DJN July 15, 2021

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS

thejewishnews.com

$

200 July 15-21, 2021 / 6-12 Av 5781

Pretty in theCity Downtown Synagogue plans $4.5 million renovation.

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contents July 15-21, 2021 / 6-12 Av 5781 VOLUME CLIX, ISSUE 23

PURELY COMMENTARY 4-12

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Essays and viewpoints

OUR COMMUNITY 13

A Good Neighbor

Angelique Power joins Detroit’s Skillman Foundation as president & CEO.

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MAZEL TOV 34 34

Torah portion

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Why Are There So Many Jewish Lawyers?

Synagogue Directory

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Pretty in the City

Downtown Synagogue plans $4.5 million renovation.

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One Step Closer to a New Mikvah

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Art in the Streets

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All Shook Up!

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Celebrity News

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People We Know & Stories We Don’t: Shoshana Leah Greenberg

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Keeping Up with the JWV

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Jewish War Veterans hold heartwarming events.

Opportunities for Women JVS course helps women gain job skills.

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Hazon Merges with Retreat Centers

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Friendship Circle Walk is Back Event aids people with special needs.

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Welcome, Rabbi!

Michael Gilboa begins at B’nai Israel Synagogue.

SPORTS 28

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Tip of the Cap

Youth softball league honors ‘unassuming, humble’ Larry Schon, its leader for 30 years.

Quick Hits

ERETZ 32

32

Moments

SPIRIT

ARTS&LIFE

Southfield site is prepared for Lahser Road Mikvah.

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Technion MBA Program Honors the Late William Davidson

Meet Rena Spolter

Former Young Israel of Oak Park rebbetzin reflects on decision to make aliyah.

Ann Arbor Art Fair is back for three-day event.

A grave marker locked away for four decades reveals Elvis Presley’s Jewish roots.

EVENTS 45

Community Calendar

ETC.

The Exchange Obituaries Danny Raskin Looking Back

46 47 53 54

Shabbat Lights

Shabbat starts: Friday, July 16, 8:49 p.m.

Shabbat ends: Saturday, July 17, 9:58 p.m.

Tishah b’Av fast: Saturday, July 18, 9:06 p.m.

Fast ends: Sunday, July 19, 9:57 p.m. * Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

ON THE COVER: Cover photo/credit: Rendering of IADS. LAAVU Design of Detroit.

Cover design: Michelle Sheridan

thejewishnews.com Follow Us on Social Media: Facebook @DetroitJewishNews Twitter @JewishNewsDet Instagram @detroitjewishnews JULY 15 • 2021

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PURELY COMMENTARY for openers

Wise & Otherwise: Getting to Know Me

P

ermit me to introduce myself and this column.

I chose the name of the column as sometimes you’ll find me wise, and at times you may find me otherwise.

Since there’s been and are a couple of more accomplished and taller Irwin Cohens in the Irwin J. area, I’ll tell you Cohen about this one.

I’m Irwin J. and the only one that has a Detroit Tiger World Series ring. My driver’s license tells me that I’m 80, though, I still don’t believe it. But it’s an advantage as I lived through and experienced more historical chapters in my life than most of you.

I was born in the 12th Street area and lived in the Dexter and Northwest neighborhoods before moving to Oak Park over a half-century ago.

I started nursery school in 1945 when the Yeshiva Beth Yehudah opened as a Day School at Dexter and Cortland.

I quickly became an outstanding student — every time class started, I was out standing somewhere.

I was only 7 in May 1948 but vividly remember the Yeshiva busing us to the Central High School grounds on Linwood and being part of the more than 20,000 celebrating the State of Israel’s rebirth. The older boys were dancing and singing amidst the blowing of shofars while skywriters carefully crafted the white Star of David against the beautiful blue

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JULY 15 • 2021

background of the sky.

The following year was a big event in the Orthodox community as the Young Israel building on Dexter and Fullerton opened under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Samuel Prero. But it was more than a shul. It was also a youth center for all stripes of Jews. There was a room for a junior congregation, a billiard room with a pingpong table and a television.

I was there with friends on Sunday afternoons to watch Hopalong Cassidy while my parents and their friends would go Tuesday night to watch the Milton Berle Show. A couple of years later, the Y.I. started a Boy Scout troop led by Marvin Engel that kept us busy on many a Sunday marching from Dexter to Linwood.

One summer Saturday night, we joined numerous other Scout troops in a place most of us had never been before.

It was called Southfield. The grounds were vast and empty, no buildings anywhere, just our tents. There was a big sign nearby proclaiming that a big shopping center called Northland would be built on the site. Who would want to come here in the middle of nowhere to shop? we thought.

BECOMING A GROWNUP After sharing high school between the Yeshiva and Central High School, and a bit of junior college, business school and IBM school, I landed a job with Wayne County on the second floor of the City-County Building on

Jefferson and Woodward. My desk had a great panoramic view of the Detroit River and Windsor. Around the time of the Kennedy assassination, I decided to join the Army Reserves before being drafted for two years.

I did my basic training in Fort Knox, Ky., where I became, to my surprise, a marksman, and the best one in the unit. Then it was on to three months in Fort Dix, N.J., where I was pulled out of training to be a radio relay operator and then a chaplain’s assistant. I summer-camped in exotic places like Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana and Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

When I finished my sixyear military service in 1969, I missed being ordered around so I got married. She was from Rochester, N.Y., but living on Manhattan’s Lower East Side when we met. I soon learned you could take the person out of New York, but you can’t take the New York out of the person. It’s 52 years later, and she’s still my sergeant.

MY BASEBALL CAREER In 1973, with heavenly assistance, I entered the baseball field through a chance phone call to a radio host who invited me to be on his next program.

That led me to other radio and television appearances, and Joe Falls to turn over some of his sports columns to me at times. After writing a bit for a publication Denny McLain was fronting for, I founded a national monthly baseball pub-

lication and met many of yesterday’s heroes and stars of the time. The Tigers offered me a front office position at the end of 1983, which I accepted on the condition that I didn’t work on Shabbat or Jewish holidays.

I experienced the highest of highs when I was awarded a 1984 World Series ring with my name on it along with a check for a World Series share (a far lesser amount than the players received, but more than I expected).

I experienced the lowest of lows eight years ago when our daughter passed away from cancer at the age of 41. She was our only child and left seven children, the youngest was only 3 at the time. You never get over it and have to deal with the reality of the situation.

Maybe I can deal with it easier as I believe she was reborn into eternal life.

Why do bad things happen to good people? For those who are not believers, there are no answers. For those who believe, there are no questions.

As some of you know, I wrote several history books on Detroit, its Jewish communities and the Tigers and their ballparks. While wintering in Florida, I speak to groups on other subjects, including the Roosevelts, U.S. presidents and the Jews, and “Jewish Stories You Never Heard Before.”

Many of the aforementioned stories will find their way into this column over the course of time.

May your eyes always read Wise & Otherwise.

FAFSA YOUR DEGREE IS WITHIN REACH.

Use this code — 002329 — to fill out your FAFSA, and we’ll help you find ways to pay for it.

Wherever you choose to go for your education, your first step is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It’s the doorway to grants and scholarships that can make a big difference when it comes to paying for your education.

A FAFSA form can be completed at fafsa.gov from a phone, tablet or laptop in under an hour — and the payoff could be huge. Some awards, including programs at Wayne State like Wayne Access and the Heart of Detroit Tuition Pledge, cover the full cost of tuition, but you won’t know what aid you qualify for without a FAFSA. Not sure where you want to go to school? That’s OK — you can submit your FAFSA to as many as 10 institutions before you even complete your admissions applications. Just enter the schools’ codes when prompted. Here’s Wayne State’s to get you started: 002329.

Still have questions? We’re here to help. Contact us today by calling 313-577-2100 or visiting go.wayne.edu/fafsaresources.

And when you’re ready to apply, visit wayne.edu/admissions. Your next step is waiting — you don’t have to do it alone.

PURELY COMMENTARY guest column

Never Again Is Now

F

or those of us who pay attention to the news of antisemitic statements and acts around the globe, the rise in these statements and acts in recent years has been alarming.

And as Evelyn Markus, a Dutch Jew and Phyllis the daughter of Zimbler Holocaust surviMiller vors, discusses in the documentary Never Again Is Now, these antisemitic statements and acts can come from both the left and the right of the political spectrum.

As the founder of the free nonfiction Holocaust theater project www.

ThinEdgeOfTheWedge.com, I have been talking to a range of people in the U.S. and Europe.

Jeremy Wootliff of Jewzy.tv suggested I watch Evelyn’s documentary.

I did watch the powerful documentary Never Again Is Now — and then I reached out to Evelyn, who immigrated to the U.S. in 2006 because of the rise of antisemitism in Europe.

I proposed that she and I cohost a podcast interviewing both Jews and non-Jews about the antisemitism they or others currently face, their antise-

mitic experiences in the past, and the first time they learned about the Holocaust.

That show has now become a reality on YouTube with the first episodes published at b.link/ NeverAgainIsNowpodcast.

ANTISEMITISM DEFINED The International Remembrance Holocaust Association (IRHA) has issued a non-legally binding working

definition of antisemitism that many organizations are adopting: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

The reason our podcast is important is the same as the reason this definition is important: To make people aware of what antisemitism is.

For example, when someone says in front of you that Jews only care about money, do you freeze and say nothing? Or do you get angry and yell something back?

Neither freezing nor yelling continued on page 8

Publisher The Detroit Jewish News Foundation

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

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

| Editorial DIrector of Editorial: Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com Associate Editor: David Sachs dsachs@thejewishnews.com Social Media and Digital Producer: Nathan Vicar nvicar@thejewishnews.com Staff Reporter: Danny Schwartz dschwartz@thejewishnews.com Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@thejewishnews.com Senior Columnist: Danny Raskin dannyraskin2132@gmail.com Contributing Writers: Nate Bloom, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Shari S. Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman, Louis Finkelman, Stacy Gittleman, Esther Allweiss Ingber, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz, Robin Schwartz, Mike Smith, Steve Stein, Ashley Zlatopolsky

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

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PURELY COMMENTARY essay

Dear American Jewish Moms …

D

o you remember where you were when you heard about the deadly synagogue attacks on Jews in Pittsburgh? In Poway, Calif.? Remember the emotions you went through? Did you feel outrage?

Were you sick watching the news coverage?

Lisa Koenig If you’re like me, you wanted to do something to support those communities.

Do you have the Red Alert app on your phone? If your response is, “I don’t even know what that is,” then I implore you to download it.

It’s an Israeli app that sends notifications every time a terrorist rocket, mortar or missile is launched into Israel.

Between May 10-18 more than 3,440 rockets were fired toward Israel from Hamascontrolled Gaza in a terrorist effort to murder Jews. Not all of them landed in empty fields; that miraculous Iron Dome that saves so many lives isn’t infallible.

I’m a Jewish mom of two teenagers living in a Philadelphia suburb. I grew up in a Connecticut town with very few Jews, and I was raised in a secular Jewish home with no connection to Judaism; however, Israel and Zionism were an integral part of my upbringing.

L’dor v’dor: I am raising

my children to be unapologetic Zionists and Jews. I’m proud that my daughter, who just graduated high school, is taking a gap year living in Tel Aviv and volunteering through the Maslool program. My son, a rising high school sophomore, will attend the Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI) program in February 2022.

My best friend’s son, who used to babysit my children, is a Lone Soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). At 18, he left his comfortable, upper-middle class home and family and enlisted in the

Israeli army. This past August, his parents also made aliyah.

Now my best friend is an official Israeli mom; she attended the funeral of 1st Sgt. Omer Tabib z”l, not just because it’s the Israeli thing to do, but also because 1st Sgt. Tabib was in her son’s unit and a friend.

Have you downloaded the Red Alert app yet?

Each notification of an incoming rocket translates to Israelis having mere seconds to run to take cover in bomb shelters or stairways. Knowing this, would you be willing to send your child(ren) to Israel to study or to take a gap year? Would you support your child(ren), who insists on becoming a Lone Soldier, enlisting in the IDF knowing it’s inevitable that he/she will be in the direct continued on page 10

continued from page 6

back helps educate the person making the comment, who may not even realize it is an antisemitic comment.

What we all must do is practice how to answer such comments calmly and in a way that educates the other person.

In the case of the statement about Jews only caring about money, perhaps an appropriate answer could be: “You may not realize that what you said is an antisemitic statement said for hundreds of years to harm Jews. I know you wouldn’t say such a statement about Blacks or Asian Americans. I hope in the future you won’t say such statements about Jews.”

Is this a tall order to learn

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to say such calm replies? Yes! And we all must learn to do it — to educate one person at a time.

I attended Michigan State University in the late 1960s. In my hometown of Elgin, Ill., I had been the only Jewish student in my classes, and I had so looked forward to being among Jews at college.

Fall 1966 — I am assigned to be roommates in Rather Hall with a young woman from Grosse Pointe and a young woman from Hamtramck. They were the opposite of welcoming.

The next quarter, I changed roommates to share with a young woman from a farm

in Michigan. She had never before met a Jew. Third quarter — I shared with a young woman from Oak Park, who I heard tell someone on the dorm hall phone that she now had a Jewish friend.

Then I joined the Jewish sorority AEPhi and moved to the house the following year.

In September 1970, I would find myself stationed in Munich, Germany, with my Jewish U.S. Army officer husband (ROTC at MSU) who I met on the State News editorial staff. Being stationed in Germany only 25 years after the end of WWII changed my life and my husband’s life

forever.

And this brings me to launching the Never Again Is Now podcast about antisemitism in 2021. You can subscribe (for free) and listen to the podcasts at b.link/ NeverAgainIsNowpodcast.

And whenever you can (without exposing yourself to physical danger) — speak up against antisemitism and all hate.

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the co-author of the Jewish holiday book Seasons for Celebration, the founder of the free nonfiction Holocaust theater project www.ThinEdgeOfTheWedge. com and the co-host of Never Again Is Now, a podcast about antisemitism on YouTube.

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My STORY Roger Siegel became part of Hebrew Free Loan because he was a nice guy.

“I was practicing law in my own office, when I was invited out to lunch by Stan Bershad, who was an HFL Board member,” Roger said. “Stan casually began asking me questions about how I handled debtors in my practice, but the questions sounded less like a consultation and more like a job interview. Then our third lunch guest arrived, staggering in with a large, open cardboard box full of files, and I knew this box was coming back with me.”

Roger said he had no prior experience with HFL, but he began working on the agency’s collections immediately, at first from his own office, and then part-time from HFL. “What I really wanted to do was to manage the receivables before they even became collection items,” Roger said. “I spent time working with our borrowers to keep their accounts current, and we kept a lot of people from getting a black mark on their credit when times were tough. HFL’s 98.5 % repayment rate is due mostly to the feeling that the community supports the borrowers, and that effort is part of it.”

Roger learned about HFL as he worked, watching loan funds and needs change through the years.

“It really moves me that HFL is always ready to help people through their life journeys,” Roger said. “That’s possible because HFL changes to meet local needs.”

Roger officially retired from HFL in June 2019, but he gladly passed the torch to his daughter, Margery, whom he says is just the right fit – an attorney with a great outlook on the people behind the accounts. “It’s a proud Dad moment to know she’ll carry on,” he said.

“I truly love Hebrew Free Loan, this has been the best experience of my life,” Roger said. “It’s remarkable how things can change with one simple phone call just because Stan invited me to lunch.”

Click. Call. Give Now. www.hfldetroit.org • 248.723.8184 Community donations help Hebrew Free Loan give interest-free loans to local Jews for a variety of personal, health, educational and small business needs.

6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 300 • Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48301 Hebrew Free Loan Detroit

@HFLDetroit

JULY 15 • 2021

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PURELY COMMENTARY continued from page 8

path of danger? Does the reality of imminent attacks on Israel frighten you so much you would never visit Israel, never mind sending your children?

Last month, when the locations popped up on the Red Alert app, it was evident that Hamas was no longer targeting only the usual populations adjacent to Gaza.

This time they had the capability and were intentionally aiming for the heartland of Israel — Jerusalem, the metropolitan city of Tel Aviv, and smaller densely populated cities such as Ra’anana and Hod HaSharon, the location of the AMHSI campus.

There were countless videos from Israel: Israeli Arabs rioting and burning the Israeli flag, burning down synagogues, burning buses, Arabs trying to lynch Jews, fires on top of the Temple Mount, gaping holes in apartment buildings because the Iron Dome missed. And you know what? As the notifications were constantly dinging, as I watched these videos with tears in my eyes, I wasn’t scared; I was angry.

Anger is a great motivator.

I became more determined, not only to go to Israel myself, but to send both my children as planned. I don’t fear the enemy. They want fear. Fear is weakness allowing for an easier attack. It’s only with unity, strength and never backing down that we will defeat evil.

PAY ATTENTION So, my dear American Jewish moms, who love your chil-

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“ANY ATTACK ON ISRAEL IS NO DIFFERENT THAN AN ATTACK ON A JEW IN POWAY, PITTSBURGH OR ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.” — LISA KOENIG

dren more than life itself, pay attention to what’s happening in Israel because Israelis are not just another people living in the Middle East.

They are Jews; our brothers and sisters — our sons and daughters. Our people living in our ancestral homeland.

Any attack on Israel is no different than an attack on a Jew in Poway, Pittsburgh or anywhere in the world.

The same outrage and deep pain in your soul that you felt then, you should feel every single time your phone dings.

You should want to help and to unite with Am Yisrael because the terrorist’s motivation is simple: Jew hatred.

These attacks are not over land disputes, rent disputes or any other propaganda that they try to use to manipulate the world for their corruption and power. It’s pure Jew hatred, and they want to divide us to make us weak, to eliminate us.

Dear American Jewish mom, it’s your obligation to learn about, teach and show your children the truth of our people. Teach your children about our history, and I don’t mean just the Holocaust. I mean our ancestral history in the Land of Israel. Start by teaching them

that Israel is our ancestral home. Don’t blindly parrot what you read/hear in the media. It’s propaganda.

When you teach your children the truth, you give them an invaluable gift; you ensure your children are links in our long chain of rich history.

Don’t be the generation that breaks our chain. The way to strengthen our chain is to actively connect with Israel.

Don’t fear the land; embrace it, honor it, love it.

Assuming you’ve downloaded the Red Alert app, your phone will ding with notifications at the same time as Jews from all over the world who have also downloaded it. You’ve just taken an important step in connecting yourself with Am Yisrael.

Now that you’re connected, we must stand in unity against evil, so book a flight to Israel with your children.

Who knows, you may fall in love with the Land and make aliyah.

Or at the very least, you’ll understand why I am even more determined than ever to send both my children to Israel as planned.

Lisa Koenig is northeast director of Herut North America’s U.S. division.

Herut is an international movement for Zionist pride and education.

letters

The Power of Friendship The heartwarming article

by Shoshana Lavan, “Israeli Arabs, Jews Refuse to Be Enemies” [July 1, page 6] inevitably reminded me of two events in my life having to do with relations between Israeli Arabs and Jews.

The first occurred in one of my summer visits to my native Israel.

I visited the Arab-Jewish village Neve Shalom, an example of how it should be and can be with good will on both sides.

The other one was some years later when I visited an Arab-Catholic village at the Upper Galilee near the Lebanese border.

That unforgettable visit was the result of a meeting my late husband and I had in Rome with an Arab family who was part of a delegation who came to see the pope.

Members of the family, which included the mayor of the village, came to my parents’ home in Bat Yam to take me to an unforgettable weekend which included an Arab wedding.

These two experiences show that friendship between Arabs and Jews is possible and actually exists and should be encouraged — as it would greatly benefit the two peoples who inhabit and love the State of Israel.

— Rachel Kapen West Bloomfield

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PURELY COMMENTARY essay

Heading a Nation Like No Other An open letter from Israel’s former president, Reuven Rivlin, to the incoming president, Isaac Herzog.

T

o the honorable President of Israel, Truth be told, I’m a little envious of you. In a short while, you will find out exactly how magnificent the privilege of the presidency is.

Over the next seven years, you will meet Israelis from Reuven all walks of life, Rivlin and let me tell you right now — you’ll want to embrace all of them. You’ll want to share their laughter and their tears; and all the excitement they experience.

I’m sure you feel that you already know this, having such extensive experience as a public servant, but believe me, you have yet to find out what a wonderful country we have and what wonderful people live among us. They will all find their way to your heart, where they will remain forever.

Amid the social rifts and polarity, you will find brave people who don’t speak of coexistence, they simply live it. Every day, every hour, in their homes and places of employment, in their visions, dreams and family.

Secular with ultra-Orthodox, right-wingers and leftists, Jews and Arabs, veteran Israelis and immigrants, the young and the old, members of all religions, sectors and ethnicities — they

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JULY 15 • 2021

are all Israelis. Beautiful, enlightening and kind. Kind beyond anything you can imagine.

These men and women have given me so much hope over the past seven years.

Israeli hope, that’s what I called it, and I’m sure you will call it that as well, because they gave me hope that was quintessentially Israeli.

They were my beacon on the horizon and you, our dear president, will find that they are the horizon. You will find them in cities and rural areas, in hospitals, in the military, in the universities, in the police, in kindergartens and in schools, in the nearest and farthest localities, and on the street. You won’t even have to search. They will always be there, in happy moments, in the most difficult moments, and as storms loom near, as they so often do.

On some nights, you will lose sleep. Your mind will wander back to the soldiers you met at a checkpoint on the border; to the Lone Soldier who hasn’t seen his mother in six months — and you couldn’t be happier that he will attend the Passover seder at the President’s Residence.

You’ll think about the olim who came here at the height of the coronavirus pandemic; about the 12-year-old boy suffering from depression — actual clinical depression — you met while visiting

the Geha Mental Health Center. Has his condition improved with time? And what about Yonatan Levy, still hospitalized with horrific injuries he suffered during the 2006 Second Lebanon War? And what about his mother, who never leaves his side? How is she doing?

And what about Yossi, the amazing IDF officer whose criminal record I had expunged so he can start a new life? He’ll be alright, right? And what about the daughter of Druze police officer Zidan Seif, who was murdered in a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem?

She was just four months old when her father was killed, and now she would be getting ready to start first grade.

You will look upon the photos of Hadar Goldin and Shaul Oron — and yes, you will lose sleep over them. Over our missing and captives. Over Ron Arad.

Over the bereaved families.

Your heart will break yet, somehow pound strongly and proudly to the beat of this nation’s story, just like mine did.

You will be proud. The president of this country has so much to be proud of. Here, it is the excitement that will keep you awake. Excitement over the overflowing crops in the fields, over the latest scientific invention and the advances in medicine, in research and in sports.

The excitement after meeting a 90-year-old woman who still volunteers, or another young woman who broke through the glass ceiling. When you watch the families of the three teens [Gilad Shaer, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach, who were abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists in 2014] present the Israel Unity Award year after year.

You will find everything suddenly exciting anew.

Torah scholars and those who farm the land; Holocaust survivors, heroes of the revival, and the leaders in the fight against domestic violence. The list goes on — oh, how it goes on.

You will be surprised.

Fall in love. Be proud. Take to heart. You will try to do everything to make things better and easier for them.

You will work for them tirelessly with love.

Many times, while in meetings or traveling, I thought to myself that the title “Citizen No. 1” was born simply because this is the No. 1 people. Today, I’m sure of it.

Here’s to you, Mr. President, and to this people.

Long live the 11th president of the State of Israel. Long live the State of Israel.

Yours always, Ruvi.

Isaac Herzog was sworn in as president on July 7. This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.

OUR COMMUNITY

Angelique Power

A Good Neighbor

Angelique Power joins Detroit’s Skillman Foundation as president & CEO. ngelique Power remembers being 13 years old, as the daughter of a white Jewish mother and a Black father, standing in a synagogue on the south side of Chicago, not so sure she fit in.

Power pulled the synagogue’s rabbi aside, telling him she had many doubts, not even sure if she believed in God. She asked the rabbi, “Am I still a good Jew if I don’t believe that?”

The rabbi asked her two questions in response. “Do you take care of your neighbors?”

“Yes,” Power responded.

“Do you ask good questions?”

“I try to,” Power answered.

“Then you’re a good Jew,” the rabbi told her.

Taking care of one’s neighbors, asking good questions and the concept of tikkun olam are not only embedded in Judaism, but in Power’s life and career.

Power will join the Skillman Foundation, a diversity-driven and inclusion-minded private Detroit youth philanthropy that works to strengthen K-12 education, afterschool learning opportunities and college and career pathways in Detroit, as president and CEO, beginning on Sept. 13. Power is an accomplished champion for racial justice who comes to the foundation after serving as president of the Field Foundation in Chicago.

“Judaism was a huge part of

my upbringing,” said Power, who attended Hebrew school twice a week and became a bat mitzvah.

Power’s father converted to Judaism before he married her mother. “When I was younger, my father was also going to Hebrew school in the adult class, so it was really a family affair,” Power said.

JEWISH VALUES The concept of tikkun olam is important to Power in her life and career, including a strong desire to make the world better.

“That part of Judaism for me is about taking care of our neighbors, is about study, about having a veracious curiosity about how the world works and our place within it, and our power to change what is unfair, not just to us or our family, but what is unfair and unjust,” she said.

COURTESY OF ANGELIQUE POWER

A

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

role in driving her path.

“This constant study and questioning that is a core part of my Jewish values has guided me into my career,” Power said. “It’s by employing critical thinking and questioning of systems — who benefits and who is harmed; it’s by enjoying being in community — whether that’s in the private sector, philanthropic or nonprofit sector; and believing that if we build

“IF WE BUILD TOGETHER, WE’LL BUILD SOMETHING THAT BENEFITS ALL OF US.” — ANGELIQUE POWER

Graduating with a master of fine arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Power never thought she would find herself in the philanthropic or nonprofit realms, but believes her Jewish values played a huge

together, we’ll build something that benefits all of us.”

Power believes she’ll continue to carry her Jewish values in her incoming role with the Skillman Foundation.

“Not only do I plan on carry-

ing this over and centering the concepts of tikkun olam, but I plan on relying on young people and their ingrained knowledge of how to achieve ‘repair of the world’ to lead us in this new role.”

Power says she plans on spending a year listening and learning with people across Michigan, including the large Metro Detroit Jewish community she’s very interested in connecting with. Power believes it’s an interesting time to be Black and Jewish, with a connectedness in similar issues they face.

“That connective tissue of experience, that bridging and understanding between how racism operates and how antisemitism operates, is really important to have a literacy in,” Power said. “I think that’s the way I operate in the world is understanding that.

“I’m excited to enter into this community that I know has been doing a lot of thinking around that and see what sparks.”

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OUR COMMUNITY ON THE COVER

Pretty in theCity Downtown Synagogue plans $4.5 million renovation.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ble thanks in part to major gifts from the William Davidson Foundation, the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, the Gilbert Family Foundation and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation.

A COLLABORATIVE SPACE Renovations will increase the footprint of the five-floor building from 12,000 to 15,000 square feet, potentially providing office and conference room space for other Metro Detroit Jewish agencies such as the Jewish Community Center, Hazon and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

It will be topped off with a rooftop garden/event space for everything from weddings to social happy hours. IADS President Vadim Avshalumov said the synagogue’s renovation plans reflect its continued on page 16

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RENDERINGS FROM LAAVU DESIGN OF DETROIT

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ith more than $4 million raised so far toward its $4.5 million capital campaign to completely renovate its building on Griswold Street, the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue (IADS) marks its first century in serving Detroit’s Jewish community as it looks ahead to its next.

From its humble beginnings in 1921 in a house on Rosedale Court in Detroit’s North End to the 1962 purchase of its current Downtown building, the site of the former Fintex clothing store, the shul has remained Detroit’s longest continual Jewish congregation.

Construction is scheduled to begin in October after the holidays and be ready for a grand reopening just in time for Chanukah 2022. The capital campaign, which continues through this fall, is possi-

TOP: A rendering of the facade. BOTTOM, LEFT-RIGHT: The future first floor. Second floor sanctuary and event space. The third floor will have shared workspace.

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OUR COMMUNITY RENDERINGS FROM LAAVU DESIGN OF DETROIT

ON THE COVER

The rooftop looking west continued from page 14

growing focus on social justice and Jewish community building and is based on other movements such as IKAR in Los Angeles and Mishkan in Chicago.

“Social justice is an important part of who we are at the Downtown Synagogue, and Vadim the ritual aspects of Judaism Avshalumov are an important sliver of what we do as well,” Avshalumov said.

“The goal with this renovation is to truly become the central hub for the entire Metro Jewish community and to provide collaborative and office space for many partnering Jewish agencies so they can have a place to call home for their Downtown efforts.”

JOHN HARDWICK

MEETING CHANGING NEEDS Rabbi Ariana Silverman said some of the building’s renovations reflect the growing number of families with children who, before the pandemic, were using the building for a variety of religious, social and educational purposes.

The congregation now boasts almost 90 children under the Rabbi age of 18. When renovations Ariana are complete, a children’s play Silverman

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“I AM EXCITED ABOUT THE FLEXIBLE SPACE FOR EDUCATION AND YOUNG FAMILIES.” — BOARD MEMBER EMILY LEVINE

area on the north end of the second level will be separated from the sanctuary with a glass wall with a view of the bimah and the ark. That way, families with young children can take a break outside the main sanctuary but still feel connected to services with a “sacred cacophony” of noise, said Silverman.

One wall of the sanctuary — which will be outfitted with chairs instead of pews for more flexible usability — will be lined with shelves for a lending library that will be stocked with books for readers of all ages.

The uppermost floor will be the rabbinic study and suite with views of the iconic Detroit skyline. Silverman said this office will provide congregants and others in the community a more private setting to meet and receive pastoral care in greater confidence.

Silverman said, ultimately, the renovations are designed to serve a multi-generational Jewish population who have diverse outlooks of what Jewish life looks like.

“There are multiple pathways to Jewish life — whether they be through social justice, the arts, courses taught by me

or other members of the community,” Silverman said. “The space of IADS will be designed for building sacred relationships, and that can start simply by sharing a cup of coffee with another in our newly designed foyer/café.”

CURBSIDE APPEAL On the outside, the most dramatic change to the building will take place on the ground floor. Currently, the first thing passersby notice about the building’s structure is its red brick facade. That will be replaced by a wall of glass.

“Many people think they are walking past an abandoned building,” said Avshalumov.

“The glass on the first floor will give the inviting message to come in and see what we are doing inside.”

Recognizing the realities of today’s world, the glass will be ballistic grade. There will be other security features, including ongoing entry with a buzzer door, a keycode entry system for staff and additional emergency exits on the second floor. Costs for security run up to about $300,000.

The building will be made ADA-

RENDERINGS FROM LAAVU DESIGN OF DETROIT

A bird’s eye view of the rooftop

accessible with the addition of ramps and a working elevator at the cost of around $350,000.

“It’s been heartbreaking over the years to see some members struggle with the stairs,” said Emily IADS board member Emily Levine Levine, a mother of two children under age five. “When renovations are complete, the entire building will be more accessible and welcoming.

“I am excited about the flexible space for education and young families. When the completed building opens once again, there will be a space for little kids to run around.

One day, we will need a teen room. It’s great that we are going to have a space that is flexible to change with our needs.”

JOHN HARDWICK

CONSTRUCTION PLANS During renovations, the congregation will continue programming on Zoom and is also planning makeshift arrangements for temporary spaces around town for in-person programming, services and religious school activities as pandemic restrictions ease.

Noah Resnick, associate dean of architecture at Noah Resnick University of Detroit Mercy

and a designer with Laavu studio in Detroit, said all interior design efforts will take into consideration the historic landmark nature of the building. Through a procession of interior design elements, Resnick said visitors of the building will first experience a welcoming foyer space and then move up either with the stairs or the elevator to the sanctuary.

“At the core of all of our interior design concepts and aesthetics will be the bimah and the ark,” said Resnick, who has volunteered at IADS and helped design the synagogue’s sukkah design concepts for Detroit’s 2018 Sukkah X Project competition. “This is such an iconic building known for those colored squares of stained glass. All elements of the design will be created with a celebration keeping in mind the building’s historical significance.”

A REVIVED COMMUNITY Before its current location, IADS survived as a “nomadic shul” in the 1940s and 1950s, a place where Jewish workers gathered in various apartment buildings for a Downtown minyan, said Avshalumov. Just as it seemed on the brink of closing, a new Martin Herman population shift happened.

Beginning in the early 2000s, new Jewish singles and families began to move into the city, and membership has increased in the last 12 years. IADS now has a staff of six, membership has grown from 100 to 300 families, and its budget grew from $40,000 to $600,000 annually.

IADS member Martin Herman, 91, began his connection to the synagogue in the 1960s but became active when he needed a place Downtown to say Kaddish for his parents in 1989. That began a decades-long affiliation with IADS that included serving on the board, being synagogue president, leading services as a gabbi, and seeking and writing grant proposals to keep the synagogue afloat and functioning even as the city’s Jewish population declined.

He said that since 2015, there has been an upswing in activity and community at IADS, giving him hope for future generations.

“I am in awe by the zeal and success of the young people who have invested their energy into the Downtown Synagogue,” Herman said. “Though I do not agree with them about everything, I am close with many of them. The changes coming to IADS serve as a rallying point for the Jewish community in the city.

“We’ve come a long way.”

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OUR COMMUNITY

One Step Closer to a New Mikvah

Local women look forward to having a nearby mikvah.

Southfield building site is prepared for Lahser Road Mikvah.

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER LAHSER ROAD MIKVAH

A rendering of the new mikvah

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ished for construction of a new school building. That mikvah, originally part of Beth Achim Synagogue, had been operated

by Young Israel for more than 20 years.

The lack of a nearby mikvah was a significant inconvenience on Sabbath and holidays when car travel is prohibited for Orthodox Jews. The Southfield women who used the Oak Park mikvah had to stay with friends nearby, postpone their mikvah visit until after the Sabbath or holidays, or walk four to six miles from home.

In addition, a mikvah is a central part of an Orthodox community and community members believe that having one nearby would help to recruit more new families

to the area. About 40 Jewish families from other states and Israel have moved to the Young Israel of Southfield neighborhood — the 11 Mile-Lahser area — during the past six years, according to Cherie Levi, president of the all-women mikvah board and chair of its building committee.

COMMUNITY EFFORT A group of community members supported the idea of building a new mikvah and undertook a needs assessment and survey of mikvah users in in 2017. Levi explains that a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation was established to build and operate the new Lahser Road Mikvah. She then began scouting the

LAHSER ROAD MIKVAH

T

he new Southfield mikvah has taken a major step forward with the upcoming demolition of a house on its planned site at 11 Mile and Bell roads.

Now, the land will be graded and prepared for construction of the new Lahser Road Mikvah.

Planning and fundraising for the mikvah, located in the Young Israel of Southfield (YIS) neighborhood, began Cherie Levi in 2017. Approximately 50 Jewish women in the area have had to travel to Mikvah Israel in Oak Park since the mikvah in the Farber Hebrew Day School Building in Southfield was demol-

PEOPLE WE KNOW & STORIES WE DON’T:

SHOSHANA LEAH GREENBERG DOVID NISSAN ROETTER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The mikvah’s fundraising goal is $1 million.

area for likely sites, even placing letters into the mailboxes of area residents, asking if they were interested in selling their homes. Fortunately, a homeowner at 11 Mile and Bell roads, across the street from Congregation Shaarey Zedek, was interested in selling.

Once the sale was complete, the next hurdle was rezoning for the property since it is on a residential street. Although the rezoning process took a year, “The city of Southfield is excited at the investment in the community,” Levi says.

DiClemente Siegel Design, an architectural firm in Southfield, began working on the project with halachic input from Rabbi Zeev Rothschild, a specialist in mikvah design.

Sadly, Rabbi Rothschild died of COVID. Levi says that the mikvah committee was fortunate to connect with Rabbi Yitzchok Trieger of New Jersey, who has worked on mikvahs for 30 years, including the mikvah in Oak Park, to assist with the building design.

Levi visited two mikvaot that Trieger worked on in New Jersey.

Levi explains that guidelines for mikvah construction and operation are contained within the Gemara — part of the Talmud. These specifications include the source and collection method of the water used in the mikvah, the location of cisterns, the size and placement of pipes, water heating

method and the height of steps to the actual pool of water.

DiClemente Siegel is working with Trieger to ensure that all design elements follow rabbinic rules for mikvahs.

The mikvah will be 1,400 square feet in size and the building will be accessible for those with disabilities.

According to the Lahser Road Mikvah website, the mikvah will have a spa-like atmosphere and be “spiritually and physically rejuvenating for all sects of the Jewish community.”

FUNDRAISING EFFORTS Fundraising is well underway with $450,000 raised from the YIS community alone — more than $303,000 in collected donations and the remainder in pledges over five years. The original fundraising goal is $1 million for construction and ongoing operations, as individual mikvah usage fees will not cover all costs. Final construction specifications will be completed soon so that contractors’ bids can be obtained. Due to COVID-related increases in building material costs, project costs may be higher than the initial estimate.

Levi said that initial fundraising was focused on the Orthodox community with a plan to expand to the larger Jewish community once the property was purchased and demolition complete. For more information, visit www. lahsermikvah.org.

S

hoshana Leah Greenberg, originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., moved to Michigan to be near family. Greenberg works with people with “special gifts,” as she calls them, as she believes people with special needs bring spiritual gifts into the world. She works to help people understand them.

As a direct support professional, she is a private teacher and a friend to the individuals she works with.

Greenberg listens to her clients’ needs and figures out how to get through to them. For example, a client needed to learn to wash netilat yadayim — a ritual handwashing before eating bread — and she used a song by Jewish group Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men to teach it in a fun way.

Her other main goal is to integrate her clients into the community with activities like shopping — something she feels is lacking.

Greenberg didn’t plan to work with people with special gifts.

While working as a cashier, a friend told her she thought she would be good at the job.

With little knowledge of the field, she hesitated. A coworker helped ease her into the field by reminding her that people with special needs are just people with feelings who want to talk and be heard. They, like all of us, are normal and different at the same time.

At the first home she worked, some women were higher functioning and some needed more attention and care. The job included trips, doing dishes and chatting, arts and crafts, laundry, yoga and even drumming. Before

Shoshana Leah Greenberg

this, Greenberg planned to study music therapy; however, she fell in love with the day program and switched courses at college.

Greenberg said what she loves the most is that “they are living with their heart. They are always shining; they are always in their light; they are always feeling their neshamah, they are always focused on Hashem.”

SEEING BEYOND Greenberg is also an intuitive healer and counselor. “I feel beyond what is seen on the outside in people, in circumstances.

I see behind the curtain,” she said.

When someone comes to her with a problem, she opens her clients’ eyes to who they are as a soul. Her goal is to “help people feel good and better about this world and themselves, thus transforming their lives,” she said.

Greenberg is in the process of moving back to New York where she will continue working in the field.

Her dream is to create a home for frum men and women with special gifts.

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OUR COMMUNITY

ART FISHMAN

The Jewish War Veterans’ Memorial Day ceremony

Keeping Up with the

JWV

Jewish War Veterans hold heartwarming events.

I

had the privilege of witnessing three inspiring, heartwarming events recently courtesy of our beloved Detroit Jewish War Veterans (JWV).

Being vaccinated and the easing of COVID restrictions allowed me to experience two of those events in person.

IKE AND GUY On May 13, I was a bystander to a wonderful Contributing Writer conversation between two pillars of our community — Dr. Guy Stern, director of the International Institute of the Righteous at the Holocaust Memorial Center (HMC), and Dr. Isaiah (Ike) McKinnon, former Detroit police chief and deputy mayor of the city of Detroit under Alan Muskovitz

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Mayor Duggan.

At 99 years young, you will still find Stern, who enjoyed a long and distinguished career in academia, working six days a week at the HMC. McKinnon, 78, today is the CEO of City Shield Security Services and a contributor on law enforcement issues on The News with Shepard Smith on CNBC. Stern had been featured on CBS’ 60 Minutes on May 9, along with two other surviving members of the “Ritchie Boys,” the elite WWII military unit that trained at Fort Ritchie in Maryland. The television appearance was previewed May 7 on the JN website, thejewishnews.com.

Like Stern, many of the Ritchie Boys were Jewish German immigrants whose language skills were relied on by the

U.S. Intelligence Service to interrogate Nazi prisoners of war. Ultimately, Stern and his comrades would be given credit for securing 60% of the vital intelligence in Europe during WWII. That contribution earned Stern the bronze star.

McKinnon had seen the 60 Minutes segment and was so moved by Stern’s story that, as the former chief said to me, “I just had to meet him.” A doctor’s visit would pave the way for that introduction.

Ironically, neuroradiologist Dr. Steve Seidman, with whom Ike was scheduled to meet two days after the 60 Minutes story aired, happened to bring up the Stern appearance during their visit.

(Ike told me, so no HIPAA laws were broken!)

It turns out that Seidman’s office, the Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders, is just north of the HMC on Orchard Lake Road where his brotherin-law Tim Zimmerman has been the building manager since 2004. Seidman made a call to Tim. Tim then informed HMC events director Sarah Saltzman about Ike’s desire to meet Stern. That’s when he learned Saltzman worked with Ike at the University of Detroit Mercy when she was special events manager

ALAN MUSKOVITZ

Guy Stern and Ike McKinnon

and Ike was a professor and head of public safety. Jewish geography at its finest. The dots were connected and a May 13 meeting set.

McKinnon and Stern share a history of unimaginable intolerance and incredible perseverance that dates back to their youth. Isaiah McKinnon at age 14 survived a beating at the hands of four Detroit police officers only to make a vow at a young age to dedicate his life to change. From taking a beating to becoming a beat cop to eventually rising to chief of police.

Stern at age 15 faced growing antisemitism and ostracism in 1937 Germany, even among those who he called his closest boyhood friends. A foreshadowing of what was to come, Guenther’s (Guy’s) father chose his teenage son to be the sole representative of the family to travel alone to the U.S. in hopes of securing sponsorship and safe passage for the rest of the family.

A heartless U.S. lawyer thwarted Stern’s efforts just when his mission seemed to be within reach. Stern’s parents and siblings ended up perishing in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Ike McKinnon has been a dear friend of mine for years and, knowing my close association with the JWV, thought I

would love to chronicle the meeting of the two.

Ike and Guy had an instantaneous camaraderie upon their meeting.

It was an inspiring back-and-forth dialogue about serious issues but not without moments of lightheartedness and laughter. It was like observing a conversation between lifelong friends.

They spoke of their respective histories of challenges as a Jew in Nazi Germany and an African American in Detroit in the 1960s. Ike had so many questions for Guy, and he absorbed every last detail like a sponge.

It was an open and frank conversation about their collective life experiences; the way things were and the ways things are today. “If you see something, speak up,” Ike said when reflecting on the hate and divisiveness that still exists today and the prospect of history repeating itself.

In that same light, Stern recalled a message he delivered in a keynote address to dignitaries in a return visit to Germany a few years ago. He alluded to the divisiveness in our country and the overall volatility in the world today when he said “beware of the beginning of tyranny. Democracy is a very fragile flower.”

You can read more about these two generational heroes in Guy Stern’s recent autobiography Invisible Ink and McKinnon’s memoir Stand Tall.

HILLEL HOSTS HEROES Just prior to the Memorial Day weekend, fifth- and sixth-graders at Hillel Day School were immersed in a project that asked the students to identify and write about their everyday heroes. At the same time, seventh- and eighth-graders were focusing on military campaigns that have had a profound impact on our nation’s history.

To that end, the school invited the JWV to provide two veterans to share their perspectives, in an ageappropriate fashion, about their military experiences. The Zoom sessions took place on Friday, May 28.

Nick Israel of Farmington Hills, 36, addressed the fifth- and sixthgrade students. Israel is a University of Michigan grad and Army veteran who among his many roles served in the cavalry and later in psychological operations. Today, he’s a member of the Michigan Air National Guard and is studying for his master’s of science at New York’s Columbia University.

Israel’s affection for and dedication to the JWV was central to his talk. He made sure to explain the history of the JWV and shared impactful stories of Detroit Jewish veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country during WWII, Vietnam and the War on Terror.

Explaining his introduction to the Army, Israel told the kids that “in college at the height of the Iraqi War [of 2003], I felt the need to not sit on the bench. So, I decided to join the Army and do something for our country.”

Israel included stories of his Jewish experience in the military including how he observed Passover and Chanukah from an armored tank. The students were no doubt particularly riveted to a training video Israel shared of him parachuting from an airplane.

Hillel seventh- and eighth-graders were treated to stories from a member of our Greatest Generation — 96-yearcontinued on page 22 JULY 15 • 2021

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OUR COMMUNITY

continued from page 21

old WWII veteran Jerry Manchel of West Bloomfield, whose third-grade grandchild Lucy attends the school.

I spoke with Manchel prior to his Zoom session. He confessed to being nervous about making a presentation in front of so many people. Nervous, I thought? This from a man who flew 43 missions over the Pacific as a radio/ gunner on a B-24 bomber?

After the fact, it would take some time to convince him, but Jerry Manchel represented beautifully. He proudly spoke of his service and the unique perspective he had as a witness to the history of WWII. Among those indelible memories, Manchel described flying over Nagasaki, Japan, four days after the dropping of the atomic bomb and later seeing firsthand Japanese leaders landing at the Ie Shima, Japan, airfield on their way to officially surrendering.

Manchel also fondly recalled receiving a message from President Harry Truman through his military aide, thanking him for sending a photograph of the plane Manchel flew bearing the commander-in-chief ’s name. The photo was returned autographed along with words of gratitude from the president.

The positive impression Israel and Manchel made on the students was evidenced by the depth of thoughtful

Jerry Manchel on Zoom

inquiries the students made during Q & A sessions. The issue of antisemitism while serving in the military was raised. Manchel said fortunately he was never on the receiving end of such discrimination. Israel described the military as a “great environment for our Jewish service members, with many allies against any hint of Jewish hatred.”

A collective heartfelt “thank you for your service” was shared by the students at the end of each program.

JWV REMEMBERS On Sunday, May 30, members of our Detroit area JWV posts gathered at the Veterans Section at Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale for their annual Memorial Day weekend tribute to their comrades of blessed memory. The

Nick Israel on Zoom

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Women’s Auxiliary and family members of the veterans were well represented.

As he has done for the last several years, Rabbi Michael Moskowitz led a brief dedication ceremony. He reflected on the year that had passed: “Since the last time we gathered for Memorial Day prayers, 20 American individuals have lost their lives. On one level we think it’s a small number. And compared to years past, it has decreased. We give thanks to that reality. But it’s still 20 families that have lost a loved one, 20 friends that have buried a loved one. The impact of one life, we all understand what that means.”

Compounding that loss over the many years of conflicts our nation has endured, Rabbi Moskowitz gave thanks to all who have laid their lives on the line, remembering each and every one as “the best of what this country has to offer.”

The service concluded with the playing of taps by Paul Roache, a volunteer with Bugles Across America.

Take pride in and support our JWV. They are the oldest active service organization in the United States. In doing so, you’re not only making a difference in the lives of our Jewish service men and women but you’re supporting, as declared in their mission statement, “to encourage the doctrine of universal liberty, equal rights, and full justice for all men and women.”

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OUR COMMUNITY

Opportunities for ‘Women to Work’

JVS course helps women gain job skills.

JN STAFF

W

omen to Work, a free four-week course offered by JVS Human Services that provides important skills to women needing immediate employment, is returning to in-person programming after being remote during the pandemic.

In addition, a summer networking event “WOW: Women, Opportunities, Work” will be held to offer local female jobseekers the opportunity to connect with successful businesswomen in Metro Detroit.

Featured business leaders in the WOW event are CEO of Universal Special Events Inc. Tonia Williams; founder and

owner of skinnytees Linda Schlesinger-Wagner; cofounder and CEO of Bamboo Detroit Amanda Lewan; and founder and president of CKC Agency Carolyn Krieger.

An informational meeting for the Women to Work course will be held July 21 from 9-11 a.m.

The outdoor WOW networking event is on July 22 from 6.30-8.30 p.m. at JVS Human Services in Southfield. Register for Women to Work at jvshumanservices.org/ contact and the WOW networking event at jvshumanservices.org/ jvs-career-club-wow-event.

“The pandemic has shown us how our work lives can be severely impacted by situations

beyond our control, and we want all local women looking for a fresh employment start to know that free, life-changing help is available this summer,” said Judy Richmond, Women to Work coordinator.

“This course offers vital skills many women need to get back into the workforce, and the networking event will help women make valuable connections and gain insight.”

The Women to Work course is eight sessions and runs from July 27 through Aug. 19, with classes from 9 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Topics will include in-depth vocational assessment, employment-related group counseling and emotional support, information and referrals to support services, help with networking, resume writing and interviewing and more.

While Women to Work was forced to go remote earlier this year, it remained a vital resource for women seeking employment: 16 local Metro Detroit women

JARC Teen Council Wins $4,000 Grant

JARC Teen Action Council

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

T

he JARC Teen Action Council was awarded a $4,000 grant from the Stephen H. Schulman Millennium Fund for Jewish Youth.

The funding will cover the second term of the Teen Action Council program from September 2021 through June 2022 and will be used for the program’s educational component.

“What we’re able to do with the grant is formalize the leadership education component,” said Shaindle Braunstein, JARC CEO. “Bringing in training around leadership development and working with persons with developmental disabilities and bringing in speakers around advocacy work — all

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with the goal to grow this into something that helps the youth take these skills into their future.”

Braunstein says what makes the grant unique is that it directly helps the teens help others.

“This spreads our message and mission, introduces our local youth to JARC and creates ambassadors in the community who can go out and say, ‘this is what inclusion means, this is what it means to be a person with a disability, and this is how I can be an ally and advocate,’” Braunstein said. “To have the opportunity to provide vibrant programming for youth is something we’re really excited about.”

Through JARC’s Teen Action

completed the course with many finding new jobs. One of those women was 54-year-old Monique Maksym of Lakeville, who learned negotiating skills, verbiage for discussing salary offers and, importantly, ways to ensure her resume was taken seriously by hiring professionals by including keywords found in the job application.

“I enjoyed being with other women in the course, hearing everyone’s input, which was all diverse and valuable, and I was able to job seek with a whole new arsenal of tools,” she said.

Maksym, an executive TV producer, was eventually able to renegotiate a position with a former employer and is now working as a contractor.

For more information, contact Judy Richmond at (248) 233-4232 or email her at jrichmond @jvshumanservices.org. For more information on the WOW networking event, contact Gerard Baltrusaitis at (248) 658-8862 or email him at gbaltrusaitis @jvshumanservices.org.

Council, local high schoolers can learn through service. The council allows teens to connect with peers, engage with the people JARC serves, learn important leadership and relationship skills, and learn about developmental disabilities and the importance of inclusion in the community.

Students active in the council agree to a one-year term with an option for a second year.

Members are asked to attend seven out of 10 monthly hourlong meetings, which to date have been virtual. Members are asked to plan one large group project together (this term, group made Chanukah Care Packages for persons served in JARC’s

Independent Living Services program).

They are also responsible for creating a virtual activity for JARC persons served, which has included tote bag decorating, virtual game night and an outdoor scavenger hunt. All Metro Detroit youth are encouraged to apply.

“I always want to tell people that with JARC, we have room at our table for everyone, and we want the entire community involved in our mission,” Braunstein said.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for teens. If you’re someone who wants to be involved with JARC, we want you here, and there’s always a place for you.”

Hazon Merges with Retreat Centers JN STAFF

H

azon, the largest faithbased environmental organization in the U.S., and Pearlstone, one of the largest Jewish retreat centers and Jewish outdoor education sites in North America, announced their boards of directors have unanimously approved a proposal to merge the two organizations.

Together they are launching a new organization that will catalyze the JOFEE movement (Jewish Outdoor Food Farming & Environmental Education) and the field of Jewish retreating for years to come.

The new national organization will be called Hazon, with Pearlstone serving as national headquarters based in Baltimore

and with offices in New York and additional major impact hubs at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut and Hazon in Detroit.

Both Pearlstone and Hazon have struck a deep chord engaging young children to senior citizens in immersive experiences integrating Jewish wisdom and inspiration, food and farm, song and spirit, community, sustainability and justice. The shared mission is to lead a transformative movement deeply weaving sustainability into the fabric of Jewish life.

Through its many programs and strategic partnerships across the U.S. and in Israel, Hazon and Pearlstone will catalyze significant

culture change and multiply their impact locally, nationally and globally.

Hazon Detroit is a significant part of Hazon, and the new leadership team — who are based in Baltimore — are excited to explore the programmatic opportunities that arise from the similarities between Detroit and Baltimore.

Jakir Manela, new CEO of Hazon, said, “These are two great cities, with two strong Jewish Jakir communities, two Manela strong federations — and a slew of challenges on the ground — that Hazon Detroit and Pearlstone are addressing.

I’m excited to work with Wren Hack and her team, and I plan to be in Detroit in the fall. I hope that we can apply in the Baltimore area some of the work of Hazon Detroit — and that we

can offer to Hazon Detroit some of the things we’ve been doing in Baltimore and in the Chesapeake Bay.” Wren Hack, director of Hazon Detroit, added, “I’m excited about the possibilities of this merger.

And I’m especially delighted to see that Pearlstone’s work, Wren Hack in providing food to people in need during COVID so closely parallels what we’ve done these last 15 months.”

The merger is not premised on any job losses and it believes the combined entity will be more impactful.

The first board chair will be Marina Lewin of New York and the vice chair will be Aaron Max of Baltimore. Jakir Manela will serve as the organization’s inaugural CEO, beginning Aug. 1.

cult year and a half — which included a heightened awareness of the need to accept and respect people of all backgrounds, ethnicities and abilities — we could not be happier to safely welcome the community to join us in supporting and celebrating each unique individual who is a part of our Friendship Circle family.”

Walk4Friendship will begin with an inspirational opening ceremony followed by the walk itself. Following the walk, partic-

ipants will enjoy a post-walk celebration including food, activities, entertainment and more.

With support from the community, Friendship Circle hopes to reach the fundraising goal of $500,000. General donations, as well as donations to an individual walker or team of walkers, can be made on the Walk4Friendship website.

Those interested in walking for friendship can register for the event at walk4friendship.com/ Account/Register.

FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE FACEBOOK

Friendship Circle’s Annual Walk is Back Event aids people with special needs.

JN STAFF

F

riendship Circle, a nonprofit that supports individuals with special needs, has opened registration for its 16th annual Walk4Friendship.

Walk4Friendship is a milelong family walk that raises crucial funds and community awareness for Friendship Circle and the individuals and families the organization supports. The walk will be held on Sunday, Aug. 29, at Friendship Circle’s West Bloomfield campus, located at 6892 W. Maple Road.

Friendship Circle provides support to 3,000 individuals with special needs by providing recreational, social, educational and vocational programming.

Fundraisers like Walk4Friendship are critical for raising funds

and awareness that will enable Friendship Circle to continue its mission for many years to come.

This year’s Walk4Friendship theme is “You Belong.”

Friendship Circle is dedicated to creating a supportive community that provides friendship to everyone, regardless of their abilities. The walk will celebrate the belief that everyone deserves friendship and belonging. The theme of “You Belong” represents the idea that without each of us, the world is incomplete.

“Inclusion and community support is a crucial piece of our mission to nurture and provide friendship to all people, regardless of their abilities,” said Friendship Circle co-founder Bassie Shemtov. “After a diffi-

JULY 15 • 2021

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OUR COMMUNITY

COURTESY OF RABBI GILBOA

Rabbi Michael Gilboa and family

Welcome, Rabbi!

Michael Gilboa assumes the pulpit at B’nai Israel Synagogue.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

R

abbi Michael Gilboa, the new full-time rabbi of B’nai Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, is officially settled in Metro Detroit.

He joined the B’nai Israel community virtually on May 1, but officially moved to Metro Detroit in mid-June along with his wife, Emily, and three children.

Gilboa received his rabbinic M.A. and his ordination from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, American Jewish University of Los Angeles.

He has served as the rabbi of Ahavath Achim Hebrew Congregation in Wichita, Kan., and Congregation Beth Jacob in Fresno, Calif. He is the founding rabbi of “The Footpath,” a community conversion program started in partnership with Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago, which now continues online.

Gilboa is a convert himself. He had encountered

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Judaism in one way or another throughout his formative years, but it accelerated when he was in college and ended up being active in the Hillel.

“One thing led to another, and I was Jewish,” Gilboa said.

Even with the new job, Gilboa is still teaching classes at The Footpath.

A PERFECT FIT While speaking with B’nai Israel about where his career was and where he wanted it to be, Gilboa said that while he loves his work with The Footpath, it only consists of 24-week courses at a time. Gilboa wanted more than a temporary Jewish community.

“I was feeling like looking for something more stable and to build relationships that last longer than 24 weeks,” Gilboa said. “I’m very excited to keep doing The Footpath, and I’m also very excited to be at B’nai Israel and to begin

developing those friendships and relationships.”

Gilboa believes B’nai Israel has an interesting energy, with the best of the old and the new.

“They fit me to a tee,” Gilboa said. “I am a traditional rabbi. I love the Jewish tradition and engaging with our timeless spiritual practices.

“At the same time, I love that entrepreneurial, startup energy and seeing how we can apply the old, timetested wisdom in new and innovative ways.”

Hopefully moving into the final phases of the pandemic, Gilboa believes in lessons learned from this time, such as how we could get by with less and how some things that seemed really important actually weren’t.

“The thing that turned out to be most important was other human beings, relationships and connections, and I think that’s at the heart of the synagogue I would like to be a part of,” Gilboa said.

Going forward, Gilboa believes successful synagogues are going to have a focus that puts greater attention on reaching people online and is excited for what that could look like.

“I have congregants at B’nai Israel who live in other states, but they continue to come to services, which we couldn’t do 10 years ago, it’s really fantastic,” Gilboa said.

“I hope that keeps going and we find ways to use this technology to continue connecting and sharing the beauty and wisdom that comes with being Jewish.”

NCJW|MI Installs Officers and Board National Council of Jewish Women, Michigan (NCJW|MI) held its annual installation event via Zoom, where officers and board members were installed, and three awards were presented.

The new vice president is Lauren Koenigsberg.

Continuing in their terms are president: Amy Cutler; vice presidents: Evva Hepner, Carrie Kushner, Sallyjo Levine AND Susan Rollinger; treasurer, Nancy Rothfeder; recording secretary: Margo Stocker; assistant recording secretary: Amy Zeskind; corresponding secretary: Sandy Weitz.

Newly elected board members are Janice Cherkasky, Dani Gillman, Deane Safir and Cindy Weintraub. Newly appointed board members are Cindy Babcock, and Shayna Silverman.

Susan Marwil was presented with Hannah G. Solomon Award.

Paula Wolfe was presented with the Marsha Zucker Exemplary Board Member Award.

Evva Hepner was presented with the Emerging Leader Award.

Four staff members received Staff Recognition Award: Lori Eisenberg and Liana Spiegel — 5 years, Lori Passerman — 10 years, and Kathy Lamb — 30 years of service to NCJW|MI.

HAZON

Meijer Gardens Announces Holocaust Memorial Gift

Topsy Turvy Bus Meets Banana Car because a book about the Topsy Turvy bus is coming out in January 2022, and the release will be followed by a bus tour,” said Hannah Fine of Hazon.

Upon picking up the Topsy Turvy bus, Hazon found that the bus’s battery was dead.

“Steve’s only vehicle is the banana car,” Fine said, “and thus, on a sunny, drizzly Monday, on a farm in Michigan, the Topsy Turvy bus was jumped by a banana car!”

Ways to Say Goodbye

tree in Italy that the artist selected. In Jewish culture, the fruit tree is venerated as a source of life and new beginnings. The sculpture deals with the themes of profound loss and grief and will beautifully serve as a memorial to Holocaust victims in Western Michigan.

Adam Fox First Jewish NHL Honoree Fox led NHL defensemen (JNS) Adam Fox, a Jewish with 42 assists while finishing hockey player with the New second in points with 47.

York Rangers, was named on “It’s special,” Fox, who grew July 6 the winner of the 2020up in Jericho, Long Island, 21 James Norris Memorial said of receiving the award.

Trophy.

“I’ve been throwing that word The trophy is giving annuaround a lot the last ally to the National Hockey League’s few weeks and it’s now accurate for (NHL) top defenhow I feel. You hear seman and Fox, 23, your name with has become the first [Orr and Leetch], Jewish player to win it’s always going to a major NHL award. be a special, special The 5-foot-11 thing.” athlete and lifelong Adam Fox He added, “I just Rangers fan joins tried to play my best game-in Bobby Orr of the Boston and game-out and help the Bruins as only the second team win. I think personal hockey player in the 67-year success comes from that. The history of the trophy to win it in his second season with next step is just team success.”

When asked by the New the NHL, and Hall of Famers York Post in 2019 about being Doug Harvey, Harry Howell one of the few Jewish athletes and Brian Leetch as the only in the NHL, he said, “It’s defiRangers to take home the nitely nice to represent a comhonor, according to the New munity, for sure.”

York Post.

JNS

Hazon usually uses its Topsy Turvy bus as a mobile classroom. When this became unfeasible during the pandemic, it was used to deliver compost and seeds as part of Hazon’s Relief Garden Initiative.

During a compost delivery, a large, low branch took off two of the tires on top of the bus. The organization brought it back to the original fabricator, Steve Braithwaite, to replace them.

“It is important that the bus is kept in tip-top shape

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has received a gift from the Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids in order to establish the first Holocaust memorial in the city, anchored by Ariel Schlesinger’s Ways to Say Goodbye.

The Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids received a generous gift from the Pestka family in memory of their father, Henry, and the millions of Jews who perished in the Holocaust, for Grand Rapids’ first Holocaust Memorial.

Ways to Say Goodbye is a 20-foot-tall cast aluminum tree that has sheets of glass between its branches. The cast is taken from a fig

Rabbi G with his award.

Rabbi Goldberg Wins Health Hero Award Kids Kicking Cancer founder Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg, aka Rabbi G, received the Michigan Hometown Health Hero Award for 2021.

“This award recognizes individuals and organizations across the state working tirelessly to maintain and improve the health of their local communities,” said award organizers. The Hometown Health Hero

award is a major part of the Public Health Week in Michigan. This year marks the 16th year the Hometown Health Hero award has been presented.”

It has been Rabbi G’s mission since the founding of Kids Kicking Cancer in 1999 to improve the health of sick children and families in the community, and he has made an enormous impact.

JULY 15 • 2021

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sports HIGHlights brought to you in partnership with

SCHON FAMILY

NMLS#2289

Larry Schon with his daughter Sheva and son Sruli during the 2010 Young Israel Softball League season.

Tip of the Cap Youth softball league honors “unassuming, humble” Larry Schon, its leader for 30 years.

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

P

layers in the Detroit Jewish Youth Softball League are wearing caps with the initials “LS” on them this season.

That’s to honor the memory of Larry Schon, an Oak Park resident who ran the league as commissioner and was a coach for 30 years. He died Dec. 7, 2020, at age 71 from complications from COVID-19.

Schon probably wouldn’t like the attention he’s getting this season from the league’s 210 players, their coaches and all the league families.

“Larry was unassuming and

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humble. He preferred to stay behind the scenes and didn’t expect anything in return for the work he did for the league,” said Dovid Seligson, a former league player in the 1990s who is in his first year as commissioner.

“Larry was liked by everyone.

Nobody had anything bad to say about him,” Seligson said.

“He had a passion for softball, and he saw a need for Jewish kids to keep busy and be productive during the summer.”

Rosa Furman is one of Larry and Pearl Schon’s six children. The couple was mar-

ried for 48 years.

Furman is coaching in the league this season, and so are her brothers Aaron and Sruli.

Twice-a-week games began Twice-a-week games began June 20 and continued though this week..

“It’s so nice for the league to honor my dad,” Furman said.

“He never missed a year when he was involved. He loved sports, and he loved kids.”

League players come mainly from Orthodox families and attend Jewish day schools.

Playing slow-pitch softball in a low-pressure atmosphere

gives them a chance to meet each other and have some fun, Seligson said.

League games are played Sunday mornings and Tuesday evenings on the seven fields at Catalpa Oaks Park in Southfield. There are seven divisions: • Grades 1-3 girls.

• Grades 4-8 girls.

• Grade 1 boys.

• Grades 2-3 boys.

• Grades 4-5 boys.

• Grades 6-8 boys.

There were no league games last summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The usual contingent of 320 or so players is down this year, Seligson said, because of a late and condensed registration period caused by the gradual and sporadic easing of pandemic restrictions.

Seligson is confident the league will return to its normal number of players next summer. continued on page 30

JULY 15 • 2021

quick hits GARY KLINGER

BY STEVE STEIN

Aaron Herskovic (left) and teammate Brad Friedman.

Herskovic Rewriting B’nai B’rith Golf League Record Book Aaron Herskovic is making history in the weekly B’nai B’rith golf league.

He shot 35 on back-toback weeks in late June and early July at the Links of Novi, 1 over par and even par, respectively.

Those were the lowest rounds ever shot in the league’s nine seasons.

It’s no surprise Herskovic was in first place in the league’s individual standings after the July 1 round with 51½ points. Kerry Chabin (47½), Mike Klinger (46) and Dale Taub (45) were his closest competitors.

The league’s team stand-

ings as of July 1 were a different story, although Herskovic was involved in a three-way battle for the title.

Chabin/Klinger led the way with 100 points.

Gary Klinger/Taub were in second place with 96 points and Herskovic/Brad Friedman were in third place with 94 points.

Larry Shapiro/Bob Shapiro-Chuck Houmaian were in fourth place with 81 points, one more than fifth-place Ryan Vieder/ Adam Vieder.

The July 8 round was No. 9 in the league’s 17-week season.

WWW.CAPITALMORTGAGEFUNDING.COM

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QUICK HITS continued on page 30 JULY 15 • 2021

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DOVID SELIGSON

sports HIGHlights continued from page 28

One of Schon’s passions was making sure every league player received a trophy. Another passion was making sure everyone played regardless of a family’s finances, and whatever money was left over went to charity.

Those passions have continued, although there may not trophies this year because the league season was put together so late.

“My dad always made sure the trophy was something that was popular at the time, like, for example, a bobble head,” Furman said.

quick hits

Caps worn this season by Detroit Jewish Youth Softball League players include the initials “LS” in honor of Larry Schon.

League coaches are all volunteers. Seligson said sponsors play a big role in helping cover league expenses, which

Coach Barry Brodsky (back row right with his hand in the air) celebrates a fourth straight Division 2 state championship with his Birmingham Marian High School girls soccer team.

BARRY BRODSKY

BY STEVE STEIN

Schon took over the league in its second year (1985) when only 20 boys played.

The owner of Schon Packaging in Southfield grew the league to as many as 180 boys and girls, and remained in charge until 2015.

The league was first called the Young Israel Softball League. It had other names until it took on its current name a few years ago.

League games were played for many years at Schoenhals Elementary School in Southfield.

Soccer Season Begins with a Quarantine, Ends with Another State Championship Can anything stop Coach Barry Brodsky and his Birmingham Marian High School girls soccer team when they set their sights on a state championship?

Apparently not.

The Mustangs won their fourth straight state title — and ninth since Brodsky became coach in 2001 — when they defeated Spring Lake 3-0 last month at DeMartin Field at Michigan State University.

No girls soccer team other than Marian has won

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a Division 2 state championship since 2016.

Marian rolled to three consecutive Division 2 state titles from 2017-19, then didn’t play in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 spring season was shut down by the Michigan High School Athletic Association after Marian had four days of tryouts.

This season didn’t start out well for the Mustangs.

They got in only two

days of tryouts, then went into quarantine for 10 days because of positive COVID-19 tests.

“Then we had spring break,” Brodsky said. “So we had about a month off and began playing games.”

It showed. Marian had a tie and a loss in its first two games.

But the Mustangs recovered quickly and finished the season 13-3-1, rolling through the postseason without giving up a goal.

Among No. 12-ranked

include a cap and T-shirt for each player.

Please send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

Marian’s state tournament victims were No. 1 DeWitt and No. 6 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood.

The Mustangs had experience on their side this season despite not playing in 2020.

“We were lucky,” Brodsky said. “My four captains all got considerable playing time when they were sophomores in 2019. There were two other seniors who also played a lot when they were sophomores.”

Brodsky also won state titles at Marian in 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2012 and the Mustangs lost in the state championship game in 2013 and 2014. They’ve made 14 trips to the Final Four since Brodsky became coach.

When he’s not winning state championships, Brodsky is a certified public accountant with an office in Farmington Hills.

He’s a 1973 SouthfieldLathrup High School graduate.

Family Campaigns to Enhance Dog Park

O

My Name is Sara

In their first few days of fundraising, 46 donors contributed nearly $3,000 toward the $10,000 goal.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for people to donate in the memory of Jane and Stephen Raitt. They were integral members of the community that pushed to have the dog park built. The shade structure and bench will be a wonderful addition to the park that will benefit park users for years,” says Joe Ketchum, the township’s parks superintendent.

To make a tax-deductible donation, visit mparks.org/donations/donate. asp?id=17281 and indicate “The Raitt Memorial Fund,” where it says: “I am making this donation in honor of.”

Three Temple Israel Teams Fighting for Greenberg Division Title

HMC

n what would have been their parent’s 54th anniversary, Jayson and Marni Raitt launched a fundraising campaign to honor the memory of Jane and Stephen Raitt after they passed away two weeks apart last April from COVID. The Raitts are in the process of raising $10,000 for West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation to purchase and install a bench and permanent shade structure at the dog park in memory of the couple that was instrumental in the park’s founding.

The park is on Halsted Road north of Maple.

“More than 20 years ago, my mom Jane Raitt had a vision, a cadre of volunteers, particularly my dad, Stephen, and the passion for bringing an offleash dog park to West Bloomfield,” says Jayson Raitt. “My Mom led a team of 50 dog lovers through all the hoops necessary to get the township to open the park. When it opened in 2002, my parents rarely missed a day there, and it is debatable who enjoyed the park more, my parents or their bearded collies Mollee, Norman and Emma.”

Holocaust Center Presents Film After the Nazis murdered her family, 12-year-old Sara Guralnik flees to the Ukrainian countryside and assumes the identity of her Christian best friend. She lives by her wits as a farmhouse maid, where one slip of her tongue could mean her life.

The award-winning film My Name is Sara tells the true story of her bravery, strength and survival. Watch it on demand from Thursday, July 15-Sunday, July 18, at holocaustcenter.org. Then, on July 18, join a discussion with Sara’s son and executive producer Mickey Shapiro, director Steven Oritt and Detroit Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer.

Register as holocaustcenter.org/Sara.

Temple Israel No. 6, Temple Beth El and Congregation Shir Tikvah led their divisions in early July as the InterCongregational Men’s Club Summer Softball League headed into the home stretch of the regular season.

The closest race was in the Greenberg Division, where Temple Israel No. 6 (10-2-1) held just a half-game lead over second-place Temple Israel No. 5 (9-2-1) and a onegame lead over third-place Temple Israel No. 2 (10-4-0).

Temple Shir Shalom No. 2 (8-4-1) was in fourth place, but only two games out.

Temple Beth El (10-3-0)

was two games in front of second-place Temple Israel No. 3 (8-5-0) in the Koufax Division.

Congregation Shir Tikvah (9-4-0) led second-place Congregation Beth Ahm (7-70) by 2.5 games in the Rosen Division.

Each division has five teams.

League games are played each Sunday at Drake Sports Park and Keith Sports Park in West Bloomfield.

Each of the league’s 15 teams will compete in the double-elimination playoffs, scheduled for Aug. 8 and Aug. 15.

JULY 15 • 2021

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ERETZ

MEET THE OLIM

COURTESY OF THE SPOLTERS

Rena and Rabbi Reuven Spolter

Rena Spolter

Former Young Israel of Oak Park rebbetzin reflects on her decision to make aliyah.

AVIVA ZACKS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

C

atching up with my friend and former rebbetzin Rena Spolter, 46, I got the chance to ask her all about her aliyah, 13 years later. Anyone who knows her is aware of how inspirational she is, and her aliyah story and message are wonderful examples.

Q: What motivated you to make Aliyah?

Rena Spolter: The first time I visited Israel I was 13 and in eighth grade when my grandmother took both her daughters and all her grandchildren to Israel for two weeks. When we left at the end of the trip, I remember this sinking feeling in my chest area when the plane took off. It felt like how you feel when you are leaving home. After that, every time I visited Israel, when I left to go back to America, I felt the same visceral connection to the land.

When I was dating my husband, Reuven, he said he wanted to be a shul rabbi, which is not a full-time job in Israel. I wanted to only date people who wanted to make aliyah, but there were other great things about him, so, in the end, we got married, and I kept the aliyah dream in my mind.

When Young Israel of Oak Park member

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Joe Weiss died in a car accident, my husband and a few other men started learning from a book that was very dear to Joe. It was all about the yearning for and the connection to the Land of Israel. After studying the book together as a group, they came to Israel to celebrate finishing studying the book together. He came back and he said, “You can’t learn a book like that and not want to go.” So, we started planning.

Q: How was your aliyah announcement received in Detroit?

RS: We lived a very public life in Detroit as the rabbi and rebbetzin of the Young Israel of Oak Park, and we knew that when we made aliyah there would be questions, like what we were going to do professionally; how we were going to make money; and what kind of job we were going to get.

For our aliyah flight, we even made T-shirts with the four most-asked questions on the back and our answers.

Q: How old were your kids then, and what are they up to now?

RS: Simcha was going into sixth grade — it was the year before his bar mitzvah

— and he is now 24, married and a father.

Bezalel was going into fourth grade and is now 21 and volunteering in the Israeli Air Force. Leah was going into first grade and is now 18 and finishing her first year of two years of national service. Petachya was 3 and is now finishing 10th grade.

Moriyah, 11, is our Sabra who was born here. Moriyah is one of the names of Jerusalem, and she was born right around Yom Yerushalayim at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.

Q: What have you and the rabbi been doing professionally since you came to Israel?

RS: My husband works at Herzog College as the coordinator for a teacher training program for Judaic teachers in the diaspora.

In addition, he has started an online Jewish learning platform, called Kitah (kitah.org), for junior high school kids, teaching Jewish subjects to children around the world.

For the first two years, I taught at a seminary. I was a Judaic Studies teacher at Akiva (now Farber), so it was a natural progression. Eventually, I retrained to be a high school English teacher, which I have been doing for the past 11 years.

For the past two years, I also have been in an intensive program training to be a yoetzet halachah where I am learning to answer halachic questions pertaining to women.

Q: What do you miss about Detroit?

RS: I miss the people. We had very warm connections with different generations.

Here, it is not as natural to have relationships with people in different generations.

I also miss Jerusalem Pizza, especially the barbecue chicken pizza. My husband misses the kishka pizza.

Q: Do you have a message that you would like to share?

RS: People who make aliyah miss the people from home. We, including your family and friends who live here, appreciate and need your support and love. On a national level, Israel needs every voice of support it can get. I encourage each and every reader to be actively involved in Israel-related activities. It really does make a difference.

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(248) 417-5632

JN STAFF

he Technion has just renamed its MBA program the William Davidson Master of Business Administration Program in honor of the late businessman, basketball Hall of Famer and visionary supporter William “Bill” Davidson.

“William Davidson’s outstanding achievements and legacy have made him a source of inspiration for those seeking to become entrepreneurs and innovators themselves,” said Technion President Uri Sivan during a meeting with directors of the William Davidson Foundation.

Davidson, who died in 2009, was a lifelong supporter of Israel, an honorary member of the Technion Board of Governors and a Technion Guardian, a designation reserved for those who have reached the highest level of support. A proponent of experiential business education, he once said: “Israel has a critical need to equip its technological pioneers with the skills necessary to translate successes in the lab into an edge in the global competition for markets, customers and capital.”

Acting to secure Israel’s economic future through Technion training, he established the William M. Davidson Chair in Industrial Engineering & Management in 1986.

The Technion MBA program takes advantage of the thriving high-tech community that has given Israel the moniker “Startup Nation,” as well as the Technion’s close ties with indus-

CANTOR SAMUEL

The late William Davidson

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

try. It offers specialized tracks in big data and business intelligence, innovation and entrepreneurship, life sciences, and the www.allinbirmingham.com/dayonthetown development of tech ventures, Birmingham Shopping District called the Azrieli startup. @BhamShopping “We are honored that the Technion is naming their MBA program after Bill Davidson,” said Darin McKeever, presi- BSD DOTT2021 JN ad 3.6w x 2.32.indd 1 7/6/21 11:52 AM dent and CEO of the William Davidson Foundation. “The Technion’s approach of inteThe BBYO Michigan Region is currently looking for: grating training in engineering, Associate Regional Director science and technology with a Regional Director • Social Worker strong business education can help create the kind of leaders Join the BBYO team where you’ll find friends, mentors, and Israeli businesses need today.” a place where you can have fun, learn, grow, celebrate your Moovit founders Yaron Evron Jewish identity, give back to your community, bring out the best in others, and, most important, be yourself! and Roy Bick and Alcobra founder Dr. Yaron Daniely are among MBA program’s alumni.

Davidson was an innovative industrialist who transformed JN 1/8 page a small, family company into a leading glass and plastics manufacturing enterprise. At the time of his death, Guardian Industries had revenues in excess of $5 billion. As owner Weekly of the Detroit Pistons, he won Headlines NBA championships and was inducted into both the Naismith Delivered Memorial Basketball Hall of to Your Inbox.

Fame and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

We’re Hiring!

Learn more at bbyo.org/careers

thejewishnews.com/newsletter

JULY 15 • 2021

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MAZEL TOV!

Goldberg 60th

M

orton and Joanne (Sparr) Goldberg live in West Bloomfield.

They were married on July 16, 1961, at Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit. Morton and Joanne are the loving parents of Helene Goldberg and Lorey Sparr; adoring grandparents of Mallory (Alex) Wolf, Jordan Sommerfeld, Zach and Parker Nessel. They are very excited to be new great-grandparents to Asher James Wolf.

Cohen 100th

G

loria Cohen of West Bloomfield will celebrate her 100th birthday on July 16, 2021, with a party in her honor. She will be with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, greatgreat-grandchild and friends.

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.

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SPIRIT

TORAH PORTION

Teachers As Heroes

T

his week’s parshah, group of individuals emerged is the first of the last as heroes. Three-thousand book of the Torah. years after Moses addressed the Thirty-seven days before his Israelites, we have seen school passing, Moses begins his administrators, teachers, and repetition of the Torah to the staff were frontline heroes this assembled Israelites, past year. reviewing the events As the head of school of that occurred and the Hillel Day School, I witlaws given during their nessed our leadership, faculjourney from Egypt to ty and staff come to school Sinai to Eretz Yisrael. each day, putting their own Deuteronomy contains health at risk, to provide for Dr. Darin Katz addresses from Moses the academic, emotional, to the people covering social and spiritual growth Parshat a history, the past set of students. The same was D’varim: of prophecies, warntrue for educators at our Deuteronomy ings about the future, other Jewish day schools in 1:1-3:22; laws, narratives, a song Isaiah 1;1-29. Metro Detroit. Educators and a set of blessings. showed immense courage, Together they constifaith, joy and conviction. tute the most comTeachers adapted; they prehensive, profound vision of learned new technologies; they what it is to be a Holy People, learned how to engage students dedicated to God. across the screen; they learned Moses knew he would not how to reach an entire classenter the land along with the room of students while wearing Israelites due to the punishment a mask. In a year when millions given to him by God in Parshat of children were alone in their Chukat weeks ago. Nevertheless, bedrooms or houses learning Moses understood that he could remotely, Jewish day school still be with them intellectually educators in Metro Detroit and emotionally if he gave them put the needs of their students the teachings to take with them. before their own. That is the In his commentary on true essence of a hero.

Parshah D’varim in 2019/5779, Like Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks our teacher) did for the Israelites commented that it was at this before they crossed into the moment that Moses became the Promised Land, teachers impart pioneer of perhaps the single knowledge, wisdom, life lessons greatest contribution of Judaism and love to their students. As we to the concept of leadership: the emerge from the pandemic, let idea of the teacher as hero. us always remember that teachHeroes are people who ers shape society, handing on demonstrate courage in the field the legacy of the past to those of battle. What Moses knew who build the future. This has was that the most important sustained Judaism for longer battles are not military; they are than any other civilization. spiritual, moral and cultural.

Dr. Darin Katz is head of school at Since March 2020, our world Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit has engaged in a single battle in Farmington Hills. against COVID-19 and a new

SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH

A

Why Are There So Many Jewish Lawyers?

t the beginning of D’varim, Moses reviews the history of the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness, beginning with the appointment of leaders throughout the people, heads of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. He continues: “And I charged Rabbi Lord your judges at that Jonathan time, ‘Hear the Sacks disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and

great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.” (Deut.

1:16-17) Thus at the outset of the book in which he summarized the entire history of Israel and its destiny as a holy people, he already gave priority to the administration of justice: Something he would memorably summarize in a later chapter (16:20) in the words, “Justice, justice, shall you pursue.”

The words for justice, tzedek and mishpat, are repeated, recurring themes of the book. The root tz-d-k appears 18 times in D’varim; the root sh-f-t, 48 times.

Justice has seemed, throughout

the generations, to lie at the beating heart of Jewish faith. Albert Einstein memorably spoke of “the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, an almost fanatical love of justice and the desire for personal independence — these are the features of the Jewish tradition which make me thank my lucky stars that I belong to it.”

In the course of a television program I made for the BBC, I asked Hazel Cosgrove, the first woman to be appointed as a judge in Scotland and an active member of the Edinburgh Jewish community, what had led her to choose law as a career, she replied as if it was self-evident, “Because Judaism teaches: Justice, justice shall you pursue.”

One of the great Jewish lawyers of our time, Alan Dershowitz, wrote a book about Abraham, whom he sees as the first Jewish lawyer: “the patriarch of the legal profession: a defense lawyer for the damned who is willing to risk everything, even the wrath of God, in defense of his clients,” the founder not just of monotheism but of a long line of Jewish lawyers [Abraham: The World’s First (But Certainly Not the Last) Jewish Lawyer, Schocken, 2015].

Dershowitz gives a vivid description of Abraham’s prayer on behalf of the people of Sodom (“Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?”) as a courtroom drama, with Abraham acting continued on page 36 JULY 15 • 2021

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A WORD OF TORAH continued from page 35

as lawyer for the citizens of the town, and God, as it were, as the accused. This was the forerunner of a great many such episodes in Torah and Tanach, in which the prophets argued the cause of justice with God and with the people.

In modern times, Jews reached prominence as judges in America: among them Brandeis, Cardozo and Felix Frankfurter.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the first Jewish woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court. In Britain, between 1996 and 2008, two of Britain’s three Lord Chief Justices were Jewish: Peter Taylor and Harry Woolf.

In Germany in the early 1930s, though Jews were 0.7% of the population, they represented 16.6% of lawyers and judges.

One feature of Tanach is noteworthy in this context.

Throughout the Hebrew Bible some of the most intense encounters between the prophets and God are represented as courtroom dramas. Sometimes, as in the case of Moses, Jeremiah and Habakkuk, the plaintiff is humanity or the Jewish people.

In the case of Job, it is an individual who has suffered unfairly.

ACCUSING GOD The accused is God Himself.

The story is told by Elie Wiesel of how a case was brought against God by the Jewish prisoners in a concentration camp during the Holocaust (Elie Wiesel, The Trial of God, Schocken, 1995). At other times, it is God who brings a case against the Children of Israel.

The word the Hebrew Bible uses for these unique dialogues between heaven and earth is riv, which means a lawsuit, and it derives from the idea that at the heart of the relationship between God and humanity —

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both in general, and specifically in relation to the Jewish people — is covenant, that is, a binding agreement, a mutual pledge, based on obedience to God’s law on the part of humans, and on God’s promise of loyalty and love on the part of Heaven.

Thus, either side can, as it were, bring the other to court on grounds of failure to fulfill their undertakings.

Three features mark Judaism as a distinctive faith.

• First is the radical idea that when God reveals himself to humans, He does so in the form of law.

describes the voice the people heard at the revelation at Sinai, kol gadol velo yasaf, is understood by the commentators in two seemingly contradictory ways. On the one hand, it means “the voice that was never heard again”; on the other, it means “the voice that did not cease,” that is, the voice that was ever heard again. There is, though, no contradiction. The voice that was never heard again is the one that represents the Written Torah. The voice that is ever heard again is that of the Oral Torah.

The Written Torah is min

“SOME OF THE MOST INTENSE ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN THE PROPHETS AND GOD ARE REPRESENTED AS COURTROOM DRAMAS.” In the ancient world, God was power. In Judaism, God is order, and order presupposes law. In the natural world of cause and effect, order takes the form of scientific law. But in the human world, where we have free will, order takes the form of moral law. Hence the name of the Mosaic books: Torah, which means “direction, guidance, teaching,” but above all “law.”

The most basic meaning of the most fundamental principle of Judaism, Torah min ha-Shamayim, “Torah from Heaven,” is that God, not humans, is the source of binding law.

• Second, we are charged with being interpreters of the law. That is our responsibility as heirs and guardians of the Torah she-be-al peh, the Oral Tradition.

The phrase in which Moses

ha-shamayim, “from Heaven,” but about the Oral Torah the Talmud insists Lo ba-shamayim hi, “It is not in Heaven.” Hence, Judaism is a continuing conversation between the Giver of the law in Heaven and the interpreters of the law on Earth. That is part of what the Talmud means when it says that “Every judge who delivers a true judgment becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the work of creation.”

KNOWING THE LAW • Third, fundamental to Judaism is education, and fundamental to education is instruction in Torah, that is, the law. That is what Isaiah meant when he said, “Listen to Me, you who know justice, the people in whose heart is My law; do not fear the

reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults” (Isaiah 51:7).

It is what Jeremiah meant when he said, “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). It is what Josephus meant when he said, 1,900 years ago, “Should any one of our nation be asked about our laws, he will repeat them as readily as his own name.”

The result of our thorough education in our laws from the very dawn of intelligence is that they are, as it were, engraved on our souls. To be a Jewish child is to be, in the British phrase, “learned in the law.” We are a nation of constitutional lawyers.

Why? Because Judaism is not just about spirituality. It is not simply a code for the salvation of the soul. It is a set of instructions for the creation of what the late Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein called “societal beatitude.” It is about bringing God into the shared spaces of our collective life.

That needs law: law that represents justice, honoring all humans alike regardless of color or class, that judges impartially between rich and poor, powerful and powerless, even in extremis between humanity and God, the law that links God, its Giver, to us, its interpreters, the law that alone allows freedom to coexist with order, so that my freedom is not bought at the cost of yours.

Small wonder, then, that there are so many Jewish lawyers.

The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks served as the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, 1991-2013. This piece was first published in 2015.

SPIRIT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Congregation Beth Shalom Traverse City 231-946-1913 beth-shalom-tc.org

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

Temple Beth Sholom Marquette tbsmqt.org

SECULAR/HUMANISTIC The Birmingham Temple Farmington Hills (248) 477-1410 birminghamtemple.com

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

Sholem Aleichem Institute Lathrup Village (240 865-0117 secularsaimichigan.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

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Temple B’nai Israel Petoskey (231) 489-8269 templebnaiisraelofpetoskey.org Temple Emanuel Grand Rapids (616) 459-5976 grtemple.org Temple Emanu-El Oak Park (248) 967-4020 emanuel-mich.org

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

ARTS&LIFE LIFE ART

2 Part Hex Earrings

Fractured Circle Brooch

Art in the Streets

Ann Arbor Art Fair is back for three-day event.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

T COURTESY OF MICHELE FRIEDMAN

wo distinctive jewelry designers and a whimsical assembly artist are among the participants joining the multi-media creative contingent as the Ann Arbor Art Fair resumes showcasing new work.

Although this year’s event will be three days — July 15-17 — instead

Layered Chevron Brooch

of four, the three artists are glad to travel the distances from their out-of-state homes so they can once again meet with customers and display the pieces made during pandemic isolation.

CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY Michele Friedman, based in Chicago, will be at the original art fair and has brought an unusual material, wool felt, into her sterling silver-based necklaces, brooches and bracelets. Like the other two artists, she defines herself as culturally Jewish but not currently offering Judaica.

“I treat fiber as if it were a stone,” said Friedman, who has been developing original pieces since 1998. “I wanted to do something different and experimented with texture and saturated color. There is depth, not just thin material, and the fabric is water repellant and durable.”

Friedman, who began showing her work in Ann Arbor in 2007, had gone to the Parsons School of continued on page 40 JULY 15 • 2021

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ARTS&LIFE

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ART

COURTESY

OF MELAN

SBERG IE SCHLOS

Design in New York City with the intention of majoring in fashion.

“I sketched in shapes and loved sculpture class, so I put the two together,” said Friedman, who relied on social media for sales during the pandemic. “I loved fashion, but it wasn’t for me. I majored in metals and went on to work in a contemporary craft gallery and with a goldsmith.”

Boutiques and museum shops have carried her work.

The only artist in her birth family, she married into a family of artists.

Her mother-in-law experiments with different media, and she defines her father-in-law as a “master woodworker.”

Hinged Slate and Fordite Necklace

Chrysocolla and Coral Earrings

Details

The Ann Arbor Art Fair runs ThursdaySaturday, July 15-17, in downtown Ann Arbor. theannarborartfair. com.

Turquoise Cuff

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SUSTAINABLE JEWELRY Melanie Schlossberg, living in Houston, first learned about artistry from her mother and grandmother, who taught home economics. In her teen years, while visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, she became captivated by ethnic jewelry and signed up for metalsmithing classes in high school.

Her preference became modernistic designs with straight angles.

Schlossberg studied at Syracuse University, worked for an art consulting company and partnered with metals artist Blake Smith, introduced on the web. The two develop only collaborative projects using the business name Dirigible Designs.

“We fabricate sterling silver jewelry that uses hand-cut, fortunately-found and wisely-collected stones and materials,” said Schlossberg, not related to designer Edwin Schlossberg (Caroline Kennedy’s husband) but having communicated with him through professional media.

“Our jewelry explores the tension between asymmetry and balance, the natural versus the manmade. We explore sustainability by including recycled materials and bypassing the refinery process by reusing our sterling scraps. We provide collec-

COURTESY OF BOB AND PATTI STERN

Three whimsical assemblies using clock faces

tors with wearable, comfortable jewelry that is one-of-a-kind.”

Schlossberg will be at the State Street Art Fair.

ARTISTIC WHIMSY For many years, Bob and Patti Stern, of Cleveland, worked together on assemblies, but that has changed.

Although Patti still scouts materials — most recently antique piano parts — that form sculptures, Bob now takes care of all the hands-on work.

Some of the most popular pieces are characters with clock heads.

“I have always told my collectors to walk through their homes and smile

in every room,” said Bob, who will be at the original fair. “My whimsical creations reflect my unique sense of humor. The world has faced an ugly COVID pandemic, but luckily we can see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Working with the business name The Perfect View, the Sterns started out crafting decorative windows in the 1990s, as she applied her interior decorator skills. They moved into curio cabinets and key holders and have made installations on special order.

“Bob upcycles found pieces into cabinets and tables,” said Patti, who travels with him to art shows around the country. “He makes a really cool

cabinet to look like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz with parts from a tin ceiling.”

Bob, not formally trained in artistry, came up with the idea for whimsy.

Before the pandemic, the couple sold at some 35 shows each year, many times in Ann Arbor. This season, they will be at six fairs.

“In 2021, I am poised to continue with my creations as well as my message of strength and perseverance,” Bob said. “I hope my creations are a glimmer of light amid these dark and uncertain times. Returning to Ann Arbor is a welcome sign that things are getting back to normal.”

“MY WHIMSICAL CREATIONS REFLECT MY UNIQUE SENSE OF HUMOR. THE WORLD HAS FACED AN UGLY COVID PANDEMIC, BUT LUCKILY WE CAN SEE A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.” — BOB STERN JULY 15 • 2021

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ARTS&LIFE

Elvis Presley on The Milton Berle Show, June 4, 1956.

MUSIC

All

Shook MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES/JTA

Up!

A grave marker locked away for four decades reveals Elvis Presley’s Jewish roots.

DAN FELLNER JTA

T

he large crate sat unopened in a 20,000-square-foot warehouse here for more than four decades, concealing a littleknown fact about one of America’s cultural icons.

Inside was the headstone of Elvis Presley’s mother, Gladys, which had been stored in the Graceland archives along with 1.5 million other items since 1977. And on the upper left side of the long-unseen marker — designed by Elvis himself — is a Star of David.

Yes, the King of Rock and Roll had Jewish roots.

The headstone, which was taken from storage only in 2018, is now on display at the sprawling complex in Memphis where Elvis lived from 1957 until his untimely death 20 years later at the age of 42. It sits in Graceland’s Meditation Garden, just outside the mansion and a few feet from Elvis’ own grave.

Stories of Elvis’ Jewish heritage have long been in circulation, but when it comes to a legend like

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Presley — whose death is not even considered settled fact in some quarters — it’s not always easy to separate fact from fiction. With the headstone now on public display and an accompanying sign proclaiming, “Gladys’ Jewish heritage,” any lingering doubts can finally be erased.

“There was a lot of mystery surrounding it,” said Angie Marchese, Graceland’s vice president of archives and exhibits, and the one who came up with the idea of unveiling Gladys’ headstone on the 60th anniversary of her death, partly to dispel doubts about Elvis’ Jewish lineage. “The star is on it, so it answered a lot of questions that were out there.”

JEWISH ANCESTOR Marchese says Elvis’ maternal greatgreat-grandmother was a Jewish woman named Nancy Burdine.

Little is known about Burdine, but it’s believed her family immigrated to America from what is now

Lithuania around the time of the American Revolution. According to Ancestry.com, Burdine was born in Mississippi in 1826 and died in 1887.

Burdine’s great-granddaughter was Gladys Love Smith, who married Vernon Presley in 1933. Two years later, Gladys gave birth to Elvis in Tupelo, Miss. The family moved to Memphis when Elvis was 13.

The Presleys once lived in an apartment directly below the family of Rabbi Alfred Fruchter, the first principal of the Memphis Hebrew Academy. The rabbi’s son, Harold, who now lives in Maryland, said that Elvis actually served as the Fruchters’ “Shabbos goy,” a non-Jew who performs household tasks for observant Jews that are normally forbidden on the Sabbath. Fruchter said his parents “never had even an inkling” that Elvis had Jewish roots.

“If they had, they would never have considered asking him to be a Shabbos goy,” Fruchter said.

Elvis was especially close to his mother, who died of heart failure in

JEWISH CHARITIES There is evidence that Elvis’ Jewish lineage meant more to him than just a symbol on a headstone. He gave generously over the years to a variety of Jewish organizations, including the Memphis Jewish Community Center, a donation honored with a plaque that hangs in Graceland today. Elvis’ personal library included several books on Judaism and Jewish history.

During the final years of his life,

Elvis was frequently photographed wearing necklaces with the Star of David and the Hebrew word “chai,” which means life. The chai necklace is kept in a cabinet at Graceland next to the keys to the singer’s famed 1955 pink Cadillac. Never one to be accused of subtlety, Elvis had the necklace designed with 17 diamonds.

He purchased the jewelry in 1976, one year before he died.

“He would often make a joke, ‘I don’t want to get left out of heaven on a technicality,’” Marchese said. “So, he would wear a Star of David, a chai and he would also wear a cross. He wanted to keep all his bases covered.”

Gladys’ heritage notwithstanding, Presley was raised in the Assembly of God Church, but he explored other religions as he got older and began to struggle with physical and mental issues.

“He was always searching for answers as to why he was chosen to be who he was,” Marchese said. “I think he found some of those answers through different religions.”

There have been suggestions that Elvis’ handlers didn’t want his Jewish heritage known to the public, fearing it might prompt some of his Southern fans to abandon him. But Marchese says there is no evidence of that.

“It was not something he was shying away from,” she said. “He would be photographed in these [necklaces] and he would make donations to Jewish community centers throughout his entire life.”

DAN FELLNER/JTA

NEW HEADSTONE But Marchese says that six years later, Elvis replaced the headstone with one designed to his specifications. The new marker featured a Star of David on one side and a cross on the other along with the words “Sunshine of Our Home” engraved between.

What prompted Elvis to include the Star of David on his mother’s headstone? Marchese isn’t exactly sure, or even when Elvis learned of his mother’s Jewish heritage. But she says “the Jewish faith gave him comfort when he was seeking answers” to help him deal with her passing.

Following an attempt to steal Elvis’ body from a Memphis cemetery, Vernon Presley had the remains of his son and wife moved to Graceland for security reasons. Gladys’ grave marker with the Star of David went into storage. And there it remained until Marchese suggested it be put on public display.

“We thought it would be a great way of honoring her Jewish heritage as well as honoring her,” said Marchese, who has worked at Graceland for 32 years and is one of the world’s preeminent experts on the Presley family. “We think it’s what Elvis would have wanted.”

DAN FELLNER/JTA

1958 at the age of 46. Initially, Elvis had her buried in a public cemetery in Memphis. Her headstone was marked with a cross.

TOP TO BOTTOM: Gladys Presley’s grave marker, now on display at Graceland. It was designed by her famous son to honor the family’s Jewish heritage. This portrait of Gladys Presley hangs on the wall inside the Graceland mansion in Memphis. Elvis Presley wore this diamond-studded chai gold necklace during the final year of his life.

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IMDB

ARTS&LIFE CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

VIRGIN RIVER 3RD SEASON, CNN FUNNY AND SERIOUS The third season of the Netflix original series Virgin River began streaming July 9. It ranks as one of the most popular series on Netflix. The title refers to a (fictional) rural Oregon town where the series is set. The first season deftly juggled humor with dramatic scenes. The acting was very good. Like many series, the second season faltered as the plot lines got more soap opera-ish. I haven’t seen the third season yet, and I just hope it will return to its first season form.

Connie, an important recurring character, runs the town’s general store. Tara, Connie’s granddaughter, is a recurring character who first appears

Stacey Farber

in the third season. Tara is played by Stacey Farber, 33, who grew-up in Toronto.

Like many young Canadians, she got her start with a big role on the popular Canadian series Degrassi: The Next Generation.

The eight-part original CNN series, History of the Sitcom, began last Sunday and new episodes premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. It features 180 interviews with famous sitcom figures, including the late Carl Reiner, Norman Lear, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Alexander,

Mel Brooks, Judd Apatow, Dan Levy and Chuck Lorre.

Another CNN original series, Jerusalem: City of Faith and Fury, begins on Sunday, July 18, at 10 p.m. This six-part series covers the city’s history from Biblical times until the present. It is narrated by actor Ewan McGregor (McGregor’s ex-wife is Jewish. They have four daughters, and they were raised Jewish).

My Unorthodox Life, an original Netflix reality show, began streaming July 14. The series centers around the personal and professional life of fashion mogul Julia Haart, 50ish.

Haart, the mother of four, left her life in a hasidic sect to become the head of a major modeling empire. In dress and conduct, she is no longer a typical hasidic woman. Much of the series focuses on the contrast between the former hasidic lifestyle of her and her

children and their current lifestyles.

The first episode of the third season of Miracle Workers, a TBS comedy/drama series, premiered July 13 (encore showings every day on TBS and Hulu+ through the 19th).

Each Miracle Workers season stands alone. The first season featured two angels, played

by Daniel Radcliffe, 31, and Steve Buscemi. It was based on a novel by Simon Rich, 37.

The second season, which is streaming on Hulu+, also starred Buscemi and Radcliffe, but in different roles. It was set during the Dark Ages and was based on a Rich short story. The third season finds Radcliffe playing an idealistic small-town preacher who teams up with a wanted outlaw (Buscemi) as they try and lead a wagon train across the country on the Oregon Trail (1844).

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MON Closed, TUES-SAT Noon-5pm SUN & Evenings by appointment only

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PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

TOUR OF RELIGIOUS ART 7-8 PM, JULY 15

This will be a virtual tour at the Detroit Institute of Arts. It is a Religious Diversity Journeys program on ZOOM. Christian Black, a DIA gallery educator, will discuss six paintings and sculptures with faith-related themes, most from the DIA’s own collection. These artworks were created by individuals from the Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh religions and Native American traditions. The program is free. Info: detroitinterfaithcouncil.com.

Seth Rogovoy

MUSIC LECTURE 7 PM, JULY 15

|The Yiddish Book Center will present “The Times They Were a-Changin’: Jewish Protest Singers of the 1960s,” with Seth Rogovoy.

In this livestreaming multimedia talk, YIDSTOCK artistic director Seth Rogovoy, the author of a book about Bob Dylan, will explore how these Jewish artists addressed many of the same issues their Yiddish forebears tackled just a few decades earlier and how Jewish values seem to have informed their work.

Registration is required: yiddishbookcenter.org.

DANCIN’ IN THE STREET 6 PM, JULY 16

In Downtown Rochester, W. Fourth between Main and Rochester, the whole family can enjoy live music as well as a TasteFest from local Rochester eateries. Event schedule: 6-10 pm TasteFest; 6-6:45 pm Lia Catallo; 7-10 pm., The Square Pegz.

Info: DowntownRichesterMI.com or 248-656-0060.

SHABBAT TOGETHER 7 PM, JULY 16

Join The Well for a beautiful, alternative Shabbat experience on Belle Isle. Start off with innovative

Shabbat ritual stations that will allow you to experience candle lighting, the fruit of the vine, delicious challah and hand washing in totally new ways. Then move into a Shabbat service designed especially for young adults. After the service, join for a bring-your-own picnic dinner.

Subsidized tickets are for $10 and advance registration is required: secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/ uhW3fJcslY-qNpAjC2ySmw. Details about the meeting spot will be provided to the registered participants prior to the start of the program.

Participants are welcome to arrive beginning at 6:15 pm to stake out a picnic spot.

Alexander Zonjic

FREE CONCERT 7-9 PM, JULY 16

Alexander Zonjic & Friends will headline a summer’s concert series at the Adell Center in Novi, 43700 Adell Center Drive. The concerts are sponsored by both the Adell Center and DTE. Concertgoers can sit on the lawn or bring their own lawn chairs. For information, call Phyllis at 419-280-1073.

STROLLING BRUNCH 10 AM-1 PM, JULY 29

Lace up your walking shoes and come hungry because Jewish Federation Affiliates have a delicious STROLLING BRUCH Eastern Market

COUNTRY MUSIC 7:30 pm, July 18 Julianne Ankley

brunch planned. Thanks to the pros at Feet on the Street, a tasting tour of Eastern Market will have us eating our way through local eateries and unique specialty shops while learning about the market’s 130year history and the addition of its internationally recognized street art.

The tour will be held rain or shine, so dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. This tour is 2.5 hours and will start promptly at 10:15 am. Vegetarian options will be available. Cost: $36 per person includes tour and all food and drinks.

Register before July 16, 2021: feld@jfmd.org. This in-person event is intended for ladies in the GenX age range.

CAREGIVER CONVERSATIONS 3-4:30 PM, JULY 20

Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County will host this group meeting, which will include educational content and will be facilitated by a licensed JFS social worker; it is open to anyone who cares for someone aged 60+. For information and to register, visit the event’s webpage: jfsannarbor.org.

COUNTRY MUSIC 7:30 PM, JULY 18

The Ark in Ann Arbor will present Julianne Ankley in a free virtual concert of soulful country music. Visit The Ark’s Facebook page. Info: theark.org.

Linda Cohen

AUTHOR SPEAKS 1 PM, JULY 22

Tikvah Hadassah welcomes author Linda Cohen, speaking about her book Sarinka: A Sephardic Holocaust Journey. Register by July 20 at hadassahmidwest.org/TikvahSarinka.

There is a $10 event fee. This is a true story about Sarinka, a young girl in WWII. The author will speak about what it was like to be the daughter of Sarinka and will discuss many facts not in the book as well as share her research on children of Holocaust survivors.

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

JULY 15 • 2021

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RENA SYBIL CHERNOW, 77 of, Birmingham, died July 5, 2021.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Gerald “Jerry” Chernow; sons and daughters-in-law, David and Julie Chernow, Aaron and Molly Chernow; grandchildren, Sophie Chernow, Annie Chernow, Jake Chernow, Ethan Chernow and Blair Chernow; brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Richard and Jane Schwartz; nieces and nephews, Brian (Jenny) Schwartz, Jessica (Ethan) Weisman; great-nieces and great-nephews, Sloane, Alec, Reese and Max; many other loving family members and friends.

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

Contributions may be made to Insight Through Education.

Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

SALLY CYMERINT, 82, of West Bloomfield, died July 2, 2021.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Jeff and Deborah Cymerint; daughters and son-in-law, Joyce White, Linda and J.R. Blankenship; grandchildren, Aaron White, Jordan White, Shane, Chance and Beau Blankenship, Jacob Cymerint and Katelyn Cymerint; great grandchildren, Aubriella and Lucas Blankenship; many other loving family members and friends.

Mrs. Cymerint was the

beloved wife of the late Harry Cymerint; the mother-in-law of the late Kerwin White.

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

Contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

ELEANOR DORFMAN, 100, of Scottsdale, Ariz., died July 7, 2021.

Born on Oct. 6, 1920, in Detroit, she was the adored wife for 43 years of the late Joseph (“Joe”) Dorfman, with whom she worked at the Clothes Rak, their clothing store for men and boys in Oak Park’s DexterDavison Shopping Center.

She resided in West Bloomfield until 2018, when she moved to Scottsdale.

Mrs. Dorfman is survived by beloved daughters, Gail (Lonny) Zimmerman of West Bloomfield and Karen (Ronald Myers) Tessler of Scottsdale; cherished grandchildren, Dr. Daniel (Amanda) Zimmerman, Julie Zimmerman, Samantha Cohen and Bradley Cohen; great-grandsons, Jonah Zimmerman and Gabriel Zimmerman; former son-inlaw, Marvin Cohen; many loving nieces and nephews.

She was the loving daughter of the late Jacob Lieberman and the late Lena Lieberman; the cherished sister of the late Lillian (the late Samuel) Hechtman, the late Irving (the late Tillie) Lieberman, the late Alex (the late Sally) Lieberman, the late Sydney (the late Ann) continued on page 48

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Lieberman, the late Nathan (the late Betty) Lieberman, the late Rose (the late Morris) Wolok; the dear motherin-law of the late Richard Tessler; dear sister-in-law of the late Harry (the late Rae) Dorfman, the late Rose (the late Morris) Rosenbaum, the late Ida (the late Milton) Bresler, the late Sam (the late Jenny) Dorfman, and the late Saul “Chuck” (the late Joyce) Dorfman.

Interment was held at Nusach Hari Cemetery in Ferndale. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

SARAH MIRIAM ELBAUM, 44, of Bloomfield Hills, died June 26, 2021.

She is survived by her daughters, Miriam Rogers and Aria Rogers; parents, Lorraine and Joel Elbaum; brother, William Elbaum; nephews, Ryan and Brice Grondin. She is also survived by Jason Rogers and many other loving relatives and friends.

Ms. Elbaum was the loving sister of the late Cheryl Helm.

Interment was at White Chapel Cemetery.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

NORMAN FILL, 64, of Birmingham, former director of Madison Bancorp (now TCF National Bank) died July 2, 2021, at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, after a short illness.

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Mr. Fill was born in Huntington Woods on June 24, 1957, the son of Martin Place Hospital founder Dr. Leon Fill and his wife, Cleothilde (Lanouettex) Fill. He graduated from Cranbrook School (class of 1975), Stanford University (B.A. in human biology, 1979), University of San Francisco School of Law (juris doctor, 1986).

He moved back to work at the Madison National Bank following his father’s death and resided in Birmingham for more than 30 years.

Norman served on boards of numerous philanthropic organizations, including the United Jewish Charities and United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit, Fanclub Foundation for the Arts and the National Seaplane Pilots Foundation.

He served as president of the Cranbrook Alumni Association. His interests included aviation, archaeology and comparative theology.

Mr. Fill is survived by his wife of 26 years, Jill Reichenbach Fill; their daughter, Gabriella Grace Lillian Fill; two stepdaughters, Karlie Bryant and Lindsey (Bryant) Belden; a sister, Carole Grant; two nieces; and Ziggy, a Shetland sheep dog.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to Cranbrook Kingswood School, in memory of Norman Fill, P.O. Box 801, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303, schools.cranbrook. edu/giving/ways-to-give.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

DR. IRVING GINSBERG, 87, of Farmington Hills, died July 5, 2021.

He is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Cynthia Ginsberg and Brent Honey of Henderson, Nev., Deborah and Robert Parks of Howell, Sheilah and Steve Mauldin of Tampa, Fla.; sister and brother-in-law, Merle and Dr. Jonathan Rosenzweig; grandchildren, Tarrah and Brian Lagler, Joshua and Holly Parks, Jeffrey Mauldin, Michael and Meredith Mauldin, Stephanie Mauldin; great-grandchildren, Lylah, Lucas, Jacob, Mya, Ellia, Jon, Noah, Naomi, Ava. Dr. Ginsberg was the beloved husband of the late Sylvia Ginsberg; cherished brother of the late Bernard Ginsberg; adoring grandfather of the late Christopher Mauldin.

Contributions may be made to Autism Speaks, autismspeaks.org. Services were held at Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park in Livonia.

Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

HAROLD GOLDBERG, 80, of West Bloomfield, died July 5, 2021.

He is survived by daughter and son-in-law, Marcy and Steve Feldman; sons and daughters-in-law, Kevin and Lori Goldberg, Steven and Elyse Goldberg; grandchildren, Samantha (Zachary) Kozuchowski, Ariel Feldman, Ryann Feldman, Erin Goldberg, Zachary Goldberg, Amanda Goldberg,

Madison Goldberg and Joshua Goldberg; great-grandchildren, Eliana and Jordan; sister, Marsha Blitz; many other loving family members and friends.

Mr. Goldberg was the brother-in-law of the late Gerald Blitz.

Interment was held at Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

ALBERT A. KROLL, 92, of Bloomfield Hills, died June 30, 2021.

He was the founder of Kroll Construction and a mentor to many people in the home improvement industry.

Mr. Kroll is survived by his wife of 54 years, Barbara A. Kroll; sons and daughtersin-law. Ronald and Helene Kroll, Todd and Jennifer Kroll, and Brian Kroll; grandchildren, Samantha and Richard Kerwin, Josh and Danielle Kroll, Jacob Kroll, Lilley Kroll, and Marlee Kroll; great-grandchildren, Ella Kerwin, Chase Kerwin, and Olivia Kroll.

He was the cherished father of the late Phillip Terry Kroll; the devoted son of the late Morris and the late Celia Kroll; the loving brother of the late Sophie and the late Sidney Morganroth.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, 20450 Civic Center Drive, Southfield, MI 48076, cancer.org.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

JORDAN LAWRENCE KRONEN was born June 7, 2001, and passed away on June 26,

2021.

While camping with friends at Ginnie Springs, Fla., Jordan was struck by a falling tree.

Jordan had just turned 20 years old and absolutely loved life. He was beginning his junior year at the University of Central Florida, studying to become a lawyer. Jordan was very active in BBYO throughout high school and served as president of his chapter and on the regional board. He was instrumental in starting a Law Club at the University of Central Florida and was to serve as vice president this fall.

He loved sports and played basketball his entire life. Jordan also coached youth basketball and worked as a referee at UCF. He loved fishing, going to the beach with friends and camping, too.

Jordan lit up the room wherever he went and always made sure everyone was included. He touched so many lives and will be sadly missed by family and friends.

Jordan was the son of Susan and Barry Kronen of Delray Beach, Fla., formerly of Bloomfield Hills and Southfield; the grandson of Arlene and Bernie Cutler, Irene Kronen and the late Larry Kronen. Michael Kronen, Jeffrey and Joelle Cutler are his uncles and aunt.

HOW EVERY NEED IS MET.

Everyone experiences loss differently. And while there is a certain structure in Jewish funerals and rituals, it’s important that the event brings something meaningful to all. We understand that. And we treat your family’s wishes with all of the respect and compassion they deserve. From guiding the arrangements without pressure to the memorial service and the appearance of the chapel itself, we are here, fully here, to meet your every need. It’s not the only way we help ease the burden of a loss. But it’s a special type of caring that makes a Dorfman difference.

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Sunday, July 18, 2021 at 12 Noon Clover Hill Park Cemetery 2425 14 Mile (East of Woodward) | Birmingham, MI Officiated by Rabbi Joseph Krakoff LUNCH TO FOLLOW

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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.

Abraham Schwetz Rebecca Watnick 9 Av July 18 Manya Wain Avrohom Moshe Applebaum Louis I. Weber Chaim Cohen 11 Av July 20 14 Av July 23 Molllie Feder Alice Cohen Gertrude Cornfield Irene Gedanke Max Gelles Bernard Egnater Irene Gedanke Nathan Kaufman Isaac Eisenberg Isaac Gendelman Lillian Lichtenstein Ida Goldsmith Devorah Hayman Charles Mihaly Sarah Pollack David Keller Carmen Natow Friedman Phillip Pomerantz Amalia Lebovics Sam Schwartz 12 Av July 21 Yisroel Moshe Albert S. Thav Max Blinder Levinson & Family Helen Weiss Ben Chessler Jean Boesky Miller Rose Zuckerman Elmer Ellias Max Louis Roberts Anna Kawa 15 Av July 24 Murray Jacob Roth Lillian Cohen Joseph M. Seigle Louis Semansky Helen Stebbins Sarah Ehrlich Rose Solomon Rose Weintraub Rosamond Hammerstein 10 Av July 19 Daniel A. Laven 13 Av July 22 David M. Dana Calvin Earl Lewis Hyman W. Aronson Marion Eizen Betty Newman Max Ettinger Shea Gold Florence Panitch Samuel Kaufman Max Isaacson Virginia Seigle Charles Edward Mellen Charles Kogan Alex Weisman Pearl Papo Jacob Kominars Jack Yanchair Sarah Schechter Frances Rudolph School for Boys • Beth Jacob School for Girls • Bais Yehudah Preschool Weiss Family Partners Detroit • Kollel Bais Yehudah • Maalot Detroit P.O. Box 2044 • Southfield, MI 48037• 248-557-6750 • www.YBY.org

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NORMAN LITTLE, 79, of West Bloomfield, died July 2, 2021.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, David and Helene Little; daughter and son-in-law, Jodi and Michael Tauber; grandchildren, Rebecca Tauber and Ashley Tauber.

Mr. Little was the beloved husband of the late Gloria Little; the devoted son of the late Maurice and the late Anna Little; the dear brother of the late Nathan Little.

Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park.

Contributions may be made to Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jewishhospice.org; American Cancer Society, 20450 Civic Center Drive, Southfield, MI 48076, cancer. org; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

SHARON M. MEISEL, 85, of West Bloomfield, died July 7, 2021.

She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Bonnie and John Lundblad, Leslie and Jerry Shapiro, Shelley and Dennis Fiore, and Dori Ranck; grandchildren, Carolyn Wilson, Stephanie Lundblad, Dr. Amelia (Dr. Jason) Pasley, Anthony (Erin) Fiore, Dr. Andrew Fiore, Matthew, Adam, Lizzie and Erika Ranck; great-grandchildren, Ryleigh Wilson, Ainsley Wilson, Vincent Fiore, Dominic Fiore, Leonardo Fiore, Ariella

Pasley and Levi Pasley. She is also survived by her son of the heart, Brian Wootton and many other loving family members and friends.

Mrs. Meisel was the beloved wife of the late Irwin “Burt” Meisel.

Interment took place at Beth El Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia.

Contributions may be made to ALS of Michigan or Temple Shir Shalom. Arrangements

by Dorfman Chapel.

JAMES ROSE, 73, of Portage, died July 2, 2021.

A retired second lieutenant in the Army, he served as a MP during the Vietnam War. A musician and folk guitarist, he was also fond of classic cinema. He was a philosopher and teacher, who studied history and religion. James was a wonderful human being.

Mr. Rose is survived by his son and daughter-inlaw, Philip and Jennifer Rose of Kalamazoo; brother, Kenneth Rose; sister, Phyllis Katz; nieces and nephews, Michael Rose, Jennifer and Jim Wilkins, Shari and David Fitzjarrell, Jonathan and Michelle Katz; many great-nieces, great-nephews, other loving relatives and dear friends.

He was the dear brotherin-law of the late Ann Rose and the late Maurice Katz.

Contributions may be made to St. Jude’s. A graveside service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park.

Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

GLORIA SCHAEFER, 94, of West Bloomfield, died July 5, 2021.

She is survived by her daughters and son-in-law, Jan Morse, and Lori and Doron Schaefer-Bacher; son, Jeffrey Schaefer; grandchildren, Alana and Mike Sherman, Adam and Hillary Morse, Maayan and Ronen Marnin, Nadav Bacher and Tal Maki, Stav Bacher, Matan Bacher and Lee Hyman, Nicole Lieberman, Josh Schaefer, and Syd and Tom HollowaySchaefer; great-grandchildren, Jonah, Izzie Noah, Samantha, Reef, Peleg and Bar; loving aunt Lil Bratt; cousins, Reva and Michael Cowan, Barrie and Iris Bratt, Renee and Larry Schiff, Donald Schiff, and Dale and Judy Boesky, Maryanne Dresner.

Mrs. Schafer was the cherished mother of the late Steven Abram Schaefer; the dear cousin of the late Marilyn and the late Mel Barnett, and the late Rosalie Schiff. She was also predeceased by Dr. Richard J. Schaefer and Wendy Schaefer.

Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Friendship Circle, 6892 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, friendshipcircle.org/donate; The Shul, 6890 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, theshul.net; or Israel Defense Fund, P. O. Box 999, Walled Lake, MI 48390.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

JEFFREY SIEGEL, 67, of Birmingham, died July 8, 2021.

He is survived by his mother, Beverly (the late Lewis “Skip”) Siegel; children, Benjamin Siegel and Samantha Siegel; brothers and sisters-in-law, Les (Ellen) Siegel, David (Nancy) Siegel; sisters and brothers-in-law, Beth (Rob) Sills and Susan (Ed) Crotty; his life partner, Lorri MacDonald; former spouse, Sheila Siegel; many loving nieces, nephews, great-niece and great-nephews, other family members and friends.

Interment was held at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Birmingham. Contributions may be made to Preservation Detroit or to the Birmingham Temple. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

RUTH VOSKO, 97, of West Bloomfield, died July 3, 2021.

She is survived by her children, Alan and Sue Vosko, Mark Vosko and his partner, Ignacio Romero; grandchildren, Martin and Tyra Vosko, and Brian Vosko; brother and sister-in-law, Albert and Bernice Yendick; cousins and other family members.

Mrs. Vosko was the beloved wife of the late Irving Vosko; the devoted daughter of the late Rose and the late Joseph Yendick.

Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park.

Contributions may be made to Jewish Community Foundation-San Diego, Calif., Attn: Michael Yendick Foundation for Children, Jewish Community Building, continued on page 52

We understand that grief is a part of love.

Let us assist your family during this difficult period.

JULY 15 • 2021

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51

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 51

4950 Murphy Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92123, jcfsandiego.org/fundsfoundations/contribute-to-afund; Lev U’Neshama, Attn: Ruth Vosko Fund, levuneshama.com/donation; or to a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

FLORENCE MARKS WEDESCITAREL, 93, of Farmington Hills, died on July 3, 2021.

She was born on Aug. 27, 1927, into the Gussin-Marks family in Detroit.

She attended Wayne State

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JULY 15 • 2021

University and there she met her first husband, Philip Wedes.

She taught fifth grade at Key School in Oak Park for 31 years.

Her second marriage was to Dr Louis Citarel, a chemist and musician.

She was a member of Temple Emanu-El in-Oak Park.

She leaves behind her sister, Dolores “Lollie” Bennish; children, Deborah (EJ) Nowinski of Houston, Lloyd (Joan) Wedes of Houston; stepchildren, Judy (Lendl) Pitts of California and Michael (Elena) Citarel of New Jersey; her grandchild, Skyler

(Maggie Zepp) Nowinski of Minneapolis; her sister-in-law, Genevieve Mao in Chateau Neuf, France; beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and friends all over the United States.

Her grandson Dustin proceeded her in death.

Much thanks to her beloved caretakers.

Interment was held at Beth El Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to Temple Emanu-El or to the Michigan Humane Society. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

OBITUARY CHARGES The processing fee for obituaries is: $125 for up to 100 words; $1 per word thereafter. A photo counts as 15 words. There is no charge for a Holocaust survivor icon.

The JN reserves the right to edit wording to conform to its style considerations. For information, have your funeral director call the JN or you may call Sy Manello, editorial assistant, at (248) 351-5147 or email him at smanello@ thejewishnews.com.

RASKIN

THE BEST OF EVERYTHING

A Word or Two for Restaurant Owners ...

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While the JN’s premier OTPOURRI columnist, Danny … Most restauRaskin, is speedily rants honoring recovering from rib an anniversary during injuries from a fall, these trying economic we’ll be offering hightimes may not realize Danny lights from Danny’s it, but they also send an Raskin prior columns until his Senior Columnist important message … return.

They are proud of their If you’d like to send him accomplishment, however large greetings, email Danny at or small the anniversary may dannyraskin2132@gmail. be … Somewhat like a boxer com or send mail to Danny willing to take a punch knowRaskin c/o The Jewish News, ing he or she will eventually 32255 Northwestern Hwy., win the fight … Many tighten Farmington Hills, MI 48334. their belts and, if need be, lower prices or come up with Here is one of Danny’s Potpourri columns from Dec. super specials, etc.

Name of the game today is 17, 2009, where he offered staying afloat, making ends random thoughts — starting out with kudos to restaurant meet and keeping a restaurant’s owners who successfully employees working … It isn’t weathered the economic forgotten … Not by the public, recession of 2008-2009. their employees or those toiling Certainly, many restaurants in businesses that depend so had to similarly figure out much on restaurants not closhow to survive the COVIDing their doors … In the long 19 pandemic these past two run, those anniversaries will years.

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A BIG WONDERMENT out there is why most delicatessens continue to serve corned beef and pastrami sandwiches piled so high that most folks can only eat a half and either leave the other half or take it home to many times rot … then grumble about paying for something they don’t eat …

Jewish delicatessens of yesteryears used to thrive greatly on four- or five-ounce sandwiches, and even today a lot of delis in other cities satisfy millions with their seven-ounce beauties … Deli owners hereabouts should stop bragging about who has the biggest deli sandwiches and offer a big or a regular at popular prices.

They could be overstuffed for people who like the huge-looking ones and have options for those who are sat-

isfied with four or five ounces, priced accordingly … Corned beef and pastrami sandwiches of yesteryears at four or five ounces sure made a lot of people happy … and very well satisfied.

QUESTION & ANSWER DEPT. … “I enjoy walleye but sometimes find it hard to locate. Where can I look for it? … Mariana Sakwa.

[If the menu doesn’t say walleye, try pickerel, a name often given for walleye, which is in the same family …

Different names but the same white meat and fine flakes.]

“Is someone who calls themselves a master chef considered the best there is?” … Martin Cahn.

[The words “master chef ” are very much misused …

Only those who have the graduate title of certified master chef are considered top culinary dogs.]

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JULY 15 • 2021

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53

Looking Back

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

Historic Murals at Risk

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JULY 15 • 2021

DAN AUSTIN/HISTORICDETROIT.ORG

T

his month, the Detroit City Council approved the sale of the R. Thornton Brodhead Naval Armory in Detroit to the Parade Company, the organization that presents the famous Detroit Thanksgiving Parade.

Usually, when a long-neglected property is repurposed, it is a cause for celebration, but there is a serious concern regarding this sale.

The Brodhead Armory opened on Jefferson Avenue in 1930. For many years, it was the headquarters for U.S. Navy Reserves and Marine Corps Reserves. The Armory has also hosted one of Joe Louis’ early fights, as well as USO shows and Mike Smith dances. Since 2003, however, the Alene and Graham Landau Armory has been vacant and Archivist Chair neglected.

The primary concern with the sale is that, literally embedded in the structure of the building, are art murals, and current plans include demolition of that part of the Armory.

Several of the murals, nautical scenes, were painted by the famous artist David Fredenthal (1914-1958) in 1937 as part of the Federal Art Project.

The son of immigrant parents, Fredenthal was born and raised in Detroit. He attended Cass Tech High School and Cranbrook Schools, where he studied under Zoltan Sepeshy. When Fredenthal was still a teenager, the great Detroit architect Albert Kahn recognized his talent and encouraged him (point of interest: Fredenthal’s daughter, Ruth, also an artist, is named after Kahn’s daughter). At age 19, he received two Guggenheim grants for painting, and the accolades for his work never stopped.

Fredenthal’s work with Life magazine brought him great renown. During WWII, while traveling with the U.S. Army in the Pacific, Italy and Germany, he illustrated soldiers at war for such articles as “Of Men and Battle” and “Night Landing on New Britain.” He created sketches of David Ben-Gurion and other Israeli leaders for “Some Agonizing Moments in Israel’s Great Decision,” an article about Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 1957.

At that time of his death in 1958, Fredenthal was, perhaps, the most famous Detroit artist of

his era, highly regarded for his watercolors as well as his ability to illustrate the drama and emotions of life as he encountered them. It was said that Fredenthal never went anywhere without loaded pens and a sketchbook.

There several references to Fredenthal in the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History. A story in Arnold Levin’s “Heard in the Lobby’s” column was interesting (Sept. 1, 1944). While working on scaffolding assisting fresco artist Boardman Robinson, Fredenthal slipped and fell 15 feet to the ground, breaking his arm. Once it was placed in a cast, he climbed up and used his left arm to continue his work.

Another story notes that, along with nine other artists, Fredenthal was commissioned by Hudson’s in 1946 to paint murals of life in Michigan (Feb. 20, 1948, JN). His 12 panels followed a shipment of iron ore from a mine to a Ford factory. In the Sept. 23, 1955, issue of the JN, it was reported that Detroit Jews donated funds to purchase one of his paintings and then donated it to the Detroit Institute of Art. I hope the Parade Co. will figure out a way to save the Fredenthal Murals.

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

THE DETROIT

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

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

See page 8

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS

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

thejewishnews.com

Sense of

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

See page 12

THE DETROIT

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

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Floating Cloud ON A

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

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Todah Morim!

Thank you, teachers!

An appreciation of our day school educators during this pandemic.

See page 13

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