DJN March 3, 2022

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS thejewishnews.com

200 March 3-9, 2022 / 30 Adar 1- 6 Adar II 5782

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Uniting Generations

New JCC program offers resources, events for grandparents and grandkids. See page 12

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contents Mar. 3-9, 2022 / 30 Adar 1-6 Adar II 5782 | VOLUME CLXIV, ISSUE 3

PURELY COMMENTARY 4-10

Essays and viewpoints.

NEXT DOR 32

NEXTWork: “Second Inning”

33

Preview: NEXTGen Detroit’s Winter Fundraiser

OUR COMMUNITY 12

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Uniting Generations

New JCC program offers resources, events for grandparents + grandkids.

Calling All Lawyers!

34

Master of the Links

Golfer J.J. Modell will be on Team USA this summer at the Maccabiah Games.

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Moments

SPIRIT 35

Torah portion

Basketball is Back at Farber

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Don’t Sit: Walk

Jewish day school hosts fourth annual David Tanzman Memorial Tournament.

38

Synagogue Directory

Farber Launches First UMatter Club

ARTS&LIFE

25

Justice Bernstein at Chabad Jewish Community Center

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Compassionate Caregivers

JARC direct care workers offer vital help and hope for people with developmental disabilities.

Hillel Day School’s Havdalapalooza

Dozens of families gather for a virtual Havdalah celebration.

FACES AND PLACES 28

Sledding and Snowflakes

29

The Shul Welcomes the ‘Ballerina of Auschwitz’

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Fowling Fun

31

Raw Silk Serenades JARC

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MAZEL TOV

Online seminar on landlord-tenant law seeks to inform attorneys and help them serve as volunteers.

Friendship Circle program empowers teen to shatter stigma of mental health challenges.

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SPORTS

JVS Recruiting Summer Interns JOIN program is looking for full-time Jewish undergrad and grad students.

Liam Weckstein and Ellery Weckstein with their grandparents Patti and Rick Phillips

“Distilled and Chilled” at the Whiskey Factory Detroit.

Our Moment

The Skillman Foundation’s Angelique Power on being a Black Jewish change agent in Detroit.

Insights from start-up junkie Jason Raznick.

The Jewish News stands with Ukraine as it is under attack by Russia, and our prayers go out to all its people, especially its large Jewish population.

Look for coverage in next week’s issue.

40

On the Road Again

43

New Children’s Book Inspired

by Holocaust Survivors

JET creates an Arizona production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

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Local author writes children’s book about diversity and acceptance.

44

Celebrity News

EVENTS 45

Community Calendar

ETC.

The Exchange 47 Obits 48 Looking Back 54

28 40

Shabbat Lights

Shabbat begins: Friday, March 4, 6:08 p.m.

Shabbat ends: Saturday, March 5, 7:10 p.m. * Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

ON THE COVER: Cover photo/credit: “Gigi” Debbie (Landau).

Cover design: Michelle Sheridan

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

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Instagram @detroitjewishnews

PURELY COMMENTARY for openers

Side By Side

S

hould an argument ever arise in your life, someone will always inquire which side you are on.

If there is a following for an idea, you do not want to let your side down. Be careful, however, when you side with someone or Sy Manello take sides.

Editorial Yes, you did Assistant just have an Aha! moment as you discovered the area of discussion I am pursuing.

Want a nice vacation? Travel to the seaside. Be sure to take a map if you are driving so that you do not get left by the

side of the road. If it is a long trip, you may wish to make some side trips to break the monotony.

Do not become a complainer; you’ll be thought to be a thorn in someone’s side. If you change sides easily, you’ll be described as talking out of both sides of your mouth.

Always being ready for a dispute may show your dark side.

Try to look on the sunny side of things. If, however, you get up on the wrong side of the bed, you may see things on the downside. Do not let this get you on the wrong side of the law.

Sometimes it helps to be able to see the funny side of

situations. Don’t let yourself get jealous and think that the grass is always greener on the other side.

My favorite sides are the ones offered with meals. As

a side bar, note that as an archer, I cannot hit the broad side of a barn. Besides that, my lack of prowess rarely gets beside my love of going and doing. (Please note there is a difference between besides and beside.)

Try to be of help to others: like the Good Samaritan who did not “pass by on the other side.”

To end, I like to recall knowing someone who was so prejudiced, he would not listen to the other side of a record.* (*Those who do not recognize 45 rpm and 33 1/3 need to get an explanation from someone who is on the other side of 50.)

opinion

Time to Burn My Passport?

M

y wife and I, and five of our children, had a discussion over Shabbat dinner recently about giving up our U.S. citizenship.

Five of my six children were born in the U.S. On my father’s side, I’m a second-generation Jonathan Feldstein American. On my mother’s side, fourth or fifth. When we moved to Israel, my oldest was 11, and the youngest was 3. A year later our youngest son was born in Jerusalem. He’s an American because we are. Some are surprised to know that we choose to keep out U.S. citizenship or that we’re even

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allowed to. Others ask why we’d want to.

Being American comes with many rights and responsibilities. Our situation as dual American-Israeli citizens is not unique. There are a growing number of Americans in Israel, but I suspect that there are many more in other countries where the same conversations are taking place.

I am proudly American: born, raised, educated and will always be American in my mind and culture.

On many levels, the United States is the greatest country with the greatest potential for so many. It is the greatest democracy and is a world leader in so many things. No country is perfect, and the

U.S. is no exception. Keeping my citizenship is not a political issue nor a partisan issue.

It is a great blessing to have been born there, have the opportunities I have had and made for myself.

America is also the country in which Jews have had the greatest opportunities in our diaspora, despite overt discrimination in education, residentially, socially and more that have been (and in many cases still are) part of the U.S. society. American Jews have established perhaps the strongest diaspora community ever. Time will tell if it withstands the trend of pretty much all other diaspora experiences. Nevertheless, until now, the U.S. has contributed to the Jews, as the Jews have

contributed to the U.S. Spending most of my life and career in the U.S., I’ve also worked hard and contributed my share of taxes. I hope that Social Security will still exist when I am eligible to retire and reap what I sowed.

Living overseas has broadcontinued on page 8

New York State’s Newest University is Here...

T

Touro University As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, Touro College is now Touro University.

Beginning with 35 students in 1971, Touro was established to focus on higher education for the Jewish community. Since then, we’ve emerged as an advanced academic institution offering baccalaureate, graduate and doctoral-level degree programs with 19,000 students in 35 schools and 4 countries, including Israel. Touro offers more for you, including shared Jewish values and pathways from our Lander Colleges to our respected professional schools in medicine, dentistry, health sciences, pharmacy and law. At Touro, exceptional education leads to valued scholarship and limitless career opportunities.

zx

Newly Renamed Sarah Hartman Women’s College of Touro Chicago, Illinois

U

As the Touro universe expands, we look forward to proudly welcoming: New York College of Podiatric Medicine New York, New York Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute Albuquerque, New Mexico Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine–Montana (proposed) Great Falls, Montana Newly Renamed Sarah Hartman Women’s College of Touro Chicago, Illinois

Dr. Alan Kadish President

Touro University.

Where More Happens | giving.touro.edu TOURO COLLEGE

PURELY COMMENTARY opinion

V

olodymyr Zelensky is the hero we didn’t know we needed.

In a moment we never could have anticipated, worldwide Jewry is kvelling over an unlikely leader in an unlikely place.

It is no secret among Jews that Ellen Ukraine is traGinsberg ditional hostile Simon territory. It is a place our great-grandparents fled. It is a place where they were murdered in unfathomable numbers by both Nazis and Ukrainians alike. It is the site of Babi Yar, one of the bloodiest episodes in the annals of Jewish history during which, over the course of only two days, more than 33,000 of our family members were murdered and buried in a mas-

Publisher The Detroit Jewish News Foundation

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GOLDPR

The Hero We Didn’t Know We Needed

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem, on January 23, 2020.

sive ravine. It is a place many of my own generation left as children, their parents bravely striking out in a post-Cold War world for friendlier climes such as the U.S. or Israel that offered their Jewish-stamped offspring a less restricted future. | Editorial DIrector of Editorial: Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com Associate Editor: Rachel Sweet rsweet@thejewishnews.com Associate Editor: David Sachs dsachs@thejewishnews.com Social Media and Digital Producer: Nathan Vicar nvicar@thejewishnews.com Staff Reporter: Danny Schwartz dschwartz@thejewishnews.com Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@thejewishnews.com Contributing Writers: Nate Bloom, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Keri Guten Cohen, Shari S. Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman, Louis Finkelman, Stacy Gittleman, Esther Allweiss Ingber, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz, Robin

Now we watch in awe as everyday Ukrainians sing the praises of one of our own as he leads them in a David-versusGoliath battle against Russia’s Bond-villain-come-to-life autocratic leader.

There is no question about it. The past few years have Schwartz, Mike Smith, Steve Stein, Julie Smith Yolles, Ashley Zlatopolsky

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been difficult for Jews the world over. Our people have been harassed and beaten on the streets. They have been shot in synagogues. They have been punched, stabbed, hit over the head with hammers, and hacked with machetes for the crime of walking the Earth a Jew. Seeing swastikas on the streets of America is starting to become old hat.

The stress of it all has taken its toll. Many have felt the escalation of antisemitism harkened the next attempt at genocide in a history littered with attempts to wipe Jews from the world. The collective cortisol levels of Jews the world over have spiked.

Now, as that same world holds its breath watching the almost unimaginable rebirth of Cold War battle lines, redrawn continued on page 8

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PURELY COMMENTARY “… WHO SHOULD EMERGE FROM THE LANDSCAPE OF OUR PAST TO STAND FOR FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY, SELFLESSNESS AND UNFATHOMABLE BRAVERY BUT A JEW. ONE OF OUR OWN.” THE HERO WE DIDN’T KNOW WE NEEDED continued from page 6

in modernity with more active heat than they ever displayed in our lifetimes, who should emerge from the landscape of our past to stand for freedom, democracy, selflessness, and unfathomable bravery but a Jew. One of our own.

How this came about is as mysterious to Jews as it probably is to Putin. He thought he could march over Ukraine like the Taliban swept across Afghanistan in a matter of days. He saw a young, inexperienced Jewish boy somehow accidentally elected to highest office, and he pounced. After all, who would have anticipated the mettle Zelensky has shown?

And who would have thought his people would love him and stand behind him so fiercely?

And the rest of the world has followed suit, taking courage from his elemental style of leadership. He did not only galvanize his own countrymen — and believe me, the concept of Jews and Ukrainians being bonded countrymen is difficult enough to process — but there can be little doubt that it impacted Western European leaders and President Biden to step up their provision of military and humanitarian aid as well as economic isolation of Russia.

No one anticipated that the 44-year-old Jewish comedian-turned-politician, a populist leader born of the same times that gave us Donald Trump and

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Boris Johnson, would transform into the pillar standing against the Kremlin, a new kind of Iron Wall shielding West from East.

He knows how to use social media to send messages of hope and resilience. He knows how to speak to a generation connected through soundbites, mobile apps and frank words.

Most importantly, though, he knows what happens when bullies are allowed to run roughshod over their neighbors. He is the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor. And who better understands the importance of standing firm in the face of naked, unprovoked aggression than the offspring of survivors?

Zelensky has made us all proud, Jew and non-Jew alike.

He has given us hope that old hatreds can be overcome. He has shown the world the best we have to offer — shrewd, tough, honest, selfless. The world’s knight in shining armor looks like us. He has shown resolve to stay and fight, and the Ukrainian people — his people — have rallied to his battle cry. They have rallied to the battle cry of a Jew! The cry of the Holocaust survivors! The cry of Never Again!

I don’t know about you, but I needed this.

Ellen Ginsberg Simon is an attorney and compliance professional in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. She has an M.Phil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford University and is also a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School. From Times of Israel

TIME TO BURN MY PASSPORT? continued from page 4

ened and deepened the understanding of the significance of U.S. policies, its role in the world, and the value and strength of the U.S. economy and dollar.

I also consider it a privilege to vote in the U.S. Some ask why, if living overseas, I should be able, much less would care, to vote. When I explain that we never stopped being Americans, are required to file (and pay) taxes, and that it’s a right and privilege, most get it.

But every privilege also has its responsibility. Since living in Israel, I have been called for jury duty twice.

I am exempt because I live overseas (though wouldn’t complain if they wanted to send me a plane ticket), but I still have to respond. The U.S. also imposes complicated bureaucratic standards that all U.S. citizens living abroad, earning over a certain amount, still have to file taxes in the U.S. even if we pay more in tax in Israel than we would in the U.S. on the same income. We still have to let the IRS know.

Some people with young children also get a tax credit, but you have to file to do so.

Opening a bank account here as an American requires extra scrutiny. Israeli banks ask, covering their assets literally and figuratively, if we are U.S. citizens. The last thing they want to do is cross the U.S. and its banking system. So, they don’t. And it costs us.

More frustrating is that, regardless of income, American citizens have to file an FBAR if their financial assets exceed $10,000.

That includes saving

accounts, pensions, brokerage accounts, etc. Even if people have no current income, they have to report total assets. Unless you have time and know what you’re doing, you have to pay someone to do this. For young people starting out in their careers (like my kids), it’s a burden and expense that’s hard to justify. It’s almost something you have to pay someone to do because with the bureaucracy, while one can file their own taxes and the like, making a mistake would create even worse problems.

It’s disappointing that my kids don’t appreciate the blessings of being American the same as I do. Forget that they don’t know about many American cultural and historical pillars (shockingly not even Woodstock), they just don’t look that far west.

It’s disappointing that they don’t care that much, and it’s disappointing that the U.S. makes being a citizen overseas that much of a financial burden. Nobody’s given up their citizenship yet, but they have a hard time rationalizing paying what’s for them a lot of money just to maintain their “membership” and risk something criminal for not doing so. My oldest daughter has two children and, even though they are eligible, they’re not registered as Americans.

But there’s always a catch.

You can’t just burn or give up your passport and say, no thank you. Giving up U.S. citizenship is a costly bureaucratic process. It costs about $2,500 per person (a month’s salary for some, before taxes), as well as an “exit” tax which

Community-wide

basically is a percent of your assets. That’s not only shocking, and out of reach for some on its own, but makes it cost prohibitive to renounce one’s citizenship to the extent that it’s a financial burden to do so, a unique American catch 22.

A few months ago, one of my daughters joked how once, an Israeli man offered to pay her to get married as a means (illegally) to get U.S. citizenship. Of course, that’s not happening. Now, my kids are talking about dumping their citizenship, especially if the U.S. allows Israelis the reciprocity of getting an automatic visa to visit the U.S., like Americans have coming to Israel. Avoiding waiting for an appointment, and in line for hours just to apply for a visa, will be a turning point in how they consider keeping their American citizenship, or not.

A college professor once said that a Jew can never have too many passports. If you ask my kids and others who are no longer diaspora Jews, one is enough: the one with the Biblical emblem of the State of Israel. Who cares if we can’t go to Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other enlightened countries.

Jonathan Feldstein was born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. Throughout his life and career, he has become a respected bridge between Jews and Christians and serves as president of the Genesis 123 Foundation. He writes regularly on major Christian websites about Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He is host of the popular Inspiration from Zion podcast. He can be reached at firstpersonisrael@gmail.com.

New Executive Director at Adat Shalom Michael Wolf assumed the role of Executive Director at Adat Shalom Synagogue on March 1.

Joan M. ChernoffEpstein, president of Adat Shalom stated, “Michael brings a wealth of experience, kindness Michael Wolf and compassion, and the determination and vision to take us forward. He is committed to our traditions while remaining open to creative possibilities.”

In July 2017, Wolf joined Adat Shalom as Director of Spirituality and Outreach.

Having proven to be a tremendous asset to the synagogue, he was selected as the ideal candidate for the position when Alan Yost announced his retirement after 41 years of committed service.

Wolf has experience in both formal and informal Jewish education. He has a master’s in Jewish communal service with a concentration in Jewish education from Brandeis University, and a B.A. in religious studies with a certificate in Jewish studies from the University of Pittsburgh. Following that, he held the position of director of Education and Youth at Congregation Shaarey Zedek for 12 years; director of Camp Ramah in Canada for nine years; and director of programming at Hillel Day School for five years before coming to Adat Shalom.

“I am very excited for this opportunity and feel blessed to work with such a great clergy, staff and amazing synagogue membership,” Wolf said.

PURIM 2022

Wednesday, March 16 at Adat Shalom Synagogue 5:30 pm Family Musical Megillah & Shpiel* 6:00 pm Carnival: games, inflatables, & music Free of Charge | Dinner is available for purchase Designated area to eat

7:30 pm Service & Megillah reading*

Thursday, March 17 at B'nai Israel Synagogue 7:00 am Service, Megillah reading* & breakfast to-go Advance registration for breakfast required: info@bnaiisraelwb.org

*Bring a box of pasta to use as a grogger then donate it to Yad Ezra KN95 or N95 masks are required Questions and to receive the Zoom link for services and Megillah reading contact one of the community partners

MARCH 3 • 2022

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PURELY COMMENTARY opinion

To Combat Antisemitism, We Must Oppose Anti-Zionism — at Home and Abroad

L

ast month, two Orthodox Jewish men were attacked with a smashed glass bottle as they closed up a shop they work at in north London.

This vicious attack, which left both men in hospital, did not grab nearly as many internaJoan Ryan tional headlines as the Beth Israel synagogue siege in Colleyville, Texas, last month.

But it, too, is a symptom of the growing wave of antisemitism which threatens Jews across the globe.

This is, of course, a law-enforcement issue. But it is also, and more importantly, an ideological battle, one that like climate change, terrorism or COVID-19, we have to fight across international boundaries.

To me, it’s also deeply personal.

Three years ago this month, I resigned as a Labour Member of Parliament because I could no longer in good conscience remain in a party led by Jeremy Corbyn.

I was proud to serve as a minister under Tony Blair. But I was ashamed by the hard-left ideology and culture which thrived under Corbyn, one in which Jews were driven from the party while members who spouted antisemitism went undisciplined.

Thanks to social media, Jewhaters can spread their poison across borders, inciting violence and hatred. The British hostage-taker in Colleyville, Malik

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Faisal Akram, for instance, is reported to have watched Pakistani sermons in which preachers called Jews “the biggest agents of Satan” who were “akin to pigs.”

But antisemitism doesn’t just come in the form of racist street thugs, Islamist terrorists and the keyboard warriors who spend hours posting bizarre but toxic conspiracy theories about QAnon, the Rothschilds and “lizard people.” Nor is it confined to hate-filled rallies like the annual Al Quds Day marches, which draw large crowds from Tehran and Damascus to London and Berlin.

Instead, in many ways, the more pernicious manifestations of antisemitic anti-Zionism come from supposedly more respectable sources.

This ideology — antisemitic anti-Zionism — is on the march. It is an ideology rooted in ancient hatreds which targets for hate and opprobrium the modern-day State of Israel.

And tragically, in the West, it is Europe — in whose bloodlands six million Jews were murdered eight decades ago — which is at its epicenter.

Recently, Amnesty International published a report which compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.

Factually inaccurate and intellectually dishonest, the report has little to do with legitimate concerns about the plight of the Palestinian people. Instead, it’s part of a continuing effort by some on the left to demonize and delegitimize the world’s sole Jewish state.

The “apartheid smear” originated in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign, a movement which focuses obsessively and exclusively on Israel’s “crimes” and which has done nothing to further the cause of peace in the Middle East. That’s not their goal. As Bassem Eid, the founder of Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, has argued, “The agenda of the BDS campaign is to try to destroy Israel.”

It has, moreover, inspired a welter of anti-Israel campaigning on university campuses which has stifled debate and led to an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among many Jewish students. Last November, the CST, which monitors Jewhate in the United Kingdom, reported that 2019-20 has seen the highest number of antisemitic incidents on campus in a single academic year, despite the year being cut short because of the pandemic.

The Oxford University Labour Club’s 2016 decision to support “Israel Apartheid Week” lifted the lid on the underbelly of antisemitism which had infected some elements of the student body.

“The student left produces the most aggressive and virulent propagators of antisemitism on campus,” wrote the former president of the university’s Jewish Society.

The new hard-left leadership of the Labour party had empowered and emboldened a racist fringe which now attached itself, limpet-like, to my party.

Alongside others, I fought the scourge of antisemitism within the party for three years before concluding that I couldn’t tell voters in my constituency that Corbyn was fit to be prime minister. Thankfully, the British public agreed with that judgment. Research afterward showed that the party’s association with Jew-hate made it simply too toxic to support.

A year later, Britain’s human rights watchdog concluded its investigation by determining that Labour had become “institutionally antisemitic” on Corbyn’s watch.

Repairing the moral damage the Corbynites inflicted on Labour will take time and determination. But the sheer speed with which a small far-left fringe was able to capture power in Labour offers a warning to those who are complacent about, or willing to indulge, the activities of the “The Squad” in the Democratic Party. The case of Labour demonstrates the need to set clear red lines and to call out each and every instance of antisemitism at the earliest opportunity.

The lesson of Corbyn showed the need not just to condemn antisemites but also to hold their fellow travelers to account.

Jew-hate will never be snuffed out in an environment in which anti-Zionism is tolerated and condoned.

Joan Ryan was a member of the U.K. Parliament for 17 years and served in the government of Tony Blair. She is the Executive Director of ELNET-U.K., an organization working to strengthen U.K.-Israel relations.

COURTESY DEBBIE LANDAU

ON THE COVER

Gigi Debbie and Papa Mark Landau with grandchildren Nolan and Emma

Uniting Gener a New JFamily program offers resources, events for grandparents and grandkids.

KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

randparents around Metro Detroit are getting ready to have some fun. JGrand, a new program of the Jewish Community Center’s JFamily targeted at grandparents and their grandkids, held its first event, a grandparent-only “pep rally,” on Feb. 20. The brunch, which took place in the JCC’s lobby, drew more than 30 people and was a chance for grandparents to connect, reconnect and share grandparenting ideas and tips.

Renee Unger, a grandmother of nine who lives in Commerce

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Township, says she was surprised by how many people she knew at the Sunday morning event. She adds that she enjoyed swapping ideas with other grandparents and talking about programs they’d like to see from JGrand.

“I hope it expands,” says Unger, whose children previously took part in JFamily programming. “I think any time you can get the Jewish community together like this, it’s a great idea.”

While some people’s grandkids live locally, others have to figure out where to find highchairs, baby seats, other gear and activity ideas when their grandkids come to visit. Sharing resources and brainstorming outings is helpful to everyone,

Unger says, adding that people could even meet up at kid-friendly destinations.

“You have to have a form of community to be able to do all that.”

A Zoom baking event for grandparents and grandkids took place Feb. 27, where the pairs made rugelach together online. In addition to a growing roster of grandparent/ grandkid events, JGrand is also gearing up to offer educational events for grandparents on everything from communication strategies and becoming first-time grandparents, to nurturing and honoring oneself as a modern grandparent and more.

“We are planning some things and trying to map out the future,” says Lori Fidler, coordinator of the Lori Fidler JGrand program and grandmother of four. “We are bringing in

some experts in all different fields, and are open to hearing additional topics and events.

We want input from grandparents in the community.”

The program comes out of an idea Judy Loebl, the JCC’s chief program officer, brought to Detroit after hearing of a simJudy Loebl ilar program in Denver, where her daughter lived when Loebl’s first granddaughter was born.

“I see the program as a way for grandparents and grandchildren to connect in person and online,” Loebl says. It also promotes shalom bayit, peace in the home, by helping grandparents understand their children’s perspectives and recent shifts in child-rearing.

That’s especially relevant knowledge in today’s family landscape as, nationally, about a third of grandparents provide daytime childcare,

overnight childcare or transportation for their grandkids, according to a 2019 national study of Jewish grandparents.

The same study found, despite largely positive feelings about grandparenting, “nearly a third report that their ideas about child-rearing conflict with those of their adult children, and one-in-10 find grandparenting to be a generally stressful experience.”

r ations

COURTESY EMILY KOROTKIN

Ken Korotkin and grandson Davis

GRANDPARENTS’ NEEDS In preparation for offering regular grandparent programming, the JCC ran a number of focus groups, where they discovered grandparents are increasingly interested in resources that help them explore and navigate their roles as grandparents, says Mikki Frank, JFamily senior director. A JCC Mikki Frank survey of interest in such a program drew 75 responses in just 24 hours and led to connections with more than 150 area grandparents for coffee, phone calls, grandkid play dates and introductory “Grand Bag” deliveries.

“The style of grandparenting has radically changed over the past 20 years,” Frank explains. “Grandparents have become significantly more involved in their grandchildren’s lives. Many grandparents are dealing with remote grandparenting and many grandparents are providing childcare in various ways.

Grandparents are younger, they’re active, they want to be active — they want to be engaged with their grandchildren.”

To facilitate the JGrand program, the JCC hired grandparents who wanted to build relationships with other families in the community.

They also started a private Facebook group, “Jewish Grandparents by JFamily Detroit” and started spreading the word. JGrand held a soft launch in November with a grandparent/grandkid magic show at the JCC, then brought on Fidler, a seasoned early childhood/community development executive.

A GRANDPARENT COHORT Grandparents straddle the line as they seek to both support their children and enrich their grandchildren, bringing their own ideas while respecting the way their grandchildren are being raised, Fidler explains.

And this new program will provide them with information, activities and a cohort.

“If you need an idea because you’re stuck inside, someone else might have done something that was fun,” she explains. “Or get together — same-age grandchildren can start building relationships, and the grandparents can make relationships with other grandparents.”

Susie and Norm Pappas of Bloomfield Hills have helped the program get off the ground by providing financial support. JGrand is also supported by the foundations that support PJ Library Detroit: the H.W. Kaufman Family Support Foundation, the A. Alfred Taubman Foundation and the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation.

“I feel very passionate about the program,” says Susie Pappas, a grandmother of six who has been in conversations about JGrand since early on.

“Grandparents are always looking Susie for activities they Pappas can do with their continued on page 14 MARCH 3 • 2022

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ON THE COVER

COURTESY RENEE UNGER

Renee Unger with five of her nine grandchildren

COURTESY JCC

continued from page 13

Eitan Willner, 2, with his savta (grandmother) Char Gordon at a JFamily event last fall.

“I SEE THE PROGRAM AS A WAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND GRANDCHILDREN TO CONNECT IN PERSON AND ONLINE.” — JUDY LOEBL

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MARCH 3 • 2022

grandkids,” she says. “And so, if there’s something they can bring their grandkids to, they’re going to be happy to participate.”

Plans have been fluctuating with COVID-19 guidance, as many indoor activities have been put on hold.

“We had great plans to do a lot of programs, but we can’t really do them because people don’t want to be inside,” Pappas explains. “So, hopefully, that will change as the weather gets nicer and we can do more things outside. Then we will be able to have more grandparenting programs with our grandkids.”

For Debbie Landau, a West Bloomfield grandmother of two, the chance to meet a diversity of grandparents is part of the draw. “You’re going to get grandparents from all over, you’re going to get grandparents from all kinds of denominations of Judaism to

participate,” she says. “That’s a nice thing.”

She’s eager to find out what activities JGrand might offer her, her husband, Mark, and their 2-year-old granddaughter Emma and 10-month-old grandson Nolan. While she’s been to kid-focused classes at area synagogues as well as area farms, zoos and gyms, she says she’s looking forward to being at a JCC-sponsored program that isn’t just for parents and their children.

“I think this is pretty unique in that this is a Jewish grandparenting group — I think that’s fabulous,” she says.

TIME TOGETHER During years of library runs, zoo trips, park adventures and children’s classes, grandparent Patti Phillips says she’s often been the only grandparent in the room. The West Bloomfield grandmother of Liam, 8, and Ellery, 2, says

she’s excited to have more options when it comes to places to take the kids.

“I’m looking Patti forward to havPhillips ing things I can take them both to with other grandparents,” she says.

With this new program, she can go with her friends and connect this new generation.

Spending the time together is more than meaningful, notes Ken Korotkin, “Papa Ken” to six grandkids ages 2-14. “It gives you a chance to really have an impact on the children’s lives,” he says.

“And you feel special, too.”

Korotkin, who raised three daughters as a single dad, notes that, as a grandparent, he feels teaching his grandkids his ethics, morals and values is key. The Bloomfield Hills resident is enthusiastic about Jewish programming he can attend with his grandkids and wants to see JGrand evolve.

He’s made the rounds of area classes for Jewish children and says he’s a big proponent of bubbie/zaydie camp and other opportunities that bring him and his grandchildren together in a Jewish context.

“I’m proud to be Jewish,” he says. “And I think it’s important for me to teach that to my grandchildren.”

Emily Korotkin of Bloomfield Hills first got involved with the JCC’s JBaby when she was pregnant with her son, Davis, now 3. She’s glad her dad would want to take Davis and little sister Cash, 2, to the programs.

“My grandparents were integral parts of my life, and so was my Jewish upbringing, so, to me, the two go hand in hand,” she says. “I

just like being involved in the community, supporting the programs that help with the community’s infrastructure and that also help expose our kids to aspects of Jewish life.”

Family time is important to her and her wife, Stacy, she explains. “I think anything you can do with your family where you’re learning, growing and getting special time together is important to us,” she says. “The quality time is just something that’s irreplaceable.”

NEAR AND FAR Franci Silver, who oversees the program on behalf of the JCC board, believes this is the first program of its kind to offer events for grandparents with kids both in and out of town.

Silver, with a 2-year-old granddaughter in Tampa, looks forward to having a program that allows grandparents to stay connected with their grandkids, no matter where they live.

She says she hopes grandparents embrace this innovative opportunity to connect with their grandkids. For younger children, for example, having an activity to do together could also help them stay online longer.

“It keeps them interested, and it keeps them active with their grandparents,” Silver says.

She adds that the JCC is a natural place for such a program to be housed.

“I think the Jewish community is so tight in Michigan; it’s just warm, friendly and community-based,” she says. “It’s just another thing to add to that list of things the community does for each other and with each other.”

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SEAN POWER

OUR COMMUNITY

Our B Moment The Skillman Foundation’s Angelique Power on being a Black Jewish change agent in Detroit.

ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

TOP: Angelique Power in front of a wall of family photographs. Behind her, to the right, are her grandfather, Vernon B. Williams Jr., and parents Vernon B. Williams III and Mikie Williams.

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lack life in America and Jewish life in America are both Angelique Power’s life. Raised on Chicago’s south side by a white Jewish mother who was a schoolteacher and a Black father who was a police officer, Angelique developed a perspective that fuels her passion for racial equity and social justice to this day.

Who she is and how she moves through the world have uniquely positioned her for her role as president and CEO of The Skillman Foundation.

The diversity-driven and inclusion-minded private Detroit youth philanthropy works to strengthen K-12 education, afterschool learning opportunities, and college and career pathways in Detroit.

“My job is to move obstacles away and let young

people lead us to where they need to go,” she says.

Over the years, Angelique has spent a lot of time studying and reflecting on her family history. While much has been written about her parents, Vernon B. Williams III and Mikie Williams, she says a little-known fact is that her paternal grandfather, Vernon B. Williams Jr., was one of the first African American scholars to earn a master’s degree in education from the University of Chicago in the 1930s. At the time, he also researched and wrote about how Judaism was the main religion for many Black people in different parts of Africa and an important part of Black history.

“My grandfather learned Hebrew in the 1940s and ’50s,” Power says. “When my father was young, they would

Recommended Reading: Caste

Power, a graduate of the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in English and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, recommends the book Caste, The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. “[Wilkerson] compares Nazi Germany to America and to India and the caste system there,” Power says.

“I don’t think I knew the Nazis studied America to figure out how to build a Nazi regime. And they studied racism in America.”

Wilkerson won a Pulitzer Prize for her debut work, The Warmth of Other Suns. Her second book, Caste, has been a No. 1 New York Times bestseller.

“Through telling these stories of how caste systems are built on this false hierarchy of human value, I think it enlightens and awakens us all,” Power says. part of Metro Detroit’s Jewish community.

“I think [being Black and Jewish] allowed us to learn how to code switch,” she says. “It felt like a passport to be able to view not just life inside of those communities, but the similarities that many people don’t see.”

‘THE GREAT PAUSE’ Power joined The Skillman Foundation in September 2021, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic — a time that’s been equal parts revealing, nerve-racking and an opportunity for reflection.

“The great pause is the moment we’re living through,” she says. “What we’ve been able to witness, because we’ve slowed down enough, is the role that structural racism plays in terms of systems that govern us, whether they are criminal justice, housing, healthcare, education … and we see it viscerally.

“At the same time, we’re

Teachers need to be paid twice what they’re making. It can’t be a short-term fix. We need an equitable funding formula and we’re going to study that.”

Power’s life journey, her upbringing, childhood experiences and observations have all led her to this pivotal place and time. Her deeprooted beliefs are the lens through which she views every challenge.

“Judaism, for me, is very personal. It’s a moral compass and it’s a way of asking questions and being in service to other people,” she says.

“A part of what I feel is our worship and our opportunity is to show up in [the] community for each other and for our neighbors. That’s really our moment. And I think that’s what we want for ourselves.”

To learn more about The Skillman Foundation, visit: skillman.org.

Angelique Power in her home office

SEAN POWER

celebrate Pesach, they would have Shabbat. That’s the precursor for when my father met my mother and they fell in love. [My father] converted to Judaism, and they got married.”

Growing up, Angelique describes being Black and Jewish as being “a part of communities and being apart from communities at the very same time.” While she was embraced by both sides of her family, she was keenly aware of feeling different.

“We were still the lightskinned kids at the backyard barbecue,” she says. “We were still the brown-skinned kids inside of the Beit Knesset.”

Power attended Hebrew school twice a week, was confirmed and celebrated her bat mitzvah, all while being deeply embedded in Black culture. Today, she’s a member of Detroit Jews for Justice, and she and her husband, Sean, are raising their 12-year-old daughter as

seeing a rise in hate crimes against Jewish people,” Power continues. “It’s such an incredible opportunity to realize how racism and antisemitism are always linked, are always walking lock step, because they fall under the white supremacist notions.”

She believes the pandemic is asking us all what our role is on the planet.

“How do we tie our soul to our role?” she says.

For Power, the answer is leading the way toward wholesale systems change that will make education equitable and just. What that ultimately looks like is something she and her team are actively studying.

“In Michigan and nationally, a big part of systems change for education is how it’s funded in perpetuity,” she explains. “The simplest concept of systems change is that those who need the most get more. That’s it. If you need more, you get more.

MARCH 3 • 2022

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JVS

OUR COMMUNITY

JVS Recruiting Summer Interns

JOIN program is looking for full-time Jewish undergrad and grad students.

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

T

he deadline is approaching fast for the JVS Jeanette & Oscar Cook Jewish Occupational Internship (JOIN) program. The JOIN summer internship program is for full-time Jewish undergraduate and graduate students from the Metro Detroit area.

The purpose of the program is to enhance leadership skills and encourage involvement and interest in Jewish communal life, whether that be professional, volunteer or through lay leadership.

The JOIN program also provides professional job experiences to help build a student’s resume and work experience

overall. Throughout the summer, the JOIN program gives students an opportunity to increase their knowledge of the Detroit Jewish community and develop a career, volunteer and lay-leadership interests. Interns also gain an understanding of the importance of community interrelationships.

Here are how some of the participants from last year shared how the internship has impacted them: • “I feel I made many meaningful contributions to the Detroit Jewish community by helping the WDJCLP provide interest-free loans to help Jewish students pay college

Career Seminar

J

VS + Kadima will be offering a free, live webinar on Zoom entitled “Your Brand in 2022,” to help Michiganders understand and create a professional brand both clearly and concisely, to help secure their dream jobs. The program, which will be held live on March 7, at 11 a.m., aims to help individuals convey to potential employers their value proposition that distinguishes their skillset from other jobseekers in the marketplace. To register, visit www.jvshumanservices.org/ events/whats-coming-up/.

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Career Counselor and Internship Employment Specialist at JVS + Kadima, Gerard Baltrusaitis, who is also one of the webinar panelists, explained that just a few years ago, a great resume could be a ticket for employment. “Now you need to offer up to an employer who you represent, how people identify with you — a bigger picture of who you are, which is more specialized,” he explained.

Baltrusaitis said an example might be an accountant who might assume their qualifications would secure a job.

TOP: Last year’s JOIN interns post for a photo.

expenses.”

• “Forming close relationships with each senior and impacting them half as much as they impacted me.”

• “It opened up my eyes to all the programs and work available within the Jewish community.”

• “I felt accepted and appreciated which helped my learning even more.”

• “Encourage people to do JOIN because it is a fantastic program!”

“I love Jews and I was reminded of why, we’re always there for each other.”

The internship runs from June 13- Aug. 5. For more information and to apply, head to www.jvshumanservices.org/ join-2022-application.

“Nowadays companies want employees who can make an impact right away, which might not be a generalist,” he said. “They might be looking for an accountant with auto experience who has been working for a $5-$15 million company who will be able to jump right in and make a difference. You need to brand yourself to show that you are the perfect candidate for that position.”

The webinar will provide steps to secure a dream job such as tweaking a resume by offering a branding statement, updating LinkedIn,

providing videos on YouTube and updating social media sites such as Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.

“Some people are fearful of branding, but it’s just a new way to promote yourself in the job market in as many ways as possible,” said Baltrusaitis, who will be presenting the program with JVS + Kadima Business Relations Specialist Kathy O’Bryan.

JVS + Kadima also provides one-on-one career counselling to metro Detroiters. Contact employmenthelp@jvshumanservices. org for more information.

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OUR COMMUNITY

An attorney advises her client on landlord-tenant matters.

Calling All Lawyers!

Online seminar on landlord-tenant law seeks to inform attorneys and help them serve as volunteers.

JN STAFF

F

or 15 years, the Jewish Family Service’s Legal Referral Service has assisted JFS clients with many different legal concerns — including helping clients remain in their homes during the housing crash of 2008-10 and now during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, March 10, from 4:30-6 p.m, the Jewish Bar Association of Michigan (JBAM) will be partnering with JFS to conduct a Zoom seminar on landlord-tenant law, including the possible eviction of incomestrapped renters in the era of COVID. Register for the livestream at jlive.app/events/1763.

All attorneys are invited to log on, especially those who might be interested in volunteering a small amount of time to assist JFS clients. In addition,

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Anita Scott-Meisel

Ira Auslander

members of the general public may log on to the seminar to become better informed on landlord-tenant issues.

Speakers will include: • attorney Anita Scott-Meisel of Lakeshore Legal Aid in Mount Clemens, who helps tenants obtain governmental assistance to pay rent; • Southfield business law and real estate attorney Ira Auslander, who will give the perspective of landlords; and

Judge Marla Parker

• Judge Marla Parker of the 47th District Court in Farmington Hills, who will address issues from the court’s point of view.

Since 2007, JFS’ very successful Legal Referral Service has recruited volunteer attorneys to provide pro bono (free or lowcost) legal assistance to needy JFS clients.

JBAM and JFS have been working toward a partnership for several years.

“A number of JBAM members have already worked within our program and have been extraordinarily helpful,” said JFS’ Legal Referral Services chair Mark Jacobs. “We’re very excited to work with JBAM, and we think that this collaboration is a natural fit for both organizations.”

Kelly Goldberg, coordinator of JFS’ Legal Referral Service, said, “we have three goals with this partnership with JBAM. We seek to increase our ranks of volunteers, heighten the awareness of Jewish Family Service’s mission, and elevate people’s awareness of JBAM in the larger legal community. It’s a really nice collaboration, and I’m grateful to JBAM President Ellie Mosko and her leadership team.”

Mosko said, “We are very excited about this upcoming landlord-tenant event that will launch our partnership with JFS’ Legal Referral Service. It will serve to recruit and train more pro bono attorneys to support such an important mission. We hope that this is the first in a series of collaborations and trainings.”

“WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS EVENT THAT WILL LAUNCH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH JFS’ LEGAL REFERRAL SERVICE.” — JEWISH BAR ASSOCIATION OF MICH. PRESIDENT ELLIE MOSKO

JFS’ SUCCESS JFS’ Legal Referral Service was co-founded in 2007 by board member Mark Jacobs, a Farmington Hills attorney who continues to serve as chair, and the late Norm Keane, JFS’ CEO at the time. Jacobs reports the program has aided more than 1,300 JFS clients since then, saving clients millions of dollars in legal fees.

In addition to landlord-tenant law, JFS provides legal aid in domestic abuse cases, bankruptcy, probate, Social Security Disability, elder law and immigration.

The program is open to JFS clients who come within income levels set by the State Bar of Michigan. Coordinator Goldberg also notes that sometimes clients who are victims of domestic abuse may not have access to household income.

In the JFS program, lawyers commit to handling one matter per year, which could be simply a phone call or filing a court appearance. JFS can also provide its clients with wraparound social services including counseling, housing referrals, and assistance with utilities and food. Serving on the Legal Referral Service committee along with Jacobs are Co-Chair Mara Moss, Mark Picklo and Michelle Freeman.

JBAM’S EFFORTS JBAM’s mission is to promote and unify Jewish and other like-minded legal professionals by providing social, educational and charitable activities. It supports pro bono opportunities

and offers a mentorship program for its members, pairing new and seasoned attorneys.

JBAM education chair Nargiz Nesimova, a Southfield attorney, said, “We’re hoping to attract both new attorneys and established attorneys to assist in landlord-tenant cases. The seminar will show them what to expect and also facilitate attorneys to do pro bono work.”

For several years, JBAM has been offering seminars on various aspects of law.

JBAM mentorship chair Eric Berlin, a Bloomfield Hills attorney, said, “Our mentorship program will allow people to connect mentors with mentees by practice area, by firm size and by years of experience, so we can assign appropriate mentors and mentees.”

Attorneys who wish to volunteer for the JFS Legal Referral Service can contact coordinator Kelly Goldberg at (248) 592-1907 or kgoldberg@ jfsdetroit.org. JBAM members who are interested in becoming mentors or mentees can contact JBAM President Ellie Mosko at (248) 629-0495 or ellie@moskolawpc.com.

Attorneys interested in joining JBAM can visit jewishbar.org.

“We’ve got hundreds of lawyers and law firms that participate in the JFS program,” said Jacobs. “We often boast that we have assembled the largest virtual Jewish law firm in Michigan.”

To register to view the landlord-tenant law seminar at 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, March 10, go to jlive.app/events/1763.

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FARBER HEBREW DAY SCHOOL

OUR COMMUNITY

Here’s the Farber Hebrew Day School basketball team that will compete in the fourth annual David Tanzman Memorial Tournament.

Basketball is Back at Farber Jewish day school hosts fourth annual David Tanzman Memorial Tournament.

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ADLER FAMILY

T

hey’ll be coming from Atlanta, Cleveland, Columbus, Ohio, Denver and Pittsburgh to play basketball this week at Farber Hebrew Day School in Southfield.

Five high school teams from small Jewish day schools like Farber will join the host team at the fourth annual David Tanzman Memorial Tournament.

The Thursday through Sunday (March 3-6) tournament is another sign of life slowly getting back to normal two years after the start of a worldwide pandemic.

SELESNY FAMILY

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Aaron Adler

The tournament wasn’t held last year because of COVID-19 mitigations. There wasn’t even a Farber basketball team last year.

Ari Selesny

Thankfully, basketballs will be bouncing and shots will be swishing this week at Farber.

And lives will be changed.

“While basketball is a ‘good excuse’ for everyone to get together, our tournament isn’t just about basketball,” said Josh Levisohn, Farber’s head of school.

“The players get re-acquainted with friends and meet new friends. They have a chance to broaden their horizons in a positive environment. And they spend Shabbos together.”

The tournament is named in honor of one of Farber’s founders. The school opened as Akiva Hebrew Day School in 1964.

After David Tanzman’s death in 2016, Farber high school students created the tournament as a way to demonstrate his love for basketball and devotion to Jewish day schools.

Organizing and running the tournament is truly a community effort.

Farber high school students, including the entire basketball team, do much of the heavy lifting with guidance from school administrators and staff members.

About half of Farber’s 60 high school students have helped put together the tour-

nament this year.

Close friends Aaron Adler and Avi Selesny of Southfield are this year’s tournament co-commissioners. Each plays on the Farber basketball team.

Being friends has been a big help for the co-commissioners.

“Aaron and I see each other a lot, so we’ve been able to talk a lot about the tournament,” Selesny said. “Because we’re friends, we can say something is a good idea or bad idea to each other. We work together.”

Adler, a senior, was in charge of the tournament booklet and helped with fundraising when he was a sophomore.

Selesny is a junior. He was one of the tournament game public address announcers when he was a freshman.

It hasn’t been easy to restart the tournament amidst ever-changing COVID-19 mandates and mitigations and

two-time defending champion Fuchs-Mizrachi School from Cleveland, Atlanta Jewish Academy, Columbus Torah Academy, Denver Academy of Torah and Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh.

The tournament schedule is posted on the Farber and tournament Facebook pages.

Each team will play three games before the playoffs Sunday. The tournament championship game will be at 1:15 p.m.

Thanks to tournament sponsors, admission to games is free. Masks are required for all spectators.

For those who can’t make it to Farber for the tournament or have concerns about being in a crowd, games will be livestreamed on the tournament’s YouTube channel.

Farber is at 21100 W. 12 Mile Road.

“PLAYERS HAVE A CHANCE TO BROADEN THEIR HORIZONS IN A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT.” — JOSH LEVISOHN

a pandemic that drags on.

Planning for the tournament began in December, later than usual.

“Arranging for housing for the visiting players and coaches has been a big challenge because of COVID,” Selesny said. “Some families aren’t comfortable these days having visitors stay with them.”

Adler said, “We’ve had to remember how things were done in the past and do those things the same way, only better.”

Also on the Farber basketball team besides Adler

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Jason Hollis is the team’s coach. Joel Lewis II is the assistant coach.

All six teams in the tournament represent a high school with less than 100 students.

Each of the visiting teams previously played in the tournament.

Joining Farber in the tournament field this week are

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OUR COMMUNITY

Farber Launches First UMatter Club Friendship Circle program empowers teens to shatter stigma of mental health challenges.

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

F

arber Hebrew Day School of Southfield held its first UMatter Club meeting on Jan. 25. UMatter operates within Friendship Circle and is a program focused on empowering teens to shatter the stigmas surrounding mental health challenges and suicide.

Elissa Sternberg is the high school’s social worker and oversees the club along with senior Yaffa Klausner, who’s in charge of the club that meets on a weekly basis. Yaffa says the group has about a dozen members, and says she feels honored the club is getting recognition.

“We tackle mental health-related struggles that students at our school may face and ways in which the school and other students could accommodate them,” Yaffa said, adding that the club is busy at work organizing the school’s UMatter Week coming up in April. The week will be dedicated to the many

One Thing I Wish You Knew

themes of the UMatter program and is filled with mental healthrelated speakers, activities and, more importantly, open conversations.

Yaffa says the goal of this year’s UMatter Week is to make sure every single person in the school knows and feels they are being heard and cared about and to not be ashamed or scared to reach out for help if they need to.

“The UMatter Club is a really great opportunity to have open conversations about mental health and how to improve our school’s overall environment,” said Daniella Weil, class of 2022.

While topics may be tough, the students say it’s a fun environment.

“I really appreciate and enjoy the UMatter Club because it’s mixture of discussing commonly ignored topics surrounding mental health while also being a fun experience for everyone,” said Nava Feldman, class of 2025.

Friendship Circle’s UMatter presents its fourth annual, “One Thing I Wish You Knew” event March 13 from 5-6:30 p.m. at Seaholm High School Auditorium in Birmingham and virtually via livestream.

The free in-person and virtual event will focus on empowering individuals, with a specific focus on teens, to shatter the stigmas surrounding mental health challenges.

“One Thing I Wish You Knew” provides teens and the entire

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ABOVE: Farber students at the first meeting of their UMatter Club on Jan. 25.

community an opportunity to highlight the vulnerability and honesty of telling the people in their lives what they wish they know about their mental health journey. Participants will also discuss how their attempts to overcome challenges have often felt isolating and alienating.

The event features a diverse group of speakers who will share their own personal struggles and their experiences working to overcome them.

Speakers include Yaffa Klausner, a senior at Farber Hebrew Day

School who has struggled with self-worth, confidence and mental health challenges; Nancy Cutler, a mom, wife and pediatric cardiologist who lost her son to suicide; Merrik Michaelson, a junior at Frankel Jewish Academy who will share his unique experience of suffering from an eating disorder as a male; and Emma Feldberg, a senior at Cranbrook Schools who has struggled with mental health throughout high school.

Register at www.eventbrite.com/e/ umatters-one-thing-i-wish-you-knewtickets-261853239087.

Justice Bernstein at Chabad Jewish Community Center

T

he Grand Opening of the Chabad Jewish Community Center takes place on Monday, March 7, 7 p.m. at 3306 Auburn Road, Auburn Hills.

The event will feature a ribbon cutting, building dedication, live music and a talk by Justice Richard Bernstein, who sits on the Supreme Court of Michigan.

Born blind, Bernstein shows incredible resilience and positivity. He also played a pivotal role in the 2020 Abraham Accords peace agreement between Israel and its neighboring countries.

Located in the heart of downtown Auburn Hills, the Chabad

Jewish Community Center will be a base for everything Jewish. The Chabad Jewish Community Center caters to every age, from children and teens to Oakland University students and general community members.

Programming will include educational, social and communal activities. All programs are open to every type of Jew, regardless of affiliation or observance.

The center is beautifully designed, with a lounge area for students and teens, an area for classes and a planned Hebrew school, and a place for services.

“The goal of the center is to provide a home for every

Justice Richard Bernstein

Jew in the area,” said Rabbi Menachem Caytak. “The Jewish Community Center is following the vision of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson,

accepting every Jew, regardless of background or upbringing.”

RSVP at jewishtroy.com/ opening. For questions, reach out to Rabbi Caytak at rabbi@ jewishtroy.com.

MARCH 3 • 2022

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25

OUR COMMUNITY

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COURTESY OF JARC

B

rooke wanted to learn how to make change so that she could complete purchases on her own when at a store checkout, a task most of us take for granted. Brooke is one of the many people JARC serves who excitedly anticipate the moment they will complete new tasks successfully. With practice, time and the help of her JARC caregiver Katrina Smith, that desire recently became a reality for Brooke.

This is just one of the many heartwarming stories that can be told of the incredibly compassionate, kind and patient caregivers that make up the JARC direct caregiver staff.

A physically and emotionally taxing job, it takes an especially devoted and soft-hearted person to choose this profession. The recruiting team at JARC is trained in identifying the best candidates to ensure that only the kindest and gentlest caregivers are hired to support persons with developmental disabilities living in their 22 Oakland County group homes. As part of National Caregivers Day, on Feb. 18, JARC highlighted two of its many exceptional caregivers.

The stories take place in the Gilbert Home, which houses four ladies served by JARC and three highly trained staff members who devote their time and attention to helping them live their best lives.

A caregiver for nearly 24 years and the manager of the Gilbert Home, Katrina says that providing care for JARC persons served fulfills her desire to help others and allows her to have a true impact on their lives. She says, “I love seeing their smiles when I help them accomplish something they never thought they could.”

While Brooke was learning to make change, Katrina worked to bolster her confidence by reassuring her that it’s okay to take time and count on your fingers to figure out the math. Brooke is so proud of herself and exclaims her joy to Katrina each time she makes change successfully.

Another JARC direct care staff member, Ellen Fonseca-Hilliard, not only works in the Gilbert Home but she also lives in the attached suite. While Ellen has her own entrance and living space, she enjoys checking on the ladies to see how they are doing,

Ellen FonsecaHilliard and Abbey

Katrina Smith and Brooke

Compassionate Caregivers

JARC direct care workers offer vital help and hope for people with developmental disabilities.

PAT BASKIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

even when she’s not officially on the clock.

Like so many of us, one of the biggest challenges of the pandemic for the persons JARC serves has been isolation. When the pandemic began and lockdowns were mandated by the state of Michigan in group homes, the relationships between caregivers and the people they serve became even more important, as did maintaining a positive attitude.

Katrina’s philosophy is that “Life is too short to try to fast-forward. The best way to live is one minute at a time.”

Katrina worked hard to identify plenty of activities for the ladies to keep occupied and feel a sense of fulfillment while sheltering in place.

“Everyone deserves to be treated well,” Ellen says, “No matter the circumstances, everyone deserves that.”

Having gone through her own personal challenges lately, Ellen especially appreciates the ladies’ company. “They don’t know how much they have actually helped me. It’s a lot. More than they know.

“Bad thoughts don’t help anyone,” added Ellen. “There’s a silver lining to everything, you just need to find it.” This philosophy

has served Ellen well in her own life and, in turn, improved the outlook of the people she serves, particularly during the state’s shelter-in-place order.

JARC CEO Shaindle Braunstein says, “Our direct care workers put their heart and soul into caring for others. The relationships between JARC’s direct care staff and the people we serve are vital to maintaining their wellbeing and improving the likelihood of successful outcomes with learning new tasks.”

All Gilbert Home caregivers were recently recognized by JARC with the Woll Staff Recognition Award. Nominations for this quarterly award are submitted by the families of the people JARC serves and are awarded to those caregivers for providing exceptional care for their loved ones.

Awardees are given a well-deserved cash prize, funded by the Woll Family Fund for Staff Education, Development and Appreciation.

“We work hard to make sure things run smoothly for the ladies, and I do my best to help them live their best lives. Winning this award shows me that our work is not overlooked,” Katrina says.

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

H

illel Day School of Metro Detroit held its annual Havdalapalooza this year on Jan. 29, welcoming the new week virtually. Due to the pandemic, it was held online; but that didn’t stop families from joining in. The school said it had a great turnout with roughly 70 families signed on.

Hillel’s Rav Beit Hasefer, Rabbi David Fain, tells the Jewish News that Havdalapalooza is a wonderful opportunity for the

community to gather and welcome the new week.

“Activities were offered for students of all ages, and we had the opportunity to partner with clergy and organizations and celebrate our diverse Detroit Jewish community,” Fain said.

Prior to the virtual celebration, the school distributed bags to families that included a Havdalah set, crafts, snacks, swag and more.

The Nodel family was one of the many families who participated and said

About 70 families participated virtually.

they had a great time. “We love this event because we get to see our kids in their Hillel environment. Even in a virtual setting, they were looking for their teachers and friends, singing along with the songs and prayers and feeling connected to the school community,” they said.

The school says they are thankful for all its sponsors and partners.

COURTESY OF HILLEL

Dozens of families gather for a virtual Havdalah celebration.

COURTESY OF HILLEL

Hillel Day School’s Havdalapalooza

The Nodel family participating from home.

(Care)giving and Taking: Making time for you A series to educate, empower, and connect family caregivers Taking care of a loved one can be difficult. So can ensuring that your own needs are being met during this challenging time. It’s easy to feel isolated but Jewish Family Service and Jewish Senior Life are here to offer family caregivers support, comfort and a sense of community.

Taking Care of the Caregiver Author Rabbi Laura Geller Thursday, March 10 2pm on Zoom

It’s Okay Not to Be Okay

Dr. Micky Golden Moore Thursday, April 14 2pm on Zoom

To learn more or to register visit jfsdetroit.org/caregiver Questions? Contact 248.592.2313 MARCH 3 • 2022

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faces&places

Sledding and Snowflakes Getting together is important to Rabbi Steven Rubenstein of Congregation Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield, especially after the winter fun they had over the weekend of Feb 6.

“With so few opportunities lately, because of the pandemic, to get together. This seemed like a real great opportunity — even got to see some people I hadn’t seen in a little bit,” Rabbi Rubenstein said.

The congregation planned its Sledding and Snowflakes event more than two months ago. Rabbi Rubenstein said he wasn’t even

sure if it would happen because in Michigan, you can never be sure what the weather will be like.

“We were excited to see all the snow last week and knew we would be good for the sledding event. We had a nice range of kids there from real little ones on up. We had a 3-year-old and a 12-year-old there and a handful of families, and it was a beautiful day for sledding.”

“We were over at Shiawassee Park in Farmington Hills, we even had doughnuts and hot chocolate and everyone had a really good time,” added Rabbi Rubenstein.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CONGREGATION BETH AHM

Rabbi Steven Rubenstein of Congregation Beth Ahm had some fun with families from the shul Feb. 6 at Shiawassee Park in Farmington Hills.

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The Shul Welcomes the ‘Ballerina of Auschwitz’ PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE SHUL

The Ballerina of Auschwitz, a conversation with Dr. Edith Eger, was brought to the community by The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch, the Friendship Circle Adult Volunteers and Chabad of Ann Arbor. With more than 100 computers logged in, it was an evening to be remembered.

On Feb. 3, as the streets outside were covered in snow, participants enjoyed warmth, meaning and inspiration.

“Dr. Eger answered questions about her books, The Choice and The Gift, and shared some of her deep wisdom to help us focus on using our gifts to choose effectively to make the world a

better place,” said Itty Shemtov of The Shul.

Participant Lois Shulman said, “Dr. Eger affirmed and spoke to the way I choose to live my life each day. She is an exemplary human being with wisdom. I am thankful for the opportunities she brings to the lives she touches with her words and her modeling of a life lived.”

According to participant Laurie Leeb, “Every sentence she stated was filled with relevant meaningful straightforward messages.”

Everyone is welcome to join book club discussions on select chapters of both books

at theshul.net/reservation.

Dr. Edith Eger

Itty Shemtov

A screenshot from the virtual evening with Dr. Eger.

Two groups are being formed: Sunday mornings and Monday evenings.

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Supported through the generosity of The Jewish Fund and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Family Foundation.

MARCH 3 • 2022

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faces&places

Fowling Fun The Young Israel of Southfield Sisterhood, under the leadership of Shirli Gotlib and Ariella Shaffren, we’re so excited to get back to in-person events this year.

They began with a resin tray event for women, followed by comedian Eli Leibowitz and most recently an outing at the Fowling Warehouse in Hamtramck.

“It’s nice to be out with friends and support the community,” one member said.

Throughout the pand-emic,

while most were canceling events, they saw opportunities: Virtual Bingo, Mystery Maccabee for Chanukah, Cheesecake delivery, and an ice cream truck to go around the community.

The community is excited for what else they have in store.

Starting with their annual bingo event happening Feb. 26 and their biggest fundraiser, Purim Mishloach Manot. Looking forward to seeing what creative theme they come up with this year!

Rabbi Morris talks to those gathered.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF YOUNG ISRAEL OF SOUTHFIELD

Cutline Cutline Cutline Cutline Cutline Cutline Members try their hand at fowling.

Around 20 people joined for a fun game of fowling.

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Women enjoy the resin tray event.

Raw Silk Serenades JARC George Marshall, aka the performer Raw Silk, has been playing cabaret in Detroit for decades. While he doesn’t typically offer private shows, the people JARC serves have been fortunate to receive personalized performances via Zoom during the pandemic.

His recent JARC show was Valentine’s Day-themed and featured songs about love. Marshall spends weeks

carefully planning the performance, with song choices and energy to get everyone excited and moving.

The JARC audience is Raw Silk’s newest fan club, and he enjoys giving them the gift of music. All costs for these performances are paid for

by Marshall including set design and all his various costumes.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JARC

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NEXT DOR

COURTESY OF NEXTGEN DETROIT

NEXTWork: ‘Second Inning’ Insights from “start-up junkie” Jason Raznick of Benzinga RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

D

ozens of people gathered in Detroit for the relaunch of NEXTWork, NEXTGen Detroit and JVS’ professional development and networking series for young Jewish Detroiters.

The program kicked off with Jason Raznick, co-founder and CEO of Benzinga. He built the company 12 years ago during the Great Recession and, after a recent nine-figure acquisition, he’s calling this new chapter Benzinga’s “second inning.”

The event was hosted

by NEXTGen Detroit of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and was held at Benzinga’s space

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in the Compuware World Headquarters Building on Feb. 16.

Raznick told attendees about the lessons he’s learned as a self-proclaimed “start-up junkie” that can be applied to anyone’s professional journey. During the event, people networked and shared drinks with fellow young Jewish professionals.

“It’s exciting to see the Jewish community so vibrant here in Downtown Detroit,” Raznick told the JN. “I think they all have drive and want to build a better Detroit for tomorrow — and I think that’s exciting.”

During the event, people were able to ask Raznick for professional advice. “There’s

TOP: Jason Raznick shares insights with NEXTGen Detroiters.

ABOVE: NEXTGen Detroiters schmooze before the program began.

support out there; whatever they’re trying to do, the Detroit community is supportive, and you’re never alone,” he said. “And there’s always a way to get things done. Just be persistent and don’t give up.”

For information about NEXTGen Detroit and future events, go to jewishdetroit. org/get-involved/nextgen.

To contact Raznick, email Jason@benzinga.com or follow him on twitter @JasonRaznick.

PHOTO COURTESY NEXTGEN DETROIT

The Six Triple Eight

NEXTGen Detroit’s Winter Fundraiser “Distilled and Chilled” at the Whiskey Factory Detroit.

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

N

EXTGen Detroit’s Winter Fundraiser: Distilled & Chilled will bring Metro Detroit’s young Jewish adults some of the best the city has to offer in live music from local artists, classic Detroit fare and Detroit City Distillery’s signature spirits — all for a good cause.

The night out in the Motor City will benefit the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit’s 2022 Annual Campaign. The fundraiser is set for March 10 at the Detroit Whiskey Factory.

“Fundraisers like Distilled and Chilled are a great way for young adults to have a

great night out while also giving back,” said Mimi Marcus, NEXTGen Detroit’s senior campaign associate.

“We are definitely throwing a party, but we are also taking the opportunity to spread awareness about the critical work of the Jewish Federation and the importance of investing in our Jewish community as proud, young Jewish Detroiters.”

Event chair Josh Ketai added, “Distilled and Chilled is a celebration of Detroit — the food scene, the music scene, the way Detroiters honor tradition while embracing innovation.

Everything from the menu to

the lineup of live local musicians, to having the event at the Detroit Whiskey Factory is all part of the experience.

It’s our way of thanking those who come for supporting the community through their donation to Federation’s Campaign.”

The musical lineup will feature Sean Blackman, Thornetta Davis, Nappi Devi and Stevie Soul.

Tickets are $30 for general admission and $50 for VIP admission, which includes a whiskey tour and tasting. For tickets, go to jewishdetroit. org/distilled-and-chilled/ or email Mimi at mmarcus@ jfmd.org.

In February 1945, the Allied Forces were winning WWII and liberating the concentration camps. But the U.S. troops and their families weren’t getting their mail. Enter the only allblack Women’s Army Corps battalion to serve in Europe during WWII, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion or Six Triple Eight.

Despite facing racism and sexism from their own leadership and troops, the women served with honor, clearing 17 million backlogged letters. They were never fully recognized … until now.

Watch the documentary film The Six Triple Eight by Lincoln Perry Films from March 1-9 at holocaustcenter.org. Then at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8, International Women’s History Day, join them for a discussion with Executive Producer James Theres, Producer Edna Cummings and Detroit Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer.

This program will be presented virtually on Zoom.

This program is co-presented

by Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

Community partners are Wayne State Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, and University of Detroit Mercy Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

Register at https://tinyurl. com/2p92ys9k.

MARCH 3 • 2022

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SPORTS

Master of the Links

Golfer J.J. Modell will be on Team USA this summer at the Maccabiah Games.

G

olf is important to J.J. Modell.

“I enjoy the competition. It keeps me sharp in life,” he said.

Golf will take Modell to Israel this summer.

The 50-year-old Bloomfield Hills resident and investment advisor will compete in golf in the men’s masters division (age 50 and older) for Team USA at the 21st Maccabiah Games.

“Playing golf in the Maccabiah Games is something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s been a goal of my golf career. I’m looking forward to it,” Modell said.

“My whole family is going to Israel with me. We’ve never been to Israel as a family. I went there many years ago, but not for golf.”

Modell’s family includes his wife Liz and four children ages 16-23.

While the Maccabiah Games will run from July 12-26, the men’s masters golf portion will be played July 17-20 on a course in Caesarea, a town on Israel’s Mediterranean coast.

There will be team and individual competitions in Caesarea.

The other four members of the U.S. team in the men’s masters age group are from Atlanta, Boca Raton, Florida, New York City and Virginia Beach, Virginia.

“The five of us have been talking with each other through Zoom to get prepared,” Modell said.

Modell qualified for the Maccabiah Games during a whirlwind stretch of golf and

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travel last August.

After playing two qualification rounds for Franklin Hills Country Club’s club championship tournament Aug. 7-8 and shooting 74-72--146 on the par71 course in Farmington Hills to earn a berth in MATCH play, Modell headed right to Florida.

The Maccabiah Games qualifier was Aug. 9-11 at the prestigious PGA National course in Palm Beach Gardens, site of last week’s Honda Classic on the PGA Tour.

“I had played the PGA National course casually years earlier, so I knew a little about it,” Modell said. “But I didn’t have time to get in a practice round there before the Maccabiah Games qualifier. I went in blind.”

Playing in 90-degree heat on a tough par-72 course “that has an extreme amount of water,” according to Modell, he shot 75-77-82--234 at PGA National and finished in third place among about 30 golfers competing for five men’s masters spots.

“I was fried by the time I got to the last round down there,” Modell said with a laugh.

It was back to Michigan on Aug. 11 for more golf, and Modell didn’t have much left in the tank.

He lost Aug. 14 in the Franklin Hills club championship match play quarterfinals.

Losing in that tournament doesn’t happen often to Modell.

He’s a nine-time Franklin Hills club champion, winning in the

NEIL WEISSMAN

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

J.J. Modell at Cypress Point Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California

1990s, 2000s and 2010s, the last time in 2016.

Modell’s impressive golf resume also includes being the captain of the Brown University team, earning All-Ivy League and Academic All-Ivy League honors while at Brown, and making the Michigan Amateur tournament quarterfinals in 2003.

He’s qualified to compete in the Michigan Amateur and Golf Association of Michigan tournaments multiple times.

Modell has been in charge of the golf portion of the JCC Maccabi Games in Detroit twice, including in 2019, the last time the Maccabi Games was held before it was shut down for two years by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A member of the Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation’s board of directors, Modell has been a co-chair of the foundation’s annual Hank Greenberg Memorial Golf & Tennis Invitational several times.

The Maccabiah Games, held every four years in Israel, is often

called “the Jewish Olympics.” It’s the world’s largest Jewish athletic competition.

At least one other Detroit athlete has qualified to compete in the 2022 Maccabiah Games.

Hockey player Ryan Berke of Farmington Hills will play on Team USA’s open division (ages 19-40) team.

He’ll be the youngest, if not one of the youngest, members of the team.

Berke, 19, is playing junior hockey for the New Jersey-based Jersey Hitmen in the U.S. Premier Hockey League.

Junior hockey is a training ground for players who want to play college hockey.

Berke was a member of the first three Detroit teams to play hockey at the Maccabi Games, playing in Stamford, Connecticut, Miami and Orange County, California, from 2016-18.

Detroit won a bronze medal in Miami.

Please send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

MAZEL TOV! Logan Amanda Spagna, daughter of Dr. Renee Applebaum-Spagna and Randy Spagna, will lead the congregation in prayer as she becomes a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, March 4, 2022. She will be joined in celebration by her sisters, Cameron, Paige and Samantha. Logan is the loving grandchild of Lorraine and Howard Applebaum, and Marion and the late Nick Spagna.

Logan is a student at West Hills Middle School in Bloomfield Hills. Her most meaningful mitzvah project was raising funds for the Michigan Parkinson Foundation in honor of her bubbie, Lorraine.

HOW TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS Mazel Tov! announcements are welcomed for members of the Jewish community. Anniversaries, engagements and weddings with a photo (preferably color) can appear at a cost of $18 each.

Births are $10. There is no charge for bar/bat mitzvahs or for special birthdays starting at the 90th.

For information, contact Editorial Assistant Sy Manello at smanello@thejewishnews.com or (248) 351-5147 for information or for a mailed or emailed copy of guidelines.

Reizen 103rd

M

aurice Reizen of Novi, former director of the Michigan Department of Public Health, celebrated his 103rd birthday on Feb. 24, 2022. Wishing him a happy birthday on this noteworthy and momentous occasion at a small gathering at his senior living facility at Waltonwood at Twelve Oaks or on Zoom were his family, including his children, Mark Reizen, and Nancy and Howard Serlin; his grandchildren, Jason Reizen, Jennifer Matley, Daniel and Miry Serlin, and David and Dana Serlin; and his great-grandchildren, Andrew and Leia Serlin, Lucy and Olivia Serlin, and Molly and Cameron Matley. Balloons, a cake, shrimp cocktails and filet mignons for all added to the festivities.

SPIRIT

TORAH PORTION

A Time To Take Stock

I

by Moses’ choice to offer n Pekudei, we wrap a blessing at this moment. up the Book of Exodus What cause was there for a and learn that the blessing to be offered?

Israelites have finThe Israelites had ished constructing the simply completed Tabernacle. We find a projects they had been final accounting of the assigned. What’s the gold and silver used in big deal? Is there really Rabbi Dan a cause for celebration? the construction and Horwitz The answer (spoiler learn that the ritual alert) is yes. There is objects and garments Parshat indeed a cause for celethat the Israelites had Pekudei: bration and a meaningbeen instructed to Exodus ful opportunity to offer make were complet38:21-40:38; words of blessing. Too I Kings ed as well. We also often in life we don’t 7:51-8:21. find the results of the carve out the necessary recently completed time to acknowledge census (603,550 males and reflect upon our over age 20). Upon completaccomplishments. When we ing these tasks, Moses blesses complete large-scale projects — whether at home or the nation. at work — we’re often so I’ve always been intrigued

focused on moving on to whatever project is next that we fail to pause and take stock of who we were when the project began and how we’ve evolved during the time it took us to complete it.

Moses, in blessing the nation, provides an opportunity for the Israelites to pause, reflect and appreciate the fruits of their collective efforts, before turning their attention to the next project.

The rabbis debate what the words of Moses’ blessing might have been as they aren’t recorded in the Torah. While not among the Talmudic suggestions, the words of blessing that I think resonate with me most upon completing a project are those we actually say when we’ve completed reading one of the books of the Torah (as we do this week): chazak chazak v’nitchazek — “be strong, be strong, and may

we be strengthened.”

This Shabbat, let’s remember that while going from project to project and from strength to strength that it’s important to make the time to pause and reflect on what we’ve accomplished and how we’ve changed along the way.

Rabbi Dan Horwitz is a rabbi at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills.

He can be reached at dhorwitz@ adatshalom.org.

CONVERSATIONS

Do I make the time to acknowledge the completion of major projects in my life? How and when do I carve out space to reflect on my personal growth? What words of blessing or ritual can I embrace to help mark the completion of major life projects — both for myself and to offer in service of others?

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SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH

RABBISACKS.ORG

Don’t Sit: Walk S itting is the new smoking. So goes the new health mantra. Spend too much time at a desk or in front of a screen and you are at risk of significant danger to your health. The World Health Organization has identified physical inactivity as the fourth greatest health hazard today, ahead of obesity.

In the words of Dr James Levine, one of the world’s Rabbi Lord leading experts on the subJonathan ject and the man credited Sacks with coining the mantra, says, “We are sitting ourselves to death.”

The reason is that we were not made to sit still. Our bodies were made for movement, standing, walking and running. If we fail to give the body regular exercise, it can easily malfunction and put us at risk of serious illness. The question is: does the same apply to the soul, the spirit, the mind?

It is fascinating to look at the sequence of verbs in the very first verse of the book of Psalms: “Happy is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful” (Ps. 1:1). That is a picture of the bad life, lived in pursuit of the wrong values. Note how the bad man begins by walking, then stands, then sits. A bad life immobilizes. That is the point of the famous verses in Hallel: “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but

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do not speak, eyes but do not see, ears but do not hear, noses but do not smell. They have hands but cannot feel, feet but cannot walk, nor can they make a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them; so will all who trust in them” (Ps. 115:4-8).

If you live for lifeless things — as in the bumper sticker, “He who dies with the most toys, wins” — you will become lifeless.

JEWISH JOURNEYS Except in the House of the Lord, Jews do not sit. Jewish life began with two momentous journeys, Abraham from Mesopotamia, Moses and the Israelites from Egypt. “Walk on ahead of Me and be blameless” said God to Abraham (Gen. 17:1). At the age of 99, having just been circumcised, Abraham saw three strangers passing by and “ran to meet them.” On the verse, “Jacob dwelled [vayeshev, the verb that also means “to sit”] in the land where his father had stayed” Rashi, citing the Sages, commented: “Jacob sought to live in tranquility, but immediately there broke in on him the troubles of Joseph.” The righteous do not sit still. They do not have a quiet life.

Rarely is the point made with more subtlety than at the end of this week’s parsha and the book of Exodus as a whole. The Tabernacle had been made and assembled. The closing verses tell us about the relationship between it and the “cloud of glory” that filled the Tent of Meeting. The

Tabernacle was made to be portable. It could be dismantled and its parts carried as the Israelites traveled on the next stage of their journey. When the time came for them to move on, the cloud moved from the Tent of Meeting to a position outside the camp, signaling the direction the Israelites were to take. This is how the Torah describes it: “When the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, the Israelites went onward in all their journeys, but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out until the day it lifted.

So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel in all their journeys” (Ex. 40:36-38) There is a significant difference between the two occurrences of the phrase “in all their journeys.” In the first, the words are meant literally. When the cloud lifted, the Israelites knew they were about to begin a new stage of their journey. However, in the second instance, they cannot be meant literally. The cloud was not “over the Tabernacle” in all their journeys. To the contrary, it was there only when they stopped journeying and instead pitched camp. During the journeys the cloud went on ahead.

A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION Rashi notes this and makes the following comment: “A place where they encamped is also called massa, ‘a journey’ . . . because from the place of encampment they always set out again on a new journey, therefore they are all called ‘journeys.’”

The point is linguistic, but the message is remarkable. In a few brief words, Rashi has summarized an existential truth about Jewish identity. To be a Jew is to travel.

Judaism is a journey, not a destination.

Even a place of rest, an encampment, is still called a journey. The patriarchs lived, not in houses, but in tents. The first time we are told that a patriarch built a house, proves the point: “Jacob traveled to Succot.

There he built himself a house and made shelters [sukkot] for his livestock. That is why he called the place Succot” (Gen. 33:17).

The verse is astonishing. Jacob has just

become the first member of the covenantal family to build a house, yet he does not call the place “house” (as in BetEl or Bet-lechem). He calls it “cattle-sheds.” It is as if Jacob, consciously or unconsciously, already knew that to live the life of the covenant means to be ready to move on, to travel, to journey, to grow.

One might have thought that all this applied only to the time before the Israelites crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land.

Yet the Torah tells us otherwise: “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity because the land is Mine: you are strangers and temporary residents as far as I am concerned” (Lev. 25:23).

If we live as if the land is permanently ours, our stay there will be temporary. If we live as if it is only temporarily so, we will live there permanently. In this world of time and change, growth and decay, only God and His word are permanent.

One of the most poignant lines in the book of Psalms — a verse cherished by the French-Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas — says, “I am a stranger on earth.

Do not hide your commands from me” (Ps. 119:19). To be a Jew is to stay light on your feet, ready to begin the next stage of the journey, literally or metaphorically.

An Englishman’s home is his castle, they used to say. But a Jew’s home is a tent, a tabernacle, a sukkah. We know that life on Earth is a temporary dwelling. That is why we value each moment and its newness.

Recently, a distinguished

British Jew, (Lord) George Weidenfeld, died at the age of 96. He was a successful publisher, a friend and confidant of European leaders, an inveterate fighter for peace and a passionate Zionist.

In 1949-50, he was political adviser and Chief of Cabinet to Chaim Weizmann, first president of Israel. One of his last acts was to help rescue 20,000 Christian refugees fleeing from ISIS in Syria.

He was alert and active, even hyperactive, to the very end of a long and distinguished life.

In an interview with The Times on his 92nd birthday he was asked the following question: “Most people in their 90s slow down. You seem to be speeding up. Why is that?”

He replied, “When you get to 92, you begin to see the door about to close. I have so much to do before the door closes that the older I get, the harder I have to work.” That is a good formula for staying young.

Like our bodies, our souls were not made for sitting still.

We were made for moving, walking, traveling, learning, searching, striving, growing, knowing that it is not for us to complete the work but neither may we stand aside from it. In Judaism, as the book of Exodus reminds us in its closing words, even an encampment is called a journey. In matters spiritual, not just physical, sitting is the new smoking.

The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks served as the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, 1991-2013. His teachings have been made available to all at rabbisacks.org. This essay was written in 2016.

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SPIRIT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bais Haknesses Hagrah Oak Park (248) 542-8737

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

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

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

Congregation B’nai Israel Muskegon (231) 722-2702 cbimkg@gmail.com

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

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

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

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

Temple Benjamin Mt. Pleasant (989) 773-5086 templebenjamin.com

Temple Jacob Hancock templejacobhancock.org

The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch West Bloomfield (248) 788-4000 theshul.net Yagdil Torah Southfield (248) 559-5905 Young Israel of Oak Park (248) 967-3655 yiop.org

CONSERVATIVE Beth Israel Congregation (734) 665-9897 @BethIsraelCongregation

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

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

ORTHODOX Ann Arbor Chabad House (734) 995-3276 jewmich.com

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

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

REFORM Bet Chaverim Canton (734) 480-8880 betchaverim@yahoo.com Congregation Beth El Windsor (519) 969-2422 bethelwindsor.ca Congregation Beth Shalom Traverse City 231-946-1913 beth-shalom-tc.org

ANN ARBOR

Temple Beth El Battle Creek (269) 963-4921

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

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

Yeshivat Akivah Southfield (248) 386-1625 farberhds.org

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

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

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

MINYANS Fleischman Residence West Bloomfield (248) 661-2999

Temple Beth Israel Bay City (989) 893-7811 tbi-mich.org Temple Beth Israel Jackson (517) 784-3862 tbijackson.org Temple Beth Sholom Marquette tbsmqt.org Temple B’nai Israel Kalamazoo (269) 342-9170 Templebnaiisrael.com Temple B’nai Israel Petoskey (231) 489-8269 templebnaiisraelofpetoskey. org Temple Emanuel Grand Rapids (616) 459-5976 grtemple.org

REFORM/RENEWAL Congregation Shir Tikvah Troy (248) 649-4418 shirtikvah.org SECULAR/HUMANISTIC Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Metro Detroit Farmington Hills (248) 477-1410 chj-detroit.org Sholem Aleichem Institute West Bloomfield (248) 865-0117 secularsaimichigan.org SEPHARDIC Keter Torah Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 681-3665 rabbisasson.wixsite.com/ keter Ohr Hatorah Oak Park (248) 294-0613 Ohrhatorah.us

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

TRADITIONAL Woodward Avenue Shul Royal Oak (248) 414-7485 thewas.net

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ARTS&LIFE THEATER

On the Road Again JET creates an Arizona production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

JULIE SMITH YOLLES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

B

ringing and mounting a new production of The Diary of Anne Frank from Michigan to Arizona in the middle of a pandemic has been a labor of love of epic proportions, to say the very least.

But with grit and clever resourcefulness, one fiercely determined snow birder extraordinaire and her small, but mighty, Scottsdale-area team of friends and relatives were able to make it happen.

For more than 27 years, the Jewish Ensemble Theatre (JET) of West Bloomfield, a nonprofit, has produced The Diary of Anne Frank for student audiences in Metro-Detroit — that’s more than 200,000 students attending a live theatrical performance, some for the very first time.

Shows were held at JET’s former space at the Jewish Community Center of West Bloomfield and, later, at The Berman Center for Performing Arts and the Detroit Institute of Arts, sponsored by the Nancy and Stephen Grand Support Foundation.

TOP: The Diary of Anne “But what if JET could reach middle-schoolers outFrank, produced by the side of Michigan with this very important story about Jewish Ensemble Theatre (JET), was performed at the Holocaust?” JET Executive Director Christopher the Scottsdale Center for Bremer would often ask his all-volunteer board of the Performing Arts Jan. directors.

31-Feb. 11, 2022.

BOTTOM LEFT: Ariella “I felt that it was a strong mission — something Centeno of Prescott, that I really believe in — so I raised my hand Arizona. Her paternal and that’s when it all began,” said Sally Ginn of great-grandparents were Holocaust survivors.

Farmington Hills, who has wintered in Phoenix for Now 97 and living in the past 30 years.

New York, Erwin Pearl That was five years ago. received the 2015 Anne Frank Distinguished “Truthfully, people told me that it couldn’t be Humanitarian Award. done.

The logistics and money-raising has been BOTTOM RIGHT: Actors monumental and non-stop,” said Ginn, who just remained masked at all times during rehearsals. wrapped producing the first local Arizona JET proSally Ginn and her team duction of The Diary of Anne Frank at The Scottsdale scoured resale shops Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 11. to find authentic set pieces and props or creBy January 2020, Ginn had put her Arizona conated their own including tacts in motion and was able to have JET’s Detroit this tablecloth made by cast of The Diary of Anne Frank flown out to Phoenix Toby Haberman for the Chanukah scene. to perform the show for one week to more than 4,300 students.

And then the pandemic hit, and JET pivoted to having virtual conversations about the life of Anne Frank.

“The students could Zoom in and talk with ‘Anne’ and understand what it was like to be in hiding and not being able to come out because they were quarantining themselves,” said Bremer, who has been working at JET since 1999. “Now, with our Arizona production and the Michigan one coming up at the Berman Center March 7-18, children can once again experience the human connection of live theater as an art form.” continued on page 42

DETAILS

School groups can still purchase tickets to attend The Diary of Anne Frank at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts at 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield. Performances are at 10 a.m. Monday-Friday, March 7-18. Tickets are $10/student and $16/adult, with special financial arrangements available.

There will be one public performance open to everyone at 10 a.m. Friday, March 18. Reservations must be made for school groups and individual tickets by calling (248) 788-2900.

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ARTS&LIFE THEATER

Sam and Toby Haberman hosted the cast party at their Phoenix home, with JET Arizona Producer Sally Ginn and JET Executive Director Christopher Bremer.

JET Season

The Jewish Ensemble Theatre will reopen its 2021-2022 season with: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade April 21-May 15 The Full Monty by Terrence McNally and David Yazbek June 2-26 Amadeus by Peter Shaffer July 14- Aug. 7 TBD Aug. 25-Sept. 18 JET’s 2022-2023 Season begins Oct. 6 with the Rocky Horror Picture Show Single ticket prices $49/ adult, $47/senior, $42/sub scribers.

Prorated subscriptions are on sale now. All dates and titles subject to change. To reserve, call (248) 7882900.

JET is at 1124 E. West Maple Road, Walled Lake.

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continued from page 41

A DETROIT PRODUCTION IN ARIZONA While bringing The Diary of Anne Frank from Detroit to Arizona in 2020 helped Ginn plant the seed for the Jewish Ensemble Theatre to have an Arizona presence, donors told her that they wanted to see jobs created locally for Phoenix-area actors and crew. With that promise, Ginn was able to secure funding from the Burton Family Foundation through the Arizona Community Foundation, the Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation and the Molly Blank Fund through the Jewish Community Foundation.

“We had to start from scratch. We had to procure every single thing,” said Ginn, whose daughter, Peggy, flew in from England to help.

Everything included finding an off-site rehearsal space and The Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts for the shows, reserving a storage facility for costumes, props and set pieces for future Arizona productions; reporting to the Actors Equity Association with COVID compliance updates, including ordering over 1,000 rapid-test kits for the cast and crew; and arranging and booking the school groups.

In addition to recruiting her Arizona friends for help, Ginn relied on Toby Haberman of Birmingham, who also has a home in Phoenix, to go on prop and furniture-finding expeditions to all the local Goodwill, thrift and resale shops.

“We needed to duplicate the Michigan set, costumes and props that we now own and store for annual use with the Arizona production,” said Haberman, retired owner of Haberman Fabrics in Royal Oak who has also been very involved with costuming at Michigan Opera Theatre. “I found objects on our list like a half-barrel that was tossed out at a Phoenix boutique. I also made assorted props, like a small lace Shabbos table cover and burlap potato and rations bags.”

Ginn also enlisted Haberman to help with registration during the local auditions. And Toby and her husband, Sam, graciously hosted the cast and crew party at their Phoenix home after the last performance on Feb. 11.

“When finding the set pieces and props, we tried to be as realistic as possible. Not only does that create an honest visual image to draw the audience into a believable scene, but it helps the actors develop their characters when they use or wear something that could have actually been from that time and place,” said Haberman.

While Ginn dealt with the production logistics, Bremer flew back and forth weekly from Michigan to Arizona, assembling his Arizona cast and crew while simultaneously preparing for the March Diary of Anne Frank Detroit production and getting the JET 20212022 season ready to reopen. Fully masked rehearsals started Jan. 13 in Scottsdale.

Twelve rehearsals later, The Diary of Anne Frank opened at The Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts at a 10 a.m. matinee on Jan. 31.

“It was like doing summer stock on steroids,” Bremer says with a laugh.

With 10 matinee performances, more than 3,500 students attended, at half-capacity, with some schools driving from more than two hours away.

“I don’t consider this a field trip. It’s an educational trip,” said Ginn. “Eight months ago, it was mandated that the Holocaust be taught in Arizona [at least twice between seventh and 12th grade]. We’re doing something for humanity, for all walks of life and all cultures.

That’s what keeps me going and really gives me a purpose. That’s why I joined JET.” As a theater lover, parent and former teacher, Haberman is also dedicated to the cause.

“Perhaps more than ever, there are lessons that need to be taught in an honest, meaningful way. This production helps do that.

The goal is to serve a crucial history lesson to middle school children throughout the community, from widely diverse backgrounds.

This is a powerful educational, live-theater tool. Live theater done well can have a great impact, especially when young people watch what might be their first, professional theatrical performance, not a digital screen,” Haberman says.

JET provides every school attending with pre- and post-study guides and an evaluation form. Following each performance, there is an audience question-and-answer session with the cast. As a special enhancement to the Arizona production, local Holocaust survivor Dirk van Leenen attended every talkback and interacted with the students.

One of the strongest takeaways after seeing the show is that children have a strong interest in finding out about other people’s culture and experiences, Bremer says.

“You can never walk in someone else’s shoe or understand other people’s skill in society and success in life. It’s been an honor, privilege and responsibility to provide this wonderful experience to people.”

ARTS&LIFE BOOKS

is Lori Ell

E

xcitement is in the air after the release of the new children’s book

by Michigan author Lori Ellis.

The new book, titled Ryan’s Magical Shoes, was inspired by her parents who were Holocaust survivors. Ellis said the story teaches young children about diversity and acceptance.

Born and raised in Detroit, Ellis now lives in West Bloomfield with her husband, Jeff. She holds a master’s degree in speech and language pathology and worked for 36 years in two school districts before retiring.

Following her retirement, Ellis said this new children’s book gives her a wonderful sense of accomplishment. “It helps me feel that I am still productive,” she said.

Ellis said her parents taught her to treat everyone equally, and she believes passing that onto younger generations is important.

“Everyone has individual differences and is a unique human being. We need to acknowledge everyone’s differences and value the diversity. If this is taught at a young age, then hopefully it can carry over into friendships, schools, people’s work environments, prevent future genocides and encourage world peace,” Ellis said.

The story revolves around the main character Ryan who received magical shoes for his birthday. These shoes teleport him to different countries, and he meets new

New Children’s Book Inspired by Holocaust Survivors Local author writes children’s book about diversity and acceptance.

RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

friends along the way. Ryan, who’s from the U.S., makes friends from South Africa, Bangkok, Thailand, Shanghai and China.

Ellis said the boys create special friendships while meeting their families and playing together. She hopes her story teaches young children to accept differences in others and learn a valuable lesson.

“Accept diversity and find the similarities that we all share, even if we come from different countries, speak in different languages or dialects, have different skin colors or observe different religions. Let’s embrace it all and consider ourselves friends.”

Ellis said her goal is to continue to educate others on the dangers of prejudice, hatred, bullying and antisemitism so the tragic parts of history will not repeat itself.

“People are not all the same because we come from different countries with different cultures and values, but you can embrace those differences and still be

friends,” she said.

Prior to writing Ryan’s Magical Shoes, Ellis’ passion for doing genealogy research led her to write the book 4,456 Miles: A Survivor’s Search for Closure. The book chronicles her mother’s life as a Holocaust survivor and takes people on a journey back to Poland.

She also co-authored Laughing While Learning: Using humor in the classroom as well as a speech and language assessment called Comprehensive Communication Profiles.

She is now working with a colleague on a children’s book emphasizing speech and language challenges that will provide therapeutic tips.

Ellis released Ryan’s Magical Shoes in January and said she already received overwhelming positive support from friends, family and past colleagues and is humbled by their kind words.

Ryan’s Magical Shoes it is now available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/1088021263

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GAGE SKIDMORE

ARTS&LIFE CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

CATWOMAN IS JEWISH, THE ’80S LAKERS, THERANOS MESS The Batman opens in theaters on March 4. There is a long backstory on the production of this new entry in the Batman odyssey.

Suffice it to say that it pretty much is a “new start” for the Batman series. So many “new starts” probably would have surprised Bob Kane (1915-1998), who created the Batman comic character.

The Caped Crusader is played by Robert Pattinson (Twilight Saga films). As the film opens, billionaire Bruce Wayne has already “become” Batman, but is not yet a seasoned crime fighter. Here’s the basic plot: Batman pursues the Riddler, a major “baddie.”

The Riddler (Paul Dano) is a serial killer who targets the elites of Gotham City. While hunting the Riddler, Batman uncovers corruption that implicates his own family. He is forced to make new allies to catch the Riddler and clean up the corruption.

Zoe Kravitz, 33, plays the Catwoman, a character “with criminal baggage” who, nonetheless, has often helped Batman. Her “real identity” is Selina Kyle, and in this film, Kyle is a nightclub worker who moonlights as a cat burglar. She chances to meet Batman and her desire to help vulnerable people leads her to ally with Batman. Advance reports say that this film will emphasize the Selina part of Catwoman’s life — what “real-life” emotions lead Selina to help Batman.

Kravitz says she is “a secular Jew.” Her father, musician Lenny Kravitz, had a Jewish father and an African American, not Jewish mother. (Lenny iden-

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Zoe Kravitz

tifies as a Christian). Zoe’s mother, actress Lisa Bonet, 54, had a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish, African American father.

Kravitz is the first Jewish woman to play Catwoman.

However, I will note that African American actress/ singer Eartha Kitt, who played Catwoman on the 1960s Batman TV show, was a huge Israel supporter and recorded some Yiddish songs. Her only child, Kit Shapiro, is married to a Jewish man and I think (but haven’t confirmed) that she converted to Judaism.

1980S LAKERS The eight-episode HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty premieres on March 6. It’s about the “wild ride” of the NBA team during the ’80s. The Lakers had the great Magic Johnson, a very colorful owner and the first “hot dancing” cheerleaders.

Jason Segal, 42, plays Lakers coach Paul Westhead. He led the Lakers to a championship in 1980 and was fired two years later after clashing with Magic. Adrien Brody, 48, plays Coach Pat Riley, who replaced Westhead.

He led the Lakers to three championships in the ’80s.

(Actresses Molly Gordon and Lola Kirke appear in much smaller roles.)

By the way, Segal (6’4”) and Brody (6’1”) are quite tall guys. Their casting makes sense because they are playing “real life” tall guys.

If the series had been made in the ’90s, Bob Saget (6’4”) and Brad Garrett (6’10”) would have been good (Jewish) choices.

The Dropout is a six-episode mini-series that will premiere on Hulu March 3. The first three episodes will air then, with the last three shown on successive weeks. It tells the story of the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, the

now infamous head of the medical company Theranos (which falsely claimed it had a way to test for many conditions with a single drop of blood).

Amanda Seyfried stars as Holmes. The large supporting cast includes Stephen Fry, 64, Hart Bochner, 64, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, 44.

Fry plays Ian Gibbons, a British bio-chemist who worked for Theranos.

Gibbons committed suicide (2013) shortly before he was supposed to testify in a lawsuit about the company’s blood-testing technology. Bochner plays Larry Ellison, 77, the billionaire founder of Oracle, the famous software company.

Ellison was an early investor in Theranos and his backing helped persuade others to invest in the company.

Moss-Bachrach (Girls) has the best role of his career. He plays John Carreyou, the dogged Wall Street Journal reporter whose stories about Theranos were critical to exposing the company’s rampant fraud.

By the way, while Elizabeth Holmes is not Jewish, she is a remote descendant of Charles Fleischmann (1833-1897), the founder of the famous Fleischmann yeast company. His yeast consistently makes bread rise. All Holmes did was deflate investors’ hopes.

ERRATA In my Feb. 17 column, I said that Joanna Merlin, 90, was the last living credited actor in The Ten Commandments (1956). I was wrong. There are three others, including Riselle Babette Bain, 75.

She played “Young Miriam.”

She is now a synagogue cantor. She has a very interesting life story, which I will share just before Pesach.

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

LOWIMPACT EXERCISE 10:3011:30 AM, MARCH 7

admission $30; seniors $25. Info: stjamesbirmingham.org.

LOW-IMPACT EXERCISE 10:30-11:30 AM, MARCH 7 Jim Berk hosts participants in person at Congregation Shaarey Zedek for gentle stretching and exercises. Cost: $5 per person per session, payable directly to Jim Berk at the conclusion of each class. For information, call the synagogue office at 248-357-5544.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 7-8 PM, MARCH 8 View, for free, the documentary The Six Triple Eight at holocaustcenter.org then join a discussion with Executive Producer James Theres, Producer Edna Cummings and Detroit Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer. Register at https://tinyurl.com/2p835azj.

ONLINE LEARNING 2-3:30 PM, MARCH 7 The Jewish Theological Seminary of America will present “The ‘Burning Heart’: From the book of Jeremiah to the Metropolitan Opera.” Info: jtsa.edu.

Jim Berk

KIDS PLAYTIME 10-11 AM, MARCH 3 Children ages 0-5 and their favorite adults are invited to come play in person at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield. Join Lindsay Mall for a Rhythm and Ruach class, with songs, gross motor activity and more. The community is welcome at $54 per family per seven-week session and with a limit of 15 families each session.

The spring session runs Thursday mornings through April 14 in the Youth Lounge and on the playground, masked and safely distanced. Info: 248-357-5544 or contact Ari Reis at areis@shaareyzedek.org.

VIDEO GAME TRUCK NOON-2 PM, MARCH 6 Attention Congregation Shaarey Zedek, Hillel Day School kids and any unaffiliated Jewish pre-teens in grades 5–8: Join us for a fun afternoon of pizza and video games. Feast on pizza and drinks and then play in the giant Video Game Truck. Cost: $10 per person. Info: shaareyzedek.org.

CHAMBER WINDS 3-4 PM, MARCH 6 “OPUS 1- Rewind to the Beginning,” at St. James Episcopal Church, 355 W. Maple Road, Birmingham. General

Joshua Radin

JOSHUA RADIN 8 PM, MARCH 7 At The Ark in Ann Arbor. Joshua Radin is an LA-based singer/songwriter.

Folk-rock band Tow’rs opens. Tickets: $30-$45 (expanded reserved section).

Info: theark.org.

CAREGIVER SUPPORT 1:30-2:30 PM, MARCH 8 Virtual Caregiver Support Groups are for individuals who are care partners for those living with cognitive changes including various types of dementia.

Contact Dorothy Moon, Brown Adult Day Program social worker, for Zoom link and more information. 248- 2334392, dmoon@jvshumanservices.org.

JEWISH ‘MAGIC’ 7-9 PM, MARCH 9 JDetroit will present, online, Rodney Caruthers II. Modern depictions of magical acts are often associated with complex stunts, illusions and entertainment. In antiquity, however, the notion of magic was often deployed, not for its entertainment value, but for pragmatic purposes. By consulting a variety of ancient Jewish literature (e.g., from the Tanakh, Pseudepigrapha and Mishnah), we can gain insight. Info: jlive.app/ events/1696.

JFAMILY EVENT 8:30-9:30 PM, MARCH 9 JFamily Detroit is hosting this free online event. Parenting during a pandemic comes with lots of stress and taking time to nurture a healthy relationship with your spouse may not always get the attention it deserves.

Take some time with your partner and relationship therapist Susie Kamen and explore how couples can increase connection, engage in safe conversations, and build tools and strategies to break bad conversational habits. Register: jlive.app/events/1553.

CAREGIVER SUPPORT 2 PM, MARCH 10 Taking care of a loved one can be difficult. So can ensuring that your

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own needs are being met during this challenging time.

It’s easy to feel isolated but Jewish Family Service and Jewish Senior Life are here to offer family caregivers support, comfort and a sense of community. “Taking Care of the Caregiver” with author Rabbi Laura Geller will be a virtual presentation. Info: jfsdetroit.org/caregiver.

FRANKEL CENTER EVENT 4-6 PM, MARCH 10+ “Secrets” film series. Free. Dr. Deborah Porter, University of Washington, Seattle.

Zoom registration: myumi.ch/ G11Qg. Continues through March 25 sponsored by the University of Michigan Frankel Center for Judaic Studies. Info:events.umich. edu/event/91338.

NEXTGEN FUNDRAISER 7-11 PM, MARCH 10 This year, NEXTGen Detroit’s winter fundraiser is bringing you some of the best that the

city has to offer — live music from local artists, classic Detroit fare and Detroit City Distillery’s signature spirits.

This chilled and distilled night out in the Motor City benefiting the Jewish Federation’s 2022 Annual Campaign is certain to be worthy of braving the cold. At the Whiskey Factory in Detroit. 21+ only.

Dietary laws observed. This event is intended for young adults ages 21 to 45. General admission: $30 per person, $18 of which is a donation to the Jewish Federation’s 2022 Annual Campaign. VIP admission: Whiskey tour and tasting from 8 to 8:30 pm, $50 per person, $18 of which is a donation to the Jewish Federation’s 2022 Annual Campaign. Questions?

Contact Mimi at mmarcus@ jfmd.org.

PAPER CUTTING 10 AM, MARCH 22 Join Tikvah Hadassah for a fun-filled Zoom work-

PAPER CUTTING 10 AM, MARCH 22

shop, as we learn a new art skill and explore a centuries-old Jewish folk art practice. With instructor, Kim Phillips, a professional Judaica artist, we’ll create a hamsa that will be perfect for a wall or as a gift. A free e-book will be sent following the Zoom class. Final registration by

Buy One Pound of SY Ginsberg Corned Beef and receive House Baked Rye

FREE

Pickles and Rye Deli is happy to announce we are reopening on Mondays!

Open Mondays 11-8pm starting the 21st

Hours: Open Monday thru Sunday 11 am-8pm 46

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MARCH 3 • 2022

($7.49 value)

March 9; $25 online event fee; hadassahmidwest.org/ TikvahPaperCutting.

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

C ORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE Cabbage, Baby potatoes, Sweet Carrots and House Baked Rye Bread for $15

Wednesday and Thursday March 16th & 17th only while supplies last Limit 2 per person/ Not valid with any other offer

Wednesday and Thursday March 16th & 17th only while supplies last Not valid with any other offer

LAMB IRISH STEW

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Baby potatoes, onions, carrots, celery and House Baked Rye Bread for $14 Wednesday and Thursday March 16th & 17th only while supplies last Not valid with any other offer

50% Off

For equal or lesser value and not valid with any other offer Exp 4-10-2022

6724 Orchard Lake Road | West Bloomfield 48322 248-737-3890 | Picklesandryedeli.com

the exchange community bulletin board | professional services

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You Name It – I’ll Do It! Toilets • Disposals • Electrical • Door & Lock Repair • Shower Grab Bars • ETC

248-356-0114 MARCH 3 • 2022

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

VIVIAN KEIDAN BERRY, 93, of Huntington Woods, died Feb. 21, 2022.

She is survived c.1973 by her son, Hank Berry, and his fiancee, Jessica Rhodes; daughter, Karen Berry; grandchildren, Rhys Leahy, Max Leahy, Emily and Eric Whale, and Amy Berry; great-grandchildren, Matthew Schick and Alison Whale. She

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

is also survived by her loving and devoted caregivers, Washita Smith Myree, Marayama Brown, Danyell Gordon and Carol Ashford.

Mrs. Berry was the beloved wife for 66 years of the late Milton Berry.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48202, dia.org/support/donate.

PHILLIP BLINDER, 95, of Southfield, died Feb. 21, 2022.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Marjorie Blinder; sons and daughter-in-law, Michael and Sally Blinder, and Jeffrey Blinder; grandchildren, Regan and Martin Fisher, Dana and

the exchange community bulletin board | professional services

JF Green Renovations

Your Trusted Local Expert For Interior & Exterior Restorations

ROOFING SIDING CHIMNEY RESTORATION SEAMLESS GUTTERS MOLD & FLOOD REPAIRS SPECIALTY REPAIRS INCLUDE: Brick, Stone, Concrete, All Masonry, Rotted and Damaged Wood, Cedar Roofing, Decks & Patios, Retainer Walls, Critter Control & Repairs, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Tile and Flooring

CALL JOHN: 248 -770-8772 FORMER MARINE HEALTHCARE A1 CAREGIVER/COMPANION. Experienced, excellent references. 248-991-4944

Caregiver seeking live-in position for elderly care.

15 yrs. exp. Call Melinda 248-550-5637

Caring, Compassionate, Experienced Caregiver.

Immunized. References Upon Request 248-390-4485

15+ YEAR CAREGIVER, EXP CNA, REFERENCES. CALL CAROL (313) 443-8363

Free Attic, Crawl Space & Basement Inspections Family in need of Long term live-in nanny for a 10yr old boy with Down Syndrome/ Autistic. $1400 a month, private room/bath included.

Call Amy (248)921-1093.

Ben Burland, and Evan Blinder; great-grandchildren, Cameron and Adrian Burland; brotherin-law and sister-in-law, Mandel Schane and Marian Kantor; many loving nieces and nephews.

Mr. Blinder was the loving brother of the late Hyman Blinder and the late Rachel Schane; the dear brother-in-law of the late Marilyn Blinder and the late Sheldon Kantor.

Interment was at Clover Hill

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

Cita Angels Home Care.

Caregiver Services 24 hr. care. We assist in cooking, cleaning, bathing/grooming, doctor appointments, errands, etc. We accept private pay and Medicaid payment.

Please call 1-866-542-6435.

Private duty caregiver with 15 years experience and vaccinated. Very Compassionate and would love to care for your loved one. Please call Yvone (313) 454-6222 or leave message and I will return your call.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Looking for a housekeeper job. Full or Part-time. I do cleaning, laundry, cooking, shopping and organizing.

Please call Vera (586) 395-9250 ANTIQUES

Highly qualified Polish caregiver available.

References upon request.

Please call Renate (586) 604-1544 Exp West Bloomfield Resident Caregiver. FT/PT with excellent reference. Mildred (248) 212-6173 G&F Professional ServicesCompassionate, affordable, responsible and efficient homecare. Call Georgiana (248) 571-1837 or (947) 234-2647 (www. gfprofessionalservices.com)

TRANSPORTATION A1 DRIVER for Drs appts,shopping, errands,airports and more.

(248) 991-4944 Reliable Driver-Best Rates Airport, appts., errands, shopping & more or ask?

Call David 248-690-6090 SERVICES Registered Cleaning Co. residential and offices. Avail 7 days a week. Please call (313) 285-6684 or (313) 258-3674.

AAA Cleaning Service.

15 yrs. in business.Natalie 248-854-0775

Celebratin g 50 Years!

WANTED. / BUYING / ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES COINS, STAMPS, WATCHES, CAMERAS Please Call (248) 259-8088 or Text (313)395-8599 Website= a.airsite.co Email= wevexgotxstuff@aol.com MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE MUDHEN SPORTS CARDS * huge inventory of HALL of FAMERS * PSA 7 and up * bday, bar mitzva, hanuka * Dixieland Flea Mkt, Waterford, SE corner Dixie Hwy/ Telegraph (tel.) 248-907-3820 Richard

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24 Hour Emergency Service RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Serving the Community for Over 55 Years WHATEVER IT TAKES:

48 48

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DuraScreen Motorized Retractable Screens are the affordable way to turn virtually any outdoor area into a cool, comfortable and pest-free sanctuary.

The screens are custom built to any opening, have whisper quiet operation, and keep out wind and rain, while allowing fresh air to flow through. They are also available in solid vinyl and solid vinyl with glass, to easily close off a lanai from the elements. See the DuraScreen video at http://tarnowdoor.com/MotorziedScreens/SeeOurVideo.aspx

Let us make your garage into a “man cave!”

25

Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Temple Israel, 5725 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323, temple-israel.org/tributes; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

KENNETH BRENNER, 76, of Farmington Hills, died Feb. 16, 2022.

He is survived by his wife, Yvonne Kawashima; daughter, Mariko Brenner; brothers, Ronald Brenner and Terry Brenner; sisters-inlaw, Vita Kawashima and Ann Brenner; aunt, Sandy Brenner; nephews and nieces, David Brenner, Susan Brenner and Lyle Decker, Daniel Brenner, and Mieko Kawashima.

Mr. Brenner was the devoted son of the late Morris and the late Rebecca Brenner.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Contributions may be made to Michigan Urban Farming Initiative, 7432 Brush St., Detroit, MI 48202, miufi. org; or a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

SAMUEL ALLEN FELD, 81, of West Bloomfield, died Feb. 24, 2022.

He is survived by his son and daughter-inlaw, Jason and Franci Feld; daughter, Rochelle Feld; brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Jeffrey and Ann Feld; grandchildren, Chana (Avroham Ross) Feld, Dani Silverman, Benjamin Feld and Shlomo

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Monument Center Inc.

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Some days seem to last forever…

We’re offering one that actually will.

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

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

3 Adar II March 6 Mary Faigin Morris Kraizman Sam Lux Leonard Sandweiss David Schoichit Idel Unrot Maurice Wagman Yitzchak Wainer Tzvi Weinberger Ann Wilner 4 Adar II March 7 Lena Climstain Alan Bruce Cohen Nathan Deutsch Jennie Feldman Louis Goldberg Israel Goldin Anne Katkowsky Herbert Katz Al Kaye Arthur Klein Fannie Moss Frank Orechkin Sarah Weingarden Betty Goudsmit Zaientz 5 Adar II March 8 Louis Bordoley Gabriel N. Eisman Sam Elias Simone Fishman Anna Newman Graff

Meyer Greenspoon Morris Gunsher Sheila Lazowsky Oscar Lerchin Yale Levin Bertha Migdal Rachel Pomerantz Sam Tarnopol Phillip Zager 6 Adar II March 9 Rose Benjamin Bella Chestnuk Anna R. Chinitz Dora Cohen Wolf Gruca Bena Heitkamp Roslyn Kauffman Rose Raimi Fannie Rosenfeld Louis Spitzer Joseph I. Stewart 7 Adar II March 10 Doris Bean Samuel (Syd) Beber Max Berris Donald Robert Epstein Ida Klein Moses Koller Pauline Max Lillian Silverman Morris Smith Bertha Weitzman

Leo Zentman 8 Adar II March 11 Abraham August Bessie Berris Jacob A Bocoler Freda Freed Emanuel Greenspan Rose Konikof Karl Levin Anna Levine Katherine (Katie) Radner Jay M. Rosenthal Sara Rotenberg Hyman Schwartz Susan Topor 9 Adar II March 12 Michael G. Bardi Max Citrin William Goodman A. Isaac Korman Max Langwald Abe Avrum Miller Abram Nuss Milton Ribiat Sara Rubenfaer Helen Schwartz

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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Devoted to Dance

B

lanche Gantz, 100, of Santa Barbara, California, died Feb. 19,

2022.

She passed away peacefully three months before her 101st birthday. She lived a full, high-energy life filled with love and joy from her friends, family and dance.

She was a strong, independent, creative woman who loved socializing.

Blanche grew up in Brook-lyn, N.Y., and moved to Detroit at age 9. She was a child performer in the Catskills, singing and dancing. She continued to perform in Detroit’s Yiddish theater and in private clubs.

Her passion was tap dancing. Although money was tight at that time, there was always enough for dance lessons. By high school, she earned enough to pay for private lessons several times a week at Roth/Berdun Dance Studio.

At age 20, she married Harry Gantz, who was her love for more 60 years, and raised two children in her new Oak Park home. She missed dancing and soon was hired by the PTA of Dewey School to teach afterschool dancing to elementary school children. News spread and Southfield and West Bloomfield schools asked her to teach their children. She taught thousands of children the love of dance. Her slogan: “Mrs. Gantz loves to Dance.”

Blanche and Harry relocated to Florida when they retired and moved into a new Century Village, where Blanche soon found herself teaching dance to seniors for a few years. She didn’t find them as much fun as the

Blanche Gantz c. 1939

children. Their last move was to Santa Barbara to be near her daughter, for 15 lovely years.

Blanche’s passions: tap dancing, summers in Charlevoix and Florida, her children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren.

Blanche was predeceased by her husband, Harry Leo Gantz; her parents, Nathan and Becky Ratner; and her sister, Mollie Nucian. She is survived by her daughters, Joan Rosenberg-Dent (Gantz), Linda Amoore (Gantz); son-in-law, Thomas Dent; grandchildren, Eric, Matthew and Julie Rosenberg, Lisa Franchi, Cassie Amoore; and great grandchildren, Gabriel, Jesse, Levi, Tazio, Arianna and Alice.

Contributions may be made to Front Porch Communities Foundation, VDM Resident Assistance Fund (in honor of Blanche Gantz), 3775 Modoc Road, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105.

A funeral service was held at Hebrew Memorial Chapel. Interment took place at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Birmingham.

Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 49

Feld; many other loving family members and friends.

Mr. Feld was the beloved husband of the late Roslyn Feld; the brother of the late Marilyn Haile.

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

Contributions may be made to the Bais Chabad of Farmington Hills. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

ERIC “RICKY” FISHMAN, 75, died Feb. 21, 2022, in Hanover, Pa. He was born in Pittsburgh, grew up in Michigan and spent his adult years in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Ricky was a jewelry designer and worked as a

jewelry salesman.

Mr. Fishman is survived by his wife, Chandra; son, Nikolas; sister and brother-in-law, Penny and Harvey Brode; niece and nephew, Heidi Brode and Joel Krugel; great-nieces, Darby Krugel and Cami Krugel; nephew, Gary Brode; uncle, Herb Fishman.

He was the beloved son of Dorothy and Morris Fishman.

Interment will be in Hanover, Pa. Contributions may be made to the American Kidney Fund or to a charity of one’s choice.

MARLENE GITELMAN, 74, of Ann Arbor, died Jan. 24, 2022.

She is survived by her husband of 52½ years, Professor Zvi Gitelman; son and daughter-in-law, Yitzhak Gitelman and Jennifer Bernstein of Engelwood, N. J.; daughter and son-in-law, Miriam Gitelman

and Uri Sobel of Englewood; brother and sister-in-law, Yehuda and Rivka Cern of Israel; sister and brother-inlaw, Naomi and Mayer Rubin of Allentown, Pa.; grandchildren, David Gitelman, Yakira Gitelman, Benjamin Gitelman, Eitan Marks, Noah Marks, Sarah Marks.

Contributions may be made to Amit, Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor; or Ann Arbor Orthodox Minyan. A graveside service was held at Beit Shemesh Cemetery in Israel.

Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

CATHRINE ANNE MILLER GOLDBERG, 84, of Plymouth, died Feb. 18, 2022.

Cathrine, a wife, grandmother and all-around remarkable woman, was born in

New York City in 1937, the only child of Hannah Stone Miller and Sam Miller.

After earning her bachelor’s degree from Hunter College and her master’s from Cornell University, she moved to Detroit to start her career. Once in Detroit, she met and married Lawrence Goldberg. During their 52 years, they built a rich, rewarding life, career and family.

Incredibly smart, wickedly sharp and unforgettably funny, Cathrine had a laugh that was one of the most wonderful the world has ever heard. More than anything, she was an incredible mother and grandmother.

Mrs. Goldberg was preceded in death by husband Lawrence. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Adrienne Guss (Sanford); son, David; granddaughter, Ava, of who she was continued on page 52

Judaism embraces all facets of life . . . including death.

Trust us to assist you with dignity and grace.

MARCH 3 • 2022

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 51

extremely proud. Interment took place at Hebrew Memorial Park Cemetery in Clinton Township. Contributions may be made to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation or the National Kidney Foundation.

Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

NANCY LYNN GOLDEN, 75, of San Mateo, Calif., formerly of Detroit, died Feb. 17, 2022.

She is survived c.1968 by her siblings, Dr. Theodore and Diana Golden, Ellen Golden and Mark Kelley, and Richard and Linda Golden; nephews and nieces, David, Jonathan, Jacquelyn, Terrance, Jenna, Benjamin, Alex, Joseph

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and Derek.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

SUSAN KAHN, 63, of Franklin, died Feb. 19, 2022.

She is survived by her husband, Neil Kahn; daughters and sons-in-law, Emily and Kyle Correll of Farmington Hills, Ashley and Jimmy Grubbs of West Bloomfield, Keri and Ryan Seeney of Franklin; sisters and brothers-in-law, Karen and Michael Weprin of Columbus, Ohio, Marcy and Wesley Peurasaari of Farmington Hills; grandchildren, Hannah, Brodie,

Chase, Grayson, Jackson, Molly, Annie, Elliott, Isabel.

Contributions may be made to Michigan Humane Society, 30300 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025. A funeral service was held at Hebrew Memorial Chapel. Interment took place at Adat Shalom Memorial Park in Livonia. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.

LEAH MAGDA KESSLER, 91, of West Bloomfield, died Feb. 22, 2022.

She is survived by her husband, Bernard Kessler; son and daughter-in-law, Allen and Phyllis Kessler; grandchildren, Lindsey and Shane Monson, and Elliott and Jessica Kessler; great-grandchildren, Zoe and Max Monson, and Lily, May, and Leo Kessler; other loving relatives and friends.

Interment was at Hebrew Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Alzheimer’s Association-Greater Michigan Chapter, 25200 Telegraph Road, Suite 100, Southfield, MI 48033, alz.org/gmc; or Zekelman Holocaust Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, holocaustcenter.org.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

VICTOR KOBLIN, 88, of Farmington Hills, died Feb. 18, 2022.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Elaine “Cookie” Koblin; daughters and son-in-law, Patrice Gendelman, Melanie and Harry Cohn; 10 grandchildren; many other loving family members and friends.

Mr. Koblin was the father of the late Elizabeth Leider.

Interment took place at Machhpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Contributions may be made to the Integrative Neighborhoods of Oakland County or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

DENNIS R. SOBOL, Ph.D., 78, of West Bloomfield and Boca Raton, Fla., passed away on Feb. 14, 2022.

Dennis is survived by his beloved wife, Cheryl Rives.

He was the adored father of Gregory (Carrie) Sobol and Sandra Berk; adored grandfather of Logan, Rachel, Ari and Levi. Also surviving are his much loved aunt, Libby Sklar, and numerous adoring cousins, friends and former students.

The funeral was held at Eternal Light Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Boynton Beach, Fla. Contributions may be made to Dr. Dennis R. Sobol Scholarship, OCC Foundation, George Bee Administrative Center, 2480 Opdyke Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304.

ILEENE ZATE, 84, of West Bloomfield, died Feb. 17, 2022.

Born in Detroit to Morris and Yetta Rosenzweig, Ileene graduated from Mumford High School. Within six months of meeting, she and Seymour Zate were married and remained married for 55 years, until his death in 2014.

As compatible as they were different, they adored each other in their own unique ways.

Ileene was a homemaker who also served as office manager for her husband, a registered architect, for many years. To her family and close friends, Ileene was affection-

ately known as “The Mayvin” — the Yiddish word that describes someone you can ask a question of who always knows the answer. Ileene took pride in being a great friend and resource and even had a necklace and personalized license plates to honor her nickname.

Beloved by those who knew her, Ileene was the kind of person who people, including strangers, would routinely sit down next to and strike up a conversation — often sharing their struggles or secrets with her.

In addition to regularly playing canasta and mahjong with her dear friends, bargain hunting was Ileene’s passion and everyone who knew her considered it a true talent. She loved shopping in person and, in her later years, she turned shopping on QVC into an art form.

Ileene was predeceased by her husband; her son, Barry; as well as brothers- and sisters-in-law, Betty and Jerry Grushoff, Dolores Fox and Gladys Zate.

She is survived by her sister, Sue Vosko (Alan); her children, Kary (Christine) and Ronald (Marshall Sprung); and Barry’s wife, Cindy; her grandchildren, Mathieu, Lillie, Julia, Spencer, Charlotte and Lucy; several beloved nieces, nephews and cousins. In addition, her passing is mourned by the hosts and staff of QVC. Interment was at Beth Abraham Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jewishhospice.org; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

S

A Devoted Family Man

eymour Salinger, 98, Habonim Youth Group, he died Feb. 2, 2022, the helped build Camp Kinneret last of his family’s great in Chelsea, Michigan. Later it generation. moved and became Habonim He was born in 1923 in a Camp Tavor, where his chilsmall town in Lithuania, the dren, grandchildren and youngest of seven children. In great-grandchildren attended, 1939, his mother sent developing close ties him and his sister to to Israel. live with their older Sy loved working brothers, who were with his hands and already in Detroit. enjoyed tinkerSadly, she did not ing with anything survive the Holocaust mechanical. He creto join her children. ated an extensively After finishdetailed family tree, ing Central High well before it was School and a trendy. Although semester at Wayne typically soft spoken, Seymour Salinger State University, he when he did speak returned to Europe everyone listened. as an American soldier. In He was thoughtful, resourceful, November 1944, his platoon methodical and unpretentious, was captured in Germany. He instilling those values in his spent six months as a POW. He family. later received the Purple Heart.

Mr. Salinger was the beloved While attending University husband of the late Tova of Michigan’s School of Carol (Gallancy) Salinger. He Engineering in Ann Arbor, he is survived by his children, taught a Hebrew group, where Jeremy (Vicki) Salinger, Bruce Tova (nee Carol) was one of his Salinger, and Bev (Yuval) students. On their first date, in Warshai; his grandchildren, November 1947, Sy said he was Angelica (John) Butte, Yardana captured again, this time by her (Jay) Donaldson, Shoshana heart. They were on a hayride (Kevin) Olson, Miriam (James) with their college Zionist group Betts, and Gal, Yael and Yasaf and listened to the radio as the Warshai; his great-grandchilUnited Nations Assembly voted dren, Naomi and Gabriella to partition Palestine. He and Donaldson, Samarra and Tova were married nearly 71 Isabella Butte, Nina, Eli, Lilah; years, until Tova passed on in and Ezra Olson; and many lov2020. ing nieces and nephews.

Settling in the Detroit area, Contributions may be made they joined the Labor Zionist to Habonim Dror Camp Alliance, Congregation Beth Tavor, 4444 Second Ave., Shalom and later Congregation Detroit, MI 48201; or the T’chiyah. Sy, a devoted husband Zekelman Holocaust Center, and father to their three chil28123 Orchard Lake Road. dren and their growing famiFarmington Hills, MI 48334. lies, always said that being with Arrangements by Dorfman family was his greatest joy.

Chapel.

An active member in the MARCH 3 • 2022

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Looking Back

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

Sholem Aleichem Institute: All Things Yiddish

R

ecently, I wrote about Sholem Aleichem (1859-1916), the famous Yiddish writer of stories and plays.

During my research on Aleichem in the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History, I ran across hundreds of references to his namesake organization: the Sholem Aleichem Institute.

The Sholem Aleichem Institute (SAI) has existed in Detroit for 97 years. Its primary goal has been, and still is “to perpetuate the use of Mike Smith the Yiddish language and love Alene and Graham Landau of Yiddishkeit.” In short, the Archivist Chair Yiddish language and culture in all its forms. It currently provides educational programming and cultural activities as a secular Jewish institution “without walls.” During this era of COVID-19, for example, SAI presentations have continued via Zoom digital meetings.

The nearly 100-year history of the institute speaks to many facets of the development of Detroit’s Jewish community. It was originally established in 1925 as the Yidishe Folkshule Farein (Yiddish People’s School Organization) to provide American-born, English-speaking Jewish children with a secular Yiddish education. The motto of the school was: “The Jewish child belongs to the Jewish people.”

Former student, now prominent Jewish Detroit lawyer and community leader Eugene Driker, summed-up SAI’s origins: “It provided a rich cultural anchor for that group of East European immigrants who sought a secular home, grounded in the Yiddish language, literature and culture.”

The organization soon became known as the Umparteishe Folk-shul Geselshaft (NonPartisan People’s School Community) and purchased a house on Kenilworth Street in Detroit in 1926. Shortly after, a Kinder Teater or children’s theater was built at the rear of the house. A new, larger building on Greenfield Avenue was purchased in 1957.

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The first educators hired in 1926 were Moishe Haar, Chaim Pomeranz and Chaim Bendore. They were joined in 1927 by Shloime Bercovich, formerly of the Sholem Aleichem Institute in New York, who became the organization’s first director. Eventually, there were three additional schools, with curriculums ranging from nursery and elementary grades to high school.

Moishe Haar (1898-1966) became one of best-known Jewish educators and theatrical directors in Detroit. Upon his passing, JN publisher/editor Philip Slomovitz noted that Haar left a “noble heritage, having inspired many to carry on the tasks of perpetuating Jewish knowledge” (Aug. 21, 1966, JN).

The Umparteishe Folk-shul Geselshaft was renamed the Sholem Aleichem Institute in 1929. Two years later, the SAI elected a board and its first president, Isaac Finkelstein, a linkage that leads to current institute director, Hilary Duberstein, and board chair, Geoffrey Nathan.

Women were instrumental in the early success of the SAI. The first Women’s Yiddish Reading Circle was established in 1926. It soon developed into a Women’s Institute led by Ida Kamaroff, the “Mother of SAI.” Frances Driker (and husband, Charles) was also an important leader of SAI. At its 70th anniversary celebration, Frances Driker, Sarah Freidman, Esther LaMed, and Esther and Peter Shifrin were the special honorees (Oct. 4, 1996).

Many Jewish Detroiters have supported SAI as it evolved over the years.

Many, many more have benefited from the institute’s programs. My friend Eugene Driker believes the future for SAI is bright: “With a renewed interest in Yiddish being expressed today by young Jews, there is a clear opportunity for SAI to serve a meaningful role in our community.”

May it last another century.

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