DJN October 28, 2021

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS $

200 Oct. 28-Nov. 3, 2021 / 22-28 Cheshvan 5782

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A Jewish Superhero SAVES GOTHAM CITY!!

Celebrating the Jewish heritage of comic books.

Page 12

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contents Oct. 28-Nov. 3, 2021 / 22-28 Cheshvan 5782 | VOLUME CLX, ISSUE 12

42 26 PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11

Essays and viewpoints.

18 SPORTS 32

OUR COMMUNITY 12

18

Memorial of Tears

21

‘70 Stories for 70 Years’

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Monument honors Kay family and Wloszczowa Holocaust victims.

Detroit Jewish Book Fair’s yearlong festival gears up with November Festival Week.

Helping Afghan Refugees

$500,000 allocated to help house Afghan refugees will help JFS of Washtenaw County, other resettlement groups.

New Take on a Classic at Shaarey Zedek

ERETZ 34

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Women Reinventing Themselves

JVS Human Services Trade Secrets event features keynote speaker with an inspiring medical journey.

EPIC Change for NEXTGen Detroit’s Annual Fundraiser

An EPIC Night at the Carnival is totally reimagined and ready to wow.

MAZEL TOV! 31

Moments

Historic Jew

ish Detroit

Meet the Olim: Nathaniel and Shaina Warshay

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: • 1902 photo of Public Library Temple Beth El, courtesy of Detroit .

• Today’s Temple • Congregation Beth El in Bloomfield Townsh Shaarey Zedek ip.

• The Isaac Agree in Southfield.

• Chapman AbrahaDowntown Synagogue in riverfront (photo m historical marker on Detroit.

Detroit’s courtesy Jewish of Michigan).

Historical Society

SPIRIT 35

Torah portion

36

The Kindness of Strangers

38

What Is the Real Meaning of Integrity?

40

Synagogue Directory

ARTS & LIFE 42

On The Road

44

Celebrity News

L’Chaim: the Miracle of ‘Fiddler’ in Yiddish captures classic storyline in revue form.

26

Fun & Learnin g for Kids

One league player was a member of a remarkable Detroit Maccabi basketball team.

A Jewish Superhero Saves Gotham City!!

Celebrating the Jewish heritage of comic books.

Jewish Men’s Basketball League Tips Off Again

Apple Tree

New grad Becca Suskauer tours with Pretty Woman: The Musical.

EVENTS 45

Community Calendar

ETC.

The Exchange 46 Obituaries 48 Looking Back 54

Shabbat Lights

Shabbat starts: Friday, Oct. 29: 6:11 p.m.

Shabbat ends: Saturday, Oct. 30: 7:12 p.m. * Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

ON THE COVER: Cover Art: Image from the book Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero courtesy of DC Comics; author, E. Lockhart; illustrator, Manuel Preitano; colorist, Gabby Metzler; and letterer, Troy Peteri.

Cover design: Michelle Sheridan

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

OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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PURELY COMMENTARY essay

What the Tree of Life Shooting Revealed about American Jewry

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First the good: The Squirrel Hill in Oppenheimer’s book is a model of Jewish community building — home to the rare American Jewish population that stuck close to its urban roots instead of fleeing to the far suburbs. The neighborhood boasts walkable streets, a wide array

threats that unite them.

The downside is a photo negative of all that’s right about Squirrel Hill and American Jewry. The diversity and demographics of Squirrel Hill are a reminder of the more typically segregated way of American Jewish life — religiously, racially

FLICKR COMMONS/GOV. TOM WOLF

A

few years ago, a colleague called to interview me for a book he was writing about journalists who worked for Jewish publications. I told him that it would be the first book in history whose readership would overlap 100% with the people being interviewed.

That’s a little bit Andrew Silow-Carroll how I feel about books that look deeply into the ins and outs of Jewish communal affairs: the admittedly small genre of synagogue tell-alls, studies of Jewish philanthropy, scholarly work on how Americans “do” Judaism.

Of course, I eat these books up — it’s my job and passion. But I suspect I am a distinct minority within a minority.

I also suspected Mark Oppenheimer’s new book, Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood, might be similarly narrow in its scope and audience. In some ways it is, but that is also its strength: In describing the Oct. 27, 2018, massacre of 11 Jewish worshipers in Pittsburgh and how individuals and institutions responded, he covers board meetings, interviews clergy, takes notes on sermons and reads demographic studies by Jewish federations. The result is a biopsy — or really, a stress test — of American Jewry in the early 21st century, the good and the bad.

And as a result, it tells a bigger story about and for all Americans in an age of mass shootings, political polarization and spiritual malaise.

Children attend a rally Nov. 9, 2018, in Pittsburgh for peace and unity to remember victims of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting 13 days earlier,

of Jewish institutions, a diverse public high school and local hangouts that serve as the “third places” so elusive in suburbia.

Oppenheimer credits a federation leader, Howard Rieger, who in 1993 spearheaded a capital project that kept the community’s infrastructure — “from preschool to assisted living” — in place and intact.

The universal outpouring of support after the shooting also showed American Jewish life at its best. Offers to help flooded in from Jews around the country and the world. Non-Jews rushed to assure Jews that they were not alone. Barriers fell between Jewish denominations, and people put politics and religion aside to focus on the qualities and

and economically. Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews spin in separate orbits. Many white Jews rarely interact with people of color who aren’t cleaning their homes or taking care of their kids.

As for the support that flowed in: Oppenheimer also describes the ways the offers of help could feel both patronizing and self-serving, as outside Jewish groups and “trauma tourists” rushed in without considering the needs or feelings of the locals.

One New York-based burial society sent “experts” to help the provincials tend to the bodies of victims; they were not-so-politely told that the locals had it under control. There’s a sad and hilarious profile of an Israeli medical clown who, like so many clowns,

ends up sowing more confusion than comfort.

Oppenheimer also complicates the rosy portraits of Pittsburgh’s “Stronger than Hate” response to the shootings. While the Jewish community remains mostly grateful for the shows of solidarity, there were missteps and miscommunications along the way. Even one of the most iconic images of the shooting — the Kaddish prayer written in Hebrew characters on the front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — has a complicated backstory that ended with the departure of the newspaper’s editor.

Internal divisions are on display as well: Jewish progressives who protested President Trump’s visit to Squirrel Hill after the shooting argued with “alrightniks” who either supported Trump or felt his office should be respected. Victims’ families reacted angrily after a local rabbi dared bring up gun control during an event on the one-year anniversary of the shootings.

The rabbi later apologized for appearing to break an agreement that his speech would not be “political.”

Perhaps most of all, Squirrel Hill describes American Jewry at a crossroads, with Tree of Life as a potent symbol of its present demise and future possibilities.

The synagogues that shared space in the building drew and still draw relatively few worshippers on a typical Shabbat, and those who come tend to be older.

While the Tree of Life shooting galvanized a discussion about whether Jews could ever feel safe in America, America’s embrace of Jews has left non-Orthodox continued on page 6

OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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PURELY COMMENTARY continued from page 4

synagogues empty or emptying.

Tree of Life will apparently be rebuilt as a complex that will be “part synagogue, part Holocaust museum, part 10-27 memorial.”

Whether anyone will come is another story. In his High Holiday sermon a year after the attack, Jeffrey Myers, Tree of Life’s rabbi, offered “a brutally candid assessment of the state of the synagogue, a plea for help, a challenge” for twice-a-year Jews to show up for programs and services, lest the synagogue cease to exist in 30 years.

That’s not just a Pittsburgh, or Jewish, thing. As Myers puts it, “low attendance at regular worship services was not a Jewish problem but an American problem.”

Oppenheimer does bring more hopeful stories, starting with the bustling Orthodox synagogues and including people and congregations offering spiritual, political and cultural alternatives for a generation of disenchanted 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

seekers. How “sticky” these alternatives will be — to borrow a term from Silicon Valley — remains to be seen.

Squirrel Hill is both inspiring and deflating. It’s a reminder of the persistence of one of the world’s oldest hatreds and of the resilience of its targets. It’s a celebration of an American Jewish community, and a lament for fading Jewish connections.

And it is also a useful corrective for me, someone who is paid to cover these issues.

After the one-year anniversary event, a local Jewish leader tells Oppenheimer that “she felt that the narrative of strength and unity had obscured how much people were still hurting.” Her words and Oppenheimer’s book are a reminder that there is always more to the story.

Andrew Silow-Carroll is the editor in chief of the New York Jewish Week and senior editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (@SilowCarroll).

| 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 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

letters

Beth El’s Buildings Through the Years Thank you for the cover story about Albert Kahn, architect of the Temple Beth El/Bonstelle building which is being renovated for a new hotel’s event/banquet room (Oct. 7, page 14).

Both Temple Beth El buildings on Woodward were designed by temple member Albert Kahn.

Woodward was the street of churches, and it remains so unto this day. Both temple buildings are distinctive and magnificent.

The buildings reflect the Reform Jewish members in the early 20th century who wanted to fit in by being externally American; the Classic architecture celebrates American democracy with Greco| Advertising Sales Director of Advertising: Keith Farber kfarber@thejewishnews.com Senior Account Executive: Kathy Harvey-Mitton kmitton@thejewishnews.com

| Business Office Director of Operations: Amy Gill agill@thejewishnews.com Operations Manager: Andrea Gusho agusho@thejewishnews.com Operations Assistant: Ashlee Szabo Circulation: Danielle Smith Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner

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MISSION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will be of service to the Jewish community. The Detroit Jewish News will inform and educate the Jewish and general community to preserve, protect and sustain the Jewish people of greater Detroit and beyond, and the State of Israel.

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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OCTOBER 28 • 2021

Roman roots. Although synagogue is a Greek word, the members would never have used that word to describe the Temple. It was too Orthodox.

Architect Minoru Yamasaki brought Temple Beth El architecture back to its Jewish roots. On Telegraph, in Bloomfield Township, he recreated the tabernacle in the desert; The congregants face east toward Jerusalem. Times change.

— Levi Smith VP, Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation Albertkahnlegacy.org

Correction:

Oct. 14’s “Looking Back” (page 54) should have stated that Joanee Hurwitz is owner of Steve’s Deli in Bloomfield Township.

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OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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PURELY COMMENTARY opinion

Mayim Bialik

I

t may turn out that a lot of Americans are devoting more thought to the question of who will ultimately succeed the late Alex Trebek as the host of Jeopardy! than they do about far weightier issues. When Trebek, who had been the face of the venerable quiz show for 36 years, died last year at the age of 80, it set off Jonathan S. a much-ballyTobin hooed search for a successor. The competition was intense and ultimately involved a broad range of celebrities who aspired to the job.

But now, after a series of twists and turns that was the stuff of soap operas, a tentative, if not permanent choice has been made — in the person of actress Mayim Bialik — some people seem to be asking whether it’s “kosher” for Jeopardy! to be led by someone so open about both her Jewish faith and her support for the Jewish state.

America in 2021 is a place where antisemitism is quite

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real. But it’s also a country where Jews have been accepted in just about every sector of culture, industry and government. Indeed, it may be that the only job titles that can be said to be off-limits to Jews are those like, say, Catholic Archbishop of New York, which are reserved for believers of a different faith.

But according to a recent feature in the New York Times, Bialik may be too open about her opinions about “vaccines” (she has said she is a “non-vaccinating family”), a “disputed brain supplement” and “hot-button issues” to fit the supposedly impartial mold long filled by the much-loved Trebek.

There may be some controversy about her views on vaccines in the past (though she and her sons, ages 12 and 15, did get the COVID vaccine) and about one of the products that she has endorsed. But the only “hot-button” issue listed by the Times in the article involved her support for Israel and “her devotion to Judaism.”

The conceit of the piece was that since Trebek was perceived

as being so “neutral,” Bialik was somehow a bad fit for the position of Jeopardy! The implication was not only that she had been too open about her life and beliefs — she has more than 1 million followers for her “Breakdown” podcast on YouTube and a similarly huge following for a video blog “Grok Nation” that she did for many years and wrote for the Kveller.com website — when compared to Trebek.

But that the “neutrality” that some seem to think is a requisite for the job was incompatible with her open profession of faith and Jewish identity. And if you didn’t get the message from the Times article, Bialik’s willingness to be upfront about being a proud Jew was apparent in the pictures accompanying it in which she was shown wearing a Star of David necklace.

THE SEARCH FOR TREBEK’S SUCCESSOR After Trebek’s passing, the search for his replacement turned into an ongoing television event over the course of the ensuing months with

STORM SANTOS

Is Mayim Bialik ‘Too Jewish’ to Be Jeopardy!

Host?

people like Star Trek and Roots actor Levar Burton, Today show personality Savannah Guthrie, former TV news anchor Katie Couric, Good Morning America host and former Clinton administration adviser George Stephanopoulos, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, former Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, CNN host Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta of the same network, all getting guest host shots to display their talents.

In August, Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards ended the suspense and chose himself to take on Trebek’s job while tapping Bialik to a subsidiary position as host of the nighttime version of the show as well as specials. But not long after that announcement, Richards was sunk by revelations about sexist and other offensive comments he had made in the past. With Richards out of the running and pushed out of his producer’s job as well, Bialik was left as the last person standing in the competition and, at least for now, is the full-time Jeopardy! host. She hopes that will turn into a permanent gig.

But those who consider the decision about the identity of the person who will provide clues to the show’s contestants — who must answer in the form of a question — to be akin to electing a pope or confirming a chief justice of the Supreme Court are weighing in on Bialik’s suitability with all the viciousness and snark that you would expect to be part of such a solemn choice.

That means that everything Bialik has ever said or done is being gone through with a fine-tooth comb. According to left-wing CBS late-night comedy-show host Stephen Colbert, the only people who

don’t think she’s controversial are those without access to the internet. A search of her YouTube videos would show that she has expressed an opinion about just about every aspect of her life as a parent (about which she has also written two books), her divorce, open relationships, sexual harassment, holistic medicine, food (she is vegan) and her experiences as a sitcom actress.

So, there’s plenty of ammunition for critics.

Although the charming and knowledgeable Trebek often sounded as if he knew the answers to many of the questions on the show even without being told, he was just a radio and television announcer who went on to success as a popular game-show host.

Bialik was a successful child actress. She took a long break from the arts to go to college and ultimately wound up with a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA before eventually returning to acting as a better way to support and spend more time with her children, as opposed to a position as a research scientist. That, along with her own brand of charm and comic timing, as well as long experience in the rigors of work in television, made her a solid candidate for the coveted position.

Yet as the New York Times article — and the many comments appended to it from readers who highlight their anger about someone who is not supportive of “Palestine”— makes clear, her connection with Judaism seems to stick in a lot of people’s throats.

Her past views on vaccines are certainly controversial, but since she’s not a COVID holdout that would not seem to be much of an obstacle. As for the brain supplement, she

asserts that she just said it was beneficial rather than making claims that it cures anyone of anything. And considering that Trebek made a fortune shilling for an insurance company, a motel chain and a brand of crackers, the notion that the host of Jeopardy! should not be tainted by commercialism is a bit rich.

So other than those who object to her looks or her gender — or who are just fans of one of the other candidates — the only really substantive objection to Bialik is her public embrace of both Judaism and Israel. Indeed, the fact that she raised funds to buy bullet-proof vests for Israel Defense Force soldiers during the 2014 Gaza war as terrorist rockets rained down on Israeli villages, towns and cities is considered a problem for Times readers.

It’s not clear in what context being a “staunch Zionist” and a Jew who takes her faith seriously (though raised in the Reform movement, she now identifies as Modern Orthodox) would disqualify someone for any job. That the New York Times highlights this as a reasonable objection to being a game-show host would be puzzling if not for the newspaper’s long history of biased coverage of Israel and Jewish issues.

The security of the Jewish community won’t rest on Bialik’s prospects for becoming the permanent host of Jeopardy!

But the mere fact that her open Jewish identity is considered problematic speaks volumes about what passes for reasonable reporting and discourse at the newspaper that still poses as America’s paper of record should trouble everyone.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS — Jewish News Syndicate. Follow him on Twitter at: @jonathans_tobin.

Bring Danny Home!

Journalist Danny Fenster speaking with a family who lost a loved one to gun violence in New Iberia, La., in 2018.

The Detroit Jewish News urges the community to continue raising awareness for Huntington Woods native Danny Fenster — a journalist who has been unjustly held without cause and without specified charges for

158 days by a military regime in a gruesome prison in Myanmar (Burma).

The family is looking for people to create portraits of Danny that can be shared on social media at https://bringdannyhome.com/pages/gallery.

You can also support Danny at:

BringDannyHome.com fenster-verse.tumblr.com facebook.com/groups/1164768597279223.

OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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PURELY COMMENTARY essay

To My Youngest Daughter Upon Her Joining the IDF

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IDF soldiers

them. The one thing we know about your service is that we’re not supposed to know anything about your service.

But we know you. And we are already proud of you and all that you and your peers offer our country, our people and our cause — this worldwide fight for civilization, sanity and safety.

Like most of us today, you are among the biggest winners of the Great Historical Lottery. We’re weirdos in Jewish history — Jews born free and comfortable.

Entering senior year, you had worked hard — gaining maturity, creativity and improvisational abilities from leading 70 kids weekly with three other teenagers as a Bnei Akiva madrichah (counselor), while gaining book smarts and good values in high school. You had shown tremendous discipline

in studying, violin-playing and balleting. But you had never needed to demonstrate much resilience.

Then corona hit.

I watched as you absorbed blow after blow, cancellation after cancellation, your senior year, with a smile on your face, making the best of it.

The best example of your buoyancy came when you were distributing food citywide to needy Jerusalemites during the lockdown. The police stopped you 12 times one day. One officer nabbed you as her shift began — then again when it ended.

You showed your permits patiently, taking it all in good spirits — even when that skeptical first-and-last officer threatened to arrest you.

You brought that same flexibility and strength to your premilitary year. The living conditions were, ahem,

not five-star. Corona made the studies on and off, while limiting your volunteer opportunities.

Nevertheless, when you were there, you were happy.

When you were sent home, you were happy. And when you were in that never-never land called Zoom, you were happy, too. Little seemed to faze you. The payoff was in great teachers, great friends and a great grounding for the army — and for life.

Now, as you, my fourth child, join the Israeli army, I watch through competing historical lenses as an oleh dad. It’s easiest, and emotionally safest, to see this all in Jewish historical time, marveling at our ability to defend ourselves, and your opportunity to contribute to Israel, the greatest Jewish adventure in millennia.

Zooming in, it’s hardest to compare your timeline and

IDF FACEBOOK

D

ear D., Last month, [undercover counter-terrorism] Duvdevan commandos — a commander and his signal operator — were shot multiple times while chasing Hamas terrorists. One bullet pierced one of the commander’s grenades.

Thanks to an Gil Troy Israeli technological innovation, the grenade didn’t explode.

A medic ran to them, defying flying bullets, following the chest wound protocols, including intubating the commander, saving his life.

Treating the soldier, the same medic violated the same protocols, perhaps remembering an update not to intubate if blood pressure plummets.

That brave deviation saved the soldier’s life.

The brigade’s medical officer then changed the medivac’s rendezvous site.

Her decision compressed the evacuation timetable — also saving their lives.

That’s the kind of army you joined yesterday — and those are the kinds of life-and-death, on-the-fly, split-second, crazy, creative, courageous, sometimes self-sacrificing, often risk-taking decisions you will start making tomorrow.

Of course, we, your parents, will never know about

my timeline, contrasting my perennial studenthood’s freedom, comforts and indulgences with your challenging, if hopefully fulfilling, road ahead. My head lists all the ways soldiering builds character, but my heart hurts that we still need soldiers at all — let alone how desperately we need smart, effective, idealistic soldiers like you. And I, probably more than you, keenly feel your sacrifice in temporarily suspending your autonomy to protect us all.

Ultimately, sidelining history, autobiography and ideology, I try looking at you from your perspective.

You have an advantage.

Because enlistment feels so natural to you, you’re far more prepared for whatever will come than any of us middle-aged immigrants could be. With your great attitude, and your network of friends and siblings who have seen it all before, I am confident you will thrive.

So rather than regretting what could have been if you were going to college now, I am excited for all you can learn and grow and benefit from serving your people.

And unlike most friends abroad, I don’t ask “how long will you serve?” as if it’s a prison sentence; I join other Israelis in asking “where will you serve” — because it’s a privilege and an opportunity.

On Shabbat, when your siblings toasted you, they vowed: “We’ve got your back.” They wisely advised: “Remember the little things — be kind, help your comrades, the day-to-day is key.” Finally, they emphasized how important your

service is, how the State of Israel needs you.

I was moved by their pitch-perfect balance between the personal and communal, the particular and the universal, the ephemeral and the eternal, the meaningful.

Before that, you celebrated your last week of civilian freedom by walking with two friends mi’yam l’yam, 80 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee. As you went off, carrying a backpack the size of New Jersey on your back, with your usual smile on your lips, I harbored a dad’s fears about three young women wandering Israel’s backwoods. But I also had a parent’s pride in your self-confidence, skill, resilience and range — knowing you’d be as comfortable sleeping under the stars as you would be in a five-star hotel (or cushy university dorm).

And that’s what I’m feeling this week as you begin basic training: Whatever worries I have fade away as I trust the person you are — and consider your sacred mission ahead. We are so lucky to have heroes like you looking out for slackers like me.

Love, Abba

No filters here, it’s time to get real!

Wednesday November 3, 2021 7:00 - 8:00 PM | ZOOM Based on her own struggles, Division I Volleyball Player, TED Talk Speaker, Social Media Influencer, and Mental Health Advocate Victoria Garrick lays down a real and honest talk about mental health.

Victoria discusses various mental health topics, including depression, anxiety, and body-image issues.

Register today for this free event at jlive.app/events/1044

The writer is a distinguished scholar of North American history at McGill University and the author of nine books on American history and three on Zionism. His book Never Alone: Prison, Politics and My People, coauthored with Natan Sharansky, was published by Public Affairs of Hachette. This essay was first published on the Jerusalem Post.

OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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OUR COMMUNITY

h s i w o e r J rhe e

e s p e v Su Sa City!! m a h t Go

Celebrating the Jewish heritage of comic books.

DANNY SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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Collection Showplace in Novi, Schwartz and Lockhart dove deep into the much unknown, yet rich history of Judaism in the comic book world — and their own contributions to it.

JEWISH INVENTIONS Comic books, superheroes, comic cons … How are all these Jewish inventions?

Schwartz explains that during the 1930s and 1940s, Jews were ostracized and marginalized in respectable creative industries, and the comic book industry was seen as the lowest rung on the ladder of publishing. As result, Jews effectively created something out of nothing.

“These were working-class, Eastern European Jews in New York that couldn’t find a job

due to the Depression and the rising antisemitism of the ’30s and ’40s, who, very much like Hollywood, created an industry of their own,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz says Jewish creators consciously and unconsciously borrowed from their background and tradition when creating comic book characters and stories.

“When you look at them from this perspective, they are very rich in Jewish themes and

Superman and Harley Quinn

PIXIBAY

T

he comic book is a Jewish invention.

The superhero genre is a Jewish invention.

The comic con [convention] is a Jewish invention,” writer Roy Schwartz explained during Motor City Comic Con weekend.

On Oct. 17, the “People of the (Comic) Book” panel, presented by the JCC of Metro Detroit’s Detroit Jewish Book Fair, did a deep dive into the history of Jews in comics.

On the panel was Roy Schwartz, author of Is Superman Circumcised? The Complete Jewish History of the World’s Greatest Hero, and E. Lockhart, author of the new DC graphic novel Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero, the first originating Jewish superhero to join the legendary DC Comics universe in more than 40 years.

As thousands of comic con-goers dressed up as their favorite character and roamed the inside of the Suburban

PIXIBAY

“

RGAN DIEHL PHOTOS BY MO

RIGHT: Author Roy Schwartz.

FAR RIGHT: Authors E. Lockhart and Roy Schwartz with Jaemi Loeb of the JCC.

SUPERMAN: IMPLICITLY JEWISH Schwartz delves deep into the Jewish meaning, picking up on unexplored themes and threads in comic book history.

“The book is written in plain English, it’s meant to be read for enjoyment, but it’s a scholarly work from an academic press with 41 pages of endnotes and bibliography,” Schwartz said.

“It’s a fun history book and a rich, fascinating history I’m very happy and privileged to be able to have brought to life.”

In the book, there’s no better example of a superhero and its Jewish connections than one of the very first superheroes ever, Superman himself. Schwartz says Superman is the first implicitly Jewish superhero.

“He’s Jewish as a character, not in the comics. He’s symbolically Jewish,” Schwartz explains.

Introduced in 1938, Superman was created by two Jewish teens from Cleveland, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the sons of immigrants from Eastern Europe.

Superman’s birth name is Kal-El. The suffix “el” means “of God” in Hebrew, with Kal-El defined by some as “Voice of God.” Before his home planet Krypton’s doom, Kal-El’s parents put him in a Moses-like basket, send-

WIKIPEDIA

signifiers,” says the Israeli-born Schwartz.

Schwartz has written for newspapers, magazines, toy companies, production studios and writes about pop culture for CNN.com. He has taught English and writing at the City University of New York.

His new book, Is Superman Circumcised? The Complete Jewish History of the World’s Greatest Hero, is the product of six and a half years of work and started as his graduate school thesis. Schwartz received a writer-in-residence fellowship from the New York Public Library while writing the book.

The book is a journey through comic book lore, American history and Jewish tradition with a keen focus on the entirety of Superman’s career, from 1938 to date. The book is equal parts historical context and thematic content, Schwartz says.

“It’s really about the origins of the comic book industry, starting even before the golden age of comics with Jewish immigrants and their children in the ’30s and ’40s, following the development of the field and tracing things all the way to today,” he states.

Magneto

ing him down what has been referred to as the “Nile of intergalactic space” until he landed safely on Earth.

Schwartz, like so many others, clearly connects the dots of how Superman’s origin story is based on Moses.

“Baby Kal-El is sent to safety in a small vessel to an unknown fate, found by people not his own and renamed by his adopted mother, that is origin story of Moses,” Schwartz says.

Another Jewish connection of Superman’s was uncovered when co-creator Jerry Siegel’s lost memoir was discovered in 2011. Siegel wrote that his Superman was inspired by Samson, the biblical judge, as well as the Golem, as a protector of the innocent.

Kal-El, who comes over from the “old country” of Krypton, gets his name changed to Clark Kent to better assimilate into society, as many Jews did at the time the character was created.

“That’s the beautiful thing, because when he transforms from Clark Kent to Superman, he’s not just changing his personal identity, he’s also declaring his ethnic background,” Schwartz says. “His costume is like a tallit or another kind of religious or cultural symbol, that ethnic garb.”

In following decades, Superman’s mostly Jewish writers, artists and editors contin-

ued to borrow Jewish motifs for their stories, basing Krypton’s past on Genesis and Exodus.

Lockhart says another way Judaism is linked to the comic book industry is the dual identity of the superheroes invented in the pre-war and WWII years.

“Often, those are stories of people fiercely proud of their superheroic secret identity and at the same time, spend their time assimilating into the dominant culture,” Lockhart explains. “That is what the assimilation project for Jewish immigrants looks like in a lot of ways. That type of superhero remains relevant today for members of other cultures who are passing one way or another as assimilated.”

For some, it may come as a surprise to find out how much of the superhero world in its inception was Jewish. Schwartz says Jewish creatives dominated the profession in its beginnings, and many of the biggest names in the comic book world were Jewish but changed their names to more Americanized versions: The man who invented the comic book, Max Gaines, was born Max Ginsberg. Legendary comic book writers Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were born Stanley Martin Lieber and Jacob Kurtzberg, respectively.

Superman co-creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s family continued on page 14 OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 13

HOLOCAUST IMAGES Ragman’s powers are related to the Holocaust, believed to be channeling power from the souls of Jews killed in the Holocaust and throughout history by antisemites.

Magneto, who had been a villain until recent years, is a Holocaust survivor, and much of how he got his powers are because of what he went through. The Holocaust shaped Magneto’s outlook and influenced his extreme methods to protect his own mutant-kind

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COURTES Y OF DC

JEWISH CHARACTERS In the earlier days, comic book characters did not state their religious or ethnic identities.

That started to change in the 1970s, Lockhart says.

“The very first ever explicitly Jewish comic was in 1948 with Funnyman, who was invented

by Siegel and Shuster. He was kind of a flop, kind of a Danny Kaye-type clown,” Lockhart said. “But in the ’70s, you started to see a number of openly Jewish heroes and villains emerging into the comic book world.”

It was at that time that Ragman, Seraph, Magneto and other characters started coming into the fold with Jewish identities and characteristics.

Seraph, originally from Israel, was gifted by divine powers with the strength of Samson, the Ring of Solomon, the Staff of Moses and the Mantle of Elijah.

COMICS

names were Segalovich and Shusterowich, respectively.

Prolific comic artist Gil Kane was Eli Katz. Batman co-creator Bob Kane was Robert Kahn.

“It goes on and on and on,” Schwartz says.

Scenes from the graphic novel Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero

from suffering a similar fate at the hands of a world that fears and persecutes them.

“Basically, these Jewish characters were explicitly linked either to the trauma of the Holocaust or to the specifically religious artifacts that gave them power,” Lockhart says.

“That was how it went until recently when we get Jewish characters who are just Jewish.

Some of them are retrofitted as Jewish, like Green Lantern. New writers came on and identified them as Jewish, or they were declared to have been Jewish all along, but we just didn’t know, like The Thing.”

The Thing, one of the members of Marvel Comics’ superhero team The Fantastic Four, was an autobiographical creation of Jack Kirby.

The Thing wasn’t revealed to be Jewish for 40 years until 2002, when he recited “Shema Yisrael” to save a dying friend, possessed a Star of David and celebrated his bar mitzvah.

Harley Quinn was clearly

Jewish from the get-go. Quinn’s Jewish heritage was officially canonized in 2010 when it was revealed she comes from a mixed Jewish and Catholic family. Quinn is also based on a real Jewish comedian.

In the early 1990s, Batman: The Animated Series co-creator Paul Dini was developing the supporting crew for the Batman villain the Joker. For the Joker’s No. 1 gal, Dini was inspired by Jewish actress, comedian and screenwriter Arleen Sorkin.

Sorkin’s snappy, wisecracking personality, as well as her mannerisms, were incorporated into what would become Harley Quinn. Sorkin herself would go on to act as the character’s signature voice actress for 20 years.

In recording Harley Quinn’s voice, Sorkin spoke in her normal Brooklyn accent while putting in a “little Yiddish sound,” another influence from Sorkin.

Quinn often uttered Yiddish words such as “oy” and “plotz” in the comics.

NEW CHARACTER FOR A NEW GENERATION Unlike other characters, Whistle, the main heroine in E. Lockhart’s latest book Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero, is Jewish as a character and explicitly Jewish in the book’s canon.

Lockhart is the author of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller We Were Liars and many other novels. She also writes books for young readers under the name Emily Jenkins. Whistle is her first graphic novel.

“DC invited me to create a superhero for them after reading a novel of mine called Genuine Fraud, which has a lot of superhero content buried inside of it,” Lockhart says.

DC gave Lockhart leeway to create anything she wanted, so she created Whistle.

Lockhart, who is Jewish, gained inspiration for Whistle’s background from her own, particularly relating to New York City. Lockhart’s great-grandparents were immigrants from Russia and Poland, which was the beginning of her family’s strong roots to the city.

Lockhart’s dad lived near the Lower East Side (LES), a hiscontinued om page 16

OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 14

torically Jewish neighborhood that retains a strong sense of its Jewish heritage today.

Lockhart spent a lot of time there growing up.

“I felt this connection partly because I had studied and read about the history of the LES for another project and because I grew up going there,” Lockhart said. “I felt this connection of my own family to the city, and our heritage was entwined with that.”

Lockhart then created the neighborhood in Gotham City that’s based off of the LES, called Down River.

Whistle (aka Willow Zimmerman) exists in that neighborhood and develops superpowers after getting sucked into the criminal underworld of Gotham City in order to make money for her family.

“Her mom is single and a professor of Jewish history who had to quit her job because she’s really sick and they have no health insurance,” Lockhart explains.

“After she gets superpowers, she decides to fight for good rather than evil and protects the neighborhood.”

Whistle’s sidekick dog, Lebowitz, is named after author and social commentator Fran Lebowitz, who is also Jewish.

“Whistle’s powers and identity are not centered on religious beliefs nor on the trauma of the Holocaust, but she’s culturally Jewish, a person who’s deeply connected to a historically Jewish neighborhood that she protects,” Lockhart explains.

EMPOWERING READERS Lockhart knows how important representation is in media,

and hopes young adult audiences, Jewish or not, connect with it.

“It’s very valuable for young people to see themselves on the page in empowered situations, but I also really tried to write something that was morally complicated about being a superhero,” Lockhart says. “I hope the book will make people think about what it means to be a good person and how challenging it can be to find a path forward.”

While Lockhart’s book is mostly targeted at young adults, Schwartz wrote his book with two audiences in mind.

“For comic book and pop culture fans, I hope it’s a fun, interesting journey through comic book lore and history,” he said. “For Jewish readers, I hope it brings them an appreciation for our cultural contribution. We know about Hollywood, Broadway and standup comedy, but now they’ll be able to fully appreciate our very significant contribution to such a popular and ubiquitous piece of Americana.”

As far as the future of Jews in the comic book world, Lockhart believes it’s a bright one.

“I think the comic book world is opening up and it’s going to continue to open up more,” Lockhart said. “I’ve seen tons of representation in really wonderful and creative ways.

“We’re at the start of a very exciting time when we’re going to see more and more heroes reinvented and invented by a wider range of creators.”

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OUR COMMUNITY

Memorial of

Tears SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER GLENN TRIEST PHOTOGRAPHER

Stuart Kay of Franklin visits his family’s memorial.

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OCTOBER 28 • 2021

Cemetery monument memorializes the Kay family and the graveless Holocaust victims of Wloszczowa, Poland.

Louis Kay and his four siblings: Brothers Aaron and Szaya, Sister Rojza, nephew Zuchor and Louis (front right).

Louis Kay, who was named a JN Mitzvah Hero in 1989.

PHOTO

in Kielce province, about 70 miles north of Krakow. According to The Yad Vashem Encyclopedia of the Ghettos during the Holocaust before World War II, the town had 2,700 Jewish residents — about one-half of its population.

Kreps’ parents had a grocery store in Wloszczowa, where the family had lived for 150 years, according to his adult children.

During the fall of 1942, Kreps’ parents, six of his siblings and many other family and community members were transported to Treblinka and killed on Yom Kippur. Kreps and two of his brothers were saved from that fate as they had been sent to Skarzysko — a brutal labor camp in Poland.

The camp’s German operators would ask new prisoners if anyone wanted to go home. Those who raised their hands to indicate yes, including Louis’ brother Yisrael, were sent into the forest and shot. His brother, Shmuel, died from illness while at the camp during Pesach in 1943.

Kreps managed to survive more than three years of suffering in seven labor and concentration camps in Poland and Germany.

His son Dr. Marc Kay, 66, who lives in Phoenix, said, “He survived in case there was a brother, and so there would be some Jews. No one could survive.”

On April 11, 1945, Kreps was liberated by the Americans, and he then returned to Wloszczowa.

Similar to other survivors’ experiences, some former neighbors and townspeople were not happy to see them — preferring to keep the houses and businesses that they had MILY KAY FA taken over from Jewish residents who were transported to concentration camps. Kreps had one bit of luck; he was able to retrieve family photos saved by a childhood

JN FILE

T

he myriad of tombstones of Chesed Shel Emes Cemetery in Clinton Township are uniform in height and shape, lined up in even rows that mark the graves of hundreds of Jewish Detroiters.

But Section 18 has one tombstone unlike any other with several components — a tall centerpiece with two carved dark stones positioned one above the other, framed by two light-colored stones similar to the cemetery’s gravestones. This is the Kay/Kreps monument created by Louis Kay to remember and honor his 200 family members and 800 other Jewish families of Wloszczowa, Poland, who were killed during the Holocaust.

Leybus Szyja Kreps was almost 14 when the Germans invaded Poland and took over his hometown in September 1939. Wloszczowa is located

friend. Many Holocaust survivors have no such family photos.

In 1949, the Joint Distribution Committee helped Kreps emigrate to the U.S. and he settled in Detroit. He changed his name to Louis Kay and began building a new life with Gladys Silverman, his American-born wife.

Kay started off working in a factory and then as a scrap metal dealer, eventually opening a bottle recycling company which expanded over the years.

The Kays had four children and lived in Oak Park.

‘A PLACE TO GO’ “The Holocaust was very present in our house. One side of the family doesn’t exist. There were pictures of his family on the wall. He would go to cemeteries, and there was nothing to go to,” said son Marc.

“He needed a place to go,” added Victor “Avi” Kay, 62, who lives in Jerusalem.

So in 1969, Kay had a stone created at Chesed Shel Emes listing the members of the Kreps and Klainman (his mother’s maiden name) families who perished during World War II at the hand of the Nazis. Individual photos are encased next to the names of eight family members along with their ages at the time of death. (Photos weren’t available for several family members.)

Part of the stone is shaped like the tablets of the Ten Commandments.

Marc, who was 14 at the time, remembers other survivors coming from out of town for the monument’s dedication in 1969. Stuart Kay, 58, who lives in Franklin, believes that this was the first personal Holocaust memorial in the U.S. Visiting the cemetery monument continued on page 20 OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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OUR COMMUNITY

Stuart Kay of Franklin visits his father, Louis Kay’s grave continued from page 19

was a frequent Kay family trip.

Chesed Shel Emes has several memorial benches dedicated to the Jewish residents of communities that were decimated by the Nazis. Kay wanted to install a bench, but cemetery rules permitted memorial benches only for entire Jewish communities, not individual families.

Undaunted, Kay designed an addition to the existing monument — one that highlighted the 800 Jewish families from Wloszczowa who were killed by the Nazis. A stone bench was then installed at the plot and there was a dedication for the expanded monument in 1990.

Next to the Kay monument

is a burial plot for a fellow Holocaust survivor, a man whom Kay knew in Detroit.

Despite some rancorous business dealings between them, when the man died, destitute and with no friends or relatives to bury him, Kay paid for his burial and held shivah for him at the Kay family home in Oak Park.

This was one of many of Louis Kay’s good deeds remembered by family, former employees and friends. He helped individuals in need, regardless of their religion, race or personal circumstances. In 1989, he was recognized as a Jewish News Mitzvah Hero. Kay sold 10,000 trees for the Jewish National Fund through Detroit B’nai B’rith and was active in many charitable organizations, especially those supporting Israel. He received the State of Israel’s New Life Award that

honors Holocaust survivors for major achievements.

The death of almost an entire family leaves an unimaginable burden of loss and sadness.

But Louis Kay’s survival meant that his four children (Rhonda, Marc, Avi and Stuart), their 10 children and four grandchildren will sustain the family name and help ensure the continuity of the Jewish community.

Marc Kay’s son, Joshua, helped to bring about a state law mandating Holocaust education in Arizona. It was a difficult three-year effort led by local Holocaust survivors to ensure that the horrors of the Holocaust are known now and in the future.

Louis Kay died in 1999 at age 73. He and his wife, Gladys, are buried in graves that are adjacent to the Kay memorial monument.

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‘70 Stories for 70 Years’ PHOTOS COURTESY JCC

Detroit Jewish Book Fair’s yearlong festival gears up with November Festival Week.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

T

he 70th anniversary of the JCC of Metro Detroit’s Jewish Book Fair kicks off in November with its biggest and most ambitious installment yet. The fair will be celebrating with programming the entire year: “70 stories for 70 years,” with the goal of holding 70 events in that time frame.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun, a little crazy for us, but I think it’s going to be great,” said Jaemi Loeb, senior director of Cultural Arts at the JCC of Metro Detroit.

Every year, the Jewish Book Fair highlights diverse authors, curates new Jewish writing and promotes the global art of Jewish storytelling.

The fair begins with November Festival Week (Nov. 6-14). The festival in November will be 100% virtual.

More events are being planned through spring and summer 2022 and more events will be added as time goes on, with a mix of virtual and in-person settings. In-person events starting next spring will also be available virtually in a hybrid fashion.

Loeb says this year’s fair has a deliberately wide range of programming.

“We have everything from a panel at Comic Con to a mah jong event to books about the Holocaust, both fiction and nonfiction. There’s a little something for everyone.”

The panel did a deep dive into the history of Jews in comics and featured E. Lockhart, author of the new DC graphic novel Whistle, and Roy Schwartz, author of Is Superman Circumcised? The Complete Jewish History of the World’s Greatest Hero (See story on page 12).

Events during November Festival

Week include comedian and actor Wayne Federman discussing his new book, The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain to Dave Chappelle, with local comedy legend Alan Muskovitz; an event with writer and producer Ira Rosen discussing his new book, Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes at 60 Minutes, with former Fox 2 News Anchor Sherry Margolis; an event with craft artist and educator Jodi Eichler-Levine discussing her new book, Painted Pomegranates and Needlepoint Rabbis: How Jews Craft Resilience and Create Community; and more.

“Every year, we try to bring people something new and different and really represent and support the rich diversity that is the Jewish world,” Loeb said. “Our programming this year is an attempt to do that. We’re always looking for the story that no one has heard before or the author that no one expected. That’s our underlying impetus.”

All announced events are free except for two events: November Festival Week’s opening night event with Josh Malerman, bestselling author of Bird Box and its new sequel Malorie, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.

Malerman and his band the High Strung will be featured in a live broadcast from the Berman for an evening filled with songs, stories about growing up at the JCC of Metro Detroit and an inside look into what happens when your book becomes a blockbuster movie. The streaming event on JWatch is $10 per viewer.

Also, on Saturday, Nov. 13, join Eddie

Josh Malerman

Eddie Shapiro

Shapiro, author of A Wonderful Guy, tenor Josh Young and mezzo-sprano Alta Dantzler who will host an evening of live performances, stories and a celebration of the great men of Broadway broadcast live from the Berman. Also $10 per viewer.

For the full list of events and more information, visit https://culturalarts.jccdet.org/bookfair.

OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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OUR COMMUNITY

Helping Afghan Refugees $500,000 allocated to help house Afghan refugees will help JFS of Washtenaw County, other resettlement groups.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

T

he state of Michigan has allocated $500,000 to help house about 1,300 Afghan refugees expected to arrive in the state, officials announced this month.

As the Taliban continues to exert power over Afghanistan, resettlement agencies across the U.S. are preparing to support an influx of Afghan refugees fleeing the country.

Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Washtenaw County is one of five resettlement groups the state of Michigan is working with in helping the refugees.

The office of Global Michigan, part of the state Labor and Economic Opportunity department, secured the half-million dollars from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to “temporarily house the arrivals until resettlement agencies can secure their permanent housing,” the department said.

With three to four days’ notice about specific refugees prior to their arrival to Michigan, JFS of Washtenaw County starts preparing for their arrival by looking for temporary hotels to place them in. If the refugees have friends or family in the area that are going to host them, JFS will take them to that home.

JFS of Washtenaw County also starts reaching out to its network of volunteers to begin gathering items for families, as many of them aren’t arriving with enough clothing or food.

“We start speaking with our community partners, health clinics, schools, food pantries, counseling services, transportation, ESL, youth services and start preparing for their arrival in terms of other auxiliary

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services,” said Shrina Eadeh, director of the resettlement program at JFS of Washtenaw County.

After they arrive, the resettlement process begins.

From the moment the refugees are placed in temporary hotels, and even before, JFS is looking for more permanent housing options for them.

Eadeh says the housing options are a bit low right now, so they’ve been reaching out to a lot of landlords and property management companies in Washtenaw County to see if they have any apartments available.

“We are still currently looking for and will need quite a bit of housing for the Afghan refugees.”

In terms of numbers, JFS of Washtenaw County could be looking at about 800 individuals they will be resettling in their immediate area in the next year, if not more.

HOW TO HELP There are many ways the public can help with the Afghan refugees’ transition.

“If anybody knows anybody who has any housing options available,

apartments to rent, homes to rent, we would certainly welcome those referrals,” Eadeh said.

General donations for auxiliary services, such as food, clothing and housing, are also more than welcome, says JFS of Washtenaw County’s Chief Development Officer Devon Meier.

“All the auxiliary services we offer here, it’s wrap-around for our refugee clients,” Meier said. “Those general donations that come in all go into the same pot to be able to provide the full wrap-around service approach.”

JFS of Washtenaw County helps refugees like those from Afghanistan from the day they arrive in the U.S. until the day they receive citizenship, not just their first 90 days. JFS goes beyond the 90 days in a comprehensive postresettlement, helping with employment, getting kids settled, helping out with youth services and more.

“Being the only resettlement agency within Washtenaw County, it’s a big job, but it’s a privilege, an honor and a moral obligation for this agency,” Meier said.

“It’s the essence of the mission of what we do of creating solutions, promoting dignity and inspiring humanity. With much responsibility comes the need for much support, and it truly takes a village to be able to make this happen.”

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity also announced a new website, Michigan. gov/afghanarrivals, that the public can use as a resource to donate or volunteer to help the refugees. To help JFS of Washtenaw County, visit jfsannarbor. org/resettlement-integration-services.

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New Take on a Classic at Shaarey Zedek L’Chaim: the Miracle of ‘Fiddler’ in Yiddish captures classic storyline in revue form.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

S

ince the 1960s, Fiddler on the Roof has been a staple of Jewish community and culture.

The classic film and Broadway production captures Jewish life in a shtetl in pre-revolutionary Russia, navigating the ups and downs of everyday matters.

Now, Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield will bring the story to life once more with a musical revue of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, a Broadway Yiddish-language adaptation of the hit created by Zalmen Mlotek. On Nov. 7, the synagogue will present L’Chaim: the Miracle of ‘Fiddler’ in Yiddish as part of the Irving and Beverly Laker Concert Series.

The Sunday afternoon performance will see Mlotek (musical director and artistic director of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene) along with three performers who sing and narrate how the miracle of Fiddler happened.

“It’s a revue of some of the hits of the show, but also with dialogue and behind-the-scenes commentary,” says Shaarey Zedek’s Hazzan David Propis.

Joining Mlotek are Steven Skybell (Tevye); Jennifer Babiak (Golda); and Michael Yashinsky (Nachum the Beggar), a Michigan actor from the Broadway production. For Yashinsky, whose parents belong to the synagogue, the event will also serve as a homecoming.

After Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish’s successful run on Broadway, the idea was to take the show on the road — but then COVID-19 hit.

After much deliberation, Propis explains that while taking the full-fledged production on tour wasn’t an option due to the ongoing public health crisis, a smaller revue was possible. Out of the idea, L’Chaim: the Miracle of ‘Fiddler’ in Yiddish was born in partnership with Shaarey Zedek, and the revue will actually see its world debut at the Nov. 7 performance.

REIMAGINING A HIT “We’re very excited about this,” Hazzan Propis says. “We will have English subtitles for transla-

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OCTOBER 28 • 2021

tion for those who don’t understand Yiddish, so they’ll have a really good idea of what everyone’s singing.”

The free concert — open to the Jewish community and beyond — will also be available for online streaming for those who prefer to watch it from home. Online registration, however, is required. A paid reception at Shaarey Zedek will also follow the show, where guests can meet the artists and learn more about the production.

In its revue form, L’Chaim: the Miracle of ‘Fiddler’ in Yiddish plans to capture the original storyline through a new lens.

“The story of Fiddler is the tension between tradition and modernity with one family living in the Jewish shtetl of Anatevka,” Hazzan Propis explains.

“The Yiddish language [adaptation] really cut to the heart of flavor of what Jewish pathos were going through, especially in shtetl days.”

Reimaging the classic hit in Yiddish, Propis says, provided more insight into Jewish struggles in the Pale of Settlement. He believes it will help both fans and newcomers alike connect and reconnect with the story in new ways. “I think the mood is going to be incredibly exciting,” he notes. “It’s exciting for people to get together and to really get an intimate look at how they made this production happen.”

TOP TO BOTTOM: Jennifer Babiak Michael Yashinsky Hazzan David Propis

BOTH LIVE AND LIVESTREAM Shaarey Zedek has prepared for the livestream with the addition of high-quality HD cameras throughout the synagogue space. “We’re all set for this kind of production,” Propis says. “Everyone wants to have a behind-the-scenes look as to how things happened and why things were done the way they were.”

L’Chaim: the Miracle of ‘Fiddler’ in Yiddish will include the backstory of the show paired with a selection of songs from the hit Broadway production. “You get the face value,” Propis says.

Shaarey Zedek is anticipating 500-1,000 guests at the Nov. 7 show. The synagogue plans to have ample

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room for social distancing and will require all attendees to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

“Within the constraints of COVID-19, we’re opening the synagogue back up to the public,” Propis says, “in a controlled environment.”

The synagogue is looking forward to what Hazzan Propis calls “a buzz in the air” and to bring live Jewish

performance back to the community.

“It’s an intimate look at how they made this production happen,” he says of the revue.

“We’re going to have two big high-definition wide screens on the sides of the bimah so there won’t be a bad seat in the house.”

To register or buy tickets, visit www. shaareyzedek.org/events/fiddler.

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Shari Finsilver dancing bolero in her first national Fred Astaire competition with teacher and partner Mykhailo Annienkov in 2019

Women Reinventing Themselves

JVS Human Services Trade Secrets event features keynote speaker with an inspiring medical journey.

ALISON SCHWARTZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

W

hen Shari Finsilver was 19 years old, she was eating a holiday dinner with her family when her spoon flew out of her hand, landing across the room. Her mom was horrified. “She really thought I had Parkinson’s disease and rushed me to a neurologist,” explains Finsilver.

As a young girl, Finsilver had become adept at hiding her Essential Tremor (ET), a condition which is believed to affect 5% of the population, and which varies widely in severity. Some people have a tremor in their hands and arms, others might have it in their head or other body parts.

Finsilver had first noticed the condition when she started art classes in middle

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school: Unlike other children, she was incapable of drawing a straight line. As she got older, the Orchard Lake resident became an expert at making adaptations to normal activities most of us take for granted. “In high school I learned to put paper on a clipboard and balance the board on the edge of a desk and write at an angle,” she explains. “I mostly ate sandwiches when I was out so I could balance my elbows on the table, and I’d never eat soup. I used a straw for drinks.

Like many sufferers, I was very good at working out how to disguise my symptoms.”

Finsilver’s remarkable story, which includes deep brain stimulation surgery, will be shared at the 13th Annual JVS

COURTESY OF JVS HUMAN SERVICES

OUR COMMUNITY

Human Services Trade Secrets event, which raises money for Women to Work, a program which has been changing women’s lives since the 1980s by providing important skills to women needing immediate employment. Finsilver is this year’s Honorary Chair and keynote speaker at the Nov. 11 event, invited because of the dedication she has shown in advocating for fellow ET sufferers, and for the courage she has shown in reclaiming her life.

Paul Blatt, CEO of JVS Human Services, described Finsilver as a brave and inspiring woman. “So many of the women utilizing Women to Work have faced incredibly tough circumstances, but their strength and drive allowed them to move forward and reinvent their lives.

Helping remove barriers to work and providing access to necessary trainings for this community is our commitment and our honor at JVS,” Blatt said.

“Shari has used her own life circumstances to overcome obstacles and be a voice to help others do the same. This passion embodies the mission of Women to Work.”

A BRAVE JOURNEY Essential Tremor often runs in families.

In Finsilver’s case, her father’s aunt had a severe tremor, her father a less severe one.

“My father used to say his tremor was something from the war,” says Finsilver, whose own son also has a mild tremor.

At the age of 19, after the spoon incident, the neurologist diagnosed Finsilver quickly. “That was actually unusual as most patients have to see many doctors before they get an answer to what is going on, but he immediately knew it was Essential Tremor,” explained Finsilver.

She was given the drug Librium to help manage her symptoms, but the drug did little to help so she stopped taking it.

Finsilver married Stanley, now her husband of 50 years, and the couple had two children, Brett and Amy. “My husband and kids were fantastic, doing everything they could to help me, but it was a struggle,” she says. When the kids were babies,

Details Shari Finsilver recovering after surgery with friend Linda Schmier, son Brett Finsilver and daughter Amy Ben-Ezra

feeding them with a spoon was difficult.

As the children got older there were other challenges. “My daughter was a dancer and if she was in a dance recital I could never do her make up,” explains Finsilver, a member of Temple Israel.

As her life progressed so, unfortunately, did Finsilver’s tremors. While ET was originally confined to her arms and hands, by her 40s, essential tremor was now affecting her head and voice.

In 1996, a TV program about Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) being offered to patients at University of Kansas Medical Center aired, and the surgery offered Finsilver hope. She didn’t hesitate. Then 46, she got on a plane to visit the surgeon in Kansas City, who informed her that help was actually closer to home. Dr. Peter LeWitt, a neurologist in Michigan, was working with a neurosurgeon recruited to start a similar DBS program at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

In 1999, Finsilver faced the daunting prospect of having the surgery performed while she was awake, so that the surgeon knew where to place the electrodes for the stimulator. Amazingly, she remained calm, choosing to look at the procedure as if she was taking part in a

science experiment, which in some ways she was, as during surgery she was asked to follow commands like bring a cup back and forth to her lips to see if the surgeons were in the right part of the thalamus. For her family and friends, it was a different story. “They were all basket cases,” she admits.

Finsilver credits a book called Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster: A Guide for MindBody Techniques by Peggy Huddleston, for helping her both prepare and recover from DBS. “It was a relaxation visualization method, and I practiced it for two and a half months, twice a day,” Shari said. The premise is that if your stress levels are decreased there are better surgical outcomes,” she explains. On occasion, she even called the author directly for advice.

In addition, prior to her surgery, the International Essential Tremor Foundation (IETF) put her in touch with a 29-year-old farmer in Iowa who had undergone the surgery and who answered her questions. The surgery was successful, with Finsilver seeing noticeable improvement in her symptoms. She was able to resume many more activities, even taking up ballroom dancing and becoming so skilled that

This year’s Trade Secrets event will be in hybrid form, emceed by Fox 2’s Amy Lange, and offering options of a limited in-person evening dinner Nov. 11 at Detroit Marriott Troy starting at 6.30 p.m. with only six people per table, or an online streamed version of the event, starting at 7.30 p.m.

Online attendees will receive a personalized box of snacks plus a small bottle of champagne and party favors. For those attending in person, there will be a sticker system in place so individuals who want to maintain a social distance will feel at ease.

Whether in-person or attending virtually, the event offers the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets with outstanding prizes including a $2,500 Somerset Collection gift certificate, $1,500-worth of skinnytees apparel and an $800-value phone consultation with acclaimed spiritual medium Rebecca Rosen, along with a signed copy of her book.

To date, the 2021 Trade Secrets has raised more than $232,000 through sponsorship and ticket sales.

Presenting sponsors are Connie Holzer from Tom Holzer Ford, and Shari and Stanley Finsilver; Platinum Sponsors are Artichoke Garlic Foundation and DeRoy Testamentary Foundation; Diamond Sponsors are Moscow Family Fund and skinnytees; and the Emerald Sponsor is Huntington Bank.

For information on sponsorship opportunities and tickets, which start at $150 per person, email Reisa Shanaman at rshanaman@ jvshumanservices.org or call (248) 233-4213.

continued on page 28 OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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OUR COMMUNITY

‘EPIC’ Changes for NEXTGen Detroit’s Annual Big Event “An EPIC Night at the Carnival” is totally reimagined and ready to wow.

BECKY MAISTER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

N

EXTGen Detroit is dropping the mic and raising a tent for its annual EPIC event — all part of a yearlong 10th anniversary celebration that’s proving to be more about changing things than upholding traditions. An EPIC Night at the Carnival — brought to the community by Sue & Alan J. Kaufman & Family — will take place Nov. 6 at the new M1 Concourse Event Center in Pontiac.

Traditionally held every spring, except for last year due to COVID-19, EPIC has consistently drawn 500+ young Jewish Detroiters to celebrate and support their community. But with

concerns about large gatherings inside, NEXTGen Detroit took this year as an opportunity to reinvent EPIC, and the many innovations mean that even the most seasoned EPIC guests are in for something new.

“The pandemic has made event planning incredibly challenging, but it also has pushed us to think outside the box and reinvent annual events that have run their course,” said Adam Sherman, EPIC co-chair. “We’ve loved sitting down in a theater for a comedy show for the last eight EPICs, but we’re also ready for something fun and different.”

Standup comedians were the headlining entertainment for

all the previous EPIC events, which over the years were held at MGM Casino, the Renaissance Center, the State Theater and most recently the State Savings Bank in Detroit. But this year, EPIC has left the theater and is popping up at the M1 Concourse Event Center in the form of an after-dark carnival under an open-air tent that will be large enough for the anticipated 300 guests to enjoy the evening and spread out.

“We’re so excited to be creating An EPIC Night at the Carnival in this new event space and thankful that we can put this together in a COVID-conscious and safe way for our guests,” said

continued from page 27

she danced 13 styles of ballroom dance, including bolero, fox trot, rumba and salsa, in her first National Fred Astaire Competition in Orlando in 2019.

After her life-changing surgery, Finsilver became determined to offer other sufferers the same support that she received from the Iowa farmer and started the first International Essential Tremor Foundation (IETF) support group for Michigan patients.

“The group became very successful, with 300 members in Michigan, so I was then invited to join the board of the IETF and eventually became

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Shari Finsilver making her acceptance award speech for IETF’s Spirit of Hope Award in 2010.

the president,” explains Finsilver, now 71, who currently has the role of vice president.

She has received recognition for her work, being awarded the Spirit of Hope Award by the IETF in 2011,

appearing on the front cover of the organization’s magazine.

Now she is being recognized by JVS Human Services at their Trade Secrets event, and says she feels a kinship with the women who have reinvented their lives by taking part in Women to Work.

“Although my circumstances have been different, I do understand how many women have faced challenges and worked hard to overcome them. For me, my life took a dramatic turn after brain surgery, and I have worked hard to pay it forward since then,” she said.

Samantha Foon, EPIC co-chair.

“We are bringing together the best elements of any carnival — the games and prizes, the characters and entertainment, the excitement in the air, all that great fair food and, of course, we have some surprises up our sleeves.”

In addition to being a highly anticipated night out, EPIC is a chance for young Jewish Detroiters ages 21-45 to make a significant impact on their community. Each guest is asked to make a minimum of donation of $100 to Federation’s 2022 Annual Campaign to attend. You can get tickets and learn more at jewishdetroit.org/EPIC.

Information about Women to Work: JVS Human Services’ Women to Work program began more than 30 years ago when it was called Displaced Homemakers. Then funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, the aim was to help women whose life circumstances had changed through events like divorce, bereavement or financial disruption. Since that time, more than 2,000 women have been through the program, finding a new direction for their working lives.

After intensive assessment, testing and job search training, these women emerge with renewed self-confidence, market-ready job skills and an action plan. Upon completion of the program, 85% of the program’s participants find employment or enroll in further training.

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS

36 UNDER 36

Nominations Now Open!

Do you know someone making an impact in the community for this special honor?

Nominations for The Detroit Jewish News’ annual 36 under 36 are now open to recognize doers, activists, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, community organizers and other young Jewish professionals reshaping and broadening Metro Detroit’s Jewish community.

Do you know someone who gives of themselves to the community in robust — and often thankless — ways?

Someone you admire and aspire to be like?

Someone whose accomplishments you want to celebrate?

Jews in the D

36 UNDER 36

JOSH GERSHON OWICZ High School, Jessica Josh Gershonowicz looks forward to attending college is founder and in fall CEO the executive director 2020 and passing of Rebuild Group, position of Sib4Sib a to a part-time profession fast-growing marketing al. Jessica will remain involved agency contribut on the ing In addition to Sib4Sib,board of directors. to the renaissan ce Jessica holds leadership positions of Midtown Detroit. in Teen Volunteer Started in 2012, Corps, the Jewish Rebuild breaks Fund the Teen Board mold on the large agency and Youth United model Interfaith Camp. Sh positioning to campaign — from brand wants to thank e her parents, Scot creation and implementation. and Judy Goldberg, Sammi Josh Shapiro, Max Newman, to create a different and his team set out Barrett Harr, Betty Chu, approach to marketMartha ing and advertisin Goldberg, the Wish g, centered on a and Mall families, culture and of entrepreneurial the entire communi spirit, creative tension, ty for its support curiosity and hustle. on this exciting He has worked journey. igently to focus dilJessica resides in on creating emotiona Farmington Hills experiences people l her family and with have as they interact goldendo with brands. He More info at Sib4Sib.or odle, Goldie. said g. next hit neighborh he believes Detroit’s ood will be Milwauke Junction: “The e future home where KIM RUBIN art and technology meet, ” he said.

Kim Rubin, 34, A graduate of the of Novi Goldman Sachs is an entrepreneur 10,000 Small Businesse and the sole practition combines his business s program, Josh er of acumen with a Rubin Psycholog personal sense ical of philanthropic Services, specializin duty. His charitable work, g which in behavioral/developDetroit Inc., Hebrew includes Midtown Free Loan and sponmental pediatrics soring the Boy . Kim Scouts moved to Metro ach year, The Well for Detroit Dodgebal of America Dodge Detroit after graduating and l Tournament, from Indiana University Jewish News partner the underscores his where she earned , commitment to her nize young leaders, to recogthe city he calls home. Josh ogy, and the Southern Ph.D. in psycholhumanitaris also a real estate ians, educators developer and a , social activists School of Medicine Illinois University Huffington Post and entrepreneurs (Springfield, Ill.), contributor. He was married who are reshaping where she completed in and broadening the 2016 and has an her residency. In 18-month-old son.

Jewish commun Springfield, she His favorite Jewish ity in Metro Detroit. volunteered to food is his wife’s start a NFTY youth group, kugel.

Nominees submitted which became recby commuognized regionally nity members and nationally for were rapid growth and its impartial volunteer sent to a panel of JESSICA GOLDBER emphasis judges who had G on performing mitzvot througho the difficult task At 15, Jessica Goldberg ut 36 names from of choosing only In Michigan, where the community. noticed the lack the list of impressiv she married her of young professio e husband, Mike, support for siblings nals.

Kim in Here, meet this the Children’s Center started working at the mental health year’s cohort of of Wayne County, “36 Under 36” and specializin — developmental we admire and the kinds of people disability treatment g in autism assessment and aspire to be, whose communities. So . In her own practice, accomplishments she she now helps children and started Sib4Sib, and who we want we want to celebrate adolescents overcome a supsocial, education port network for make their home the world to know al and behaviora individuals in l issues. who have a sibling Additionally, she If you know these Metro Detroit. who struggles mentors younger with mental health individuals, therapists to help them know why they or has cognitive hone their skills were chosen. If you or developmental to help others. haven’t met them you differences. In three yet, you’ll want years, Jessica has built — soon.

Kim enjoys involving to Sib4Sib into a thriving her children, community with Reece, Brooks and We asked the honorees four different support Chase, in the Jewish to submit groups (facilitated brief bios. Here community through by licensed profession they are, in no events als), resources, hosted particular order. by The Well, Adat networking, advocacy Shalom Synagogu social outings — and Temple e, all free of charge.

Israel and PJ Library.

Jessica serves as She has great a core group of Jewish the executive director and president of families who share the same Sib4Sib, a 501(c)3 values, have children nonprofit that has raised will grow up who A senior this year more than $100,000. who don’t together and girlfriends at North Farmingt mind sharing a bottle of on wine. Unbeknown st to many friends,

The Well and

Leaders Among

26 |

• 2020 FEBRUARY 13

Us

the Jewish New s spotlight 36 up-and-comin g leaders in the Metro Detroit Jewish commun ity.

E

continued on page

FEBRUARY 13 • 2020

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GO ONLINE TO THEJEWISHNEWS.COM AND NOMINATE THEM BY NOVEMBER 18, 2021 A special group of seven volunteer judges will be reviewing submissions and choosing the 36 winners. Honorees will receive free three-year subscriptions to the JN and be featured in a February 2022 issue.

OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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OUR COMMUNITY

JBAM Legal Malpractice Seminar The Jewish Bar Association of Michigan (JBAM) will present a one-hour Zoom seminar on “The Evolving World of Legal Malpractice” featuring attorneys David Saperstein, Jesse Roth and Harvey Heller of the Southfield law firm Maddin Hauser Roth & Heller P.C. Topics will include: • Emerging developments • Avoiding malpractice

claims • Risk management strategies • Best practices defending claims The free online event will take place 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 3. RSVP for a Zoom link at JewishBar.org.

JBAM provides social, educational and charitable activities to our members and the community. For information, visit JewishBar.org.

Back Row: Linda Zlotoff, Deborah Lark, Natalie Scheyer (hostess), Faye Menczer, Harriet Hessenthaler, Carol Kandel, Susan Blaine, Myrna Robinson and Bethann Levy. Front Row: Marlowe Scheyer Bechmann, Delia Bechmann, Charlotte DeGuire and Kimberly Blaine.

Intergenerational Fun Natalie Scheyer of West Bloomfield had a lovely Fall gathering at her home this month consisting of mostly West Bloomfield Jewish octogenarians. Multigenerations were on hand.

Her daughter, Marlowe Bechmann, and granddaughter Delia Bechmann entertained everyone with a group singalong.

Delia’s friend Charlotte DeGuire, an 8th-grader at Walnut Creek Middle School, catered the party with finger food appetizers, quiches and amazing desserts.

“After such a long COVID isolation, it was so wonderful for these senior ladies — who were all vaccinated — to socialize and get together in this lovely new year and fall weather,” Marlowe said.

Dr. Noah Stern, JCRC/AJC board member; Laura Murphy, field representative of Rep. Elissa Slotkin; Executive Director of JCRC/ AJC Rabbi Asher Lopatin; State Rep. Padma Kuppa; Nasir Bukhari, director of public affairs for the Ahm Muslim community Detroit chapter

Jewish Community Shows Solidarity Take a Bite Out of Hate Help support ADL Michigan on Thursday, Nov. 4, during the “Take a Bite Out Of Hate” campaign.

Several local restaurants have stepped up to show their commitment to ADL’s mission by giving back a portion of in-dining/carryout sales on Nov. 4. Money raised will help ADL in its comprehensive approach to addressing antisemitism and hate of all kinds.

ADL is asking people to dine in/carry out from these

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OCTOBER 28 • 2021

establishments and mention that they are participating in the “Take a Bite Out for Hate” event: • Forest Grill, 735 Forest Ave., Birmingham • Great Lakes Pot Pies, 809 W. 14 Mile Road, Clawson (carry-out only) • Otus Supply, 345 E. 9 Mile Road, Ferndale • Stage Deli, 6873 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield • Zao Jun New Asian & Sushi, 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills.

On Sunday Oct. 17, Rabbi Asher Lopatin of the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC joined clergy and civic leaders from around Michigan for a Solidarity Event with the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Rochester Hills that was vandalized on Friday a week before.

Rabbi Lopatin spoke of the importance of standing together against any attacks on our communities or our places of worships: “If one of us is attacked, we are all attacked, and we must fight back together.”

Also joining Rabbi Lopatin were Rep. Padma Kuppa and Rep. Mark Tisdel, Laura Murphy, field representative from Rep Elissa Slotkin’s office as well as religious leaders from the Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities.

JCRC/AJC Board Member Dr. Noah Stern joined Rabbi Lopatin, and both were given a tour of the Ahmadiyya mosque.

Imam Shamshad Nasir emphasized the Ahmadiyya theme: Love for All, Hatred for None.

MAZEL TOV! SEPT. 30, 2021 Jordan and Ryan Fishman of Orchard Lake are thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter, Golda Sarina. Loving brothers are Ariel and Moishe. Proud grandparents are Ann and Marc Fishman of Bloomfield Hills, Stewart Shifman of Waterford. She is also the grandchild of the late Cindy Shifman. Golda is named for her great-grandmother, the late Jeanne Fishman (Golda Yenta); her uncle, the late Sol Smith; and her great-great-grandfather, the late Samuel Rosenthal.

Eli Joseph Adler, son of Nicole and Matthew Adler, will become a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. He is the grandchild of the late Robert Isaac Adler, Ilene Adler, and Patricia and Daniel Bober.

Eli attends Derby Middle School in Birmingham. As part of his mitzvah project, he led numismatic education and coin appraising for retirement communities.

Isaac Daniel Adler, son of Nicole and Matthew Adler will become a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. He is the grandchild of the late Robert Isaac Adler, Ilene Adler and

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.

Patricia and Daniel Bober.

Isaac is a student at Ernest W. Seaholm High School in Birmingham. For his mitzvah project, he volunteered at a local animal shelter.

the Tamarack Gear Share program by collecting gently used camp gear and raised money for the Send a Kid to Camp program to help other kids be able to attend camp.

Ryan Brayden Rosenberg will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township. He will be joined by proud parents, Emily and Darren Rosenberg, sister Samantha and brother Charlie. He is the grandson of Ann and Rob Cohen, Lenny Rosenberg, Susan Fayne and the late Michael Fayne. He is the greatgrandson of Naomi Miller.

Ryan is an eighth-grader at Derby Middle School in Birmingham. For his mitzvah project, he participated in

Samantha Ruth Rosenberg will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township. She will be joined by proud parents, Emily and Darren Rosenberg, and brothers Ryan and Charlie.

She is the granddaughter of Ann and Rob Cohen, Lenny Rosenberg, Susan Fayne and the late Michael Fayne. She is the great-granddaughter of Naomi Miller.

Samantha is a seventhgrader at Derby Middle School in Birmingham. For her mitzvah project, she

Calling Jewish Teen Girls BBYO’s Building Entrepreneurship program is back. This year, 25 Jewish teen girls will have the opportunity to connect with and be mentored by successful women entrepreneurs in the Metro Detroit area.

Activities include splatter-painting at

Pinspiration (Nov. 17), an immersive weekend in Detroit (Jan. 21-23), and a Shark Tank-style event (March 13) where

participated in the Tamarack Gear Share program by collecting gently used camp gear and raised money for the Send a Kid to Camp program to help other kids be able to attend camp.

Joshua Mitchell Weiss, son of Kacey and Marc Weiss, will become a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. He is the grandchild of Karen and Keith Kalish, and Annie and the late Gary Weiss.

Joshua is a student at West Bloomfield Middle School. He collected bottles to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as part of his mitzvah project.

the winning team receives $500.

By participating in Building Entrepreneurship, girls will learn leadership skills, gain confidence, form genuine friendships, and establish lasting connections in the community.

BBYO members and non-members are welcome. Apply by Nov. 9 at tinyurl. com/xcfwedz4.

OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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31

SPORTS

Jewish Men’s Basketball League Tips Off Again

Steven Hertzberg puts up a shot during a Jewish Men’s Basketball League game in 2019.

T

he Jewish Men’s Basketball League is back after a oneseason hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s great news for guys like 27-year-old Oak Park resident Jared Kohlenberg, who played in the Partners Detroit league’s inaugural season in 2019-20 shortly after returning to Detroit after working in Indianapolis and will play in the league again this season.

“I enjoyed playing in the league,” Kohlenberg said.

“I’ve played sports all my life.

I love to do anything athletic.

It’s difficult finding time for that now with work and other obligations.

“I already knew a lot of guys in the league, and I met a lot of guys.”

Kohlenberg said the league struck the delicate balance of camaraderie and competition.

“It was definitely competitive,” he said. “There was trash talking, including by me, but all in good fun.

Nothing malicious.”

Partners Detroit — a division of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah — has a goal of uniting the Jewish community through education and activities.

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The activities include sports. Flag football and tennis are other sports offerings besides basketball.

Shmuli Wolf organizes the sports activities.

After having 80 players on 10 teams in the inaugural Jewish Men’s Basketball League season, Wolf is hoping those numbers will bump up this season, which will begin Dec. 13 and continue for 10 more Monday nights for the regular season and playoffs.

The final night of the league season will be March 14.

Games will be played once again at the Beech Woods Recreation Center in Southfield.

“About 70 guys have signed up for the basketball league so far. I’d love to have about 90,” Wolf said last week.

More than 70% of those who had registered by last week are returnees to the league. That didn’t surprise Wolf.

“We had a lot of good feedback about the league,” he said.

Players rate their basketball skills on the league registration form and teams are put together to make each one competitive.

Wolf said there also is an effort to bring together Jews from across the community on each team.

“We don’t want guys playing with only their friends,” Wolf said.

Basketball players who want to play in the league need to contact Wolf as soon as possible because of all the organizational work that needs to be done.

Send an email to Swolf@ partnersdetroit.org or call him at (917) 588-2298.

Kohlenberg and basketball go back many years.

He played for West Bloomfield High School, in the Kenny Goldman League at the Jewish Community

Jared Kohlenberg

JARED KOHLENBERG

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PARTNERS DETROIT

One enthusiastic player was a member of the remarkable Detroit Maccabi basketball team that won silver in 2010.

Center of Metropolitan Detroit in West Bloomfield, and three times for Detroit teams in the JCC Maccabi Games.

More than a decade ago, he had a starring role in one of the most amazing stories in Detroit Maccabi history.

Kohlenberg was a member of the shorthanded Detroit U16 boys basketball team that somehow won a silver medal in 2010 in Denver.

The team had just seven players.

Injuries left Detroit with only five healthy players — in other words, no substitutes — for the championship game against San Antonio.

To make matters worse, a Detroit player fouled out early in the fourth quarter.

Detroit played a man short the rest of the game.

Kohlenberg was one of the four Detroit players left on the court who battled San Antonio to the bitter end of a 54-47 loss, earning the respect and cheers of the estimated 100 spectators.

A Detroit player fouled out late in the third quarter of a semifinal game against

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Denver, again leaving Detroit with four healthy players.

MACCABI ‘FAB FOUR’ Detroit beat Denver by three points. Kohlenberg again was one of Detroit’s “fab four” in that game.

“To play six games in 3½ days under those circumstances and earn medals was unbelievable,” Detroit U16 coach Barry Bershad said in a Jewish News story.

“I’ve been coaching basketball for 40 years. I’ve never coached a team with less than five players.”

Kohlenberg graduated from the University of Michigan in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He earned a master’s degree in sports management at U-M the following year.

He found time to play on the U-M club lacrosse team while he was earning those

degrees.

In his professional life, Kohlenberg is a financial adviser in the Birmingham office at Morgan Stanley. He started that job in 2019 after leaving Indianapolis.

He was a player services associate with the Exclusive Sports Group in Indianapolis for a year (2017-18), assisting NFL players who were clients and recruiting NFL drafteligible prospects, and prior to that he was a recruiting assistant for nearly three years (2015-2017) with the University of Michigan football team.

Away from work and sports, Kohlenberg volunteers with organizations that help individuals with special needs and is an advocate in the mental health community.

Please send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

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33

ERETZ

Shaina and Nathaniel Warshay and family.

MEET THE OLIM

Nathaniel and Shaina Warshay Kibbutz volunteer and summer tour camper make aliyah.

AVIVA ZACKS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

S

haina, 42, and Nathaniel, 58, Warshay made aliyah in 2019 from Oak Park. They came with four small children in tow, and one who was already here. While it was difficult for them to leave their many family members and careers behind, they both can’t imagine living anywhere else.

Q: Tell me about your first trip to Israel.

Shaina: My first trip was on Bnei Akiva Machach after 10th grade. There was a running joke that they promoted aliyah the entire time.

Nathaniel: I had just graduated from college, and I went to Europe for an internship in Paris at the International Herald Tribune. I went to the Israel Aliyah office in Paris so I could sign up to volunteer on a kibbutz. I ended up in Ma’aleh HaHamisha. It was April, and we were getting it ready for planting. As I was digging in the ground, I felt the connection, like the roots coming out of my fingers connecting. I felt that this was where I belonged.

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My grandfather came to Israel when he was in high school before WWI. He fought in the Ottoman Empire’s army, then he went to America in the 1920s, got a bachelor’s degree in agriculture at Ohio State. During the Depression, my grandparents came to Israel with my father.

My grandmother moved her sons to Brooklyn three years later, after my grandfather died.

Q: Were you always interested in making aliyah?

Shaina: I really had no desire to make aliyah when I was younger. Once Nathaniel and I got married, he said he wanted to move to Israel when Anna graduated. And we came in 2019 when that happened.

Q: Who made aliyah with you?

Shaina: Maayan, 7, Assaf, 6, Avigail is almost 5, and Gavriel is almost 3.

Nathaniel: Madeleine went to Midreshet Harova after high school and never came back. She did Sherut Leumi and got married here.

Q: What are you doing here professionally?

Shaina: In Michigan, I was a 911 dispatcher and paramedic. I decided not to transfer my paramedic license, and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do next.

Nathaniel: When we left, I was the executive director of Community & Home Supports, a nonprofit primarily providing permanent supportive housing to homeless people. Here, I do fundraising consulting. I work for Degel-Ami, which raises money primarily for promoting the Jewish state, the Jewish people, the Jewish homeland.

Q: Is there anything that you miss about living in Michigan?

Shaina: Target, our family and our friends.

Nathaniel: Snow, our family and our friends.

Q: What do you love about living in Israel?

Shaina: I love that everything is historical and it’s our history. For example, we visited friends in Mitzpe Yericho

and were able to tell our kids that this is where Moshe Rabbeinu spoke to the people. I also love that our lives run on the Jewish calendar.

Nathaniel: Growing up, even though we weren’t a religious family, we were always a Zionist family. My grandfather is buried here.

I can see the house that he built in the 1930s and where my father lived. This is our homeland, and these are our people.

I had to go to Bnei Brak recently for a meeting. I had a little problem with the car when we left. The little security keypad was not working. After our meeting, I finally got it to work, but I knew I was going to have to spend half the next day at the garage. While driving home, a mechanic’s station wagon with a phone number was right in front of me. I called him, and we pulled over. He fixed it in 20 minutes. Then he said, “Baruch Hashem, you found me so I could help you.”

Shaina: One of those “only in Israel” moments.

SPIRIT

TORAH PORTION

After the Trauma

A

bout 2,000 years ago, our sages recorded that God subjected Abraham to 10 tests over the course of his lifetime (Pirkei Avot 5:3). However, they don’t record what these tests were.

To say that Abraham’s life was eventful is an understatement; and so, as one might expect, there are nearly as many different lists of what these 10 tests are as there are commentators compiling these lists.

One thing is unanimous, though, and that’s that the final test that Abraham was subjected to was the binding of Isaac.

Actually, it’s not quite unanimous.

You can always find an outlier and this case is no different. Rabbeinu Yonah Gerondi (13th century Spain) believes that the binding of Isaac was Abraham’s ninth test. The final test that Abraham

for Abraham to have to engage in such an activity after what he’d been through feels like it’s just too much to ask. This is truly a major faced was purchasing a plot of test. land from Ephron the Hittite for For more than 18 months, the purpose of burying his wife, we’ve all faced challenges that, Sarah, the episode that opens prior to the pandemic, we this week’s Torah portion would never have thought (Genesis 23). we’d ever face. Eighteen Rabbeinu Yonah’s months of masking and unique position is shockphysical distancing. But of ing. Abraham’s ultimate course, the challenge of a test doesn’t take place Rabbi year and a half of a loss of when God asks him to Michael some of our normal routines sacrifice his son. It isn’t Langer pales in comparison to so even the death of his wife.

Parshat many other losses we’ve It’s a simple exchange of Chaye Sara: faced during this time. Our money for land that takes Genesis relationships with family, place after these other two 23:1-25:18; friends and community events.

I Kings changed in an instant. So What Rabbeinu Yonah is 1:1-31. many of us know people, or telling us is that sometimes are even caring for people, when someone experiwho are dealing with the effects ences a trauma, having to return of COVID. We’ve lost loved ones, to “normal” is in itself a major often without the opportunity to test. Purchasing land is nothing say goodbye or to properly grieve. more than a business deal; but

As our rhetoric slowly shifts toward discussing our “return to normal” or even coming to terms with a “new normal,” it’s important for us to recognize that after the trauma we’ve all experienced, and certainly for some more than others, “normal” doesn’t come so easily. Like Abraham after the trauma of being tasked with killing his son and the death of his life partner, even going about the business of his daily life becomes a test.

After trauma, even the most mundane tasks take on a new layer of challenge. Remember this when you reengage relationships seemingly lost to time over the past year and a half. Handle those around you with care because not everyone can jump back into normal, whatever normal will come to mean, with such ease.

Rabbi Michael Langer teaches Jewish Studies at the Frankel Jewish Academy.

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OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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35

SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH

The Kindness of Strangers

I

n 1966 an 11-year-old Black boy moved with his parents and family to a white neighborhood in Washington. Sitting with his two brothers and two sisters on the front step of the house, he waited to see how they would be greeted. They were not. Passers-by turned to look at them, but no one gave them a Rabbi smile or even a glance of Jonathan recognition. All the fearful Sacks stories he had heard about how whites treated blacks seemed to be coming true. Years later, writing about those first days in their new home, he says, “I knew we were not welcome here. I knew we would not be liked here. I knew we would have no friends here. I knew we should not have moved here …”

As he was thinking those thoughts, a white woman coming home from work passed by on the other side of the road. She turned to the children and with a broad smile said, “Welcome!”

Disappearing into the house, she emerged minutes later with a tray laden with drinks and cream-cheese and jelly sandwiches which she brought

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over to the children, making them feel at home. That moment — the young man later wrote — changed his life. It gave him a sense of belonging where there was none before. It made him realize, at a time when race relations in the United States were still fraught, that a Black family could feel at home in a white area and that there could be relationships that were color-blind.

Over the years, he learned to admire much about the woman across the street, but it was that first spontaneous act of greeting that became, for him, a definitive memory. It broke down a wall of separation and turned strangers into friends.

The young man, Stephen Carter, eventually became a law professor at Yale and wrote a book about what he learned that day. He called it Civility.

The name of the woman, he tells us, was Sara Kestenbaum, and she died all too young. He adds that it was no coincidence that she was a religious Jew. “In the Jewish tradition,” he notes, such civility is called “chesed — the doing of acts of kindness — which is in turn derived from the understanding that human beings are made in the image of God.”

Civility, he adds, “itself may be seen as part of chesed: it does indeed require kindnesses toward our fellow citizens, including the ones who are strangers, and even when it is hard.”

To this day, he adds, “I can close my eyes and feel on my tongue the smooth, slick sweetness of the cream cheese and jelly sandwiches that I gobbled on that summer afternoon when I discovered how a single act of genuine and unassuming civility can change a life forever.”

I never knew Sara Kestenbaum, but years after I had read Carter’s book, I gave a lecture to the Jewish community in the part of Washington where she had lived. I told them Carter’s story, which they had not heard before. But they nodded in recognition. “Yes,” one said, “that’s the kind of thing Sara would do.”

ACTS OF CHESED Something like this thought was surely in the mind of Abraham’s servant, unnamed in the text but traditionally identified as Eliezer, when he arrived at Nahor in Aram Naharaim, northwest Mesopotamia, to find a wife for his master’s son. Abraham had not told him

“CHESED” IS PROVIDING SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS, FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY, ASSISTANCE TO THE POOR, VISITING THE SICK, COMFORTING MOURNERS AND PROVIDING A DIGNIFIED BURIAL FOR ALL.

to look for any specific traits of character. He had simply told him to find someone from his own extended family.

Eliezer, however, formulated a test: “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels, too’ — let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness [chesed] to my master.” (Gen. 24: 12-14) His use of the word chesed here is no accident, for it is the very characteristic he is looking for in the future wife of the first Jewish child, Isaac, and he found it in Rivka.

It is the theme, also, of the book of Ruth. It is Ruth’s kindness to Naomi, and Boaz’s to Ruth that Tenach seeks to emphasize in sketching the background to David, their great-grandson, who would become Israel’s greatest king.

Indeed, the sages said that the three characteristics most important to Jewish character are modesty, compassion and kindness.

The sages based it on the acts of God himself. Rav Simlai taught: “The Torah begins with an act of kindness and ends with an act of kindness. It begins with God clothing the naked: “The Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin and clothed them,” and it ends with Him caring for the dead: “And He [God] buried [Moses] in the Valley.”

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES Chesed — providing shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, assistance to the poor, visiting the sick, comforting mourners and providing a dignified burial for all — became

constitutive of Jewish life. During the many centuries of exile and dispersion Jewish communities were built around these needs. There were hevrot, “friendly societies,” for each of them.

In 17th-century Rome, for example, there were seven societies dedicated to the provision of clothes, shoes, linen, beds and warm winter bed coverings for children, the poor, widows and prisoners. There were two societies providing trousseaus, dowries and the loan of jewelry to poor brides. There was one for visiting the sick, another bringing help to families who had suffered bereavement, and others to perform the last rites for those who had died — purification before burial and the burial service itself. Eleven fellowships existed for educational and religious aims, study and prayer, another raised alms for Jews living in the Holy Land, and others were involved in the various activities associated with the circumcision of newborn boys. Yet others provided the poor with the means to fulfil commands such as mezuzot for their doors, oil for the Chanukah lights and candles for the Sabbath.

Chesed in its many forms became synonymous with Jewish life and one of the pillars on which it stood. Jews performed kindnesses to one another because it was “the way of God” and also because they or their families had had intimate experience of suffering and knew they had nowhere else to turn. It provided an access of grace in dark times. It softened the blow of the

loss of the Temple and its rites.

Once, as R. Yohanan was walking out of Jerusalem, R. Joshua followed him. Seeing the Temple in ruins, he cried, “Woe to us that this place is in ruins, the place where atonement was made for Israel’s iniquities.” R. Yohanan said to him: “My son, do not grieve, for we have another means of atonement which is no less effective. What is it? It is deeds of lovingkindness, about which Scripture says, ‘I desire lovingkindness and not sacrifice’” (Hosea 6:6).[7] Through chesed, Jews humanized fate as, they believed, God’s chesed humanizes the world.

It also added a word to the English language. In 1535 Myles Coverdale published the first-ever translation of the Hebrew Bible into English (the work had been begun by William Tyndale who paid for it with his life, burnt at the stake in 1536). It was when he came to the word chesed that he realized that there was no English word which captured its meaning. It was then that, to translate it, he coined the word “lovingkindness.”

The late Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel used to say, “When I was young, I admired cleverness. Now that I am old, I find I admire kindness more.” There is deep wisdom in those words. It is what led Eliezer to choose Rivka to become Isaac’s wife and thus the first Jewish bride. Kindness brings redemption to the world and, as in the case of Stephen Carter, it can change lives. Wordsworth was right when he wrote that the “best portion of a good man’s [and woman’s] life” is their “little, nameless, unremembered, acts / Of kindness and of love.”

The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks served as the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, 1991-2013.

His teachings have been made available to all at rabbisacks.org. This essay was written in 2014.

OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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37

SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH

I

ntegrity is a word we hear about often.

We know it’s one of the highest compliments you can pay a person. And we all want to be regarded as people of integrity.

When we picture someone with integrity, we think of a person who is upright, honest and honorable. But, what does it actually mean?

It’s an important question to answer because, according to the Talmud, one of the first questions a person is asked when appearing before the Chief Rabbi heavenly court after leaving Warren this world is: “Did you deal Goldstein faithfully and honestly with others?” (Talmud Shabbos 31a). Clearly, integrity is one of the most basic and important values we are expected to live by. But what is it?

It’s obviously a multifaceted concept, but one essential expression of integrity relates to fulfilling the promises and commitments that we make. As Shammai, the great Talmudic sage, puts it: “Say little and do much (Pirkei Avot 1:15). The Talmud (Bava Metzia 87a) states that saying little and doing much is in fact the defining quality of a truly righteous person — and that someone who promises much and doesn’t deliver on those promises is the very opposite of a righteous person.

To illustrate this idea, the Talmud cites the example of Abraham from last week’s parshah. When a group of travelers (who later turn out to be angels, although Abraham didn’t know that when he first encountered them) pass by Abraham’s tent in the heat of the day, he runs out to meet them, promising them bread and water. In the end, though, he goes to extraordinary lengths to lavish them with a huge meal and the finest delicacies — in the words of the Talmud, a royal banquet fit for the table of King Solomon himself.

Clearly, Abraham exemplifies our Mishnah’s teaching: “Say little and do much.”

The Talmud also cites a counterexample from this week’s parshah, Chayei Sarah.

Abraham wishes to purchase the Cave of Machpelah as a burial site for his wife Sarah (which would also become the burial site for the forefathers and foremothers of the Jewish people). Ephron, the owner of the plot of land, initially seems to tell Abraham,

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What Is the Real Meaning of Integrity? very publicly, that he would give it to him as a gift. But he then proceeds, later privately, to extract from Abraham an outrageously inflated price, even playing it down in the process. Ephron promised much and delivered little.

RIVKA’S EXAMPLE Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, one of the great halachic deciders of the 20th century, identifies another potent example of what true integrity is all about in this week’s parshah.

Abraham sends Eliezer, his trusted servant, to Charan to help find a wife for Isaac — to find someone who exhibits the quality of chesed (lovingkindness), and who embodies the values of the house of Abraham, and would continue the legacy of building the Jewish people.

He encounters Rivka drawing water at the well — who, through the seemingly simple act of providing water for Eliezer and his camels to drink, displayed the very traits that would make her a fitting wife for Isaac and one of the great mothers of the Jewish people.

According to Rav Moshe Feinstein, what impressed Eliezer was that she was careful with her promises. Integrity demands being careful not to make promises that you will not be able to keep, and so only after Rivka had already delivered on her first promise to

give Eliezer water, did she then offer to give water to the camels. Rivka demonstrated the trait of integrity — so fundamental to Abraham and Isaac, and to the Jewish people as a whole.

This value of integrity encapsulated in the phrase “say little and do much” is connected to a network of values so essential to human greatness. One such value is the sanctity of speech and fulfilling verbal commitments.

KEEPING YOUR WORD In the context of making and keeping vows, the Torah says: “He shall not desecrate his word.” (Numbers 30:3) The word “desecrate” implies that speech is holy, and that, therefore, one should honor verbal commitments.

Reinforcing this idea of the holiness of speech, Onkelos translates the verse: “… and Adam became a living soul” as: “Adam became a speaking being.” It is the power of speech that distinguishes the human being from the rest of creation that defines the human being.

In fact, the Talmud describes the human being as the medaber — the “speaker.” Speech is sacred, and by extension, so are the promises we make to others.

But, making promises isn’t just about upholding our commitments to others, it’s also about being true to ourselves — what we might call personal integrity. And this

is something separate to the sacredness of speech because it includes keeping promises we make to ourselves, promises we make “in our hearts.”

The Talmud (Bava Basra 88a) describes the great Talmudic sage, Rav Safra, as the epitome of “one who speaks truth in his heart.” (Psalms 15:2) On this, Rav Avraham Yitzchak Bloch says faithfully fulfilling what we undertake to do in our hearts is also an important part of personal integrity.

There’s another aspect of “say little and do much” that characterizes good virtue and integrity.

Virtuous people are interested in acting rather than talking about it. They aren’t interested in publicizing what they do.

They don’t need affirmation or honor and recognition from others. Their focus is on getting things done: helping others, performing mitzvot, doing good deeds for their own sake. But those who are not virtuous are actually interested in the opposite — in what people will say about them, and the honor and recognition they will receive, rather than actually doing good.

These are people who will say a lot and do comparatively little.

The prophet Micha speaks about “walking modestly with your God,” (Micha 6:8) which the Talmud interprets as doing good without seeking the publicity and acclaim that comes with doing so (Succah 49b).

Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz writes that the good deeds performed publicly provide ulterior benefits, such as honor and recognition. Therefore, great effort is required to purify one’s motives by doing these deeds as modestly as possible. (Sichot Mussar 31:46) In other words, we need to purify our inner thoughts and emotions even when doing good deeds.

This focus on inner truth and sincerity rather than externali-

ties is at the core of integrity. We need to ensure our internal state of mind and our external lives are aligned. What we do should be a reflection of who we are.

As the Talmud says: “A Torah scholar whose inside is not like his outside is not a true Torah scholar.” (Yuma 72b) Rabbeinu Bechaya, in his book Duties of the Heart, writes: “Regarding one’s inside who’s not like his outside, scripture says his heart was not whole with Hashem, his God.” (Kings 1,11:4) As is well-known, if someone contradicts themselves or proves themselves a liar, whether in speech or in deed, people no longer believe in their integrity and have no confidence in their sincerity.

Similarly, if our outer and inner selves are in contradiction, if our talk is not matched by our intentions, if the actions of our limbs are at odds with the convictions of our heart, then our worship of God is imperfect.”

And, so, integrity is about how we interact with others, and it’s also how we relate to ourselves. It is a value which cannot be compartmentalized.

You see that in the word itself.

Integrity is related to the word, “integrated.” A person with integrity is a person whose inner life is in harmony with how s/he acts. There is no disconnect.

And this, ultimately, is why integrity is one of the core values of the house of Abraham, and therefore a vital part of our legacy as the Jewish people. Abraham is someone who embodied truth and sincerity, kindness and concern; someone who sprang to the aid of others, moved by a deep inner well of good will toward all people and a deep inner devotion to the will of his Creator.

Rabbi Warren Goldstein is the chief rabbi of South Africa. This essay was first published on aish.com.

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248-644-8565 OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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SPIRIT

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

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

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

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

Congregation Beth Ahm West Bloomfield (248) 851-6880 cbahm.org 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

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OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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 Bais Chabad of North Oak Park (248) 872-8878 chabad.org Bais Haknesses Hagrah Oak Park (248) 542-8737 Balfour Shul – K’Hal Rina U’Tefila Oak Park (732) 693-8457

Chabad Jewish Center of Novi-Northville (248) 790-6075 novijewishcenter.com Chabad Jewish Center of Troy Troy/Rochester Hills (248) 873-5851 jewishtroy.com Chabad-Lubavitch of Bingham Farms Bloomfield Hills (248) 688-6796 chabadbinghamfarms.com

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

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

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

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

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

Shomrey Emunah Southfield (248) 559-1533 congregation-shomreyemunah-105705.square.site The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch West Bloomfield (248) 788-4000 theshul.net Woodward Avenue Shul Royal Oak (248) 414-7485 thewas.net

Congregation Beth El Windsor (519) 969-2422 bethelwindsor.ca

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

Temple Beth El Battle Creek (269) 963-4921

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yagdil Torah Southfield (248) 559-5905 Young Israel of Oak Park (248) 967-3655 yiop.org

Congregation T’chiyah Ferndale (248) 823-7115 tchiyah.org Reconstructionist Congregation of Detroit (313) 567-0306 reconstructingjudiasm.org REFORM Bet Chaverim Canton (734) 480-8880 betchaverim@yahoo.com Temple Benjamin Mt. Pleasant (989) 773-5086 templebenjamin.com

Congregation Beth Shalom Traverse City 231-946-1913 beth-shalom-tc.org Temple Beth Sholom Marquette tbsmqt.org Temple B’nai Israel Kalamazoo (269) 342-9170 Templebnaiisrael.com Temple B’nai Israel Petoskey (231) 489-8269 templebnaiisraelofpetoskey.org Temple Emanuel Grand Rapids (616) 459-5976 grtemple.org

REFORM/RENEWAL Congregation Shir Tikvah Troy (248) 649-4418 shirtikvah.org SECULAR/HUMANISTIC Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Metro Detroit Farmington Hills (248) 477-1410 chj-detroit.org Sholem Aleichem Institute Lathrup Village (240 865-0117 secularsaimichigan.org SEPHARDIC Keter Torah Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 681-3665 rabbisasson.wixsite.com/keter

Ohr Hatorah Oak Park (248) 294-0613 Ohrhatorah.us MINYANS Fleischman Residence West Bloomfield (248) 661-2999 Yeshivat Akivah Southfield (248) 386-1625 farberhds.org

ANN ARBOR

CONSERVATIVE Beth Israel Congregation (734) 665-9897 @BethIsraelCongregation ORTHODOX Ann Arbor Chabad House (734) 995-3276 jewmich.com Ann Arbor Orthodox Minyan annarborminyan.org RECONSTRUCTIONIST Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (734) 445-1910 aarecon.org REFORM Temple Beth Emeth (734) 665-4744 templebethemeth.org RENEWAL Pardes Hanah pardeshanah.org SECULAR HUMANISTIC Jewish Cultural Society (734) 975-9872 jewishculturalsociety.org Please email factual corrections or additional synagogues to list to: smanello@thejewishnews.com.

OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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ARTS&LIFE MUSICAL

On The Road

New grad Becca Suskauer tours with Pretty Woman: The Musical.

JULIE SMITH YOLLES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

J

ust six months ago, Becca Suskauer was doing hybrid learning as a senior about to graduate from Penn State with a BFA in musical theatre. She was submitting self-taped video auditions online, as is the new pandemic norm for actors, and making challah over Facetime with her mom back in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., where Suskauer grew up. For Suskauer, the self-proclaimed “Jewess” will tell you that it’s beshert that she’s cast in the national tour of Pretty Woman: The Musical, one of the first Broadway shows to resume on tour during the pandemic.

“It truly is a dream come true and the definition of surreal,” says Suskauer, 22, who is an ensemble member and understudies the lead role of Vivian Ward, played by Julia Roberts in the movie of the same name.

Pretty Woman: The Musical is based on the ultimate rom-com film classic that starred Roberts and Richard Gere (Adam Pascal plays Gere’s role of Edward Lewis on tour). Its production

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dream team includes Paula Wagner, Garry Marshall, Jerry Mitchell, Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance and J.F. Lawton.

Rehearsals for the tour started in September in New York City. Detroit’s Fisher Theatre will be the third stop from Nov. 2-14.

“It is so cool to look out at the audience from on stage and see every single seat filled with someone who is so excited to be there and to be a part of this shared collective experience. I am so grateful to be a part of bringing theater back,” says Suskauer who also plays Edward’s ex-girlfriend Susan.

Though Suskauer admits that she only saw Pretty Woman the movie for the first time earlier this year, she credits her mother, Michelle Suskauer, a criminal defense attorney, for instilling a love for classic films and musical theater in her two daughters. Becca’s sister, Talia, 25, also graduated from Penn State with a BFA in musical theater and is simultaneously on the national Broadway tour of Wicked,

Becca Suskauer

starring as Elphaba.

“My mom is an incredible Jewish woman who is also the past president of the Florida Bar,” says Suskauer, whose dad, Scott Suskauer, is a Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge. “My parents never questioned our dreams

BROADWAY IN DETROIT

A scene from the current production of Pretty Woman: The Musical

DETAILS Pretty Woman: The Musical runs Nov. 2-14, at the Fisher Theatre, 3011 W.est Grand Blvd., Detroit. Tickets start at $39 (includes facility and parking fees) and are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster. com, by phone at (800) 982-2787, and in person at the Fisher Theatre Box Office. A limited number of premium seats will be available through Ticketmaster and aspirations for musical theater. They continue to support us, which is very validating and not a given for every set of parents.”

STRONG WOMEN Suskauer adds that she comes from a long line of strong Jewish women and Holocaust survivors.

“I think that the character Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman is all about being independent and a survivor, which is what I think is exactly at the core and heart of the Jewish people and, especially, the journey my family has been on,” she says.

Suskauer vividly remembers going on the March of the Living when she was 17 with her grandmother, Rose Rosenkranz, who was born in a Siberian labor camp in 1945. They went to Poland together, visiting the concentration camps and learning about their family history.

“We visited the sites where my ancestors

and at the Fisher Theatre Box Office.

Theater patrons will be required to show proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the performance date or proof of full COVID-19 vaccination before they will be admitted into the venue. Additionally, all patrons will be required to wear a mask while inside the theater, regardless of one’s vaccination status. perished, and then we went to Israel to witness the journey of our people through the years and how we are still fighting antisemitism to this day,” says Suskauer, who considers herself an outspoken Jewish activist, especially in the theater community.

“There needs to be more of us in theater to support each other because, more often than not, we can get lost in the shuffle.”

Suskauer says that the March really empowered her as a young, Jewish woman.

“Vivian’s journey in Pretty Woman is that she doesn’t have a traditional lifestyle and it’s OK to reinvent herself,” Suskauer says. “It’s really interesting to me because it’s kind of like my family who, as immigrants, came to this country to reinvent themselves and have a better life. It’s all about not being discriminated against or being judged and owning your power.”

OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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ARTS&LIFE CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

JUDGE JUDY AND INA GARTEN RETURN + MORE On Nov. 1, Judy Sheindlin, 78, better known as “Judge Judy,” will return to the “media bench” in a new series called Judy Justice.

I say “media bench” and not “TV bench” because Judy Justice will be streamed-only. It will not be on broadcast TV. Long story short: Even though Judge Judy was one of the highest-paid people on TV (well over $1 million per episode), she and CBS had a falling-out.

Judy Justice will stream on IMDB TV, which is owned by Amazon. It is a free app (with ads) that you can download or add to your Roku, AppleTV or Amazon Fire app “lineup.” A new episode will stream every weekday. It’s promised the new show will be “jazzier,” but details are scarce, save for the “reveal” that Sheindlin will wear a burgundy red judge’s robe.

Judge Judy’s new law clerk is Sarah Rose, her granddaughter. Rose, who is about 25, is now in law school. I’ve checked a few articles on the Judge’s extended family, and I just

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BAREFOOT CONTESSA Another seasoned Jewish superstar, Ina Garten, 71, will host a new season of her hit cooking show, The Barefoot Contessa. The premiere episode (Modern Cooking) will stream on Oct. 31 on the Food Network. Also, last week, Garten announced a “big deal” with the Discovery+ channel. The Barefoot Contessa program will continue on the Food Network, but next year she’ll launch a new program called Be My Guest. An hour-long

version will stream on Discovery+, with a halfhour version on the Food Network.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA

Ina Garten

DAVID SHANKBONE VIA WIKIPEDIA

Judge Judy Sheindlin

wasn’t able to find out if Rose is the Judge’s biological granddaughter. No scandal — it’s actually a nice story.

Judge Judy had a son and daughter with her first husband, a Jewish lawyer.

Her second husband, the late Judge Jerry Sheindlin, had three children by his first marriage and Judge Judy helped to raise them.

Three of the now-grown five are lawyers. Judge Judy, to her credit, refers to the children of all five of her “kids” as her grandchildren.

A MOUTHFUL OF AIR Garten cites Martha Stewart as a principal mentor and, in a less than “six-degree” way, Stewart is connected to Amy Koppelman, 47, the director and the writer of the film A Mouthful of Air. It has a limited theater opening on Oct. 29. If you can’t catch it in theaters, view it when it begins streaming.

The film is based on Koppelman’s 1997 novel of the same name. The central character is Julie (played by Amanda Seyfried), an upper-middle class Jewish woman with a “nice” Jewish husband.

As the novel/film opens, she has a 1-year-old boy and has been unable to overcome a severe case of post-partum depression. In recent interviews, Koppelman notes that post-partum depression is often discussed today, but back in 1997, she was hard-pressed to find a reference to it on the internet.

She added that she, herself, had a long history of depression that antedated her first pregnancy. She went off her “meds” while pregnant, but quickly realized she couldn’t function if she stayed off them after she gave birth.

Koppleman was born Amy Levine and was raised in New Jersey. In 1982, she wed her husband Brian Koppelman, now 55, at the Central Synagogue in Manhattan. Brian is now

best known as the co-creator and “showrunner” of the hit Showtime series Billions.

Brian’s father, Charles Koppelman, 81, has held big entertainment-related jobs for decades. He was head of the Martha Stewart company (2005-2011).

I doubt it’s a coincidence that Billions star Paul Giamatti has a major role in Mouthful of Air. By the way, while Giamatti isn’t Jewish, his only child is being raised in his mother’s Jewish faith.

MORE STUFF The Motive, a hit Israeli documentary series, will begin streaming on Netflix on Oct. 28. The Jerusalem Post says: “It tells the grisly and baffling story of a 14-year-old boy who murdered his parents and two sisters with his father’s rifle in Jerusalem in 1986. The boy said a green creature entered his mind and told him to kill his family.”

As I write this, the Atlanta Braves and the L.A. Dodgers are vying for the National League title and the Houston Astros are battling the Boston Red Sox for the American League title.

As previously noted, the Braves have a star Jewish pitcher, Max Fried, 27, and Houston has a star Jewish third baseman, Alex Bregman, 27. Well, add Braves’ outfielder, Joc Pederson, 29, to the “Jewish player watch list.”

He was traded to Atlanta in July and has his bat has greatly aided Atlanta.

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

SELF ENRICHMENT 8:30 AM, OCT. 28 On Thursday mornings, The Well starts the day by nourishing bodies and souls. Join for mindful morning learning and music that will leave you energized, connected and ready to start the day. Info: meetyouatthewell.org.

Howard Lupovitch

JEWISH MIGRATION PATTERNS 7-8:30 PM, NOV. 2 & 9 Offered on Zoom by JLearn of the JCC; co-sponsored by CohnHaddow Center for Judaic Studies. Instructor: Professor Howard Lupovitch. Migration from Detroit to the suburbs is a central theme in the history of our Jewish community. Tuition: $40.

To register: 248-205-2557 or JLearn.online.

DETROIT’S REFORM RIFT 7 PM, NOV. 3 Hosted by Temple Beth El, this online event will feature a discussion of “Anti-Zionism in the Reform Movement.” Register at form.123formbuilder. com/6003145/form.

Laura Gottlieb, director of Cultural Resources,

will present the primary sources that will peel back the layers on the rift between Zionism and antiZionism in Detroit’s Reform Jewish community during the mid-20th century.

FEMALE LEADERSHIP 11 AM, NOV. 4 Tikvah Hadassah will host Rebecca Starr, director of regional programs for Hartman Institute of North America, speaking on “From Sarah to Golda: Female Jewish Leadership Past, Present and Future.” At Congregation Shaarey Zedek, 27375 Bell Road, Southfield.

Cost: $10 members; $12 nonmembers. Register by Nov. 1: hadassahmidwest. org/TikvahLeadership.

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FAMILIAR PRAYERS NOON-1:15 PM, NOV. 4, 11, 18, DEC. 2 Offered on Zoom by JLearn of the JCC. Instructor: Rabbi Robert Dobrusin. Our most familiar prayers are very comforting to say and to hear but they can lose their meaning when we say or hear them so often.

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continued on page 46 OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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the exchange

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

community bulletin board | professional services

continued from page 45

for members, $18 for non-members. Register by 9 pm on Nov. 3: info@ michiganjewishhistory.org.

Rabbi Robert Dobrusin

prayers. Tuition: $65. To register: 248-205-2557 or JLearn.online.

ORT WINGO 5:30-9:30 PM, NOV. 4 Virtual event. Register at ortamerica.org/regions/ Michigan-region; 248-7238860.

Erin Einhorn

SEGREGATION ISSUES 7 PM, NOV.4 “Detroit Jews, Segregation and the Birwood Wall” will be a Zoom presentation with Erin Einhorn, NBC news reporter. Hosted by the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan. Einhorn, a Jewish Detroit resident whose father grew up not far from the wall, shares what she learned about roles Jews played in the story of the infamous Birwood Wall. Cost: $10

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EPIC NIGHT CARNIVAL 7:30-11 PM, NOV.6 Celebrate 10 years with NEXTGen Detroit. This annual fundraiser has left the theater and is popping up at the brand-new, open-air M1 Concourse Event Center in the form of an after-dark carnival complete with fairway games, prizes, music, cocktails, fair food, entertainers and more.

You must be 21 or over to attend. Dietary laws observed. Dress cute, but cozy; it’s an outdoor carnival in November after all. Email updates will be sent prior to the event, reflecting the CDC’s most recent recommendations to ensure this event is COVID-conscious and safe. In addition to the cost of a ticket, a minimum donation of $100 to the Jewish Federation’s 2022 Annual Campaign is required from each EPIC guest. Info: jewishdetroit. org.

FALL FIX UP 9 AM-NOON, NOV. 7 This is a family event sponsored by Jewish Family Service. Info: sstrasberger@jfsdetroit. org; 248-592-2267.

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

For information regarding advertising please call 248-351-5116 Deadline for ad insertion is 10am on Friday prior to publication.

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CALL JOHN: 248 -770-8772 FORMER MARINE

HEALTHCARE A1 CAREGIVER/COMPANION. Experienced, excellent references. 248-991-4944 G&F Professional ServicesCompassionate, affordable, responsible and efficient homecare. Call Georgiana (248) 571-1837 (www. gfprofessionalservices.com) TRANSPORTATION A1 DRIVER for Drs appts,shopping, errands,airports and more.

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ANTIQUES WANTED. / BUYING / ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLESCOINS, STAMPS, WATCHES, CAMERAS Please Call (248) 259-8088 or Text (313)395-8599Website= a.airsite.coEmail= wevexgotxstuff@aol.com MISCELLANEOUS Hard working woman looking for housekeeping position. 30 years experience with great references. Call Lana 313-534-1514

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thejewishnews.com/newsletter OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

R

A Loving Family Man and Builder

yan Dembs, 49, of Franklin, passed away unexpectedly on Oct. 17, 2021.

He was born in Detroit three weeks late to Linda and Dennis Dembs and was cherished by his family from the day he was brought home from the hospital. His mother remarked how he was “born considerate,” sleeping through his very first night.

He grew up in a nurturing home in Farmington Hills with his mom and older sister Lauren; his dad and stepmom, Sandra, were very close by. Ryan and sister Lauren rarely fought.

Together they spent their childhood playing Atari, dancing to their mom’s piano playing, riding their bikes with friends around the neighborhood and traveling with their dad and Sandra.

In school, he was exceptionally smart although a bit mischievous. He became a member of Mensa at a young age, solving any Rubik’s Cube given to him. As a young child, Ryan developed athletic abilities; his favorite sports were tennis and baseball.

Ryan had a special relationship with each of his parents.

His mother’s kindness and unwavering loyalty are values Ryan carried throughout his life. His relationship with his father grew through their love of music to working down the hall from one another. Denny’s joy was watching his son navigate his career and create professional relationships as a real estate developer.

Ryan was a dedicated uncle to his nieces and nephews and always enjoyed hearing about their accomplishments. To his in-laws, he was the son they never had.

During his formative years, Ryan amassed a large network

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of friends, relationships he has cultivated for his entire life, which became part of his family. Friends were drawn to him for his kindness, insightful mind and one-of-a-kind brotherhoods. Ryan Ryan Dembs made everyone feel important. He was a wonderful listener, advice giver and advocate.

Ryan spent the last 25 years building a successful real estate business, cultivating and growing Dembs Development into what it is today. He surrounded himself with steadfast employees in the office and the field; his employees, contractors and subcontractors became extensions of his family. His accolades span developments in Auburn Hills, which include the new research lab facility of Martinrea and the U.S. headquarters of GKN Automotive, the high-tech manufacturer of innovative products, Nachi Robotics Systems in Novi and the American Expedition Vehicle technical center in Lyon Township. His most recent endeavor was transforming the 360,000-square-foot Federal-Mogul building into the American headquarters of the Italian and Japan-based automotive supplier Marelli.

His turn-key projects from conception to construction span the state of Michigan and will continue to be a reminder and tribute to his triumphant career.

The biggest honor in his life was the formation of his own family. Ryan took the initiative to call Lindsay and ask her out on a date after insistence from his father. With his car detailed and shoes shined, he spent the evening talking to Lindsay. He knew during dinner he had met

his soulmate, his one true love. Lindsay and Ryan’s unending love brought them success as parents with their two greatest accomplishments, Dylan and Harrison. Sharing family dinners and listening about their days was Ryan’s favorite pastime.

He was a devoted father who shared a passion for sports with his boys, which included watching boxing matches, Piston games and traveling to Lion’s games or All-Star sporting events. Once a month, they unboxed sports cards together hoping for that special card; at Thanksgiving dinner they pulled the Michael Jordan Rookie card.

Moving Dylan to Indiana University was a proud moment for Ryan; he knew Dylan would flourish on campus. This past summer, Harrison went to work with Ryan on the Marelli jobsite. Following in the footsteps of his father, he quickly became friends with all the contractors, sharing lunch together at the local Coney Island.

Ryan cared very much for the Jewish community. He and Lindsay quickly became involved with JARC, co-chairing young adult events; they also spear-headed events for Yad Ezra. He gave generously and quietly. Ryan supported the many people and charities that were close to his heart. After his wife was diagnosed with MS, he made it his mission to research, support and make sure Lindsay would receive the best care. He was a devoted, humble and generous husband.

Ryan possessed a skill set of brilliant business acumen to go along with his integrity to have amassed a wide network of friends, acquaintances and business professionals from all

walks of life. Whether it was through his daily phone calls, Wednesdays at tennis, yoga sessions, Sunday runs, family affairs, trips up north, vacations, business meetings or walking the construction sites, many were lucky to call Ryan their best friend. It is unimaginable that this sadness will dissipate, but his legacy as a gem will live on forever; he will be missed by all.

To have known Ryan was a blessing. His humbleness, respect, charismatic personality, easiness and his mere presence taught us how to treat people, how to give and how to love. He was a superhero to his boys, a prince to his wife, a rockstar to many, a respectable real estate developer to professionals and a best friend to everyone he knew. Ryan’s light will continue to radiate through our entire community.

Ryan Dembs is survived by his wife of 20 years, Lindsay Dembs; two sons, Dylan and Harrison; his loving parents, Linda Dembs, and Sandra and Dennis Dembs; his loving mother-in-law and father-inlaw, Shelley and David Wainer; his sister and brother-in-law, Lauren and Randy Lesson; his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Ashley and Brian Adelman; his nieces and nephews, Corey, Josh and Jillian Lesson, Aria and Evann Oleshansky, Madeline, Jonah, Isabella and Joey Adelman; his special friend, Suda Wagner; his other loving relatives and a world of friends.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a personal campaign sponsored In Memory of Ryan Dembs; or to a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements made by Dorfman Chapel.

JOSEPH BIELAWSKI, 83, of Southfield, died Oct. 19, 2021.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Nili Bielawski; sons and daughters-in-law, Uri and Julie Bielawski of Commerce Township, Benny and Amanda Mazur Bielawski of Highland Park, Ill.; daughter and son-in-law, Edna and David Herman of Modien, Israel; grandchildren, Joshua Bielawski, Marcos Bielawski, Brooke Bielawski, Claire Bielawski, Alden Bielawski, Dempsey Bielawski, Devorah Herman, Daniel Herman, Esther Herman.

Mr. Bielawski was the dear brother of the late Nera Alphont.

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

Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

NICOLE MARIE BILHIMER, 31, of Berkley, passed away on Oct. 8, 2021.

She was the beloved daughter of David Bilhimer and Sandi (Todd) Dubois; stepdaughter of Mitch Harris; dear sister of David Crouder and Cat (J) De La Paz. A memorial gathering took place on Oct. 24 at the Community House in Birmingham.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a contribution in Nikki’s memory to Detroit Dog Rescue: detroitdogrescue. com/donate.

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OF BLESSED MEMORY

A Legend In Motorsports

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OBITUARIES

R

ichard ished in the accomMaskin, 74, plishments of his of Royal children and took Oak, died Oct. 16, ultimate pride in 2021. his grandchildren.

He was a legend He will be most of the motorsports remembered for his world, beginning integrity, gentleness his career as a lot and generosity. man and mechan- Richard Maskin Richard helped ic at his family’s countless people Pontiac dealership before out when they fell on tough becoming a professional drag times and did so without racer. In 1972, Richard made asking questions or expectthe leap to NHRA (National ing anything in return. His Hot Rod Association) Pro memory is an example to us Stock, where he won multiall. ple championships and set Richard Alan Maskin national records as a driver was the beloved husband and crew chief. of Sharon Maskin; father A true mechanical masof Tricia and Dale Kortes, termind and entrepreneur, Bridget and Matt Genette, Richard founded Dart David and Christina Coden, Machinery in a humble Daniel Teweles and Gili Oak Park garage in 1981.

Karev, and Robin and He spent the next 37 years Michael Berman; beloved growing Dart into a globally grandfather to Tommy, recognized aftermarket man- Aidan and Sydney Genette, ufacturer that helped revoAlyssa and Ryan Kortes, lutionize the auto industry Elliot and Arthur Berman, with its premium aftermarket and Harlan and Maurice cylinder heads and engine Coden; his sister, Julie (the blocks. Dart parts have won late Dave Rollins) Maskin; multiple NHRA Pro Stock brother, Doug (Marie) world championships and Maskin; many nieces, dozens of national events. nephews, great-nieces and Richard was inducted into great-nephews. the Michigan Motorsports He was predeceased by his Hall of Fame in 2015; and in parents, George and Elaine 2019, he was the recipient of Maskin. a lifetime achievement award Interment was at Clover from the NHRA in recogniHill Park Cemetery. tion of his contributions to Contributions may be the sport and industry. made to Lewy Body No matter his professionDementia Association, al successes, Richard was 912 Killian Hill Road S.W., a proud family man. As he Lilburn, GA 30047, lbda. slowly took his foot off the org. Arrangements by Ira pedal of his career, he relKaufman Chapel.

continued from page 49

EDITH ROSEN ERDBERG, 88, of Lauderhill, Fla., died Oct. 16, 2021.

Born in Vienna, Austria, Edith was a survivor of two Soviet forced-labor camps in Novosibirsk and Karaganda. She left Vienna when she was 5 years old and did not return until she was 14; seven years were spent imprisoned in the camps.

She was immensely proud of her children’s and grandchildren’s values and accomplishments, always instilling in her family the importance of education. She was thrilled to become a great-grandmother.

Mrs. Erdberg was the beloved wife of the late Harry

Rosen and the late Jules Erdberg; cherished mother of Tamara and Bruce Gorosh, and the late Dr. Ronald Rosen and family; adored stepmother of Marcia and Dan Simons, and Audrey and Howard Cohen; loving Oma of Hilary and Eli Wald, Jamie Gorosh and fiancé, Noah Cahan, Rachel Gorosh, Sarah Simons, Nicole Simons, Michelle and Cody Snyder, and Stephanie Cohen; great-grandmother of Judah Wald.

Interment took place at Machpelah Cemetery. Donations may be made to Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334. Arrangements

by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

JOSEPH GOLDRING, 92, of West Bloomfield, died Oct. 18, 2021.

He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Diane and Kenneth Jacobs; sons and daughter-in-law, Stuart and Bess Goldring, and Michael Goldring; brother and sisterin-law, Howard and Rachel Goldring; sister and brotherin-law, Roberta and Howard Taylor; grandchildren, Loren Jacobs, Rebecca Jacobs (Brandon Tschida), Adam Jacobs, Michelle, Douglas, Richard, Laura, Jason, Jacob and Carly Goldring; great-grandchildren, Elliot and Jack Jacobs; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.

Mr. Goldring was the beloved husband of the late Lola Goldring.

Interment took place at B’nai Israel Cemetery in Novi.

Contributions may be made to the Jewish War Veterans or to the Holocaust Memorial Center. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

FAY GUSSIN, 95, of San Diego, Calif., died Oct 10, 2021.

She lived in Oak Park, where she and husband Herb raised their family before retiring to San Diego.

Mrs. Gussin is survived by her children, Dane (Debbie), Craig (Arlene), Brad (Carmen) and Robin continued on page 52

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OCTOBER 28 • 2021

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 51

Gunning; grandchildren, Jacob, Jared, Margaux, Gabe and Hal. She was the cherished wife for 62 years of the late Herb Gussin; sister of the late Lou Jacobs, Mary Rubin, Sophie Segel and Gail Lopata.

Contributions to honor Fay can be made to “Ride out Lyme” or “Lyme Light Foundation.”

ADDIE JANE (ADINA) BECKERMAN ADLER JELEN, 95, passed peacefully Sept. 19, 2021, in Springfield, Ore. She was born Aug. 27, 1926, and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa. She married

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Joseph Beckerman in 1946 and moved to Detroit.

Addie raised a family and became an active member of the Detroit community. In 1980, AJ relocated to Laguna Hills Leisure World with her beloved second husband, Harold Adler, and together they shared an active and vibrant life.

Upon Hal’s passing in 1990, A.J. was blessed to embrace another life chapter with Eddie Jelen, and they moved to Eugene, Ore., to savor moments together along the Willamette River with family and friends. Steadfast and caring, Eddie remained at her side until his death.

AJ was ahead of her time and gratefully practiced

and taught the technique of Transcendental Meditation.

She is lovingly remembered for countless reasons: as an exceptional woman with boundless love, a radiant beauty with bottomless generosity and an endearing smile and an unyielding concern for others’ emotional, spiritual and mental wellbeing.

She made friends, was an active community member and possessed a gift for theatrical performance. Her signature presentation of Bertolt Brecht’s monologue short story, “The Jewish Wife,” demonstrated her potent acting ability and was most recently performed in 2019.

She is survived by her children, Eric and Janet Beckerman, David and Heftsi Assaf Beckerman, Kathy and Daniel Jadick, William and Sandy Adler, Steve and Juana Jelen, and Barbara and Roy Saunders; grandchildren, Forrest, Luke, Brent and Sara Shane, Daniel and Anna; great-grandchildren, Cora, Juliette, Zain, Nico, Lilie and Logan. Many loving cousins, other family and friends.

IRENE LIGHT, 95, of West Bloomfield, died Oct. 21, 2021.

She is survived by her sons and daughter-in-law, Alan Cassels, David and Tina

Light; daughters and sons-inlaw, Susan and Blair Kamin, Terri and Gary Cooper, Cindy and Mark Rhynard; grandchild, Ben Cooper. She is also survived by Buddy, Precious, and many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.

Mrs. Light was the beloved wife of the late Bunny Cassels and the late Nathan Light.

Interment took place at Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Contributions may be made to the Cooper Music Fund at Temple Shir Shalom or the Michigan Animal Rescue League. Arrangements

by Dorfman Chapel.

DR. RONALD SHELDON PAROLY, 87, of West Bloomfield, died Oct. 14, 2021.

Dr. Paroly, the eldest son of Cyril and Mary (Schwartz) Paroly, was born in Newark, N.J., on Feb. 2, 1934, and grew up in nearby Irvington.

He passed away in Boynton Beach, Fla. Ron attended the University of Missouri

and then graduated from the Kansas City College of Osteopathy and Surgery in 1958. He began his career in obstetrics and gynecology at Detroit Osteopathic Hospital and went on to deliver many beautiful babies in his more than four decades of practice in Metropolitan Detroit.

Dr. Paroly was beloved by family, friends and patients for his quiet sense of humor and easy-going nature. He loved all the dogs in his life over the years and especially enjoyed showing his champion Bullmastiffs, Bella and Herc.

He was an avid fan of the Michigan Wolverines and played countless rounds of golf as a member of Western Golf and Country Club (Michigan) and Hunters Run Country Club (Florida).

Dr. Paroly was the beloved partner of Madalyn Beteag; loving father of Matthew (Susan) Paroly and Stephen Paroly; dear brother of Maeva Linovitz and Edward (Roni) Parlin; loving Papa to his grandsons, Charley, Jack and Will Paroly.

Contributions may be

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

SHEILA SMITH RIEMER, 81, former Detroiter of Palm Desert, Calif., died Oct. 7, 2021.

She was a vice president at Antelope Mall Vision Centre.

Mrs. Riemer enjoyed cruising, going to Las Vegas, doing crosswords, playing golf and poker video slots.

She is survived by her husband of 35 years, Alvyn Riemer; children, Randy (Violet) Rein, Pamela (Scott) Shifflett, Jay Rein, Mindy (Michael) Schumann; grandchildren, Ben Shifflett, Alex Shifflett, Sydney Rein, Samantha Rein and Lyndy Ulery; sister-in-law, Kathy (Gary) Young; nephews and nieces, Jamie (Brittney) Smith, Adam (Melody) Smith Jordan (Jessie) Smith, Ellie Ander and Robyn Loscutoff; great-nieces and great-nephews, Goldie Bea, Cooper, Cree, Robert and Hudson.

Mrs. Riemer was the sister

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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.

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of the late Sanford Smith.

A service was held at Mount Sinai Mortuary in Los Angeles, Calif. Interment at Mount Sinai Cemetery.

A celebration of life will be held in Detroit later this summer; date and time will be announced.

Contributions may be made to Tunnels to Towers, T2T.org. Condolences may be sent to Alvyn Riemer, 78581 Moonstone Lane, Palm Desert, CA 92201.

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Looking Back

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

Ads as a Perspective on Our Past

I

t is time again for a Looking Back that looks back at a few historical advertisements from the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History.

As I cruise through the Archive every week, I see hundreds of ads in the Detroit Jewish Chronicle and the JN. I select the best and save them for future columns.

I must admit, I just love the old ads. However, as I’ve stated before, I also consider them to be revealMike Smith ing windows into our past Alene and Graham Landau that speak of the trends Archivist Chair and events that affected American society.

Advertisements during WWII (19391945) prove my point. For example, consider the ad announcing “Ben Pupko’s Big Freeze” in the May 1, 1942, issue of the Chronicle. It begins by stating that Ben’s prices have already been “frozen much below the levels that the O.P.A. wants maintained …” The O.P.A. is an acronym for the federal Office of Price Administration. Established in 1941, this agency was responsible for controlling prices of all goods but agricultural products and rationing of key commodities such as meat, coffee and sugar as well as tires and gasoline.

The advertisement for curtains also noted that Pupko always had a “warmspot in his heart for low prices.” Moreover, since he started his business in 1939, he had waged a “little private war of his own against high prices.” I’m glad Pupko was on our side!

There were other interesting ads from the WWII era. In the Aug. 28, 1945, JN, shortly after Japan surrendered, the Grand River Chevrolet Co. ran an ad declaring “Sorry, We Have No New Autos for Sale Now.” It would appear to be a weird ad for a car dealership, but not when one

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considers that all of America’s automobile companies had shifted to war production and had yet to resume making cars for the private market. However, this dealer would make your old car as good as new.

Two beer ads from the era also caught my eye. Before the recent wave of litebeers, E&B from Detroit said “Eat, Drink and Don’t Worry” (March 27, 1942). A few years later, Schmidt’s Beer advertised that its beverage was “dietetically non-fattening” (Feb. 20, 1948). The fine print in both ads noted that their low-calorie claims were relative to other “foods on your table.”

One of my favorites was for the “Miracle Working, Scientific Discovery” that is “Swerl Soap: The Magic Suds” (Jan. 1, 1948, JN). Folks, this soap could do it all — “dishes shine without wiping,” “renews the beauty of fine fabrics” and “bubble bath with no soap ring.” So, the lesson is: whether washing dishes, clothes or the kids, use Swerl. And, it was kosher to boot!

An ad showing two tykes staring at the screen in the Sept. 22, 1972, JN asked: “Do Your Children Get Their Thrills From TV?” If you would like them to read more, then the Dorothy S. Orent Reading Center could help. Replace the TV in the ad with an iPad or Tablet, and the quest for better reading for children might still be relevant nearly 50 years later.

I’ll close with a very important advertisement from Sept.

21, 1984: “The Jewish News is Your Window to the World.”

It still is.

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

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