DJN April 15, 2021 by The Detroit Jewish News

THE DETROIT

JEWISH NEWS

200 April 15-21, 2021 / 3-9 Iyar 5781

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A Glorious 60-Year Run

The Nederlanders sell the Fisher Theatre to a U.K. theater group. Page 35

MEREDITH COLBURN R E A L

E S T A T E

contents April 15-21, 2021 / 3-9 Iyar 5781 | VOLUME CLIX, ISSUE 11

12 PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11

Essays and viewpoints.

OUR COMMUNITY 12

Living Jewishly in the Heights

Madison Heights Jews are not so isolated as one might think.

24 MAZEL TOV! 26

Moments

For Family Discussion: The Consequences of Evil Speech

Torah portion

Preschool educator creates craft boxes to build skills for kids.

Synagogue Directory

Faces & Places: From Our Day Schools

ARTS&LIFE

Hebrew Free Loan Partners with Black Leaders Detroit

Art in a Box

HFL helps new nonprofit get off the ground.

‘Project Take-Out’

FRIENDS of JSL creates raffle of restaurant gift cards for residents.

SPORTS 24

Opening Day Drama

West Bloomfield High School junior is the winning pitcher and has a walk-off hit in the Lakers’ first game of the season.

Quick Hits

A Glorious, 60-Year Run

Dining in: The Flavors of Israel

Celebrity News

The Nederlanders sell the Fisher Theatre to a U.K. theater group.

Shabbat starts: Friday, April 16, 7:58 p.m. Saturday, April 17, 9:02 p.m. * Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

ON THE COVER: Cover photos/credits: Fisher Lobby: courtesy of Dig Downtown Detroit. Nedelander brothers: Courtesy of Fisher Theatre. Cover design: Michelle Sheridan

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EVENTS 41

Shabbat Lights

Shabbat ends:

SPIRIT 30

Community Calendar

ETC.

The Exchange Obituaries Raskin Looking Back

43 44 53 54

APRIL 15 • 2021

PURELY COMMENTARY essay

The Working Definition of Antisemitism Needs No Rewrite

ince 2005, government and nonprofit professionals tasked with combating antisemitism have championed the widespread recognition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Ira N. Forman Working Times of Israel Definition of Antisemitism. Prior to 2017, the IHRA Working Definition was largely uncontroversial in the United States except among pro-Palestinian activists and a few voices on the extreme left. However, during President Donald Trump’s term in office, the definition became more of a target for criticism. In the last few weeks, two alternative definitions have been proposed that seek to modify or replace IHRA. Both of these new definition projects — the Nexus Task Force out of the University of Southern California and the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA) — appear to have been motivated by how the Trump administration, as well as far-right organizations and individuals, employed IHRA. On a number of occasions, the Trump administration misrepresented the Working Definition. Jared Kushner, for instance, published an op-ed in the New York Times claiming that the Working Definition makes clear that “anti-Zionism is antisemitism.” This is

simply not true. Indeed, the document never even uses the word “Zionism.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was widely criticized for abusing IHRA by attempting to use it as a justification for designating three human rights organizations that have criticized Israel as antisemitic. However, it is important to recall that the IHRA definition was not a creation of the Trump administration. The original text of what became the “Working Definition” was drafted back in 2005 for the European Union’s Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. It was designed to respond to an emerging form of antisemitism, an antisemitism that utilized old anti-Jewish memes but substituted the word “Israel” or “Zionist” for the word “Jew.” (This form of antisemitism was notably present at the 2001 Durbin Conference.) Indeed, it was the Obama administration’s State Department that took a

leadership role in supporting a modified version — what is now the IHRA definition — in 2010. ANSWERING THE CRITICS Some of today’s critics of the IHRA definition believe that any definition of antisemitism should focus on right-wing nationalist antisemitism, believing that this is the only consequential form of hatred of Jews. However, such a position misreads the nature of contemporary antisemitism. Those who study the problem note that countries can have multiple forms of antisemitism that come from different ideological sources, and the predominant form can shift very quickly. The IHRA definition covers examples of antisemitism arising out of multiple sources — from the antisemitism that emanates from right-wing nationalist movements to that which comes from the extreme left. Some opponents of IHRA

protest that the definition equates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Such a claim, however, amounts to a misunderstanding of the document. While the definition lists a number of examples when criticism of Israel may be construed as antisemitic in nature, it clearly states that in all cases the context of the activity needs to be carefully considered. The Working Definition was not developed to be a blunt tool to curb criticism of Israel but rather to be a set of guidelines to help understand where speech or actions cross a line and can be construed as antisemitic. Furthermore, IHRA does not endorse the banning of speech, even speech that is critical or hostile to the State of Israel or Zionism. Nor do its main proponents in the United States — such as the major Jewish community organizations — advocate the abridgment of the First Amendment right to free speech, even for antisemitic speech. The JDA describes the IHRA definition as “unclear” and “widely open to different interpretations.” Yet one of the virtues of the Working Definition is that, precisely because it is open to some degree of interpretation (particularly interpretations based on careful consideration of context), it has been able to garner support from Jewish community organizations, governments, as well as a huge range of civil society insticontinued on page 8

APRIL 15 • 2021

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APRIL 15 • 2021

PURELY COMMENTARY essay

Writing Poetry Helps Me Process the Unspeakable Evils of the Holocaust GETTY IMAGES/JTA

ot long after the gruesome reality of the Holocaust had burst onto the world’s consciousness, the philosopher and social theorist Theodor Adorno famously observed in 1949 that writing poetry after Auschwitz was barbaric — Menachem Z. Rosensaft “nach Auschwitz Times of ein Gedicht zu Israel schreiben, ist barbarisch.” Less well known but equally insightful was Adorno’s subsequent conclusion, expressed in a 1966 radio address in Germany, that Auschwitz, itself, constituted nothing less

Barbed wire fence against a dark sky

than a “relapse into barbarism.” Adorno understood that the Shoah’s calculated, systematic savagery was an absolute deviation from the fundamental norms of civilization and civilized behavior. To be valid, any-

thing written or said about the Holocaust, whether in poetry or prose, must first and foremost encapsulate and reflect its barbaric essence. Aesthetic sensitivities and considerations must yield to the undeniable

absolute evil that sparked and perpetrated the genocide of European Jewry, requiring us to absorb and try to come to terms with the unprecedented, the unfathomable and, above all, the inexplicable. Perhaps the most cogent context for this inexorable immersion into the unknown was given by my late teacher and mentor Elie Wiesel, who explained in his essay “A Plea for the Dead” that “Auschwitz signifies not only the failure of two thousand years of Christian civilization, but also the defeat of the intellect that wants to find a Meaning — with a capital M — in history. What Auschwitz embodied had none.” continued on page 10

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APRIL 15 • 2021

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APRIL 15 • 2021

PURELY COMMENTARY

Sheik Jamal tends to the author’s accidental injury in Rahat, Israel, north of Beersheba.

guest column

ealing occurs only when we look at the other face-to-face. — The Zohar. Do we Jews in Israel truly wish for coexistence and mutual respect among all of Israel’s varied communities? If we do, we would do well to craft an appropriate Yakov Nagen response to MK Times of Mansour Abbas’ Israel groundbreaking April 1 speech. As head of the Islamic Movement’s Ra’am Party, Abbas reached out to the Jewish majority and called for partnership, tolerance and careful listening between the groups. Without wading into complex political questions, there is a need for Jewish leaders to reach out to the Arab community in Israel with warmth and openness and welcome them to participate fully in building a society that works for everyone. Such overtures can be difficult, stemming from profound differences in opinion between

the groups and from each side’s criticism of the other. Still, if we wait for perfection, for the problems and complexities to disappear, we will find ourselves waiting forever. Let us start instead from the opposite direction: “Connection before correction.” This apt expression, which I learned in an interfaith convention in Jordan, teaches that change can come about when we emphasize connection and communication. REJECT CYNICISM That said, many Jews distrust conciliatory speeches given by Arab leaders, suspecting that they are merely paying lip service to cooperation and masking their true intentions in order to achieve their political aims. It is easy to be cynical and wonder if their message in Arabic matches their friendly words in Hebrew or English. For many of us, it does not feel as though the other side is a genuine and sincere “partner.” But from years of personal experience with the Arab com-

TIMES OF ISRAEL

Let’s Heal the JewishArab Rift in Israel

munity, I can attest to their warmth and desire for connection with the Jewish community. Here are three pertinent examples, taken from my visits to Arab schools in Israel. Kafr Qasim is the birthplace of the Islamic Movement and remains a stronghold of the organization today. I visited the comprehensive high school there recently, at a recognition ceremony for students who participated in volunteer activities to help during the COVID-19 period. The students were touched that a rabbi had come, and every student awarded a certificate also had their picture taken with me. While there, I discussed the problem of religious violence with my friend Sheik Iyad Ammar, who is both the principal of the school and the Imam of Kafr Qasim. He

shared with me that when he delivered a sermon after the murder of Esther Horgan [the mother of six who was slain by a terrorist while hiking in a West Bank forest], he vigorously denounced the murder and declared to those assembled at the mosque that such a heinous act could never be Allah’s will. His speech followed in the footsteps of his teacher, Sheik Abdullah Namir Darwish, who founded the Islamic Movement in Israel and publicly condemned terror attacks. A second example, from the city of Rahat, whose comprehensive high school is the largest Arab school in the south, with over 1,000 students: Before the COVID-19 outbreak, my friend Sheik Jamal al-Ubara initiated a “Tolerance Day” there and invited me to participate along with representatives of continued on page 10

ANTISEMITISM continued from page 4

tutions in Europe and in the United States. The two new definitions raise issues worthy of consideration. But the guidelines they recommend represent the views of a smaller, mostly academic, constituency. Neither text provides a serious alternative to the IHRA definition, which, among its virtues, is also a succinct 580 words,

APRIL 15 • 2021

making it easily digested and utilized as a practical guide by law enforcement and other security officials. For those who have for years battled the scourge of antisemitism, IHRA has proven to be an essential tool. It has already been adopted by nearly 30 countries and hundreds of public and private institutions, such as univer-

sities, local governments and law enforcement agencies, and enjoys a degree of consensus that would be difficult or impossible for another instrument to achieve. There is no doubt that false and reckless charges of antisemitism are a hindrance to the battle against antisemitism. But rather than campaign for an alternative tool, those involved in the

fight should support the continued use of the IHRA Definition according to the manner in which it was originally drafted and adopted. Ira N. Forman served as the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism from 2013-2017. He is a former executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council.

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PURELY COMMENTARY WRITING POETRY continued from page 6 JTA

GIVING VOICE TO THE DEAD And yet, despite all these flashing yellow lights, I, the son of two survivors of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen who was born three years after the end of World War II in the displaced persons camp of Bergen-Belsen, long ago turned to expressing myself in poetry. Over the decades, I have tried to give voice to the dead in my poems, to comfort ghosts and to provide a memorial to the millions who have none. A collection of these writings, Poems Born in BergenBelsen, is being published this month by Kelsay Books to coincide with Yom HaShoah, the Jewish day of remembrance for Holocaust victims on April 8, and the anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen on April 15, 1945. For me, conceptualizing my poems is often simultaneously a refuge and an escape. An escape from the realm of conventional human experience into a parallel internal reality. And a refuge where amorphous phantasmagoric thoughts and images emerge sufficiently from their nebulous twilight to allow me to express them, however inadequately, in words.

“Psalm 121 on Fire” by Menachem Rosensaft

THE NEED FOR POETRY We need poems, songs and parables. We need a Kafkaesque, morbid language of dreams and nightmares to be able to penetrate the nocturnal universe of Auschwitz and Birkenau, of Treblinka, Majdanek and BergenBelsen, of Belzec, Chelmno, Sobibor

and Terezin, of the Warsaw Ghetto, Transnistria and Babi Yar. A sparse inscription on a Birkenau barrack wall forces us to identify with its author without knowing anything else about him: “Andreas Rapaport — lived sixteen years.” Aware that he was about to die, a Jewish teenager tried to leave a sign, a memory of his existence on Earth. Without pathos, without selfpity, Andreas Rapaport was the author of his own eulogy, his own Kaddish: “Andreas Rapaport — lived sixteen years. Andreas Rapaport — abandoned, alone, afraid. Andreas Rapaport — hungry, in pain. Andreas Rapaport — gasfilled lungs. Andreas Rapaport — incinerated, black smoke, ashes.” In “Under Your White stars,” Avraham Sutzkever, the Yiddish poet of the Vilna Ghetto, wrote, “stretch out to me Your white hand. My words are tears that want to rest in Your hand.” It is the beginning of a monologue addressed to God that never turns into a dialogue because there is no response. Against a “murderous calm” that permeated the precarious existence of the ghetto’s inhabitants, the narrator writes: “I run higher, over rooftops, and I search: Where are You? Where?” The poems written by Sutzkever and other poets in the ghettos and even in the Nazi death and concentration camps were their way of refusing to become dehumanized, of defying their

LET’S HEAL continued from page 8

the other three Abrahamic religions: Muslims, Christians and Druze. We visited every classroom and spoke out against violence, in the name of our faiths. We also led discussions with the students about mutual respect among the religions. The principal met with the 12th graders and shared with them his opinion that what is important to God is not primarily which religion you belong to, but how you choose to behave and live.

APRIL 15 • 2021

At the end of the event, we planted a giant olive tree at the entrance to the campus, and I was given the honor of putting up the sign next to the tree. Unfortunately, when I got up, I bumped my head on a branch and was slightly injured. Sheik Jamal quipped, “Uh oh, when people see you, they’ll say, ‘Look what happens when you go to an Arab city!’” WHERE IT ALL BEGAN On another visit, this time to an

Arab school in the Galilean village of Kafr Rama, I asked the children if they could answer a question that has bothered me for some time: Israel is so small that its name doesn’t fit on maps of the Middle East. Its land is geographically insignificant. And while the number of people killed and injured due to the Arab-Israeli conflict looms large here, it is negligible compared to conflicts in other regions. If so, why is the whole world

focused on this tiny area of the globe? The children answered simply, “Everyone knows that everything started here.” Indeed, the Abrahamic religions, which are all inspired by events that took place here, in the Land of Israel, more than 3,000 years ago, account for the majority of the world’s population. The children of Kafr Rama spoke about the past, but we can complete their thought: In the very place where it all started, we must look for a way to

oppressors and remaining sane in a world gone mad. Upon arrival at AuschwitzBirkenau on the night of Aug. 3-4, 1943, a little boy named Benjamin was separated from his mother and sent directly into a gas chamber with his father and grandparents. Benjamin was my half-brother. Even though my mother rarely spoke about him, I know that she thought of him every day of her life. Since her death in 1997, Benjamin has continued to exist within me. I see his face in my mind, try to imagine his voice, his fear as the gas chamber doors slammed shut, his final tears. If I were to forget him, he would disappear. And I write about him so that my grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren in turn, will remember Benjamin as well. My poems are my legacy to them. Menachem Z. Rosensaft is associate executive vice president and general counsel of the World Jewish Congress and teaches about the law of genocide at the law schools of Columbia and Cornell Universities. He is the author of Poems Born in Bergen-Belsen.

tackle today’s challenges. I believe that among both Jews and Arabs, “partners” do exist, people who believe that despite our differences and our disagreements we can forge a path to coexistence and mutual respect. But we need more such people, many more. Join us!

EDUCATE. INCLUDE. EMPOWER.

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Yakov Nagen is director of Ohr Torah Stone’s Blickle Institute for Interfaith Dialogue and the Beit Midrash for Judaism and Humanity.

APRIL 15 • 2021

OUR COMMUNITY

Volunteers at the Madison Heights Food Pantry

Living Jewishly in the Heights

spent the week before Rosh Hashanah in a bit of a funk,” says Madison Heights Mayor Roslyn Grafstein, who last August was appointed to the city’s top position. “I was missing my mom and my family a bit more than usual.” Her non-Jewish neighbors didn’t have any firsthand knowledge of Rosh Hashanah. Yet, they figured out a way to help Grafstein celebrate her Mayor most memorable Jewish New Roslyn Year. Grafstein Before COVID, Grafstein, a Toronto native, crossed the border frequently to visit loved ones in Canada. Last year, she planned to return for a birthday celebration, Rosh Hashanah and Chanukah. All three trips were canceled because, due to COVID, the borders closed for nonessential travel. Grafstein hasn’t seen her mom or her siblings since December 2019. “My neighbor asked me what I missed, other than my family; I told her it was the shofar and the songs,” Grafstein says. “She invited some of our non-Jewish neighbors to her house for a bonfire and an outside Rosh Hashanah celebration. She read the children a Rosh Hashanah book she found at the library. We ate cut apples drizzled in honey, listened to Avinu Malkeinu on her phone. Her daughter sounded the shofar from church. I have never celebrated in that way before, but I will never forget the feeling of welcome that I felt.”

APRIL 15 • 2021

Madison Heights Jews are not so isolated as one might think. JENNIFER LOVY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Spanning seven square miles, Madison Heights borders Warren, Hazel Park, Royal Oak and Troy. With approximately 30,000 residents, the Jewish population is tiny, numbering only a couple hundred. “I don’t know many Jewish people are living here,” says Sean Fleming, a 49-yearold retired army veteran now working in telecommunications. He moved from Oak Park to Madison Heights in 1997. “It’s not a far-fetched idea. They just aren’t like ‘here I am.’” The Jews who call Madison Heights home say they love where they live for various reasons, including the city services, friendly neighbors and convenient location near I-75. Grafstein, 50, came to Michigan in 2004 because she “met a guy from Detroit.” That guy, Scott McGuire, is now her husband, and he purchased a house in Madison Heights a year before she left Toronto. “Madison Heights is not the bastion of the Jewish people — there aren’t a whole lot of us here, but my job is to represent everybody,” says Grafstein, who is most likely the city’s first Jewish mayor. Elected to city council in 2017, she was appointed mayor after her predecessor became a judge. “I’m probably not what most people think of when they hear of a foreign-born, non-Christian,” says the former Torontonian. When constituents hear their mayor is Jewish, they may be surprised

because of the low Jewish presence in the city, according to Grafstein. A 2018 Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit population study showed 221 Jewish households in Madison Heights, comprising just .7% of the city’s population. IMPACT NOT SMALL Amanda Stein, a clinical social worker, wife and mother of three, had an emergency food pantry up and running almost immediately after realizing the community would need assistance due to the financial strains of COVID. Stein thought of creating the food pantry last March, the same night schools across the state closed for in-person learning. During the first nine months of operation, it served an estimated 12,000 people, raised

Amanda Stein started the Food Pantry when the pandemic hit.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMANDA STEIN

Amanda Stein (center) and some of the team at the Madison Heights Emergency Pantry (MHEP)

more than $30,000, and distributed roughly 25 tons of food, hygiene and cleaning items. Over the last year, Stein and a team of volunteers turned what was supposed to be a temporary endeavor into a permanent, nonprofit organization. Stein no longer serves as the executive director because of the time commitment but is still very involved. She also sits on the city’s Human Relations and Equity Commission, a newly created committee formed to review city policies and advise council on ways to make Madison Heights a more equitable community. “The pandemic brought to light the social and racial inequities in this country, and that’s really the reason why we started the group,” Grafstein says. “We want to make sure that everybody feels safe and included.” The commission held its first meeting in September. Based on a commission recommendation, the city council approved a proclamation recognizing International Holocaust Remembrance Day in January. Commissioners successfully recommended council pass a resolution eliminating gender identity questions on city forms. They also asked the council to request that the state of Michigan remove gender designations from state applications to prevent discrimination. With similar success, the commission’s request for a Juneteenth event to celebrate the emancipation of those

Sean and Alison Fleming and their daughter Natalie.

enslaved in the United States was granted. When Fleming heard the city was looking for residents to sit on this commission, he jumped at the opportunity. He was one of approximately a dozen to apply and one of seven appointed. “I have a deep sense of pride in being Jewish, and I wanted our religion and culture to be represented in our city,” says Fleming, who is a member of Oak Park’s Congregation Beth Shalom with his wife, Alison. SEARCHING FOR JEWS Since 1982, many Jewish families living along both the I-75 and Woodward corridors have found a spiritual home at Congregation Shir Tikvah, a Reform/ Renewal synagogue in Troy — the only synagogue in northern Oakland County. In addition, in September 2019, Rabbi Menachem Caytak and his wife, Chana, opened the Chabad Jewish Center of Troy to find and connect with Jewish families in the area. While much of their focus is on Troy, so far, they’ve met “a couple dozen” Jewish families in Madison Heights. His hope is to create a framework so that a Chabad center can also open in Madison Heights. To identify Jews living in cities that don’t have a Jewish infrastructure, Caytak says he and a group of volunteers help make hundreds of cold calls. When the weather cooperates, they go knocking on doors.

Noah Schechter, 32, was shocked to see two guys with yarmulkes standing on his porch last summer. His visitors told him that they had been to a couple hundred homes that day and came across one other Jewish family. Schechter and his wife, Elissa, belong to Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township. But, once COVID restrictions become more relaxed, they hope to participate in some of Chabad’s in-person programming. Noah grew up in Huntington Woods and works as a new car salesman. Elissa is from Birmingham. She taught at Temple Beth El, but during the pandemic, she started a tutoring business. continued on page 14

Rabbi Menachem and Chana Caytak with their daughter Chaya Mushka in 2019 APRIL 15 • 2021

OUR COMMUNITY Tih Penfil

“I THINK CAMP GAVE THEM THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE TO EXPLAIN TO THEIR CLASSMATES WHAT BEING JEWISH MEANS.”

FACEBOOK

— AMANDA STEIN

continued from page 13

When the Schechters were looking to buy a home three years ago, they searched in Oak Park, Farmington Hills and Birmingham. Madison Heights really wasn’t on their radar, but the young couple looked there anyway. They were swayed by Moses, their 60-plus pound red standard poodle. The dog went house hunting with them and loved the backyard. At first, his owners weren’t crazy about living further away from family members but say they compromised because of the beautiful yard (they liked the rest of the house, too). The neighborhood, Schechter says, reminds him of Huntington Woods. “When we’re out walking our dog, everyone wants to stop and have a conversation. We’ve met tons of people here and had only positive interactions. I can’t say that about anywhere I’ve ever lived,” says Schechter, who has been a resident of Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Farmington Hills and Southfield. He also spent a year in Israel. The only downside, according to Schechter, is the small number of fellow adherents. “We wish we had more Jews around.” The couple hopes to start a family soon. Schechter has concerns about raising children in an area where they could be the only Jewish students in the class. He recalls being the only Jewish kid in his eighthgrade class at Clarenceville Middle School in Livonia. “I don’t look forward to my kids going through it, but it’s something that can make you stronger, and it’s kind of how the world is. It will definitely set them up for what’s to come,” he says, adding that while it will be a challenge, he still sees it as a positive and not something he and his wife will shy away

APRIL 15 • 2021

from. It’s something Stein’s three children, ages 11, 13 and 14, currently experience as the only kids in their respective classes who identify as Jewish. When religion comes up in conversation, they are comfortable discussing their Jewish identity. “Attending Camp Tamarack was an exciting way for them to gain a perspective and an understanding of Judaism,” says Stein, who moved to Madison Heights 11 years ago with her husband, Ken, because of its proximity to his job and her school at the time. “I think camp gave them the knowledge and experience to explain to their classmates what being Jewish means.” ‘LIKE A MINI-U.N.’ Location was a large factor in drawing others to Madison Heights as well. Tih (pronounced T) Penfil moved there in 2000 after accepting a job as an art therapist and special education teacher in the Warren Consolidated School District. When Penfil first moved into her 1,200-square-foot ranch, she put up a Happy Chanukah sign in her window. One neighbor asked what Chanukah was, innocently mispronouncing the word. She and another neighbor became friends and now celebrate each other’s holidays together. Others occasionally ask for advice and information because they have a relative who married someone Jewish. “My street is like a mini-United Nations,” says Penfil, who retired from teaching six years ago and currently works as a photographer. “We all help each other out.” Once, a neighbor she didn’t know well reached out to her with concerns over the sounds coming from her air conditioner unit. He correctly suggested fixing it as soon as possible. Penfil is 67 and has been active in the Jewish community for as long as she can remember. Currently, she volunteers at Yad Ezra and co-chairs a Chanukah gift drive at her synagogue, Congregation Shir Tikvah.

She is also involved with helping out when the shul partners with South Oakland Shelter and becomes a temporary homeless shelter for one week during the year. Even though she doesn’t live in a Jewish area, Penfil feels connected to the Jewish community. She is part of a group of women who, before COVID, met monthly for Shabbat dinners. Now, the dozen-plus women gather every Friday night on Zoom. Three live in Madison Heights, but the rest are from neighboring cities such as Southfield and Royal Oak. The ability to connect virtually has also helped Jews from areas like Madison Heights integrate with the greater Jewish community. According to Federation President Matthew Lester, “A silver lining of the pandemic has been our utilization of virtual platforms to maintain connections during a historically difficult time. “Even as we begin to consider postCOVID opportunities to gather again in person, we recognize the convenience of Zoom and other online platforms. Going forward, virtual events will be an asset in engaging Jews in the farthest corners of our region.” Even when those “far away” are just next door in Madison Heights.

Elissa and Noah Schechter and their dog Moses, who “chose” their home

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Jamie Gans

Art in a Box Preschool educator creates craft boxes to build skills for kids. SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

hile so many pandemic educators turned to computer platforms, one early childhood specialist began thinking outside the digital box and developed learning experiences that fit inside a plastic box. Jamie Gans, who grew up in Michigan and taught preschool classes in New York for 11 years, returned home to Franklin for isolation and came up with activities she packaged together according to different themes. Marketing each container as a Busy Box 4 Kids, Gans planned experiences so youngsters could have fun with arts and crafts while enhancing their motor skills and hand-eye coordination to prepare for kindergarten.

APRIL 15 • 2021

Gans has used social media and direct contacts to sell some 200 boxes that span the themes of rainbows, winter and spring. Each box is personalized with the child’s name prominent on the outside. “Every box has 10-15 skillbased activities,” said Gans, who has worked closely with youngsters ages 2-5. “They’re learning while doing but not necessarily knowing what they’re learning. I know what they’ve learned because I planned it all that way.” Each activity comes in its own plastic bag with adult directions on what is to be done and an explanation of what is to be accomplished. Glue, tweezers and other necessities also are included, and some activities can be enjoyed repeatedly.

One activity, for example, has youngsters adhering colored stickers to the appropriate colors on a rainbow. “I love all the different projects,” said Karen Kelman of West Bloomfield, who looks after a 3-year-old grandson and heard about the boxes from a friend. “Everything is super colorful and purposeful. I have seen the progression as he repeats the activities.” Kelman is also impressed with the way her grandson is learning to be neat by putting the activities back into the right plastic bags. Lacey Foon of Bloomfield Hills, the mom of 2-year-old twins Phoebe and Eloise, was researching activities when she came upon the boxes. “The girls love the arts and crafts,” said Foon, who realized that what was being learned through the boxed activities was being applied to other developmental growth. “They liked doing the activities together, and they learned off of each other.” Morgan Kaufman of Birmingham has bought all of the boxes for 2-year-old Sophie. Mom and daughter became acquainted with Gans through a home-based preschool group of four that Gans was teaching during the pandemic. “These boxes have been fun ways for me to interact and engage with my daughter,” Kaufman said. “I enjoy watching her accomplishments and the way she is learning to organize.” Gans, 33, who graduated from Andover High School and attended services at Temple Beth El, spent summers at Camp Walden, first as a camper and later as a counselor, extending her interest in youngsters. At the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Gans majored in child development and had field experiences in

schools and day care centers. After graduation, she moved to New York, where she could be with college friends. While maintaining work as a synagogue teacher, she earned a master’s degree that spanned early childhood learning, both for general studies and special education, from Bank Street College of Education. HELPING CHILDREN “In early childhood, you find out if a child is struggling or has a developmental need,” said Gans, who will be remaining in Michigan as educational director at the new Lamplighters Preschool, opening this fall in Royal Oak with Chabad sponsorship. “In early childhood, brains have the most plasticity, and that’s when you can see the most change. I’m a huge advocate for students with special needs, and I have worked with therapists in order to best support special needs students in my classrooms.” Gans, whose resume includes positions at many New York preschools, including Shaaray Tefila Nursery School and the Acorn School, counts some of her most impressive experiences at the My Little School (Chabad of Tribeca) located in lower Manhattan. “Most of the families were actually Reform or Conservative, and it was a warm and accepting community dedicated to families and children,” Gans said. “That is the community we are looking for in the Royal Oak preschool.” More information on continuing and upcoming boxes are available on the Gans website, busybox4kids.com. The next box will have the theme of animals, and she intends to design boxes for specific Jewish holidays.

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From Our Day Schools Students at Metro Detroit Jewish day schools are keeping busy and doing all sorts of great things. Here’s just a sample. Chidon Ziyonut at Farber

Farber Hebrew Day School students recently enjoyed Chidon Ziyonut, a program run by the school’s Bnei Akiva Shlichim. Over the weeks leading up to Yom HaAtzmaut, Farber students have learned about the State of Israel by interactive activities. There were small presentations and plays, such as a re-enactment of the first Zionist Congress and a play about David Ben-Gurion and his life leading up to the establishment of the State of Israel.

Re-enacting life of David Ben-Gurion

COURTESY OF FARBER

FHDS Middle School students at model Zionist congress

Eighthgrader Eliana Jacobs

Elishama Ellis, Sophia Smith and Esti Mizrahi

Passover Bingo at FJA As part of the BetterTogether in a Box program, Frankel Jewish Academy students and Jewish Senior Life participants kicked off Passover with Passover Bingo, created by the students. Each resident also received a unique picture frame decorated by their buddy to brighten up their day. COURTESY OF FJA JSL-FJA Passover Bingo

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michprobate.com Hillel Day School’s Battle of the Books Fifth graders at Hillel competed in a digital “Battle of the Books” last month. Each team created a digital poster, a team motto in both English and Hebrew, and established team colors. Students had four weeks to collectively read 21 books. Several students read more than 10, some read 15 and some students even read all 21. COURTESY OF HILLEL

Fifth-graders at Hillel participate in the Battle of the Books.

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n a showing of cross-community collaboration, Hebrew Free Loan (HFL) is helping Black Leaders Detroit (BLD) create a no-interest loan program to help Detroit’s Black community in ways it’s helped Detroit’s Jewish community for more than 100 years. David Contorer, executive director of HFL, and Dwan Dandridge, CEO of BLD, met each other in late 2019 at Durfee Innovation Society, a Detroit opportunity hub. Their similar mission to provide capital to people who couldn’t get it, whether they’re Jewish or Black, is what connected them, Contorer said. The two exchanged contact info and have been in touch regularly ever since. “I loved it right away,” Contorer said of the part-

nership idea. “We are in-mission focused solely on Jewish recipients of our loans, but it’s not a model I want to keep in a petri dish. I’m always looking to share things that work with other communities.” BLD, a charitable organization launched in 2019, seeks to provide no-interest loans to Black entrepreneurs in Detroit. “Realizing HFL has been providing no-interest loans in the Jewish community for 125 years, it only made sense for us to look at a blueprint that’s been successful,” Dandridge said. “They’ve been amazing as far as being welcoming to us and being an open book, answering any questions.” BLD may tweak their loan program to fit the community they serve, but HFL gives

them a pattern to follow. “We don’t have to recreate the wheel. There’s a wheel that already exists,” Dandridge said. Noticing the burgeoning partnership, the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation gave a grant to support the BLD and HFL partnership. Doug Bitonti Stewart, executive director of the foundation and a mutual friend of Contorer and Dandridge, was key in the process. Contorer recalled, “As I met with Dwan, Doug found out about it and said, ‘I’m so glad you guys have connected. You two should be working together, and we’re a Foundation that’s going to be first in the water to support your efforts.’” Contorer added, “The Fisher Foundation made a significant grant and will continue to make significant grants to BLD to support [Dwan’s] capacity and encourage the ongoing relationship between Dwan and me and the sharing of knowledge in the partnership. [Dandridge] is like we were in 1895. He’s just getting his sea legs and putting things together.” Contorer hopes to eventually see serious numbers of Black business owners going to BLD for interest-free loans to start up and expand their businesses. Dandridge hopes this partnership is a sign of more collaboration between the Jewish and Black communities. “I would love to see our communities step out of the norm and find other ways to partner,” Dandridge said. “I think a lot of our problems could be solved by expanding our networks.”

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‘Project Take-Out’ FRIENDS of JSL creates raffle of restaurant gift cards for residents. ALAN MUSKOVITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

FRIENDS

ick a card, “Project Takeany card. Out” is the brainPart of a child of FRIENDS magic trick? Nope, of Jewish Senior Life but it is part of the Director Leslie Katz, magic being generwho was inspired by ated by a wonderful a story she saw on new program by NBC’s Today Show. FRIENDS of Jewish “The program Senior Life (JSL) to focuses on comJSL Senior Life munity supporting support both local Director Leslie Katz community,” Katz restaurants and the holding donated restaurant gift cards says. “We’re asking senior residents for Project Take-Out. the community at who reside on the large to rally togethJSL’s Oak Park and West Bloomfield campuses. The er and purchase gift cards or gift certificates from local program coincides with April restaurants, at an amount of National Volunteer Month.

MELANIE

their choosing, to donate to our JSL community.” JSL residents simply need to register within their community to have their names go into a bin to be eligible to win one of the gift cards during a weekly raffle. The lucky entrant for that week gets to pick the restaurant of their choice among the remaining gift cards. This is truly a win-win situation. Project Take-Out generates much needed business for restaurants who have struggled mightily during the pandemic while enriching the lives of the most vulnerable older adults of the JSL’s communities, the majority of whom have experienced tremendous isolation both physically and emotionally because of COVID restrictions. But wait, there’s more! While in-restaurant dining is opening more, many of JSL’s independent residents are still favoring carryout. To that end,

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Katz says that winning gift card holders need not worry about how their winning meal will get to them. “If a resident doesn’t drive or a restaurant doesn’t deliver,” says Katz, “we’re blessed to be able to call upon our army of dedicated FRIENDS of JSL volunteers to ensure a safe door-to-door drop-off.” Katz also reminds the community that “JSL is home to residents of all faiths and beliefs. So we definitely welcome and encourage gifts cards from restaurants that offer kosher and non-kosher foods.” Purchased gift cards or certificates can be mailed to JSL, 6710 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, attn: Leslie Katz; or dropped off at the front desk at the same address. For more information or to be a volunteer delivery person for “Project Take-Out,” email Leslie Katz at lkatz@jslmi. org or call (248) 321-1437.

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HMD Has Fun at Road Rally ADI SIEGMANN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

MAY 3 | 2021 7:30 - 8:30 PM

Adi Siegmann, Ian Zerkel and Joe Yusubov.

In the past year, figuring out how to create engaging programs for college students like me has been difficult. Safely getting together continues to be a challenge due to COVID-19. This winter, the staff at Hillel of Metro Detroit (HMD) came up with a creative idea to get outside while being safe. On Feb. 28, HMD hosted a Road Rally Scavenger Hunt in the Ferndale area. Students signed up in pods to work together either in person or online. Once everyone gathered outside at Harding Park, each group was given a different clue in the form of a riddle and a sheet with bonus point activities. The event took students from various locations, including Yad Ezra, Detroit Axe and Dunkin Donuts. With short time-limits, students darted across town cracking riddles to get to the next location all while doing random tasks like creating TikToks and taking pictures with dogs, murals and garden gnomes. The top three groups got prizes, but everyone was a winner. Adi Siegmann is a Wayne State University student majoring in psychology. Adi is also a Hillel Applebaum Family Intern.

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Opening Day Drama

West Bloomfield High School junior is the winning pitcher and has a walk-off hit in the Lakers’ first game of the season.

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ANDREW WEISS

Who is that masked man? West Bloomfield baseball player Josh Weiss.

better script couldn’t have been written. On opening day, in the first game for new West Bloomfield High School baseball coach Josh Birnberg and the first game played on the Lakers’ new turf field, West Bloomfield beat Lincoln Park 3-2 in extra innings. Josh Weiss had a starring role in the production. In his first varsity game, the junior third baseman-pitcher was the winning pitcher, and he had a walk-off hit in the bottom of the eighth inning. After entering the game in the bottom of the seventh and getting an infield hit, Weiss pitched the top of the eighth and faced just three Lincoln Park batters. He fanned two

quick hits

BY STEVE STEIN

A Rapid Recovery in Rapid City for Hockey Hopeful Eric Israel

ric Israel is back on the ice. The 26-yearold Rapid City (S.D.) Rush defenseman from Huntington Woods suffered a torn MCL in his left knee Dec. 12 in the Rush’s second game of the season, but he returned to action Feb. 13 for the ECHL team. “I put in lots of hours of rehab at our physical therapy place,” Israel said. “The knee

APRIL 15 • 2021

feels good. I tweak it once in a while — my knee lets me know it doesn’t like what I’m doing — but I’m healthy.” Israel had played in eight games this season as of mid-March. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder’s lone two points came on a pair of assists after he returned from his injury. In 52 games last year with the Rush, Israel’s first season as a professional hockey

and one was retired on a groundout. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, Weiss drove the ball on a couple hops to the fence in left-center, setting off a dog pile celebration with his teammates. “In shock. I had just gotten into the game in the previous inning after warming up to pitch a couple times,” is how Weiss described his emotions in the immediate aftermath of his game-winning single. Coach Birnberg, 25, a former West Bloomfield baseball star who was the starting shortstop for the Lakers four years and captain for two years before graduating in 2014, lost his first season as the West Bloomfield baseball coach last year.

The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out high school spring sports across the state before Birnberg could even run a practice with his team. “I’d loved to have beaten Lincoln Park 10-0, but what happened was the next best thing,” he said. “What a perfect way to start the season on our new field.” Perfect is a good way to describe West Bloomfield’s pitching against Lincoln Park in the March 26 game. Three Lakers pitchers including Weiss did not allow a hit. Weiss’ good friend Matt Fountain came on in the second inning and threw six innings with 10 strikeouts and just one walk. Lincoln Park scored once in

player, he had one Israel was signed by the ECHL’s Fort Wayne goal and 16 assists. (Ind.) Comets before Israel, a Berkley High School graduate, the 2019-20 season has an impressive but after playing in two hockey background. pre-season games for He played in the the Comets, he was Eric Israel Honey Baked youth traded to the Rush for travel hockey program in future considerations. The ECHL is one step the Detroit area, winning below the American Hockey back-to-back national League, the NHL’s top feeder championships, before league. The Rush is an affilplaying junior hockey for iated of the NHL’s Arizona the Brockville (Ont.) Braves of the Central Canada Coyotes. Hockey League for two The 2020-21 began in seasons and Division I December so pandemic prohockey at Robert Morris tocols could be put in place, University, located outside and the season will continue Pittsburgh, Pa. until early summer.

ANDREW WEISS

invest in a brighter future

Josh Weiss (5-8) and his good friend Matt Fountain (6-7) each stood tall for the West Bloomfield baseball team in the Lakers’ seasonopening win over Lincoln Park.

the first and once in the second. West Bloomfield scored twice in the first. The game stayed tied 2-2 until Weiss’ timely hit ended the nonleague battle. Weiss would have been on the West Bloomfield junior varsity baseball team to start last season. Instead of being angry about losing the season to the pandemic, the right-handed thrower and batter went to work. “I trained hard and this past winter, I got in some great practices with my new travel baseball team, the

Detroit Metro Stars,” said Weiss, who is on the Metro Stars’ 16U Red team. Weiss, 16, has been playing travel baseball since he was 12. West Bloomfield lost 3-2 to non-league opponent Utica Ford on March 29 in its next game after beating Lincoln Park. Then the Lakers took a week off from competition for spring break. “Two one-run games in our first two games. We won one and lost one,” Birnberg said. “That’s baseball. You can’t get too high or too low.”

No Missing Links for the B’nai B’rith Golf League

GARY KLINGER

It’s getting close to tee-off time for the B’nai B’rith golf league. There’s a full house once again, with 24 golfers, 12 teams of two, ready to do battle each week at the Links of Novi, the league’s home course for several years. “We had to turn people away,” Jeff Vieder tees said league spokesman Gary off at the Links of Novi during Klinger. “We can’t have any more the 2019 teams because we play in the B’nai B’rith late afternoon ... It would be too golf league season. dark to finish early and late in the season.” Tee times for the nine-hole rounds range from 5:32 to 6:06 p.m. Opening day is April 29. Competition will continue each Thursday for 17 weeks.

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APRIL 15 • 2021

MAZEL TOV! Cooper Bishop, son of proud parents, Jacalyn and Ken Bishop, will chant from the Torah and lead the Temple Kol Ami congregation as he becomes a bar mitzvah on Saturday, April 17, 2021. He is the grandson of Joani and James Lesser, and Rosemarie Bishop. Cooper is the younger brother of Jace and older brother of Addelyn. Cooper is a seventh-grader at Berkshire Middle School in Birmingham. For his mitzvah project, he participated in Service with Purpose through the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

Saturday, April 17, 2021. She will be joined in celebration by her proud parents, Hilary and Seth Golden, and sisters Gemma and Giuliana. Gabriella is the loving grandchild of Barbara Snitz, the late Stanley Snitz, and Shelley and Richard Golden, and great-grandchild of Ray Epstein. She is a student at West Hills Middle School in Bloomfield Hills. For her mitzvah project, Gabriella organized a successful fundraiser for the Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center. This cause is exceptionally meaningful as Gabriella suffers from food allergies and would like to help find a cure.

Spencer Dane Columbus (Dvir Yisrael) of Commerce, became a bar mitzvah on Feb. 6, 2021, at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills. His proud parents are Stacey and Ryan Columbus. He is the brother of Mallory and Samantha Columbus. Kvelling grandparents are Bernie Levine of West Bloomfield, Sandy Conway of Farmington Hills, and Debbie and Gary Columbus of Bonita Springs, Fla. Spencer attends Clifford Smart Middle School in Commerce. For his mitzvah project, he raised funds for breast cancer research through the Susan G. Komen Foundation in memory of his grandma Patty Levine.

Gabrielle Ilise Jerome will lead the congregation in prayer on the occasion of her bat mitzvah at Temple Israel on Saturday, April 17, 2021. She will be joined in celebration by her proud parents, Julie and Allan Jerome, and brother Jordan. Gabrielle is the loving grandchild of Lola and the late Irven Jerome, and the late Ilene and Gerald Morgan. Gabrielle is a student at West Bloomfield Middle School. For her most meaningful mitzvah project, she will be donating her hair to Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan. Sam Ryan Nathan will become a bar mitzvah at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills on Saturday, April 17, 2021. He will be joined by his proud parents, Alyse and Howard Nathan, and brother Henry. He is the grandson of the late Sheila and the late Sidney Cohen, the late Audrey and the late

Gabriella Jayde Golden will lead the congregation in prayer as she becomes a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on

APRIL 15 • 2021

Herbert Nathan. Sam is student at Warner Middle School in Farmington Hills. For his mitzvah project, he will be raising money and participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s this fall in memory of his grandfather Sid and his grandmother Audrey. Isabella Jane Perica, daughter of Lana and Steve Perica, will chant from the Torah on the occasion of her bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Saturday, April 17, 2021. She will be joined in celebration by her sister Vanessa and proud grandparents Anna and Vladimir Goldstein, and Maryanne and Stan Perica. Isabella is a student at West Hills Middle School in Bloomfield Hills. As part of her most meaningful mitzvah project, she volunteered for Building Beds 4 Kids, which provides basic beds, bedding and mattresses to kids in need in the Metropolitan Detroit area. Dakodah Elissa Schaefer, daughter of Jennifer and Irwin Schaefer, will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, April 17, 2021, at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. She will be joined in celebration by her siblings Carson and Brandon (Kaylee). Dakodah is the loving grandchild of Annette and the late Donald Schaefer, Deborah Decent and the late Michael Saylor. She is a student at Clifford H. Smart Middle School in Commerce Township. For her most meaningful mitzvah project, Dakodah organized a bottle drive and fundraiser to raise money

for Oakland County Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center. Hayden Andrew Schwartzenfeld (Chaim Ariel) of Bloomfield Hills will lead the congregation in prayer and chant Torah on his bar mitzvah at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield on Saturday, April 17, 2021. He is the son of proud parents, Loren and Dr. David Schwartzenfeld. He will be joined in celebration by his sister Reyna. Hayden is the loving grandson of the late Heather and Stan Kirschner, and Karen and Steven Schwartzenfeld. He is a student at West Hills Middle School in Bloomfield Hills. Hayden volunteers weekly at the West Bloomfield-based Friendship Circle as part of his mitzvah project. Aidan Joseph Squarcia, son of Lisa Squarcia, will lead the congregation in prayer as he becomes a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, April 16, 2021. He will be joined in celebration by his siblings Austin, Giuseppe “Joe,” Lina, Sophia and Derrick (Anya). Aidan is the loving grandchild of Marie and Bob Williams, and great-grandchild of Nanci and the late Jerry Weisman, and the late Giuseppe Squarcia. Aidan attends Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills. Among his many mitzvah projects, hew found it most meaningful to organize a sock drive for Common Ground to help raise awareness of this community service organization.

Austin James Squarcia, son of Lisa Squarcia, will celebrate his bar mitzvah on Friday, April 16, 2021, at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. He will be joined in celebration by his siblings Aidan, Giuseppe “Joe,” Lina, Sophia and Derrick (Anya). He is the loving grandchild of Marie and Bob Williams, and great-grandchild of Nanci and the late Jerry Weisman, and the late Giuseppe Squarcia. Austin is a student at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills. As part of his most meaningful mitzvah project, he organized a sock drive to benefit Common Ground, an Oakland County nonprofit which comes to the aid of those experiencing a crisis.

Giuseppe “Joe” Tyler Squarcia will chant from the Torah on the occasion of his bar mitzvah on Friday, April 16, 2021, at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. He will be joined in celebration by his proud parent, Lisa Squarcia, and his siblings Austin, Aidan, Lina, Sophia and Derrick (Anya). He is the great-grandchild of Nanci and the late Jerry Weisman, the late Giuseppe Squarcia, and Angeline and the late Paul Sweeney, Joe is a student at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills. His most meaningful mitzvah project involved organizing a sock drive for Common Ground to raise awareness of its service to the community.

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APRIL 15 • 2021

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SPIRIT

For

Family

Discussion

The consequences of evil speech.

ccording to the Sages, Tazria and Metzora are about the power of speech to heal or harm. These parshiyot deal at length with tsaraat, the skin condition that was a punishment for lashon hara, evil speech. The word metzora, meaning, one who was suffering from this condition, was, 1. Why do you think the rabbis said that the Sages said, a shortened version of the lashon hara also harms the person phrase motzi shem ra, one who says bad speaking it and the person listening to it? things about another person (slander). They proved this from the case of Miriam 2. Have you ever seen hateful speech on who spoke badly about Moses, and then social media. How did it make you feel? Rabbi Lord suffered tsaraat as a result (Bamidbar 12). Jonathan (See answers below) Moses mentions this incident many years Sacks later, urging the Israelites to take it to heart: “Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt” (Devarim 24:9). The rabbis said some powerful TO BE things about lashon hara. They E NEED W said that it is worse than the three WE USE W O H L U cardinal sins — idolatry, adultery CAREF THEY R O F , and bloodshed — combined. It S RD R OUR WO harms three people: the one who AT POWE E R G speaks it, the one about whom it is D L HO EM. spoken and the one who listens to it. ITHIN TH W The story of Joseph began when he spoke negatively about some of his brothers, and their relationship turned bitter. The entire generation that left Egypt was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because they had spoken badly about it. They Sages said that one who speaks lashon hara is like someone who does not believe in God. In our day and age, social media has become a place overflowing with hateful speech, and we need the laws of lashon hara more than ever!

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

2. Everyone who has a presence on social media, no matter how young, has witnessed hateful speech. Researchers believe an extraordinarily high percentage of young people have suffered from this firsthand, and even those that haven’t have witnessed it in some form. Perhaps the saddest occurrences are when young people witness adults using this kind of language in their social media posts. Children learn from the models provided by the adults in their lives.

Lashon hara can destroy lives, but not just the life of the subject of the hateful speech. The person who speaks it and the person who listens are both negatively impacted by engaging in this behavior. Their reputations may well be affected, too, and the way they perceive the subject will change from discussing them. There is no such thing as a passive, innocent bystander when it comes to evil speech.

APRIL 15 • 2021

THE CORE IDEA

From Covenant & Conversation Family Edition

A KEY IDE EK WE OF THE

TORAH PORTION

Spiritual ‘Leprosy’

T Yoram Raanan’s painting titled “On the Way to Har Sinai.”

Calendar to Count the Omer “Time is not a series of moments traced on the face of a watch, always moving yet always the same. Instead, it is a journey with a starting point and a destination, or a story with a beginning, middle and end. Each moment has a meaning, which can only be grasped if we understand where we have come from and where we are going to. This is time not as it is in nature but as it is

in history.” The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust is delighted to present the 5781 Omer calendar. Each of the 49 days holds a life-changing idea by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt”l, sourced from his Covenant & Conversation essays on the weekly parshah. Download it at rabbisacks.org/wp-content/ uploads/2021/03/OmerCalendar-5781-RabbiSacks-FINAL-1.pdf.

Points to ponder for each day of the Omer from Rabbi Sacks.

he major theme of not see it as lashon hara but Tazria-Metzora, is the rather as the expected behavskin disease referred to ior of government, companies as tsaraat. and individuals alike. While often translated If we are to embrace the as “leprosy,” the disease teachings of Tazria-Metzora, described is not lepwe must see the pain rosy as we know it; and suffering being and likely the cause of caused by doing busithis can be traced to ness as usual and speak mistranslation of the up when we see people Hebrew into Greek. participating in spreadThe Sages of the ing the gossip which is Rabbi Simone Mishnah were conthe root of the affliction Schicker fused by the lengthy of spiritual leprosy. We Parshat detail Torah gives to must always remember Tazriathis affliction, and that much of what we Metzora: the answer they gave enjoy in casual conversaLeviticus 12:1(as taught by the late 15:33; II Kings tion is likely gossip, and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks,) we have a responsibility 7:3-20. was that it was punishto not participate in ment for lashon hara sharing it — in any form (evil speech). They reached (looking at your social media). this both through some play While it might feel good in of words as well as the fact the moment to say “did you that both Miriam and Moses hear?” or to post a comment, are afflicted by tsaraat after retweet a post or share an speaking negatively about oth- article without reading its ers prior to being afflicted. contents (but the title!), in the While we must always conlong term, we are participattinue to avoid participating ing in spreading a disease that in lashon hara, I would like is destroying individuals and to share the idea of “spiritual communities alike. leprosy” that Rabbi Nathan While we no longer see the Landman teaches. Landman physical affliction of those shares that “[t]he disease who participate in gossip, we of spiritual leprosy would see the mental ones every day. include attempts to justify a Bullying is the child of gosgovernment lying to its citsip, and we know the impact izens … epidemic abuses of it can have on one’s mental advertising employing words health. It has been shown that that are denuded of meaning one adult caring is all it takes so as to arouse a ‘feel good’ to save the life of a young perresponse … [and the] ubiquison who is struggling. tous tendency to rationalize We all need to be the best one’s behavior rather than of ourselves as we begin to having the courage to conemerge from our homes and front one’s failings.” back into the world. All these things are happenRabbi Simone Schicker is rabbi at ing around us and to us; and Temple B’nai Israel in Kalamazoo. yet we allow it because we do APRIL 15 • 2021

SPIRIT

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

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

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

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

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

ORTHODOX Agudas Israel Mogen Abraham Southfield (248) 552-5711 aymadetroit.org

Beth Israel Flint (810) 732-6310 cbiflint.org Congregation Beth Shalom Oak Park (248) 547-7970 congbethshalom.org Beth Tephilath Moses Mt. Clemens (586) 996-3138 bethtephilathmoses.com B’nai Israel Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 432-2729 bnaiisraelwb.org Congregation B’nai Moshe West Bloomfield (248) 788-0600 bnaimoshe.org Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue Detroit (313) 962-4047 downtownsynagogue.org Congregation Shaarey Zedek Southfield (248) 357-5544 shaareyzedek.org Temple B’nai Shalom Benton Harbor (269) 925-8021 tbnaishalom.org

APRIL 15 • 2021

Ahavas Olam Southfield (248) 569-1821 Ahavasolam.com Ahavas Yisroel Oak Park (248) 298-2896 Learntorah.info Aish Hatorah in the Woods Oak Park (248) 327-3579 Aishdetroit.com Bais Chabad of Farmington Hills (248) 855-2910 chabad.org Bais Chabad of North Oak Park (248) 872-8878 chabad.org Bais Haknesses Hagrah Oak Park (248) 542-8737 Balfour Shul – K’Hal Rina U’Tefila Oak Park (732) 693-8457 Beth Tefilo Emanuel Tikvah Southfield (248) 559-5022

Birmingham-Bloomfield Shul Birmingham (248) 996-5818 bbchai.org

First Hebrew Congregation South Haven (269) 637-1603 firsthebrewcongregation.org

B’nai Israel-Beth Yehudah Oak Park (248) 967-3969 bi-by.org

Kehillat Etz Chayim Huntington Woods etzchayim-detroit.org

B’nai Zion Oak Park (248) 968-2414 Chabad House-Lubavitch of Eastern Michigan Flint (810) 230-0770 chabad.org Chabad Jewish Center of Commerce-Walled Lake Commerce Township (248) 363-3644 jewishcommerce.org Chabad Jewish Center of Novi-Northville Novi (248) 790-6075 novijewishcenter.com Chabad-Lubavitch of Bingham Farms Bloomfield Hills (248) 688-6796 chabadbinghamfarms.com Chabad of Western Michigan Grand Rapids (616) 957-0770 chabadwestmichigan.com Dovid Ben Nuchim-Aish Kodesh Oak Park (313) 320-9400 dbndetroit.org Etz Chayim of Toledo Toledo, OH (419) 473-2401 Etzchayimtoledo.org

Kollel Institute of Greater Detroit Oak Park (248) 968-1891 kollel@kolleldetroit.org Mishkan Israel, Nusach H’ari, Lubavitch Center Oak Park (248) 542-4844 theyeshiva.org Ohel Moed Shomrey Emunah West Bloomfield (248) 737-2626 ohelmoed.org Or Chadash Oak Park (248) 819-1721 or-chadash.org Sara & Morris Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center of West Bloomfield (248) 855-6170 baischabad.com Shaar Hashomayim Windsor (519) 256-3123 Shaarey Zedek Windsor (519) 252-1594 shaareyzedekwindsor.com Shomer Israel Oak Park (248) 542-4014 godaven.com

Shomrey Emunah Southfield (248) 559-1533 congregation-shomreyemunah-105705.square.site The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch West Bloomfield (248) 788-4000 theshul.net Woodward Avenue Shul Royal Oak (248) 414-7485 thewas.net Yagdil Torah Southfield (248) 559-5905 Young Israel of Oak Park (248) 967-3655 yiop.org Young Israel of Southfield (248) 358-0154 yisouthfield.org RECONSTRUCTIONIST Congregation Kehillat Israel Lansing (517) 882-0049 kehillatisrael.net Congregation T’chiyah Oak Park (248) 823-7115 tchiyah.org Reconstructionist Congregation of Detroit (313) 567-0306 reconstructingjudiasm.org REFORM Bet Chaverim Canton (734) 480-8880 betchaverim@yahoo.com Temple Benjamin Mt. Pleasant (989) 773-5086 templebenjamin.com

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

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

MINYANS Fleischman Residence West Bloomfield (248) 661-2999

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

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

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

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

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

ANN ARBOR

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

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

Beth Isaac Synagogue Trenton (734) 675-0355 bethisaac.org

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

Temple Beth Israel Bay City (989) 893-7811 tbi-mich.org Temple Beth Israel Jackson (517) 784-3862 tbijackson.org Temple B’nai Israel Kalamazoo (269) 342-9170 Templebnaiisrael.com Temple B’nai Israel Petoskey (231) 489-8269 templebnaiisraelofpetoskey.org Temple Emanuel Grand Rapids (616) 459-5976 grtemple.org Temple Emanu-El Oak Park (248) 967-4020 emanuel-mich.org

SECULAR/HUMANISTIC The Birmingham Temple Farmington Hills (248) 477-1410 birminghamtemple.com Jewish Parents Institute West Bloomfield (248) 661-1000 jccdet.org Sholem Aleichem Institute Lathrup Village (240 865-0117 secularsaimichigan.org SEPHARDIC Keter Torah Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 681-3665 rabbisasson.wixsite.com/keter Ohr Hatorah Oak Park (248) 294-0613 Ohrhatorah.us

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

APRIL 15 • 2021

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ARTS&LIFE ON THE COVER

The Nederlander Company sells the Fisher Theatre to a U.K. theater group. SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A Glorious 60-Year Run

The lobby of the Fisher Building

DIG DOWNTOWN DETROIT - FISHER BUILDING LOBBY

s the lights are being turned up again at the Fisher Theatre for the 2021-22 season — launching its 60th anniversary — The Nederlander Company turns over its storied production space to International Entertainment Holdings Limited, parent company of Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), a live theater and ticketing organization out of the United Kingdom. Stories surround the family that entered the theatrical world in Detroit and later established themselves through multiple theater ownership and programming reaching way beyond the city. Stories also surround a stage lineage of acclaimed shows with some following Broadway runs and others tried out in Michigan before reaching Broadway. There are stories that emphasize the Jewish heritage known personally by the family who moved on to New York headquarters and became friends with the Jewish creators and entertainers that introduced a vast range of drama, comedy and music into the hearts of diverse audiences. The Nederlander Company, continued on page 36 APRIL 15 • 2021

ARTS&LIFE

FISHER THEATRE ARCHIVES

ON THE COVER

continued from page 35

“We are confident that the ATG team will continue to look after the strong foundation that we have created with these theaters in their respective communities and to take them into this next decade with great success.”

APRIL 15 • 2021

FISHER THEATRE

A STORIED HISTORY Fiddler on the Roof was among the acclaimed musicals tested at the Fisher, where the responses of local audiences led to revisions preparing the show for years of international acclaim. “We didn’t think of it as a particularly Jewish show,” lyricist Sheldon Harnick told the Detroit Jewish News in MORRIS MAC MATZEN

FISHER THEATRE

also announcing its sale of programming operations at the Detroit Opera House and Music Hall in Detroit as well as the Golden Gate and Orpheum Theatres in San Francisco, will maintain a Detroit presence with the endowment of stage awards given through Wayne State University. “These unique venues have been home to Broadway’s greatest shows, serving local and regional audiences for generations,” said Robert Nederlander Sr., essentially retired from administrative responsibilities as one of five brothers who learned theater management from their dad, David Tobias Nederlander.

TOP: View from the Balcony, 1970. BOTTOM: Fiddler on the Roof touring cast from the production that was here in March 2020, Pretty Woman comes to the Fisher Theatre in November. ThIs photo is from the Hamburg production. Jeffrey Seller accepts the 2019 Apple Award.

COURTESY OF FISHER THEATRE

1995. “We thought of it as something that was aiming for the A NEW ERA universal values we had found in the Sholem Aleichem story “The Broadway in Detroit family is excited about the new ‘Tevye’s Daughters.’ arrangements, which include investments in theater technol“Nevertheless, we knew in many ways it was a Jewish show. ogy. There will be a lot of resources we can tap into for future We knew that it was a serious show, and we knew that it was a scheduling while working on the current season, which is in long show. With all those things, we were worried that it might flux because of the pandemic.” not be accepted, and we were very nervous about the show’s While firm dates are still to be established, the followDetroit premiere. ing musicals should go ahead: Pretty Woman in November, “By the fourth week [with changes that included making Hadestown in December and Hairspray in January. Finalized the play shorter], it was close to selling out, and we knew we dates will be posted at broadwayindetroit.com. were OK.” “We’re going to end up with six great During the first year of operation, shows,” said Lichtenstein, a member of famed Jewish composer and only-time the Grosse Pointe Jewish Council and lyricist Richard Rodgers traveled to fan of the one-woman narrative Golda, Detroit, sat in the balcony at a small which appeared twice at the Fisher, once piano and wrote songs and revisions for with Tovah Feldshuh and another time No Strings as the cast, starring Richard with Valerie Harper. Kiley and Diahann Carroll, rehearsed “I just don’t know which ones they’re with full stage orchestra. going to be, but I expect to see one Broaching the subject of interracial Nederlander brother in the audience. romance through dialogue and song, Joseph Nederlander, who is 94, remains No Strings became a trailblazing and in the area and was the innovator of outfavorite show of Robert Nederlander door theaters starting with Pine Knob,” Sr., whose oldest brother, the late Harry Lichtenstein said. Nederlander, oversaw Detroit operations The Nederlander Company, now and commented on the play and its sucwith an administration that includes cessful run. third-generation family members “Richard Rodgers was a genius, and Robert Nederlander Jr. and James Diahann Carroll was terrific,” Harry Nederlander, will perpetually be tied to David Tobias Nederlander and his five Nederlander told the Detroit Jewish News the city through the family endowment sons. Front row: Joseph, father David in 2001. “It was a show ahead of its time, of the Apple Award, started in memand James “Jimmy.” Second row: Harry, Robert and Frederick “Freddie.” and the fact that it involved an interraory of David Nederlander’s wife, Sara cial romance never entered my mind Applebaum Nederlander, known for “WE ARE CONFIDENT hosting Fisher stars and serving them [when we were making our decision to bring it here].” traditional Jewish dishes. THAT THE ATG TEAM London-based Sonia Friedman The award, presented annually to a Productions (SFP), associated with ATG nationally recognized theater professionWILL CONTINUE Productions, has developed and staged al, is accepted during a visit that features more than 170 varied plays and brought a a lecture presented to Wayne State TO LOOK AFTER Fiddler on the Roof run to London in 2019, University theater students. Each winshortly before introducing Leopoldstadt to ner receives a crystal apple and $10,000 THE STRONG the stage as Tom Stoppard’s play about a intended for a theatrical interest. Jewish family in Vienna. Past honorees include playwright Neil FOUNDATION THAT SFP has won 55 Olivier Awards and 30 Simon, composer Stephen Schwartz and Tony Awards. producer Jeffrey Seller, who grew up WE HAVE CREATED.” Alan Lichtenstein, 40-year executive in Oak Park, became enchanted with — ROBERT NEDERLANDER SR. director for Nederlander programming the stage by watching Fisher Theatre in Detroit and sometimes San Francisco, shows and went on to produce Rent worked with SFP in bringand Hamilton, which appeared locally ing Mamma Mia! to the through Nederlander operations. United States for the first time and looks forward “Our Detroit staff has missed the excitement of the theater to the opportunities the new associations can during the time of pandemic closings,” Lichtenstein said. bring to Motor City stages. “Although most staff members were able to continue with pay “SFP recently brought Harry Potter and the during the time of the pandemic, we can’t wait for the shows to Alan Cursed Child to audiences so we hope to gain return and hear the applause, which reminds me of the musical Lichtenstein some priority in bringing their imaginative Applause [written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green with works to Detroit,” said Lichtenstein, who has previewed and songs by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse] — another Fisher picked hundreds of shows for local audiences. Theatre world premiere.” APRIL 15 • 2021

ARTS&LIFE DINING IN

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SALAD Ingredients 1 head cauliflower (about 1½- 2 pounds) cut into bite-sized florets 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. Fresh ground pepper

The

Flavors of Israel

ay and June are marked by modern Jewish holidays. Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. Next, there’s Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, followed by Yom HaAztmaut, Israel’s Independence Annabel Day and, of Cohen course Yom Contributing writer Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day. As with other modern holidays, this is a time for rejoicing in Israel. The weather is fine, and it is the height of the growing season. Not surprisingly, during celebrations in the country, there are parades, pilgrimages and the ever present festive meals, often eaten out of doors. In our part of the world, Michigan has thawed, and we’re thrilled to be outside. Especially now. The recipes below are influenced by the superb ingredients of the region. Some are adaptations of my favorite street foods and others just sort of feel Israeli. They’re all perfect for getting into the “spirit” of the universal festivities. Lots of vegetables, citrus and olive oil rule the menu. Among these are my favorite ingredients and flavors: cau-

APRIL 15 • 2021

liflower, eggplant, chickpeas, tomatoes, olives, parsley, lemon, sesame seeds, olive oil, honey and feta cheese. EASY BAKED FALAFEL WITH TAHINI SAUCE These are made with canned (already cooked) garbanzo beans (chickpeas). You may also fry these in vegetable oil or air-fry, if desired. Ingredients Falafel: 1 can (about 15-ounces) chickpeas, rinsed, drained very well 1 Tbsp. tahini paste ½ cup parsley (with stems) 2-3 peeled, medium garlic cloves ¼ cup chopped onions ¼ cup flour ½ tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. ground cumin, or to taste 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. Grated lemon zest ½ tsp. ground pepper ¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper ½ cup sesame seeds Sauce: ½ cup tahini paste 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice Salt to taste Garnish: Fresh pita pockets, plain Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro leaves, chopped tomatoes, chopped scallions (white and green parts), lemon or lime wedges.

Directions Combine all falafel ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse or process until smooth. Grab a handful of the mixture and see if it holds together. If it’s too mushy (won’t form into a ball or patty), add a bit of flour. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit of lemon juice or water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes or more. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well. Set aside. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into 1-2 tablespoon-sized balls and flatten into ¾-inch thick patties. Line a baking sheet with several lengths of paper towel or top with a drying rack. Fill a large saucepan with 1 inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Cook the falafel patties on both sides, in batches, for 2–3 minutes or until golden. Drain well. Alternately, Preheat the oven to 350°. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil and arrange the falafel on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side until golden. Serve the falafel drizzled with tahini sauce and garnished with pita pockets and additional toppings. Makes 4-6 servings.

Dressing: 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp. honey 2 tsp. kosher salt Garnish: ⅔ cup golden raisins ¼ cup pine nuts or slivered almonds, lightly toasted ½ cup fresh chopped parsley Directions Preheat oven to 425°. Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Set aside. Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on the baking sheet. Roast for 15-minute or until the cauliflower has golden tips. Remove from oven and cool. Transfer to a large bowl, add raisins, pine nuts and parsley. Whisk together the dress-

Helping You Improve Your Life… ing and pour over the cauliflower. Toss well. Makes 6 servings. EGGPLANT AND BULGUR PILAF Ingredients 1 cup medium or coarse bulgur Boiling water ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup chopped red or Bermuda onion 1 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper 1 cup ¼-inch diced carrots 2 tsp. chopped garlic 1 medium (about a pound) eggplant, peeled or unpeeled 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (any color) 1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts 1 cup fresh chopped parsley, any color ½ cup fresh chopped mint leaves 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. red-pepper sauce, such as tabasco (optional) Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Directions Place bulgur in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water (about 1-inch over the bulgur). Soak for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°. Combine oil, onion, bell pepper, carrots and garlic and roast for 15 minutes. Remove vegetables from oven and cool. Drain the bulgur (if needed) and transfer to a large bowl. Add the eggplant mixture and remaining ingredients and toss well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Makes 6 or more servings.

Olive, Caper and Fresh Basil Spread Use this as a dip for raw vegetables, as a spread for pita wedges or tortilla

chips or for whatever needs a delicious grab of flavor (such as over your favorite grilled chicken or fish). Ingredients 1 cup good quality black or green olives (or a combination of the two) pitted 2 Tbsp. drained capers 2 garlic cloves (or more to taste) 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice Small handful (about ¼ cup) fresh basil leaves ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzle Directions Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish. Use a spoon or butterknife to create a shallow circle in the dip. Drizzle a bit of olive oil in the circle. Makes 6-8 servings. ISRAELI CHOPPED SALAD WITH FETA Ingredients 2 cups small diced plum tomatoes 1 cup diced, seeded, peeled cucumber 1 bell pepper, any color, cut into ½-inch pieces 1 cup ½-inch cubed feta cheese (any variety) ½ cup chopped scallions, white and green parts 1-2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, to taste Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste 3 Tbsp. olive oil 2 Tbsp. sumac Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste Directions Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Adjust lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Makes 4-6 servings.

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APRIL 15 • 2021

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

NEW DISNEY SERIES, GAL GADOT ON COURAGEOUS WOMEN, EDITOR TO RETIRE Big Shot begins streaming on the Disney+ channel on April 16. Created by Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond), the series stars John Stamos, 57, as Marvyn Korn, a hotheaded men’s college basketball coach who gets ousted by the NCAA and takes a job at a private, all-girls high school. This is Disney — so the previously stoic Korn quickly learns a lesson — teen girls require much more empathy than he is used to giving. He also learns how to show some of his own vulnerability. During the six-episode season, Korn evolves into a better guy. In real life, if I saw a basketball coach named Marvyn Korn, I’d guess it’s likely that

he is Jewish — and maybe Brad Garrett is signaling that. But I suspect Korn will be yet another “stealth” Jewish character. Jessalyn Gilsig, 49, co-stars as Holly, a good-natured, down-to-earth assistant basketball coach. Shiri Appleby, 42, was originally cast as Holly, but was replaced last October. The head producer decided he wanted someone who was more a contemporary of Stamos should they decide to write-in a romance between Marvyn and Holly. This might be the first time being older helps a middle-aged actress. Gilsig has a long list of TV co-starring roles (Lauren Davis in Boston Public, Gina Russo in Nip/Tuck, Terri Schuester in Glee and Siggy Haraldson on The Vikings). She wed producer Bobby Salomon, her Montreal high school sweetheart, in a Jewish ceremony in 2005 and they had a child.

Jessalyn Gilsig

PEABODY AWARDS – GLEE

ARTS&LIFE

Sadly, they split in 2010. The first episode of Impact with Gal Gadot begins streaming on Monday, April 19 on the National Geographic Channel. The remaining five episodes will stream on successive Mondays. Impact is a shortform documentary series, hosted by Gadot, 35. The series follows six courageous women who lead their communities as they cope, together, with natural disasters or stand up to violence, discrimination and oppression. Profiled are women in Michigan, Louisiana, Tennessee, Brazil, California,

Puerto Rico and Brazil. In other Gadot news: A couple of weeks ago, the Israeli star announced she is pregnant with her third child with husband Yaron Versano, an Israeli real estate developer. Also, last October, it was confirmed that she would team up with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins on a bio-pic about Cleopatra. CBS Sunday Morning (April 4) had a nice profile of Marty Baron, 66, the Washington Post chief editor (posted on YouTube and the CBS News website). Baron is about to retire. Host Lesley Stahl, 79, pointed out that President Biden is 78 and he’s not retiring. Baron, who looks very healthy, replied that he has been in journalism for 45 years and the last five years have been the hardest (the Trump attacks on the media and the pandemic). In almost so many words, he said he needs a respite.

Leave a Legacy of Saving Jewish Lives Around the World. JDC (The Joint) is the world’s Jewish 9-1-1, and whether we’re building resilience in an increasingly anti-Semitic Europe; assisting poor, elderly Jews, many of whom are Holocaust survivors, in the former Soviet Union, Latin America, and Europe; or expanding opportunities for atrisk populations in Israel; JDC acts upon the Jewish principle that all Jews are responsible for one another in times of crisis and calm. Your legacy with JDC will ensure that we continue to save Jewish lives and build Jewish life around the globe. In addition to bequest designations in wills and trusts, JDC welcomes contributions of life insurance, charitable gift annuities, retirement plan remainders, and similar assets. If you are interested in including JDC in your estate plans, please contact JDC’s Planned Giving department at 212-885-0871, or at plannedgiving@JDC.org.

APRIL 15 • 2021

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

PIRKEI AVOT 11 AM, APRIL 16 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites adults of all ages to join Rabbi Aaron Bergman for this weekly discussion of one of the most beloved and wise books of our people, which was written long ago but is even more relevant today. Free and open to the community. To RSVP and receive a Zoom link, contact Jodi Gross, jgross@ adatshlaom.org. END OF LIFE CARE 2 PM, APRIL 16 Jewish Family Service will observe National Healthcare Decisions Day with a Zoom presentation. The speakers, Howard Collins and Lynn Breuer, will discuss what goes into long-term care planning. Register: jfsdetroit. org or 248-592-2313. CAST REUNION SERIES 3 PM, APRIL 17 Broadway In Detroit will present this 60-minute streaming event: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. The series gives Detroiters a chance to visit “backstage” with the cast and hear personal, hilarious, unscripted stories and gossip — as the cast really lets their hair down. You’ll be able to

JEWISH PEOPLEHOOD 10:30 AM, APRIL 18 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites you to join Rabbi Bergman on Zoom for the Shalom Hartman Institute iEngage Video Lecture Series, exploring the pressing issues facing the Jewish CHALLAH BAKING world today. There is no fee 10 AM, APRIL 23 to attend. To register, email Jodi Gross at jgross@ adatshalom.org. interact with them and ask questions through the chat CAJE PROGRAM feature. The shows are tre4 PM, APRIL 18 mendous fun and G-rated Study Torah with Sandra and a unique experience Lilienthal, Erica Brown and with every cast. Tickets: $15; Andrea Cosnowsky. Engage stellartickets.com. in professional development sessions focused on mental health, antisemitism and visioning for the upcoming year. Workshop cost is $18. Register: info@newcaje.org.

MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS 9:30 AM, APRIL 18 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites adults of all ages to join Rabbi Aaron Bergman on Zoom. The class is designed to help individuals find their internal spirituality and realize how Judaism can make them happier. The community is welcome. There is no charge. To RSVP and receive a Zoom, link contact Jodi Gross, jgross@ adatshlaom.org.

David Matlow

ARTIFACTS EXHIBIT 7 PM, APRIL 19 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites you to join David Matlow, owner of the largest private Herzl collection, for a presentation. He will share the story of the Zionist dream from Herzl to Israel’s independence through select artifacts in his collection. There is no fee to attend. To RSVP and receive a Zoom link, contact Jodi Gross at jgross@adatshlaom.org.

BUDDHA’S LIFE NOON-1 PM, APRIL 20 “The Buddha in 10th-17th Century Muslim, Christian and Jewish Narratives” will be a Zoom presentation by the University of Michigan Frankel Center for Judaic Studies in Ann Arbor. Shatha Almutawa of American University will focus the role of the story of the Buddha’s life in the philosophy of Ikhwan al-Safa and its reception by Christian and Jewish communities. Advance registration required: umich.zoom. us/webinar/register. SHATTERING THE CEILING 7 PM, APRIL 20 The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan will present this virtual gathering on Zoom. This interview series will examine Jewish Michigan women who are pioneers in their fields. The series opener features Molly Reeser, founder and executive director of Camp Casey, which brings happiness on horseback to children with cancer, rare blood disorders and other life-threatening illnesses. Cost: $10 for members; $18 for non-members. Register by 9 pm on Monday, April 19: michjewishhistory.org. BRAIN HEALTH WORKSHOP 1-2:30 PM, APRIL 21 Jewish Family Service of Detroit will present, on Zoom, “Drama Therapy & Brain Health” with Jodi Leib-Coden, registered drama therapist and certified dementia practitioner. To enroll: MindU@jfsdetroit.org. continued on page 42 APRIL 15 • 2021

ON THE GO

PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS continued from page 41

CHALLAH BAKING 10 AM, APRIL 23 The Adat Shalom Sisterhood invites you to join them on Zoom to bake and braid challah with talented baker Ruth Zerin. Zoom begins at 10 am, noon to braid the dough, and 1:15 pm to learn the final steps before baking. There is no fee to attend. Advanced registration required by April 21 at adatshalom/sisterhoodchallah. Easy Challah recipe and Zoom link provided after registration. TBE TOT SHABBAT 9:30-10:30 AM, APRIL 24 Temple Beth El’s Virtual Kid-ish Club Tot Shabbat is geared toward families with young children, ages 0-6. Sing Shabbat songs with clergy and make a special Shabbat candle craft with Miss Sara. RSVP by April 20 and stop by Temple during business hours on April 22 or 23 to pick up your craft supplies curbside: forms.gle/ oAC6wmHKHhv7gfHe6. To access Zoom link: check with tbeonline.org. For info, contact Danielle at dgordon@ tbeonline.org or 248-8511100. MINDFULNESS & STRESS 7:30-8:30 PM, APRIL 20 Jewish Federation Working Women’s Network will present Julie Levinson, a certified yoga therapist with 20+ years’ experience teaching yoga in Metro Detroit. After registering, check your email. It contains the link to join the Zoom meeting. Info: Marianne Bloomberg or bloomberg@jfmd.org.

APRIL 15 • 2021

Rabbi Mikva

AUTHOR CONVERSATIONS 7:30 PM, APRIL 20 The Jewish Theological Seminary Library will present “Dangerous Religious Ideas.” Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva will discuss her book which argues that all religious ideas are dangerous — not only those we might consider extremist, but even those that stand at the heart of faith. Register at inspired.jtsa. edu/events. WELLNESS TALK 11 AM, APRIL 21 Hadassah Greater Detroit presents Wellness Updates in Dermatology with Dr. Karlee Novice, a virtual program. Dr. Karlee Novice will speak on updates in general procedural and cosmetic dermatology for hair, skin and nails. Please register by Monday, April 19, hadasssahmidwest.org/GDWW2021. There is a $10 event fee. For questions, contact greaterdetroit@hadassah.org or call 248-683-5030. PREJUDICE & RACISM NOON-1 PM, APRIL 21 “Defining Antisemitism and Islamophobia: Lessons from U.K. Universities” will be a Zoom presentation hosted by the University of Michigan Frankel Center for Judaic

Studies in Ann Arbor. Seth Anziska of University College London will explore the challenges and opportunities for cross-communal solidarity and mutual understanding of the lived experience of discrimination. Advance registration required: umich.zoom. us/meeting/register. COOKING DEMO 7 PM, APRIL 21 Eleanor Roosevelt Hadassah presents a Mother’s Day brunch cooking demonstration with Mimi Markofsky. She will re-create a few of her favorite brunch dishes, followed by a question-and-answer session. Mimi is the chef/owner of Mimi’s Just Desserts (and more!). Recipes will be emailed prior to the event and, as an added bonus, Mimi will also discuss how to convert a traditional recipe into a pressure cooker/ Instant Pot version. Please register by Monday, April 19 at hadassahmidwest.org/ RooseveltCookingDemo. There is a $10 event fee. For questions, contact Hadassah Greater Detroit at greaterdetroit@hadassah. org or call 248-683-5030. FINDING BALANCE 7 PM, APRIL 21 This is the second of a three-part Adat Shalom Synagogue spring series to help you find balance during the omer through meditation and gentle movement. There is no fee to attend. To register and receive a Zoom link, contact Jodi Gross, jgross@ adatshlaom.org.

Florence Nightingale

NURSES COUNCIL PROGRAM 7 PM, APRIL 27 Hadassah Greater Detroit Nurses Council presents a virtual program: “A Brilliant Rebel: Florence Nightingale’s Message for Our Challenging Times.” Please register by April 27 at hadassahmidwest .org/GDrebel. There is a $10 Hadassah member/ HFHS employee fee and $15 non-member fee. Wendy Goldberg, certified nurse practitioner, will speak about Florence Nightingale’s contributions to science and health care and their relevance today. 2.0 contact hours for RN, LPN. APRN and CRNA. For info, contact greaterdetroit@hadassah.org or call 248-683-5030. Compiled by Sy Manello/Editorial Assistant. Send items at least 14 days in advance to calendar@thejewishnews. com.

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APRIL 15 • 2021

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

JEFFREY BERNSTEIN, former Detroiter of North Carolina, died March 31, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Maureen; daughters and sons-in-law, Marci and Bruce Presnell, Brittany and Jonathan Robson, and Courtney; adoring grandchildren, Jeremy Southwell, Emery, Peyton, and Gavin Robson, Aidan and Sawyer Stuckey; sisters and brother-in-law, Sandy Lefkofsky, Charlene and Andy Rismann; brothers-in-law, Marty (Kathy) Gavin, Tom (Barbara) Gavin; sister-in-law, Peggy (Jimmy) Clancy; many loving

nieces and nephews; dear cousins, Sharon and Ernie Turken. Mr. Bernstein was the beloved father of the late Danny Bernstein and the late Justin Bernstein; grandfather of the late baby Colin; brother-in-law of the late Bill Lefkofsky. Memorial service to be held at a later date. MILES “MIKE” E. BRASCH, 89, of Bloomfield Hills, died April 7, 2021. Mike and his older brother

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Dave took over the ad agency that their dad founded when they were young boys, A R Brasch Advertising & Marketing. Mike loved playing tennis, golf and playing the piano. His passions were his family, friends and chocolate. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Anna “Ann” Brasch; daughter and son-in-law, Abbey and Ken Nathan; son, Warren Brasch; grandchildren, Alec and Allison Nathan, Jack Nathan and Erin Sachse, Daniel Nathan, Alayna Brasch, Emily Brasch, and Chloe Brasch; sisters-in-law, Etta Zivian and Farla Binder; many

loving nieces and nephews. Mr. Brasch was the cherished father-in-law of the late Krista Brasch; devoted son of the late Abraham and the late Mildred Brasch; loving brother of the late David and the late Sassy Brasch; dear brother-inlaw of the late Clara Kurtzman and the late Hershey Binder. Interment was at Beth Abraham Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Yad Ezra, 2850 W. 11 Mile Road, Berkley, MI 48072, yadezra.org/donate; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

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DR. JEFFREY L BRUDNEY, of Wilmington, N.C., passed away surrounded by family on April 4, 2021, after a brief and sudden illness. He was born May 2, 1950, in Oakland, Calif., to Lillian and Alfred Miller. After Alfred’s passing, Jeff was raised by Ernest Alexander, his uncle who lived next door, and later by stepfather David Brudney. Jeff ’s undergraduate degree was from the University of California Berkeley and he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. In 1979, Jeff married Nancy, the love of his life, and was fond of declaring that while he “did the professing,” she did “everything else.” The couple moved to Norman, Okla., where Jeff started his career at the University of Oklahoma as a professor of public administration. In 1984, Jeff accepted a position at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., where he studied volunteerism and nonprofits. During their 24 years in Athens, the couple raised three children. As a father and ultimately as a grandfather as well, Jeff was enthusiastically involved with his children’s activities and eagerly supported all endeavors. After leaving UGA, Jeff spent five years as a distinguished professor at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2012, he became the Cameron Family Distinguished Professor of Innovation in the Nonprofit Sector at UNCW, where he continued to work with his trademark intensity until his untimely death. Jeff will be dearly missed by his family, friends, colleagues and students around the world as the consummate mentor and a prolific researcher and publisher. Dr. Brudney is survived

by his beloved wife, Nancy Brudney; daughter, Rabbi Megan Brudney (Zach Berg) of Birmingham, Mich.; son, Philip Brudney (Rachel) of Atlanta, Ga.,; son, Evan Brudney of Raleigh, N.C.; grandchildren, Adelynn Brudney, Nathan Brudney and Dov Berg; aunt, Frances Alexander (the late Ernest Alexander). He was preceded in death by his parents, Lillian Brudney, Alfred Miller; stepfather, David Brudney; and brother, Avery Miller. The family welcomes charitable contributions made in Jeff ’s memory to Temple of Israel of Wilmington, N.C., Nourish North Carolina or an organization of your choice. ALEXANDER BYKAT, 80, passed away at his home on March 25, 2021, following a short illness. He was born in Nalchik, Russia, and lived in multiple countries prior to moving to the United States, including Poland, Israel and England. He was a lifelong avid reader and lover of learning. Alex was a scholar in mathematics, statistics and computer science; and he earned his Ph.D. at University of London in England. Alex served as a university professor at East Carolina University, Emory University and later became the director of computer science at University of TennesseeChattanooga, endowed chair at Armstrong University, now Georgia Southern, and Salzbury University. He was an impressive handyman, always able to fix household items, even in his last days. He enjoyed being in nature, especially working in his yard and planting fruit trees. He was talented in art and created many pieces he proudly displayed in his home. A man of many talents, Alex always continued on page 47

‘Benny Was One of the Guys’

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

largest fraternity on the r. Ben Paolucci Wayne campus, with close operated quietly to 100 members. behind the scenes It was known as the while he was the team “docs and jocks” fraternity physician for the Detroit because it had many mediPistons from the early Dr. Ben cal students and athletes as 1970s until he retired in Paolucci members and dominated 2015. intramural sports competition. The players who were Paolucci didn’t play sports for Paolucci’s patients — including Gamma Kappa Chi, according NBA champion Pistons teams in to fraternity brother and close 1989, 1990 and 2004 — grabbed friend Harvey Miller, because the headlines and the spotlight. he didn’t think it was fair for Long before he became a doc- a varsity athlete to compete in tor, in the 1950s, Paolucci again intramural sports. did something few knew about, Gamma Kappa Chi fraterbut was equally as important. nity brothers have stayed close Paolucci, who died April through the years. That includes 7, 2021, in Florida at age 84, Paolucci. joined an otherwise all-Jew“Benny was one of the guys. ish fraternity at Wayne State An outstanding guy,” said Miller, University, then known as a West Bloomfield resident and Wayne University, where he retired manufacturers rep. played football. Miller said he was friends At the time, there were Jewish with Paolucci mainly because of and non-Jewish fraternities their mutual love for tennis and and sororities at Wayne. When involvement in the game. Paolucci joined Gamma Kappa Pistons vice chairman Arn Chi, he broke that barrier. Tellum issued a statement about He didn’t do it to makes Paolucci. waves, according to a close “Dr. Paolucci formed meanfriend. He did it to help him ingful and long-term relationpursue a dream. ships with many players and “Benny — that’s what everystaff members across multiple body called him — had aspiraeras of Detroit Pistons baskettions of being more than a football,” Tellum said. ball player,” said Sheldon Miller, “We’re grateful for his years of a Gamma Kappa Chi member. service to the organization as he “He wanted to be affiliatdevoted much of his time and ed with Gamma Kappa Chi energy ensuring each player was because our fraternity always provided the best possible care. had a lot a future doctors and Our thoughts are with his family even a few future lawyers as and loved ones.” members. We were happy A Cleveland native who grew to have him,” said Miller, an up in Detroit, Paolucci graduattorney with an office in ated from Wayne State in 1958. Farmington Hills. He was inducted into the Wayne Gamma Kappa Chi no longer State Athletic Hall of Fame in exists. In 1958, the local frater1992. nity merged with Tau Epsilon Selected by the Detroit Lions Pi, a mostly Jewish national in the eighth round of the 1958 fraternity. NFL draft, Paolucci played for Back in the 1940s and 1950s, the Lions for two seasons. Gamma Kappa Chi was the APRIL 15 • 2021

OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY

Famed Restaurateur Served Kindness

att Prentice, a renowned local chef and restaurant entrepreneur, died April 8, 2021, after a short illness not related to COVID. He was 62. Although not Jewish, Matt “catered” extensively to the Jewish community. At various times, he was the in-house caterer at several synagogues, including Temple Israel, Temple Shir Shalom, Temple Emanu-El and Adat Shalom Synagogue. He founded Milk & Honey, a former dairy restaurant located at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield and handled catering at the JCC. Columnist Danny Raskin reported in the Jewish News in 2006 that Matt said he opened the kosher Milk & Honey restaurant to give back to the Jewish community that had been so good to him throughout his career. Matt’s career began in the deli business. His first restaurant was Deli Unique in Oak Park in 1980; he later owned Deli Unique offshoots in West Bloomfield, Bingham Farms and Bloomfield Hills. He often enjoyed working behind the counter at his Plaza Deli in Southfield. Matt opened and closed restaurants as people’s tastes and the economy changed. Some of these included Sebastian’s, Portabella and Café Jardin at Somerset Mall in Troy, Tavern on 13 and Flying Fish in Beverly Hills, Relish and Fusion in Farmington Hills, Morels and Shiraz in Bingham Farms, Coach Insignia at the Renaissance Center, Northern Lakes Seafood in Bloomfield Hills, Duet in Detroit and No. VI Chophouse in Novi among others. “Matt was a tremendous guy,” said Larry Jacobs, a retired social worker from Farmington Hills and a longtime culinary fan. “Matt catered the wedding of Jan and me at Temple Emanu-El and, years later, our son Marc’s bar mitzvah dinner at Morels. “Matt also volunteered to do a cooking demonstration for my patients at Easter Seals. He helped them prepare a meal

DAVID SACHS COPY EDITOR

Matt Prentice

and they enjoyed eating it. He was very generous.” AIDING THE CASS COMMUNITY Matt volunteered his services to local charities including the Karmanos Cancer Institute and a myriad of others. His latest efforts were with the Rev. Faith Fowler and Cass Community Social Services, a Detroit-based nonprofit that provides housing, food, health services and job training, and under his direction, the kitchen he created there serves more than 700,000 meals per year. He continued the partnership until his death. “Matt taught our staff to cook from scratch,” said Rev. Fowler. “He taught me how to recognize hospitality and practice generosity. We are heartbroken by this news, and we will always be grateful to Matt for his friendship and talents.” In 2019, Matt opened Three Cats in Clawson, a Michigan-centric restaurant. “There is an enormous empty spot at Three Cats,” said his business partner, Mary Liz Curtin. “Matt was a big man with an enormous heart, a loud laugh and a generous spirit. He was a wonderful teacher, a great mentor and an unbelievable cook. “All of us at Three Cats thank him and are proud to be a Matt Prentice restaurant. We will always serve his favorite recipes, and there will always be mushrooms on the menu.”

A native of Detroit, Matt attended the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. But on Mother’s Day 2009, Danny Raskin reported that Matt modestly credited his mom Margaret Prentice’s sour cream coffee cake at the original Deli Unique in Oak Park for putting him on the map. She used to bake about 300 a week in her home and bring them daily to the deli. Matt also credited Raskin for giving Deli Unique needed publicity in his weekly “The Best of Everything” column. When it first opened, the deli was struggling. “The Friday the article came out in the Jewish News, we had people lined up outside the door,” Matt said. “We cut up vegetables for the people in line. “[Danny] introduced me to the Jewish community and that community has embraced me, and I them,” Matt said. Business partner Mary Liz Curtin and Rev. Fowler have set up a fundraising site Prentice Place to carry on Matt’s efforts to serve people in Detroit’s Cass Avenue area and as a tribute to Matt’s lifetime of charitable efforts. “You’d have a hard time finding a restaurateur who gave so much to so many people,” said Curtin. “He was generous with his knowledge as well as his money — teaching his skills to many young chefs. “Matt was larger than life.” Matt Prentice is survived by his daughters and sons, Rachael Gerstein, Michael Prentice, Jessica Prentice and Amanda Prentice; former wife, Alicia Prentice; grandchild, Madison Gerstein; siblings, Gregory Prentice, Andrew Prentice, Glenn Prentice and Megan Prentice Kler; and many nieces and nephews. An outdoor memorial service will be planned for this summer. To donate to Prentice Place, go to justgiving.com/campaign/MattPrentice. Donations may also be made to Cass Community Social Services, 11745 Rosa Parks Blvd., Attn: CR, Detroit, MI 48206, or atcasscommunity.org/donate, or (313) 883-2277 ext. 225. continued on page XX

APRIL 15 • 2021

continued on page 45

exuded the self-discipline and ambition of a man who is not afraid of hard work. Among his many awards and successes, his biggest accomplishment was his family. He was a proud father and grandfather, and his happiest times were spent with his wife, children and grandchildren. He was a kind, loving man and will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife, Halina Bykat; his children, Erik (Shelly) Bykat, Daniel (Marci) Bykat, Mike (Jodi) Bykat; and grandchildren, Thomas, Will, Lilac and Mira Bykat. Mr. Bykat was predeceased by his parents, Ide Arie Bykat and Lucja Balkowska. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, Friends of Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), or plant a tree in his memory. Arrangements in Atlanta by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, (770) 451-4999. ELLEN COLE, 79, of West Bloomfield, died April 1, 2021. She was born in 1942 in Detroit. Her parents, Archie P. and Lydia Grey, were founding members of Temple Israel. Ellen attended Michigan State University, completing her bachelor’s and master’s from Wayne State University in education. She held a teaching career for more than 35 years with the Southfield Public School District. She touched the lives of countless students in the greater Detroit area, well beyond the classroom. Ellen had a passion for Michigan and Jewish history. A longtime and passionate supporter of the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan, Ellen served the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan in an astonishing number of ways: president (2005-2009), board member, event chair, committee

member, docent, tour guide, educator. She will be profoundly missed by the JHSM family and those in the community that she served. She will be remembered for her sharp wit, sense of humor, her love of family, gardening, card playing, traveling, reading, movie watching, art, dancing, shopping and her world-renowned brisket. She was a devoted mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, aunt and friend. Mrs. Cole was the cherished mother of Dr. James and Lisa Bramson, and Julie Bramson Zalla; grandmother of Ryan and Kyle Zalla, and Eli and Zoe Knisbacher; beloved sister of James and Ruth Grey; dear aunt of Rachel Ellis, Emily and Jordan Berman, and the late Jeffrey Grey. She is loved by former son-in-law, Dr. Steven Zalla; and she will be deeply missed by her great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins and scores of friends. She was the devoted wife for 31 years of the late Michael Robert Cole. Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Jewish Historical Society of Michigan, 33228 W 12 Mile, #349, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, michjewishhistory.org; BBYO Michigan Region, Jeffrey Grey Memorial Fund, 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, bbyo. org/region/michigan; Tamarack Camps, Jeffrey Grey Memorial Fund, 6735 Telegraph Road, #380, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301, tamarackcamps.com/ tributes; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. HOWARD ELLIAS, 90, of Trenton, Mich., died April 4, 2021. He is survived by his nieces and nephews, Ellen Charnes, Marilyn Engel, Sandra

Simmons, Michael Dallen, Flora Subar, and Gayle Ellias; his beloved companion, Lorraine Van Thomme; as well as Claudia and Jon Washburn, Colleen Washburn, the Papo family, the Wainer family, the Golden family, and Rhonda and Joe. Mr. Ellias was the beloved son of the late Esther and the late Meyer Ellias; the cherished brother of the late Phillip Ellias, the late Margie and the late Allen Charnes, the late Stanley and the late Catherine Ellias, and the late Naomi Dallen. Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. STANLEY ENGELHARDT, M.D., 77, of West Bloomfield, died April 7, 2021. He was born on Feb. 6, 1944, in New York to Justin and Martha Engelhardt, both survivors of the Holocaust. When Stanley was just a child, the Engelhardts settled in Cincinnati, where Stan grew up in very humble circumstances. His parents instilled in him a strong work ethic and dedication to serving his community which lasted throughout his life. In turn, Stan passed these principles on to his own children. Stan attended the University of Cincinnati as an undergraduate and was accepted to both medical and veterinary school. At his mother’s urging, he attended medical school at the University of Cincinnati, where he was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Jewish fraternity. Initially interested in practicing obstetrics, Stan found little demand for that specialty when drafted into the U.S. Army. Instead, he pursued a career in emergency medicine. He served his country until his honorable discharge, achieving the rank of captain.

After the military, Stan eschewed the lure of private practice and embraced the fast pace of emergency medicine for decades. He proudly earned the Exemplary Service Award in recognition of his time, intellect and talent that enhanced the values, mission and quality of services at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, where he practiced for decades. Passionate about providing patients with the finest care, Stan worked through the day of a stroke in 2017, which forced his retirement. Stan loved to be around animals of all types and sizes and had an affinity for horses. This love, when combined with his deeply instilled sense of giving back to his community, led him to serve as a mounted deputy sheriff with the Macomb County and Oakland County Sheriff departments. His two main loves were animals and Costco trips. He was devoted to his many pets and would spare no expense to spoil them. He likewise loved all things automotive, however big or small, aspiring to have a car for every day of the week. An avid traveler, Stan saw the world. Dr. Engelhardt is honored and survived by his children, James (Laura) Engelhardt, Seth (Nancy) Engelhardt, Chad (Jennifer) Engelhardt, and Nicole (John) Becker; several grandchildren. He was preceded in death by Beverly Nathan Engelhardt, beloved mother of his children. Interment was at New Hope Cemetery in Covedale, Ohio. Contributions may be made to Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County, 2245 S. State St., Suite 200, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, jfsannarbor.org/ support/donate-online; or Humane Society of Huron Valley, 3100 Cherry Hill Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, hshv.org/give/donate. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. continued on page 48 APRIL 15 • 2021

OBITUARIES

continued from page 47

OF BLESSED MEMORY

Executive, Teacher & Volunteer Had Huge Impact RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

uth Miller Marcus was the consummate teacher who patiently shared her wisdom in the classroom and at home with her beloved family. As a dedicated volunteer, she touched the lives of people throughout her community and beyond. Ruth, who lived in Southfield, passed away on April 7, 2021, at the age of 73. Born in Baltimore, Ruth Miller Marcus Md., Ruth was the oldest of three children. At the University of Maryland, she met David Marcus, and the two shared a loving marriage for 52 years. Together they traveled extensively throughout the United States and made several trips to Israel. They raised three children, who learned the importance of family by example and carried forward as adults. In addition to teaching school in Maryland and later in Southfield and Hillel Day School, Ruth was a devoted volunteer for many organizations, including Hadassah and NCJW. An active member of Congregation Beth Shalom, she generously offered Hebrew reading lessons at her home to any congregant who wanted to learn. Ruth served as executive director of the Hebrew Free Loan Association for 18 years, where she led the agency in expanding its programs for students, immigrants and new home buyers. She created an endowment program and was instrumental in computerizing the organization’s operations. From 1996-1998, she served

APRIL 15 • 2021

as president of the International Association of Hebrew Free Loans. She was a passionate volunteer for the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, where she held many local and national offices and chairmanships, including president. On the international level, she served as the organization’s vice president and took great pride in attending the 33rd World Zionist Conference in Jerusalem as a delegate. While her professional and volunteer accomplishments were many, her family was her most important legacy. She cherished Jewish traditions and passed her enthusiasm along to her children. She taught them how to prepare for each holiday, including setting the table and making the customary dishes. Her grandchildren were the light of her life. She doted on each one and enjoyed taking them on field trips, hosting picnics and giving cooking lessons. An excellent cook and avid baker, Ruth patiently taught them how to make kichel, kreplach and other favorite foods. Ruth Marcus is survived by her beloved children, Howard P. (Tracy), Michael A. (Katie) and Lauren M. (Rick Johnson); adored grandchildren, Sydney and Ari Marcus, Hannah, Nili, Shaylee and Kima Marcus, Ethan, Isabel and Olivia Johnson. She is also survived by brothers and sisters-in-law, David J. Miller, M. Paul and Susan Miller, and Ellen Marcus, along with nieces and nephews and many friends. She was the devoted wife of the late David Marcus, and the daughter of the late E. Zachary and Adele M. Miller. Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be directed to Jewish National Fund, 42 East 69th Street, New York, NY, 10021 www.jnf.org; Planned Parenthood of Michigan, PO Box 3673, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106, www.plannedparenthood. org/planned-parenthood-michigan; or Congregation Beth Shalom, 14601 Lincoln, Oak Park, MI, 48237, congbethshalom.org. Arrangements by the Ira Kaufman Chapel.

SUSAN FISHMAN, 84, of West Bloomfield, died April 4, 2021. She is survived by her husband, Stephen N. Fishman; daughters and son-in-law, Debbi Fishman, and Lyn and David Kaufman; grandchildren, Aaron and Danielle Kaufman; brother and sisterin-law, Dr. Arthur and Rhoda Friedman; nephews and nieces, Dr. David and Ellen Friedman, and Lauri and David Carey. Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Michigan Medicine/U-M Hospital, Julian T. Hoff, M.D. Professorship in Neurosurgery, 570678, Dept. of Neurosurgery, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, SPC 5338, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5338; or Heart to Heart Hospice Foundation of Michigan, 30600 Telegraph Road, Suite 1131, Bingham Farms, MI 48025, htohhfoundation.org/donation. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. NATHAN ARTHUR GILBERT, 100, known as Art or Natie, was born in Detroit on Oct. 17, 1920, and died on March 23, 2021. He was a master sergeant in the Marine Corps and served in World War II from 1941-1945 and in Korea and Vietnam, retiring in 1980. He had many careers in his lifetime, including special agent with the FBI and top salesman for General Motors, Cadillac Division. He owned a hotel in Hollywood Calif., for many years and spent 40 years producing various movies for production companies in California, Paris and London. For the last 39 years, Mr. Gilbert was the beloved hus-

band of Ana Gilbert. He is also survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Denise and Bill Cunningham; his nieces and nephews, Dan and Iris Rudack Winey, Michael and Lauren Rudack, Nathan and Jeff and Lisa Rudack; two grandchildren; six great-grandchildren. He was buried at Miramar National Cemetery with full military honors in San Diego, Calif. His last wish was to be buried with his “brothers.” As he always said when ending a conversation, “Roger and Out.” LOUIS GOLDMAN, 82, of West Bloomfield, died April 8, 2021. He is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Michele Goldman and Michael Smith, and Nicole and Eric Wanstrom; son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Carolyn Goldman; grandchildren, Aaron Goldman and Sydney Goldman; nephew and niece, Todd and Reggie Goldman. Mr. Goldman was the beloved husband for 56 years of the late Faye Goldman; the loving brother of the late James Goldman; the devoted son of the late Sidney and the late Mary Goldman. Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association-Greater Michigan Chapter, 25200 Telegraph Road, Suite 100, Southfield, MI 48033. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. IRWIN GOODMAN, 92, of West Bloomfield, died April 8, 2021. He is survived by his wife,

Manluo Huang; daughter and son-in-law, Judy and Dr. Paul Lipson; grandchildren, Brian Lipson and Sianna Misheva, Rachel Lipson and Kamali Robinson, and Dr. Stacey and Dr. Tabish Shamsi; great-grandchildren, Stella Lipson, Marielle Lipson, Maxwell Robinson, Henry Robinson and Zara Shamsi. He is also survived by his former wife and Judy’s mother, Nancy (Manny) Kalef; Manluo’s daughter, Chen Guo; her daughter, Katie; many loving nieces, nephews and cousins. Mr. Goodman was the devoted son of the late Max and the late Marion Goodman; the loving brother of Una and the late Edward Dworkin, and the late Arthur and the late Shirley Goodman. He was predeceased by his former partner, Ruth Retko. Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jewishhospice.org; Residential Hospice, 5440 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Troy, MI 48098, residentialhealthcaregroup. com; or Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 8701 Georgia Ave., Suite 412, Silver Spring, MD 20910, adaa. org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. FRANCES HERMAN, 94, of Oak Park, died March 21, 2021. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Samuel and Mindy Herman of Farmington Hills, Ronald Herman and Susan Pitt; daughter and son-in-law, Leah and Dr. David Ungar of Oak Park; grandchildren, Joshua Herman, Alana and Kyle

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6 Iyar April 18 Edith Abramson Sander Edward Bell Rita Daniels Sidney A Deitch Jeanette Stewart Fink Benjamin Gould Harvey Greene Max Nusbaum Morris Pollack David L. Rosenberg Lt. Philip Ross Morris Sher Fae Skolnik Louis Weingarden Ernestine Weisz 7 Iyar April 19 Hyman Averbuch Philip Feinstein Julius Greenberg Albert Kaplan Ida Katzman Louis Konikof Charles Krassov Louis Lichtman Mishka Lieberman Lena Littman Karl Marx 8 Iyar April 20 Charles Berger Charles Cornfield Merrill Goodman

Charlotte Hoffman Celia Rosen Betty Saltz Abraham Zack 9 Iyar April 21 Sarah Rose Apt Sally August-Eder Mose Barnett Ida Borkin Dorothy Foster Sharon Gatien Max Goldhar Sadie Lynn Bertha Merzon Louis Please Dr Leo Schatz Estelle Wainer Eva Wainer Leslie Yesner Marsha York Marie Zarkin 10 Iyar April 22 Lena Alexis Moshe Ben Yonah Hanna Bordelow Louis Entus Bessie Goldsmith Fannie Goren Lewis Lionel Helpert Ida Karbel Rose Kelman Jacob Lechtzin

Harry Lindenbaum Ida Reiser Vera Rib Helen L Rosenberg Philip Ross Murray Jacob Spring 11 Iyar April 23 Sidney Applebaum Fannie Freedman Victoria Freedman Toby Lerner Gus Lew Rose Lipson Louis Melton Harry Shapiro Isidore Shindler Jennie-Kogen Singer 12 Iyar April 24 Abraham Berris Eva Bryman Eva Goldin Hannah Goldstein Shlomo Leib Hollender A Charles Lipchinsky David Modlinsky Anna Rabinovitch Samuel Rosenthal Chashe Scherr Judah Scherr Joe Shanbaum Joseph Whitefield Sadie Woolf

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OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 49

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OBITUARIES

Wildern, Daniel and Zahava Ungar, Shoshana and Daniel Kohn, Adina and Eli Noff, Tzvi and Rachelli Ungar, Sara Ungar; great-grandchildren, Nili, Ruby, Alex, Luka, Tamar, Gavriel, Binyoman, Mayer, Eitan, Leora, Yael, Pauly, Yisroel Reuven, Ariella, Miki. Mrs. Herman was the beloved wife of the late Rubin Herman. Contributions may be made to Young Israel of Oak Park, 15140 W. 10 Mile Road, Oak Park, MI 48237; Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, P.O. Box 2044, Southfield, MI 48037; Farber Hebrew Day School, 21100 W. 12 Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48076; or Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334. A graveside service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. DOLORES FINEGOOD LEFTON, 86, of Bloomfield Hills, died April 7, 2021. She was the cherished mother of Steven Finegood, Kenneth and Pamela Finegood, and Len Finegood; proud grandmother of Marci Finegood, Eric Finegood, Lindsey and Jerret Jackson, Kevin and Eva Finegood, and Sarah Finegood; adoring great-grandmother of Jacob Dylan Jackson. Dolores was always fond of her former husband, the late Harold Finegood; her former daughter-in-law, Sharon Finegood; her close childhood friend, Shirley Pretzloff. She was loved by Allen’s children, Andrew and Renee, Jeffrey and Carol, and David and Shari; and his grandchildren. She was a loving dog mom to Bentley, Sparky and Danny Boy. Mrs. Lefton was the beloved

wife of the late Allen Lefton; dear sister of the late Philip Diamond; devoted daughter of the late Ruth Diamond Kramer (the late Sam Kramer) and the late Harry Diamond. Interment was at Beth Tefilo Emanuel Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Michigan Humane Society, Development Dept., 30300 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025, michiganhumane.org/tributes. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. LILA LESSEN, 92, died March 20, 2021 from heart failure. She was preceded in death by 30 years by her beloved husband, Carl Lessen, to whom she remained devoted her entire life. She was an adoring wife, mother and grandmother. Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions in her memory may be made to Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. STEVEN “PORKY” LEVINE, 58, of Farmington Hills, died April 4, 2021. He is survived by his mother, Doralee LeVine; sister and brother-in-law, Elyse and Darrell Silber; nieces, Jaimee and Alexis Silber; aunts, Mona Kaufman and Maxine LeVine; loving cousins, Ian and Kat LeVine, Monica LeVine, Robin Motisi, Peter LeVine, and Kim Kaufman; an infinite group of lifelong friends who’ve been there for each other at every turn. Mr. LeVine was the devoted son of the late Ronald LeVine; he was also preceded in death by his grandparents, Jack and

Jean Kaufman, and Sam LeVine and Bluma LeVine Kramer; his uncles, Bob Kaufman and Seymour LeVine. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Paws With A Cause, 4646 S. Division, Wayland, MI 49348, pawswithacause. org; Rainbow Connection, 621 W. University Drive, Rochester, MI 48307, rainbowconnection. org; or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, stjude.org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. VICTOR “VITO” ANTHONY MARCHIONE, 70, died March 31, 2021. He peacefully passed away in his home surrounded by his adoring family, after a brave battle

with cancer. The world lost a beautiful soul. To know him was to love him. Vito met then eventually married Linda “Leeba” in 1985. It was a love story like no other. The two laughed and shared all of life experiences together as true soulmates. Vito found his greatest joy in music. A drummer in many rock bands over the years, he then became a singer/songwriter on guitar. His musical talent landed him many awards over the years; he was that good. Beyond music, he had a keen eye for design and worked for several high-end building companies long after owning his own successful building business. Mr. Marchionne is survived by his beloved wife, Leeba (Linda Weinberger); children, Aviva Marchione (Ben Fellows), Shayna Marchione and Isabella

Marchione. He was the father of the late Kala Marchione and Nolan Marchione; the loving son of the late June and Frank Marchione; son-in-law of the late Arlene Weinberger and Dr. Kenneth (Leah) Weinberger; devoted brother of Dan and Robin Marchione, Julee (Joe) Jaske and Jay (Lynne) Marchione; brother-in-law of Dr. Leonard (Dr. Marie) Weinberger and Bruce Weinberger. He is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, friends and other family. Interment was held at Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Contributions may be made to Animal House of Southeast Michigan or to Black Lives Matter Detroit. Arrangements made by Dorfman Chapel.

BEN MOSKOVITZ, 97, of West Bloomfield, died April 5, 2021. He is survived by his beloved wife, Ida Moskovitz; son and daughter-inlaw, Morry and Susan Moskovitz; daughters and sons-in-law, Esther and Martin Leibowitz, Brenda Moskovitz and Robert Sklar; grandchildren, Brittany and Frank Stifter, Courtney Moskovitz, Lindsay (Robert Mardigian) Sklar, Aaron Sklar, Joshua Sklar, Abigail Sklar and David Leibowitz; great-grandchildren, Wesley Stifter and David Mardigian; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. Mr. Moskovitz was the devoted brother of the late Martin Moskovitz, Fanny Herman, continued on page 52

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OBITUARIES

OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 51

Jack Marvel and his brothers and sisters who perished in the Holocaust. Interment was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to the Holocaust Memorial Center or to Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. MARCIA LEE SINKOFF, 86, of Bloomfield Hills, died April 5, 2021. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Debbie and Jeff Supowit; sons and daughters-in-law, Brian and Betsy Sinkoff, Mark Sinkoff, Avery Sinkoff, and Sanford and Juanita Sinkoff; grandchildren, Dr. Jacob and Kimberly Sinkoff, Dr. Erink Sinkoff, Dr.

APRIL 15 • 2021

Jillian Sinkoff and Dr. Matthew Bures, Shana and Allen Weiss, Samantha and Michael Shapiro, Jordan and Christine Supowit, and Matthew and Ashley Sinkoff; great-grandchildren, Sloane Sinkoff, Ilan Bures, Maddy, James, and Claire Weiss, Aiden Shapiro, Eleanor and Gerald Sinkoff, and Donny Bose; brother and sister-in-law, Wayne and Joanne Glazer; other loving relatives and friends. Mrs. Sinkoff was the beloved wife of the late Gerald W. Sinkoff. Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Michigan Humane Society, 30300 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025, michiganhumane.org/tributes; Jewish National Fund, 42 E. 69th St., New York, NY

10021, jnf.org; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. ARNOLD SLUTZKY, 83, of Boynton Beach, Fla., died April 1, 2021. He is survived by his beloved wife, Marlene Slutzky; sons and daughterin-law, Steven Slutzky, Eric and Wendy Slutzky; daughter and son-in-law, Cheryl and James Pauli; sister-in-law, Ellen Slutzky; grandchildren, Ethan and Erin Slutzky, Jason and Jared Pauli, Benjamin, Caroline and Hailey Slutzky; nieces, Jennifer Slutzky, Dana (Jon) Linney. He was the father-inlaw of Elizabeth Stroot. Arnold was the brother of the late Jerry Slutzky. Interment took place at the Beth El Memorial

Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to Mayo Clinic, to the South Florida Proton Research Foundation to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

OBITUARY CHARGES The processing fee for obituaries is: $125 for up to 100 words; $1 per word thereafter. A photo counts as 15 words. There is no charge for a Holocaust survivor icon. The JN reserves the right to edit wording to conform to its style considerations. For information, have your funeral director call the JN or you may call Sy Manello, editorial assistant, at (248) 351-5147 or email him at smanello@ thejewishnews.com.

RASKIN

THE BEST OF EVERYTHING

WORTHPOI NT

A ‘Wild’ Dining Spot from Yesteryear

here once was a restaurant on Connor, Detroit, umpteen years ago, where you may have had or witnessed very strange food for consumption … It was named A-Z Safari Land and featured wild game dinners Danny … like broiled Raskin Senior Columnist boa constrictor, African lion steaks and alligator tails, etc. Its storeroom shelves were filled with “goodies” from the African veldt, but even though the preparations were excellent, I never did recommend it for the timid … And it also had an American menu for the faint-hearted. For the adventurous, a good dinner started with fresh baby bees in drawn butter … For your entrée, you might choose the iguana din-

ner … with an absolute threedays’ notice …If iguana did not fit your mood, you could choose the stuffed diamondback rattlesnake, breast of crow or monkey with fingers. For an exotic dessert, a suggestion there was the chocolate-covered ants. It was owned by a husband-and-wife host and hostess … She handled the kitchen, and he ran the service and was a sometime provider of the exotic food … He sometimes traveled all over the world … and pointed out that all the food served at A-Z Safari Land was passed by state health inspectors … Many people came just to see the food … and had terrific sirloin steaks … cooked from choice meat

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Thankfully, elephant was never on the menu at A-Z Safari Land.

… of a cow. OLDIE BUT GOODIE … (2nd repeat version) … Once upon a time, a king relied so much on the wisdom of his Jewish adviser that he decided to elevate him to head adviser … The other advisers objected … It was bad enough to sit in council with a Jew, but to allow one to lord over them was just too much to bear. Being a passionate ruler, the king agreed with them, and ordered the Jew to convert … As soon as the act was done, the Jew felt great remorse for this terrible decision … As days became weeks, his remorse turned to despondency, and as months passed, his mental depression took its toll, and he became weaker and weaker … Finally, he could stand it

no longer. He burst in on the king and cried, “I was born a Jew and a Jew and I must die. Do what you want with me, but I can no longer deny my faith.” The king had no idea that the Jew felt so strongly about it. … “Well, if that is how you feel,” he said, “your counsel is much too important to me to do without, go and be a Jew again.” The Jew felt elated … He hurried back home feeling the strength surge back into his body as he ran … Finally, he burst into the house and called out to his wife, “Sarah! Sarah! We can be Jews again!” His wife glared back at him angrily and said, “What! You couldn’t wait until after the High Holidays?” CONGRATS … To Sarah Metzger on her birthday. Danny’s email address is dannyraskin2132@gmail.com.

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Looking Back

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

The British Bulldog

eventy-five years ago, on March 3, 1946, Winston Churchill gave a famous speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. It became widely known as his “Iron Curtain” speech. In the aftermath of World War II, as a shattered Western Europe faced massive rebuilding, Stalin was installing communist puppet governments in Poland, Hungary and other places. Churchill described this as an “Iron Curtain” descending on Europe, and this term was added Mike Smith to our universal lexicon. Churchill Alene and Graham Landau considered this speech, where he Archivist Chair challenged America to stand up to the communist threat, to be his finest oration. Certainly, Churchill was among the great leaders in world history. Like most larger-thanlife figures, he was a person with huge successes and deep failures, a controversial figure, to say the least. So, I wondered: what might I find about Churchill in the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History? Churchill was mentioned on 1,727 pages. Not all citations, however, are related to the Winston Churchill. It seems that there have been plenty of people with the surname “Churchill” living in Metro Detroit. The search also revealed the profound influence Churchill had on the Michigan landscape. There is a Churchill Street in Detroit, which was the first mention of the name in the Archive in 1919. There is Churchill High School in Livonia and Churchill Community Education Center in Royal Oak. Danny Raskin wrote about “Churchill’s Bistro and Cigar Bar” in his JN “Best of Everything” column on Oct. 3, 2013. There is a Winston Churchill Society with a Michigan Chapter based in Ann Arbor. Churchill also had an impact upon American leaders. President George W. Bush is one admirer of Churchill. Locally, Sen. Carl Levin was inspired by Churchill (March 28, 2013 JN), and former chief judge of the Federal Court in Detroit Gerald Rosen told me that Churchill is one of his heroes. Like Churchill, these people each had to deal with tough challenges.

APRIL 15 • 2021

While on tours of America, Churchill came to Detroit. He gave an interview to the University of Michigan’s student newspaper in 1901, and gave a speech, “The World Facing Disaster,” on Feb. 5, 1932 (Jan. 29, 1932 Chronicle). Churchill did make one additional “appearance” in Detroit. The Dec. 3, 1999, issue of the JN has a story about student actors portraying historical figures at Yeshivat Akiva. Churchill was in attendance that day! Another indication of the lasting influence of Churchill is how often he is quoted in the JN. For example, in a May 7, 2015, story about Hillel eighth-graders studying physics at the JCC by constructing cardboard boats, Elizabeth Applebaum noted that the students were determined to, in Churchill’s words, “never, never, never give up!” And there is the remembrance of local Jewish WWII hero, veteran of 33 combat air missions, Mort Harris. On the occasion when he was honored by being named a Churchill Fellow (June 14, 2018, JN), Harris stated that Churchill’s “courage was contagious.” There is a veritable treasure trove of information about Churchill in the Davidson Archive, more than I can address in one column. So, I’ll look into Churchill’s relationship with Jews and his impact upon British Mandate Palestine and the State of Israel in next week’s Looking Back. Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

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Meet the cohort of 2021 — young Jews making a difference in our community. See page 8

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Duty Young Detroiters serve in the IDF to “give back” to Israel. See page 12

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With Detroit’s help, Israeli firm creates app to give your car a smoother, more efficient ride. See page 12

Todah Morim! Thank you, teachers! An appreciation of our day school educators during this pandemic. See page 13

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DJN April 15, 2021

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