins has been represented almost continuously by Republicans in the Michigan legislature.

West Bloomfield also bears the distinction as one of the only municipalities in the entire state that has been divided between two districts on both the state legislative and congressional maps. It has also been separated from neighboring communities like Orchard Lake, Sylvan Lake and Keego Harbor — which all share similar interests.

Divisions like those in West Bloomfield disempower communities and inhibit

collective political action, as even the most attuned voters struggle to remember which district they live in and who represents them.

To rectify gerrymanders like those in West Bloomfield, as well as ensure the MICRC considers Jews as a community of interest in other municipalities we live in, such as Huntington Woods, Farmington Hills, Bloomfield, Southfield, Birmingham and Franklin, Jewish Detroiters must be present and engaged with the Redistricting Commission’s hearings.

At a time of rising antiJewish hatred (Oakland County alone has witnessed 35 anti-Jewish incidents over the past four years out of 150 statewide, according to the Anti-Defamation League)

Publisher The Detroit Jewish News Foundation

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JUNE 3 • 2021

and threats to voting rights, environmental conservation and other critical issues, the Jewish community must actively engage with the 2022 redistricting process and advocate for our community before the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.

For more resources on the 2022 redistricting process, visit www.michiganredistricting. org or contact Noah Arbit at noah@mijewishdems.org.

Noah Arbit is the founder and chairman of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus.

A native of West Bloomfield Township, he also serves as director of communications for the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.

1942 - 2021 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week

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JUNE 3 • 2021

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PURELY COMMENTARY guest column

Israel and the United Arab Emirates

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ast this month, the newly appointed Emirati Ambassador to Israel, Mohamed al Khaja, met with leaders in Israel to create a task force aiming to collaborate on innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and driving economic growth between Israel and the UAE. The Emirati ambassador said Naomi Miller there is “an avenue of opportunities between the UAE and Israel just waiting to be harnessed.”

Like most fellow Israelis, I, too, am celebrating the newly found normalization with the UAE and Bahrain because of the Abraham Accords. Recently, I had the great fortune to spend five days in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, feeling very welcomed by our new friends and awed by my immersion in the cultural and cosmopolitan wonderland.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is made up of seven territories ruled by dynastic Arab monarchs (emirs). Dubai

Naomi Miller in Dubai’s Old City.

and Abu Dhabi, the capital, are the most populous and the most visited. Only 10% of the country’s population of 9.7 million are Emiratis. The remaining 90% are foreign workers with resident status from Egypt, Pakistan, India and the Philippines, in addition to a significant affluent business community from the U.S. and Europe. Prior to the discovery of oil in the 1950s, the UAE’s principal industries were pearl harvesting and fishing. Today its economy, the most competitive in the Arab world, is on

par with Western European countries.

The UAE Israel Business Council is an interesting byproduct of the recent Accords. Its members, leaders from the public and business sectors of both countries, aim to foster connections between Israelis and Emiratis in the fields of innovation and technology.

A taxation treaty currently under development could transform the UAE into one of Israel’s leading trade partners, with an expected $2 billion in trade in the coming year and up

to $6.5 billion within a decade.

A highlight of the visit was being hosted at the site of the upcoming World Expo in Dubai. Still called Expo 2020 despite its deferral due to COVID 19, it will open in October 2021 to host 192 countries in an environmentally sustainable city created especially for the event. It will focus on the themes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.

The impressive Israeli pavilion, titled ‘Towards Tomorrow,’ is symbolically devoid of walls in the exhibition hall. It will showcase technology and innovations in water, health, information and hi-tech.

Thanks to the Abraham Accords, Israel and the UAE are off to an exciting partnership with tremendous potential for friendship and cooperation.

Naomi Miller is the director of Israel partnerships at the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator (MIBA) and director of Missions and Exchanges at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. This was first published in the MIBA newsletter.

letters

Black-Jewish Unity The Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity of Metro Detroit stands in solidarity with the State of Israel in the current conflict with Hamas. We applaud the current ceasefire on both sides and urge the State of Israel to continue to take care and caution to avoid civilian casualties among the Palestinian people.

This violent conflict, the first major one since 2014, is

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between Israel and Hamas, a terrorist organization seeking the total destruction of Israel. It is not a conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people.

Hamas does not care about Palestinians, nor Israelis, and continues to put Palestinian civilians in harm’s way. Thus, Hamas must be disarmed and eradicated from Gaza and the region.

We call for peace in the region brought on by diplomacy rather than bullets and

bombs. All loss of life — Palestinian or Israeli — is tragic. We call upon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli leaders to continue to use restraint when it comes to Palestinian civilian targets.

Israel had evidence that the Palestinian building that housed international journalists also housed Hamas intelligence operatives; Israel gave a warning for the building to be vacated before demolishing it so there were no casual-

ties. Nevertheless, this action opened Israel up to criticism by the international community.

The Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity reiterates its position that Israel has the right and duty to defend itself whenever attacked by any entity that seeks its total destruction and annihilation. If a two-state solution is ever to be achieved, then Israelis and Palestinians must do what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Learn to live together as brothers and continued on page 10

JUNE 3 • 2021

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My STORY Adam Pogoda is the third generation of his family to be involved with Hebrew Free Loan as a member of the Board, following in the footsteps of his mother, Lori, and her father, Peter Helman.

“I’m involved in HFL because of my mom,” Adam said. “We would talk after she would do borrower interviews, and, without breaking confidences, she would share stories. My parents are very philanthropic, but of all her philanthropy, I think she found HFL the most personally fulfilling, and felt she was making such a difference.”

The Pogoda family thought highly enough of HFL to help tackle one of the most prevalent requests that came through the agency: personal debt. They established the Debt Consolidation Program at HFL, providing funding to help Jewish residents in the State of Michigan get out of debt while improving cash flow and credit scores. The one-time only loan with a maximum amount of $15,000 requires credit counseling, and can assist with debt due to credit cards, cash advance and similar high-interest commercial debt.

“It takes a village to care the way HFL does, especially because we’re all human, dealing with our own lives and concerns, and all of the change of the last few months. But there’s an amazing positive effect, knowing you can make a big impact on a family, a business, supporting them through issues, a wedding, college, home improvement, or through teaching someone financial literacy. Being a member of HFL is about more than the money, it’s about who we are, and what we want our community to be.”

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JUNE 3 • 2021

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PURELY COMMENTARY

LETTERS from page 8

sisters or else perish as fools.”

Stop Hamas! Live in peace and establish the beloved community that Dr. King envisioned for America and the world. “We shall overcome someday!”

guest column

T

he jaw-dropping videos of Israel’s Iron Dome antimissile system intercepting more than 1,000 Hamas rockets — and a few drones — aimed at Jewish population centers during the recent Doron Levin conflict should remind the world of the U.S.’s longstanding bipartisan commitment to the Jewish state’s security — underscored in 2008 by then-Sen. Barack Obama, who played a key role in Iron Dome’s creation.

For it was presidential candidate Obama, a few months prior to his election, whose subsequent actions played a key role in the missile system’s deployment.

During the Democratic nominee’s trip to Israel in July 2008, the purpose of which was to reinforce his foreign policy credentials, he traveled to meet residents of the embattled Israeli town of Sderot, near Gaza, which had been a frequent target of Hamas missiles and terror attacks.

Obama’s talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials scrupulously avoided controversy that could have hurt his electability. He was a youthful presidential hopeful relatively unknown in the Middle East, and not yet well known in his own

NATANFLAYER

Barack Obama and the Legacy of Iron Dome Iron Dome launcher deployed next to Sderot, Israel (June 2011)

Mazel Tov HFL

country outside his home state of Illinois. He knew the importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance. And his exposure to the drama playing out on the Israeli-Gaza border struck a chord with him, eliciting empathy for the average Israelis who day and night faced deadly threat from Hamas missiles.

In answer to a question whether Israel should be negotiating with Hamas, recognized by the U.S. and other nations as a terrorist organization, Obama told reporters covering his trip: “I don’t think any country would find it acceptable to have missiles raining down on the heads of their citizens.

“The first job of any nation state is to protect its citizens.

And, so, I can assure you that if — I don’t even care if I was a politician — if somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I’m

going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing,” he said.

Thus continued a relationship of mutual admiration and support that endures between Israelis and a broad swath of Americans of varied political persuasions, dating back to Harry Truman. Without the financial and material support in military matters, it’s an open question as to whether Israel today would possess the anti-rocket missiles that constitute a key element of defense against hostile neighbors, buttressing the country’s survival.

GENESIS OF IRON DOME The concept of the Iron Dome system dates to 2004, when Brig. Daniel Gold, a mathematician and head of new-weapons research and development for Israel’s Ministry of Defense, invited the country’s continued on page 12

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— The Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity Rev. Deedee Coleman, Co-chair Rabbi Marla Hornsten, Co-chair Rev. Kenneth J. Flowers, Co-director Mark Jacobs, Co-director Rabbi Asher Lopatin, Convener

Mazel tov to Hebrew Free Loan (HFL) on its 125th anniversary serving our Detroit Jewish community. As I read the article about Hebrew Free Loan in the May 13 issue of the Detroit Jewish News, I realized the depth of the work our local Jewish communal agencies do in support of our community.

As the president of National Council of Jewish Women, Michigan (NCJW|MI), I am proud of the work that we do in partnership with Hebrew Free Loan. In 1902, we established our first scholarship fund to honor the first president of the Jewish Women’s Club, which then grew into the NCJW | MI of today. This was the beginning of our continuing Education Assistance Program.

With the support of our many donors, Jewish college students attending Michigan schools are provided interest-free loans and grants within the guidelines of the William Davidson Jewish College Loan Program through Hebrew Free Loan.

NCJW|MI is honored to partner with HFL to benefit approximately 150 students each year.

We look forward to an enduring relationship with Hebrew Free Loan and congratulate the organization on its continued success. Yasher Koach!

— Amy Cutler President, NCJW|MI

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PURELY COMMENTARY

defense contractors to propose innovative systems to protect against aerial bombardment.

Hamas in Gaza and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon had been launching crude, short-range rockets against Israel since the 1990s. Israel so far had been fortunate; they caused little damage and few casualties.

More sophisticated and deadlier rockets, however, were sure to follow. To Israel’s defense establishment, the notion of a home-grown weapon against incoming missiles seemed far-fetched, if not impossible. The tactical principles behind a missile shield hypothesized constant monitoring of all of Gaza, detection of rocket launches, instantaneous calculation whether a rocket was likely to hit an Israeli target, followed by launching of a missile from the ground to destroy the incoming rocket — within 15 seconds.

And the system had to be economical, lest waves of rockets — however ineffective — would stretch Israel’s defense budget to the breaking point.

Gold’s project struggled to find funding and political backing. In early 2007, Israel’s Defense Ministry backed the project’s pilot phase with an outlay of $10 million. Then Israel approached the Bush administration requesting hundreds of millions in additional support to deploy what by then was being called Iron Dome. The U.S. instead suggested the Israelis

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IDF

IRON DOME from page 10

Iron Dome launches an interceptor during Operation Pillar of Defense.

use its Vulcan Phalanx system, guarding the skies in Iraq. Israel demurred. In the meantime, Iron Dome won $200 million of additional Israeli funding needed for round-the-clock testing and development. In early 2009, a prototype intercepted an incoming rocket during a field test.

By then, Barack Obama had been elected president.

He hadn’t forgotten his visit to Sderot and ordered his staff to look into the project and Israel’s request for financial assistance.

Colin Kahl, then overseeing U.S. Middle East policy at the Pentagon, liked what he saw. The Pentagon sent experts in the fall of 2009.

Iron Dome worked; and it proved superior to the U.S.’s Phalanx system. Kahl’s office recommended $200 million in aid.

In May 2010, Obama asked Congress to provide $205 million for production and deployment of Iron Dome, which would be manufactured by Israel’s

state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the funding later that month in a 410-4 vote. The measure became part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2011, approved by the Senate and signed by Obama on Jan. 7, 2011.

Iron Dome went operational in March 2011 and shot down its first missile a month later.

Whether the new missile defense ever would have been built without Obama’s support and U.S. funding is questionable.

In 2019, defense industry trade publications reported that the U.S. Army purchased Iron Dome batteries — further evidence of the mutual benefit derived from the alliance of the two countries.

On June 4, 2009, Obama had delivered a speech in Cairo to the Muslim world titled “A New Beginning,” calling for a two-state resolution to Israel’s conflict

with the Palestinian people.

Some Israel partisans were alarmed, but Obama’s speech also reminded Muslims of the “unbreakable” nature of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Tensions between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eventually cropped up over the U.S. response to Iran’s development of nuclear capabilities, as well as to Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank.

Differences between the governments are surfacing again as the Biden administration called for a ceasefire in Gaza while simultaneously pursuing nuclear talks with Iran that were halted by former president Donald Trump.

Progressive Democrats have further strained relations by embracing the Palestinians in the current conflict, framing conflict between Jews and Arabs in terms of “racial justice.”

How the Democrats resolve the split over Middle East policy inside their party is less important than the overarching political consensus in Washington in support of a safe, strong, defensible Israel. That nonpartisan consensus spans 73 years, to the Jewish State’s founding. Iron Dome — with thanks to Barack Obama — represents nothing short of a miraculous umbrella in Israel’s fight against extremist terror.

Doron Levin is a Metro Detroit journalist.

OUR COMMUNITY

Battle-Tested, Board-Approved New Federation CEO Steve Ingber earned the job.

JACKIE HEADAPOHL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL

Hills, where is parents still live. The youngest of three children, he attended public schools and then went to the University of Michigan, where he graduated with a business degree.

After graduation, he started working for his grandfather, tearing apart cars.

He then opened an automotive wholesale distribution business in Metro Detroit, which he ran for the better part of 10 years.

“I’ve had three jobs my entire life, and I loved them all. I loved being in the automotive world. I liked being the chief operating officer here.

And, so far — it’s new — but continued on page 14

JOHN HARDWICK

F

rom fall of 2019 to last month, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit was without an “official” CEO as Federation leaders conducted a national search.

However, there was an “unofficial” captain at the helm, COO Steve Ingber, who navigated through the rough waters of the COVID pandemic to unify the response of Federation and other agencies to the needs of the Jewish community.

Former Federation CEO Scott Kaufman was consulting with federations across the country during the pandemic. “I got to watch Steve go through a trial by fire,” he said.

“Detroit performed extraordinarily well during the pandemic. He earned the role and came through battletested.”

Federation leaders officially named Ingber the CEO last month.

“Often, we look afar when right under our nose is the perfect person,” said Penny Blumenstein, who was on the CEO search committee. “He took over responsibilities very quietly and without any fanfare. People are Penny willing to follow him. To Blumenstein me, that is the sign of leadership.”

For Ingber, “This is the dream job I never knew I wanted.”

Ingber was born and raised in a Conservative home in Farmington

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Get to Know Steve Ingber Family: Married to attorney Jill S. Ingber, director of recruitment and associate development at Dickinson Wright PLLC. Four sons: Jacob, 12, Cooper, 10, William and Lucas are 7.

“It’s a crazy house,” Steve Ingber says. “It’s a busy house and, you know, we work hard, we play hard. We have a basketball court in our backyard where you can often find many of the neighborhood kids and, our own kids … It’s sports. We’re taking this kid to swimming and just get to baseball, to tee ball. It’s great fun. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Something about you that people would be surprised to know: “At one time, I hosted a TV show in college called Talking Sports with Steve-O that was on the University of Michigan cable network.”

Favorite Jewish holiday: “I enjoy family at any holiday, but since I’m a bagel guy, I’ll say breaking the fast.”

Favorite movie: Fast and Furious franchise.

Favorite superhero: Batman Favorite sport: “To watch, football. To play? Anything with my kids.”

Favorite places to go: “We love to go Downtown, whether to a restaurant or the Riverwalk or Belle Isle. We love going to any sort of outdoor space where we can get out and do something.”

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OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 13

I love my new role as CEO. I think that’s what makes people successful. Enjoy what you’re doing. Are you excited when you get up and go to work? I am.”

JOINING FEDERATION When Ingber applied for the job as COO at Federation five years ago, he didn’t have a lot of experience in the Jewish communal world. “I think that’s why it took them so long to hire me. I interviewed probably the better part of three months because I didn’t have the experience of growing up or coming along in the Federation system,” Ingber said.

Although he went to religious school through high school, he said he never really participated in Jewish life at U-M, where he met his now-wife, Jill, in freshmen year. After school, he came home and got married. He and Jill became members of Temple Israel and they eventually sent their four boys to the early childhood center at Temple Emanu-El. Ingber volunteered on the board at Temple Israel and at Hebrew Free Loan, which he said he really enjoyed.

“When I was hired as COO, I was hired for my business skills, not for my nonprofit skills,” Ingber said.

“That’s how I got my start here.”

Three things jumped out during those interviews, according to Kaufman. “One, he was a very resourceful, problem solver.

Two, he was Scott super-organized.

Kaufman

“WE’RE ALL PARTNERS IN THIS, AND WE ALL NEED TO WIN TOGETHER, OR WE DON’T. JUDAISM IS A TEAM SPORT.” — STEVE INGBER

Third, he’s a natural people connector. He’s a likeable, engaging person. People gravitate to him.”

Ingber said when he was being hired for the COO position, the committee asked him what he would do first. “I said, ‘I’ll listen.

I can’t tell you what’s broken until I fully understand the organization from the inside.’”

And that’s what he did.

He listened to lay and professional leaders, rabbis and educators, agency professionals and community partners.

“I saw his passion for connecting with the Jewish community, local and nationally, flourish over time,” Kaufman said. “I watched him build relationships with directors, rabbis, lay leaders and people throughout the Jewish community as we solved problems together.”

Ingber cites his proudest achievement as COO as getting Federation listed as a four-star charity with Charity Navigator. “I wanted people to know we were making good use of the dollars,” he said. “As of last year, 88 cents of every dollar we raised provided direct services.”

The toughest thing he had to do, he said, was letting people go during the pandemic, when Federation was forced to downsize. “It’s the

hardest decision leaders have to make,” he said. “If they become numb to that, they’re not good leaders.”

DEALING WITH THE PANDEMIC “I’ll never forget,” Ingber said. “I believe it was March 10, 2020, a Wednesday. We had a board meeting. I convened all the agency leaders and said, ‘I don’t know what this coronavirus thing is, but this is going to be big, and we’re going to have to work on it together.’”

Ingber worked with Matt Lester and Dennis Bernard, who co-chaired Federation’s COVID emergency taskforce before they became presidents of the Federation and the United Jewish Foundation, respectively.

“I worked with Ingber when he first came on as COO and, to be honest, I never thought of him as a potential CEO,” Bernard said. “As Matt Dennis and I took on Bernard roles of running the COVID response, I watched him grow in front of me as he went from an operational to a strategic focus. It was a fabulous movie to watch.”

Bernard added that as they were raising funds

to combat COVID, Ingber went to federal, state and local funding sources and got funding from Oakland County, Michigan and United Way matching fund programs, resulting in an additional $3 million.

“Steve also got all five of the day schools to get together and talk about their needs,” Bernard said. “We looked at needs for Jewish day schools all together, and no one got left behind. That was Steve’s idea.”

Ingber invited every Federation agency and non-Federation agency to the table. “The litmus test to get in is if you can serve Jews,” Ingber said. “We all checked our egos at the door and said, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do.’ I’m all about building community, doing it together.”

The COVID Emergency task force raised a record number of dollars. They made sure that people had proper PPE; they helped agencies with getting federal loans; they ensured that no Jew in Metro Detroit would go hungry, bringing in food and expanding Meals on Wheels for seniors. They helped get the day schools open. They got people tested and vaccinated.

“COVID taught us how to break down walls,” Ingber said. “We’re all partners in this, and we all need to win together, or we don’t. Judaism is a team sport.”

EARNING THE JOB “Typically, when you hire someone, you interview them, check references and take some level of gamble — some level of unknown,” said

Federation President Matt Lester. “There is no unknown with Ingber. He may be the only person I Matt Lester know who literally earned the job.”

Lester cited universal respect and admiration from Federation staff, Jewish agencies, rabbis and community members as another contributing factor to Ingber’s hire as CEO. “Generally, what is a tough decision became in the end very easy,” Lester added. “He implemented collaborations and coalitions. He’s a good fundraiser.

He’s likeable. He doesn’t care about getting credit. He cares about outcomes.”

Former Federation President Beverly Liss was on the search committee that hired Ingber as COO five years ago. “He definitely proved himself as COO. He was Beverly 100% in, all the Liss time. He was working from the moment he woke up until he went to sleep,” she said. “When COVID hit, he was all-in.”

Former Federation President Larry Wolfe chaired the CEO search committee.

The committee was well into its search, fielding plenty of resumes when COVID hit, Larry Wolfe and everything came to a screeching halt. He said Ingber didn’t apply for the CEO job until 2021.

“I asked him why he waited,” Wolfe said, “and he said he had respected the process of what we were trying to do. He inter-

viewed with the search committee and proved himself to be much more than just a good manager.”

Wolfe began hearing from agency leaders and rabbis about the wonderful job Ingber was doing as de facto CEO. “The search committee decided to recommend him based on his actions over the last 18 months.

He was our man. The rest is history,” Wolfe said.

According to Federation’s Chief Marketing Officer Ted Cohen, with whom Ingber works closely, Ingber’s role as CEO “is an opportunity for him to make even Ted Cohen more of an impact.

“He has strengths important to our community, and he always finds a way to strengthen relationships and work with others. I appreciate how he rolls up his sleeves and engages with the work and gets a lot done.”

VISION FOR THE FUTURE Ingber said his No. 1 goal is to engage more people with the Federation.

“If we have 10,000 donors, that means we have 60,000 people who aren’t donors,” Ingber said. “And it’s not all about dollars. It’s also about getting people to build community. The key to a successful Federation, successful campaign and successful community is getting people more involved.”

Ingber added that it doesn’t matter whether people give $10, $18 or $1.8 million to Federation, “everybody is part of the community. That’s important. We all can make a difference, whether it’s in dollars or just coming to our

programs or volunteering — there are tons of ways to be involved.”

Although the Federation does have pressing challenges, such as longstanding real estate and infrastructure issues, the organization is healthy, he says.

“We wanted to right-size some of our endowments, and we’ve done that,” he said.

“Right now, we are in a position of strength, and I think that’s the time to really look at what we’re doing and ask ourselves if we’re doing it the right way. Let’s not wait until our house is on fire to make changes. Let’s make sure we’re meeting the needs of the community when they need to be met.

“I’m real proud of where we are,” Ingber continued. “We’ve done a great job, and it’s not just me. It’s the staff. It’s the agencies. It’s the community as a whole. It really stepped up. We weathered the storm because we have a strong community.”

Ingber said although he wouldn’t declare the pandemic “over,” he does believe the tide is turning.

“A year ago, we had no schools open, and we had no summer camp prospects. Now we have every school open, and our summer camps are going to open. We have been, in partnership with Oakland County, vaccinating thousands of people. We have more people in the office. We have more people getting jobs. We have people who need less assistance. I think we are coming out of this.

“Federation was a part of all that.”

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OUR COMMUNITY

Under Attack Anti-Israel activists target local restaurateur.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A

fter several days of watching his social media newsfeeds fill up with antisemitic and anti-Israel posts after the latest round of conflict between Israel and Hamas, Detroit-area restaurateur Jeremy Sasson took a pro-Israel stand on Facebook.

On Friday, May 14, he commented that Israel had the right to exist in peace. He also created a post with an Israeli flag captioned with the words “Am Yisrael Chai — the Jewish people live.”

The next morning, Sasson said his Facebook direct message inbox “exploded” with hundreds of hateful antisemitic messages. Then, he said, about 5,000 1-star reviews appeared on Yelp and Google about one of his restaurants, Townhouse Detroit, that alleged, among other things, that there were rats running around in the dining room and the chef had stuffed an Israeli flag into a patron’s steak.

The ironic thing — The Townhouse Detroit has been closed for months for renovations.

Sasson also owns Townhouse in Birmingham and Prime + Proper in Detroit, as well as a California-inspired project to open by the end of 2021.

“I ended up with 500 direct message requests with messages calling me a Zionist pig and that I was killing women and children,” said Sasson, who has

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family in Israel. “They threatened to kill my children and burn down my restaurant. In my 36 years, I have known there are people who are antisemitic, but I have never seen it at this scale.”

Sasson said he got a call from the Detroit health department from people calling in complaints of health violations.

“They thought it was odd to get so many health complaints about my restaurant because the city knows I was closed,” Sasson said. “However,

around looking to go after Palestinians.”

Yelp and Google have shut down the review comment sections for the restaurant and the incident is being investigated by the Detroit and Michigan State Police departments. Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Michigan Regional Director Carolyn Normandin said the orga-

“THERE ARE SERIOUS LEGAL CONCERNS I HAVE ABOUT THIS INCIDENT.” — ADL MICHIGAN DIRECTOR CAROLYN NORMANDIN Jeremy Sasson

as procedure, the health department had to call me to let me know that a formal complaint about rats is now on my restaurant’s record. Now, I must go through the process to expunge that. But it just goes to show you the aggression in today’s culture that [anti-Israel activists] have put out.

“Then you see all the videos of violent acts transpiring in New York and Los Angeles

by Palestinian activists going after Jews sitting outside in restaurants. You see who is the real aggressor. It’s not like there’s anybody in the Jewish community walking

nization has had conversations with the office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to classify this as a possible hate crime, though formal complaints have yet to be filed to the AG office by the ADL on Sasson’s behalf.

“There are serious legal concerns I have about this incident,” said Normandin, who could not comment further on the issue.

Still, Sasson is hopeful and excited for this summer’s reopening of Townhouse Detroit and welcomes people of all backgrounds and viewpoints to be his patrons. He is

taking no threats lightly and will do everything he can to protect the jobs of his workers and the well-being of his guests, he said.

“I’m in the hospitality business, and it’s my job to take care of people and make them feel good at any and all costs,” Sasson said. “I do this regardless of how someone feels about my faith or how they feel about a country where I have family.

“I am ever more grateful for those who dine in my restaurants because I know these people carry no hatred in their hearts.”

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OUR COMMUNITY

MSU Campus

Divisiveness on Campus

MSU Student Government passes bill to condemn Israel’s role in conflict.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

A

bill by Michigan State University’s student government, Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU), has been brought forward to “condemn human rights violations inflicted upon citizens of Palestine.”

The bill, introduced May 20 to ASMSU’s General Assembly legislative body, passed with a majority vote (17 for the bill, nine abstentions and four against).

A Jewish MSU student who took issue with the bill after obtaining access to it, believing it to be one-sided and biased against Israel and Jewish people, shared its contents with the JN. (That student, fearing antisemitism, chose anonymity.)

The bill has been signed,

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but it hasn’t been posted on ASMSU’s website or on any of its social media platforms as of May 27. No ASMSU statement has been made on the bill yet, although an ASMSU representative said one is in the works.

“It doesn’t bring both views or many views into the bill,” the anonymous student said.

“There was minimal to no solid structure, no facts without bias, and many untrue claims were made.”

The student also had a problem with the cited sources used for the bill, believing it to be biased with mostly proPalestinian sources.

“This bill is condemning Israel and I will no longer stay silent — considering the recent spike in antisemitism across the globe,” the Jewish student said.

TEXT OF THE BILL The bill begins by stating there are currently “human rights violations being committed against the people of Palestine by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).”

“There has been an eviction of many innocent families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood alongside the suppression of peaceful protests against these evictions, which have been followed by new restrictions placed by Israeli Defense Forces during the holy month of Ramadan.

“These abuses have occurred since 1948 and have escalated to violence against Palestinians in a religious context with the May 8th attacks on the Al-Aqsa mosque in which the Israeli military entered Al-Aqsa

Mosque and employed the use of tear gas and rubber bullets on practicing Muslims in one of Islam’s holiest sites, injuring more than 205 people,” the bill continues.

The bill goes into more detail on the recent conflict, stating that the Israeli Air Force on May 14 “destroyed neighborhoods, schools and a tower in Gaza housing offices for media organizations like the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, which would be widely considered an attack on press freedom.”

The bill stated that those actions, which it says stemmed from “religious and racial discrimination,” continue to “violate human rights and restrict Muslims and other religious minorities from being present in the holy month of Ramadan.”

“These same abuses are ongoing and have now taken place on the most important religious holiday for Muslims — Eid — a time of celebrations to commemorate Ramadan for Muslims that have fasted the holy month.”

The bill states that the ongoing violence in the Middle East continues to, directly and indirectly, impact the lives of MSU students and families.

The bill then concludes with its main point and what else it hopes to achieve.

“The Associated Students of Michigan State University shall officially condemn the human rights violations being inflicted upon the Palestinian people,” the bill states. “ASMSU shall call upon the administration of Michigan State University to release a statement to publicly condemn the human rights violations being inflicted upon the Palestinian people; and, ASMSU shall urge

“WE RESPECT EVERY STUDENT’S RIGHT TO STAND UP FOR THEIR COMMUNITY AND STAND UP FOR THEIR BELIEFS AND VALUES.” — JORDAN ROBINSON

the Office of Cultural and Academic Transition (OCAT) to host quarterly events addressing human rights abuses in the respective timeframe and truly stand with the voices of the oppressed.”

JEWISH STUDENT RESPONSE The student who reached out to the JN and provided the text of the bill said that, as a Jew, they believe it’s their responsibility to say something when things like this come to fruition.

“One of my favorite quotes by a rabbi that I think applies to this situation is, ‘I don’t speak because I have the power to speak. I speak because I don’t have the power to remain silent.’”

Jordan Robinson, executive vice president of university relations for MSU’s Jewish Student Union, said JSU is currently trying to work through the contents of the bill, explorJordan Robinson ing different options and outcomes it could have.

Robinson says he had no say in the bill but was in negotiations with the writers to try and see if a more collaborative bill could be done.

“Unfortunately, we were not able to settle on a decision,” Robinson said. “We

respect every student’s right to stand up for their community and stand up for their beliefs and values.

We just would’ve wished this could’ve been more of a collaborative effort to create more unity within ASMSU, rather than something much more complex.”

With an increased level of Palestinian action in student government on campus, Robinson keeps an open mind on ways forward.

“Jewish Student Union welcomes every group on campus to express their thoughts and opinions in any capacity they choose, just as long as it’s a safe way that they’re doing it,” Robinson said. “It’s great they’re speaking out against issues, but we want to ensure we’re advocating for peace and ensuring we’re being a support system for all of our students on campus. We welcome any dialogue they want to have with the Jewish Student Union, and we welcome collaboration amongst all groups.”

Robinson, who also oversees the JSU representative to ASMSU, says JSU is currently in active talks with the ASMSU president to explore options with the bill and to “ensure all the Jewish student’s voices are being heard and that we are protecting the safety and security of the Jewish students on campus.”

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OUR COMMUNITY Better Together in action as students and adults learn about each other. Top row: Ariel Stollman (teacher), Leslie Blaharski, Julia Blaharski, Lily Novetsky. Second Row: Roberta Wolf, Yonatan Ser, Mallory Columbus, Ben Wasser. Third Row: Ariana Norber, Emily Aidenbaum, Rena Tepman, Alexis Migliore. Fourth Row: Gene Richmond, Jordan Manela (madrich), Julia Nothstine and Isaac Smolitsky. Not Pictured: Jacob Black, Eliana Shulkin, Talia Hill (students); Max Weinraub (madrich); Claire Richmond, Gene Perlman, Shelley Perlman.

Better Together Adat Shalom youth pair up with older adults for intergenerational learning.

SUSIE STEINBERG SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

W

hat do you get when you bring a class of students who have never known life without computers together with a group of older congregants who remember when color television was brand new?

Two years into a four-year grant from the Better Together program, the Adat Shalom-Beth Achim Learning Community, under the direction of educator Dr. Melissa Ser, is discovering the power of intergenerational learning.

The Better Together program goals are intended to be simple and meaningful: to sensitize students to the challenges of the elderly and incorporate Jewish learning and values in their interactions with the elderly.

Through the program’s focused lessons, students learn Jewish traditions and ethics they can actualize in their daily lives.

Students develop a relationship with a senior and are sensitized to what an older person might need. Students are instilled with a sense of obligation and responsibility to care for their elders.

Most importantly, students learn that they have as much to gain from the seniors as they have to give, all while gaining confidence and acquiring communication skills.

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“Better Together is truly what it is,” said Roberta Wolf of Farmington Hills. “I’m grateful to have learned so much from this exuberant group of teens.”

At first, it was challenging to bring everyone together on Zoom. The technology was new for the seniors, and the students were just getting the hang of Zoom themselves. Rena Tepman of West Bloomfield noted that “every time we got together, we learned something from the students about how the technology could work better and, at the same time, we shared the information that we knew. We worked together to complete activities, and I think the program was very successful.”

Alexis Migliore, 11, of West Bloomfield said, “One of my favorite activities was the virtual escape room where we and the community members had to find clues about Judaism and answer the questions! It was so much fun!

“But the part that truly changed the way I view life was the interviews,” she added.

“We asked the seniors questions about their lives and the feeling you get from that is truly indescribable.”

SWEET STORIES Yonatan Ser, 11, of West Bloomfield notes that the similarities between the students’

lives and those of the seniors are palpable.

“But you don’t see them,” he notes. “You don’t read them. You hear them. You feel them. Ask an older person a simple question, like, ‘What is your favorite dessert?’ and you get an entire story about why it’s their favorite dessert and some memories of it, and you are there.”

Creating these opportunities for connection, for bringing students and older adults into each other’s lives and memories, is a crucial part of the program.

Mallory Columbus, 11, of Commerce was the winner of the school’s Better 2 Write Essay Contest. She wrote: “The Better Together program is good for both the students and the elders as we shared stories, memories and laughter together.

During COVID-19, many seniors have been sad and unable to see their grandchildren. The program was a great way for the elders to meet us online and spend time with young people who they miss so much. I can’t wait to share my memories with my grandchildren one day.”

The student winner in each school receives a generous camp or gap-year scholarship in addition to a gold medallion awarded at the school’s end-of-year ceremony. Participating students receive a silver medallion.

The program continues to grow as it moves into its third year. In 2021-2022, both sixth- and seventh-graders will participate in the monthly program, joining together once per month in person, on Zoom, or in a combination of the two for learning about each other and Judaism.

The students and seniors will have more opportunities to figure out what they share in common and what they can learn from one another.

Adat Shalom members who remember when telephone numbers began with a street name are invited to apply to participate in the program for 2021-2022.

It Takes a Big Heart to Shape Little Minds Royal Oak Chabad Jewish Center to open new Lamplighters Preschool.

DAVID GLASS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Executive Director Mushky Glitsenstein and Director of Education Jamie Gans

L

ike anything of importance to the care and development of toddlers, preplanning is not to be taken lightly. Preplanning a preschool even more. So, with many requests, along with Mushky Glitsenstein’s strong desire to open a fulltime early childhood education center, the Lamplighters preschool at the Royal Oak Chabad Center was born.

Glitsenstein, the preschool’s executive director, envisioned a place that would instill in its children the knowledge of their inherent value. A preschool that is more like a family, a giant hug, a community where parents support each other and celebrate.

“When building this school, I knew one thing: I wanted to help our parents raise children who are filled with a sense of worth and happiness,” she said. “It’s important to us to give our children an organic sense of understanding how important and valuable they are.”

In pursuit of ensuring a high-quality education with a priority for creating a warm, welcoming and communicative environment for parents, Jamie Gans was recruited to join the

Lamplighters team as director of education.

Jamie, originally from Franklin, has her master’s in early childhood education and special ed, and spent 10 years teaching in preschools in Manhattan. If asked, Jaime will tell you she has a strong belief in Lamplighters’ style of individualized education, and that she loves her students as if they were her own kids.

Drawing from the best practices in early childhood education, and with specific inspiration from the Reggio Emilia philosophy, children will learn through an innovative, inquiry-based, hands-on curriculum where they actively participate in the learning process.

The Reggio approach isn’t a linear and predetermined curricular progression, and there are no international training courses to become a Reggio teacher. Creating a Reggio style takes careful consideration of how learning methods, environmental aspects and relationships interact together to form the basis of learning.

At Lamplighters, children are the main initiators of the learning process. They are inspired by their own interest to know and

learn and, as such, are endowed with a uniquely individualistic understanding of how to construct learning on their own. In other words, children should be treated as active collaborators in their education, as opposed to passive observers.

In addition, Lamplighters is unwavering in the belief that parental involvement is critical to the creation of a learning community for children.

JEWISH ENRICHMENT When it comes to Jewish learning, “Lamplighters’ main goal is to give our children the most positive, exciting, delicious and fun Jewish experience,” Glitsenstein says.

“When they think of their Judaism, we don’t want the first things to come to mind being a 10-hour-long seder or breaking their teeth over their Torah portion.

“When they think about the most enjoyable part of their lives, we want them to think of their Judaism. Something that is so important to us is to give our children the ‘whys.’

Why do we drink four cups of wine? Why do we celebrate Shavuot? Why do we eat doughnuts on Chanukah?

“When they understand who they are and why they are doing the things they do, it gives them the confidence and the pride in their Jewish identity. It’s no longer something they just do to make their parents happy, but because they get it and understand its significance.”

Another key Lamplighters tenent is having the classroom environment act as the third teacher. A living organism, a place of shared relationships among the children, teachers and parents with the feeling of being in a world that’s alive, welcoming and authentic.

“Through the Reggio curriculum and the school’s physical environment, we are telling our children, you are not an empty vessel that we’re going to try to fill up with information — you are our source of knowledge. We’re going to dig deep. We’re going to make you question and find the answers from within you. Our bare walls, that’s for you to fill with your work. Our neutral, non-colored environment? Because you are our color!”

Lamplighters is currently accepting students ages 18 months to 3 years (with demand increasing, plans are being considered to extend the age range.)

For more information and to apply visit lamplighterspreschool.com or call (248) 571-9197 or email mushky@lamplighterspreschool.com. This story was first published on myjewishdetroit.org.

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OUR COMMUNITY

Daniel Mafrice (left), Daryle Roth, Jonathan Mafrice (right) and Roth’s granddaughter Alex and grandson Ryan.

A Son’s

Lifesaving Search

Living donors wanted for those in need of a kidney.

A

JUDY GREENWALD CONTRIBUTING WRITER

few weeks ago, we celebrated Mother’s Day with flowers, family and fun. But one son is giving his mother the greatest gift: searching for a kidney donor to help save her life.

Jonathan Mafrice, 45, of Los Angeles, grew up in Bloomfield Hills, where he and his family attended Temple Israel. He graduated from Michigan State University and, after working in advertising, started a company that invented the first sound-embedded video game chair. He sold his business and moved to California, recently returning to Michigan to spearhead the kidney search.

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About three years ago, his mother, former teacher and businesswoman Daryle Roth, 73, of West Bloomfield, was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that attacked her kidneys. In the last few months, her kidney function has rapidly declined and she faces dialysis.

The average wait time for a deceased donor kidney is two to five years, so now the family is desperately searching for a living transplant donor.

Mafrice wanted to donate himself, but that wasn’t a viable option.

“In 2005, I was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia, a condition in which your

immune system attacks your bone marrow, preventing it from producing new blood cells,” Mafrice said. “I spent over two years in and out of hospitals, receiving weekly blood transfusions. My mom was there for me … now it’s my turn to help her battle with kidney disease.”

After finding out no close relative was a match — including younger brother and father of two, Daniel, and his uncle — Mafrice had to expand his search, which includes talking with friends and strangers, as well as using Facebook, a helpful platform for connecting with those most likely to help. It’s become a daily task to keep the conversation going, he said.

“Asking someone to donate isn’t an easy process. First, you have to tell everyone you know someone is sick and ask for help. Second, most people don’t know about living donations, so I educate them about becoming a donor or considering a living donation. Third, you need to find someone willing to do a completely selfless act, even for someone they don’t know.”

HELPING A STRANGER Through Facebook, Mafrice connected with a friend, Joanna Sanborn, who did just the same thing: became a living donor for a friend of her mother.

“My mom said her friend Alfred Klein had a potentially fatal kidney disease, and his sister Fran was leading the fight to save Alfie’s life,” Sanborn said.

“I have a sister and knew the desperation I would feel if I was in Fran’s position.”

After undergoing blood draws to see if she was a match (in fact, she’s a universal donor), doing research on everything related to donation and consulting several doctors, all of whom were supportive, she decided to proceed.

“I found surprises around

every corner,” she said, “learning the ways kidneys function and how many lives have been saved by donating. I found myself part of a nurturing, supportive community, in which I remain involved. Alfie’s body greeted my kidney with ‘open arms’ and he’s doing wonderfully today! If I could do it all over again, without hesitation, I would.”

SEARCH CONTINUES Like his friend, Mafrice has learned much during his search.

“Kidneys are easier to match than other organs, and matching isn’t specific to blood type, age, race or gender,” he said.

“Donors are carefully screened to ensure they’re healthy enough to donate and can live normal lives with one kidney.

I’ve spoken with several donors, and each one says it was the most rewarding experience of their life.”

Mafrice said he is honoring the ethical obligation of pikuach nefesh, saving a human life, for both his mother and others in the same situation.

“In our donor search, we’re raising awareness for everyone in need of organ transplant.

We’re asking members of the Jewish community, which has always offered support to my family, to help us in this mitzvah. Many people are in need of a kidney right now. While it only takes one donor to save my mom, hopefully we can inspire others to donate as well.

“My mother wants to live a normal life, free from dialysis,” Mafrice added. “She wants to watch her granddaughter dance and grandson play baseball. She would be grateful for a powerful and selfless gesture from anyone willing to donate.”

To donate for Daryle Roth, call the University of Michigan Transplant Center at (800) 333-9013 or email kidneydonorfordaryle@gmail.com. Follow at www. facebook.com/KidneyDonorforDaryle.

Freshen Up Your Home Check out the new Home Décor Room in Berkley’s Council Re|Sale store.

ALISON SCHWARTZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

and more.

So, Silver, who lives in Southfield, got to work. “I turned the room upside down, rearranging everything and displaying items in groups, creating table settings such as red, white and blue for the 4th of July, adding a wedding-themed shelf with candlesticks and photos frames, and even an Asianinspired section,” she said.

“Now there are so many beautiful items available at budgets for everyone.

We had a Tiffany vase on sale for $50, and a Limoges sweet dish on sale for $20, but there is also a pretty rimmed pie dish for $2.”

A set of Waterford Crystal wine goblets are selling for $50 per glass, and they still have their original $200 stickers.

The former Home Accessories room has now been renamed Home Décor and, as Silver describes it, her piece of the store is definitely “upscale resale.”

Silver is now the dedicated volunteer for the room, and some of her fellow volunteers call her “The Stager.”

However, if you are looking for an inexpensive kitchen item, like a $1 pie server, some everyday china for your college student or even an interesting gift, bargains are still there.

“None of this would be possible with-

Sandy Silver

PHOTOS COURTESY COUNCIL RE|SALE

W

hen Sandy Silver, a longtime store volunteer at Council Re|Sale (3297 W. 12 Mile Road, Berkley), saw the abundance of merchandise that needed organizing in the Home Accessories room last November, she was up for the challenge.

The store had been closed for several months earlier in the pandemic, and staff and volunteers were coping with new COVID-19 safety rules and a backlog of items to be sorted.

“Before the pandemic, I was an avid flea market and estate sale shopper. I really missed sorting through lovely home items,” said Silver, a retired social worker who now works part-time at Wayne State University’s School of Social Work.

Council Re|Sale, run by National Council of Jewish Women, Michigan (NCJW|MI), is one of the oldest resale shops in Metro Detroit and has always been known for featuring high-end clothing donated by generous community members.

When the pandemic happened, with everyone isolated and clearing out their closets and their homes, even more donations than usual came in. Amongst those donations were crystal glasses, beautiful china (even Limoges and Tiffany), art, textiles, linens, pottery

out such supportive donors,” added Silver, who is also a long-time volunteer with NCJW|MI’s Kosher Meals on Wheels program. “Without their gifts, I couldn’t have created what I see as a one-stop shopping experience for people who love decorating their homes.”

Proceeds from Council Re|Sale benefit NCJW|MI’s community and advocacy projects. For more information, call (248) 548-6664 or go to www. councilresale.net.

Body Found in Pond at Hebrew Memorial Park Cemetery DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

A body was discovered by a worker Sunday morning, May 23, in a retention pond at Hebrew Memorial Park Cemetery in Clinton Township.

The employee called police at about 9 a.m. and said there was a body floating in the water. Police recovered the body and said it had been in the pond for

several days.

Macomb Daily reports an autopsy conducted Tuesday, May 24, by the Macomb County Medical Examiner’s Office determined drowning was the cause of death.

Clinton Township police say they do not suspect foul play was involved.

There was no sign of trauma, indicating the man either fell into the pond on his own or intentionally entered the water.

Police have not released the man’s name. Investigators plan to review the results of toxicology tests before closing the investigation.

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OUR COMMUNITY

30-Year Success Hillel Day School students bond with JARC residents.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

H

illel Day School and JARC are wrapping up another successful year of their outreach program, where Hillel seventh-grade students meet and connect with people JARC serves once a month. The program has been going strong for more than 30 years now, with the pandemic only serving as a slight detour from the norm.

The program begins in December and runs through May every year, with Hillel students partnering with the group homes.

“The kids really form a relationship, friendship and connection with the people in that home as we progress through the year,” said Leslie Baron, program coordinator at Hillel Day School.

The first event of the program is a bingo night, typically taking place at Hillel. Other monthly events include the kids going directly to the JARC homes for activities.

“In the women’s home, they love to have manicures or bake cookies; in the men’s home, they like to play Nintendo Wii games and also to bake,” said Baron, who’s been involved with the program for 18 years.

One of the monthly events also includes a bowling event at Langan’s Nor-west Lanes, which was the only event they couldn’t make happen this year.

With the pandemic, everything in the program has been done virtually, with Hillel kids and JARC

clients coming together on Zoom.

Not being able to mingle for in-person activities, the two sides have had to be creative, participating in virtual charades, Pictionary and talent shows.

“For our kids, it’s a lot about empathy, inclusiveness and really appreciating a person for who they are,” Baron said.

Andy Tukel, a former Hillel student and Hillel/JARC program participant, said his time in the program motivated him to further delve into volunteerism.

“I thought it was a really good experience; you can see how happy you make everyone just by participating and having fun,” Tukel said.

“I think it’s really important because it teaches the Hillel kids compassion and patience,” Tukel added. “I got to see how something that may seem so easy and

small like running a bingo event or playing board games can have such a big impact.”

JARC CEO Shaindle Braunstein has had similar experiences as Baron and Tukel.

“What we found — beyond it being new faces for our people to meet or another activity — is we’ve really been able to open the eyes of the students to what it means to be a person with a disability and really understand in real life what inclusion means,” Braunstein said.

“We are all people, we all have the right to be loved and included and engaged, and I think the teens are demonstrating this.

They’re not coming in and working for persons served by JARC, they’re bonding and connecting with them on a person-to-person level.”

Hillel students and JARC residents together pre-pandemic.

AJC Launches #WheresTheOutrage Amidst a new spike in physical attacks on Jews, American Jewish Committee (AJC) has launched #WheresTheOutrage, a social media campaign that aims to mobilize people of good will to speak out against the horrific targeting of Jews.

“The number of Jews attacked on the streets of New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, Chicago and other U.S. cities is growing,” said AJC CEO David Harris.

“Antisemitism, the world’s oldest hatred, is not solely a Jewish problem. It is a societal problem, and we urge elected officials, civic leaders and others to stand

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up and speak out. History has taught us that silence and indifference are never the answer.”

AJC is encouraging individuals to post #WheresTheOutrage on social media and take these actions against antisemitism:

• Contact elected officials — members of Congress, governors, mayors — to urge them, if they haven’t yet done so, to take a stand clearly and unequivocally against antisemitism in their communities and nationally.

• Contact local media outlets and urge them to cover antisemitic attacks.

• Contact non-Jewish organizations and partners and ask them to publicly support the Jewish community now.

In addition, visitors to #WheresTheOutrage on the AJC website are encouraged to complete a form to describe why and how they are speaking out against antisemitism.

Mental Health Support A new Mood Lifters session runs June 10Sept. 23.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

T

he Jewish Federation of to the Jewish community.

Metro Detroit is offering a Mood Lifters is composed of new, cost-free way to sup15 one-hour weekly meetings, port an individual’s mental and currently over Zoom, where emotional well-being. peer leaders teach strategies to Thanks to the Ravitz improve well-being. Participants Foundation, Federation is parttrack progress, new behaviors nering with the University of and ways of thinking through the Michigan Depression Center to Mood Lifter’s app. In each of the JewishNews Forest 2021 Half Page Horizontal 05.06.21 copy.pdf 1 5/12/2021 12:03:30 PM bring the Mood Lifters program 15 weekly meetings, participants

learn science-based techniques and set individual goals.

The partnership was created when Todd Krieger, JFMD’s senior planning director, was at the U-M Depression Center and met Patricia Deldin, deputy director of the Depression Center and creator of Mood Lifters.

“She was talking about this program, and she characterized it as Weight Watchers for mental health,” Krieger said. “It was so interesting to see the impact she was having fairly quickly, and it was one of those things that stuck in my mind.”

Fast forward to January, when the Mood Lifters partnership officially began with the first session to help the local Jewish community.

“We’re a bridge where we provide the skills and the evidence behind those skills that help people reduce their anxiety and depression, but then we encourage them to make their own goals, set their own strategies and

really do it on their own,” Deldin said.

Mood Lifters is designed to help everyone — from people who are experiencing significant anxiety and depression to those who simply want to learn new strategies to help them thrive.

Ashley Schnaar, JFMD youth mental health coordinator, said 117 community members have attended a meeting since the first session in January, and that they’ve been well received.

Krieger added, “It’s really a critical program and we know people are struggling, so we want to make sure we’re providing programs to help people live lives where they can be healthy from a mental health perspective.”

A new session begins Thursday, June 10, and ends Sept.

23. The sessions will take place on Thursdays from 12-1 p.m.

For information, visit Moodlifters.com or contact Ashley Schnaar at schnaar@jfmd. org or (248) 292-9005.

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OUR COMMUNITY

Leaders for Tomorrow Applications being taken now for second cohort that begins in the fall.

LAUREN GARFIELD-HERRIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

J

ews at home and abroad face an increased level of antisemitism online and in person in wake of the recent violence between Hamas and Israel. With the deluge of misinformation and vitriol being shared, it has been more common for people to not share an opinion or fact about the situation for fear they will be verbally or physically attacked.

A group of 20 Metro Detroit high schoolers have been able meet the moment thanks to their participation in the inaugural cohort of a program with the American Jewish Committee (AJC).

Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT) is AJC’s education and advocacy program for teens entering their sophomore or junior year of high school. It enables young Jewish leaders to advocate on behalf of the Jewish people, Israel and human rights around the world, as well as to serve as positive change agents for their peers and community.

Participants build a strong Jewish identity and leave the program equipped to advocate anywhere from TikTok to Capitol Hill. Active in 16 cities in the United States, LFT came to Detroit last fall due to a gift from the William Davidson Foundation to AJC. Throughout the school year, students took part in several experiential, discussion-based sessions every few weeks.

Over the last several weeks, cohort members were able to

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use the tools they learned in the program in real time.

“I had one student reach out to me with an Instagram post from a peer that contained antisemitic tropes and misinformation about the conflict,” said Hannah Goodman, AJC’s Detroit Young Leadership associate. “She wanted to respond but did not know what to say. I asked her to send me a draft of how she wanted to respond. What I received from her Hannah was completely Goodman spot on without my help. That is a direct testament to the LFT curriculum and leadership skills of these teens.”

Members of the cohort came from public schools, Jewish day schools and secular private schools and practice their faith on a spectrum. Each also brought with them a different relationship with Israel and experience with antisemitism.

“Having a diverse group of students was crucial to the LFT Detroit experience,” Goodman said. “I found that our high schoolers have a clear desire and need for nuanced conversations around Israel and antisemitism, especially before stepping onto a college campus. With BDS movements growing stronger and more vocal, Jewish students are finding themselves on the defensive.”

Elana Hochbaum, a current

junior at Farber Hebrew Day School, applied to LFT to gain the skills she will need to be a good advocate when she inevitably leaves her comfortable community.

“I’ve been lucky enough not to have to deal with very much antisemitism in my day-to-day life,” she said. “I have grown up in a very supportive Jewish community. I live in a neighborhood that has many Jews, I go to a Jewish school and most of my friends are Jewish.

I know antisemitism is much too common an occurrence in these times and I hear about it often, but Elana because I live in an Hochbaum insulated Jewish community, I haven’t had to deal with it directed toward me … I know this will change when I go to college.

“I learned some Israeli and Jewish history, which provides context to the issues we face today, how anti-Zionism and antisemitism can overlap and how someone can criticize Israel’s government without questioning Israel’s right to exist. I’ve gained skills in

advocacy and learned that advocacy doesn’t just mean pushing facts into someone’s face … Advocacy takes many different forms.”

Danny Samson’s daughter, Abby, 16, was also in the LFT cohort. “During this past year, Abby has adopted a greater sense of awareness regarding pressing Jewish issues, such as antisemAbby itism and the Samson Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She has developed a strong interest in advocating for herself and for others regarding issues she believes important,” she said.

“We are hopeful that Abby will use the LFT program as a foundation to continue to develop leadership skills and to help her play a meaningful role in the Jewish community and community-at-large.”

Applications for the second cohort, which will begin in the fall, are due no later than June 15 and can be completed at https://www.ajc.org/lftinfo.

Preference will be given to incoming sophomores and juniors. Contact Hannah Goodman at goodmanh@ajc. org with any questions.

SPORTS

‘Bobby Had Game’

Story of barnstorming Black basketball promoter Bobby Grund is a perfect book for the times.

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

B

eloved barnstorming Black basketball promoter Bobby Grund died in 1980 at age 76.

Forty-one years later, his daughter, Patty Grund Ceresnie of Commerce Township, has written a book, Bobby Had Game, about her father’s life and times.

Why write the book now?

“My father’s story couldn’t be more timely with the calls for racial equality happening in our country,” Grund Ceresnie said.

“The book describes what life was like for great Black basketball players in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s (there were no Black players in the NBA until 1950).

“In some ways, my father was an early civil rights advocate because of the way he treated and took care of his players.”

Grund owned, managed and promoted barnstorming Black basketball teams from the early 1930s until mid-1950s while living in Des Moines, Iowa. He wrote news releases, coached, booked games and drove players to games among his many duties.

His best-known team was the Famous Globetrotters.

Abe Saperstein, owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, was said to be so angered by the success of Grund’s team that he filed a trademark lawsuit in the late 1940s that resulted in Grund changing his team’s name to the Harlem Road Kings.

Grund was so respected in the world of barnstorming Black basketball that he was honored in 2000 by the Black Legends of Professional Basketball Foundation at its annual dinner at the Cobo Conference Center in Detroit.

He was the first white person honored by the foundation, which was founded in 1996 by former Wayne State University basketball star and Harlem Globetrotter John Kline to bring together former barnstorming Black basketball stars, raise money for inner-city

Bobby Grund, circa 1978

middle school basketball programs, and mentor children who were at high risk of dropping out of school.

Kline called Grund “the smartest and best barnstormer ever.”

Cleo Johnson, who played for Grund, said Grund helped him have a decent life.

“He bought me my first radio,” Johnson said. “My life was better for knowing and working with Bobby Grund.”

Grund’s daughter wasn’t surprised to hear those comments.

“While I remember Bobby Grund as a loving father who brought the most interesting people to our house for dinner, his players remember him as a kind and decent coach and manager,” Grund Ceresnie said.

Bobby Had Game, a 198-page book, is available in paperback for $14.99 or on Kindle for $4.95 exclusively at Amazon.com.

The book’s subtitle is “Bobby Grund: The Forgotten Promoter of Barnstorming Black Basketball.”

College instructor, editor and author

Patty Grund Ceresnie

James Windell co-wrote the book over the past couple years with Grund Ceresnie, a first-time author at age 76.

This is Windell’s 37th book.

Since its release April 4, the book has found a spot on Amazon’s lists of the top 100 basketball and professional wrestling books.

Grund, who moved to Detroit in 1968, promoted pro wrestling and boxing shows after his barnstorming days ended in 1957.

He worked with pro wrestling stars such as Leaping Larry Shane, Dick the Bruiser, Bobo Brazil, Gorgeous George and Lou Thesz.

“People have told me they really like the book because it’s easy to read and tells a heartwarming story,” Grund Ceresnie said.

“They especially like the profiles of the great Black basketball players and professional wrestlers who worked with my father, and the section on the history of Jews in Iowa.”

Grund Ceresnie lived in Des Moines until she was 19. She said she loved growing up there, especially because of a vibrant Jewish community that had four synagogues, and her father’s barnstorming Black basketball team.

“My father’s players were my best friends when I was little,” she said.

Those players included Marques Haynes, Goose Tatum and 7-foot-6-inch Rayford “Bombo” Johnson.

Grund Ceresnie’s love for singing and dancing matched her love for basketball when she was young. So much so that she sang and danced at halftime shows at her father’s games.

She moved to Southfield in 1971. During the 1970s, she was the singer and leader of the Patty Grant Orchestra, which performed across southeast Michigan at social functions.

She’s been married to Steve Ceresnie, a clinical psychologist, for 47 years.

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for college students by college students

A Passion for Jewish Learning Hillel unlocks a love of Judaism in this graduating cohort.

Mickey Benson } jewish@edu writer

B

eing involved with Hillel Bark Mitzvah service. in college is an experiThis connection with so many ence that I have tremen- incredible Jewish educators dous gratitude and pride in. It and students has made me feel was crucial for me to be supported in ways I have able to cultivate a space never felt before. While where I could reflect in college, I was able to on what it means to be hear from so many beauJewish in the diaspora tiful, pluralistic expresand how my Jewishness sions of Jewish peopleimpacts other intersechood. I feel a sense of tions of my identity. security from knowing Mickey Benson Small-town Hillel my history. The Jewish engagement is importnarrative is so beautiful, ant because it offers a needed nuanced and complex. sense of community. Through Keeping kosher in a small Hillel, I have discovered a town provided many challenges. deep passion for advocacy and I was lucky to have Hillel profesJewish learning. What I find so sionals to help me navigate my beautiful about Judaism is the food access and self-advocacy connectedness I feel with Kol needs.

Yisrael and the multitude of In reflection, I feel like that Jewish experiences. is the driving force behind I feel extremely lucky to have my own goal of becoming had so many structured and a Hillel professional myself. informal experiences within This summer, I will be joining Albion College Hillel for learnBinghamton University Hillel ing. During my college expeas an Ezra Jewish Education rience, I participated in three Fellow. Being able to engage Jewish learning fellowships, with students about their pastwo community service trips to sions and infuse Jewish learning Poland and facilitated a canine in conversation is a skill I am

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June 3, 2021/16 Sivan 5781

extremely proud of developing as a part of my participation in a Hillel community rooted in inclusion and celebration.

My Hillel Cohort On top of that, I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with three fantastic MSU Hillel and HCAM graduates about their next steps regarding shaping the Jewish narrative and repairing the world.

The first student, Caroline Strauss, is a recent graduate of Michigan State University who will be participating in the University of Michigan Jewish Communal Leadership program. She said she was drawn to the program because of the close-knit community that it provided and the opportunity for her to “deepen my Jewish learning, but also expand it and discuss topics that may be uncomfortable for some.”

A Kalamazoo College graduate I am proud of in my graduating Hillel cohort is Audrey Honig. She will be attending Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem next year.

She said she is excited to expand her comfort zone and learn more about Judaism within a welcoming community. From planning events and attending retreats, she has had many opportunities to be grounded in her Judaism. She said she believes Pardes will help to set her up for success both in future endeavors as a rabbi and as someone who enjoys learning for the sake of learning.

Last but not least, I would like to mention Carly Fleck, a

recent graduate of Grand Valley State University and upcoming Springboard Innovation Fellow at Houston Hillel. She recounted her journey from a nontraditional Jewish upbringing to a deep passion for Hillel and the Jewish community after attending a Birthright Israel trip with her sister in 2017. Since then, she joined Hillel and quickly fell in love with the sense of Jewish community that wasn’t accessible in Portage, near Kalamazoo.

“I have already learned so much about my own Jewish journey and identity, and I wanted to explore that even further,” she said. As part of this exploration, she accepted a position through Houston Hillel as an innovation specialist.

“I never want to leave Hillel in general as I feel it brings community and connections worldwide that I would not have otherwise,” she said. “I also never had much Israel learning/ knowledge, so I love that Hillel provided programs for me to learn more about Israel and my heritage. I still have a long journey ahead and I’m still figuring out my Jewish identity, but I can’t wait to stick with Hillel and connect with other Jewish students who may be going through the same type of journey that I am.”

It is clear how her passion for Jewish community and creativity comes through in conversation with her. @ Mickey Benson is a 2021 graduate of Albion College from Portland, Ore.

Hillel of Metro Detroit Leadership Lab Benjamin Rosenberg } jewish@edu writer

W

hat does leaders at Hillel of Metro Detroit. ership mean in Along with Leah Berman, a Jewish I helped plan this way? How is leadopportunity for stuership affected by dents to enhance their Jewish values? I had leadership skills. Each the opportunity to session had a different help answer these topic. questions and more The first session with the planning was about engageBenjamin of Hillel of Metro ment. One activity to Rosenberg teach active listening Detroit’s newest iniwas called “4 in 1.” tiative, Leadership We were split into breakout Lab. rooms and each group had to This four-part series was a find four things they had in virtual, interactive program to further train student lead- common, and one thing that

was unique to each person.

This activity taught us to really listen to one another.

The second session was on program planning, where we were able to design our own programs and then vote on our favorite, which HMD would implement with the students. I really enjoyed when we split up and created a hypothetical program for Hillel to run.

It helped me understand all the time, work, money and coordination that goes into planning even the simplest of programs.

Session three was led by Rabbi Michele Faudem on leadership and Jewish values.

Rabbi Faudem presented Torah text for us to discuss that illustrated positive leadership characteristics such as taking responsibility, the

courage not to conform, leaders make mistakes, power vs. influence and humility.

The final session was led by Yiftah, the shaliach at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. We discussed current events in Israel and Israeli politics.

This session opened my eyes to similarities in politics between Israel and the U.S. I came into this lab believing that I knew almost everything about leadership and was fully capable; however, this lab taught me so much more, including how Judaism has a connection to how we lead, as well as how to thoroughly plan programs. @ Benjamin Rosenberg is a third-year student at Wayne State University studying Sports Management.

Medical Students Learn from a Holocaust Survivor Daniel Lenchner } jewish@edu writer

E

veryone’s journey to medicine is vastly different. Some may expect to go into medicine from a young age, while others may even find their calling while working in a completely different field years into their already established career.

However, there are some journeys that simply cannot be compared to Dr. Edward Malinowski and his path to becoming a well-respected cardiologist right here in Detroit.

Before becoming a cardiologist, as a young boy, Dr. Malinowski and his family suffered through the Holocaust.

In February, via Zoom, the

medical students at Wayne State University and Oakland University had the opportunity to hear the detailed and deeply personal story told by Dr. Malinowski from how he had survived the Holocaust to the beginnings of his love and calling for medicine.

To be able to talk to other members of the medical community through Hillel of Metro Detroit’s Jewish Medical Student Association (JMSA) at Wayne State University and Hillel of Metro Detroit’s JeMSA student organization at Oakland University and listen to Dr. Malinowski’s personal memoir was heartwarming.

The Zoom call with Dr. Edward Malinowski (upper left).

Remembering the Holocaust is of great importance to the Jewish community, and Dr. Malinowski captured his story with elegance and emotion, while also telling us the history of the Holocaust itself.

It is rare to hear a first-hand account, and with survivor numbers dwindling, this was a special learning experience.

We deeply thank Dr. Malinowski for sharing stories of his childhood, as he and his family evaded Nazi soldiers from the Warsaw Ghetto to

Zyrardow.

By telling his experience to the next generation, Dr Malinowski is helping our medical community thrive.

Through events like these, Detroit’s future medical professionals will be better equipped to recognize discrimination and act consciously when action needs to be taken against it.

Daniel Lenchner has just completed his first year at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

JUNE 3 • 2021

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MAZEL TOV! Olivia Mira Goldstein (Mira Shayna) of Huntington Woods became a bat mitzvah May 22, 2021, at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield.

Participating in the ceremony were her parents, Robin and Jonathan Goldstein, and proud grandparents Arna and Dr. Michael Goldstein of West Bloomfield, and Linda and Steven Friedlander of Pittsburgh, Pa. Her late grandfather David Schwartz was lovingly remembered.

Olivia is a student at Norup International School in Oak Park. For one of her mitzvah projects, she wrote letters to dozens of Jewish seniors who have been isolated from loved ones due to COVID-19.

Molly Lynn Greenberg became a bat mitzvah on Saturday, May 22, 2021, at Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor. She is the daughter of Laurie and Jayson Greenberg, sister of Sam and Gracie Greenberg, and the granddaughter of Harriet and Stanley Remer, and Elliott Greenberg and Judy Greenberg.

Molly is a seventh-grader at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor. For her mitzvah project, she donated to her alma mater, Hebrew Day School, and inspired others to donate as well.

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Mia Clare Latinsky will chant from the Torah as she becomes a bat mitzvah on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. She will be joined in celebration by her proud parents, Tatyana and Igor Latinsky, and brother Mark. She is the loving grandchild of Bella and the late Monja Leynzon, and Lubov and the late Albert Latinsky.

Mia is a student at Birmingham Covington School in Birmingham. A competitive figure skater, she spent time volunteering at Detroit Skating Club, helping kids of all ages learn how to skate as part of her most meaningful mitzvah project.

Payton Claire Renusch, daughter of Pamela and Paul Renusch, will become a bat mitzvah at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township on Saturday, June 5, 2021. Her proud brother is Connor.

Her loving grandparents are James Michaelson and Josephine Renusch. She is also the granddaughter of the late Bonnie Michelson, and the late Clarence Renusch.

Payton is a seventh-grader at Bloomfield Hills Middle School.

Jordan Shaye Schoenberg and Dylan Reese Schoenberg will share the bimah as they lead the congregation in prayer on the occasion of their b’not mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, June 4, 2021. They will be joined in celebration by their proud parents, Karen and Jeff Schoenberg, and brother Cooper. Jordan and Dylan are the loving grandchildren of Susan and the late Robert Sosnick, the late Marilyn Zack, and Lester and the late Shirley Schoenberg. They are great-grandchildren of Estelle Miller.

The girls attend Derby Middle School in Birmingham.

Among their many mitzvah projects, both Jordan and

Dylan found it most meaningful to support the Wish Room at the Judson Center and Child Safe Michigan.

Jessica Brielle Tracht, daughter of Debbie and Ryan Tracht, will lead the congregation in prayer as she becomes a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Saturday, June 5, 2021. She will be joined in celebration by her siblings Emily and Noah, and proud grandparents Janice and Arnie Tracht, and Phyllis and Donald Rochen.

Jessie is a student at Clifford Smart Middle School in Commerce Township. As part of her mitzvah project, she volunteered at Temple Israel’s Free Fresh Food Pantry to help those in need in our community.

CAP & GOWN HIGH SCHOOL GRADS RILEY GESUND Walled Lake Central High School Scholar Athlete, 5 Varsity Letters, Varsity Hockey Captain, Student Council, Outreach Program.

Western Michigan University GRACIE GREENBERG Skyline High School Varsity Lacrosse Captain, JV Lacrosse Captain, National Honor Society, DECA State Champion, Senior Company Ballet Chelsea.

University of Michigan GABRIELLA JACOBS Farber Hebrew Day School Basketball Captain, Soccer, BBA Swim Team, Dance Team, National Honor Society, UMatter, Eimatai, YIS Youth Leader, NCSY Chapter Board, Bnei Akiva, Foster children volunteer, Bookstock volunteer, Yad Ezra volunteer, Jerusalem Pizza manager.

Binghamton University

Greenberg-Wool

B

arbara and Joseph Wool of West Bloomfield and Elise and Robert Greenberg of Dallas, Texas, are proud and thrilled to announce the engagement of their children Joshua Jay and Allyson Hope.

Allyson, who earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Denver, is a new homes sales consultant.

Josh earned his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan and his medical degree from Tulane School of Medicine. He practices medicine in Denver, Colo.

The adorable couple will wed on Nov. 20, 2021, in Dallas and will reside in Denver.

Cohen 50th

C

arol and Steven Cohen of West Bloomfield will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on June 6, 2021. They will celebrate the occasion with their children, Julie (Brad) and Robert (Elyse), and their grandchildren, Isabella, Chloe, Ava and Ryan.

There will be a trip at the end of the year to mark this milestone.

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.

Riley Gesund Whatever you set your mind to you achieve. We are so proud of the young woman you have become and all you have accomplished thus far. Thank you for letting us ride along on your coattails.

We are all looking forward to the next ride!!

Love you!!!! Mom, Dad, Brennan, and Sage

CANTOR SAMUEL

GREENBAUM — Certified Mohel — Answering all of your anesthetic & aftercare needs.

Skill, Sensitivity and Tradition come together to create your special Bris.

(248) 417-5632 855ABoy@gmail.com Office: (248) 547-7970

Director of Philanthropic Services The Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo (JFGT) is seeking a Director of Philanthropic Services (DPS) to be part of its Endowment team.

Reporting to the Director of the Toledo Jewish Community Foundation, a division of JFGT, the DPS will provide operational support to the Toledo Jewish Community Foundation in the key areas of board and committee staffing, stewardship of fund distributions, marketing of needs and opportunities, and planning and development of donor events. The successful candidate will be an innovative leader and a team player, with strong interpersonal skills and a desire to cultivate relationships at all levels.

The DPS is a full-time, non-exempt employee of JFGT. For complete job description and application information, go to www.jewishtoledo.org/career-center.

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SPIRIT

Tikkun Olam — It’s Not Just a Jewish Concept

W

hether your background is Reform, Conservative or Orthodox, the term tikkun olam occupies a special place in Jewish practice. It is the teaching that we are here to try to fix, even perfect, this imperfect world through a variety of positive actions.

But there seems to be quite a disparity as to what Rabbi Tuvia kinds of actions this refers Teldon to. Many Jews view tikkun olam as having a very specific role, with social action being the focus. However, when we look at tikkun olam from a fresh perspective, we see that it is not so Jewish in origin, but it is so very Jewish in defining our unique purpose.

For starters, we are often told that this is a uniquely Jewish belief. However, we see that all of humanity is involved in this pursuit, not because they learned it in Hebrew school or yeshivah. Most of the world population never met a Jew, but many are doing tikkun olam daily.

The fact is that tikkun olam is not Jewish in nature and it is not even a belief.

It is universal in nature and something that all humans are hard-wired to accomplish. People throughout the world, of all backgrounds and belief systems, want to make the world a better place to live in.

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They do not necessarily do it out of belief.

Most people naturally find that it feels good to help another person, solve a problem no matter how small or fix something that’s broken. Those with children do it because they want their children to live in a better world. These seemingly mundane acts not related to social action add up over time to help improve our world in all sorts of ways, big and small. People everywhere feel in their gut that this is part of their purpose in life.

As proud as we Jews are of the high percentage of Jewish Nobel Prize winners, most of the world’s scientific, governmental, technological and material progress has been made through non-Jews.

In my book, Eight Paths of Purpose, I explain eight different applications of tikkun olam, which all of humanity can fulfill. Social action is but one of them.

These paths propose that we make tikkun olam a practical part of life for every human being. We have opportunities to fulfill our purpose in life and to answer the call of tikkun olam every day. It is not reserved just for lofty goals and accomplishments, but needs to be applied to our mundane lives, including the tests and obstacles we face.

So, you may wonder, is there any unique Jewish connection to tikkun olam? The answer is a powerful yes.

From the times of Abraham and Sarah (more than 3,700 years ago), Jews have taught the world about values, morals, mitzvos and the belief in monotheism.

Through the centuries, basic Jewish values have been accepted by billions. Christianity and Islam built their systems on the foundation of the Torah. Our impact on world history has been totally out of proportion to our numbers; not necessarily because of what we fixed but rather because of what we taught the world.

We continue this tradition by striving to serve as a “light amongst the nations” (the prophet Isaiah) and by teaching our children not only how to “fix the world,” but also how to draw God’s presence down even to the most mundane aspects of life.

This effort is what we refer to three times a day in the Aleinu prayer — “L’takain olam b’malchus Sha-dai” (fixing the world in God’s dominion — a term credited to Joshua more than 3,200 years ago).

This is something uniquely Jewish!

So, don’t stop making the world a better place but do also remember to align yourselves with this unique Jewish approach to tikkun olam that looks at the potential for every act, no matter its size, to be an act of tikkun olam. It’s the Jewish thing to do.

Rabbi Tuvia Teldon is the founder and regional director of Chabad on Long Island, New York. He serves on the executive committee of Chabad.org.

UPSCALE CONSIGNMENT & AUC TION HOUSE

TORAH PORTION

What’s In A Name?

I

magine the scene at the have made him more particubeginning of this week’s porlaristic and less universalistic. tion: 12 leaders in Israel are He notes this in Nefesh Harav preparing for their 40-day trip to (306-307), spy out the Holy Land.

Initially, Joshua was a very As they complete preparapublic individual. He was tions, Moses approaches the involved in the world; he intergroup and pulls aside acted with everyone. He was the leader from the very integrated with the life tribe of Ephraim. of the average person. For They have a brief, but this reason, Moses prayed important converthat Joshua would distance sation; during those from them and that he few moments, Moses Rabbi Jared would be his own person.

Anstandig changes this man’s And so, Moshe appended name. Though the the yud because that letParshat Ephraimite was given ter reflects particularism, Shelach the name Hoshea at against universalism.

Lecha: birth, Moses adds Anticipating the negaNumbers the small letter yud, tive peer pressure of the 11 13;1-15:41; changing his name to other spies, Moses changed Joshua Yehoshua, or Joshua in Joshua’s name to emphasize 2;1-24.

English. that Joshua must not be a As readers of the Torah, we universalist at this juncture. are not unfamiliar with name Now, Joshua needed to be an changes. Even Sarah underwent individual. He needed to have a name change. Genesis 17:15 confidence in what is right and tells us that though she was born commit, unwaveringly, to it.

Sarai, “her name will be Sarah.”

While his 11 other comrades This change, like Joshua’s, is give a terrible report of the land, subtle. God simply replaced the Joshua needs to be steadfast in letter yud in Sarai with the letter his opinion. hey.

Ultimately, there is no “right Though the Torah gives no way” to interact with the world. explanation for this, the comThe best path for us is to find mentator Rashi offers a sugthe middle path, in which we gestion: “You shall not call her successfully balance the worlds name Sarai which means “my of Joshua (the yud) and particuprincess” — a princess to me but larism with Sarah (the hey) and not to others — but Sarah, in a universalism. more general sense, shall be her It is a difficult balance to name: She shall be princess over strike and perhaps, at times, it all.” Rashi suggests that Sarah’s can be an especially lonely path, birthname, Sarai, has a particBut, when we are able to live ularistic connotation. Her new with the yud and hey, we end up name, Sarah, is universalistic. living with yud-hey, the two-letRabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik ter name of God. notes the connection here. If Rabbi Jared Anstandig formerly served removing the letter yud made as the rabbi of the Orthodox community Sarah more universalistic and in Ann Arbor; now he will be a Sgan Rosh less particularistic, then assignBeit Midrash of Beit Midrash Zichron Dov ing the letter yud to Joshua must in Toronto, Canada.

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SPIRIT

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

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

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

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

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

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Kehillat Hatzhav Hagadol Mackinac Island (906) 202-9959 mackinacsynagogue.org

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

ORTHODOX Agudas Israel Mogen Abraham Southfield (248) 552-5711 aymadetroit.org

Chabad House-Lubavitch of Eastern Michigan Flint (810) 230-0770 chabad.org

Ahavas Olam Southfield (248) 569-1821 Ahavasolam.com

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

Ahavas Yisroel Oak Park (248) 298-2896 Learntorah.info Aish Hatorah in the Woods Oak Park (248) 327-3579 Aishdetroit.com Bais Chabad of Farmington Hills (248) 855-2910 chabad.org

Chabad Jewish Center of Novi-Northville (248) 790-6075 novijewishcenter.com Chabad-Lubavitch of Bingham Farms Bloomfield Hills (248) 688-6796 chabadbinghamfarms.com

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

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

Shaarey Zedek Windsor (519) 252-1594 shaareyzedekwindsor.com

Bais Haknesses Hagrah Oak Park (248) 542-8737

Dovid Ben Nuchim-Aish Kodesh Oak Park (313) 320-9400 dbndetroit.org

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

Balfour Shul – K’Hal Rina U’Tefila Oak Park (732) 693-8457

Etz Chayim of Toledo Toledo, OH (419) 473-2401 Etzchayimtoledo.org

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

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

The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch West Bloomfield (248) 788-4000 theshul.net Woodward Avenue Shul Royal Oak (248) 414-7485 thewas.net Yagdil Torah Southfield (248) 559-5905 Young Israel of Oak Park (248) 967-3655 yiop.org Young Israel of Southfield (248) 358-0154 yisouthfield.org RECONSTRUCTIONIST Congregation Kehillat Israel Lansing (517) 882-0049 kehillatisrael.net

Temple Beth El Battle Creek (269) 963-4921

Temple Jacob Hancock templejacobhancock.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

Temple Beth Israel Bay City (989) 893-7811 tbi-mich.org Temple Beth Israel Jackson (517) 784-3862 tbijackson.org

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

Temple B’nai Israel Kalamazoo (269) 342-9170 Templebnaiisrael.com

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

Temple B’nai Israel Petoskey (231) 489-8269 templebnaiisraelofpetoskey.org

REFORM Bet Chaverim Canton (734) 480-8880 betchaverim@yahoo.com Temple Benjamin Mt. Pleasant (989) 773-5086 templebenjamin.com Congregation Beth El Windsor (519) 969-2422 bethelwindsor.ca

Temple Beth Sholom Marquette tbsmqt.org Temple Emanuel Grand Rapids (616) 459-5976 grtemple.org Temple Emanu-El Oak Park (248) 967-4020 emanuel-mich.org Temple Israel West Bloomfield (248) 661-5700 temple-israel.org

REFORM/RENEWAL Congregation Shir Tikvah Troy (248) 649-4418 shirtikvah.org SECULAR/HUMANISTIC The Birmingham Temple Farmington Hills (248) 477-1410 birminghamtemple.com Jewish Parents Institute West Bloomfield (248) 661-1000 jccdet.org Sholem Aleichem Institute Lathrup Village (240 865-0117 secularsaimichigan.org SEPHARDIC Keter Torah Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 681-3665 rabbisasson.wixsite.com/keter Ohr Hatorah Oak Park (248) 294-0613 Ohrhatorah.us

MINYANS Fleischman Residence West Bloomfield (248) 661-2999 Yeshivat Akivah Southfield (248) 386-1625 farberhds.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 SECULAR HUMANISTIC Jewish Cultural Society (734) 975-9872 jewishculturalsociety.org

TRAVERSE CITY

REFORM Congregation Beth Shalom 231-946-1913 beth-shalom-tc.org Please email factual corrections or additional synagogues to list to: smanello@thejewishnews.com.

JUNE 3 • 2021

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35

ERETZ

Antisemitic Acts in U.S. Soared 80%

METRO DETROIT OLIM

ETHAN CURTIS PASSICOT

RON KAMPEAS JTA

Meet Max Kresch

Former Akiva/FJA student went to Israel for a gap year — and stayed.

AVIVA ZACKS CONTRIBUTING WRITER Max Kresch

M

ax Kresch, 25, an Oak Park native, is both an Akiva Hebrew Day School (Farber) and a Frankel Jewish Academy alumnus who was active in Bnei Akiva and NCSY in Michigan and now lives in Jerusalem.

Q: What motivated you to make aliyah?

MK: At Farber and FJA, it is the status quo to go to Israel for your gap year after high school, and many Farber and FJA graduates make aliyah after that year and some after college.

I came to yeshivah as a gap-year student right after the three boys were kidnapped in the summer of 2014, and I also volunteered for Magen David Adom (MDA). During the year, I decided I wanted to draft to the army. I didn’t know if I wanted to make aliyah yet, but I knew I wanted to do my part serving the country, specifically as a medic.

Initially, I wanted to be part of the combat search and rescue unit. To do that, I had to make aliyah and go through their tryouts.

I made aliyah as a Lone Soldier, and although I did

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not end up getting accepted to that unit, I was accepted to a combat unit called Egoz, where I served as a medic.

Q: What have you been doing since you finished your army service?

Since being released two and a half years ago, I have worked as an au pair, as a paralegal for a law firm and as a real estate agent for RE/ MAX. About two months ago, I was called up for reserves duty. Because I was a medic in the army, they asked me to help administer COVID19 vaccines. It has been a huge honor and privilege to be part of the initiative of getting the country vaccinated, and I feel I have done something incredibly meaningful.

Q: Do you have any interesting stories from when you were giving vaccines?

I really enjoyed giving people who were terrified of needles the shot. I liked to just calm them down and get them to relax. Also, during Pesach, a Chabad rabbi sat down at my station

and he took out a handmade shmurah matzah for me as a gift.

Q: What do you love about living in Israel?

It is not perfect, but I love that I have the ability and the opportunity to do what I can to make it a better place.

It is a fairly young country, and we see improvements happening every day. It is fun to be part of it.

Q: What’s next for you?

I am going to Hebrew University in the fall to study biology.

Q: What do you miss most about Detroit?

I miss the nostalgia of being in the place where I grew up and being so familiar with it. And, of course, I miss my parents.

Q: What message do you want to send to Detroiters about Israel?

Israel is not perfect, by far, but it is definitely a work in progress, and we should not give up. We should be fighting for something better.

Aviva Zacks writes about Detroiters who made aliyah from her home in Israel.

The organization that advises U.S. Jewish communities on security matters said it recorded an 80% spike in antisemitic acts in the last month amid Israel’s 11-day war with Hamas.

One of the causes, according to the Secure Community Network, was disinformation spread on social media during and since the exchange of rocket fire.

“There may be foreign actors spreading information and disinformation, often tied to antisemitic tropes,” CEO Michael Masters said May 24 in an interview. “We’re seeing a clear rise in the calls for violence against the Jewish community and an uptick of attacks of violence.”

Masters listed some of the antisemitic incidents: “Acts of vandalism from Oregon to Virginia, synagogue desecrations from Illinois to Arizona, reports of people having bottles thrown at them, children’s playgrounds being daubed with swastikas in New York and Tennessee.”

He said there has been a commensurate intensification of antisemitism on social media during the hostilities between Israel and Hamas that ended with a ceasefire early Friday. A feature of the attacks was to link Jews and Israel to the coronavirus pandemic — in some cases, by blaming Jews for the virus; in others, by likening Israel to the virus.

A hashtag, #COVID1948, using Israel’s founding to identify Israel as a deadly virus, seems to have had its origins in Iran, Masters said. Many of its initial uses were in Farsi, he said.

The Network Contagion Research Institute, which tracks disinformation on social media, traced a sudden massive spike in #COVID1948 usage on May 12, the third day of the war. It also tracked spikes in uses of phrases like “Hitler was right,” “Zionazi” and “Kill all Jews.”

Masters said other foreign actors, including states, also may have spurred incitement.

“We’ve seen misinformation and disinformation from a number of actors overseas over the last years, and it will not be surprising if some of those actors are related to the current conflict,” Masters said.

WORLD

Detained on His Way Home Metro Detroit journalist is being held in a Myanmar prison.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

O

n his way home for a surprise visit to see family and friends, native Detroiter Danny Fenster, 37, managing editor for Frontier Myanmar, was detained May 24 at Yangon International Airport shortly before boarding a flight to Kuala Lumpur and is being held in prison. He is one of many journalists who has been detained, imprisoned or expelled from the country since a military coup took over the government there in February.

Fenster’s brother Bryan, 39, of Huntington Woods, told the JN he was alarmed to see multiple messages from Myanmar on his phone early that morning from Fenster’s wife, Julianna.

The last time Fenster saw his brother was at a friend’s wedding in Krakow, Poland, in September 2019. He assumes the reason why his brother is being detained is that he is a journalist who has been covering the coup in Myanmar. Since then, Myanmar’s military government has arrested about 80 journalists, according to media reports, which state Fenster is the fourth foreign journalist to be detained.

Fenster said his brother, a graduate of Berkeley High School and a graduate of Colombia College of Chicago and Wayne State University, had been working as a journalist in Asia for about three years.

He had positions in Thailand and was working for another media outlet in Myanmar before the military government

shut it down. Then he joined the staff of Frontier, an independent news site.

Bryan Fenster said Julianna is trying to arrange to visit Danny in Insein Prison, which has a notorious and well-documented reputation for its deplorable conditions for political prisoners.

“We do not know the exact reason why he is being detained or of his physical condition,” Fenster said in an interview with the JN. “The good news is that we’ve been able to get in touch with the right people.

Local (Congressional) representatives, Gov. Whitmer and the U.S. State Department are aware, and they are working on it.”

On May 25, Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09), along with all 16 members of the Michigan congressional delegation, sent a letter to Secretary of State Rep. Andy Antony Blinken Levin urging the State Department to secure Fenster’s immediate and unconditional release. The full text of the letter can be read at https:// tinyurl.com/2tew6s3f.

In an interview with the JN, Levin said he spent a great deal of time speaking with Fenster’s brother, as well as the U.S. State Department and U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar Thomas Vajda on May 25.

Levin said Vajda is “leaving no stone unturned” in efforts to

Bryan and Danny Fenster, September 2019, at a friend’s wedding in Krakow, Poland.

It was the last time the brothers saw each other.

release the journalist.

“I was very reassured after speaking to Ambassador Vajda and learned all he is doing to win Danny’s release,” said Levin, who serves in Congress on the Foreign Affairs Committee and is the vice chair of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation. In March, Levin passed H. Res. 134 that condemned the military coup in Myanmar that received bipartisan support.

“Vajda has thorough, measured and strong experience in protecting Americans in

every country he has served in as ambassador,” Levin said.

“Washington is coming at this at all angles to release him.”

According to CNN, in February, the military detained Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, for her support of democracy.

The military declared a state of emergency, claiming there was voting fraud in elections that Suu Kyi’s party had won, according to observers. The U.S. and other nations have criticized Myanmar’s military leaders for the coup.

JUNE 3 • 2021

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ARTS&LIFE

COURTESY OF JESSICA HAUSER

ART

Jessica Hauser

Oodles of B Doodles Jessica Hauser’s ‘Joy Doodles’ bring back childhood memories of her late father.

ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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y day, Jessica Hauser is a dynamic nonprofit leader doing everything in her power to ensure Detroit students have the tools they need to succeed. As executive director of the Downtown Boxing Gym, her days are filled with nonstop Zoom meetings and tackling significant concerns like funding, staffing and getting emergency food to families as well as overseeing the free afterschool academic and athletic program’s operations alongside Khali Sweeney, DBG’s founder and CEO. It was a big job before COVID-19 and the pandemic amplified everything.

“We were working 20-hour days,” says Hauser, a former member with her family of Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park.

“It’s been a super stressful year.”

Enter Joy Doodles, the one thing Hauser says helped her get through some of the toughest times. Joy Doodles is her name for a free-form style of drawing and painting that she first recalls doing as a young child with her late father, Joel Hauser. Sadly, he was hit and killed by a drunk driver when Jessica was just 10 years old, changing her family and the course of her life forever.

“He would sit and draw these squiggly lines and tell me to just be as creative as possible to fill them in,” she recalls. “Something about it was just really calming.

My favorite thing about it is there are no boundaries. You can create your own thing; you can really express yourself.”

Decades after drawing with

her dad, Hauser started painting doodles again as a way to relax and de-stress during the height of the pandemic. Today, her home art studio is filled with colorful canvases including dozens of finished paintings and many works in progress.

Her process always begins by painting the background first and drawing free-form swirls and designs on top of it. As she decorates the designs and fills them in, each painting takes on a life and personality of its own.

No two are ever the same.

“I love working with different textures and mediums — glitter, sequins, paint markers, acrylic paint,” she

all the time you have to put yourself out there and pursue your passions and dreams,” she says. “I want to be a role model and practice what I preach.”

Her bright, whimsical paintings come in various sizes and range in price from $50 to $250. They have names like “Joys of Summer,” “Rocket Feathers” and “Desert Waves.” As you look, you start to see different things in each of them — a shape that looks like a beach ball, falling leaves and trees, ocean waves, a dreamy blue sky.

Hauser says when she starts each painting, she doesn’t have a pre-deter-

“MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT IT IS THERE ARE NO BOUNDARIES ... YOU CAN REALLY EXPRESS YOURSELF.” — JESSICA HAUSER

says. “Something about all the different colors and just being able to let my mind wander is really relaxing.”

Hauser is not a trained artist, but she does teach knitting classes. She says that longtime hobby is similar because knitting is methodical and follows a pattern.

When she started to paint, she had no intention of launching a business, but the more she painted, the more family members encouraged her to share her artwork with the world. So, she put up a page on the e-commerce website Etsy, which focuses on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies, and people started buying.

“We tell the kids [at the Downtown Boxing Gym]

mined thought, she just lets the paint take her where it wants to go. Somewhere among the brush strokes and embellishments, her worries melt away and she’s connected, if only for a moment, to her carefree days as a little girl with her dad — before the realities, stresses and disappointments of adult life — when all that mattered was which color or design she would choose.

“Art and creativity just do magical things with old pain and wounds,” she says. “These paintings come from a really heartfelt place and I hope they bring people joy.”

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ARTS&LIFE MUSIC

Details

Arnaud Sussmann

A Violin Tribute to Holocaust Victims

COURTESY OF ARNAUD SUSSMANN

Arnaud Sussmann’s free digital program begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 8. To register, go to holocaustcenter.org/violin.

Viewers are asked to consider donations to the Holocaust Center at holocaustcenter.org/ support.

HMC to host digital program starring Arnaud Sussmann.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A

late grandfather’s Holocaust memories inspired choices for an upcoming digital concert featuring violinist Arnaud Sussmann accompanied by pianist Michael Brown. The two will perform enduring music of five composers who also experienced Holocaust atrocities.

“A Violin Tribute to the Holocaust” features pieces by Erwin Schulhoff, Robert Dauber, Pavel Haas, Samuel Adler and Mieczyslaw Weinberg starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 8. The free program will be hosted by the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills with community partners Detroit Public

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TV, WRCJ and the Center for Jewish Studies at Eastern Michigan University.

Viewers will also be presented with a performer interview session led by Dave Wagner, WRCJ program director and radio host.

“In recent years, I have had an ever-growing desire to pay homage to my grandfather,” said Sussmann, 36, who has presented similar programs titled “Jewish Voices” and recently made a recording with the same title. “The best way I could honor him is by putting together a program featuring composers whose voices were silenced in the Holocaust.”

Schulhoff, Dauber and Haas died in con-

centration camps. Although Weinberg was able to escape by fleeing east, his family was murdered. Adler, a composer who was Brown’s composition teacher at Julliard, fled Germany after Kristallnacht.

Sussmann is artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach and a part-time teacher at Stony Brook University in New York state. He also serves as co-director of Music@Menlo’s International Program, a chamber music program for college-age musicians.

Before concentrating on the violin, Sussmann learned piano.

“I felt such a strong connection to violin,” he explained. “I loved to practice from an early age. By 14, I started traveling in France, where I grew up, to study in various schools and conservatories, and I moved to New York in 2001, right before turning 17, to study at the Juilliard School with Itzhak Perlman.”

International touring has taken Sussmann to Michigan venues. He appeared with the Grand Rapids Symphony in 2016 and joined many times with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at the St. Cecilia Music Center in Grand Rapids, where he will return next season.

Like other performers, Sussmann had to learn new techniques due to the pandemic.

“We’ve all had to pivot and find ways to produce and promote our art forms differently,” he said. “I’ve had to learn about the entire recording process, from setting up microphones to recording software as well as editing.

“It’s been a great learning experience, and I’m thankful I was able to expand my skill set this past year.”

The works planned for his Michigan audience include Schulhoff ’s “Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 1” (1911); Dauber’s “Serenade” (1942); Haas’ “Suite for Oboe and Piano, Op. 17” (arranged for violin and piano) (1939); Adler’s “Lullaby” (based on a Hebrew folk tune) (1984); and Weinberg’s “Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes, Op. 47” (1949).

“Michael Brown is a dear friend and wonderful pianist, and we have been colleagues and musical partners for many years,” said Sussmann, married to video producer Pauline Hadad and the father of an infant son. “I asked him a few months ago if he would be willing to join me in recording this program.”

During the conversation, Sussmann welcomes questions about his musical life as well as the concert being performed.

FILM REVIEW

HHHHH

A Violin Tribute to the Holocaust

Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER SHEPHERD MOVIE

B

ased on the award-winning and bestselling Israeli novel The Jewish Dog by Asher Kravitz, Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog recounts the history of the gradual eradication of Jewish life in Nazi Germany in the 1930s, as told through the bond between a boy and his German shepherd.

The 94-minute film, which opened May 28 at the Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township, has a slow build, introducing viewers to the changes in Germany that steadily restricted Jewish rights.

It opens with a scene of a German shepherd (the pet of a well-to-do Jewish family in Berlin) giving birth to a litter of puppies.

As the family tries to find the puppies a home, they encounter early glimpses of antisemitism.

A man approaches them, asking if they have papers proving the German shepherds are pure breeds. He tells the family about the superiority of pure breeds, a metaphor for the Nazi view of Jews as untermenschen, or people considered to be racially or socially inferior.

The film progresses with the enactment of the Nuremberg Laws, a collection of laws passed in Nazi Germany that deprived Jews of their rights. We see the housekeeper of the family being told she can no longer work for Jews, followed by a law that prohibits Jews from owning pets. This leaves the film’s main character, 10-year-old Joshua (August Maturo), forced to part ways with his beloved German shepherd, Kaleb.

As Kaleb becomes a street dog, he’s eventually captured and then adopted by an SS dog trainer (Ken Duken) who trains the dog to round up and terrorize Jewish prisoners at a Nazi work camp. It’s at the camp where Kaleb is finally reunited with Joshua, though the young boy is now a prisoner.

Though the film is billed as a family feature, it’s far from it.

It delves into harrowing scenes of concentration camps, which realistically are not fit for a family audience. It also deals with complex, difficult scenarios suited for adult crowds only. The first half of the film seems to drag, while the second half finally picks up speed that should have been present from the start.

The acting also leaves much to be desired. Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog had much potential, telling the story of the Holocaust through the lens of the unbreakable companionship between man and dog. It’s an angle seldom seen, if at all. Yet both the storyline and cast fell short of properly capturing the intense emotions of that devastating time in history.

Virtual Program Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 7 pm EDT www.holocaustcenter.org/upcoming Join acclaimed French violinist Arnaud Sussmann for a performance and live Q&A. HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER • ZEKELMAN FAMILY CAMPUS

248.553.2400 • www.holocaustcenter.org Photo Credit: Carlin-Ma

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ARTS&LIFE CELEBRITY NEWS

ANIMATED CHOICES; KENNEDY CENTER HONORS Housebroken is a charming animated series about a varied group of neighborhood pets who meet frequently to discuss their problems. Lisa Kudrow, 57, voices Honey, a standard poodle who was forced into a “marriage” by humans to Chief, a sloppy St. Bernard (voiced

by Nat Faxon, 45. His mother is Jewish). Fun note: There is an animal character named Tchotchke. (Began on May 31 on Fox. New episodes Mondays at 9 p.m.).

Another animated project, the film Spirit Untamed, opens in theaters on June 4. This Dreamworks flick is based on the Netflix animated TV series Spirit Riding Free. The film

The animated series Housebroken

COURTESY OF FOX

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

follows a young girl named Lucy. She moves from a sheltered life in the city to a small frontier town where she meets a wild mustang named Spirit and bonds with him. Jake Gyllenhaal, 40, co-stars as the voice of Jim, Lucy’s widowed father.

The 2020/2021 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony/ gala is the most unusual since the awards began in 1978.

Honorees are chosen for lifetime excellence in the arts. Normally, they receive their award at a State Department ceremony

in December. A few days later, there’s a gala celebration at the Kennedy Center Opera House.

A few weeks later, a two-hour video is broadcast by CBS. The 2020 awards were delayed due to the pandemic.

Finally, on May 21, the five winners received their certificates at a virtually empty Opera House. Tribute performances/ statements were recorded last week at remote locations. The Opera House ceremony and the remote tributes (edited version) will be broadcast on CBS on Sunday, June 6 (8 p.m.).

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

welcome. To RSVP and receive a Zoom link, contact Jodi Gross, jgross@adatshalom.org.

PIRKEI AVOT STUDY 11 AM, JUNE 4 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites adults of all ages to join Rabbi Aaron Bergman for a weekly discussion on Zoom to explore one of the most beloved and wise books of our people, which was written long ago but is even more relevant today. The community is welcome. There is no charge. To RSVP and receive a Zoom link, contact Jodi Gross, jgross@ adatshalom.org.

MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS 9:30 AM, JUNE 6 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites adults of all ages to join Rabbi Aaron Bergman on Zoom. The class is designed to help individuals find their internal spirituality and realize how Judaism can make them happier. The community is welcome. There is no charge. To RSVP and receive a Zoom link, contact Jodi Gross,

BOOKS FOR SENIORS JUNE 7-21 Eleanor Roosevelt Hadassah is collecting books for mature readers to enjoy. They will be collected in a designated bin outside the Hadassah House in West Bloomfield. Share the books you have enjoyed by donating them for someone else to read. The books will be distributed to various locations.

Drop-off: Hadassah Greater Detroit, 5030 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323. Questions? greaterdetroit@hadassah.org or call 248683-5030.

SOULFUL YOGA 11 AM, JUNE 5 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites you to join Rabbi Aaron Bergman and yoga instructor Mindy Eisenberg. Connect body and soul as they apply the wisdom of Torah to the gentle practice of yoga. No yoga experience is necessary.

There is no charge to participate, and the community is

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ZOOM COMEDY NIGHT 7 PM, JUNE 6 Raising funds for NCJW|MI community service and advocacy projects, the NCJW Michigan Fundraiser features comedian Corey Kahaney and emcee Alan Muskovitz. $36 per household; $75 for patrons. https://ncjwmi.org/ product/raisinglaughter.

LUNCH & LEARN NOON-1 PM, JUNE 8 Join Rabbi Alicia Harris of Shir Tikvah for her monthly virtual Lunch & Learn. Come meet new friends and enjoy an hour of wonderful discussion. Open to the community. Register at shirtikvah.org — a Zoom link will be sent prior to the class.

There are no Jewish winners this year, but much more likely than not, Jewish celebs will appear to say nice things about the winners, or play something or sing something. The honorees this year are country singer Garth Brooks, actress/choreographer Debbie Allen, violinist Midori, folk singer Joan Baez, 80, and comedian/actor Dick Van Dyke, 95.

I don’t know why Dick Van Dyke didn’t win decades ago.

Incidentally, his career was “made” by four Jews. The most important was Carl Reiner (19222020), who produced, wrote and directed The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-65).

By the way, Van Dyke’s big musical hits, Mary Poppins (1964) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), had Jewish songwriters: the late Robert Sherman and his brother, Richard Sherman, 92, wrote all the tunes.

GENEALOGICAL CONFERENCE AUG. 1-5 The 41st Annual International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies International Conference on Jewish Genealogy will be an all-virtual conference. The conference will feature live-stream presentations as well as more than 100 pre-recorded, on-demand video presentations, both available for 60 days after the conference ends. Sessions will cover virtually every aspect of Jewish genealogy. Early Bird Registration is $250 until June 10. Registration and conference program details will be posted on the conference website: www.iajgs2021.org.

Ongoing information and questions will also be posted on the IAJGS Conference Discussion Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/IAJGS.

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NOSH

dining around the d

Creme Brulee French Toast

The Breakfast Club ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A

s the pandemic recedes, going out to breakfast or brunch is suddenly back in style.

Skillet omelets, breakfast bowls, waffles and pancakes — plus socializing — what could be more fun?

I recommend trying the Breakfast Club.

Founded in 1998, it offers a Esther delicious dining Allweiss experience at all Ingber nine local franchises, including Farmington Hills and Commerce Township. The nearest to my home is the Breakfast Club of Royal Oak. “Nice guy” owner Sunny Poonin, a native of New Delhi, India, said he works 30 hours here and another 35 hours more each week at his other Breakfast Club in Madison Heights. Those hours are actually cutting back for him.

Arriving in 2004 with poor English skills, Poonin was

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grateful to find employment in the fast-food industry. He worked his way up, putting in 100 hours weekly to support his wife and children, but also to buy different restaurants.

His last stop before acquiring the Madison Heights Breakfast Club in 2013 was Frittata in Clawson, then known for its gourmet breakfasts.

The Breakfast Club of Royal Oak, operating in a former Middle Eastern restaurant, offers a cute, unpretentious setting. Breakfast-themed artwork decorates the pale yellow walls. Tables are bare and light floods through large windows.

But talk about poor timing: “I was in business only two weeks,” Poonin said, before COVID concerns caused Michigan to shut down inside service at bars and restaurants.

Like with other places, carry-outs and home deliveries kept him going.

Picking up where it left off, the Breakfast Club provides friendly, efficient service.

That’s inspired by Poonin himself, who not only cooks but brings out food to tables as needed.

The Breakfast Club menu, the same in each location, features such items as Mini Spini Egg White Omelet, Irish Morn, Smoked Salmon Benedict, Breakfast Enchiladas and Blueberry Granola Pancakes. I tried the best-selling Crème Brulee French Toast, a custard-baked French toast topped with Sabayon sauce (zabaglione, in Italian) and caramel sauce. Served with a purple orchid, the dessert-like dish was tall, dense, rich and sweet.

I have more experience with the Breakfast Club Specials.

One time I enjoyed Italian Scramble: scrambled eggs, roasted garlic, roasted red peppers, spinach, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella with balsamic reduction. I also liked Sunrise French Toast, a special cornflake-coated French toast topped with mangos and raspberry sauce.

My companion went wild for Southern Benedict, a special featuring buttermilk biscuit, chorizo, two poached eggs, topped with Hollandaise and Ranchero sauces, goat cheese and red onion, served with loaded, diced potatoes.

A Breakfast Club signature is presenting the check along with a chocolate-dipped whole strawberry for each guest. It’s good-quality chocolate, too, and a much-appreciated gesture.

Sunny Poonin owns the Breakfast Club of Royal Oak and the Breakfast Club of Madison Heights.

He’s shown by the company logo in his Royal Oak location.

Other Local Breakfast Clubs

Commerce Twp.: (248) 926-0690 Farmington Hills: (248) 473-0714 Madison Heights: (248) 307-9090 Novi: (248) 773-8038 More locations are in Brighton, Livonia, Plymouth Township and Troy.

Breakfast Club of Royal Oak 29110 Woodward, Royal Oak 248-565-8013 No website; visit Facebook page ***½ out of ****

Blueberry Granola Pancakes

BUSINESS

People We Know & Stories We Don’t:

MOSHE NEWMAN Moshe Newman

S

outhfield resident Moshe Newman began his entrepreneurial life when he was less than 10 years old. Newman had his first business then, selling flowers door-to-door in honor of the weekend’s upcoming Shabbat.

Not too long afterward, his great-grandfather passed away and left him and his siblings an inheritance.

Newman invested his inheritance into a family member’s business.

As a kid, he was told constantly that his debating skills showed he would make a great lawyer. So, after yeshivah, Newman graduated with a bachelors in Talmudic law and then attended law school itself — a “natural progression.”

While most law students spend their summers interning, Newman spent his first summer getting married. His first child followed the next summer.

He then escalated his classes and passed the bar, finishing college in two and a half years. He used his “spare

DOVID NISSAN ROETTER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

time” to study various areas of law to find his niche.

His desire to help people caused him to to bypass working for a large corporation where “a client is just one on a list,” he said.

Wanting the opportunity to provide a different level of service, Newman used the profits from his investment over a decade earlier to open his own practice. Thus, Legacy Law Firm, focused on elder law and probate litigation, opened in 2015 when Newman was in his late 20s. The firm started in practically “a broom closet” in his father’s office and has since grown to its current location on Greenfield Road in Southfield. He has two assistants and a paralegal to help him and their clients.

Legacy Law Firm was designed to help people in crisis and, more importantly, to avoid crisis. Many seniors do not plan their care properly or their children do not understand how to properly find care. “Peoples’ legacies are in their hands much more than people realize,” Newman said.

The firm helps people leave a legacy behind, whether it be a house or Social Security pensions, instead of it all going into nursing home costs. He prides himself that clients can call his cell phone personally, and that he can visit clients in the hospital directly to see the situation at hand for himself. While he hopes to expand the firm in the next few years, Newman desires to keep its “smallfirm vibe.”

He said he’s proud to wear his yarmulkah in the courtroom. “Overall, people have respected it,” he said.

However, being an Orthodox lawyer does have its challenges. Having to turn off his phone for Shabbat and Jewish holidays is difficult. He worked right up until Shavuot due to a case emergency and then started right back up the night the holiday ended.

Law school held similar challenges. He partnered with a Muslim classmate to exchange notes during each other’s religious holidays, and they worked to find each

other places to pray between classes.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, his court cases have switched to Zoom, which he says has its ups and downs. While cases can be done from his office, Newman is unable to whisper with his clients as easily as when in the courthouse together.

However, clients from out of town can participate more actively in the case because of video conferencing.

He hopes that once the pandemic dies down, the court system will keep a “hybrid” Zoom availability.

Newman runs the firm right in his hometown so he can give back to his community. It was not easy opening a law firm right out of law school, but Newman wanted to make a difference.

Thankfully, his 10-year-old self was able to help, and his family supported the decision.

Moshe Newman can be reached at (248) 629-0161 or at mnewman@ thelegacyfirm.com or by visiting www. thelegacyfirm.com.

JUNE 3 • 2021

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REPAIR THE WORLD

SPOTLIGHT

the exchange community bulletin board | professional services

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

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epair the World and Hillel International’s efforts mobilized thousands of college students in meaningful volunteer service and learning through the national Serve the Moment initiative on almost 100 campuses worldwide, including at the University of Michigan.

Serve the Moment fellows at U-M focused their efforts on racial justice and food justice, and they split their efforts between educational programming and service work. They had a very successful MLK Shabbat where over 30 students hosted Shabbat dinner for their roommates with take out from local Black-owned restaurants. They also hosted a fundraiser on Purim for the Maize and Blue Cupboard, the University of Michigan’s food pantry raising more than $250 to help fight food insecurity on campus. They look forward to future events including a speaker series and a Passover food drive.

“The success and overwhelming response to this program is proof positive that Jewish college students are eager to create change by living

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JUNE 3 • 2021

out their Jewish values,” says Cindy Greenberg, president and CEO of Repair the World.

“We are excited to engage even more students to serve their communities and address urgent local needs and inequity.”

Specifically, 78 Hillels participated across 95 different campuses; 101 students were Serve the Moment interns and completed 10 acts of service each and engaged 25 unique students each, resulting in nearly 5,000 students engaged in more than 26,000 total hours of service. The top three focuses of the campuses were food justice/insecurity (34 campuses), racial justice/diversity (23 campuses) and environmental justice/sustainability (23 campuses).

As part of the Serve the Moment initiative, the service work combined in-person and virtual volunteering. This is just the latest partnership between Repair and Hillel to strengthen and maximize service opportunities for young people.

Applications are being accepted for the June 21-July 30 cohort of Serve the Moment Service Corps at https://servethemoment.org/ join-the-corps.

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

LEONARD ABRAMS, 77, of Novi, died May 26, 2021.

He is survived by his daughter, Diane “Dee Dee” Charette; sons and daughters-in-law, Daniel “Danny” and Jennifer Abrams, and David and Adrianne Abrams; grandchildren, Lola Abrams, Jonah Abrams, Talia Abrams, Noah Abrams, Haley Charette and Jeremy Charette.

Mr. Abrams was the beloved husband for 53 years of the late Julia Ellen Abrams.

Interment was at B’nai Israel Memorial Gardens.

Contributions may be made to American Diabetes Association-Local Chapter, 20700 Civic Center, Southfield, MI 48076, diabetes.org.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

IRENE ANBENDER, 90, of West Bloomfield, died May 22, 2021.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Julie Anbender and Brian Hurley; grandchildren, Drew, Justin and Lauren Hurley; sister, Elaine Klein; sister-in-law, Jackie George; many loving nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Mrs. Anbender was the beloved wife of the late David Anbender; the loving sister of the late Stanford Rubach, and the late Charlotte and the late Dr. Marvin J. DeRoven; the dear sister-in-law of the late Edward Klein.

Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Public Citizen, 215 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003, citizen.org; or Anti-Defamation

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League (ADL), c/o 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, michigan.adl.org/ tag/detroit. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

SHELDON DULBERG, 87, of Farmington Hills, died May 19, 2021.

He was a loving, kind and honest person, who cared more about others than himself. His life was devoted to his family’s well-being and comfort. His happiness came from seeing his children and grandchildren happy. Their joy was his joy.

Mr. Dulberg is survived by his wife, Florence Dulberg; sons and daughters-in-law, David Dulberg and Dr. Tracey Stulberg of Birmingham, Michael and Lori Dulberg; daughters and sons-in-law, Cheryl and Dr. Paul Darmon of Farmington Hills, Dr. Lynn and Dr. Neil Blavin of Oak Park; grandchildren, Ari, Dani, Ben, Zach, Shua, Dylan, Mollie, Becca, Brie, Sammi, Matthew, Jason; 10 loving great-grandchildren.

He was the dear brother of the late Renee Ellis.

Contributions may be made to Kids Kicking Cancer, 27600 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 220, Southfield, MI 48034; or to Jewish charity of one’s choice.

A graveside service was held at Clover Hill Park. Arrangements

by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

BEVERLY DUNN, 85, of Walled Lake, died May 19, 2021.

She was a volunteer with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

Mrs. Dunn is survived by her husband of 65 years, Milton Dunn; son, Steven Dunn of

Israel; daughters and sons-inlaw, Susan and Bruce Fershtman of Southfield, Marsha and William Harris of Sterling Heights; sister and brother-inlaw, Cheryl and Toma Edelstein of Walled Lake; grandchildren, Moshe Dunn, Elana and Reuven Rennert, Rivka and Yossi Sherman, Chava Dunn, Jordan Fershtman and Jessica Argiero, Daniel Fershtman, Leah Fershtman, Patrick Harris, Alexandra Harris; great-grandchildren, Adina, Elisheva, Yaakov, Yisachar Ber, Menechaim, Shmuel, Margot; many treasured nieces, nephews, other relatives and dear friends.

She was the loving sister and sister-in-law of the late Gary and the late Marlene Lubin, the late Martin Lubin.

Contributions may be made to Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, 25882 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 102, Farmington Hills, MI 48336; or St. Jude’s, 1461 E. 12 Mile Road, Madison Heights, MI 48071. A graveside service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

ROCHELLE ELLIS, 77, of Ann Arbor, died May 23, 2021.

She is survived by her husband, Steve Ellis; daughters and sons-in-law, Stacey and Richard Fernandez, and Lisa and Jeff Pitts; grandchildren, Joshua Fernandez, Gabriel Fernandez, Benjamin Pitts and Noah Pitts; brothers, Larry Rich and Jeffrey Rich.

Mrs. Ellis was the proud grandmother of the late Brandon Pitts; the devoted daughter of the late Ben and the late Blanche Rich.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to UMRC Foundation, 805 W. Middle St.,

Chelsea, MI 48118, umrcfoundation.umrcph.com/donate-online; or Arbor Hospice Foundation, 2366 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, arborhospice.org/donate/donation-form. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

LORI BETH GUTTMAN, 63, passed away on Jan. 23, 2021, at her home in Scottsdale, Ariz.

She was born on May 15, 1957 in Detroit. She was raised in Oak Park and graduated from Oak Park High School.

Lori met Jerry Guttman through a mutual friend, and they married in October 1991.

They relocated to Scottsdale in 1996.

Lori was a beloved wife, mother, nana, daughter, sister and friend. She had a caring heart and love for all animals.

Lori enjoyed travel, loved to laugh and make others smile and feel special. Lori would help others and expect nothing in return.

Lori’s greatest pleasure was to cook and have friends and family over to holiday dinners, but she treasured the time she spent with her family, friends and especially her grandchildren.

She was loved, and her snarky wit and wonderful sarcasm will be deeply missed. She will be forever in the family’s hearts and always their inspiration.

Mrs. Guttman is survived by her husband, Jerry L. Guttman; her sons and daughters-in-law, Adam and Nicole Wasserman, Jake and Melanie Guttman; stepdaughter, Casey Elliott and her husband, Kurt; four grandchildren, Ryker, Sadie, Levi and Davis; her mother, Eleanor Factor; two brothers and sisters-in-law, David and Deborah Factor, Gary and Bobby Factor; numerous other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her father, Charles Factor.

Interment was at Paradise Memorial Park in Scottsdale.

Memorial contributions may be made in Lori’s name to the Arizona Humane Society. azhumane.org LOIS LEDGER, 83, of West Bloomfield, died May 25, 2021.

In her earlier years, Lois worked with children as a nanny and school monitor.

When she eventually moved into Hechtman, she was always grateful for her relationships with the staff and other residents, whom she treasured as her extended family. She lived her life being kind and caring and went out of her way to do mitzvahs.

She is survived by her son, David Ledger; sisters and sisters-in-law, Marlene and Sanford Walkon, Joyce Aaron, Risa and Kenneth Lawton, Cookie Moglovkin; grandchildren, Melissa and Ben Hyde, Nathan Ledger, Nicole Ledger, Natalie Ledger, Nicholas Ledger; great-grandchildren, Nova, Steven, Amaya, Evan, Ash. Mrs. Ledger was the beloved wife of the late Ronnie Ledger; loving mother of the late Renae Beth; dear sister and sister-in-law of the late Marshall and the late Delores Moglovkin, the late Eugene and the late Joy Moglovkin, the late Sheldon Moglovkin, and the late Betsy Roby.

Contributions may be made to Hechtman Residence Council, c/o Phyllis Lukowitz, 6690 W. Maple, #2247, West Bloomfield, MI 48322. A graveside service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park.

Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

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continued on page 50 JUNE 3 • 2021

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Some days seem to last forever…

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You can honor the memory of a loved one in a most meaningful way by sponsoring a day of Torah learning at Yeshiva Beth Yehudah.

During the coming week, Kaddish will be said for these departed souls during the daily minyan at Yeshiva Beth Yehudah. Your support of the Torah learning of our children and our Kollel’s Torah Scholars brings immeasurable heavenly merit. Please call us at 248-557-6750 for more information.

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28 Sivan June 8 Feige Ackerman Zelda Blackman Morris Goldman Pearl Goldman Yeshayah Kerzner Sarah Portnoy Sally Shorr

Sarah Schaffer William Stoller Barney William Weiner 1 Tammuz June 11 Dwoira Bigman Leonard Brode Samuel Graj Fannie Karol Leonard H. Kendler Rebecca Lefton Neimark Rose Schwartz John David Smith Samuel Alfred Starr

29 Sivan June 9 Leonard Bennett David H. Horwitz Ezreal Kazdan Valerie Lvov Harry Sczweitzer 2 Tammuz June 12 Esther Judith Shugerman Gerald Benaderet Joseph Siegel Harris Buch Louis Siegel Lena Goldsmith Harry Smith Helene Hollender Julius Starr Gloria Matthews Jenny Tkatch Pepi Mermelstein Isadore Weinstein Pincas Reif Michael Solai 30 Sivan June 10 Sally Stambler Frank Band Isidor Strom Sam Birnbaum Lloyd Weingarden Israel Frankfort Bertha Freudenberg Mayer Mittelman

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OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 49

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OBITUARIES

SARAH “SALLY” MANDEL of Southfield, died peacefully on April 23, 2021, at the home of her son, Harleigh Mandel, in California, where she had been living for the past 11 years.

She and her late husband, Dr. Leslie Mandel, a rheumatologist, gave of themselves to their family, community and provided their children with a loving warm home.

Mrs. Mandel received her bachelor’s degree in education from Wayne State University and specialized in teaching math. She also earned a previous degree as a medical technologist.

She was the beloved daughter of the late Herschel and Raizel Sheinfeld; cherished sister of Florence Glen, the late Mary Ann Sheinfeld, the late Sylvia Morris and the late Les Field.

Mrs. Mandel was the wonderful loving mother of Dr. Lillibeth and Kenny Applebaum, and Harleigh Patty Mandel; beloved grandmother to Aliza Yakov Applebaum Niman, Dovid Applebaum, Tzippora Applebaum, Eliezer Applebaum, Akiva Applebaum, Shira Applebaum, Carmen Mandel, Henry Mandel; proud great-grandmother to Moshe Leib Niman and Tzipporah Niman. She is also survived by many dear nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

A graveside service was held at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Birmingham.

Contributions in her memory may be made to One

Israel Fund (Medical), 445 Central Ave., Suite 210, Cedarhurst, NY 11516.

Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

DR. LAWRENCE MORTON, 85, of West Bloomfield, died May 25, 2021.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Myra Morton; sons and daughters-in-law, Donald and Donna Morton, Steven and Antoinette Morton, and Eric and Kristin Morton; grandchildren, Jaymie and Ryan Eden, Shaun Morton and his fiancee, Joyce Russell, and David, Leah, Conner and Kaylee Morton; sister, Judith Brown. many loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Dr. Morton was the dear brother-in-law of the late Shirley and the late Morey Strasberger, the late Rochelle and the late Milton Goldman, and the late Norman Brown; the devoted son of the late Seymour and the late Pearl Morton.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to University of Detroit Dental School, 8200 W. Outer Drive, P.O. Box 19900, Detroit, MI 48219, udmercy.edu/giving/donate; Jewish Community Center Kenny Goldman Fund, 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jccdet.org; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements

by Ira Kaufman Chapel. continued on page 52

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 50

LEONARD “LARRY” RAIMI, 95, of Santa Monica, Calif., formerly of Michigan, died May 20, 2021.

The retired owner of Central Outfitting Company, he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and his master’s in business from the University of Michigan.

His grandchildren were the lights of his life, and he followed their lives and careers with great interest. During COVID, he was able to live with his son Sam, his wife and their children, which gave him great joy.

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JUNE 3 • 2021

Mr. Raimi is survived by his sons and daughter-inlaw, Dr. Ivan Raimi, Sam and Gillian Raimi, Ted Raimi; daughter and son-inlaw, Andrea and Dr. Stuart Rubin; grandchildren, Dr. Sander and Dr. Kim Rubin, Rose Rubin, Max Raimi, Sophie Raimi, Lorne Raimi, Henry Raimi, Emma Raimi, Dashiell Raimi, Oliver Raimi.

He was the beloved husband for 65 years of the late Celia Raimi; dear brother and brother-in-law of the late Eddie and the late Bess Raimi, the late Irving and the late Rae Raimi, the late Sally and the late Morris Brose, the late Anne and the late Max Elgot, the late Eve and

the late Morris Kane.

Contributions may be made to Jewish National Fund, 24100 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 430, Cleveland, Ohio 44122; or Anti-Defamation League, michigan.adl.org.

A graveside service was held at Clover Hill Park in Birmingham. Arrangements

by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

ROSELYN WEINBERG, 97, of Clifton, N.J., formerly of Michigan, died May 19, 2021.

She was a graduate of United Hebrew Schools.

Mrs. Weinberg is survived by her brother and sister-inlaw, Harmon and Leah Tron; many dear nieces, nephews,

great-nieces, great-nephews, other relatives and friends.

She was the beloved wife of the late Harry Weinberg; loving sister and sister-in-law of the late Molly and the late Sol Klinger, the late Lillian and the late Abe Bram, the late Samuel and the late Doris Tron.

Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. A graveside service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park.

Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

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elebrating its anniversary this month, many say that his restaurant is better today than even those two highly prestigious ones where he used to be executive chef.

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elegant pastries that include a bevy of luscious offerings that do much in satisfying palates with eyes closed.

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OLDIE BUT GOODIE …

Morris had fled his native country, sold his assets and made five sets of solid gold dentures with his cash, well above the limit he could bring into the United States … When he arrived in New York, the customs officer asked why anybody would want five sets of gold dentures.

Morris explained, “Jews who keep kosher have two separate sets of dishes for meat products

and dairy products. But I am so religious I also have separate sets of teeth.”

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“Very religious Jews use separate dishes for Passover, as an example,” Morris said, “but I am so Orthodox, I have separate teeth for Passover meat and Passover dairy food.”

The customs official shook his head and said, “You must be a man of very strong faith to have separate teeth for meat and dairy products and likewise for Passover. That accounts for four sets of teeth. What about the fifth set?”

Morris looked around and spoke softly, “To tell the truth,” he said, “once in a while I like a ham sandwich.”

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To Jerry Gurwin on his 87th birthday.

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N. PETER ANTONE

JUSTIN D. CASAGRANDE

www.antone.com or email at law@antone.com 31555 W. 14 Mile Rd., Ste 100 • Farmington Hills, MI 48334 Ph: 248-406-4100 Fax: 248-406-4101 JUNE 3 • 2021

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Looking Back

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

A UP Disaster that Mirrored Mt. Meron

L

ast month, Israel experienced the worst civil disaster in its history. On April 30, tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews attended a celebration of Lag b’Omer on Mt. Meron in northern Israel. As celebrants began to leave the event, they used narrow, slippery stairs. Without warning, a human stampede developed, with 45 people crushed to death and at least 150 wounded.

Did you know that Michigan Mike Smith was the scene for a similar Alene and Graham Landau horrific calamity, the Italian Archivist Chair Hall Disaster in the village of Red Jacket in 1913? In that era, Red Jacket, which became Calumet in 1929, was home to the massive Calumet & Hecla copper mine and 5,000 citizens; more than 25,000 lived in Calumet Township.

The William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History does not hold any stories of the disaster itself, but it does have good information about Jews in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. For example, David Heineman wrote a series of articles about Jewish immigration to Michigan for the Chronicle in 1918.

In the Dec. 6 issue, he states that the Jewish Leopold and Austrian families owned stores in Calumet Township and nearby Hancock.

The Italian Hall Disaster occurred in the midst of a major labor strike against the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company. The now-defunct Western Federation of Miners began the strike in July 1913 and it lasted until April 1914. This bitter, prolonged labor action still divides opinion in the UP and the Italian Disaster is still a living memory.

On Dec. 24, 1913, about 400 men, women and children gathered for a Christmas party on the second floor of the Italian Hall, a local community meeting place. The partiers were supporters of the strike. In the midst of their celebration, someone yelled “Fire!” Although there is some evidence that an anti-union

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instigator yelled the fatal word, no one knows for certain. What is known is when the crowd rushed to escape, there were too many people for the narrow stairway passage. Much like the circumstances at Mt. Meron, people slipped, fell and were crushed.

At the Italian Hall, 73 were killed; 59 of the fatalities were children.

In the aftermath, there were investigations including that of a subcommittee from the House of Representatives that traveled to the UP, but no conclusions were reached. The event is still shrouded in mystery today. Since that time, a number of books have been written about the disaster. Woody Guthrie sang the song, “1913 Massacre” and, in 1984, the Italian Hall was demolished. Only the facade is left as a memorial to those who perished.

The strike was the beginning of a slow decline for copper mining in the UP. Calumet now has about 800 residents.

There are references to Calumet and the UP in the Davidson Archive.

See, the “Chabad House on Wheels Reaches Upper Peninsula” (Aug. 4, 1978 JN). The Yiddishe Cup Klezmer Band performed in the Calumet Opera House (June 16, 2001). “Frozen Chosen” reported the efforts of Jewish UP communities to stay united (Oct. 10, 2016).

The Italian Hall Disaster, like Mt. Meron, was a tragedy reported around the world.

Although not a Jewish event, it did have an impact on Jews and many other citizens in Michigan’s UP. Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

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