THE DETROIT
JEWISH NEWS 200 Feb. 4-10, 2021 / 22-28 Shevat 5781
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Sheltering in One Place Multi-generational families move in together during the pandemic. See page 11
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contents Feb. 4-10, 2021 / 22-28 Shevat 5781 | VOLUME CLIX, ISSUE 1
18
32 PURELY COMMENTARY 5-9
OUR COMMUNITY
10
Mitzvah Makers
11
Sheltering in One Place
16
Multi-generational families move in together during the pandemic.
about Christianity.
17 18 19
22 23
SPIRIT 27
Torah Portion
NOSH 28
A foodie “staycation” Downtown can be fun in times of COVID.
SPORTS Quick Hits
31
Taking Time to Enjoy Family
ARTS&LIFE
After 16 years, Rabbi Rachel Shere leaves Adat Shalom pulpit.
32
Sweet Color Combo
34
Moving Forward After Grief
Lea Luger to Retire from Yad Ezra Longtime executive director helped feed hungry for 28 years.
JCC Day Camps Plan for Summer
Fun and normalcy are goals, despite COVID restrictions.
Tamarack Gets $50,000 Grant
35
ETC.
Spotlight The Exchange Obituaries Raskin Looking Back
37 38 40 45 46
Get Your Travel & Dining Fix
Focus on Unity and Inclusion
JCRC/AJC names diversity associate.
CAMP GUIDE 20
MAZEL TOV!
26
Unsolicited Proselytizing
Local Jews are mailed unwanted book
28
In Ultimate Gray and Illuminating, Pantone’s new dual colors of the year break free from a pandemic state of mind. Temple Israel hosts author and father of Parkland school mass-murder victim.
Celebrity Jews
ON THE GO
Shabbat Lights
Shabbat starts: Friday, Feb. 5, 5:34 p.m. Shabbat ends: Saturday, Feb. 6, 6:38 p.m.
* Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.
ON THE COVER: Cover photo/credit: Courtesy of the Fox and McDonald families Cover design: Michelle Sheridan
thejewishnews.com Follow Us on Social Media: Facebook @DetroitJewishNews Twitter @JewishNewsDet Instagram @detroitjewishnews
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Aid for this summer’s activities and scholarships.
Camp Listings FEBRUARY 4 • 2021
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PURELY COMMENTARY
History. Davidoff, Senior Advisor to the Detroit Jewish News Foundation Board, is also President Mark and CEO of The Davidoff Fisher Group, the central office for the family of Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher, the immediate past Michigan managing partner for Deloitte LLP and previously served for 12 years with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, eventually as its Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director. “With the recent transfer
of the Jewish News to the DJN Foundation, we are best positioned for the Jewish News and the Davidson Archives to be of service to the greater Detroit community and Jews worldwide,” Davidoff said. Although this change means a lot to the sustainability of the paper’s future, readers and advertisers should still expect the same independent journalism they’ve always relied upon. The Foundation board did take this opportunity to update the Mission and Vision statements of the JN at its last board meeting, respecting the vision of Founder Philip Slomovitz, who wrote, in part, in the first issue of the Detroit Jewish News on March 27, 1942: “The Jewish News pledges itself to a program whose concern it becomes to keep Jews and non-Jews fully informed on facts relating to the Jewish position; whose chief interest it is to advance the morale of our people and to hold high the banner of democracy, religious freedom and good will among all faiths ...” Our New Mission: The Detroit
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The DJN Foundation’s Bright Vision for the Detroit Jewish News JACKIE HEADAPOHL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL
T
his issue marks a new page in the Detroit Jewish News’ nearly 80-year storied history, as the editorial and operational staff of the JN are “officially” welcomed into the Detroit Jewish News Foundation, publisher of the now not-forprofit JN. This change cements the future of the JN as the paper serving Metro Detroit’s Jewish community for years to come. The Detroit Jewish News Foundation has appointed Mark Davidoff to work with the JN team on a weekly basis and to oversee the stewardship of the William Davidson Digital Archive of Detroit Jewish 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
DIrector of Editorial: Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com Copy Editor: David Sachs dsachs@thejewishnews.com Social Media and Digital Producer: Nathan Vicar nvicar@thejewishnews.com Staff Reporter: Danny Schwartz dschwartz@thejewishnews.com Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@thejewishnews.com Senior Columnist: Danny Raskin dannyraskin2132@gmail.com Contributing Writers: Nate Bloom, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Shari S. Cohen, Alicia Chandler, Shelli Leibman Dorfman, Ben Falik, Louis Finkelman, Stacy Gittleman, Esther Allweiss Ingber, Mark Jacobs, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz, Robin Schwartz, Mike Smith, Steve Stein, Ashley Zlatopolsky
Director of Advertising: Keith Farber kfarber@thejewishnews.com Senior Account Executive: Kathy Harvey-Mitton kmitton@thejewishnews.com
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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.
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. Our New Vision: 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. The DJN Foundation and the staff of the JN vow to hold fast to these ideals, which will be published proudly on our masthead, as we continue to share the many inspiring stories of our community. About the Detroit Jewish News Foundation: Originally founded in 2011, the Foundation oversees the digitization and archiving of the print history of the JN and the Detroit Jewish Chronicle and now serves as publisher of the not-forprofit Detroit Jewish News.
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To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.djnfoundation.org
FEBRUARY 4 • 2021
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PURELY COMMENTARY for openers
Vaccination Day Diary! 4:30 A.M. THURSDAY, JAN. 14, 2021
W
aking up at 4:30 this morning was standard procedure for me. It was an expected daily awakening usually reserved for a quick bathroom run and then back to sleep. It was exactly like the bathroom run I had at 2:30 this morning. (At 66 years old you chart these things.) But on this morning Alan my iPhone had Muskovitz more than the time illuminated on the screen — there was an email from Beaumont Health updating me about my COVID vaccination. And that’s all it took for the flood gates to open … of my mind that is. This was vaccination day for me. I would be getting my first dose at 5:10 this afternoon. So why was Beaumont emailing me at 4:30 in the morning?! A rational mind would assume it’s an appointment reminder. I said a rational mind. My mind was busy thinking they’re changing their mind or worse … they ran out of vaccines! letters
Holocaust Remembrance Day The 27th of January, it was that day in 1945 that the infamous Auschwitz death camp was liberated and designated as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the day we remember the 6 million of our people who perished in
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Sleep gave way to the anxiety and exhilaration of what I would find in this early morning transmission, accompanied by a rush of thoughts of how I felt on this, my vaccination day. But I didn’t know my My Beaumont Chart password by heart, so I had to venture down to my office to get it — which I did — after that bathroom run. The email? It was an appointment reminder. Imagine that? I couldn’t fall back asleep because I was having a very unexpected reaction to vaccination day. “Unexpected reaction,” admittedly not the best choice of words hours before getting my vaccination. I was actually feeling a variety of emotions. Similar to the excitement I used to feel on my first day of school, mixed with the anticipatory anxiety little camper Alan used to experience after waking up too early the morning of my annual summer bus ride to Camp Tanuga. My joy and gratitude of finally getting vaccinated was reaching a crescendo in this early morning hour, like reaching the top of the first hill on a rollercoaster. But instead of throwing my arms up in sheer exultation, a melancholy feeling came over me. What the Holocaust, or Shoah as it is called in my native Hebrew. Although I nor my parents are Holocaust survivors, it seems that it was an integral part of my life as long as I can remember. Both my parents left their respective shetls in Eastern Europe for then Palestine in the early 1920s, but their families whom they left behind
about the hundreds of thousands of Americans, more than 400,000, who have died before getting their chance at living to see another day? And the countless others who have suffered and continue to experience COVID’s lasting effects? And the millions who must endure what appears to be the snail’s pace of receiving a vaccination appointment? It literally took my breath away. I’m thinking of our frontline workers who’ve sacrificed so much, some their lives, so others could live. I’m thinking of the thousands of residents in our senior communities, those who’ve succumbed to the virus, and those who continue to battle heart-wrenching isolation, hoping that in this vaccination, there will be light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. To that end, I’m also thinking of the incredible minds of the scientists and researchers whose expediency in developing the vaccines is nothing short of a miracle. COVID-19 has taken us all on the ultimate emotional rollercoaster ride. For months, we’ve were all murdered by the Nazis and were deeply mourned by them. My mother especially grieved for a beloved younger sister who almost joined her in Palestine but didn’t. The husband came to scout the land where my father, who owned ice boxes in Tel Aviv, promised him a job, something necessary for getting a permit from the British Mandate, which ruled
ridden up and down with news that on one day brings us hope, only to be filled with new uncertainties the next day. But unlike typical rollercoaster rides, we’re not getting off this one yelling, “Let’s do it again!” Ironically, when I first typed the word communities above, as in senior communities? Upon proofing, I discovered it came out as “immunities.” I’m going to take that as a very good sign. At 6:15 a.m. on this momentous day I went back to bed for a few more minutes of sleep. As I laid my head down, I gave thanks for the vaccination I was about to receive and prayed that you would be next in line. P.S. At 6:27 I got up to go the bathroom again. Alan Muskovitz is a writer, voice-over/ acting talent, speaker, and emcee. Visit his website at laughwithbigal.com,“Like” Al on Facebook and reach him at amuskovitz@ renmedia.us.
Palestine, and all seemed OK for the family to make alliyah, but then he changed his mind and they all perished. So on the 27th of January, I lit the traditional memorial candle for all the family members whom I never had the chance to know but for whom my parents grieved their entire lives. — Rachel Kapen West Bloomfield
MELANIE
BISHOP NOAH
BISHOP-COHEN
“SOLD” is my middle name
The Next Generation of “SOLD”
melaniesold@aol.com
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Max Broock Realtors Bloomfield Hills Congratulates its #1 agents, Melanie S. Bishop & Noah S. Bishop-Cohen, on their best year ever! Over $61 million closed with over 90 homes sold! 311 Alfred St, Detroit 307 Anaconda St, Commerce 29298 Apple Blossom Ln, Farmington Hills * 4350 Apple Valley Ln, West Bloomfield 1386 Avondale, Sylvan Lake 4094 Bacon Ave, Berkley 3159 Bloomfield Shore, West Bloomfield 3171 Bloomfield Shore, West Bloomfield 2180 Bloomfield Woods Ct, West Bloomfield 10897 Bouldercrest Dr, Green Oak Twp. 16680 Brooklane Blvd, Northville 6051 Charles Dr, West Bloomfield 1433 Chesapeake, Royal Oak 4865 Cliffside Dr, West Bloomfield 3845 Columbia Dr, Bloomfield Hills 4275 Compton Way, Bloomfield Hills 1436 Covington Crossing, Commerce 6904 Covington Ct, West Bloomfield * 6081 Dunmore Dr, West Bloomfield 32781 W. Eleven Mile Rd, Farmington Hills 4601 Fairway Ridge, West Bloomfield 4753 Fairway Ridge, West Bloomfield 340 Ferndale Ave, Birmingham 6658 Fireside Ct, West Bloomfield 750 Forest #C5, Birmingham 5150 Forest Way, Bloomfield Hills * 4326 Foxpointe Dr, West Bloomfield 1633 Franklin Hills Dr, Bloomfield Hills 1925 Golf Ridge Dr, Bloomfield Hills
677 Goodale Ave, Clawson 7410 W. Greenwich Dr, Bloomfield Hills 7425 E. Greenwich Dr, Bloomfield Hills 95 Hadsell Dr, Bloomfield Hills 1435 Hazel, Birmingham 6755 Heron Point, West Bloomfield 2464 Heronwood Dr, Bloomfield Hills * 7515 Hiddenbrook Ln, Bloomfield Hills 2239 Hidden Lake Dr, West Bloomfield 31045 Hunters Whip Ln, Farmington Hills 6954 Lee Crest Dr, West Bloomfield * 3953 Loch Bend Dr, Commerce * 2035 Lone Pine Rd, West Bloomfield 3272 Long Meadow Ct, West Bloomfield 1694 W. Long Lake Rd, Bloomfield Hills 5995 Lynne Hollow Dr, Commerce 6487 Maple Hills Dr, Bloomfield Hills 418 Marlin Ave, Royal Oak * 1504 Maryland Club Dr, Royal Oak 4653 Maura Ln, West Bloomfield 3841 McDivitt, West Bloomfield 3040 Middlebelt Rd, West Bloomfield 4016 Moselle, West Bloomfield 4675 Motorway, Waterford 4190 W. Newland, West Bloomfield 30985 Oak Valley Ct, Farmington Hills 1002 Orchard Grove Dr, Royal Oak 3775 Orchard Lake Rd. #301, West Bloomfield 31163 N. Park Dr, Farmington Hills
5382 Pembrooke Crossing Ct, West Bloomfield 1745 Petrolia, West Bloomfield 3895 Pine Harbor Dr, West Bloomfield 3252 Pine Lake Rd, West Bloomfield * 3565 Port Cove Dr. #72, Waterford 7000 Portpool, West Bloomfield 4379 Ramsgate Ln, West Bloomfield 855 Rivenoak St, Birmingham 1182 Rolling Hills Dr, Bloomfield Hills 4703 Rolling Ridge, West Bloomfield 683 Ruffner, Birmingham 4886 School Bell Ln, Bloomfield Hills * 7051 Sherwood Dr, Bloomfield Hills 4400 Strathdale, West Bloomfield 3793 Spanish Oaks Dr, West Bloomfield 3805 Spanish Oaks Dr, West Bloomfield 1801 Squirrel Valley Dr, Bloomfield Hills 937 Ten Point, Rochester Hills 25425 Tweed Dr, Franklin 2331 Uplong, West Bloomfield 6405 Valley Crest Dr, West Bloomfield 3717 Wabeek Lake Dr., Bloomfield Hills 5543 Wild Ridge Ln, West Bloomfield 7320 Willow Oak Dr, West Bloomfield 3910 Will-O-Way Ln, West Bloomfield * 777 Wimbleton Dr, Birmingham 5143 Woodlands Dr, Bloomfield Hills 2959 Woodland Ridge Dr, West Bloomfield
* Listed and SOLD by Melanie & Noah 4130 Telegraph Rd. Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
PURELY COMMENTARY essay
Rediscovering Judaism in a Michigan Jail
I
have never met Frank in person. Our relationship has been strictly virtual, as have so many over the past year. Through the computer screen, Frank wears an orange jumpsuit, sitting in a colorless room. I can see other men walking down Aaron the hallway Portman through the window behind him, sometimes staring curiously through the glass. When I introduce myself, Frank nods and smiles, show-
ing a few missing teeth. He is not a young man, perhaps 40 or 50, and the lines on his face tell that he has clearly been through a lot. I began meeting with Frank as a spiritual adviser as part of my internship for rabbinical school with the Jewish Community Relations Council/ AJC. I was told that he was a Messianic Jew — an individual that believes in both the Jewish faith and the divinity of Jesus — and wanted to meet with a rabbi. As an Orthodox Jew, I did not share his Messianic views, but I decided to meet
with him nonetheless. I had worked as a chaplain at Rikers Island in New York City and had met my fair share of individuals with blurred religious identities. Now, I could not be happier I took the call. Frank is a deeply religious man who sees God in everything and everyone. “I am truly blessed,” Frank said to me the other day. “I’ve learned to see God’s blessings during my time here.” Frank is an optimist and faces the daily challenges of incarceration with grace and unshakable faith.
Frank was born to an aggressive father who espoused “KKK ideas” and was violent toward his mother. As a child, his father told him that his mother had died, which was a lie. Eventually, he reconnected with his mother and went to live with her and her parents. Frank discovered Judaism in his mother’s home through his grandfather. Frank knew that his grandfather was Jewish, but it was rarely talked about. They were the only Jewish family in their neighborhood, and usually kept their faith quiet, but Frank occasionally went to
guest column
Choosing an End to COVID
I
solation. Fear. Grief. It is an unfortunate truth that Jewish history gives us a deep understanding of the same difficulties we are all experiencing during this time of COVID. But our tradition was forged as a powerful response to the very hardRabbi Mark ships that can Miller plague us. Huddled together at the edge of the Promised Land, the Torah envisions a people who easily could have been resigned to their fate, or prayed for things to be different, or waited for someone to save them. Instead, we — the inheritors of that moment — are reminded that the ultimate responsibility is ours: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and
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FEBRUARY 4 • 2021
death, blessing and curse … choose life!” (Deuteronomy 30:19). I am deeply honored that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed me to the newly formed Protect Michigan Commission. Along with a wide range of faith, business, medical and civic leaders, our task is to help encourage our friends and neighbors to take the critical step of getting a vaccine as soon as it is available to them. It will take each one of us to ensure that 70% of Michiganders over the age of 16 are vaccinated, a vital threshold that will allow all of us to emerge from this pandemic. To some, it may seem obvious. But this Commission was necessary because we know that there is a significant percentage of Americans expressing “vaccine hesitancy.” There are lots of explanations for this — some reasonable (unsure if a vaccine developed so quickly will be safe
or effective) and some not reasonable (the vaccine is going to change your DNA or implant a tracking chip inside you). Many in our community have already been vaccinated, and even more are lined up to receive theirs. But for anyone who may be dubious, I would respectfully offer two guidelines. First, Jewish tradition has long required us to maintain our health as a pathway to spiritual truth. The great sage Maimonides, himself a physician, taught more than 800 years ago that medical care is an obligation, not a choice, so that we might continue to fulfill our highest purpose on Earth. In fact, the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 16b) goes so far as to forbid crossing an unstable bridge — putting ourselves at unnecessary risk is a violation of Jewish law! Just as important, to me,
is the notion of communal responsibility. The entire Book of Deuteronomy could be read as a statement about how our own actions affect those around us. It is not that you or I will be blessed or cursed … it is that you and I and all of us together will be blessed or cursed, depending on the righteous actions of our entire community. That is the challenge of today. If you are hesitating about getting the vaccine, doctors and scientists are clear that it is worse to go without it. And even if that isn’t enough, do it for the sake of your friends, your family, those in your synagogue or at work, or even those you don’t know. I pray that 2021 will be the year in which all of us stand united in choosing to be vaccinated … in choosing life! Rabbi Mark Miller is senior rabbi of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township.
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michprobate.com temple with his caring and loving grandfather. Frank recalled one memory, where his grandfather told him he had to feed the animals before he could feed himself. When I told him that was a Jewish custom, Frank nodded and replied, “That makes sense. I could see God in him.” Eventually, Frank’s mother started going to church and he started life as a Christian. It was then he felt connected to mission work and, now, has expressed a desire to work with the needy once he is released. However, he never forgot his grandfather and the deep connection he once felt toward Judaism. After he was incarcerated, Frank began to read the Bible intently and started to keep some Jewish practices. He made sure to rest on Shabbat. He asked his facility for kosher food but was denied since he was not considered Jewish. This was something that hurt him
since he felt a connection to Judaism and wanted to be authentic. Over the last several months, Frank and I meet to study the weekly Torah portion, trying to make connections between the stories we read and his experiences. We have read about Joseph and how he dealt with incarceration. We have addressed the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart and how to deal with unfavorable judgement. We have discussed repentance and forgiveness and were able to get Frank his own copy of the Tanach, as well as help him receive kosher food. Despite the harsh reality he faces, Frank is determined to continue to grow in his faith and desires to learn as much as he can. His Jewish journey is well under way. Aaron Portman is a rabbinical student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in New York City. He serves as a rabbinic intern at the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC (JCRC/AJC).
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FEBRUARY 4 • 2021
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OUR COMMUNITY
‘Mitzvah Makers’ Federation podcast is looking to honor everyday people doing extraordinary things. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
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he Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit’s monthly podcast series FedRadioDetroit is launching a new segment called “Mitzvah Makers,” looking to shine a spotlight on some of the community’s unsung heroes. The podcast is asking listeners to nominate Mitzvah Makers in their lives or community — everyday people doing extraordinary things, whether it be a committed volunteer doing great work in the community or a neighbor who regularly goes out of their way to help others. Each month, one nominated Mitzvah Maker will be selected to be featured on the podcast. If
selected, they’ll be featured in a short write-up on the podcast webpage and in a five-minute on-air interview during that month’s episode. Additionally, each month’s Mitzvah Maker and the person who nominated them receives a piece of FedRadioDetroit swag. Sam Dubin, creator and co-host of FedRadioDetroit along with former Federation president Beverly Liss, tackles issues on the podcast such as antisemitism, COVID-19 and domestic abuse, while spotlighting social service agencies like Yad Ezra. With approximately one episode released per month, the idea is to focus on unique pockets of local Jewish life.
Dubin says the Mitzvah Makers idea came about after finishing up their inaugural year of the show in 2020. After interviewing a variety of guests on the program across many different subject areas, they began realizing that while they were rightfully focusing heavily on notable leaders in the community, there was also a segment of leaders in the community who hadn’t been spotlighted. “People are so used to these lists, the Jewish News has 36 Under 36 and Crain’s has 40 Under 40, but this is a list that you don’t have to be a certain occupation, age or gender to qualify for,” Dubin said. “This is a list for everybody, and I think that’s truly a differentiation of what we’re doing with this. You can be anyone from any stage of life.” “We still want to focus on the great leaders in our community, the bigger names that people might be more familiar
with, but also simultaneously focusing on the unsung heroes,” Dubin said. Inclusivity is something Dubin takes pride in promoting, having started NextGen Pride, a gateway into the Jewish community for LGBTQA young adults looking for connection and a supportive atmosphere. Dubin said he carries those values of inclusivity for the podcast in general and hopes the new segment promotes that further. “I’ve always hoped it would be a catalyst to connect the community so those who might feel like outsiders can become insiders in our community,” Dubin said. “This endeavor is something that will make folks in our community who are doing great things, who might not get the recognition elsewhere, perhaps get the recognition with us.” The first Mitzvah Makers segment is set for FedRadioDetroit’s March podcast. Go to jewishdetroit.org/podcast to nominate an unsung hero.
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OUR COMMUNITY ON THE COVER
Sheltering in One T Place
Multi-generational families move in together during the pandemic. SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Frank, Lisa, Jared, Valerie and Ariella Ellias celebrate Frank and Lisa’s 44th anniversary together.
wenty years after Frank and Lisa Ellias’ eldest son, Jared, left for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and then to California for work, they never, ever imagined he would be living in their home again. But not only did he return for an extended COVID-19 pandemic stay, his parents’ Farmington Hills home became a three-generational full house when Jared, his wife, Valerie, and their infant daughter Ariella moved in this past September. While it often seems unlikely that there could be a silver lining to these devastating times, for some, like the Ellias family, behind that pitchblack cloud was an unexpected unforeseen, joyous perk. In contrast to those who are maintaining a safe distance from one another, they are among those whose circumstances allowed them to create an in-house bubble, with families waiting out the viral storm together in a single place. Until they arrived here, Jared said he was able to spend time with his parents only three or four times a year, and Frank and Lisa had never seen Ariella in person. “We have been very fortunate to have our kids here,” Lisa Ellias said. “Some of our friends and family have not seen their grandchildren in almost a year. When Ariella was born [out of town during the pandemic], we were thrilled and sad at the same time. When her cousins were born [before the pandemic], we got on a plane and were there the next day. This time, we didn’t have any idea when we would see the baby. We were so excited when we found out Jared and his family were coming here.” That arrival was not quick, nor was it simple, but it was a perfect fit for everyone. “We had a brand-new baby, and there was a pandemic — and we are both people who can easily work from home,” Jared said. “It made more sense to move here, get the extra help and support of living with family and introduce Ariella to her grandparents. Based on how things are going, she might not have met them continued on page 12 FEBRUARY 4 • 2021
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continued from page 11
Valerie and strengthened our relationship with our son as an adult, not a child.” Jared also was able to see how Frank and Lisa interact with one another. “It’s interesting seeing how my parents live after not sharing a roof with them for 20 years.”
Ariella Ellias intently watches her grandpa, Frank Ellias, as he participates in the B’nai Israel Synagogue Zoom Havdalah service.
“IT MADE MORE SENSE TO MOVE HERE ... AND INTRODUCE ARIELLA TO HER GRANDPARENTS”
HOME-WORK Both Jared, who is 37, and Valerie, 32, have been able to continue their work from Frank and Lisa’s home. “I taught two law school classes from my parents’ basement,” said Jared, a professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. When they arrived here, Valerie, a sociologist who manages a research team for Google, was on maternity leave. “She is now back at work running research projects, and I am taking the
— JARED ELLIAS
until she was 2 or 3 otherwise.” In addition, Jared said their home in Berkeley, Calif., where they plan to return in April, was under renovation and they needed to live somewhere else anyway. So, with a work-from-home requirement from both of their employers, instead of staying in the area, they packed up their car and set out for Michigan. “We drove here, quarantined in a rental in Oak Park for 14 days, got COVID tested and moved in just before Rosh Hashanah,” Jared said. “Ariella was only 8 weeks old at the time, so it was a big adventure for a tiny baby.” Now that they are here, she is the center of attention. “It’s really fascinating watching my
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parents interact with Ariella and build a relationship with her,” Jared said. “She really loves them, which is good because she’s only ever met four people that aren’t doctors.” Lisa said, “It is thrilling to watch Ariella grow. She has been here for four months and has gone from a 2-monthold who didn’t do much to a 6-month-old who rolls over, babbles, responds to us and is getting ready to crawl. “It has been wonderful watching Valerie and Jared turn into Mommy and Daddy. We are so proud of the way they take care of their child and each other,” she said. “This has also given us time to really get to know and love
Melissa Hall spends one-on-one time relaxing with her mom, Janet Reinhart Hall.
baby during Valerie’s workday,” Jared said. The only company the COVID-cautious family had was for several weeks when Jared’s brother Matthew quarantined for 14 days in Miami and drove to his parents’ home. Before Jared’s family arrived, Frank and Lisa were also able to spend time with their son Aaron, his wife, Meira, and their kids, Benji, 5, and Eliana, 2, who quarantined and drove through the night from Washington, D.C., for a six-week stay. Jared described the current living arrangement honestly. “At times, it’s hard,” he said. “My parents’ house is incredibly spacious, and Valerie, my Dad and I each have separate workstations in different rooms. Ariella has her own bedroom, and we have our own bedroom and bathroom.”
But he added, “It’s also great to have other people around, and my parents are endlessly generous. We take turns cooking, which is also interesting because we all eat different things. Valerie and I both work California hours, so we are often still working when my parents have already eaten dinner, but we are all together on weekends, especially for Shabbat meals. And Ariella loves going to Zoom shul with Grandpa, especially Havdalah.” As the time for Lisa Ellias’ children and granddaughter to go back to California nears, she is sad to see them go but is filled with happiness that they could be here. “We are going to miss them so much when they leave,” she said. “In the midst of so much tragedy and disruption, we have been given a real gift.”
“I THINK I HAVE GROWN CLOSER WITH MY PARENTS.” — MELISSA HALL
FAMILY DYNAMICS At 23, Melissa Hall is among those in the largest age-category of young adults living with their parents because of the pandemic. That group includes more than 26.6 million individuals, or 52% of Americans aged 18-29, the most ever, even higher than at the end of the Great Depression, according to a September 2020 Pew Research Center report. The report showed 23% of them said the most important reason was because their college campus had closed and 18% said it was due to job loss or other financial reasons. After living in Ann Arbor for four years while she was an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, Hall stayed there and has worked as a research coordinator in Michigan Medicine’s psychiatry department since May 2019. Her decision to move back to her mom, Janet Reinhart Hall’s West Bloomfield home, and her dad, Jeffrey Hall’s Bloomfield Hills home, came after realizing the difficulties of working virtually from her small apartment. “I felt that through such an isolating time, it would be nice to at least have my family to lean on,” she said. “I luckily have been able to keep my current job. Although some of my job tasks have changed, I am thankful to still be gaining great experience and have the opportunity to do new things there. And I recently had someone take over the lease on my apartment, so that is definitely a perk, to not have to pay rent anymore in Ann Arbor.” Another bonus was getting to see her older brother who came from out of state to visit.
“IT’S VITAL TO DISCUSS WHAT THE BOUNDARIES [OF SHARING A HOME] WOULD LOOK LIKE.” — PSYCHOTHERAPIST RONALD E. HORMEL
Ronald E. Hormel
“He was able to return a few times — safely — over the past couple of months,” she said. Hall said she and her parents have created their own system for being in shared space. “There are definitely more distractions being at home, but overall, I think the logistics have been working out well,” she said. “When I came back home in March, I just became comfortable and got into a routine. “Also, I realized that many of my friends were doing the same. Although we couldn’t hang out in the same capacity, as summer rolled around, I felt thankful to be able to see them more often than if I were in Ann Arbor. I plan on staying here through the summer and then hopefully go to graduate school. “I think I have grown closer with my parents and our rela-
tionship definitely feels more mature,” she said. Her mom agrees. “It’s been fantastic having Melissa home,” she said. “The one positive of COVID is that I’ve been able to see my children more often. It’s been an especially unique and fun time working together from home.” Being in the Detroit area community again has had a positive impact on Melissa. “It feels nice to be able to appreciate the places where I grew up,” she said. “It also feels like I’m a child again, living with my parents, and with all of my childhood friends back at home.” BETTER OFF NOT ALONE Living in a group may have its obstacles, with each individual, couple or family used to their own schedule, privacy continued on page 14 FEBRUARY 4 • 2021
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“WE GOT TO WATCH MILESTONES LIKE FIRST WORDS, CRAWLING, FIRST STEPS AND POTTY TRAINING.” — GRANDMOTHER LEAH FOX
RIGHT: Jodi Fox McDonald and Kemper McDonald with Paul and Talia McDonald staying safely distanced from Jodi’s sisters and their families. In the yard are Lindsey Fox and her children Nathan, 6, and Caleb, 1; and Hallie and Ryan Jaffe with Sloane, 13, and Brooke, 10, all of West Bloomfield. FACING PAGE: Jeff and Leah Fox with granddaughters Talia and Kemper McDonald.
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and rules of the house but, overall, there is a meaningful upside to not being alone, said Ronald E. Hormel, a psychotherapist at Birmingham Maple Clinic in Troy. “We’re seeing now that a social connection to family and/or friends can be as important to overall health as a healthy diet and exercise,” he said. “The mental and physical results of loneliness play out in real time. This can begin with symptoms of anxiety and depression, which can result in a lowered immune system and lead to a myriad of additional, physical health concerns such as hypertension and autoimmune flare-ups.” Hormel said when planning to live with a family member, pre-move guidelines are in order. “Address basic responsibilities such as household chores and bills,” he suggests. “Will they be shared? Also address the health concerns such as who, if anyone, is allowed to visit? Is a specific person leaving the home for essentials? Will regular COVID testing be a good idea? It’s vital to discuss what the boundaries would look like,” Hormel said. Young adults and singles may be the largest group to move in with family but individuals of all ages, including seniors, are also part of this new demographic. In a reversal of many family’s pandemic living arrangements, this past March, Helen Garden’s mom, Rena Berman, moved in with Helen and her husband, Jeff, when COVID regulations at her Jewish Senior Life apartment in West Bloomfield barred visitors and eliminated group meals and
activities. “My mom lives at Meer Apartments where they follow CDC guidelines to keep residents safe,” Garden said. “When COVID numbers started to go up [in Michigan], we knew we wouldn’t be able to see her, and she would be isolated in her apartment.” So, in late March, Berman moved in with the Gardens and shortly afterward was able to share the Passover holiday with them, along with their son, Jason, who tested negative for COVID and then drove from Chicago to their West Bloomfield home. “While my mom was here, I wanted to do things that would keep her active and as busy as possible, but away from other people,” Garden said. “We exercised together in the house, and we walked a lot, and we drove a lot. We walked at Kensington
Metropark. And we drove to the old neighborhoods where we once lived in Southfield and Oak Park.” And the two were able to spend time just talking. “We reminisced, talked about relatives and told stories from the past,” she said. “Jeff was working from home every day, but we all spent time together in the evening, had dinner together and then watched movies.” Berman moved back into her apartment in July. Facemasked visitors were eventually permitted but only in residents’ units after completing COVID questionnaires and temperature checks. Garden said she’s glad for the time her mom spent in her home. “I got to see her — and she wasn’t alone. “I was looking to entertain her, but I was entertaining myself too; being with her kept me busy also.”
CREATING MEMORIES Jodi Fox McDonald’s family did not have to move in with her parents, Leah and Jeff Fox, when the pandemic hit. They were already there. They came for a planned, short stay after their home sold quickly and they were searching for a new one. “We moved in with them in December 2019 — with our daughters, Kemper, who was not quite 2, and 3-month-old Talia; and a very large German Shepherd, all 130 lbs. of him — in hopes that things would go up in February or March,” Jodi said. “We thought we would be there three-to-four months tops.” So sure they would move by springtime, she said, “All the kids’ summer clothes went with the furniture into storage. We looked, but there was nothing. We even put flyers in mailboxes in our parents’ sub to see if we could get a house before it went up because they were few
and far between. Then, slowly, houses started to trickle in during the late summer.” Nine months later, Jodi, 36, and Paul, 41, and their children finally moved into their new house, a mile from her parents’ West Bloomfield home, taking with them memories they never could have imagined making. “Looking back, that crazy decision was the best decision we ever made,” Jodi said. “We were able to be with my parents through this scary time with so many unknowns. It also gave Paul and me some adults to be around and socialize with without a 6-foot distance and masks. And my parents could embrace our kids the way they could not with the other grandchildren, which I know was and is so hard for them.” She said her sisters often stopped by with their families, but stayed outside, coming
“for socially distanced visits, meals and even water balloon fights.” Paul referred to the time with his in-laws as, “a great experience.” “As attorneys with busy schedules, we got to spend more time with our kids than we ever would have but for the shelter-in-place, and we were glad to have the support and help from Leah and Jeff,” he said. “Our kids got to spend so much more time with Grandma and Papa than they ever would have. We had dinner together as a family, with a couple of exceptions, every single night. While we could not be happier to be in our new home, we will never forget the time we spent with Jodi’s parents during what will surely be one of the craziest years of our lives.” Not only did the McDonalds move into the house where Jodi grew up, she said, “Paul and I were in my old bedroom.” She added, “But, we actually took over every room in the house.” Both also used space to work remotely. “Paul and I would rotate shifts with the kids and work, and then both work when the kids went to bed,” Jodi said. “It was not always easy making sure Balto, the dog, was not barking or a kid wasn’t running into our office or bedroom when we were taking a deposition or in a court hearing on Zoom,” Jodi said. Now that they have moved into their new home, the McDonalds are back to the life experienced by many whose family members live in separate homes. “We only see my parents with masks when we are socially distanced, outside. We have celebrated holidays,
birthdays, bat mitzvahs on the driveway or in a garage to make sure we could all be together. We have, what we call ‘the quarantine window,’ in our house, because everyone can come up and talk through the glass.” Jodi said because of the opportunity to be with her parents and not settle for a home that wasn’t their first choice, they were able to buy their dream house. “We do miss my parents, and Kemper still asks sometimes to go to her ‘home’ at Grandpa and Papa’s, but we love our new house and cannot wait to create new memories here,” she said. Jodi’s mom refers to the time the families lived together as “nine months of chaos and love.” “In one of the scariest times in all of our lives, we were lucky enough to be distracted by having our granddaughters running into our room in the morning to snuggle in bed, giving us hugs and kisses, when we sadly couldn’t embrace the other grandchildren, which was devastating,” Leah Fox said. “We got to watch milestones like first words, crawling, first steps and potty training. We looked forward to our daily dinners. I would dance with the girls around the house, and Jeff finally had someone in the house to watch sports with. “Our friends thought we were crazy at first, but after COVID struck, those thoughts turned into thinking how lucky we were to be with at least part of the family without masks and social distancing. “It was nine months at the perfect time.” FEBRUARY 4 • 2021
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OUR COMMUNITY
Unsolicited Proselytizing Local Jews are mailed unwanted book about Christianity. CHERYL WEISS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Many unsuspecting Jews were mailed this book by Tom Cantor.
H
ave you received a purple envelope containing an unsolicited book in the mail recently? If so, you are not alone. And no, it is not one of those things you ordered when you were half asleep; this was intentionally sent to you. In a wave of mass mailing, thousands of copies of Changed by Tom Cantor were sent to Jews to persuade them to become Jewish Christians. Joel Amster of Roseville and Cheryl Glaser of Oak Park both received the book and threw it out. Glaser said, “I actually did glance through it and slowly began to see what it really was. I put it in the recycle bin with the newspapers thinking it hopefully would be shredded up.” Cantor, a California businessman, was raised Jewish. In Changed, he shares his journey from a rebellious child to troubled teen to an adult filled with anguish and despair. “My sins were so many that when
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the call came in the Yom Kippur service to remember them, I really didn’t know where to start,” he writes about his childhood. Cantor was expelled from schools, traveled through Europe, graduated and increasingly felt “dirty,” both physically and morally. When he meets his non-Jewish future wife, Cheryl, he believes this is his chance to become cleansed. “At last, a union with her was going to liberate me from my own guilt, shame and despair.” However, Cheryl was raped and became pregnant, which devastates him, and Cantor filters the situation through his own needs and emotions.
He searches for cleansing, and he finds it in a church. He writes, “I did not have to obey a set of kosher laws for what not to eat. To be cleansed all I had to do was just believe and receive Jesus Christ as my Passover lamb.” MASS MAILINGS Cantor spends millions of dollars every year sending unwanted books to unsuspecting people, in hopes of converting them to his beliefs. According to Randell Angius from Cantor’s medical com-
“THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO FEEL IT’S THEIR MISSION TO CONVERT.” — ADL’S CAROLYN NORMANDIN
pany, Scantibodies Laboratory Inc., Cantor purchased names and addresses from mailing lists. Many are Jewish, but some are affiliated with churches as well. “I thoroughly apologize if you were offended,” she said, “He wants to share his story to inspire people to invite Christ into their hearts.” Reactions in Metro Detroit range from anger at being targeted to disinterest, tossing the unopened book in the recycle bin. Donna Edwards of Oak Park has not read the book. “Don’t we have enough tsuris without some misguided person telling us that we, as a people, need to be ‘changed’ in some way?” Joe Lipman of Clawson immediately recognized it as propaganda and plans to put his in the trash. Carolyn Normandin, regional director of ADL Michigan, said these mailings are proselytizing, which is usual for some religious organizations. “There are a lot of people who feel it’s their mission to convert. The goal is to get as many people to listen as possible. It is disruptive.” When asked if this was antisemitic, she said no. “Generally, proselytizing is not antisemitic in nature. It is offending, but not threatening.” When Angius was asked if this method works for Cantor, she said they have received hundreds of positive responses, mostly from churches. However, she admitted Cantor has received many negative responses from people who have received the book. “Not as many, but fairly close” to the number of positive responses. “It was not his intention to offend anyone,” she said. To be removed from Tom Cantor’s mailing list, call (619) 258-9300 x5194 or email randell.angius@scantibodies. com.
Focus on Inclusion
JCRC/AJC names diversity associate. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
T
he Jewish Community Relations Council/ American Jewish Committee (JCRC/AJC) has created a new role in the organization — community associate — which has been filled by Detroit native Ashira Solomon. Solomon will be working to build and enhance JCRC/AJC’s initiatives in unity, diversity, equity and inclusion. “We wanted someone who, in addition to reaching out to the African American community, could also reach inward to the Jewish community in issues of inclusion,” JCRC/AJC Executive Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin said. “With all these ambitious programs we needed to find someone who could really be a sensitive, caring and capable person who had a background in taking big ideas and putting them to action, and also someone who understood how to be sensitive to the needs of different communities and to be a good ally with other organizations,” Lopatin said. “Ashira Solomon is the perfect person to meet all of these needs, and it worked out really well.” Solomon comes from a Christian family, and when searching for a connection spiritually, told her parents at 13 years old that she was going to be Jewish. “Along with being multiracial, I’m a convert as well,” Solomon said. “So, I’m very familiar with both religions and the positive impacts they provide to individuals.”
Ashira Solomon
Solomon was the co-chair of the Diversity Council at Berkley High School. She became a peer mediator, continued similar work in college and then went on to work at Farber Hebrew Day School-Yeshivat Akiva for six years. “It’s something I’ve always been passionate about,” she said. Solomon will be working with the Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity and with its different committees and programs. She will also be working on an initiative addressing trauma in the Black community as well as managing a Black and Jewish fellowship opportunity for university students. “Sometimes we start these conversations about diversity, justice and inclusion and what that means, and then it just kind of ends up dwindling,” she said. “We want to keep the conversation going and get people involved. “I think the ultimate goal is to bring people together,” she said. “I feel very grateful to be in a position that I can help make connections and do very fine work that gives others the opportunity to do great things, both in their community and beyond.”
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COURTESY OF RACHEL SHERE
OUR COMMUNITY
“I WAS MISSING OUT ON IRREPLACEABLE MOMENTS WITH OUR FAMILY.” — RABBI RACHEL SHERE
Rabbi Rachel Shere
Taking Time to Enjoy Family After 16 years, Rabbi Rachel Shere steps down from Adat Shalom pulpit. BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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achel Lawson Shere has resigned as rabbi at Adat Shalom Synagogue after serving more than 16 years. She said the COVID experience made her appreciate her time with her family and she wanted to concentrate on that aspect of her life. Her decision was announced to congregants at the 970-family Farmington Hills congregation in a Jan. 22 letter from President Joan M. Chernoff-Epstein, who noted it was effective immediately. Shere had been on a leave from the pulpit since July,
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shortly before her eldest son, Eitan, 18, left for a year at a yeshivah in Israel. She was due to return in May and promised the congregation’s leaders that she would let them know by the end of January if her situation changed. “In July, before our son left for Israel, I decided it was time to take a 10-month sabbatical from Adat Shalom,” said the rabbi, in her own letter to congregants, sent on Jan. 25. “My intention, at that time, was to spend the COVID quarantine focused on our family and to return to the synagogue at the
end of the school year. “However, five months into the sabbatical, it became clear to me that in committing myself so deeply to work, I was missing out on irreplaceable moments with our family.” Shere, 46, whose family belonged to Adat Shalom while she was growing up in West Bloomfield, became the first woman in Michigan to hold a Conservative movement pulpit position when she returned to be rabbi in 2004. She had graduated from Andover High School, the University of Michigan and the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, where she won an award for excellence in rabbinic studies. Her husband, Dan Shere, a singer-songwriter and screenwriter, is also from Detroit; he and the rabbi first met as teens. In addition to Eitan, the Sheres have two younger sons, Avi, 14, a freshman at Frankel Jewish Academy, and Ezra, 12, in seventh grade at Hillel Day School. Shere says her decision was prompted by one of her children. A few months into the COVID shutdowns, while she was still working fulltime, he said, “As bad as COVID has been for everyone, it’s been nice to have you home so much.” His comment made her reflect on what is most important to her. “I believe that COVID has given us all pause to think about the ways we spend the precious hours God has given us to walk the Earth,” she said.
The decision to leave was Shere’s alone, and she “more than earned that right,” said Rabbi Aaron Bergman. SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT During her years at Adat Shalom, Shere started a Nosh & Drash program for teens and helped lead the confirmation class. She started a popular “Soulful Yoga” gathering on Shabbat mornings that combined worship with yoga and meditation and led a women’s spirituality retreat. “She provided significant spiritual involvement for the women of the congregation,” said Executive Director Alan Yost. Chernoff-Epstein said Shere helped her family get through a difficult time following a death, noting the rabbi’s ability to connect personally with congregants. Shere has been on the board of Kadima, a Jewish mental health advocacy organization, and was a chaplain at Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network. She also served on the board of South Oakland Shelter. Shere says her family will remain members of Adat Shalom and that she will continue to be active in the spiritual life of the congregation. “My love for Adat Shalom runs deep, as it has always been a second home for me,” Shere said. “My heart and soul are deeply rooted in Adat Shalom and are intertwined with all the people who walk through its doors. Our family is not going anywhere.”
Lea Luger to Retire from Yad Ezra
Longtime executive director helped respectfully feed the hungry for 28 years. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
A
fter 28 years, Lea Luger has decided to retire from Yad Ezra as executive director. Yad Ezra has convened a search committee for a replacement with no definitive date for her departure, although she plans to leave some time this calendar year. “It has been an amazing, wonderful and humbling experience,” Luger said. “I’m so thrilled to have been a part of this incredible orgaLea Luger nization that not just helps people by giving them food but does it in a way that treats people with dignity and respect. “It’s time,” Luger continued. “My grandmother always said to me ‘Leave them while they still want you,’ and I hold true to that. It’s time for someone else to take over the reins. Change is good.” For Luger, her passion for Yad Ezra remains, and she will still be involved with the organization. Luger, who began in the role in 1993, is most proud of initiating the Lunch Assistance Program, creating the Giving Gardens program in an effort to be more than a Band-Aid against hunger, helping establish a kosher food pantry in Warsaw that benefits Righteous Gentiles who saved lives during WWII, and
adapting when serving clients during the pandemic — producing home deliveries to 300 families a week. “We never dropped the ball,” Luger said. “We have families who have been with us since we opened our doors in 1990, and there was never a day where we didn’t have food to give out. I’m proud that regardless of what was going on in the world, we kept our doors open and were able to continue feeding people. “I am constantly amazed and humbled by the members of the community who have really partnered with us — this has been a group effort,” Luger reflected. “I may be the executive director, but believe me, this is a huge effort on the part of a lot of people. I have met incredible people, and I am so proud of our community and what we’ve been able to do to make sure those who are vulnerable don’t feel forgotten.” She will continue to work to help the community. Luger was recently appointed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Protect Michigan Commission, which is charged with helping raise awareness of the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and helping to protect the health and safety of all Michigan residents.
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CAMP GUIDE
JCC Day Camps Plan for Summer
Fun and normalcy are the goals, despite COVID restrictions. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
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fter camping in the summer of 2020 was canceled, JCC Day Camps will be returning this year under new COVID restrictions. Camp will be divided into pods of 8-12 campers with at least two staff members in each pod, socially distanced from other pods for the entire camp day. Masks will be worn by campers and staff except during meals and swimming, and physical distancing within the pods will take place as best as possible. Campers and staff members will
NOT SURE THE CAMP OF YOUR CHOICE IS AN AFFORDABLE OPTION?
complete health screenings every morning. JCC Day Camps are following American Camp Association standards and recommendations as well as adhering to Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs guidelines. Randy Comensky, senior director of JCC Day Camps, believes camp won’t look too different than previous years. “Campers are going to be swimming and going to arts and crafts; they’re going to have dance and all the different activi-
ties to participate in,” Comensky said. “So other than specific COVID parameters, I think our camp is going to look very similar to how it has in the past.” One big change JCC Day Camps will see in 2021 is none of the usual field trips or off-site specialty camps. JCC will instead be improvising, with specialty camps, in a sense, coming to the JCC. “We’ve hired staff internally, so we have a cooking instructor, an art instructor, a creativity [computer science] instructor and a sports instructor,” Comensky said. “Those instructors are going to be with kids every day, specifically working within pods.” “We looked at what was successful in the past and what our campers really enjoyed and try to modify our program in such a way that we could build those
programs into our existing facility,” Comensky said. Nearly all the camps, except for some special needs programs, are going Randy Comensky to be held outdoors, with covered outdoor areas available. After a summer away, Comensky is excited to get back into the thick of things, even if it looks a little different. “I’ve been in camping for almost 30 years and last year was the first summer I had off,” he said. “It was hard. I think for our families, staff and for everybody camp to some degree is a release, and for them to get back to camp and have fun and be able to see their friends, even if it’s still in a COVID state, I think it’s exciting for everybody.”
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FEBRUARY 4 • 2021
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CAMP GUIDE
Tamarack Gets $50,000 Grant
Aid will boost this summer’s activities and scholarships. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
T
amarack Camps has received a $50,000 grant from the Donald R. and Esther Simon Foundation to provide support for COVID-19 related expenses and the camp’s scholarship endowment fund. Tamarack CEO Lee Trepeck said in a press release that the emergency funding will help provide continued stability for the summer of 2021, while the endowment support, which will be matched by the William Davidson Foundation, will help Tamarack secure its future. The Donald R. and Esther Simon Foundation was
founded in 2005 and assists projects that address Jewish life and identity, cancer research and support services, the cultural arts and social justice issues. After canceling all summer 2020 programming due to COVID-19, Tamarack is planning to create a “bubble” at camp this summer with campers quarantined by age group in “pods” for the first two weeks of their session. Tamarack is planning on reduced capacity for both campers and staff this year and will not be offering its annual Agree Outpost Camp, Western, Alaska or Israel trips.
Writing Contest for High Schoolers Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies is hosting its sixth annual High School Writing Competition. The contest, open to ninth12th grade students in Metro Detroit, offers a $500 prize and $100 prizes for honorable mentions for a best original work of poetry, prose or nonfiction that deals with an aspect of Jewish culture and Jewish life, past and present. Among suggested topics and themes are: a) Israelis and Jews: Do we speak the same
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language? b) Does Judaism have a diversity requirement? c) What does ‘proud to be a Jew’ mean in 2020? The best two submissions in each category will be awarded a $500 cash prize, with awards of $100 for honorable mentions in each category. In addition, award-winning entries will be published online. Deadline for submissions is March 1. For guidelines and rules, go to Judaicstudies.wayne.edu/ writingcompetition.
CAMP GUIDE
CAMP LISTINGS FOR 2021
CAMP YOUNG JUDAEA MIDWEST
Director: Robin Anderson www.cyjmid.org info@cyjmid.org Winter 60 Revere Dr. Suite 800 Northbrook, IL 60062 (224) 235-4665 Summer E989 Stratton Lake Rd. Waupaca, WI 54981 (715) 258-2288 Ages: 2nd - 9th Grade. Coed Overnight Camp. We have six session options with fees from $2,750$9,800. Join the Camp Young Judaea Midwest family, where we provide a fun, safe and supportive environment for our campers to grow their connection to Judaism and to Israel.
CAMP TANUGA Winter Address: 139 W. Maple Road-Suite E Birmingham, MI 48009 (248) 258-9150 camptanuga.com Summer Address: 6874 Camp Tanuga Road N.E. Kalkaska, MI 49646 (231) 258-9150 Camp Tanuga is uniquely suited to provide children with an enriching experience they’ll never forget. Friendships formed, confidence gained and the skills learned keep campers returning year after year. An electronics-free environment featuring a full waterfront, flying trapeze, horseback riding, mountain biking and overnight camping help make Tanuga the place to be. Programs available for boys and girls age 6-15. Come experience the magic.
GREENWOODS CAMP FOR BOYS
Decatur, Michigan www.greenwoodscamp.com (847) 242-0009 Greenwoods Camp for Boys is a community focused on character development. With 50+ activities, our campers build their own experience. Our pristine grounds offer state-of-the-art facilities with the great outdoors. Brotherhood is at the heart of the Greenwoods experience, a place for boys to discover who they are.
Sunshine and laughter. Music and art. Sports and water play. Exploration and discovery.
Some things are simply
better together.
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HILLEL DAY SCHOOL EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
32200 Middlebelt Road Farmington Hills, MI 48237 www.hillelday.org (248) 851-3220 Join us for a fabulous summer! Camp Funtabulous is for children ages 2-5 and runs eight weeks beginning on June 14 through Aug. 6. Weekly themes involve hands-on learning, exploration in nature, gardening in our greenhouse and garden, creative play on our playground, water play and indoor fun. Activities foster social and emotional growth
CAMP FUNTABULOUS Like sunshine and laughter, come experience why Summer Camp and Hillel are better together. For campers 2-5 years old. For more information, contact Robin Pappas, Director of Early Education, at 248-539-1489 or rpappas@hillelday.org.
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and lifelong friendships begin. Our trained staff encourages, nurtures, teaches and supports campers every day. For more information, contact rpappas@ hillelday.org
LAWRENCE TECH SUMMER CAMPS
21000 W. 10 Mile Road Southfield, MI 48075 (800) 225-5588 summercamps@ltu.edu www.ltu.edu/summercamps Academic summer camps for high school students interested in engineering, design, technology and science are taught by professors in modern labs and studios on LTU’s 107-acre Southfield campus.
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ROEPER SUMMER CAMPS
41190 Woodward Ave. Bloomfield, MI 48304 (248) 203-7370 www.roeper.org From lacrosse to coding to theater, Roeper Summer Programs offers a variety of enriching and rewarding camp experiences to children throughout Metro Detroit. Diversity and respect for everyone’s potential are central characteristics of the community.
TAMARACK CAMPS
6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 380 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301 (248) 647-1100 For more information regarding our summer programs, please visit tamarackcamps.com or email weinstock@tamarackcamps. com. Tamarack Camps, Michigan’s premier Jewish summer camp, is home to 1,100 acres of woods, private lakes and nature trails. But more than that, it’s home to your next adventure.
WILLOWAY DAY CAMP INC.
P.O. Box 250933 West Bloomfield, MI 48325 (248) 932-2123 www.willowaydaycamp.com Willoway Day Camp has been offering the best summer ever for generations of campers. We were proud to safely serve many families in 2020 and are looking forward to summer 2021! Our mature staff of teachers and leaders and acres of outstanding facilities combine to create lasting memories. The fun starts the moment the campers board the Willoway bus. Whether it’s making a splash or learning to swim in our two pools or enjoying our varied athletic fields, pond and lake programs, animal farm, nature trails and fishing or drama, dance, kayaking, go-karting, archery, tennis, golf and ga ga ga — at Willoway, it’s summer fun for everyone. American Camp Association accredited.
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ACADEMIC Summer Camps! Experience the fun of college life and make new friends
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248-258-9150
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Southfield, Michigan
ltu.edu/summercamps
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MAZEL TOV!
DEC. 8, 2020 Marni (Weinstein) and Meghan Schroeder of Canton are thrilled to announce the birth of their son, Mason Henry Schroeder. Mason’s grandparents are Dr. Lee and Debi Weinstein of Farmington Hills, and Marian and Jim Lima of Naperville, Ill. Mason is also the grandson of the late James Schroeder. Great-grandparents are Barbara and Seymore Weinstein of West Bloomfield. Mason is named in loving memory of his great-uncle Martin Weinstein and his great-grandpa Henry Horne. Zachary Ryan Fogel, son of Randi and Ron Fogel, will chant from the Torah as he celebrates his bar mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. He will be joined in celebration by his siblings Jake and Ashley, and proud grandparents Sheri and Jeffrey Weiss, and Barry Fogel. He is also the grandchild of the late Sally Fogel. Zack is a student at West Hills Middle School in Bloomfield Hills. As part of his most meaningful mitzvah project, he created a Facebook event to raise funds and awareness for the Pancreatic Action Network in memory of his Grandma Sally. Tony Blake Forbes will become a bar mitzvah at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. He will be joined by his proud parents, Catherine and Nathan Forbes, along with his brothers Andrew and Aaron, his sister Caitlin and proud grandparents Maddie and Sidney Forbes, and Connie and (Tony) Jacob. Tony is a seventh-grader at Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills. For his mitzvah project, he organized a donation drive to benefit children and families at the Children’s Center. The money raised was given in memory of his grandfather Papa Puff.
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@renmedia.us or (248) 351-5147 for information or for a mailed or emailed copy of guidelines.
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Harris–Al-Azem
A
lyah Al-Azem has become engaged to Neil Harris. Alyah is the daughter of the beloved late Irene Begel Al-Azem and the late Rafat Al-Azem. Neil is the son of Janet and Paul Harris of Hilton Head Island, S.C. Ms. Al-Azem earned a degree in sociology with a specialization in peace and conflict studies from Michigan State University. She is employed at Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield. Mr. Harris is the director of sales at ResultCo. An October 2022 wedding is planned.
Feldman 50th
R
anda and Richard Feldman of West Bloomfield commemorated their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec. 27, 2020. Celebrating with their children and grandchildren in their social bubble, the family dressed up and went all the way to the dining room to enjoy a delicious brunch and many homemade desserts. The event also included Zoom calls with family and friends, many of whom also dressed up. Randa and Richard are the proud parents of Emily Feldman, and Carolyn and Andrew Blechman. Their delightful grandchildren are Gabriella and William Blechman.
Gelzayd 60th
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r Gene and Reinart Gelzayd of Bloomfield Hills and Boca Raton, Fla., marked their 60th wedding anniversary Dec. 18, 2020. They were married in the 14th St. Synagogue in San Francisco, Calif. They have three children, Dr. Brad (Julie) Gelzayd, Dena Tarson Gelzayd and Allison (Michael) Weinstein; seven wonderful grandkids, Justin (Becca) Gelzayd, Evan Gelzayd and Lauren Gelzayd, Lindsay Tarson and Dylan Tarson, and Phillip and Mathew Weinstein. An anniversary trip to Playa Largo, Fla., is planned.
SPIRIT
TORAH PORTION
Mom gave you her best - now she deserves the best!
A Forced Judaism?
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he newly liberated itself. Then, God, in a miracuband of Jews just left lous turn of events, saved the Egypt and are now Jewish people, giving rise to marching toward Mt. Sinai. the Purim holiday. They would finally meet While at Mt. Sinai, the Jews their God and enter into a felt the inspiration and conrelationship with Him by nection. At the Purim decree, accepting the Torah the Jews were living in and the historic dark and uninspiring Jewish mission. As times, with a prevailing the Jews camped, they sense of God’s absence. proclaimed their comIt was at this opportunity Call Jeanne Atkinson for the best mitment to the Torah, that the Jews chose, by home care in Oakland County! pledging “We will do their own volition, that Rabbi Levi and we will hear.” they want to be Jews. Dubov Discreet, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, But the Talmud This was the Judaism meal preparation, running errands, transportation, Parshat Yitro: history has been waiting reports of something companionship and personal care. Exodus quite mystifying. for. A Judaism that flows 18:1-20:23; Before actually giving from the core of the soul. Isaiah the Torah, God lifted We, too, have our 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6. the mountain and held own Mt. Sinai moments. synergyhomecare.com/oaklandcounty it over the Jews’ heads, forcing That is when we feel inspired, them to accept the Torah. when it feels easy to “get in the The teachings of Chassidus groove” of Judaism. While this illuminate this mysterious tale: may feel liberating, it is in fact BocaRaton, Raton, At Mt. Sinai, the Jews experithe opposite; it is a temporary DelrayBoca Boynton Boca Raton, Boca Raton, Boca Raton, DelrayBeach, Beach, Boynton and Beyond! enced the ultimate revelation and forced Judaism, an inspi- Beach Delray Beach, Boynton Delray Beach, Boynton Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and Beyond! Beach and Beyond! Beach and Beyond! Beach and Beyond! of divine inspiration, love and ration thrusted upon us from Boca Raton, Now selling Valencia Delray truth. Witnessing this left above, not one emerging from NowBeach, selling Boynton Sound Beach Sound & Avalon Trails Now Valencia andselling them with no other choice but our own choice. Now selling Now selling Now selling & Beyond! Avalon Trails Valencia Sound and Valencia Sound and Valencia Sound and and Valencia Sound to say “Yes.” The ideal model is a Avalon Trails Avalon Trails Avalon Trails Avalon Trails Buying or Selling? We Specialize in Active Adult Our sages asked if the expe- Judaism and commitment that Buying orClub Selling? 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JEWSINTHED ESSAY
TOP: Sleek accents are combined with practical ones, like Wellness Kits for each | guest. FROM LEFT: The cozy, midcentury modern furniture in each Shinola Hotel suite. Ask the front desk to send up a record player and the catalog for their vinyl library. Customized robes for lounging and for drawing yourself a bath. Igloos outside San Morello restaurant for private reservations. 2
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JANUARY 21 • 2021
NOSH ESSAY
Get Your Travel & Dining Fix A foodie “staycation” in Downtown Detroit can be fun in times of COVID. LAUREN HOFFMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER/PHOTOGRAPHY
I
n a mostly futile effort to infuse novelty into a year in which almost every day has looked the same, I’ve taken to exploring Detroit as if it is a city I am visiting. And since this has escalated into an increasingly elaborate “staycation,” I thought I’d share a bit about how you might get your travel fix in — all while operating within CDC and state health guidelines, and all within the city of Detroit. Think of this like a New York Times “36 Hours In” article but adapted to the surreal dystopian present in which we all suddenly live. A brief disclaimer on my risk tolerance: I am in my 20s, healthy and without co-morbidities, living alone and working from home, and thus am not exposed to others who are at high risk of carrying COVID. I have not had COVID and do not, to my knowledge, have antibodies against it. That said, I’m pretty cautious: I am in a pod with my partner, who also lives alone. We don’t go inside friends’ homes or, really, anywhere indoors. We go grocery shopping or pop into restaurants to take out food, always with masks. We don’t eat at restaurants indoors or out-
doors, ever. Other than the occasional Lyft (masks on), we drive everywhere. All of this is to say: This article is based on what I am comfortable with, but please don’t take my personal choices as medically sound recommendations! They are only travel recommendations — and if you take them, please do so calibrated for your own risk profile. Alright, ready? First things first: DAY 1 • Book yourself an escapist evening (or two) somewhere that feels very far from home. For this, I recommend the Shinola Hotel. The boutique hotel, curated by the familiar lifestyle brand, is even more elegant than its watches. The property is immaculate, and they are applying the same level of detail to their COVID precautions (temperature check at the entrance, mandatory mask compliance among staff and in public spaces, wellness kits featuring gloves, a mask, Emergen-C and a sanitizing wipe on every nightstand, gym temporarily closed) as they did to the finishes. Those finishes are what make the hotel so special — from the art on
the walls to the inlaid flooring patterns and midcentury accents to the semi-private libraries outside some of the suites, the hotel is a fully immersive exercise in class. My favorite detail: In some rooms you can call the front desk and have them send up and set up a Shinola record turntable — there’s a well-stocked record library in the lobby from which you can borrow classic jazz and recent releases alike (Rooms starting at $191/night right now). Bring your favorite things.Pack anything but your work. Leave your laptop at home. Save the space for books and magazines — extra points for bringing a good novel. Add in a bottle of wine, snacks and bubbles for the bubble bath you can and should take in the massive marble bathtubs in some suites. If you’re feeling virtuous, pack your sneakers and running gear — the Riverwalk, Dequindre Cut and Eastern Market are near enough for a brisk and scenic run, if that’s what you’re into, or you can log into a live virtual Citizen Yoga class from your room. Pop over to the seasonal pop-up shops. Curated by the real estate developers and ground floor gurus at Bedrock, a smattering of popup shops can be found around Downtown, some of which will stick around through March. Check out the Playground Detroit art gallery pop-up on Farmer Street (the original gallery sits on the East Side of the city), where a selection of prints are on display, along with quirky and colorful design items and gifts. Order extra special take-out. Detroit’s phenomenal food scene has had a tough year, but the talented chefs behind old and new favorites continue to deliver — now curbside or to your home. I’ve had a lot of takeout in the last few continued on page 30 FEBRUARY 4 • 2021
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months and can, therefore, vouch for some of the best plating and portioning in the city. Flowers of Vietnam’s fried tofu comes with a pile of tomatoes and crispy onions that you cannot make at home, on a bed of soft black rice. Ima’s Forest Udon and rice bowls travel surprisingly well, as do Poke Poke’s super fresh, mix and match-able bowls. Yum Village will deliver abundant portions of all their vegan offerings: maafe (peanut stew) with jollof rice, ginger curry chickpeas, plantains, Brussels sprouts and African cheesy bread. An obvious disclaimer: I eat dairy out. For those who only eat from heckshered (certified kosher) restaurants, you can grab carryout on your way Downtown or pack a picnic to enjoy in your hotel room. If you’re OK with strictly vegan or vegetarian restaurants, I highly recommend (respectively) Detroit Vegan Soul and Seva. Or, grab an Igloo if you’re up to it. Depending on your risk tolerance, book an outdoor pod with the members of your pod. San Morello, on the ground floor of the Shinola hotel, has tiny greenhouses and open seating with patio heaters set up to book for your party — their service is A+ as ever, now just behind masks. The Tartufo pizza bianca, and Sheep’s Milk Ricotta with hot honey and garlic and soft, fresh bread, and Mushroom Risotto will help you stay warm (They also have very nice salads, but when in Sicily…). Or book yourself a private dining suite! The Foundation Hotel and their lobby level restaurant, the Apparatus Room, have brilliantly converted suites to bookable private dining rooms. For $50, you can rent a thoroughly sanitized room for your pod and call down to have food and drinks delivered right to your door. The Roasted Carrot Hummus with dates, pistachios, and fresh sourdough bread is spicy and savory, and the Pumpkin and Parmesan Risotto — buttery, lightly acidic
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few new-ish bakeries are rounding out the options that would make even a Francophilic snob go back for seconds. Grab a coffee at Detroit’s outpost of the Grand Rapid’s homegrown favorite, Madcap. Or venture up to Milwaukee Caffe in the Milwaukee Junction neighborhood, a tiny walkup espresso counter that nods to a neighborhood joint in Italy. For pastries (and a very decent cappuccino), try Cannelle by Matt Kino — also a great place to pick up an almost-too-beautiful-to-eat tart. And for the absolute best, hands down, cannot-be-beaten almond croissant in the state, go to Ochre Bakery, which also sells excellent breads, thick slices of perfectly soft, not-toosweet cake and some groceries. While you’re there, grab a coffee from the Astro roastery next door and explore the Grand River Creative Corridor District, with its distinct Quonset huts and murals — on billboards, buildings and overpass bridges.
TOP: Playground Detroit’s colorful gallery turned gift shop pop-up. CENTER: The confections at Cannelle. BOTTOM: Learn to see cars like a designer at the Detroit Style exhibit at the DIA.
and with unbelievably creamy pieces of pumpkin — cannot be missed. It’s hard to say which is better: the consistently excellent food or the luxuriousness and sense of being truly out. DAY 2 Pretend you’re in the Paris of … Europe with the best coffee and pastries in town. Coffee culture in Detroit has exploded in the last few years, and a
Drop by the DIA. If you like your art indoors, consider this your reminder that we have a national treasure in our backyard. Reserve tickets and a time slot in advance because the museum is limiting occupancy. The mask requirement, temperature scans and cavernous rooms make you feel safe. Now is an especially good time to stop by: The cars on display in the Detroit Style: Car Design in the Motor City 1950-2020 will impress and transport even those — like myself — who don’t know a thing about cars (through June 27, 2021). The real takeaway from my enjoyable weekend of “immersive research” was a reminder that this city is full of small wonders. It may only take you 20 minutes to get Downtown, but be sure to book ahead: We can all use something to look forward to these days, and the anticipation of an adventure — even a little, local one — makes it all the sweeter.
JACK MUMFORD
SPORTS QUICK HITS
North Farmington Football Player Calls Season ‘Quite a Ride’ STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
NOAH RIOUX
were still alive in the playoffs. Practice resumed Dec. 21, then was halted after one day for a week so teams could get up to speed with antigen testing. “We were given workouts to do by our coaches and told to do our best to stay in shape while the season was stopped so we’d be fit when the state playoff games resumed,” Rioux said. After outscoring Waterford Kettering and Fenton 88-35 in its first two state playoff games and advancing thanks to its forfeit win over South Lyon, North Farmington ran into a Traverse City Central team that was averaging 48.4 points per game coming into the regional finals. North Farmington finished 7-3 under second-year coach Jon Herstein. Traverse City Central moved on to the state semifinals with a 9-1 record. Rioux was brought up to the North Farmington varsity football team midway through the late-starting regular season.
He saw action on the Raiders’ kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return and placekick block special teams. Doug Lemberg, North Farmington’s running backs and outside linebackers coach, said Rioux’s energy, attitude, work ethic and physicality are the reasons why he got the call to the varsity. “A player is brought up to the varsity only when he’s ready physically and mentally and can contribute to the team,” Lemberg said. “Noah fit the bill. He was ready.” Rioux hopes to play varsity basketball and lacrosse this winter and spring for North Farmington after being on subvarsity teams as a freshman. After doing online learning during the first semester of this school year, Rioux will be on a hybrid in-person and online schedule in the second semester.
ing a new place to play, but the safety of our players was the more because of the COVIDimportant reason for the 19 pandemic left the cancellation of the seaweekly league, which son,” Klinger said. Gary Klinger normally starts in Last year, the league’s January, without a 45th season had one home. week of regular-season play “We didn’t want to go and one week of playoffs through the process of findremaining when it had to
shut down because of the pandemic. The four league teams’ last day of competition was March 8. The league had never had a season end early before the stoppage. The cancellation of the season now also is a league first .
resumed in January after games and practices were halted Nov. 15 — one day after district championship games — because the Michigan High School Athletic Association and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services came up with a pilot program of rapid antigen coronavirus tests for players, coaches and others. “Testing actually was easy. Everyone went to a station, and the results came back in about 20 minutes,” Rioux said. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder said he tested negative three or four times. Rioux is by far in the majority in the pilot testing program. The MDHHS reported last week that 99.6% of tests among high school football, volleyball and girls swimming and diving athletes since Dec. 30 came back negative. Restarting the season wasn’t easy for North Farmington and the 71 other football teams that
Buzzer Sounds Before B’nai B’rith Basketball League Gets Started There won’t be any B’nai B’rith basketball league games this season. League spokesman Gary Klinger said the closure of the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit in West Bloomfield
GARY KLINGER
N
oah Rioux described his first season with the North Farmington High School football team in five words. “It was quite a ride,” said the sophomore fullback/middle linebacker who played in the Raiders’ three state playoff games, mostly on special teams. Noah Rioux The ride Rioux referenced was highlighted by North Farmington’s furthest advance in the state playoffs since 1978. Also, there was the Raiders’ forfeit win over South Lyon on Nov. 13 in the Division 2 district finals, followed by a two-month wait before North Farmington lost 50-22 on the road to Traverse City Central on Jan. 9 in the regional finals. The forfeit and layoff were because of COVID-19, of course. The state football playoffs
North Farmington’s Noah Rioux (26) makes a tackle during the Raiders’ state playoff win over Fenton.
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A children’s lounge space designed by Amy Miller Weinstein pops with illuminating yellow.
ARTS&LIFE
BETH SINGER
AT HOME
Color Combo In Ultimate Gray and Illuminating, Pantone’s new dual colors of the year break free from a pandemic state of mind. LYNNE KONSTANTIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
M
ost of us have been happy to say “so long” to 2020. Close to a year of a global pandemic has had an effect on almost everyone — and almost everything — including the world of design. Pantone is best-known in the fashion, beauty, graphic design and home design industries for its colormatching system — and the Pantone Color Institute has provided color reports and forecasts since 1962 (the year of Cerulean Blue). The recently revealed Pantone Color of the Year for 2021 is a direct reaction to the mood of 2020 and a hopeful look forward to 2021. And for the second time in its history, the color is actually two colors.
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“Ultimate Gray” reflects on 2020 as a year — while also bringing a sense of comfort — and “Illuminating” is full of hope and positivity for the future. “It is a pairing of two independent colors that come together to create an aspirational color pairing conjoining deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the optimistic promise of a sunshine-filled day,” according to the institute. “The selection of two independent colors highlight how different elements come together to express a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting, conveying the idea that it’s not about one color or one person — it’s about more than
one. The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope.” Amy Miller Weinstein, owner of AMW Design Studio in Birmingham, agrees that the shades have an emotional impact. “For me, the 2021 Pantone Colors of the Year evoke a ’60s vibe,” she says. “With the world in such upheaval, it feels synchronistic to be drawing on emotions that were so much a part of that era — and pursuing a hopefulness that in our differences, we can find our connections.” In a children’s lounge space in a client’s home, Weinstein anchored the room in tones of soft, soothing gray — brushed metals, cloudy cabinetry and ashy-finished flooring — but contrasts with a pop of lemony yellow in the form of a sink-
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1 Original BTC brand light fixture. 2 Even subtle splashes of color can evoke the emotions of the Pantone combination, seen here in a throw from Heating-and-plumbing.com. 3 Harris Tweed bench with yellow hairpin legs.
PHOTOS - PRESS LOFT
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in soft sectional. “These colors intermingle well and lend themselves to bold graphic statements. The energy of the yellow is given additional power because it is juxtaposed to the quiet strength of the gray, and in this case, also the black and white.” Jill Schumacher, founding partner of Rariden Schumacher Mio, in Birmingham, agrees with Weinstein that the dual palette has a vintage vibe. “This year’s colors are so fresh and current, yet feel retro and fun,” she says. “Illuminating yellow screams 1960s fashion — think Italy and London — so chic. “The bright yellow is a muchneeded lift for our eyes as we lean into 2021,” Schumacher says. “And the Ultimate gray is anything but a standard gray — it has a crispness that makes its combination with the Illuminating really snap. The color combination is ready for a children’s space yet sophisticated for a family room or stylish new office space.” Or a kitchen, which is where she
recently used this color-combo for a client. “I created a built-in banquette seat covered in a textured gray performance fabric and accented it with back cushions with a small triangle pattern of citron yellow and gray,” Schumacher says. “The cabinets were a medium-gray topped with white porcelain and we made a custom table with a criss-cross ‘pick-up sticks’ style table base in a powder-coated white — creating a crisp, coordinated look.” “The Pantone Color of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that color can hope to answer.” added Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute. “As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to symbolize thoughts and ideas, many designers and brands are embracing the language of color to engage and connect.” In other words, let’s look forward to a sunshiny-yellow future on the horizon — or at least a return to normalcy.
Sunshiny ’60s fashions
Polka dot wall stickers
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ARTS&LIFE
BOOKS
Moving Forward After Tragedy Temple Israel hosts author and father of Parkland school mass-murder victim.
Fred Guttenberg and his late daughter, Jaime.
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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“At some point, in the days and weeks following Jaime’s funeral, I picked up that journal and started writing. In about April 2018, I said to my wife, ‘I want to write a book.’ After journaling, writing was becoming my therapy. It was how I got through my day. It was how I got things off my chest.” Guttenberg, on the advice of a friend reading the first draft of the text, realized the theme should be based on how people lifted him up, and so he emphasized the importance of identifying helpers for oneself and being a helper for others. He established Orange Ribbons for Jaime (orange was her favorite color) to highlight issues that mattered to his daughter — programs to combat bullying, assistance for kids with special needs, scholarship opportunities and an education initiative concerning gun violence and how to deal with it. Another entity, more of an advocacy entity, is Orange Ribbons for Gun Safety. “I will be forever changed, and I will never take for granted what our voice in this democracy is,” said Guttenberg, whose efforts include convincing people to vote and support gun safety legislation. “I will never take for granted how important it is that we work every election to make sure as many people vote
COURTESY OF FRED GUTTENBERG
T
wo personal tragedies moved Fred Guttenberg into becoming a fulltime issues activist, and he describes the transition in his book, Find the Helpers: What 9/11 and Parkland Taught Me About Recovery, Purpose, and Hope (Mango Publishing). The first tragedy happened in 2017, when his brother Michael succumbed to long-term illness resulting from service as a 9/11 emergency doctor. The second tragedy happened four months later when his 14-yearold daughter Jaime was slain as a 19-year-old former student murdered 14 students and three adults at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Guttenberg will discuss the book and later experiences during the next session of the “Need to Read” Zoom programming hosted by Rabbi Jennifer Kaluzny of Temple Israel. It starts 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, and will explore the advice heeded from Rabbi Jonathan Kaplan of Florida: Move forward from grief without feeling pressure to move on. “The day we planned Jaime’s funeral, the funeral director handed me a journal and asked if I had ever journaled before,” said Guttenberg, who accepted the empty book while hearing the director’s suggestion that journaling would be good for him.
DETAILS
Zoom in to Fred Guttenberg 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 7. To register for the free event, go to templeisrael.org/event/ NeedToRead. For questions, contact lkaplan@ temple-israel.org.
as possible because it matters.” Guttenberg, who sold his donut franchises while looking after his brother, traveled in 2018 to further his electoral causes. In 2020, because of the pandemic, he communicated digitally. “After [my brother’s] passing, my intention was to either go look for another business or find a job,” he said. “Then my daughter was murdered, and everything else I could have ever thought of doing was stopped. “The only thing that mattered to me was doing something about gun violence. It was doing something about the politics of gun violence and so my entire life since Jaime’s been killed is involved in this fight.” In 2019, Guttenberg traveled to Pittsburgh to meet with families affected by another shooting rampage, the one at the Tree of Life Congregation a year earlier. “Judaism is a part of my life,” he said. “I was raised in a Conservative temple. I am who I
am because of Judaism, the way I was raised, the beliefs that I grew up with and the traditions that we’ve carried on. “My belief in a higher power [because of my losses] is very much on a rocky ground. I’m struggling with that. My faith as a concept is stronger than ever, but it’s in the people around me, the people who have shown me love, compassion and decency.” Guttenberg links the idea of helpers to current COVID issues. “Always know who your helpers are,” he advised. “When you need somebody, they are there. If you’re not sure, reach out to a place of worship or community center. Always, always take the chance to be a helper to someone else. You may not realize it, but they need you. “I hope when people read my book, they take on this notion of helpers. It is how we’re going to … move forward through this whole COVID experience. We’re going to do it together.”
ARTS&LIFE
NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST
A KING; A QUEEN; YOUNG LEVINSON & LEVY SHINE Of course, you’ve heard that Larry King died last week at age 87. I saw King in the ’80s before he became really famous. I chanced to learn that he was doing a free, live radio show in San Francisco, a block away from where I then lived. So I sauntered over. He looked worse then, at about 53, than he looked at 73. During every ad break, he’d creep up the wide ramp on the side of the audience seats. His back was hunched over, and he smoked a cigarette as he walked. Not long after, he had a massive heart attack and he learned his lesson. He took care of himself and lived another 34 years. King worked (and worked) and always seemed upbeat despite a rough childhood; an arrest for larceny in 1971 (he was acquitted); seven failed marriages and the premature deaths of the two oldest of his five children. Maybe the miracle of his unexpected stardom and decades of good health sustained his spirits. A new version of the ’80s TV series The Equalizer starts on CBS on Feb. 7 (8:30 p.m.). Queen Latifah stars as Robyn McCall, an enigmatic woman with a mysterious background who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn. Adam Goldberg, 50, is a main cast member. He’s best known as the star of the Hebrew Hammer movies and as the Jewish army soldier who tragically dies in a one-on-one fight with a Nazi soldier near the end of Saving Private Ryan. The original Netflix film, Malcolm & Marie, begins
Larry King during an interview with Ross Perot in 1993.
streaming on Feb. 5. It’s a two-character movie, made during the pandemic, with a very small crew. The brief official description: When filmmaker Malcolm (John David Washington) and his girlfriend Marie (Zendaya) return home from a movie premiere and await his film’s critical response, the evening takes a turn as revelations about their relationships begin to surface, testing the couple’s love. For more details, see the long Variety review online. Variety gave it an “all-rave” review, as did other many outlets. (Oscar noms seem a certainty). All this praise included Sam Levinson, 36, the film’s director and writer. He is best known as the creator and “showrunner” of the American version of Euphoria on HBO (which stars Zendaya and was based on an Israeli series). Sam is the son of Oscar-winning (Rain Man) director Barry Levinson, 77. Dan Levy, 37, will be the guest host of Saturday Night Live on Feb. 6. Levy won four 2020 Emmys: for his acting in the series Schitts’ Creek, for writing a Creek episode, for directing an episode and as a co-producer of the series, which won the best comedy series Emmy. The last award he shared with his father, Creek star and co-producer Eugene Levy, 74.
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ON THE GO
PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS
YIDDISH POETRY IN TRANSLATION 4-5:15 PM, FEB. 4 U-M Frankel Center for Judaic Studies will present an Zoom a performance by Detroit-born Mikhl Yashinsky, followed by Q&A with Mikhail Krutikov. At this event, Yashinsky will perform the Yiddish poetry of Ezra Korman in his own translation. Yashinsky has taught Yiddish at the University of Michigan, YIVO and the Workers Circle, and is known to Yiddish theatrical audiences. Info: tinyurl. comsawyerseminar2021. VIRTUAL RUFUS AT ARK 5 PM, FEB. 5 The Ark in Ann Arbor will present a Rufus-RetroWainwright-Spective. Advance ticket: $20; Day of Show: $25; Monthly Pass (4-show bundle+2 Fireside Chats): $70. Info: theark.org. IRISH MUSIC AT THE ARK 8 PM, FEB. 6 Mick Gavin’s Crossroads Ceili will be live from The Ark as part of the Ark Family Room Series. Free. Tip jar available. Info: theaqrk.org. JFS HEALTH PROGRAM 1:30-3:30 PM, FEB 8 (FOR 6 WEEKS) Jewish Family Service will bring this free Zoom presentation. Personal Action Toward Health (PATH) is a fun, interactive program designed by Stanford University to provide the necessary skills and tools to help people manage chronic pain and other persistent health conditions live a healthier life. This workshop is conducted
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by certified leaders and is open to adults, their family and friends, as well as caregivers. A reservation is required. Contact Beth Seelbach, 248-592-2655 or bseelbach@jfsdetroit. org. Registration priority will be given to those living in Western Wayne, Livingston, Oakland, Washtenaw and Macomb counties.
Testing from BRCA to TaySachs.” Hillary Regelman, director of National Outreach for JScreen, will discuss the history behind Jewish genetic screening and current innovations. Register by Feb. 8 at hadassahmidwest.org/ GDGenetic or call 248-683 5030. There is a $10 event fee.
JHSM PROBES A SUMMER PLACE IN MICHIGAN 2 PM, FEB. 10 The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan offers an exclusive Zoom screening of a new documentary about a summer place in Michigan that has continued for six generations, which explores the impacts of history, antisemitism and the oppression of the Chicago summer heat, combined with a common desire to be amongst friends and family in a community lakeside setting. JHSM members: $10; nonmembers: $18. Register at michjewishhistory.org.
ISRAELI COVID RESEARCH 2 PM, FEB. 11 Technion will present critical research in the era of COVID-19 as reported by Professors Alon Wolf, Yair Ein Eli, Naama GevaZatorsky and Yonatan Savir. They will discuss an overview of the most promising COVID-related research at the Technion. Visit: info@ats.org.
ABOUT GENETIC TESTING 7:30 PM, FEB. 10 Hadassah Greater Detroit will present a virtual program, “The Modern Approach to Genetic
GENOCIDE DISCUSSION 7 PM, FEB. 11 The Holocaust Memorial Center presents a program on the Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim ethnic group in western China who are being persecuted by the Chinese government with incarceration in concentration camps, forced sterilization, mass disappearances and the destruction of their culture. Dr. Ellen J. Kennedy, executive director of World Without Genocide, discusses the efforts to hold the Chinese government accountable. Watch live at facebook.com/hmczfc. No Facebook account is needed. Compiled by Sy Manello/Editorial Assistant. Send items at least 14 days in advance to calendar@thejewishnews. com.
Class Probes: What Is It Like to Die? What is it like to die? These are the words Dr. Raymond Moody uses to open his bestselling book, Life After Life. He writes, “That is a question which humanity has been asking itself ever since there have been humans.” Judaism has a lot to say on this topic. In addition to providing practical direction in end-of-life decisions, as well as the process of mourning, the Talmud and Kabalah (Jewish mysticism) address the more esoteric issues of death: how it is experienced by the soul, Heaven and Hell, and even reincarnation. Rabbi Shneur Silberberg of Bais Chabad of West Bloomfield will lead a sixpart series titled “Life After Life,” produced by the Jewish Learning Institute (JLI). The classes are accredited (CE) for doctors, nurses and mental health professionals. The weekly classes began the week of Jan. 31, but students can join afterward and catch up on video. Choose either Sundays at 11 a.m. or Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. Classes will be available on Zoom. For information, visit www.baischabad.com/SOUL or contact rabbishneur@ baischabad.com.
SPOTLIGHT
B’nai Moshe Hosts Victim of Neo-Nazis
Rabbi Twerski, 90, Psychiatrist, Author
vice president of the Orthodox abbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski, Union, said Rabbi Twerski would the scion of multiple Hasidic often say that though he had written dynasties, author of more dozens of books, he had really writthan 60 books, and a physician who ten just one book about one subject: became a leading authority on drug self-esteem. treatment, has died. That interest was rooted Rabbi Twerski, 90, had in his psychiatric training, been battling COVID-19 in but was also connected Israel, according to Yeshiva to his Hasidic worldview, World News. including the teachings of Born in Milwaukee into a the Hasidic movement’s family of incomparably disfounder, the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Abraham tinguished rabbinic stock, whose philosophy centered Rabbi Twerski was descend- Twerski on authenticity — and, in ed on his father’s side from Rabbi Twerski’s understanding, Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky, self-esteem. the founder of the Chernobyl Hasidic “In terms of relating to people, dynasty also known by the name of relationships, understanding the soul his work of Torah commentary, Me’or and the psyche, those are the values Einayim. His mother was the daughter that he grew up with and in medical of the Bobover Hasidic rebbe. school he found that in psychiatry,” A noted Judaic scholar in his own Weinreb said. right, Rabbi Twerski was among the In 1996, Rabbi Twerski wrote The last of a breed of rabbinic authoriShame Borne in Silence, becoming one ties who also achieved recognized of the first major Orthodox leaders expertise in secular subjects and to speak publicly about domestic viofrequently presented at academic and lence and other forms of abuse in the professional conferences in the full Orthodox community. Hasidic garb he wore every day. After Rabbi Twerski was a vocal prograduating from medical school in ponent of Alcoholics Anonymous, 1960, he spent two decades as the whose 12 steps he found entirely conclinical director of the psychiatry unit sonant with Jewish teachings, despite at St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh. its origins in Christian thought. In 1972, he founded Gateway Rehab He even defended the practice of in Pittsburgh. attending AA meetings in church Rabbi Twerski wrote more than basements, something many strictly 60 books, most of which were aimed observant Jews are loath to do. at Jewish readers but some of which Within the Orthodox community, were published for a general audiRabbi Twerski founded Nefesh, an ence. His books addressed both association for mental health workreligious subjects and self-help topics ers, spanning the range of Orthodox — including happiness, self-esteem, observance and making clear that and marital issues — and somehe saw no contradiction between times both. He was also a fan of the his Orthodox faith and his scientific comic strip “Peanuts” and authored pursuits. two books with its creator, Charles “He was a great believer that there Schultz. was no contradiction,” Weinreb said. Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, a “A person could be a person of great psychologist and former executive faith and a rigorous scientist.” JTA
STEVE CHRISTO/FAIRFAX MEDIA VIA GETTY IMAGES/JTA
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Congregation B’nai Moshe of West Bloomfield will welcome Tanya Gersh to a virtual town hall 7 p.m. Sunday, Tanya Gersh March 21, to discuss how she and her family dealt with months of abusive antisemitic messages from the publisher of a neo-Nazi website. A U.S. judge ruled that the publisher of a neo-Nazi website, who organized a “troll storm” to target Tanya Gersh and her family should have to pay more than $14 million in damages and remove all posts that encouraged his readers to contact her. The judge called the harassment campaign, launched by the Daily Stormer publisher Andrew Anglin “egregious and reprehensible.” Anglin targeted Gersh, a Jewish real estate agent in Whitefish, Mont., a town where the prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer and his family have sometimes lived.
The anonymous internet trolls bombarded her family with hateful and threatening messages after Anglin published their personal information, including a photo of her young son. In a string of posts, Anglin accused Gersh and other Jewish residents of Whitefish of engaging in an “extortion racket” against the mother of white nationalist Richard Spencer. Gersh said she had agreed to help Spencer’s mother sell commercial property she owns in Whitefish. Gersh said she received threatening emails, texts and voicemails, including promises to drive her to suicide and “endless references to being thrown in the oven, being gassed. “Sometimes when I answered that phone all I heard were gunshots,” she said. Registration for the virtual town hall is free; however, registration is required at www.bnaimoshe.org.
Creative Writers Wanted by Historical Society The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan is calling all creative writers. The group is soliciting poetry and personal essays (up to 1,500 words), for the “Creative Expressions” sections of the 2021 issue of its journal, Michigan Jewish History — related to the theme of Jewish participation in public life. Public life is defined broadly: philanthropy, activism, political participation, military service, teaching, board membership, writing, tour-guiding and more. Editor/Curator Joy Gaines-Friedler will help you edit. To submit a piece for consideration (by mid-February), email a Word document to Gaines-Friedler at caboti@yahoo.com. For questions about Michigan Jewish History, email managing editor Tracy Weissman at tweissman@michjewishhistory.org.
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SPOTLIGHT FARBER
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Rabbi Noam Stein
Farber High School Principal to Depart DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
Farber Hebrew Day School high school principal Rabbi Noam Stein will be leaving the Southfield-based school after accepting a position at a day school on the East Coast starting next school year. In a statement by Farber Head of School Dr. Joshua Levisohn, it was revealed that Stein accepted the position just recently and his new school will soon be making an announcement. “In his seven years as principal of the High School, Rabbi Stein has elevated the academic program, promoted expanded opportunities for girls’ Judaic learning, built an excellent teaching staff and served as a role model for Modern Orthodox Judaism to our students and families,” Levisohn said in the statement. “All of us at Farber wish Rabbi Stein and his family the greatest success and good fortune as he moves on to the next stage in his career.” Farber has begun preparations for and is launching a national search for an educator to replace Stein. Farber is establishing an advisory committee composed of a cross section of the high school’s constituents to assist in and support the search process. Stein could not be reached for comment at time of publication.
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OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY
BERNICE ACKERMAN, 88, of West Bloomfield, died Jan. 26, 2021. She is survived by her sons and daughters-inlaw, Isaac and Miriam Sandler of Laurel, Md., David and Daniella Sandler of Oak Park, Fredric and Brook Sandler of Novi; daughters and sons-inlaw, Beryl and Steve Brown of Virginia Beach, Va., Mindy Sandler and Steve McConnell of Spokane, Wash.; 21 grandchildren. Mrs. Ackerman was the dear sister of the late Audrey Rosenberg. Contributions may be made to any charity dealing with women’s rights. A family graveside service was held at Hebrew Memorial Gardens. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. ROSE AIDENBAUM, 82, of Pontiac, died Jan. 27, 2021. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Guido and Connie Aidenbaum of West Bloomfield, Steve and Jaclyn Aidenbaum of Novi; daughter, Michelle Weitzman; grandchildren, Ashley Aidenbaum and Robert Streit, Whitney and Rabbi Elya Silfen, Max Aidenbaum and Shelby Sharette, Ethan and Evan Weitzman, Emily Aidenbaum, Bradley Aidenbaum; great-grandchildren, Nechama Esther Silfen, Chaka Bayla Silfen, Shimon Moshe Yosef Silfen. Mrs. Aidenbaum was the beloved wife of the late Simon Aidenbaum; loving daughter of the late Miriam and the late Meyer Wolnowucz; dear sister of the late Bernardo
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Wolnowucz. Contributions may be made to Bais Chabad of West Bloomfield, 5595 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322. A family graveside service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. JOYCE BOOKE, 85, of Michigan and California, died Jan. 20, 2021. She was born July 18, 1935. She met her husband, Hank, just before her 18th birthday, and they married a year later. They traveled quite a lot, always feeling there was more to see. Hank even taught her to be fish, which she loved. Her life was divided into Michigan and California and there were so many wonderful friends (some since early childhood). At 66 years, she finally got to college. Her education allowed her to work with challenged children, and she loved their nickname for her, the Bunny Lady, as she brought rabbits. She was very active in many organizations and also got her girls involved. Mrs. Booke had three loving and loved daughters, Jaime (Gary) Rubenstein, Carin (Mark) Nathanson, and Kelly Booke; terrific grandchildren, Jason, Alex (Kristina) Rubenstein, Josh and Drew Nathanson, Austin and Taylor Sher; great-grandson, Parker Rubenstein. She was also survived by many nieces and nephews and their wonderful families. Mrs. Booke was the wife for 54 years of the late Hank Booke; sister of the late Ronnie
Licht; sister-in-law of the late Arlene Licht and the late Anita Kaplan. Contributions may be made to City of Hope, the National Kidney Foundation or any Jewish organization. ELAINE HARRIS, 83, of Troy, died Jan. 22, 2021. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Douglas J. Harris; sons and daughters-inlaw, Paul Harris, John and Paula Harris, Kenneth and Linda Harris; grandchildren, Jackson and Emily; her nieces, nephews and many friends. Mrs. Harris was the cherished mother of the late Ellen Harris; the loving sister of the late Anita Hayman, whose memory continues through her husband, Alan. She was also the adored daughter of the late Hyman and the late Mary Feldman. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to ORT America Michigan Region, Max M. Fisher Federation Building, 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 350, Bloomfield Township, MI 48301, ortamerica.org; or Humane Society of Michigan, 30300 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025, michiganhumane.org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. SHIRLEE INGBER, 95, of West Bloomfield, died Jan. 25, 2021. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Lauri and Steven Solomon; sons and daughters-in-law, Marc and
Jeanine Ingber, Bruce and Nikki Ingber; grandchildren, Spencer and Bonnie Solomon, Rebecca Solomon, Megan Ingber, Jacquie and Brian Lederman, Katie and Michael Komorn, Matthew Ingber, Hillary and Matthew Ostreicher, Allison Ingber, Aaron Ingber and Jessica Rodnick Ingber; 12 great-grandchildren; sister, Adeline Stern; many loving nieces, nephews and friends. Mrs. Ingber was the beloved wife for 70 years of the late George Ingber; the loving sister of the late Alan Teitel; and the dear sister-in-law of the late Al Stern, the late Gerald and the late Rachel Ingber, the late Abe and the late Mollie Ingber, the late Ruth and the late Nate Perlman, and the late Sandy Teitel. Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of Michigan, 25882 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 102, Farmington Hills, MI 48336, ccfa.org/chapters/ michigan; National Jewish Health Center, 1400 Jackson St. M104, Denver, CO 80206, nationaljewish.org; or Macular Degeneration Foundation, P.O. Box 531313, Henderson, NV 89053, eyesight.org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. EDYTHE B. MAZUR, 93, of West Hills, Calif., died Jan. 22, 2021. She was born in 1927 and grew up in the Detroit area. She graduated from Central High School in 1945 and Michigan State University in 1949. Mrs. Mazur was a longtime
member of Congregation Beth Shalom and was active in its sisterhood. She was also part of four-generations of lifetime members in Hadassah along with her mother, daughter-inlaw and granddaughter. Edythe is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Elliott and Linda, Glenn and Mayumi, and Jeffrey and Leslie (Cherney); grandchildren, Michael, Jonathan, Jessica, Cynthea and Ken; great-grandchildren, Emilie, Alex, Teddy and Ava. She was the beloved wife of the late Marvin Mazur; mother-in-law of the late Lynne Mazur. Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Congregation Beth Shalom, 14601 W. Lincoln, Oak Park, Mi 48237, congbethshalom. org; or Hadassah-Greater Detroit Chapter, 5030 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323, hadassah.org/detroit. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. DOROTHY RODER, 86, of Plano, Texas, died Jan. 21, 2021. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Jeffrey and Paola Roder, and Robert and Victoria Roder; grandchildren, Tegan, Andrew and Ava. Mrs. Roder was the beloved wife of the late Irving Roder. Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, 20450 Civic Center Drive, Southfield, MI 48076, cancer. org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
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Melvin Earl Duchan Tillie Epstein 25 Shevat February 7 Sophie Engelman Chashe Miriam Levenson Nathan Bakalar Mollie Masserman Jerry (Jerome) Bielfield Saralee Gordon Marvin Niskar Ruben Grevnin Tillie Feldman Hyman Rosen Rose Hershman Sarah Goldman Dora Seidel Rudolf Rib Bernice Kaplan 28 Shevat February 10 Ann Soufrine Mendel Simon Leo Nathan Spector Jacob Butensky Anna Tamaroff Witzel Abraham Wolok Max Cohen 26 Shevat February 8 Natalie Freedland 1 Adar February 13 Michoel Ben-Joseph Albert Kanfer Joseph Berg Harry Neil Brodsky Max Kaplan Isadore Domnitch Wolf Cohen Jack Lublin Joseph Dorfman Esther Glicksman David Morris Morris Gould Arthur Louis Goulson Benjamin A. Pollack Aron Grossbard Riva Gula Selma (Sadie) Levine 29 Shevat February 11 Max Harris Bernard Fidler Henry Hochman Theodore Lipman Samuel Gore Leslie Kay Leon Meckler Esther Freyda Klaus Marvin Modlinsky Alexander Roberg Sofa Kotlyar Fannie Remer Jennie Shore Malka Lazar Dorothy S. Rosenthal Leon J. Simon Sima Kaila Bas Moshe Albert P. Seigle Geoffrey I. Spector Bernard Zaffern David Silver Fannie Yaker 27 Shevat February 9 30 Shevat February 12 Asher Smith Dr Joseph Beninson Daniel Paul Weinberg R. Edward Berman Benjamin Broncwaig Mary Weingarden Fanny Bokhaut Louis M. Dunn Steven Zack Ernest H. Chayet Erna Elsch School for Boys • Beth Jacob School for Girls • Bais Yehudah Preschool Weiss Family Partners Detroit • Kollel Bais Yehudah • Maalot Detroit P.O. Box 2044 • Southfield, MI 48037• 248-557-6750 • www.YBY.org
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OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 41
NATHAN ROSEN, 86, of West Bloomfield, died Jan. 22, 2021. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Michele and Henry Scharg of Farmington Hills; sons and daughters-inlaw, Keith and Erin Rosen of Greenboro, N.C., Peter and Michelle Rosen of White Lake; grandchildren, Samantha Scharg Ketchel and Daniel Ketchel, Brad Scharg, Andy Rosen, Hannah Rosen, Zoe Rosen, Kayla Rosen, Jacob Rosen, Emma Weintraub, Matt Weintraub; sister-in-law, Iris Rosen. Mr. Rosen was the beloved husband of the late Irene Rosen; dear brother and brother-in-law of the late Leo Rosen, the late Michael Rosen, the late Mary and the late Zenek Schwartzberg. Contributions may be made to JARC, 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 100, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301; or Yad Ezra, 2850 W. 11 Mile Road, Berkley, MI 48072. A family graveside service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. IRENE ROSENBERG, 76, of Deltona, Fla., died Jan. 20, 2021. She is survived by her daughter and sonin-law, Amy and Joe Smart. She was the adored aunt of Ashleigh Pfister and Corey Rosenberg, whom she raised and loved like her own children. She is also survived by her grandchild, Taylor Smart; sisters and brother, Marjorie Glogower, Barbara Rosenberg
and Jerrold Rosenberg; many other loving nieces and nephews. Ms. Rosenberg was the cherished mother of the late Allen Hamel; the loving sister of the late Robert Rosenberg; the treasured daughter of the late Nathalie and the late Simon Rosenberg. Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Humane Society of Michigan, 30300 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025, michiganhumane.org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. LINDA JOY PROPAS ROSS, 74, of New York, N.Y., formerly of West Bloomfield, passed away peacefully on Jan. 14, 2021, with her daughters by her side. Linda was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, lived most of her life in the Detroit area, retired to Laguna Beach, Calif., and finally fulfilled her lifelong dream of living in New York City. She enjoyed Broadway and the arts, traveled extensively and was very passionate about political and philanthropic causes. Mrs. Ross is survived by her brother, Lonnie (Susan) Propas; two daughters, Andrea Stearn (David) Samuel and Laura Stearn (Steven) Jacobs; her five grandchildren, Rebecca, Elissa and Sari Cohen, and Benjamin and Emma Jacobs. Memorial donations may be made to any of the following organizations, all of which were important to her: searchandcare.org;
July 18, 1935 – January 20, 2021 Broadwaycares.org; bcrf.org; Crohnscolitisfoundation.org; aspca.org. SHIRLEY SIEFMAN, 94, of Bloomfield Hills, died Jan. 25, 2021. She is survived by her sons and c. 1967 daughters-inlaw, Jay Siefman and Marlene Rosenberg, Robert and Marilyn Siefman; daughter, Cynthia Beth Siefman; grandchildren, Jeffrey Siefman and Rachel Luck, Rebecca Siefman, Alana Siefman, Joshua Siefman and Jasmin Siefman; great-granddaughter, Louise Luckman; sister, Ruth Aaron. Mrs. Siefman was the beloved wife of the late Albert
Siefman; the loving sister of the late Toby Broder; the dear sister-in-law of the late George Aaron. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. P. ANNE STEELE, 80, of Dearborn Heights, died Jan. 17, 2021. She is survived by her daughters and son-in-law, Christine Marie Ayre, and Cheryl Ann and David Pozek; grandchildren, Kenneth and Holly Pozek; great-grandchildren, Jack, Emerson and Charlotte. Interment was at Glen Eden Memorial Gardens. continued on page 44
I died on the date above when my body couldn't take care of me any longer. I feel that I had an especially lucky life. I met my husband Hank just before my 18th birthday, and married a year later. He and I traveled quite a lot but there's always more to see. He even taught me to be a fisherman, I loved it. After 54 years, my wonderful husband Hank died. We had 3 loving and loved daughters together; Jaime (Gary) Rubenstein, Carin (Mark) Nathanson, and Kelly Booke. They looked after me till the very end. They gave me the most terrific grandchildren; Jason and Alex (Kristina) Rubenstein, Josh and Drew Nathanson, Austin and Taylor Sher, and great grandson Parker Rubenstein. I was especially close with my brother Ronnie Licht who predeceased me and my terrific sisters in law, Arlene Licht and the late Anita Kaplan. There are many nieces and nephews and their wonderful families, all to whom I was very close. My life has been divided into Michigan and California, so many wonderful friends (some since early
childhood). At 66 years I finally got to college. My education allowed me to work with challenged children. I loved their nickname for me, the "bunny lady" as I brought rabbits. I've been very active in many organizations and also got my girls involved. Life went by too fast and now I'm at the end. I'll miss you but it was wonderful being a part of your lives.
LOVE TO YOU ALL,
Joy1ce2 Book2e2 P.S. If you choose to honor my memory City of Hope is one of my favorites, the National Kidney Foundation, or any Jewish organization.
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FEBRUARY 4 • 2021
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OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 43
Contributions may be made to JVS Human Services, 29699 Southfield Road, Southfield, MI 48076, jvshumanservices.org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. LINDA KAPLAN STONE, 79, of Farmington Hills, died Jan. 25, 2021. She is survived by her beloved husband, Raymond Stone; sons and daughters-in-law, Jeff and Stephanie Kaplan, Glenn and Robyn Kaplan, and Eric Kaplan; grandchildren, Jordyn, Ashley, Jared, Hannah, Samantha, Peyton, Jessica and Amanda Kaplan; sister and brother-inlaw, Debbie and Stan Abram;
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sister-in-law, Nancy Coller; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. Mrs. Stone was the sister of the late Wayne Coller. Interment took place at Hebrew Memorial Cemetery in Clinton Township. Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. JUDITH STROHL, 75, of Walled Lake, died Jan. 25, 2021. Mrs. Strohl is survived by her husband of 47 years, Robert “Bob” Strohl; brother, Michael Morganroth; brotherin-law and sister-in-law, Ronald and Debbie Strohl; nephews
and nieces, Scott and Candy Morganroth, Lonny and Janette Morganroth, Dana Strohl, Danny Strohl, Shawn Strohl and David Strohl; many loving great-nieces, great-nephews, great-great-nieces and greatgreat-nephews. Mrs. Strohl was the dear sister-in-law of the late Shila Morganroth, the late Richard Strohl and the late Lynn Strohl. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Humane Society of Michigan, 30300 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025, michiganhumane.org; any animal welfare charity or a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
OBITUARY CHARGES The processing fee for obituaries is: $125 for up to 100 words; $1 per word thereafter. A photo counts as 15 words. There is no charge for a Holocaust survivor icon. The JN reserves the right to edit wording to conform to its style considerations. For information, have your funeral director call the JN or you may call Sy Manello, editorial assistant, at (248) 351-5147 or email him at smanello@ renmedia.us.
RASKIN
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING
Opa! Uptown Parthenon has a new owner.
N
umerous people enjoyed going to authentic Greek restaurants, but most of them at one time bemoaned the fact that so many were located in Downtown Detroit and too many were also serving other dishes as well … To them, this is Danny Raskin not considered Senior Columnist authentic Greek operations. So, when it was made known that because of this, Uptown Parthenon would open in the northwest suburbs, people were thrilled to hear
that a true authentic Greek eatery, owned by the one in Downtown Detroit, was opening in Crosswinds Plaza on Orchard Lake Road. The current rumor is true … Uptown Parthenon has been sold … and the new owner, who many people will know, is also Greek and has taken over … with remodeling and other services obtainable while the work is completed. He is Tom Goulas, whose claim to dining-out note is by the Honey Tree operations, among other eateries he also owns … A most personable gent, Goulas had come here from Athens, Greece, in 1972 … and is a keen restaurateur who spent 10 years as a chef in Athens … Tony Hadjisofroniou, general manager, continues, along with its fine staff … Since coming to America, Tom has always had an attitude of cleanliness for his restaurants … maintaining scores in the high 90s by
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health departments. Those who remember the first Olga’s Souvlaki in Birmingham, will recall the young man … Tom helped Olga Loizan open the start of her chain … His first Honey Tree was noted for its molded hand-made gyros of fresh ground beef and lamb mixed with garlic pepper, oregano and dried mustard … which is still a huge seller … as is the many excellent Greek dishes for which Tom has become well noted. OLDIE BUT GOODIE … The fellow received a parrot for his birthday … It was fully grown with a bad attitude and worse vocabulary … Every other word was an expletive … Those that weren’t expletives were, to say the least, rude. The gent tried hard to change the bird’s attitude and was constantly saying polite words, playing soft music, anything that came to mind … Nothing worked … He yelled
at the bird, the bird got worse … He shook the bird and the bird got madder … Finally, in a moment of desperation, the gent put the parrot in the freezer … For a few moments he heard the bird squawking, kicking and screaming and then, suddenly all went quiet. He was frightened that he might have actually hurt the bird and quickly opened the freezer door … The parrot calmly stepped out onto the man’s extended arm and said, “I’m sorry that I offended you with my language and actions … I ask your forgiveness … I will try to check my behavior.” The owner was astonished at the bird’s change in attitude and was about to ask what changed him when the parrot continued, “May I ask what the chicken did?” CONGRATS … To Sybil Stone on her birthday. Danny’s email address is dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.
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FEBRUARY 4 • 2021
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Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
Dead Sea Scrolls
T
his week’s Looking Back is going way back, over 2,000 years ago or so. Well, OK, only 70 years or so in the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History, but the topic is an ancient one. I recently read a story about the passing of Dr. Norman Golb, the University of Chicago professor who uncovered the existence of a previously unknown Jewish community in Medieval France. He was also a contributor to the scholarship of the Dead Sea Mike Smith Scrolls. Alene and Reading about Golb, I Graham Landau Archivist Chair wondered — what would I find about the Scrolls in the Davidson Archive? I was not disappointed. Beginning in 1952, there are 623 pages with a wide range of topics about the scrolls, including many in-depth articles and reports. Briefly, the ancient texts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls are considered to be one of the great archeological finds in world history. Calling all of the discoveries “scrolls” might be a bit of a misnomer. Only a few scrolls are largely intact manuscripts; most are fragments of documents. Most important, however, the Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient Jewish religious texts. The first scrolls were found in 19461947 in a cave near the north shore of the Dead Sea by a Bedouin shepherd. Additional scrolls and fragments were found over the years. Eventually, by 2017, 12 sites called the Qumran Caves, were discovered and excavated. Yigal Yadin, an Israeli military hero and politician, was one prominent archeologist who led excavations at the Qumran Caves and played a role in acquiring scrolls, most of which are now held by the Israel Museum.
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The pages of the JN hold many articles and discussions about the authenticity of the scrolls. The general conclusion of scholars is that the scrolls date from 2,000 years ago or more, but there are and were dissenters, such as Dr. Solomon Zeitlin, who claimed that the scrolls had “no value for Judaism or early Christianity” (JN,, Feb. 24, 1956). Most scholars, such as the first Israeli Director of Antiquities Shmuel Yeivin, supported the authenticity of the scrolls (JN June 29, 1956). Legendary JN Editor Philip Slomovitz devoted a number of his columns to the scrolls and urged keeping an open mind as well as urging scholars to strive for accuracy in their research (for example, JN Aug. 28, 1956; July 17, 1968; Feb. 2, 1973; and Jan. 14, 1977). The JN also published news about the latest developments in scroll scholarship, such as preservation methods and access to the scrolls. Some stories over the last 70 years are directly related to Jewish Detroit. For example, there have been many lectures and presentations in the community as well as scholarship at local universities regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls. There is a great feature article about a huge event in the Jan. 17, 2003, issue of the JN. That year, the Public Museum of Grand Rapids, Mich., was the only U.S. venue to host a traveling Dead Sea Scroll exhibit from the Israeli Antiquities Authority. The story of the Dead Sea Scrolls is one of the world’s most fascinating sagas. As an archivist, I can only dream of a find like that! Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.
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