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A Showdown in

Ann Arbor Behind the new lawsuit challenging longtime synagogue protesters.

See page 10

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contents April 23-29, 2020 / 29 Nissan – 5 Iyar 5780 | VOLUME CLVII, ISSUE 12

Views 5-8

Jews in the D A Showdown in Ann Arbor 10 Behind the new lawsuit challenging longtime synagogue protesters.

Lansing Demonstrators Protest Whitmer With Hitler Signs 16 Organizers say the Nazi signs weren’t theirs; ADL condemns comparison.

JSL Looking for Army of Volunteers 18 From masks to shopping to pen pals, everyone can do something.

Feeding Those on the Frontline

16

19 COVID-19 pandemic inspires friends to raise funds for hospital workers’ restaurant meals.

19

Shabbat Lights

On the cover:

Arts&Life

Shabbat starts: Friday, April 24, 8:07 p.m.

Shabbat ends: Saturday, April 25, 9:12 p.m.

Cover photo: Photography by Alex Sherman Cover design: Michelle Sheridan

Print Patrons

* Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

30 Jewish artists highlighted in BBAC exhibit of Stewart & Stewart artists.

Saturday Night Seder 32 Metro Detroit natives help put on star-studded online fundraiser.

Book Review: The Blackbird Girls 33

35 Spreading Cheer

34

Teen Talks

Israeli Airline Brings Precious COVID Cargo

Creative Gardening for a Cause During COVID-19

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

Online Events

20 Teenager spearheads initiative to get handmade cards to lonely patients and seniors.

20 UMatter’s teen mental health program continues online.

20

Celebrity Jews 34

23 The Relief Garden Initiative allows community members to get outside and help those in need.

Ready-to-Eat Meals 28 Former Garden Fresh Gourmet owner launches Mindful Meals to help people eat healthier during the quarantine.

Business 35 HoMedics overhauled its production process in China to produce protective gear for those on the front lines. Thanks to El Al, they arrived in Detroit.

Etc. The Exchange Soul Raskin Looking Back

36 38 45 46

Spirit Torah portion 29

OUR JN MISSION: We aspire to communicate news and opinion that’s trusted, valued, engaging and distinctive. We strive to reflect diverse community viewpoints while also advocating positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continuity. As an independent, responsible, responsive community member, we actively engage with individuals and organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, and Jewish life, in Southeast Michigan.

APRIL 23 • 2020

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Views for openers

The Effects of Social Distance

H

ow are you coping with this social isolation?

Let me guess: For introverts everywhere — heaven, loving it! For newly homeschooling parents — it’s a nightmare, when’s bedtime already? For married couples — why is he breathing so loudly? Bet it’s just to get on my nerves.

This situation is horrific and often heartbreaking. But there’s this habit some have Rochel of poking fun at difficult Burstyn situations, which in a way can alleviate some of the magnitude of what we’re experiencing. As if looking at it through irreverent eyes can somehow dim the ferocity of the terrifying thing we’re dealing with.

I suspect that’s why there are millions of memes floating around about how we’re doing the hard job of staying at home, trying to get along with those we love the most (or have the displeasure of living together with, depending on how you view it at that given moment …) How we have all the time in the world on our hands now but still aren’t doing those things we promised we’d do when we had the time.

most read on the web

Each month, the JN will let you know the stories that were read most often online. If you missed any, go to the jewishnews.com and search for them by title. Here’s what was most popular in March.

ON THE WEB 1. Coronavirus: ‘No Reason to Go to an Emergency Room,’ ER Doctor Advises 2. Gay and Jewish Jokes (from 2018) 3. Oakland County Creates Interactive Map of COVID-19 Cases by ZIP Code 4. Michigan’s First Jewish COVID-19 Death

Some folks have come up with hilarious musical parodies. My favorites are “Social Distance” by Randy Rainbow and the guy who sings about the “super bad transmittable contagious awful virus” to the tune of “Supercalafragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins. If you haven’t seen them, I recommend looking them up — always fun to see how creative and clever people get!

Have you discovered anything new about yourself during this isolation? I’ve definitely tapped into my inner hypochondriac. Every time I feel a tickle in my throat I think, “Is that coronavirus?” It takes me a while to remember that it probably has more to do with the fact that all my kids are home, Alexa’s blaring music, there are three devices dinging and singing, and I have to yell to get myself heard …

Likewise, whenever I walk up the stairs and feel short of breath, for a heart-stopping moment I think, “Is that coronavirus?” Until I remember that it happens all the time and probably has more to do with being overweight than corona.

The food situation is mindboggling.

When the order about social distancing was first declared, what did we do? Rush to the grocery store with the rest of the city, jostling

for the last of the pastas, grabbing up as much wine as we could carry, trying to stock up for the foreseeable future. How long did your “stock” last? My family’s never eaten more in our lives! My three-week supply of chocolate disappeared in four days! Maybe because there’s just not that much to do at home … besides eat. As one meme said, “I’m considering putting a mezuzah on the fridge — because it’s the only door I still open!’

When this is all over, we’re going to be coming out of quarantine with facial hair that will need a lawnmower to get it under control and a few pounds heavier. The quarantine 15, one friend called it. More like COVID–19, another suggested.

Nothing lasts forever, and this situation — like everything — is only temporary and will eventually come to an end. When? How? No idea. In the meantime, it’s our attitude that’s gonna keep us sane. Whether you consider it a golden opportunity or quite the opposite (“Purhell”?), one day it will be considered history and you’ll be telling your children/ grandchildren/anyone who’ll listen about those days you stayed inside and did your virtuous bit to flatten the curve of coronavirus spread… Quite the opposite for your waist.

5. Joe Cornell’s Legacy: ‘He Was Everybody’s Uncle’ 6. Detroit Native Opens Vegan Deli 7. Rare Heart Condition Almost Costs 35-YearOld Her Life 8. Local Jewish Teen Develops Community COVID-19 Volunteer Platform 9. Hillel Day School Teacher Tests Positive for Coronavirus 10. Teen Creates ‘Mediumize,’ A Platform to Help Most Vulnerable During COVID-19

5. JCC Temporarily Lays Off 95% of its Staff Due to COVID-19

TOP 5 ON FACEBOOK: 1. Detroit Native Opens Vegan Deli 2. Coronavirus: ‘No Reason to Go to an Emergency Room,’ ER Doctor Advises 3. Jewish Federation Delivers Fresh, Healthy Meals to Seniors in Need 4. Kippah Masks You Can Make at Home During COVID-19

TOP 5 ON INSTAGRAM: 1. Bloomfield Hills Brothers Raise Thousands of Dollars to Feed ‘Heroes At Hospitals’ 2. Young Jews Making Moves — Jack Harris 3. From Huntington Woods to L.A. — Actress Jessy Hodges 4. The Story Behind That Yarmulke-Wearing Llama at the Wedding 5. Yad Ezra Stockpiles Food to Prepare for Coronavirus Increase CORRECTION In “Time to be Counted” (April 9, page 10) the names of the RussianEnglish speakers interviewed are Valentina Tsaregorodseva and Paulina Novokshchenova.

APRIL 23 • 2020

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Views editor’s note

Introducing the Anti-Semitism Project

T

his week we observed Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. An odd time to mark this solemn anniversary. But in other ways, it’s eerily fitting.

We’ve seen news stories in recent weeks about how Holocaust survivors around Andrew Lapin the world are responding to the COVID-19 outbreak: for many, it has meant the resurfacing of old traumas, as direct orders to stay inside or risk death are reminiscent of similar orders that kept them hidden from those who wished to destroy them. It’s strange, how Americans in 2020 share anxieties and restrictions with Jews from Nazi Europe.

At the Jewish News, we had been planning an ambitious, multi-part editorial project on anti-Semitism to address the ways this evil has survived and mutated into the modern day: longform features, comArthur M. Horwitz Publisher ahorwitz@renmedia.us F. Kevin Browett Chief Operating Officer kbrowett@renmedia.us | Editorial Editor: Andrew Lapin alapin@thejewishnews.com Associate Editor: Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@renmedia.us Social Media and Digital Producer: Nathan Vicar nvicar@renmedia.us Multimedia Reporter: Corrie Colf ccolf@renmedia.us

munity forums and arts coverage to help parse the ways our community, and other marginalized groups, understand (and do not understand) hate and bigotry in 2020. We originally planned to launch this project last month, but the virus reached Michigan that very week, and there were suddenly more immediate concerns for the Metro Detroit Jewish community.

But as is often the case, a new tragedy has begat ancient prejudices. This month the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization researching hate groups, released a report showing how the virus has resurfaced familiar forms of anti-Semitism, including allegations that the Jews either originated this deadly plague or at the least deserve to catch it.

Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@renmedia.us Senior Columnist: Danny Raskin dannyraskin2132@gmail.com Contributing Editor: Robert Sklar rsklar@renmedia.us Contributing Editor: David Sachs Contributing Writers: Jenna Anderson, Nate Bloom, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Shari S. Cohen, Stacy Gittleman, Maya Goldman, Esther Allweiss Ingber, Jen Lovy, Robin Schwartz, Mike Smith

The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520) is published every Thursday at 29200 Northwestern Highway, #110, Southfield, Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send changes to: Detroit Jewish News, 29200 Northwestern Hwy., #110, Southfield, MI 48034.

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APRIL 23 • 2020

So we felt it was appropriate to relaunch our anti-Semitism project now, as a reminder that these problems are still with us. We are calling it, simply, The Anti-Semitism Project. The relevancy of this work has not faded; it has only grown stronger. And the JN’s unique ability to tell this story, while balancing our other pressing duties to the Jewish community during the pandemic, is, in my mind, exactly why we continue soldering on as a publication.

We begin with an in-depth cover story by reporter Maya Goldman with photography

by Alex Sherman, on a new lawsuit concerning a longtime group of synagogue protesters in Ann Arbor. This case has a lot to tell us about the line between constitutionally protected free speech and outright racial targeting, and the line between criticism of Israel and outright anti-Semitism — both central themes to understanding anti-Jewish bigotry in 2020.

We hope to continue this

momentum throughout the remainder of the calendar year, regardless of whatever else might be in store for JN. Our goal is one or two substantive stories per month centered around this theme, with social media pushes to accompany them. We have a podcast in the works, assuming I can catch my breath enough from the torrent of daily news to finish it. And if/ when we can go outside again, we also hope to host the occasional live event.

I think this project will provide us with valuable opportunities for dialogue and understanding, across not only the Jewish community, but other groups as well. If you wish to help support our project’s editorial mission financially or in other ways, please contact our publisher, Arthur Horwitz: ahorwitz@renmedia.us.

And thank you as always for your continued support of JN, as we continue the work that must happen for us to reach a world free of hate. We couldn’t do any of this without you.

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can’t begin to express how grateful and appreciative I am at how the staff have worked to accommodate each and every one of us to keep us safe... Today the icing on the cake was wonderful volunteers who did my shopping for me and the wonderful staff who brought it up to my apartment. We also had two Seders over the speaker. Thank you all, Hechtman staff, you truly treat me like family.

— Doreen Ackner, JSL Hechtman Resident This simple note of appreciation illustrates the power of Jewish community in action. Even during the most challenging crisis, community agencies like Jewish Senior Life protect and enrich the lives of their constituents each and every day.

Examples like this are abundant. Some are ingenious, such as the faculty members at Frankel Jewish Academy creating much-needed protective face shields for health workers on the school’s 3-D printers. Others are inspiring, like the volunteers regularly delivering groceries to homebound individuals in their neighborhood.

Perhaps the most important story of all is the extraordinary way our community has come together in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Social service agencies and congregations, Jewish foundations and funders and many others are working together to solve the myriad

challenges that have arisen in the wake of the crisis.

We are extremely proud of the Jewish Federation’s role in this effort. As the central fundraising and planning body in the community, Federation is serving as leader and convener of the collective work of our community organizations. We are honored to partner with agency leaders, congregational Rabbis and numerous communal professionals, and we are deeply grateful for their remarkable talent, hard work and commitment.

For more than month, Federation has hosted a daily morning video conference with agencies and community partners.

The agenda is simple but profoundly important. What are the challenges of the day? How can we work together to address these issues? What else can we do help our community through this crisis?

Together, a network of community organizations accomplishes the work of providing food to those in need, ensuring the welfare of older adults and other vulnerable individuals, and maintaining the stability of families during this time of uncertainty. Collectively, we are keeping the Jewish community whole.

We are also grateful for the heroic efforts of our caregivers and first responders— such as healthcare professionals and emergency workers, as well as all those working to provide food and critical resources. Despite the extraordinary

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Finally, we want to thank and acknowledge the donors, volunteers and leaders in our community who have powered this work. Thanks to the strength of our Annual Campaign, as well as the recent COVID-19 Emergency Campaign, our agencies have the resources to respond as effectively as they have. It is because of you, our supporters, that Jewish Detroit remains among the most generous and caring communities to be found anywhere.

Please remember that the Jewish Federation and our partners are here for you. Visit our online resource page for help, connection and other information at jewishdetroit.org/covid19resources. And remember to call JHELP directly at 1-833445-4357 to connect to services.

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Views essay

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APRIL 23 • 2020

or 56 years, concerned women have been fighting for pay equity — equal Irma Glaser pay for the same work performed by men. We have cited statistics showing a gap that is bad for white women, worse for women of color and Hispanics and nearly unfathomable for Native Americans. Despite our best efforts, progress has been slow.

Today, on average, women earn 82 cents for every dollar a man earns for the same work, and it is estimated that we won’t catch up until 2093.

It’s very likely that the coronavirus, and the disruption to people’s lives and jobs, will push that date back even further. Our country is in the midst of a crisis that has left many workers, those who are not able to work from home or who are deemed “unessential,” wondering what their economic future looks like and how they’ll pay the bills.

Women have been hit especially hard by the loss of jobs in the service industries and other low-paying jobs, as they make up the majority of staff at these jobs. Many are single mothers whose families depend on their income.

The federal government is responding to the loss of income with a huge financial plan that includes some shortterm payouts, paid sick time for some people, an expansion of unemployment benefits and a bailout for some businesses, such as the airlines and cruise

and hotel industries. Some of these measures will help struggling workers — but women who have never had paid Cathy Cantor sick time and have had to juggle bills from paycheck to paycheck to stay afloat in the best of times need more permanent solutions. These are people who do not fly or take cruises or stay in hotels but struggle every day just to live and care for their loved ones.

March 31 was National Pay Equity Day, and April 29 was to be Michigan’s Equal Pay Day. We won’t be rallying on the Capitol steps in April, but we will continue to educate about the need for equal pay, equal treatment and paid sick time through social media. Beyond that, we need to plan for what happens next when the quick fix dissipates, and the full extent of the crisis falls upon us.

Perhaps the pandemic that is sweeping the United States will open the eyes and ears of those who have refused to acknowledge the wage disparity that exists and the need for fairer treatment of all women.

Based on prior experience, the outlook is hazy. The current moment could be pivotal in the ongoing fight for the reforms working women have been demanding for years. This crisis is a wakeup call, and it’s on all of us to step up and respond.

Irma Glaser and Cathy Cantor are Michigan NCJW State Policy Advocates for the Michigan Equal Pay Day Coalition

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Jews in the D on the cover

A Showdown in

Ann Arbor Behind the new lawsuit challenging longtime synagogue protesters.

MAYA GOLDMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX SHERMAN

I

t’s a brutally cold Saturday morning in February, and Dearborn resident Chris Mark is one of only two people from a group called Witness for Peace standing outside Ann Arbor’s Beth Israel Congregation.

The group used to be bigger, but Mark said many members have passed away over the years, and it’s hard to bring out people in the winter. This week, even the group’s leader and founder, Henry Herskovitz, is on vacation in Florida.

Mark stands on the farther side of Washtenaw Road with signs opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestine, as well as a concept the group calls “Jewish power.”

In the synagogue parking lot, arriving congregants pay no attention. On Washtenaw, cars speed past Mark and the group’s other member that day, but drivers mostly ignore the protests, too. After all, they’ve taken place every Saturday morning since 2003, as congregants file into Shabbat services.

Two months from now, not even the COVID-19 outbreak will stop Witness for Peace. Some members will continue to protest outside Beth Israel, even after the synagogue has shut its physical doors.

For now, well before the pandemic is on anyone’s mind, cars speed past Mark and the group’s other member. Drivers mostly ignore the pickets, but some will flash Mark a thumbs-up, or a middle finger.

One man slows down as he passes through the intersection and raises his middle finger. Mark yells out at him.

“Thank you! Love you! Love your dog!” Mark screams. “He gets me every week. Always gotta give me the finger. He has a really nice chocolate lab, though, really sweet.”

This has been the scene outside Beth Israel for more than 16 years.

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APRIL 23 • 2020

But now something is different. Now, Witness for Peace is at the center of a lawsuit challenging the distinction between lawful protest and impeding religious freedom.

FREE ASSEMBLY OR HATE? Herskovitz, an Ann Arbor resident who says he formerly identified as Jewish, started protesting outside Beth Israel after returning from a trip to Israel over 16 years ago.

In 2003, he founded a group called Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends for the purpose of organizing the protests. About three years ago, Herskovitz changed the group name to Witness for Peace.

But Canton-based attorney Marc Susselman told the Jewish News he first found out about the protests in the spring of 2019, when his friend Henry Brysk sent him an article about them.

Susselman did some legal research, which led him to believe the protesters’ actions were not protected by the First Amendment. So on Dec. 19, 2019, after finding a Beth Israel member named Marvin Gerber willing to be a plaintiff, Susselman filed a complaint against the protesters in the U.S. Eastern District Court.

Brysk’s wife Miriam Brysk, a Holocaust survivor, also joined the suit as a plaintiff on Jan. 2, 2020. The synagogue itself has decided not to participate in the suit.

The suit argues that Herskovitz’s group violates the First Amendment by impeding congregants’ right to practice their religion and compelling them to see the protests even if they don’t want to. The complaint also lists several Ann Arbor city officials, including Mayor Christopher Taylor, contending that the protests violate city code but that officials have neglected to enforce their rules. continued on page 12

A Witness for Peace protester readies his signs for the weekly Shabbat protest that started in 2003 outside Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor.

A AP APR APRIL PR RIL L 23 23 • 2020 20 020 20 0

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Jews in the D

Beth Israel congregants Judy and Todd Endelman of Ann Arbor on their way into the synagogue for services.

“The protesters, despite their claim otherwise, are anti-Semites pure and simple. Who else would picket a synagogue regularly on Shabbat? If you read their signs, you can see they are not really concerned with peace and justice in the Middle East.

Their main goal is to foment hatred of Jews.” — Todd Endelman —

continued from page 10

The plaintiffs are asking that the court either stop the protesters altogether or place restrictions on their conduct. They’re also seeking damages.

Outside organizations have gotten involved on both sides.

On Feb. 24, The Lawfare Project, a New York-based legal network that works to defend the Jewish and pro-Israel community, joined the lawsuit as a co-counsel and to provide financial assistance.

Then, on March 17, the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a brief on behalf of the defendants, arguing that Witness for Peace’s actions are indeed protected under the First Amendment.

“The offensive, distressing, and even outrageous nature of their demonstration cannot justify any of the relief the plaintiffs seek here,” the ACLU brief says, citing several landmark freespeech cases.

But the Lawfare Project believes the nature of the group’s protest moves the case out of the

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APRIL 23 • 2020

realm of free speech.

“The protesters’ attempt to use the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to impede the religious practice of the worshippers at Beth Israel Congregation, by staging aggressive protests outside what is permissible by city code, and with anti-Semitic signs such as ‘Jewish Power Corrupts’ and ‘Resist Jewish Power,’ is unacceptable,” Zipora Reich, director of litigation at the Lawfare Project, told the JN. “Unlike our ancestors who had no legal recourse to stop anti-Semitism, we live in a country with constitutional protections. The Lawfare Project believes that it is incumbent upon the Jewish community to avail itself of those protections.”

The lawsuit is undergoing preliminary legal steps in court, and Susselman said he hopes to determine whether Ann Arbor city code prohibits parts of the protesters’ activity.

“If we prevail on those motions—and we are cautiously

optimistic that we will prevail— there will be a trial to determine if the protesters and the city have been violating the plaintiffs’ constitutional and civil rights over the last 16½ years,” Susselman said. He suspects that trial would occur this fall or in early 2021.

On March 26, the defendants’ attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case.

ROOTS IN HATE Beyond the signs themselves, there are several other links between Witness for Peace and anti-Semitism.

Herskovitz is a former board member of Deir Yassin Remembered, an organization founded in memory of the 1948 massacre of Palestinians in Deir Yassin, a village near Jerusalem.

In 2017, the Southern Poverty Law Center declared Deir Yassin Remembered a hate group under the category of Holocaust denial, although an SPLC spokesperson said the group’s Ann Arbor chapter has since been removed from

their list due to inactivity.

Herskovitz was removed from the organization’s board after a new director took over earlier this year. But he’s written blogs praising neo-Nazis like Ernst Zündel, who was imprisoned in both Germany and Canada for speech inciting racial hatred before his death in 2017, as well as white supremacist Richard Spencer.

Herskovitz said members of the Ann Arbor city council have previously called him a Holocaust denier. For his part, he calls himself “a Holocaust revisionist.”

The Anti-Defamation League has tagged Witness for Peace as anti-Semitic. Herskovitz insists they’re a “love group.”

“We love our country and we love the Palestinians,” Herskovitz told the JN. “We hate what Jews are doing in the Jewish state… but we don’t hate [Jews].”

But to Nadav Caine, Beth Israel’s rabbi, the protests are clearly anti-Semitic.

“It’s really not about Palestinian

human rights. And I think that’s a shame,” Caine said. “I wish it were… It is really about the fact that Israel and the Jews control the world and it’s all those anti-Semitic tropes about [how] we control the banking, we control the American government, control the military.”

“WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE US SHOT?” Caine came to Beth Israel from Poway, Calif., where he was the rabbi at the town’s Conservative synagogue. He knew about Witness for Peace’s activities when he took the job at Beth Israel, and it didn’t affect his decision. In fact, Caine said anti-Semitism is around whether people realize it or not, and he felt it was important to stand with Jews experiencing it.

Since arriving at Beth Israel, he’s kept up the synagogue’s existing policy of not engaging with the protesters. But Caine said he did go up to Mark and the other protesters once, on the Saturday after the April 2019 shooting at the Chabad of Poway.

“After the Poway shooting, as I’m walking by, I turned to one of the protesters on the next Saturday morning and I said, ‘I just have a question for you — would you like to see us shot?’” Caine recalled. “And he turned to me and he said, ‘Well, it would be an appropriate response considering the Israelis kill Palestinian children every day.’”

Mark acknowledged to the JN that the conversation happened, but denied that he gave Caine that response.

Caine said he does think the repeated protests have affected Beth Israel and its congregants.

Like many synagogues around the world, Beth Israel has security measures in place. While Caine said he’s pro-security, it also makes it difficult to do certain activities and offer services.

“It’s not really about Palestinian human rights. And I think that’s a shame.”

— RABBI NADAV CAINE, BETH ISRAEL CONGREGATION

Rabbi Nadav Caine of Ann Arbor’s Beth Israel Congregation

continued on page 14 APRIL 23 • 2020

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Jews in the D continued from page 13

“It makes it virtually impossible to do things like host homeless people or give sanctuary to refugees,” he said. “I just can’t open the door and have people come in and out like they might do at a church, and those kinds of things do sadden me.”

He thinks it’s possible the protests have discouraged some people from coming to synagogue or joining the congregation.

“I suspect that many people get used to it, even though I know some never do. But I can tell clearly that when people are coming for the first or second time, they’re showing up for a bar mitzvah or showing up for a baby naming, it’s horrifying,” Caine said. “I suspect it’s probable that people have said, ‘That’s not a place I really want to go back to for that reason.’”

THE CITY’S RESPONSE Caine said he hasn’t felt much support from the Ann Arbor city government.

“I would like to see Beth Israel form a more constructive and positive relationship with the city of Ann Arbor,” he said. “I have reached out to people in the city government, and my experience has been that they feel very resigned to the fact that this is clearly all perfectly a part of free speech.”

The city’s involvement — or rather, its lack thereof — has become a central part of the lawsuit. Susselman believes the protesters’ actions violate Ann Arbor City Code. He contends they should be required to apply for permits for their protests, and that city officials have been ignoring the regulation.

Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor said he couldn’t comment on the lawsuit or on Ann Arbor’s specific permitting guidelines,

14 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

but he told the JN he found the protests “disgraceful and deeply misguided.”

Despite his personal feelings, though, Taylor said he and other government officials don’t have the right to restrict the protesters’ speech.

“The sidewalk is public space, and people in America have a right to occupy public space and to protest on public space,” he said. “They have the right to say wise things and they have the right to say unwise things, things which are admirable and things which are loathsome.”

For Caine, though, it goes deeper than the mayor not taking legal action against the protesters.

know, Ann Arbor is no place for hate — unless you’re a Jew. And that seems to be widely accepted,” he said.

According to Deborah Dash Moore, a Judaic Studies professor at the University of Michigan and a member of Ann Arbor’s Jewish community, anti-Semitism at its core assumes Jews are in positions of power, even when they aren’t.

“To see that Jews can be vulnerable despite holding positions of power is a kind of oxymoron” to some people, she said.

Much of the conversation surrounding anti-Semitism today revolves around how to separate it from legitimate critiques of the Israeli government.

“We love our country, and we love the Palestinians. We hate what Jews are doing in the Jewish state … but we don’t hate [Jews].”

— HENRY HERSKOVITZ He feels many Ann Arborites see the protesters as advocating for Palestinian rights. He thought that, too, when he first moved to Ann Arbor.

“I took it as a typical sort of… progressive, if misguided, way of advocating for Palestinian human rights. But now I understand Henry Herskovitz better and understand the group better.

And I think most people don’t,” he said.

Caine, who identifies politically as liberal, said he sees this as indicative of a larger problem: He feels progressive spaces no longer recognize the existence or severity of anti-Semitism.

“The one thing that struck me moving here is that when I visited here with my family the first time, one of the first things I noticed was the signs in people’s front yards that say, ‘No Place For Hate.’ And then once I moved here, I immediately saw that, you

“And can you distinguish [anti-Semitism] from saying that, you know, Israelis unlawfully occupy certain territories?”

Moore said. “Yeah. You can distinguish that. Can you distinguish it from saying that Israelis have two legal systems in those occupied territories, one for Palestinians and one for Israelis?

You can.”

During Michigan’s shelter-inplace ruling, Caine has moved Beth Israel services online. But the protests continue, their already small numbers not much impacted by the coronavirus.

Herskovitz is taking time off due to what he calls the “corona issue,” but said the remaining protesters are practicing social distancing by standing “at least 50 feet apart.” He said he also believes that continuing the protests helps prove the group is not motivated by hate.

“The presence of vigilers with-

out the presence of congregants supports our contention that the target audience of our protests is the general public, and not Jewish individuals like Ms. Brysk and Mr. Gerber,” Herskovitz told JN in an email.

The group activities continue online, as well. In a blog post published April 4, Mark wrote about that week’s protest.

“We are the only group, maybe in the entire world, who has proven an essential need to exercise our Constitutional rights against the (((Masters of Chaos))), who will never rest until their boot has happily crushed the windpipe of the Gentiles,” Mark’s post reads, employing the triple parentheses commonly used as code for Jews on alt-right and neo-Nazi forums.

HOW MUCH LONGER? That cold day in February, Mark says he’s not sure how much longer the protests will go on.

“I’m the young gun, right?” he says. “I’m two decades below [the others].”

Mark is named as a defendant in the lawsuit along with four other protesters, and says he thinks the suit is “so frivolous and stupid.”

For Susselman and the plaintiffs, though, the suit is about standing up for themselves.

“It is unacceptable for Jews to tolerate being harassed and insulted with respect to their religion and their support for the State of Israel as they approach their place of worship,” he said.

“No religious segment of our society would tolerate such disparagement in proximity to their place of worship, and Jews should not tolerate it either.”

Regardless of the lawsuit’s outcome, once the older protesters can’t come anymore, “it’s gonna die,” Mark says. He doesn’t want to come to Beth Israel by himself, and it’s difficult to get new people to join.

When asked why, Mark says, “Jewish power, absolutely.”

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| 15

Lansing Demonstrators Protest Whitmer With Hitler Signs Organizers say the Nazi signs weren’t theirs; ADL condemns comparison.

CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER

T

housands of demonstrators drove to Lansing on April 15 protesting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s extension of her “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Some protestors were seen waving Confederate flags and holding signs comparing Whitmer to Adolf Hitler, complete with swastikas.

Throughout the protest, signs ranged from “let us work,” “recall Whitmer” and “all workers are essential” to explicit Nazi connotations, including “Heil Witmer” [sic] with a swastika, and a blow-up doll of Whitmer dressed with a Hitler mustache and Nazi armband. American flags were flying throughout the streets, and some protesters carried rifles.

Many of the demonstrators were also seen wearing hats and waving flags showing support for President Donald Trump.

“Anytime somebody equates any current issue with an incident that was state-sponsored genocide, I think that is wrong,” said Carolyn Normandin, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)’s Michigan office. “The governor is trying to save the lives of Michiganders.”

On April 9, Whitmer announced the extension of the executive order until April 30, requiring all non-essential businesses to remain closed, imposing restrictions on stores and prohibiting travel for unnecessary reasons.

The protest, “Operation Gridlock,” was

16 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

AP PHOTO/PAUL SANCYA

Jews in the D

Dawn Perreca protests on the front steps of the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Flag-waving, honking protesters drove past the Michigan Capitol to show their displeasure with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s orders to keep people at home and businesses locked during the new coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.

organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition, a nonprofit political organization that works with groups such as Michigan Trump Republicans to help organize and elect conservatives to the statehouse in Lansing. The group said the Hitler signs were not theirs.

“The people holding the signs comparing Whitmer to Hitler were absolutely not members of our organization,” Marian Sheridan, co-founder of the Michigan Conservative Coalition, told the Jewish News. “There are people who piggyback on other organization’s events, and I believe that is what happened.”

Many of the protestors remained in their cars, draping signs on the outside of their vehicles or holding them up through windows. However, according to multiple reports, there were approximately 100150 people protesting on the Capitol lawn — most of whom were not wearing masks or following social distancing guidelines.

“People across Michigan started fearing more for their rights than COVID-19,” Sheridan said. “So much of the last executive order just didn’t make sense to a lot of people. This is a free country and people can say what they want due to our freedom of speech.”

Normandin said the signs were indicative of a larger trend of Nazi comparisons.

“It is certainly the right for someone to voice their disagreement, but it is never OK to use Hitler, Nazi propagan-

da, swastikas or anything that belittles the Holocaust,” Normandin said. “These kinds of references have seeped into popular culture, and the use of the word ‘Nazi’ every time someone doesn’t agree with something is at the root of the misunderstanding of what the Nazis stood for.”

The Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC told the Detroit Free Press that “the use of symbols of hate are never appropriate as part of political discourse” and they “condemn these actions.”

The organization also asked the Michigan Conservative Coalition “to immediately condemn the use of all hate speech and specifically, the imagery used at (the) rally.”

Whitmer expressed her disappointment with some of the protestors for putting themselves and others in harm’s way by not following social distancing guidelines.

“The governor supports Michiganders’ right to free speech and the right to protest, but those participating should not put themselves or first responders at risk,” Tiffany Brown, press secretary for Whitmer, said in a statement to JN. “It’s disappointing to see people congregating without masks and without practicing social distancing. People were flying Confederate flags and passed out candy to kids without gloves. This kind of activity will put more people at risk, and it could mean that more people will die.”

Find help and connections during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Visit our Coronavirus Resources page:

jewishdetroit.org/covid19resources Your community is here to support you during this challenging time. To make it easier, we’ve created an online resource to help connect you to the services and programming offered by the Federation, our partner agencies and other organizations and congregations throughout Jewish Detroit.

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HQ: 28400 Southfield Road., Lathrup Village, Michigan 48076 APRIL 23 • 2020

| 17

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JSL

Jews in the D

JSL Looking for Army of Volunteers From making masks to shopping to pen pals,we can all do something.

JACKIE HEADAPOHL ASSOCIATE EDITOR

C

ollectively, we are a powerful force when we work together for those most vulnerable and frail,” said Leslie Katz, director of FRIENDS of JSL, who is looking for volunteers to help Jewish Senior Life residents left alone in their apartments because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Volunteers can choose from a myriad of opportunities to help. Many residents don’t have the ability to shop for themselves. JSL is looking for people to pick up groceries curbside at the store and deliver them to JSL as well as volunteers to go into the stores and shop for the residents. “We’ve arranged with some stores to allow our volunteers to come during special hours,” Katz said.

JSL also needs people to make masks for residents, caregivers and front-line staff to keep everybody safe.

“As a community on the front lines, it is our responsibility to nourish and support JSL

18 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

residents while protecting ourselves with masks and gloves,” Katz said.

One woman answered that call. Susan Tauber, 71, of West Bloomfield usually spends several days a week volunteering at local hospitals and organizations, including JSL, with her therapy dogs “Pearl the Pug” and “Charlie the Chug.”

Because of the stay-at-home order, she’s now volunteering at home — by sewing.

Tauber made 100 masks for JSL on her trusty 1967 Kenmore sewing machine. “I beg and borrow elastic, and people have donated fabric,” she said. “Because I can’t go out, this is my way of helping the community during these horrible times.”

The Shir Tikvah member is hoping to make more masks for JSL. “They need more than 1,000,” she said.

JSL is also accepting monetary donations, and donations of toilet paper, snacks and gifts for its more than 800 residents — anything that might bring smiles to their faces.

“The majority of our residents are doing well, and we have fabulous staff doing all they can to stay optimistic and positive,” Katz said. “At one of our residences, someone gets on the speaker system to tell a

daily joke. At others, staff send up daily activity books and check in to say hello — anything to keep their spirits up.”

The staff could use the community’s help. “We’re looking for people to come and visit at the windows to offer a wave and a smile,” Katz said. JSL is also looking for people to volunteer as “sunshine callers” to offer a word of encouragement to residents.

Katz is working with a group of teens who are acting as pen pals. They email their letters to Katz who distributes them to residents. “We’re looking for more pen pals,” she said. “Also, with so many children being homeschooled right now and drawing pictures, we hope they can share those pictures with our residents.”

Katz asks parents to scan their children’s artwork and email it to her. She will print out the pictures and give them to residents to brighten up their homes.

Katz cites the adage: “Anyone who saves a life is as if he saved an entire world.”

You can help “save the life” of a lonely resident by volunteering your time and talents. Contact Katz at lkatz@jslmi.org to see how you can make a difference. For more information, visit jslmi.org.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Volunteers have been sewing masks for residents and staff.

Touching through glass, Nancy Zucker brings greetings to Fleischman residents from their loved ones via FaceTime. Fleischman residents enjoyed a beautiful Passover seder over the loudspeaker while social distancing in their doorways. ORT Associate Director and JSL volunteer Caryn Emmer and numerous others have become “sunshine callers,” making calls to residents who may need to hear a friendly voice.

Jews in the D Hospital workers at Beaumont Royal Oak welcome meals from Grabba Green.

Feeding Those on the

Frontline COVID-19 pandemic inspires friends to raise funds for hospital workers’ restaurant meals.

COURTESY OF DANI GILLMAN

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A

s we endure the coronavirus pandemic, many individuals are homebound and healthy, feeling powerless to help those less fortunate. But six local women have found a safe way to raise funds to help local restaurants and hospital workers.

Danielle (Dani) Gillman, 42, was texting with five friends about what they could do to help during the pandemic. They had read about a New Jersey group called Front Line Appreciation Group (FLAG) that was raising money in their community for restaurant meals to feed front-line healthcare workers, she said. The meal purchases helped restaurants that were struggling and laying off staff because of the stay-at-home order to prevent the Danielle Gillman

spread of COVID-19.

In March, Gillman and her friends started FLAG Metro Detroit and created a Facebook group to raise funds for restaurant meals for local healthcare personnel. Through social media and word of mouth, FLAG has raised $200,000 in a few weeks, mostly through individual donations of $10 to $20, she says. It has provided 25,000 meals from 50 local restaurants to area hospital workers.

The funds are used for meals from local restaurants, including Phoenicia, Social, Vinotecca, Steve’s Deli, Hunter House, Stage, Jimmy John’s and others. “A lot of restaurants have reached out to us and we try to match them up with hospitals by location. There are multiple deliveries each day. We have been to about 20 hospitals in Metro Detroit,” Gillman said.

The restaurants prepare easy-to-eat, individually wrapped meals for day and night shift hospital employees. Hospital staff members contact Gillman and her friends to ask for meals for anywhere from 30 healthcare workers to much larger groups.

For some restaurants, these special orders have been a welcome addition to their business, now limited to carry-out and delivery. “I have had restaurant owners in tears because they’re struggling,” Gillman said.

For others, providing the meals has been more of a community service. “It’s

a way of showing we’re grateful for the work they’re doing,” Steve Goldberg, owner of Stage Deli in West Bloomfield, said. Stage has provided two sets of lunches for 30 employees at Ascension Providence Southfield. They’re sold at cost, he says. Stage joined the effort because Goldberg’s wife, Melissa Kahn, is a friend of Gillman.

Gillman and the other organizers coordinate restaurant orders and hospital requests through “a spreadsheet that is like gold to us.” Restaurant deliveries are coordinated with hospitals’ 12-hour shifts, typically at noon and 8 p.m.

“I spoke with a nurse at DMC SinaiGrace Hospital. They are really struggling, and the food helps them to keep going,” Gillman said.

Lisa Ziff of Bloomfield Hills is a nurse at the cardiac catheterization laboratory at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac and a friend of Gillman. She says that that meals are a “morale booster and make people feel appreciated. Plus, some hospital cafeterias are closed.”

Gillman, who is active with JARC and Friendship Circle, says they plan to start a nonprofit organization so they can generate larger donations.

“Our family motto is to show up,” Gillman said.

For additional information about FLAG, visit flagmetrodetroit.org. Donations should go to flagmetrodetroit.org/donate.

APRIL 23 • 2020

| 19

Jews in the D

COURTESY OF ISAIAH RUBIN

Spreading Cheer Teenager spearheads initiative to get handmade cards to lonely patients and seniors.

JACKIE HEADAPOHL ASSOCIATE EDITOR

W

hen Groves High School closed in March because of the coronavirus epidemic, junior Isaiah Rubin had some time on his hands.

“The school was having a hard time transitioning to online instruction,” said his mom Lindsay Hords of Birmingham. “We knew he had to do something, so our thoughts turned to how we could help the community.”

Isaiah, who had his bar mitzvah at Temple Israel, said he and his friends were doing nothing, mostly just playing video games. “We wanted to

Isaiah Rubin

do something for the community that didn’t involve asking people for monetary donations,” he said.

He had heard from his aunt, Ali Otis, who is a nurse at Beaumont Royal Oak, about how coronavirus patients in the hospital were isolated and lonely. So Isaiah initiated Caring Cards for COVID-19 weeks ago with the hopes of safely delivering greeting cards to local hospitals and senior centers. His aunt

helped with distributing the cards to those who could use a boost.

Isaiah began by collecting hand-made greeting and get-well cards from his friends, and then created flyers with his mom and shared the idea on social media. Local nurses who saw the posts reached out, requesting cards for their COVID-19 floors.

“Then, it just ballooned,” said Isaiah, who has distributed 350 cards so far.

Each week, he goes to several drop boxes he has set up around Birmingham and West Bloomfield to pick up the cards. The cards are safely quarantined for five days before being distributed to local nurses for those in need.

So far, the cards have gone to Beaumont facilities in Royal Oak, Troy and Farmington, as well as to local seniors living

in centers without family visiting to cheer them up.

Since Caring Cards for COVID-19 has gone viral on social media, Isaiah has been contacted by local families, Brownie troops and Cub Scout troops all wanting to make cards for the project.

“This is a wonderful mission for families to get involved as it’s a community effort without a donation,” Hords said. “It’s a great activity and really can help another person.”

Isaiah is looking forward to his senior year at Groves and eventually studying business at college. “I’m glad I’ve found a way to help out — providing love and kindness for those who need it,” he said.

There is a public dropbox at Groves High School. For information, email isaiahrubin11@gmail.com.

COURTESY OF UMATTER

Teen Talks UMatter’s teen mental health program continues online.

JENNA ANDERSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

T

een Talks, a UMatter program, is available during the quarantine through Zoom. This program was designed to give teens a safe environment for conversations about mental health.

Last fall, the program met weekly at Friendship Circle during a four-week session.

Participants were split into two groups, each facilitated by a member of the UMatter teen board with a list of discussion questions surrounding one theme. Participants stayed in the same groups from week to week to feel more familiar with one another.

“People who have come repeatedly get really comfortable,” said Amanda Smith, a

20 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

Friendship Circle staff member involved with the Teen Talks.

The stay-at-home order was issued during the spring session, so participants of the Teen Talks have been unable to meet in person. The solution was Zoom.

Now teens can enter group calls using the app. UMatter has engaged more participants through social media.

“I think the Zoom calls have been great so far,” said Noa Alterman, a senior at Cranbrook who has attended Teen Talks since the fall. “It’s an effective way to continue with these programs even when we can’t meet in person.”

Her favorite part about the Teen Talks is the open conversations about mental health in a

Teens who previously got together in person to discuss mental health are now meeting on Zoom — this photo was taken before the stay-at-home order.

judgement-free environment.

An April 13 evening Zoom session focused on gratitude.

It opened with an icebreaker.

Participants shared one thing that made them smile recently.

This was followed by an hourlong discussion about gratitude led by Smith. At the end, participants were asked to text two people they’re grateful for and share some of the big takeaways from the discussion.

“It’s been really successful.

We’re getting a lot of new people who weren’t able to join before,” Smith said, mentioning one participant from Ann Arbor who could not have joined in person.

“In a time like this, it’s so nice to still have a chance to share your feelings,” said Marnie Jacobs, a freshman at North Farmington High School who recently joined the Teen Talks through Zoom. “Everyone has a chance to talk and everyone is so supportive.”

Jews in the D Harvey Olson, 80, survives COVID-19 along with wife, Doris, 74.

ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

H

arvey Olson, 80, of Commerce Township is living proof that COVID19 can be beaten. His story is spreading hope among his friends and relatives across the globe.

Both Harvey and his wife Doris, 74, are on the other side of a ferocious three-week-long battle with the novel coronavirus. Both believe they contracted the virus in mid-March after attending a wedding in Florida and flying back home to Metro Detroit. It was right around the time when schools were starting to close.

“From the beginning, I felt really lousy,” Olson told a TV reporter by phone as he was about to be transferred out of Beaumont Royal Oak to a rehab facility in Bloomfield Hills. “I felt

very, very weak.”

Olson came down with a lowgrade fever that spiked to 102.

He also had a terrible cough and trouble breathing. Add to that a weakened immune system after a battle with prostate cancer (which remains in remission) and recent back and knee surgeries, and family members were understandably terrified when he tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of April 20, there were 41,455 coronavirus deaths in the U.S., and patients Harvey’s age are considered among the highest risk.

“One day, I could barely hear his voice. He could barely talk between his gasps and his breaths.

That was a very scary moment,”

COURTESY OF MICHELLE SILBER

‘I’m a Very Lucky Man’

Michelle and Brad Silber talk with Doris, Harvey and other family members virtually while Harvey was in the hospital.

said his daughter, Michelle Silber of Commerce Township. “I’ll never forget how scared I was.”

While Harvey was on oxygen, being treated with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin in the hospital, his wife, Doris, tested positive, too. She recovered while being quarantined at home.

“I was just scared that I wouldn’t make it,” she said. “I had a fever, and I had this horrible headache.”

A no-visitors policy at the hospital prevented family members from being there in person for Olson, so they found ways to be there virtually. They made daily FaceTime calls and sent him a video filled with well wishes from

family members across the globe. Harvey and Doris have five children between them, plus 16 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

“I’m a very lucky man,” Harvey said. “So many people were there for me.”

Now, family members can’t wait for Harvey to return home, virus-free. He will have to regain his strength first. But it appears the worst is over.

“I truly have no words to describe how grateful I am to everyone who’s prayed, to every health care worker who took care of my dad,” Silber said. “I’ve cried tears of happiness knowing that he and Doris defeated this beast. They are the lucky ones.

Not everyone is so lucky. This is a reminder there is hope.”

JFS is here to help As the needs of our community continue to change WE are, too.

We are offering extended call-in hours for our Resource Center during this time of need and can help with: • Meals and assistance for older adults • One-time confidential conversation with a licensed JFS therapist • Financial resources and more If you or someone you know need help, please call!

Friday Monday-Thursday 8am-5pm 8am-8pm

Please contact JHELP (housed at JFS) at 1.833.445.4357 or jhelpdetroit.org.

APRIL 23 • 2020

| 21

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HAZON

Jews in the D

Creative Gardening for a Cause During COVID-19 The Relief Garden Initiative allows community members to get outside and help those in need.

CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER Alex and harvested greens at Farber Farms at Tamarack Camps.

Hannah from Hazon at Summer in the City’s hoop house.

22 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

L

ocal food pantries are struggling to provide the necessary produce and food for those who need it most during the coronavirus outbreak. A new initiative from a local Jewish sustainability lab aims to change that.

Hazon Detroit, a nonprofit that works with Jewish and non-Jewish organizations to help educate the community about creating healthier and more sustainable ways of life, started their Relief Garden Initiative in late March after they noticed their partner organizations needed help.

This initiative enables anyone in the community to sign up to receive 2-5 gallon-sized buckets worth of compost and different seed packets so they can begin planting their own

gardens and growing their own produce. Growers have the option of either keeping the produce for themselves or donating it to others in the community.

Wren Hack, director of Hazon Detroit, and her team personally deliver the compost buckets and three seed packets to anyone who signs up.

Packets consist of cool-weather vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, beans and peas. The compost comes from its partner organizations in Detroit and its other program, Hazon’s Seal of Sustainability.

“We are asking people who already garden to enlarge their garden and grow more, and for those who have never gardened to start,” Hack said. “Once they begin harvesting the produce,

they can call us and we will come pick it up and deliver it to food pantries, or they can keep it for themselves if they are in need of the food.”

As of April 17, Hack had made 65 deliveries across Metro Detroit with 15 more in the queue. Hazon has also begun planting their own produce using Summer in the City’s hoop house in Detroit (Summer in the City co-founder Ben Falik is a Jewish News contributor).

A hoop house is a series of large hoops — made of plastic, metal or wood — covered by a heavy layer of greenhouse plastic that can be installed quickly over small to medium gardening plots. It protects your plants from wind, snow, rain and sun.

Farber Farms at Tamarack Camps has also allowed Hazon to pick up harvested greens and deliver them to food pantries around Detroit.

The food pantries that receive the harvested produce include Yad Ezra, Hospitality House in Commerce, Oakland Avenue Urban Farm in Detroit and City Covenant Church in Detroit.

“This initiative allows everyone stuck at home to get outside safely, to work in the ground and to actually produce something that can support them and support others,” Hack said. “Not only are we helping people in this time of need, we have also created a community where master gardeners want to help and reach out to those who have never gardened before.”

You can sign up to receive compost and seeds at https://tinyurl.com/ y9munu47. You can also donate at https://donate.hazon.org.

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Jews in the D

A

s a population especially vulnerable to COVID-19, seniors are heavily discouraged from having any physical contact with anyone. But all that isolation gets lonely fast, and many seniors aren’t comfortable setting up videoconferencing technology like Zoom on their own.

In response, the Detroit Jewish Coalition, a partnership between Jewish organizations based in the city of Detroit, is launching a new program, Technology Buddy 101, to help seniors learn more about technology so they can stay connected to their families during this social distancing period.

Community members who are interested in becoming a “tech buddy” for a senior can sign up online and participate in one of the volunteer orientations. Check for upcoming orientation times.

During a phone conference, The program engages seniors with community members the Detroit Jewish Coalition who can help coach, mentor and support them through was brainstorming ideas to help ensure the connectivity of the use of technology. the community, especially for seniors, during this challenging CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER time.

The coalition includes Repair Volunteers must be at least with their Zoom buddy and nizations and synagogues who the World Detroit, Isaac Agree 15 years of age and well-versed about the value connection prohave senior participants who Downtown Synagogue, Hillel of in Zoom, Google Hangout, vides to our community, espemay not be present online to let Metro Detroit, Cohn-Haddow Facetime and Facebook cially our seniors,” Steinmanthem know about this program Center for Judaic Studies at Hangout. This program is focus- DeGroot said. “We want our so they can become connected to Wayne State University, Chabad ing on the visual connection, not volunteers to feel comfortable the community.” in the D, Detroit Jews for Justice, just phone calls. and confident on the phone. We In addition to helping seniors Moishe House of Detroit and the “We’re just asking that our are not looking for technology become tech-savvy, the coalition Reconstructionist Congregation volunteers are excited to make a wizards, but just someone who hopes that this program will of Detroit. connection with someone who wants to try and help someone make the community stronger Becca Steinman-DeGroot, is not necessarily versed in techget online and get connected to and allow for friendships to community engagement special- nology, can coach someone over their families.” blossom. ist for Repair the World Detroit the phone and [are] interested in Interested seniors can sign up “We want to ensure, for both and director of education at the helping create that community through email, but also over the the needs of the seniors’ mental Downtown Synagogue, came up feel,” Steinman-DeGroot said. phone. Seniors will also fill out and physical health, that they with the idea after she was helpTo become a tech buddy, volwhat type of technology they are are connected, not only to their ing her parents get familiar with unteers must fill out an online looking to learn so they can be families, but to their community Zoom for their services. sign-up, answering questions paired up with the perfect match. as well,” Steinman-DeGroot said.

“It feels like this is a huge about what technology they feel Any senior who wants to par“We want no one in our comneed, and it is something that comfortable teaching and what ticipate is welcome to sign up, munities to be left out during we heard a lot from our fellows they’re currently using. After not just Jewish ones and not just this time, and hope that this will at Repair the World,” Steinmansigning up, volunteers will fill out ones within the city itself. grow a larger support system for DeGroot said. “Even young an orientation RSVP so they can “We are anticipating sending everyone.” adults in the community have participate in one of the virtual out this information to different stated that they have been training sessions with members senior life platforms, includEmail Rebecca.Simon-DeGroot@ helping their grandparents or of the coalition. ing synagogues and senior-life werepair.org for more information. their parents get on Zoom or “The training sessions will groups,” Steinman-DeGroot said.

Facetime.” teach volunteers how to connect “We’re also encouraging orga-

Technology Buddy 101: Creating Tech-Savvy Seniors

26 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

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| 27

COURTESY OF CLEAN PLANET KITCHEN

Jews in the D

Annette and Jack Aronson

Ready-toEat Meals

Clean Planet’s test kitchen at 2520 W. 14 Mile, corner of Delmar Street, in Royal Oak, is the meal pickup point between 8 a.m.4 p.m. weekdays. Customers may place orders by phone or at the inside counter.

Delivery for $10 is offered within 5-10 miles of the location. More information at (248) 951-2140 or cleanplanetfoods.com.

Former Garden Fresh Gourmet owner launches Mindful Meals to help people eat healthier during the quarantine.

ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

C

lean Planet Foods is a new option for a reliable source of nutritious meals during Michigan’s stay-at-home executive order.

Jack Aronson, the philanthropist founder with wife, Annette, of Garden Fresh Gourmet — well-known for its line of fresh salsas — started Clean Planet Foods in 2016.

A longtime proponent of healthier eating, Aronson got excited about producing food using innovative high-pressure processing, or HPP. This scientific technique of cold-water pressure “makes our food last longer, without the use of artificial preservatives,” he says.

The chef-inspired Clean Planet Mindful Meals, as Aronson calls them, come in 6-ounce BPA-free pouches. The food steams in its own juices for 1 minute in a microwave oven, and the pouches can double as serving vessels.

Several flavors are vegetarian or use plantbased proteins.

Besides being convenient, “eating our meals saves people from having to go out to grocery stories,” Aronson said. “People can buy the meals for their relatives and friends that can’t get out. Orders can be shipped outstate, too.”

Mindful Meals cost $4 each but must be

28 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

ordered as a case of 30 for $120. Aronson has pledged to give away 10 meals for every case purchased. More than 2,000 meals to date have helped charities feed a variety of populations.

“We’re donating meals to students who are missing hot lunches at their schools,” he said.

In early April, Food Bank of Oakland County distributed Mindful Meals to first responders, including police officers, firefighters and medical staff. Firefighters in Ferndale also brought meals to local seniors.

Selections include grilled chicken and broccoli over rice, fajita chicken and veggies over rice, chicken with corn over rice and either cheese or meat tortellini with tomato sauce.

Aronson said upcoming flavors will be cheese or beef tortellini with a marinara sauce, a vegetarian bowl including beans and rice with olive oil and spices and a vegan bowl featuring vegetables, beans and rice with pesto sauce.

It’s considered clean food because the process of high-pressure pasteurization, conducted at Clean Planet’s facility in Taylor, kills pathogens and bacteria. Food may be stored safely for 30-40 days in a refrigerator or six months in a freezer.

“We cook it, seal it, HPP it, box it and then it’s ready to ship or pick up,” Aronson said.

RESPONDING TO THE PANDEMIC Plans to start offering Mindful Meals moved up six months in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We started this operation 10 days ago (in late March) out of a sense of urgency,” Aronson said. “My crew retooled in 48 hours.”

“Because of the talent of our team,” he added, “we were able to launch a program that most food companies would take months to execute, if not more than a year.”

Aronson said he’s protecting the safety and health of his employees by having them use a potent hand sanitizer made by Detroit City Distillery. Rolling curtains separating workers at his production facilities also ensure safe social distancing.

Barbara Cohen of West Bloomfield recently tried her first case of Mindful Meals.

“The food is very clean and so easy to prepare,” Cohen said. Except for “too spicy” fajitas, she was happy with her meals and says she will order them again.

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hen the loss, the a ritual. Of course, it will be suffering, the sadhard to define â&#x20AC;&#x153;A.C.â&#x20AC;? until there ness and the anxiis a cure or a vaccine. Perhaps, ety associated with the corona- in a year or so, when COVIDvirus comes to an end, we will 19 is officially defeated, we will emerge on the other side. sing like Moses and Perhaps it is foolish or Miriam did when they even naive to look ahead crossed the Red Sea. to that moment. But I At some point much pray and believe that we sooner, perhaps even will come out stronger,

by May 1, the governor smarter and kinder; and I Rabbi Aaron will lift the stay-atStarr look forward to that time. home order and we will It will be then that we are slowly begin to gather.

Parshat confronted with a proThe return to some Tazria/ found question of human sense of normalcy will Metzora: Leviticus need: how will we mark be gradual rather than 12:1-15:33; torrential, but we will the transition from B.C. Numbers (Before COVID-19) to feel its power; the free28:9-15; A.C. (After COVID-19)? dom will be palpable.

Isaiah In some ways our We will need, even in 66:1-24. world today echoes the the short run, a ritual (Shabbat double Torah portion we to mark the occasion.

Rosh Chodesh) read this week. A contaWhen our ancestors gion exists that requires re-entered society after the sufferer to quarantine. suffering the plague of tzara-at, After a time, the sufferer comes they ritually cleansed and puribefore the authorities and is fied their bodies, possessions assessed to be cleansed from and homes. Then they offered the affliction. Then, rituals a sacrifice of thanksgiving. are performed that allow the In the same way, perhaps we sufferer to re-enter the Israelite too will cleanse ourselves with encampment. a visit to the mikveh or the Through rituals, the laws hairdresser. We will put on our and traditions of the Jewish High Holiday finest, gather people reveal the need to mark in our synagogue sanctuaries, transition from one space to and in our gratitude invite our another whether that space is health care providers to ascend physical, temporal or metathe bimah with honor. physical.

Then all of us together as A mezuzah on the doorpost Jews will proclaim in unison, marks the transition from Shehechyanu, vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;kiyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;manu, vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;higianu home to the outside. A bar or lazâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;man hazeh ~ Thank You, bat mitzvah ceremony marks God, for giving us life, sustainthe transition from childhood ing us and allowing us to reach to adulthood. A funeral service that moment in time. Please, marks the transition of the God, may that time come deceased from this world to the soon. next and for the mourner, from life with a particular loved one Rabbi Aaron Starr is spiritual leader to life without that loved one. of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Returning to normalcy after Southfield. this pandemic will require such

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Arts&Life exhibit

30 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

Print Patrons Jewish artists highlighted in BBAC exhibit of Stewart & Stewart artists.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Sidney Hurwitz, “Gas Works,” etching/aquatint, ed: 100 (Fine Art Print Commission for the Flint Institute of Arts, Flint)

THE BBAC HAS LAUNCHED its first at-home Art Challenge, encouraging people to make art at home. The first challenge is inspired by artist Andy Goldsworthy, a sculptor, photographer and environmentalist. Participants are challenged to go on an adventure through their own backyard and observe the natural elements that exist right outside their door, using collected objects to create their own land sculpture.

At-home artists can send images of their work to Info@ BBArtCenter.org with “Art Challenge” in the subject line and include their name and age. More challenges are coming soon. The BBAC will post select photos on its website and social media.

COURTESY OF BBAC

J

onathan Santlofer established a successful career as a painter before two tragedies impacted his professional instincts. After the death of his wife (food writer Joy Santlofer) and a fire that destroyed 10 years of work, he began writing projects and altered his artistry.

Santlofer revealed his experiences and Jewish outlook in The Widower’s Notebook: A Memoir (Penguin Books, 2018) and moved into fiction with detective novels. Leaving behind the abstract, he experimented with merging realistic images through printmaking.

Santlofer’s 13-color screenprint “Beyond the Forest” and pieces by two other well-regarded Jewish artists, Sidney Hurwitz and Hugh Kepets, are among the works of 35 artists from around the country in the exhibit Glimpse: Fine Print Selections from Stewart & Stewart 1980-2020.

The exhibit is on view through June 4 (by appointment because of social distancing) at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center. It also is available through an online catalog at stewartstewart.com.

The exhibit honors the 40th anniversary of husband-andwife team Norman and Susan Stewart, who print, publish and collaborate with artists in their Bloomfield Hills studio-residence. Santlofer is one of many printmakers who have stayed at the Stewart facility to transfer matrix images and color to other surfaces.

“They were open to letting me do what I wanted to do in what is a collaborative art,” said the New York-based Santlofer.

In “Beyond the Forest,” Santlofer started with his own handprints, drew on top of

them and developed a landscape.

“I had been visiting the cave paintings in France, and the handprint, which you see so often in Paleolithic art … was in my mind,” he said.

Santlofer’s works have been in more than 200 exhibitions worldwide and are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Art Institute of Chicago and others.

Norman Stewart, a master printer, helps artists create imagery using traditional and digital fine art printing techniques. Susan Stewart, a graphic designer, is instrumental in placing the original editions in worldwide museums, galleries, corporations and residences.

“In choosing the pieces for the BBAC exhibit, I wanted a range of artists and techniques,” Norman Stewart said.

Artist Sidney Hurwitz, who focuses on industrial sites, is represented in the show by “Gas Works,” an etching/aquatint

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Jonathan Santlofer, “Beyond the Forest,” 13-color screenprint, ed: 51

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commissioned by the Flint Institute of Arts.

“I was intrigued by the structure of the abandoned gas installation just outside of Seattle,” said Hurwitz, Boston University professor emeritus. “I’m interested in the way forms and structures go together. It’s like looking at sculpture.”

Hurwitz, whose prints have been collected and displayed internationally from New York to London, holds recognition through a Fulbright Fellowship, Louis Comfort Tiffany Award and National Institute of Arts and Letters Prize.

Hugh Kepets also displays an interest in architectural images, but his concentration stays fixed on details. In his work “Astor,” a 32-color screenprint, he has abstracted

a segment of a cathedral in New York.

“All my work is Jewish because I am Jewish,” said Kepets.

Kepets became interested in his environment simply by looking out windows. He started with the natural environment before moving into the built environment, using highlighting and shadow effects to create feelings of 3D space.

His work is included in MoMA, Cleveland Museum of Art and major corporate collections.

“In the last dozen years, I have been working on the computer to make prints,” he said. “I am living out my fantasy. Art is the only thing I ever wanted to do. I wanted to live in New York and make a living as an artist.” .

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| 31

SCREENSHOT

Arts&Life entertainment

S

aturday Night Seder, a starfilled entertainment take on Passover traditions, was a full-fledged online production mounted from home to raise money for the CDC Foundation’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Emergency Response Fund.

The show streamed live via YouTube April 11 for the fourth night of Passover and is now available to watch anytime at SaturdayNightSeder.com. It captivated audiences with a long list of celebrities paired alongside religious figures. From their homes, in keeping with social distancing guidelines, they sang, joked and recalled personal Passover celebrations to provide fresh luster for the fundraiser.

So far, the special has raised more than $2.3 million for the foundation, which supports the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The money will fund access to medical supplies, increased lab capacity, emergency staffing for public health agencies, resources for vulnerable communities, clinical research and much more.

Among the participants were actor-singer-comedian Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), stage and film composer Alan Menken (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast), comedian Andy Cohen (Watch What Happens Live) and singer-actress Idina Menzel (Wicked), as well as non-Jewish celebs who dabble in Jewish entertainment, like The Marvelous Mrs. Sussman Maisel lead actress Rachel Brosnahan.

Two participants — producer Rachel Sussman and Rabbi Dana Benson — Benson were raised in Metro Detroit and became enduring friends while performing in a

32 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

Saturday Night Seder Metro Detroit natives help put on star-studded online fundraiser.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER TOP: Jason Alexander, upper right, invites non-Jews Josh Groban, upper left, Darren Criss, lower left and Rachel Brosnahan to join in a virtual seder webcast on YouTube, April 11, 2020.

details Saturday Night Seder is available for views and donations at SaturdayNightSeder.com.

Bloomfield Hills youth theater.

They both attended Temple Israel.

Jewish actor James Wolk (TV’s Watchmen), another former Metro Detroiter from Farmington Hills, lightheartedly added his thoughts on Passover food.

“In my gut, I felt Saturday Night Seder was going to be a very moving project,” said Sussman, 30, a New York University graduate who has worked with many theater companies and is co-founder of The MITTEN Lab, an emerging theater artist residency program outside of Traverse City.

“I couldn’t get most of the songs out of my head, which is really a good sign.

“The team of people just said ‘yes’ even though they had no idea what they were signing up for. They felt it was a way to celebrate our Jewish identity, foster community, [inspire] everyone lost and afraid right now, and bring people together.”

The seder was the idea of another Sussman friend, song-

writer Benj Pasek (Dear Evan Hansen and La La Land), who studied at the University of Michigan, and his producing partner Adam Kantor. Pasek brought Sussman into the project at the end of March, and her responsibilities included determining ways to capture talent, whether through individuals sending videos or getting on Zoom. Sussman, in turn, invited Rabbi Benson.

One of the directions taken by the rabbi was singing parody lines from the rousing “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” written by Stephen Sondheim and Jule Styne for Gypsy. Lyrics became “Everything’s Coming Up Moses,” as developed by Barbara Sarshik for her website “Passover Song Parodies.”

“Saturday Night Seder allowed Jewish communities across America to see Jews supporting each other, talking about their own Judaism and engaging with

non-Jewish entertainers mistaken as Jewish,” said Benson, 31, who serves Temple Beth Am in Seattle and gave up acting ambitions for the rabbinate while traveling with Birthright Israel.

As part of the rabbi’s early ambitions — and her only professional stage work— she appeared in Fiddler on the Roof for the Jewish Ensemble Theatre (JET), then located in West Bloomfield.

“I think it was beautiful seeing the Passover story told as well as showing how you can have a little bit of fun with it and make it feel personal,” said Benson, who studied theater and communication at Michigan State University before transferring to Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.

“I’ve been doing Passover parody songs for a number of years, and I put something more together with someone keeping clips for his own Haggadah. I’m nourished by my work, whether it’s being with people at their most enjoyable moments or their hardest moments.”

During these hard moments of social distancing, neither Sussman nor Benson is alone.

Sussman, in New York, is with an isolation cell of three friends and two dogs. Benson, across the country, is with her fiancée, Gina Rome.

“Saturday Night Seder has helped with resilience and hope in this process of staying at home,” Benson said. “I didn’t do a lot of social media prior to this, but waking up to so many messages from across the country has made me very grateful.

“It brought me a new platform to offer and enjoy. I’ve been posting more songs. I believe everybody can share a little something that gives strength to someone else.”

Arts&Life CHINESE PEOPLE

book review

The Blackbird Girls

EAT HERE

Themes of resilience may resonate with young readers.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

O

AMAZON

n a beautiful April morning in 1986, two schoolgirls in the Soviet town of Pripyat looked up from their schoolyard to see billowing smoke coming from the Chernobyl nuclear plant where both their fathers worked.

This is the opening chapter of The Blackbird Girls, (March 2020, Viking), a newly released young reader’s historical novel by Anne Blankman.

The book’s focus is not so much on the world’s worst nuclear disaster, but the evolution of a friendship between two girls who have been told by parents, and society, not to trust and befriend one another.

Valentina, a Jewish girl, and Oksana, her blonde, blueeyed non-Jewish classmate, are raised in a Soviet society where teachers instruct them that nuclear power is the safest energy source on Earth and the Motherland will always take care of them.

Oksana learns from her father that Jews are rich and stingy and swindle others out of job promotions. Valentina is taught not to get every answer right on a test because it would draw suspicions upon her and her Jewish family.

When Oksana is torn from her parents during the evacuation of Pripyat, her well-being rests in the hands of Valentina’s family — a Jewish family she has been taught to hate.

The story follows the girls, as

they journey across the Soviet Union to Leningrad. There, they live under the care of Valentina’s grandmother, in a communal apartment complex where residents share a kitchen, phone, bathrooms and a common TV/game room. Soon, the girls learn to trust and befriend each other as they share not only a grandmother and common living spaces but emotions such as grief, separation from parents and a fearful knowledge they may never return to life as they knew it.

During these times of uncertainty and social distancing, it may seem an odd choice to distract young readers with a historical fiction novel about the world’s worst nuclear disaster. But the themes of resilience, cooperation and friendship, and the unbreakable mother-daughter bonds woven throughout, may be just the book that young readers need to show the resilience of humanity and how people make it to the other side in even the darkest times.

The Blackbird Girls also addresses what it was like for Jews to live under the Soviet Union and the permeation of anti-Semitism in Soviet society.

It offers a lesson for contemporary times, where children reading the book discover the best way to overcome prejudice and bigotry is through learning about others through friendship.

The Blackbird Girls is available online, on Audible and wherever books are sold.

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PAMELA LITTKY

Arts&Life celebrity jews NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

The FX drama/comedy series Better Things, now in its fourth season, has received many Emmy nominations. I finally had the time to binge-watch it and you should, too.

It’s really good.

The four seasons mesh in logical plot arcs. Things is semi-autobiographical. Pamela Adlon, 53, stars as Sam Fox, a Hollywood actress who works steadily, but never lands a big star role. Like Sam, Adlon has been acting in films and TV shows since she was 12. Like Sam, Adlon is the daughter of a long-deceased Jewish comedy writer. Like Sam, Adlon’s mother is British. In real life, Adlon’s mother converted to Judaism and, in a recent interview, Adlon said her mother doesn’t like to be called a convert. She thinks of herself as just plain Jewish.

In Things, there are clues that

Pamela Adlon

Sam’s mother, Phyllis, who was disowned by her family when she married a Jew, is also a convert. It is clear Phyllis is much more acerbic than Adlon’s mother. Finally, like Sam, Adlon is the mother of three daughters, and, like Sam, she raised her daughters with little help from her ex-husband.

Sam views herself and her daughters as Jewish. However, except for Sam often toasting “L’Chaim,” there is little Jewish going on. (Adlon says she and her real-life daughters observe the High Holidays and Passover). The April 23 episode, entitled “Batceñera,” may

fill in many Jewish gaps.

Sam’s middle daughter, Frankie, is almost 15 years old. In a previous episode, Frankie told Sam that she wanted a quinceañera (a comingof-age celebration for 15-year-old Hispanic girls). Sam is not sold. She points out that Frankie isn’t a Latina and that she could have a bat mitzvah at any age. “Batceñera” details are sparse, but Adlon promises the episode will be “very Jewish.” My guess it that Frankie has a combo bat mitzvah and quinceañera. (Many encore FX showings. All four seasons on Hulu).

The series finale of the reboot

of Will and Grace will air on NBC on April 23 at 9 p.m. It will be preceded by a special, at 8:30 p.m., of clips of the series’ most iconic and memorable moments. The final episode finds Grace (Debra Messing, 51) about to give birth and Will about to leave New York City.

Never Have I Ever is a 10-episode Netflix comedy (to be released April 27) about Devi, a first-generation Indian American teen girl. It is inspired by the childhood of Indian American actress Mindy Kaling.

Adam Shapiro, 40ish, appears in seven episodes as Mr. Shapiro, a schoolteacher. Shapiro has mostly been a stage actor. His wife, Katie Lowes, 38, had a starring role on Scandal (Quinn Perkins). Newcomer Jaren Lewison, 20, has a big supporting role as Ben, a classmate of Devi. I know Lewison is Jewish because his bar mitzvah announcement is on the website of his family’s Dallas synagogue.

On The Go virtual events | learnings ISTOCK

STAYING CONNECTED At this time of social distancing, the Jewish News will try to bring awareness to events/learning situations offered online by synagogues, temples and community organizations.

ART ONLINE Cranbrook Art Museum is available online. Explore most recent exhibitions with 3D tours, create art projects at home with your kids or browse selections of work from the Collections Wing. Check out cranbrookmuseum. org.

ART FOR THE FAMILY The BBAC is offering a children’s art activity kit at bbartcenter.org/art-activity-kit. For $15, the kit contains nine projects suitable for ages 5 and up, including project instructions and all materials (+mailing costs included).

To order (limit two per household), call 248-644-0866, ext. 0, and leave a message with name and phone number.

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APRIL 23 • 2020

participate. Free event in English. Go to Online Zoom Meeting CA. Register: iachome.org/teens.

PJ VIRTUAL LIBRARY APRIL (DAILY)

REMEMBRANCE DAY APRIL 26 The Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus in Farmington Hills will host its annual community-wide Yom HaShoah commemoration online this year at 2 p.m.

During the broadcast at holocaust center.org, board member Steven R. Weisberg will offer opening remarks.

Rabbi Yonatan Dahlen and Hazzan David Propis of Shaarey Zedek will lead the commemoration. To learn more, call 248-553-2400.

11 a.m., 1 and 4 p.m. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Stories, crafts, tours and more.

Visit facebook.com/PJLibrary.

BBYO CELEBRATES APRIL 26 Due to the coronavirus pandemic, BBYO Michigan Region will honor its alumni with a one-day celebration hosted on its Facebook page — BBYO Michigan Region. For sponsorship, ad book and donation opportunities, visit bbyo.org/2020mievent or contact Jennifer Frank at jfrank@bbyo.org.

TEEN QUEST APRIL 12-29

ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN MEMORIAL DAY APRIL 27

4 pm EDT. IAC@Home, the Tzofim and BBYO are calling all Jewish and IsraeliAmerican teens 13-18 nationwide to

Hosted by the New Israel Fund and others, the annual Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony will be held

online at 1:30 p.m. EDT. Hear inspiring stories, share reflections and renew the call to end the conflict in a just and peaceful way. Sign up at secure. nif.org.

VIRTUAL MEMORIAL PLAQUES March of the Living is giving individuals around the world the opportunity to place a virtual memorial plaque against the backdrop of the infamous train tracks at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. As the 2020 March of the Living will not take place on Holocaust Remembrance Day due to the coronavirus pandemic, individuals can virtually participate in one of the most meaningful personal moments of the March by composing a personal message and placing it on a virtual plaque along the train tracks in Birkenau. Individual plaques and messages can be placed via a dedicated mini-site, nevermeansnever. motl.org.

Compiled by Sy Manello/Editorial Assistant.

Send items at least 14 days in advance to calendar@thejewishnews.com.

Jews in the D

Israeli Airline Brings Precious

COURTESY OF HOMEDICS

COVID Cargo

HoMedics cargo reached Detroit with the aid of an El Al plane.

HoMedics overhauled its production process in China to produce protective gear for those on the front lines.

Thanks to El Al, they arrived in Detroit.

JENNIFER LOVY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I

t was around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 12, when the wheels of an El Al jet touched down at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The plane, void of passengers, flew to Detroit from China on what could be considered a humanitarian aid mission.

Inside the Israeli jet were 3.5 million surgical and KN95 protective masks, face shields and pulse oximeters about to be distributed to Michigan hospitals, senior living facilities, first responders and other professionals in desperate need of gear to keep safe and avoid contracting the potentially deadly COVID-19 virus.

Alon Kaufman texted his wife, Shari, a photo of the plane as it was about to land. “Welcome to Detroit, El Al,” he wrote in the text.

“Mission accomplished!! History in the making!!”

Just a few weeks earlier, when

the pandemic began to make its unwelcome presence in Michigan, the Kaufmans — owners of HoMedics, a manufacturer of consumer wellness products based in Commerce Township — experienced what Shari described as an “aha moment.”

The couple had as many as 20,000 protective face masks, which they immediately donated to Henry Ford Hospital, Karmanos Cancer Institute and the Department of Homeland Security.

Seeing the growing need for such items, they reconfigured production lines at the factories they work with in China to mass-produce FDA-approved protective face masks and other needed medical supplies, including pulse oximeters and thermometers.

“At this time, some of our product lines are not a necessity for the average person who is struggling

through this crisis,” Shari Ferber Kaufman said. “We recognized this early and pivoted our focus to manufacturing masks using our robust supply chain in China as well as our internal compliance and regulatory department. This has allowed us to move very quickly to manufacture quality FDA-approved masks and other PPE.” The team at HoMedics, including sons Daniel and Joshua, spent several days and sleepless nights coordinating how to convert product lines to make masks and other medically certified personal protective equipment. Their son Jonathan, an L.A.-based film producer, created informational videos about the endeavor.

Working with manufacturing facilities familiar to the company and having a presence in China helped HoMedics screen facilities to ensure the production of FDAapproved products.

“It’s like the Wild West in China right now,” said Daniel Kaufman, senior vice president of strategy for HoMedics. “Before COVID, around 100 or so factories were making PPE. Now there are around 2,500 claiming to make PPE, many continued on page 36 APRIL 23 • 2020

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Jews in the D

continued from page 35

of which aren’t properly certified.

Thank God, we have 80-90 people in China checking each factory.”

Kaufman said his contacts in China visited approximately 100 factories and approved only six or seven for the production of PPE. A PIECE OF ISRAEL IN DETROIT Shortly after the El Al plane landed, the Kafumans received photos and video of massive boxes of supplies being meticulously unloaded.

Seeing an El Al jet at Metro Airport is a rarity itself, since the airline doesn’t fly to Detroit.

“This was like a piece of Israel coming to our home to save the day,” Ferber Kaufman said. “Our team was in tears, seeing the product taken off the plane. It felt like history in the making because it was an El Al plane. We were so proud to have Israel fly our first mission from China.”

Daniel Kaufman added: “This was a proud moment for us to be able to utilize El Al in a time of crisis. It worked out perfectly that they were able to support us in a time of need.”

HoMedics tried to charter a plane from several different airlines, Ferber Kaufman said.

At one point, they thought they secured a flight, only to learn that another company offered more money for it. Shari and her daughter Laurenne, who served in the Israel Defense Forces, suggested contacting El Al. Alon Kaufman, who is Israeli, reached out to the airline, and they agreed to charter the flight.

The April 12 shipment was the first of many that will bring much-needed supplies to battle this deadly virus. The Kaufmans will distribute the items in Michigan through both sales and,

in some cases, donations. Once in-state needs are met, masks and the medical equipment will be allocated elsewhere.

“Our community comes first.

The Metro Detroit area, as well as the state of Michigan, is our priority. As soon as we’re done helping here, we’re more than happy to help out in other places,” said Ferber Kaufman, adding that she’s been in contact with some government officials in other states, including New York and California.

The Kaufmans also worked with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit to ensure masks would be available to those who need them, including individuals working at senior housing facilities, people delivering meals to senior citizens as well as burial staff.

Scott Kaufman, the former

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Federation CEO, isn’t surprised by the family’s Herculean effort, which reminds him of the kindness the family showed him several years ago. At the time, Kaufman (who happens to share a last name but isn’t related) declined an invitation to a Shabbat dinner because he was recovering from surgery. That evening, Shari and Alon Kaufman personally delivered a meal.

“What they are doing for this community reminds me of what they did for me but on a massive scale,” Scott Kaufman said. “When someone is in need, whether it’s one person or tens of thousands of people, they are there to help.”

Those interested in ordering masks and other PPE can contact HoMedics at ppeassist@fkabrands.com. At the moment, the company is prioritizing orders from those in health care.

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

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25 APRIL 23  2020

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Soul

of blessed memory

FLORENCE ACKERMAN, 89, of Farmington Hills, died April 11, 2020.

She is survived by her daughter, Susan (Mal) Hillman; son, Ivan Ackerman; grandchildren, Stephanie (Jeff) Henige and Alyssa (Cameron) Pinnock, Casey and Kyle Ackerman; great-grandchildren, Max, Reese and Paige (Henige), Chloe and Cate (Pinnock); many loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Interment was held at Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, N.Y. Contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, to the Beaumont Foundation, the National Mah Jongg League or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

FIRA BERMAN, 95, of West Bloomfield, died April 11, 2020.

She is survived by her daughter c. 1995 and son-in-law, Alla and Paul Katz; son and daughter-in-law, Boris and Angela Kaufman; grandchildren, Galena Katz, Stanley (Maria) Kaufman, Jason (Erin) Katz, Victor Kaufman, Michael Kaufman and Paul (Carri) Katz; great-grandchildren, Jamie Hertzberg, Avah Katz, Julian Katz, Ryan Kaufman and Emma Kaufman, Ami Katz, Talia Katz and Ellie Katz; many other loving family members and friends.

Interment was held at Hebrew Memorial Park Cemetery in Mt. Clemens.

Contributions may be made to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

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APRIL 23 • 2020

SARAH BILANDER, 92, of West Bloomfield, died April 13, 2020.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Helen and Ted Wizenberg; grandchildren, Janna (Matt) Cherney and Eric (Allie) Wizenberg; great-grandchildren, Aiden and Tess; many other loving family members and friends.

Mrs. Bilander was the beloved wife of the late Isidore Bilander; mother of the late Gary Stewart Bilander.

Interment was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia.

Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

CHARLOTTE HANNAH ROSS BLOOM, 96, of Bloomfield Hills, formerly of Dayton, Ohio, died April 9, 2020.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Jim Markwell; son and daughter-in-law, Stuart Bloom and Nancy Mahlin; grandchildren, Jon and Amy Bloom, and Jerry and Eva Markwell; great-grandchild, Opal Markwell.

Mrs. Bloom was the beloved wife of the late Jerome Bloom; the loving sister of the late Matthew Ross; the devoted daughter of the late Abraham and the late Francis Ross.

Interment was at Riverview Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio.

Contributions may be made to Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 8th Ave., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10001, alzfdn.org. Local arrangements

by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

IRA G. BRISKMAN, 79, of West Palm Beach, Fla., died April 7, 2020.

Ira and Ellen Rubin Briskman were happily married for 17 years. The love he had for daughters, Anna Rubin Briskman Rakowsky and Emily Payne Briskman, will forever be of great comfort to them.

Mr. Briskman was the devoted son of the late Leona Payne Briskman and the late Charles Oscar Briskman; nephew of the late Lois Payne, the late Belle and the late Albert Bloom.

LYNN COOPER, 65, of Oak Park, died April 14, 2020.

She had a powerful impact on countless children in her years as a special educator. Her students were her life, and she would do anything to make sure they had what they needed to succeed in school and in their lives.

Mrs. Cooper was loved and cherished by her husband of 44 years, Scott Cooper; her children, Matthew Cooper (Sally) and Ashley Cooper; siblings, Howard Starler (Leslie), Cherylbeth Starler and Michelle Starler; mother, Gail Starler; brothers-in-law and sisters-inlaw, Robert and Judy Cooper, Michael and Beth Cooper. She was “Auntie Lynn” to many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews; she valued her relationship with her many cousins.

Mrs. Cooper was the daughter of the late Gerald Starler; daughter-in-law of the late Bernard and the late Gladys Cooper.

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

MICHAEL CULLEN, 73, of Milford, died April 9, 2020.

He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Jane Brumer-Cullen; sons, Max and Zachary Cullen; mother-inlaw, Harriet Brumer; sister-inlaw, Danice Bell; nephew and niece, Brandon Bell and Lindsay Bell; many loving cousins and friends.

Mr. Cullen was the devoted son of the late Wilma and the late Patrick Cullen; the dear son-in-law of the late Ralph Brumer.

A celebration of his life will take place when circumstances allow. Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to American Kidney Fund, 11921 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852, kidneyfund.org; Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 432 Park Ave. South, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10016, jdrf.org; Michigan Humane Society, 30300 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025, michiganhumane.org/ tributes; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

DR. KEITH BRIAN DANIELS, 64, of Flint, died April 13, 2020.

He is survived by his wife, Diana Les Daniels; children, Matthew Daniels, Sara Daniels and Shannon Les; father, Roger Daniels; sister and brother-inlaw, Allison Daniels and Brian Dolan; other loving relatives and friends.

Dr. Daniels was the devoted son of the late Marilyn Daniels.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Congregation

Shaarey Zedek, 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, MI 48034, shaareyzedek.org; Friendship Circle, 6892 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, friendship circle.org/donate; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

CHICKIE DWOSKIN, 73, of Bloomfield Hills, died April 13, 2020.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Tony and Shawn Fayne; daughter and son-in-law, Nikki and Jeff Jacobs; Marc’s children, Jeff and Robyn Dwoskin, and John and Joanna Dwoskin; grandchildren, Sasha Jacqueline Fayne, Sophie Dwoskin, Emma Dwoskin, Jacob Dwoskin and Aria Dwoskin; brother and sister-in-law, Rick and Arlene Agree; brother-in-law, Paul Unatin; his wife, Julie; many loving nieces, nephews, and a world of friends.

Mrs. Dwoskin was the beloved wife of the late Dr. Marc Dwoskin; the devoted daughter of the late George and the late Shirley Agree; the loving sister of the late Jackie Unatin.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Broadway Cares, 165 W. 46th St., Suite 300, New York, NY 10036, broadwaycares. org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

NATALIE GREENWALD GEISMAN, formerly of Southfield, died April 12, 2020.

She was the cherished mother of Maureen (Leonard) Schiffman, Mark (Billie) Greenwald; cherished bubbie of Stephanie Greenwald and Corey Schiffman; great-grandmother of six.

Mrs. Geisman was the beloved wife of the late Lester Geisman.

She will be sadly missed by all.

A Dedicated Man Of Medicine

T

he Talmud tells us that ‘He who saves a life saves an entire world.’ Given the lives that were saved, extended, transformed and enriched by Dr. Jeffrey Forman, we can only surmise the countless worlds and wonders that have continued spinning and evolving thanks to his compassion, thoughtfulness and dedication.

Dr. Forman died unexpectedly at his Bloomfield Hills home on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, at the age of 63. He is survived by a heartbroken family and community of friends, colleagues, former patients and volunteers.

Jeffrey practiced oncology for 35 years, having trained at Johns Hopkins and moving on through Sloan Kettering in New York City, University of Michigan/Providence Hospital, Karmanos Cancer Institute at the DMC and 21st Century Oncology.

Over the course of his career, he treated thousands of patients, authored more than 400 publications, chapters and abstracts and was the principal investigator of numerous clinical trials.

He loved his role as a doctor and treated every patient with kindness, respect, understanding and some humor. He also cherished his role as a teacher, inspiring a generation of students and physicians with his compassion, critical thinking and immense work ethic.

In 2016, Jeffrey underwent

a stem-cell transplant to treat myelofibrosis.

Unable to continue Dr. Jeffrey practicing Forman medicine posttransplant, Jeffrey rededicated his life to raising support for the causes he believed in most: the Jewish community, cancer research and his friends and family.

His involvement with Jewish Federation began with revitalizing a dormant Maimonides Society. After participating in unique opportunities, including a life-changing trip to Ethiopia and several visits to Israel, Jeffrey served as the campaign chair for the Jewish Federation. After his tenure in that position, his focus returned to the Maimonides Society, ultimately sponsoring two missions to Israel for medical professionals, including a year of community and leadership development training.

Above all else, Jeffrey cherished his family and friends. He and his wife, Miriam, cultivated a community of loving and wonderful friends who became their chosen family here in Michigan.

Together, they worked to celebrate the good times, gathering for holidays, special occasions and any given weeknight. There were never two happier people than Jeffrey and Miriam

when they were surrounded by their grandsons and granddaughter. Jeffrey loved nothing more than fishing with his grandchildren, reading to them and waking up with them to make his famous French toast. He also spoke to each of his children every single day, giving and asking for advice, checking on their families, just saying hello. Although Jeffrey was so much to so many people, he was everything to his family; his heart, mind and laughter will be sorely missed.

Dr. Forman was the beloved husband of Miriam Forman; cherished father of Dr. Adam (Marianna) Forman, Tara (Jay) Hack and Joshua (Norah Rexer) Forman; loving “Poppy” of Misha Forman, Ori Forman, Jonah Hack, Jasper Hack and Sonya Forman; adored son of Eileen Forman and the late Jerome Forman; devoted brother of Randee (Marvin) Tancer; dear brother-in-law of Marilyn (Dr. Ira) Bernstein and Steven (Maureen) David.

Contributions may be made to Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, 6735 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301; 248-6424260, jewishdetroit.org/ donate-online/; Temple Israel, 5725 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323, 248-661-5700, templeisrael.org; or Karmanos Cancer Institute, 4100 John R, Detroit, MI 48201, 248304-2930, karmanos.org/ give. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

continued on page 40

APRIL 23 • 2020

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Soul

of blessed memory continued from page 39

BELROSE HARRIS GOLDING of West Bloomfield, died April 11, 2020.

She is surc. 1944 vived by her children, Richard (Leslye Galperin) Golding and Cheryl (Fabrizio) Casini; grandchildren, Adam Casini and Gabrielle (Brent) Pohlman; her great-grandson, Grayson Pohlman; many nieces, nephews, loving caregivers and her Hechtman friends.

Mrs. Golding was the beloved daughter of the late Abe and the late Hannah Harris; sister of the late Melvin (Alice) Harris; beloved wife of the late Gilbert Golding.

Interment was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. A celebration of her life will be held at a future date. Contributions may be made to the Children’s Heart Foundation, childrensheartfoun dation.org.

Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

PAULA GREENBERG, 81, of Farmington Hills, died April 13, 2020.

She is survived by her beloved husband of 62 years, Lenny Greenberg; loving children, Sue (Ian) Daignault and Rhonda Merzin (Steven Winkler), Jeff (Margi Lear) Greenberg and Brad Greenberg; adoring grandchildren, Jackie (Brad) Nilson, Heather (Ben) Andrezik, Joshua Merzin, Monica Merzin, Elizabeth Merzin, Ashley (Ryan Petersen) Greenberg and Morgan Greenberg; dear great-grandchildren, Connor, Brooklyn and Tyler Nilson, and Nora Andrezik; devoted brother, Sy Goss. She is remembered by former son-in-law, Jeff Merzin; former daughter-in-law, Alecia Greenberg; many other loving

40 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

family members and friends.

Interment was held at Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Contributions may be made to American Diabetes Association. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

RACHEL INGBER, 81, of West Bloomfield, died April 12, 2020.

Noted for her pithy sayings and her ability to never cook, she will be missed by so many close friends with whom she shared meals, cards and hours on the phone.

Mrs. Ingber is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Julie and Eric Borman; grandchildren, Jonathan Borman and Alex Borman; cousin, Molly Mendelson; sister-in-law, Shirlee Ingber; many loving nieces and nephews.

She was the was the beloved wife for 61 years of the late Jerry Ingber; devoted daughter of the late Jay Harris and the late Lillian Leow Harris; the loving sister-in-law of the late George Ingber, the late Abe and the late Mollie Ingber, and the late Ruth and the late Nate Perlman.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Michigan Humane Society, Development Dept., 30300 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025-4507, michiganhumane.org/tributes; or National Organization for Rare Diseases, 55 Kenosia Ave., Danbury, CT 06810, rarediseases.org.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

FRANK KUTINSKY, 78, of Beverly Hills, died April 10, 2020.

He died from complications due to the COVID-19 virus.

Mr. Kutinksy is survived by his wife, Sandy Kutinsky; daughter and son-in-law, Kari and Dr. Jeffrey Provizer; son and daughter-in-law, Eric “Ricky” and Melissa Kutinsky; grandchildren, Noah, Jake and Ellie Provizer, and Joel and Ben Kutinsky; brother and sisters-inlaw, Dr. Jay and Lesley Kutinsky, and Dr. Andie Kutinsky; his cousin, Stuart Falk, who was more like a brother; many loving nieces, nephews and the entire Jochanon family club.

He was the devoted son of the late Elsie and the late Morris Kutinsky; the loving brother of the late David Kutinsky.

Contributions may be made to Temple Israel, 5725 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323, temple-israel.org; Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, Enrichment Program, 6555 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jewishhospice.org; or Direct Relief/Coronavirus, 6100 Wallace Becknell Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93117, directrelief.org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

ANNETTE LECKART, née Genser, 79, of Paris, France, died on April 5, 2020.

She was born to William A. and Goldie Genser.

Ms. Leckart graduated Berkley High School in 1958 and earned a B.A. from Michigan State University in 1962. She married Bruce Leckart that June.

She established an independent life in Cincinnati in 1969, teaching school. In 1976, Mrs. Leckart moved to Paris, where she taught business English, cultivated lifelong friendships and enjoyed books, films, tennis and world travel.

She will be missed by sisters, Sylvia Hollander and Beverly

Gold; brother, Arthur Genser (Fern); and two generations of nieces and nephews.

MARGO WALD RUBENS, 68, of West Bloomfield, died April 11, 2020.

Her neverending smile and amazing attitude in the face of adversity will never be forgotten.

She was the adoring mother of Ryan (Amy) Rubens, Michael Rubens, Veronica Rubens, dearest sister of Joe (Cheryl) Wald, Debbie (Eric) Canvasser and Richard (Lisa) Wald; loved by many adoring nieces and nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews; and her many friends.

Mrs. Rubens was the loving daughter of the late Jerry and the late Irma Wald.

Contributions may be made to the Michigan Multiple Sclerosis Society or Yoga Moves MS. Interment was held at Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

TOVA SALINGER, 91, of Novi, died April 14, 2020.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Seymour Salinger; sons and daughter-in-law, Jeremy and Vicki Salinger, and Bruce Salinger; daughter and son-in-law, Beverly and Yuval Warshai; sister, Joan Baraf; grandchildren, Angelica Butte, Yardana Donaldson, Shoshana Olson and Miriam Betts, Gal, Yael and Yasaf Warshai; great-grandchildren, Naomi and Gabriella Donaldson, Samarra and Isabella Butte, Nina, Eli, Lilah and Ezra Olson; many other loving family members and friends.

Interment was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia.

Contributions may be made to Habonim Dror Camp Tavor or to the Holocaust Memorial Center. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

JULIUS “JAY” SCHIFFMAN, 102, of West Bloomfield, died April 6, 2020.

Jay was a longtime electrical engineer and inventor. Among his inventions was Microvision, an all-weather landing system for aircraft and a heads-up display system for automobiles to show important information (such as speed) right in the driver’s line of sight.

From 1941-48, Jay was a project engineer at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. On a visit home in 1948, he saw a job post for engineers on the outside of Bendix Corp. headquarters. He applied in person and was hired on the spot. That began a 16-year career as a supervisory engineer and project engineer for Bendix’s Research Laboratories Division.

In 1964, he left Bendix to start his own company, Chain Lakes Research, where he served as president and CEO. In his years before retirement, he served as a consultant to many corporations.

Mr. Schiffman was a kind, gentle and generous man who was dearly loved by his family and friends. His sense of humor and funny stories will be missed by everyone.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Gladys Schiffman; his daughter, Bonnie Parker (Bruce); son; Todd; his grandchildren, Hillary (Noyes) and Erin and Ryan.

Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements

by Dorfman Chapel.

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BARBARA SHERMAN, 72, of Wixom, died April 13, 2020.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Harvey Sherman; son, Jonathan Sherman; daughter, Elizabeth Sherman; sister and brother-in-law, Rita (Kenneth) Rochlen; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.

Mrs. Sherman was the sister of the late Donald (Gaye Lucci) Schneider.

Interment was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia.

Contributions may be made to JARC. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

MARVIN TALAN, 93, of West Bloomfield, died April 9, 2020.

He is survived by his wife of 69½ years, Beverly Talan; daughters and sons-in-law, Wendy Talan, Linda Talan Jacob and Andy Jacob, and Jody Talan Bruetman and Danny Bruetman; grandchildren, Jeffrey Talan Edelson, Bradley Talan Edelson, Sarah Ilyse Jacob, Adam Talan Jacob and Sarah Jacob, Noah Byron Jacob and Patty Jacob, Kylie Emmet Bruetman and Alexa Skye Bruetman; great-grandchildren, Zachary Theodore Edleson, Elizabeth Frances Edelson, Ava Rachel Jacob and Levi Marvin Jacob.

Mr. Talan was the proud grandfather of the late Zachary M. Talan Edelson; the loving brother of the late Evelyn and the late Marvin Barnett; the devoted son of the late William and the late Lillian Talan.

Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Temple Israel, Zachary M. Talan Edelson Maccabi Scholarship Fund, 5725 Walnut Lake

Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323, temple-israel. org; Orchards Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Services, Zachary M. Talan Edelson Sports Scholarship Fund, 24901 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 500, Southfield, MI 48075; or Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jewishhospice.org.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

JOSEF TZEEL, 90, of West Bloomfield, died April 13, 2020.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Adina Tzeel; daughter and son-in-law, Annette and Herman Greenstein; son and daughter-in-law, E. Albert and Carolyn Tzeel; brother and sister-inlaw, Samuel (Leah) Tzeel; grandchildren, Alexander (Melanie) Greenstein, Victoria Greenstein, Joseph Greenstein, Benjamin Tzeel, Jonathan Tzeel and David Tzeel; great-grandchildren, Olivia and Owen Greenstein; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.

Interment was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia.

Contributions may be made to the Michigan Humane Society, to Yad Ezra or to a charity of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

DONNA WALKER, 79, of Southfield, died April 12, 2020.

She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Rachel Walker and Samuel Ageloff, Lisa Walker and Timothy Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien, Karen Walker and Kevin Lehmann, and Suzanne Walker and Daniel Kahne; grandchildren, Hugh Ageloff, Katherine and

Patrick Zimmerman, Alex Lehmann, Zak Walker-Kahne and Charlotte Walker-Kahne; great-grandchild, Xavier Zimmerman; brother and sister-in-law, Ben Levine and Gloria Rosensweig; sister and brother-in-law, Michele and Laurence Hoffman.

She was the beloved wife of the late Dr. Hugh Walker.

Contributions may be made to Planned Parenthood, 3100 Professional Drive, P.O. Box 3673, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, plannedparenthood.org.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

DR. STUART WERTHEIMER, 68, died April 11, 2020.

He is survived by his wife, Cheryl Wertheimer; daughter and son-in-law, Sharon and Joshua Rosenzweig; son and

daughter-in-law, Allan and Kacie Wertheimer; motherin-law, Minerva Rigefsky; grandchildren, Emma and Daniel Rosenzweig, and Bailey and Riley Wertheimer; sisters and brother-in-law, Diane and Frank Swerdlin, and Carol Buterbaugh.

Dr. Wertheimer was the devoted son of the late Frederick and the late Lore Wertheimer; the dear sonin-law of the late Ephraim Rigefsky; the loving brother-in-law of the late Charles Buterbaugh.

Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, 1169 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, nkfm.org; United Aged Home-Vene Horin Jerusalem, 731 Livingston

Road, Elizabeth, NJ 07208, unitedagedhome.com; or to a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

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

BEATRICE WHITE, 101, of West Bloomfield, died April 12, 2020.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Donna and Ken Citrin; son-inlaw, Ed Young; grandchildren, Brian Young, Dawn and Sam Fratrin, Kathryn Citrin and James Citrin; great-grandchildren, Nathan and Jacob Citrin; caregivers, Denise Reed and Stephanie Kimber.

Mrs. White was the beloved wife of the late Eugene White; the cherished mother of the late Laurie Young.

GLADYS L. ZATE, 93, of West Bloomfield, died April 15, 2020.

Born in Poland to Kalman and Matel Zate, she came with her family to Detroit at the age of 8 and spent most of her life in the Metro Detroit area.

A highly regarded kindergarten teacher in the Detroit Public Schools for more than 30 years, Gladys loved teaching as much as her students loved learning from her, thanks to her warm, friendly nature. She taught many notable students, including singer Anita Baker, a source continued on page 44

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Soul

of blessed memory continued from page 43

of great pride for Gladys. She earned two master’s degrees, as well as pursued her doctorate in education.

Gladys was actively involved with the co-ed Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity, where she held many offices.

She also mentored and worked with countless students over the years, expanding her love of teaching beyond the classroom walls.

Gladys was also known as an adventurous world traveler, visiting many places throughout the world. She often took her siblings, nieces and nephews along on her travels, combining her love of family, teaching and travel so they could experience the world and learn to enjoy exploring, music, art and more just as she did.

Her devotion to her family

44 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

was unwavering and included being very involved with the Levin Family Club, part of her large extended family. In particular, she was very proud of her family’s theatrical group, the Elmhurst Players, and the many creative productions they staged over the years.

A lovely, multi-faceted woman, Gladys adored music and singing and played many instruments, including the piano, French horn and autoharp. Attending the symphony, sometimes with her nieces and nephews, was a favorite pastime and she never lost her passion for learning, always being an avid reader. She was also an enthusiastic collector of art and beautiful objects, especially rabbits.

Despite her diminutive size, Gladys showered an enormous amount of love and generos-

ity in many people’s lives and brought great joy and laughter to her family, friends and students. She radiated good cheer that couldn’t help but bring a smile to the face of anyone she encountered. She truly was one of a kind.

Ms. Zate was the sister of the late Dolores Fox, the late Seymour Zate, and the late Betty and the late Jerry Grushoff.

She is survived by beloved sister-in-law, Ileene Zate; many nieces, nephews and cousins as well as countless friends.

Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Actors Fund for Everyone-Coronavirus Relief, 800-221-7303, actorsfund.org; Direct Relief/ Coronavirus, 6100 Wallace Becknell Road, Santa Barbara,

CA 93117, directrelief.org; or to a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

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

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

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B

eing among the judges at one of the burger contests held by Fairway Packing, who can rightly boast of having great burger meat, had me stumped a few years agoâ&#x20AC;Ś I was baffled that it was actually a competition of what maybe should be called a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Burger Danny Raskin Trimmingsâ&#x20AC;? conSenior Columnist test or whatever â&#x20AC;Ś My selection, alas, was only on the great meat that Fairway puts out â&#x20AC;Ś not with the extras that are sometimes relentlessly piled on â&#x20AC;Ś so

one can taste Fairwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s luscious meat.

Detroit Free Press writer Susan Selasky was one of the judges and probably knew better about the judging â&#x20AC;Ś One of the contestants, first-place winner a couple of times, chef/owner Eve Aronoff â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s burgers at her eatery on W. Washington, Ann Arbor, arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even called burgersâ&#x20AC;Ś Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Cuban-inspired Fritas at Eveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fritas Batidos â&#x20AC;Ś (Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a location now at 66 W. Columbia St. in Detroit.)

When it comes to burgers, I may be old-fashioned, but give me some of those burgers we used to gobble up at many places in the yesteryears â&#x20AC;Ś You got just the burger sandwich, but oh, what a burger â&#x20AC;Ś Not to say that most of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beauties on the tongue arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t in their own goodie class â&#x20AC;Ś Hey, Fairway folks, why not burgers of yesteryears against those of today?

Speaking of burgers, one of the yesteryears burger oldies

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ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GOOD to see some restaurants are able to fight back in some way by adding a third dimension of carry out â&#x20AC;Ś to help fill tummies and save jobs â&#x20AC;Ś By restaurants like Beans & Cornbread, Northwestern, north of 12 Mile, one of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading soul food eateries â&#x20AC;Ś Patrick Coleman calls it â&#x20AC;&#x153;No Contact Take Out,â&#x20AC;? where the customer calls in the order, pays with a credit card number or cash and stays in the vehicle as a waitperson brings the food to them in the car â&#x20AC;Ś It makes for happy customers â&#x20AC;Ś and jobs saved for the waitstaff.

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

46 |

APRIL 23 • 2020

you interested in stories of a particular synagogue? Did your grandfather serve in World War II? Was your mom or grandmotherr mactive in Hadassah? How about that summer camp you went to? The options are endless.

So, try entering your name or that of a family member in the search box. Be sure to use both formal and nicknames.

For example, if you were searching for “Bill” Berman, you would also find entries ies under Mandell Berman. If searching forr a ntly family business, try all variables. I recently wrote about Joe Cornell for the JN. While searching, I first entered “Joe Cornell.” I soon discovered that there was “Joe Cornell Entertainment” and “Joe Cornell School of Dance.” Names also change over the years.

Not everyone or everything will be found in the Archive, of course, but I’ll bet you will find something of interest. The Jewish News and the Jewish Chronicle covered a lot of stories over the past 100 years.

WARNING: Use of thee al William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit it can be addictive. Be prepared d to spend more time with it than you ever imagined (especially cially in our current stay-at-home ome mode.) Happy hunting!

MIKE

O

K. In the midst of the COVID-19 virus, you’ve been sheltering at home, unless you are an essential worker.

Even then, after work, you likely spend most of your time at home.

And, by now, you are tired of playing cards and board games, you have binge-watched television shows and movies, the linen closet is now in perfect order and all the tools on the work bench are in their proper places.

Everything that doesn’t move has been cleaned, and even if they do move around — like your kids — they’ve been scrubbed as well. But you are still a bit bored. What do you do now?

I have a solution for you, actually, a good activity — virus or not. Spend some time immersed Mike Smith Alene and in the wonders of the William Graham Landau Davidson Digital Archive of Archivist Chair Jewish Detroit History.

The Archive is online, free and very easy to use. Most of all, it is very personal, about you, your family and your community. It is a history of Jews at-large in Detroit and Michigan, but it is very likely that you will find stories of yourself and your family among the pages of the Archive. Finally, it is guaranteed to be easy and, most of all, lots of fun!

So, let’s begin. Go to the Jewish News Foundation website at djnfoundation.org.

Once there, click on the ”Archive” button. You will be asked to register, just basic information that we do not share with anyone.

After submitting your registration, click on “Enter the Archive.” You will see a search box. From there, it’s a very simple operation.

Type your search term into the search box. Be sure to place the search term within quotation marks. Hit the “Enter” button and you are on your way.

What to search for, you ask? Start with your family or yourself. Was there an announcement in JN for your bar/bat mitzvah or your graduation? Maybe Mom and Dad’s wedding?

A story about your grandfather or grandmother? Is there a family business? Or are

SMIT H

A Fun Activity

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thejewishnews.com/contribute In addition to contributing online, you may also send a contribution to: The Jewish News, 29200 Northwestern Highway #110, Southfield, MI 48034 APRIL 9 • 2020

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