THE DETROIT
JEWISH NEWS 200 July 22-28, 2021 / 13-19 Av 5781
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thejewishnews.com
Learning to Lead
Antisemitism rally in Washington gave this father and daughter lessons in how to combat hatred. See page 16
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contents July 22-28, 2021 / 13-19 Av 5781 | VOLUME CLIX, ISSUE 24
20
28 36 PURELY COMMENTARY 4-12
Essays and viewpoints.
OUR COMMUNITY 16
20 22 23 24 25 26
Learning to Lead
Antisemitism rally in Washington gave this father and daughter lessons in how to combat hatred.
Jewish Unity Video
Temple Israel cantors team up with Israeli a cappella group.
30
B’nai Moshe hires hometown woman as cantor.
Teens and Business
Course offers Jewish guide to issues in the commercial world.
Time to Reflect — Online
The Well is posting pre-Rosh Hashanah topics for introspection.
Moments
SPIRIT
47
The Great Restoration
The special significance of Tu b’Av in light of COVID.
Looking Back 54
34
Synagogue Directory
Shabbat Lights
ARTS&LIFE 36
Art Under the Sun
39
Teen Angst, Set to Music
The Orchard Lake Fine Art Show is back. Berkley High grad produces play at Ridgedale.
Faces & Places
EVENTS
New Shul Basketball League, organized by a 20-year-old.
Obituaries
32
42
Tipoff Time
The Exchange 46
Torah portion
Danny Fenster Talks to His Parents Temple Israel Shabbat n’ Schmooze.
ETC.
31
A New Voice
SPORTS 28
MAZEL TOV
43
Celebrity News Community Calendar
HEALTH 44
Roll Up Your Sleeves!
Doctor/rabbis recommend COVID-19 vaccines.
Danny Raskin 53
Shabbat starts: Friday, July 23, 8:43 p.m. Shabbat ends: Saturday, July 24, 9:50 p.m. * Times according to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.
ON THE COVER: Cover photo/credit: Bella and Bryan Gottlieb. By Amy Gottlieb. Cover design: Michelle Sheridan
thejewishnews.com Follow Us on Social Media: Facebook @DetroitJewishNews Twitter @JewishNewsDet Instagram @detroitjewishnews JULY 22 • 2021
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PURELY COMMENTARY for openers
No Israeli Child Left Behind ...
E
veryone knows how Israelis take care of one another as if everyone is one big family. Here is a story about exactly that. The invitation culture in Israel is such that parents invite friends to their son’s bar mitzvah or daughter’s bat mitzvah, and no one is expected to respond. There are no seating cards, so when they arrive, everyone just sits at any table. Aviva Zacks The problem is that the Contributing Writer parents have no idea who is actually coming to the party and who is not. Occasionally, things go wrong. Maybe it’s a bad date because everyone is away at a different event or trip, or the child is simply not very liked by his peers, and nobody wants to come. But when this happens, Israelis show us their lovingkindness for strangers. Someone from the event hall — the caterer or the DJ — posts a message on large Israeli Facebook groups, both local and national, and people from all over come to celebrate with the boy or girl. They bring gifts, they dance, they eat and they simply show up so the child doesn’t have to celebrate alone. Here are four Facebook posts I have translated from one such occurrence this summer:
#1
Attention residents of Modiin and surrounding areas: Currently, there is a bar mitzvah happening in the Move-It hall in Yishpru [an area of Modiin]. No kids came to the event to celebrate with Itamar. Anyone from the area who can come over and celebrate with him will be blessed. Come make this event the happiest it can be! We are counting on you, please share with as many people as you can!
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#2
Many kids and parents have arrived at the bar mitzvah at Move-It. Within half an hour, the hall is packed with no more room, and outside it’s also full and nobody else can enter. It’s amazing how quickly everyone has mobilized!
#3
The nation of Israel at its best! Simply champions and angels! We are in Yishpru in Modiin at Move-It and thousands of people have arrived to celebrate with a bar mitzvah boy after an announcement that there were no guests. So very moving! They are already blocking the entrance. Friends, good for you! No one else needs to come.
#4
No more posts about empty event halls. I am volunteering with a lot of love. To all the parents who are making parties for their children and including friends from school: You invite the children, and before the event, we will make sure to remind the parents and get a good picture of the situation so we can help solve the issues before the event, so that all the children come. Send me a message, and in the coming days, I will give you the phone number. Free, without charge. Just volunteering. Aviva Zacks is a former Akiva (now Farber) Hebrew Day School teacher who made aliyah to Israel. She reports from Israel for the Detroit Jewish News.
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JULY 22 • 2021
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to the broadest audience in the shortest time. Contributors to Jewish newspapers at once benefited from and encouraged Jewish literacy. The more educated the readership, the more deeply and widely these written words would resonate. More importantly, the sheer variety and diversity of ideas and themes that emanated from the pages of the Jewish press — worlds beyond the erstwhile narrow range of rabbinic homilies and explications antiquated texts that often resonated very little with the pressing issues of the present — encouraged more Jews to attain a
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for those of us interested in Alltagsgeschichte [history of daily life], Jewish newspapers are an indispensable source of firsthand accounts and firsthand perspectives. As such, Jewish newspapers have been, to paraphrase erstwhile publisher of the Washington Post Phil Graham: Jewish newspapers are the first rough draft of modern Jewish history. Jewish newspapers, like other dailies and weeklies, have played a pivotal role in the democratization of knowledge. Prior to the rise of the internet and social media, the daily or weekly newspaper was the most effective way for writers to disseminate their ideas
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THE WIL LIAM DAV
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or nearly two centuries, Jewish daily and weekly newspapers have been a useful window into the life and soul of the local, regional and global Jewish community. Perusing the pages of a Jewish newspaper, as many of us do each Howard week, one finds Lupovitch a diverse array of genres: news stories, scholarly essays by rabbis and lay intellectuals, op-eds, letters, poetry, serialized short stories and novellas and, of course, advertisements and announcements. For historians of the Jewish community, especially
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level of literacy and education necessary to appreciate these ideas. The range of language and outlooks of the Jewish press, especially in the 20th century, has been as varied and diverse as the continued on page 8
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PURELY COMMENTARY continued from page 6
Jews themselves. The first Jewish weeklies published by German Jews (who pioneered so much of modern Jewish thought and politics) were, like most German Jews, liberal, enlightened, Reform, progressive. The Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums, which published its first issue in Leipzig in 1837, became the model for liberal Jewish weeklies in London, Vienna, Paris, Budapest and New York. Though published in different languages, all these newspapers shared three aims: to provide a clearing house where Jewish communities around the world could exchange ideas and share successes and failures; to instill a sense of Jewish pride and a instill a connection with the Jewish community; and to advocate for and, later, to celebrate Jews attaining equal citizenship and access into mainstream society. Russian Jews followed suit a generation later. Like Russian Jewry itself, Russian Jewish newspapers were more diverse than their Western counterparts in terms of language — Hebrew, Yiddish and Ladino in addition to the many vernacular languages of Eastern Europe — and political and religious outlooks: Socialism, Zionism (of all varieties), Bundism, Modern Orthodox and even the Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox press. By the turn of the 20th century, Jews living in major cities like Warsaw, Budapest,
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Vienna or Odessa, could choose from hundreds of Jewish daily and weekly papers written in a dozen languages, with views ranging from secular to ultra-Orthodox and from communist to conservative. A CHORUS OF VOICES No less important, Jewish newspapers have been an invaluable venue for readers to encounter a tapestry of Jewish voices and outlooks that often engage with one another in constructive debate. In this regard, now and in the past, Jewish newspapers have varied in quality. At their worst, Jewish newspapers targeted a relatively narrow audience with a one-dimensional view of the world and were reluctant to ruffle the feathers of less open-minded readers to the point of stifling the very free expression and exchange that made this genre so engaging and beneficial to the Jewish community as a whole. This was often the case of many (though by no means all) Orthodox newspapers, whose pages devolved into propaganda, ad hominem attacks and fearmongering. Often such newspapers survived only as long a wealthy Jewish patron who shared the view of the targeted readership was willing to underwrite the cost of what was typically a finite venture of limited value. At their best, Jewish newspapers were a politically and religiously
neutral space whose only prerequisite for publishing was elegance, nuance and substance; where all Jewish writers, especially those who were ostracized or marginalized by the traditional elements within the Jewish community, could express unconventional, novel and even controversial and heretical views. In more than a few cases, a column or essay in a Jewish paper was the place where a view that started out radical found an audience and stirred discussion and debate en route to entering the psyche of the Jewish mainstream. Jewish authors like Sholem Aleichem, Y.L. Peretz, and Haim Nachman Bialik — to name a few — were first published in the pages of the Jewish press. Without this medium to connect them to their readers, these authors would have become so widely known to us only posthumously, if at all. Today, Jewish newspapers are a window not only into the Jewish present but also the Jewish past. Spend an afternoon browsing the Detroit Jewish News archive (djnfoundation.org) or if you are more adventurous, check out a website called Historical Jewish press at www.nli.org.il/en/discover/ newspapers/jpress, and you will see what I mean. Professor Howard Lupovitch is associate professor of history and director of the Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies at Wayne State University.
Correction In “Building Upon Great Success,” (July 8, page 42), the caption of the photo on page 43 was inaccurate. The photo did not show the current generation running Edward Rose & Sons, but showed Warren Rose, the late Irving and the late Sheldon Rose, as well as Leslie Rose, who is retired.
U.N. Links Terrorism with Antisemitism (JNS) The U.N. General Assembly acknowledged a link between terrorism and antisemitism in its recently passed Global CounterTerrorism Strategy (GCTS) — for the first time — a move that has been applauded by pro-Israel and Jewish organizations. The GCTS says it “Recognizes with deep concern the overall rise in instances of discrimination, intolerance and violence, regardless of the actors, directed against members of religious and other communities in various parts of the world, including cases motivated by Islamophobia, antisemitism, Christianophobia and prejudice against persons of any other religion or belief.” Israeli U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan, noted Israelis recently “sat in bomb shelters because of Hamas’ relentless terror attacks.”
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MILWAUKEE TEACHERS’ EDUCATION ASSOCIATION/FLICKR COMMONS/JTA
PURELY COMMENTARY opinion
Should Jews Support Critical Race Theory? PRO: CRT Helps Us Teach Jewish History
A
nyone teaching the past by skipping over the unpleasant parts isn’t teaching history. They are engaged in propaganda. Jewish tradition understands this: Refusing to sugarcoat their own people’s culpability, the Henry sages themselves Abramson teach that the JTA destruction of the Temple by the Romans is a
consequence of baseless hatred — among Jews. Yet in nearly two dozen states, the movement to impose restrictions on the teaching of history is gaining momentum. Incited by a national hysteria over Critical Race Theory (CRT), advocates of these educational fatwas are borrowing a page from authoritarian governments like Vladimir Putin’s Russia in a clumsy effort to avoid discussing the messy,
Teachers, students and school board members in the Milwaukee area hold a news conference opposing new bills seeking to bar schools from teaching ideas linked to critical race theory, June 12, 2021.
controversial and painful moments in America’s history. And as a professional historian, I can tell you that these bans will be terrible for anyone teaching or studying Jewish history. CRT DEFINED What exactly is critical race theory, and how is it apparently — in the words of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is seen as a potential presidential candidate —
CON: CRT Places Jews in Discriminatory Boxes
W
hose job is it to define who I am? Is it an institution’s job or is it mine? In all the brouhaha over critical race theory (CRT), this question is rarely asked. That may be because much of the controverDavid Suissa sy over CRT has been about definJNS ing a nation and a system. CRT is a theoretical genre within the larger realm of critical theory that has become a mainstream movement. It
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teaches that the United States was founded on racism, oppression and white supremacy — and that these forces are still rooted in our society. What gets overlooked within this movement, however, is that individual identities are being erased. This shouldn’t surprise us, given that a core idea of CRT is that racism is not merely the product of individual prejudice but something systemically embedded in legal systems and policies. Whether one is white, black or brown, individual identities inevitably get submerged by this systemic ethos. Further,
because CRT does not encourage dissenting views, individuals feel pressured to go along with whatever box CRT puts them in. This is highly problematic, regardless of where one stands on the overall issue. For one thing, the imposition of individual identity is a violation of a fundamental human right — the right to define ourselves as we wish. None of us have identities that fit into neat boxes. I’m a Sephardic Jew born in an Arab Muslim country in North Africa. Some people consider me a Jew of color although I
teaching our kids “to hate each other” and “hate our country”? Critical Race Theory is a body of ideas associated not with the discipline of history but with the practice of law. Adherents believe that the legacy of slavery is baked into American society and culture to such a degree that African Americans continue to suffer long-term, systemic economic harm. It suggests that discussing reparations should be on the national agenda (hence the
look Caucasian. My identity is also influenced by groups to which I belong, from an Orthodox synagogue to industry groups to the passionate fan base of the Los Angeles Lakers. DON’T DEFINE ME My political identity is of a centrist who loves to engage with all sides. My views can change depending on new information. It’s hard to pin me down because I refuse to pin myself down. All this to say that no one has the right to define who I am, either as a Jew or as an individual. And yet, in many ways, crit-
MILWAUKEE TEACHERS’ EDUCATION ASSOCIATION/FLICKR COMMONS/JTA
origin of these ideas among legal scholars). The impact of systemic racism may be measured, for example, in things as diverse as the wealth gap between white and Black Americans with similar educations and the declining tree cover in neighborhoods with majority African American populations. Critical Race theorists look to the history of government policies from the 1930s like redlining, under which the Federal Housing Authority refused to underwrite mortgages in African American neighborhoods with the explicit goal of separating “incompatible racial groups.” Blacks were, like Jews, forbidden to buy homes in newly developed suburbs, while white Americans received help from the government to purchase homes in these leafy neighborhoods and to build generational wealth.
The CRT framework, decades old, gained popularity (or notoriety, depending on whom you ask) after the summer 2020 wave of protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. MEMORY LAWS The bans on teaching with a Critical Race Theory framework aren’t really against history per se, which is in the past and therefore stubbornly resists regulation. Rather, these decrees fall more precisely within the category of what are called “memory laws.” Historian Timothy Snyder described these laws as “government actions designed to guide public interpretation of the past … by asserting a mandatory view of historical events, by forbidding the discussion of historical facts or interpretations or by providing vague guidelines that lead to self-censorship.” Compared to Americans,
Europeans have less of an allergy to limitations on free speech, and they generally accepted these laws when they were designed to protect victims of historical trauma, for example, by banning noxious phenomena such as Holocaust denial. Putin, however, pioneered a new approach to memory laws: Rather than protecting the weak, they also can be weaponized to strengthen the powerful. In the context of Russian history, the counterpart to American slavery is the Holodomor, a terrible famine that killed millions of Ukrainians from 1932-1933. Beginning in 2008, Russia’s Duma assembly passed legislation that forbade the discussion of Russian government policies that contributed to the genocidal nature of the famine. This is the intellectual
home of the CRT bans. They share educational space with Poland’s ridiculous, offensive and dangerous 2018 law that criminalizes the suggestion that Poland bears any responsibility for the crimes committed by the Germans during World War II. The object of Poland’s memory law is not to prevent the resurgence of extremist antisemitism; it is to prevent Poles from confronting the complex legacy of collaboration with the Nazi occupation. U.S. BANS ON CRT This brings us to the American versions of the memory laws. Tennessee, for example, recently passed SB 623, which lists 14 directives all tied to state funding. The requirements oscillate between the painfully obvious and the absurdly comic. On the one hand, Tennessee “does not prohibit … the impartial discussion continued on page 12
ical race theory aims to do just that — put people into neat boxes. Because CRT revolves around race and racial categories, by definition it must downplay the individual. We become defined by our skin color, a radical departure from Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous dictum that we ought to be judged by “the content of our character and not the color of our skin.” This stereotyping is especially problematic for groups that have a long history of being put in stereotypical boxes that have led to their persecution, such as Jews. Throughout the centuries, Jew-haters have used any convenient box to attack Jews — communist, capitalist, powerful, weak, religious, secular, insular, universal and so on.
Today, one of the consequences of CRT is that Jews are put in the “ultimate white privilege” box, reinforced by an association with the powerful “white” State of Israel, a country that attracts an inordinate amount of antisemitic hostility, particularly when it defends itself. As a result, Jews are facing a form of identity erasure, made worse by CRT’s erasure of individual choice. The Jewish tradition, while valuing communal connections, values individual agency above all. We make choices as individuals, whether to serve God or our fellow humans. We sin as individuals, seek forgiveness as individuals and forgive as individuals. The major figures of the Bible, from
Moses to King David, all had their individual flaws. The sages of the Talmud were in constant debate. The Jewish message is that none of us have static identities based on qualities or characteristics that can never change. Our message is always one of action and hope — each one of us is a work in progress, even kings and great leaders. Critical race theory nullifies this powerful idea — that we are individuals with the power to make a difference, both in the world and in our lives. ACKNOWLEDGING PROGRESS We can and must teach in our schools the shameful and complicated racial history of the United States and fight its
lingering effects, but without ignoring the long arc of progress or the ability of individuals to think critically and strive for improvement. Even when we are part of groups — what is commonly known today as “identity politics” — it is what we bring to these groups as individuals that nourishes our lives and helps the groups succeed. We have an obligation to teach our kids the universal truth that the sanctity of our individuality is the real source of human dignity. We might call that Critical Human Theory. David Suissa is editor-in-chief and publisher of Tribe Media Corp, and the Los Angeles-based Jewish Journal newspaper. He can be reached at davids@ jewishjournal.com. This article was first published by the Jewish Journal. JULY 22 • 2021
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PURELY COMMENTARY continued from page 11
of controversial aspects of history,” or even “the impartial instruction on the oppression of a particular group of people.” On the other hand, it bans teaching that “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged” (forestalling, presumably, lessons in how the redlining in the 1930s led to white wealth accumulation today or how men enjoyed privileges over women — well, at just about any point in history). The prohibition sits within the same category as “promoting or advocating the violent overthrow of the United States government”! Some scholars have objected, in particular, to the squishy concept outlined in 51.a.6: Educators are forbidden to teach in a manner that causes
a student to “feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or another form of psychological distress solely because of the individual’s race or sex.” Now it’s certainly good pedagogic practice to refrain from humiliating one’s students (I’m embarrassed to even have to say that). But it is a tall order to teach the history of race and sex in this country without making someone feel discomfort or anguish, just as it impossible to teach the Holocaust properly without causing German students to reflect on their national history, or the Holodomor without giving Russians pause to contemplate brutal Soviet agrarian policies. These laws will chill honest engagement with hard truths, forcing teachers to lie to their
students, even if only by omission. Furthermore, anyone teaching Jewish history will be challenged to find a way to present the legacy of antisemitism without running afoul of these regulations. The historical linkage between Catholic theology and the persecution of Jews, for example, is rife with difficult topics. They range from the medieval charges of host desecration and the horrendous blood libel to the pope’s kidnapping of 6-year-old Edgardo Mortara in 1858 (we could, unfortunately, continue at length). Protestants would also be discomfited by Martin Luther’s anti-Jewish screed, “On the Jews and their Lies” (1543). The list of countries
where Jews have lived in their diaspora is pretty much identical to the list of countries that have discriminated against Jews. Obviously, the presentation of challenging material must be titrated to the specifics of the classroom, considering factors like the age and background preparation of the students. No responsible teacher wants to teach students to “hate each other” or “hate America.” But we all participate in a sacred covenant with our students: They expect us to tell them the truth. These memory laws, if enforced, would ask us to betray that covenant. Henry Abramson is a specialist in Jewish history and thought who currently serves as a dean of Touro College in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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Mazel Tov Larry Wolfe on being named the
2021 FRED M. BUTZEL AWARD RECIPIENT, the highest honor bestowed on a member of the Detroit Jewish community by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit! It’s no surprise that you are joining the ranks of Federation’s legendary leaders and being recognized for your outstanding leadership and decades of service to the Jewish community in Detroit, in Israel, and throughout the world. In your role as Treasurer on the World ORT Board of Trustees, we thank you for your vision, guidance, and support, and especially for serving as an inspiration and role model to all those involved.
Congratulations on this most deserving honor! Your friends at,
Howard Lanznar Chairman of Board of Directors
Dr. Conrad Giles President
Carole BenEzra Regional President
Barbara Birch President & CEO
Dan Green Director General & CEO
Nicole Miller Regional Director
JULY 22 • 2021
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Sunday, September 12th 2:00-5:00 p.m. at Shaarey Zedek
COME ORT AND PLAY
COME ONE, COME ALL! Bring your kids, bring your grandkids for an outdoor afternoon of carnival fun! In lieu of our traditional Camp Hermelin family fundraiser, this year we invite you for a fun-filled family event, featuring carnival games, slot car racing, arcade basketball, petting zoo and pony rides, airbrush tattoos, treats, prizes, prizes, and more prizes! There will be activities for toddlers, elementary school children, and tweens. It’s an event that the entire family can enjoy. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! Teens needing community service hours and adults who just want to help, WE NEED YOU! Please call the office to add your name to the volunteer list.
Pop-Up Gallery & On-line Art Auction
Taking place late fall/early winter - stay tuned for details
presents p rre esentts s
This year’s ORT and the City fundraiser will feature 30+ original works of art created by Detroit artists, reflecting this year’s art challenge Elegant Chaos. The art will be displayed in our pop-up gallery for interested buyers to see the art in person (location and dates of the exhibit to come). All art will be available for purchase in our online auction, taking place this winter (dates to be announced soon). Support ORT and our talented Detroit artist community at the same time! WANT TO SPONSOR AN ARTIST? If you would like to sponsor an artist to participate in this year’s ORT and the City art challenge, please contact the office.
Thursday, November 4th 7:00 p.m. via Zoom LADIES, please join us for an epic end to virtual programming at our annual WINGO fundraiser being held this November 4th via Zoom. The evening will include 10 rounds of bingo playing for cash and gift cards to local retailers, 30 raffles for the chance to win high-quality prizes, and a sophisticated online auction with unique and trendy items, including jewelry, fashion accessories, home décor, restaurant packages, and more! Get together with friends for this exciting girls’ night in and wear your sweats one last time because next year, we’re dressing up and heading to Knollwood! WANT TO DONATE TO THE SILENT AUCTION? To donate to the silent auction, please call the office.
EVENT SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES If you are interested in serving as an Event Sponsor of Come ORT and Play, ORT and the City, and/or WINGO, please call the ORT office. Sponsors are offered a variety of marketing and branding opportunities to promote their business to their ideal target audience, while supporting a critical cause — ORT.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: 248-723-8860 | www.ortamerica.org/michigan | michigan@ortamerica.org This ad has been generously underwritten by Josh Rubin of Horizon Financial Group.
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RUB-A-DUB 2021 commemorating
100 YEARS OF ORT AMERICA 100 MOMENTS OF MICHIGAN’S IMPACT Next year, ORT America will be celebrating its centennial anniversary – a huge accomplishment! Help us celebrate this incredible milestone by placing a congratulatory ad in the 2021 Rub-a-Dub Ad Journal and/or by honoring an ORTist you know who has been part of this remarkable journey here in Michigan or any location where ORT America has had a presence since it was founded in 1922.
AD JOURNAL OPPORTUNITIES Congratulate ORT AMERICA
on a Century of Achievement. and/or
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IF YOU HAVE AN ORT MOMENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! In addition to congratulatory ads, the Rub-a-Dub Ad Journal will serve as a Tribute Book, featuring 100 MOMENTS OF IMPACT from MICHIGAN ORTISTS – past and present. For Ad Journal opportunities or questions, please contact ORT Michigan: 248-723-8860 • michigan@ortamerica.org • www.ortamerica.org/rub-a-dub A NO-SHOW FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT
This ad has been generously underwritten by Josh Rubin of Horizon Financial Group.
JULY 22 • 2021
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RON KAMPEAS, JTA
OUR COMMUNITY ON THE COVER
Shlomo Noginski, a rabbi who was stabbed in Boston, speaks to a rally against antisemitism at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., July 11, 2021.
Learning to Lead Antisemitism rally in Washington gave this father and daughter lessons in how to combat hatred.
E
arlier this month plan to attend an upcomI received an ing rally in Washington email from Rabbi D.C., representing the Asher Lopatin, executive JCRC and Detroit’s Jewish director of the Jewish community. Community Relations The flyer he sent, billed Bryan Council (JCRC) and “No Fear: A Rally in Gottlieb the rabbi of Kehillat Etz Solidarity with the Jewish Contributing Writer Chayim, our synagogue People,” was spearheaded in Huntington Woods, by Elisha Wiesel, son of the informing congregants of his late Nobel Laureate Eli Wiesel,
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and hoped to gather Jews of all stripes in a full-throated demonstration of Jewish unity, denouncement of antisemitism and reaffirming the ideals of Zionism. “Let us continue to work toward more Jewish unity as we stand up to antisemitism and fight for the safety and security of Israel,” Lopatin wrote in closing.
Scheduled for July 11, and within eyeshot of the U.S. Capitol, Wiesel helped corral a cross-section of more than 100 Jewish and interfaith organizations that cut across the political and religious spectrum. Scheduled speakers included television host Meghan McCain, Erika Moritsugu, deputy assistant to President Joe Biden, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue and more than a dozen others, including Wiesel. I don’t consider myself “political,” but the rally’s intent resonated with me on several levels, particularly its call for civic engagement. I hold the construct of civic engagement to be on par with, and complementary to, every American’s obligation to be well-informed on issues. Each is critical in sustaining our democracy and safeguarding the freedoms our country bestows upon its citizens. Each
Bella Gottlieb and her mother, Amy Gottlieb, withstand the heat at the “No Fear” rally.
ters of American Jews think there is more antisemitism in the U.S. today than there was five years ago. Moreover, slightly more than half say that, as a Jewish person in the U.S., they personally feel less safe than they did five years ago.
Daniel Raab, a University of Illinois student leader targeted for supporting Israel, speaks at “No Fear: A Rally in Solidarity With the Jewish People” on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2021.
STANDING FOR ISRAEL As Bella begins her last year of high school, it won’t be long before she finds herself outside of the day school bubble where she has been kept fairly insulated from all this ugliness. As her parents, the best thing we can do for our daughter is empower her to use her voice and learn how to act. Action for social justice through civic engagement is more than just placing a placard in one’s window or throwing up a lawn sign. Action is standing toe-to-toe with those who hijack legitimate criticisms, employ “what aboutism” and
BRYAN GOTTLIEB
LEARNING OPPORTUNITY I also thought the rally would provide a perfect civics lesson for my 16-year-old daughter, Bella, a rising senior at Frankel Jewish Academy. I forwarded the flyer to my wife, Amy, suggesting the three of us attend the rally and make a weekend getaway out of it. After toying with the idea of making it a road trip (note: I’m not a fan of long drives), we found an affordable travel package, pulled the trigger, and headed out of town — not knowing what to expect, but hoping it would be impactful. I never had attended a rally before, political or otherwise; I always felt it could challenge my integrity as a reporter. However, Amy and I agreed that Bella would benefit from this real-life lesson in civic engagement. Sheltered in the arms of her family and a tight-knit suburban Jewish community, she will soon graduate and face the larger world, with all of its facts and alternative facts; and
the timing has never been more urgent in my lifetime. Hostility toward the U.S. Jewish population — all 2.4% of us — is at a fevered pitch I wouldn’t have thought possible just a few short years ago. During the last several years, reports of overt aggression and violence directed at U.S. Jews — perpetrated by our fellow countrymen — are events I once deemed as either the provenance of our historical record or dispatches from far-off European capitals. Regrettably, those days have since changed: bomb threats called into Jewish Community Centers and day schools nationwide (including here in Detroit); multiple acts of desecration at Jewish cemeteries; diners harassed at kosher restaurants; beatings — or worse — taking place in broad daylight as people walk to and from synagogue; white nationalists marching, tiki torches in-hand, shouting “Jews will not replace us”; senseless massacres of congregants at synagogues in both Pittsburgh and San Diego. Even as I write, I fight a cognitive dissonance believing these incidents don’t happen here. Yet they do, and there is no indication of the existential threat abating. It is no longer background noise. I am not alone in my concern. A May 2021 report published by the Pew Research Center found that three-quar-
CHRIS KLEPONIS, JNS.
is also critical as mechanisms to affect change. Like a Venn diagram, engagement and being well-informed each overlap with politics in helping shape public policy. Those precepts are what led me to choose a career in journalism.
purposefully spread misinformation in an effort to delegitimize Israel’s right to exist. Israeli government policies can and should be reasonably debated, but only in an earnest attempt at finding common ground. Government is not some infallible, omnipotent concept, but is composed of human beings making policy — and people can get it wrong. However, unlike any other liberal democracy on Earth, Israel’s government is subject to an untenable level of scrutiny, and not just from its own citizenry, but much of the world writ large. More insidiously, debate is often just a guise used by anti-Semites as a red herring to provide cover for their use of debate as a cudgel to spew vitriol. Of particular concern to us, the veracity of debate when it comes to Israel that takes continued on page 18
JULY 22 • 2021
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BRYAN GOTTLIEB
OUR COMMUNITY ON THE COVER
continued from page 17
AMY GOTTLIEB
place on college campuses is often dubious, where anti-Zionism is incubated and given quarter with a false patina of intellectualism. Bella needs to know how to distinguish between legitimate disagreements and healthy discourse — and antisemitism. Moreover, we want to arm her with facts so she can diffuse heated rhetoric, combat dogma with rational counterarguments, and educate those who are either ignorant or blinded by hatred.
TOP: A diverse crowd was at the rally. BOTTOM: Oakland County Deputy Executive Sean Carlson, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, JCRC/ AJC Executive Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin, Bryan Gottlieb and Bella Gottlieb.
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ON THE GROUND Arriving at the west front of the Capitol, its imposing edifice bringing the magnitude of the day’s objectives into relief, we saw multitudes of “Stand with Israel” signs, Israeli and American flags waving, and lots of sunshine; it was crazy hot outside. As the rally kicked off, Bella’s attention to the heat was supplanted by Meghan McCain’s outrage at the increase in antisemitic and anti-Israel attacks engulfing America. Estimates of the crowd size varied, but there were at least 2,000 people enduring the heat and humidity; enough people to show critical mass, but intimate enough that we had the opportunity to speak with people and share stories. We also were able to meet up with Rabbi Lopatin. For those who don’t know who he is, you should Google him. He’s incredibly smart, disarmingly engaging and one of the country’s leading voices within Judaism’s Modern Orthodox community. He went out of his way to praise Bella for making the trip to D.C., which underscored our intent: that showing up — taking action — is critical to making a movement effective. Then, one of the speakers Bella was eager to hear, a former white supremacist named Derek Black, took to the
stage. She excused herself and made her way through the crowd to get a better view. “Can you believe all it took for this guy to question his lifelong hatred was an invitation to a Shabbat meal?” she asked, adding (with a hint of teenage snark), “He didn’t say too much about the meal, but it may have been the cholent that changed him.” Seeking some respite from the sun, the three of us made our way toward a towering oak tree. Speakers were talking, we were sweating, and just when it seemed Bella’s engagement was tapped, a young woman about her age, a 17-year-old from the suburbs of Chicago named Talia Raab, introduced herself and shared an incredible story of mustering courage under extraordinary threats after simply posting something on Instagram about Israeli solidarity. The savage comments she received aren’t suitable for print in this publication, but Bella was mesmerized by the bravery Raab showed in the face of such hate. We didn’t make it to the very end of the rally, the heat besting us, but the seed Amy and I hoped to sow seemed to have taken root. We flew home later that evening, and I asked Bella to debrief with me the next day. “Of course, I’m worried,” she explained when I asked her about the pervasiveness of antisemitism and how she would comport herself in the face of it. “I know the easy way out would be to just not own my Judaism because then there wouldn’t be a problem. “But I also feel a responsibility to shut the hatred down. I may not organize a rally, and I don’t know what that ‘something’ looks like, but doing nothing can’t be an option either. “If I don’t get involved, then how can I make a difference?”
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COURTESY OF TEMPLE ISRAEL
OUR COMMUNITY
Jewish Unity Video
Temple Israel cantors team up with Israeli a cappella group. BRIAN GOLDSMITH JN INTERN Rabotai
T
emple Israel Cantors Michael Smolash and Neil Michaels joined forces with the Rabotai Jewish A Cappella group to create an inspiring parody of “Mr. Red, White and Blue,” a patriotic song by country singer Coffey Anderson, to try and bring some unity to Am Yisrael. Coming off the heels of a difficult period of unrest in Israel and the pandemic, the cantors said they wanted to Cantor Neil emphasize that the Jewish Michaels people are “one family, have one home, and we pray to the Almighty to continue to watch over us, bring us home and bring peace to all nations.” Rabotai (meaning gentlemen) is a fresh and exciting Cantor Jewish a cappella group Michael composed of energetic vocal Smolash
talent and professional beatboxing, mixing classical Jewish songs with modern pop. Coming from different corners of the world, its members found each other in Israel. Rabotai’s rich vocal style drives the inspiring lyrics as the two leading American Reform cantors and this Israeli Orthodox singing powerhouse come together to support the Jewish homeland. The song starts with the lyrics “From the days of our inception, we’ve been seeking your protection. It’s the same thing over and over again.” The song continues with a Hebrew verse translated in English to: “Now we’re in different lands, everyone sings in many languages. But we all say in one voice: Amen!” The song reverts to English with the prideful lyrics “Standin’ for blue and white …” At the one-minute mark, the song wraps in the chorus “Standing for Kachol
v’Lavan (blue and white).” COMING TOGETHER The video was filmed both at Temple Israel and on location at historic Ammunition Hill, the site of one of the fiercest battles of the Six-Day War and now “a museum dedicated to creating the state, the history, the background and the story of Israel. They have the campus there with the museum, tanks, trenches and it’s very cool scenery,” said Rabotai member Daniel Brill. “We were able to get access to that and that’s how we ended up on a tank.” Added Cantor Smolash, “I Daniel Brill thought it was a very beautiful touch because we were looking for ways that our congregation and Reform Jews in America could connect to this piece about loving Israel.”
Video Credits
Arrangement by Noah Bar-Shain. Music production by Yonatan Stern. Videographers were Donell Hall and Daniel Malchi of Israel. Lyrics by Daniel Brill, Michael Smolash and Maya Shtramer Grinboim. Singers included Cantors Michael Smolash and Neil Michaels along with the members of Rabotai: Daniel Brill, Noah Bar-Shain, Brian Hoffman, Ariav Schlesinger and Daniel Fox.
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“ONE FAMILY, HAVE ONE HOME, AND WE PRAY TO THE ALMIGHTY TO CONTINUE TO WATCH OVER US, BRING US HOME AND BRING PEACE TO ALL NATIONS.” Rabotai chose the “Mr. Red, White and Blue” melody after sifting through a few song ideas, including both American and Israeli songs. “The patriotic emotional pull that song had … I fell in love with that tune,” Brill said. “When this opportunity came around, it seemed to me that having that story being told with some of the Zionistic unity perspectives would make
so much sense.” Cantor Smolash said he doesn’t like getting into politics. “I like sticking to music. It brings people together. Where there are tensions between American Jews and Israeli Jews ... music is the perfect counterbalance.” The cantors’ relationship with Rabotai dates back to Purim. Cantor Smolash left a comment on Rabotai’s
YouTube channel praising the group’s work. Rabotai approved of the cantors’ Purim video in return. Cantor Smolash said he filmed music videos virtually at Temple Israel with his colleagues in the past using shared green screens, and it worked well. “We figured we could work just as well from Detroit to Jerusalem. “It was amazing to see
how Rabotai worked because they’re super creative, they’re super innovative and it’s lovely to see how the ideas bounce around and get refined,” Smolash said. “ “But also doing a project with Israelis remotely, we made friendships and formed a connection that was unique!” The video can be viewed at youtube. com/watch?v=eASJ5YteU4k.
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JULY 22 • 2021
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OUR COMMUNITY
A New Voice
B’nai Moshe hires hometown woman as cantor. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
H
istory has been made in Metro Detroit. Congregation B’nai Moshe of West Bloomfield has hired Cantor Deborah Bletstein, who becomes the first full-time female cantor of a Conservative synagogue in Metro Detroit’s history. Cantor Earl G. Berris retired from the pulpit after 24 years as cantor of CBM following the 2020 High Holidays. Then-President Mark Roth initiated a task force to explore hiring a cantor. Longtime choir member and Ritual Chair Marc Sussman chaired the Cantor Search Committee. “The committee overwhelmingly recommended Cantor Bletstein be hired. We couldn’t have been more emphatic,” Sussman said. While Bletstein has led services several times as a guest cantor for B’nai Moshe, she stepped to the bimah for the first time as cantor of B’nai Moshe on Shabbat morning, July 10. “We are gratified to be a part of the congregation that is the first Conservative synagogue in Metro Detroit to hire a female cantor,” new President Alan Levenson said. “I think it says a lot about our board being leaders in our community. We are delighted that being female was neither a positive nor a negative. She was recommended and hired because she is a talented cantor.” Bletstein was born and
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raised in Michigan and holds a master’s of music from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and earned cantorial investiture and a master of sacred music degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 2007. She has held full-time pulpits in Conservative synagogues in Des Moines, Iowa, and Portland, Ore., and has served as guest cantor at numerous congregations throughout the United States. She is a member of the Cantors Assembly and the American Conference of Cantors and holds an Actors Equity Association card. In July 2021, she graduated
Cantor Deborah Bletstein
self and the community. “It’s really amazing as a woman that I could be experiencing this moment,” Bletstein said. “Prior to all my travels and school and jobs in other states, I grew up in the Conservative Movement in Detroit, and I had no female clergy role models in the movement in the area. So, after all this time, to come back home, I just hope I have opened the door to what we will see more of in this area, that women are vitally and equally important in these roles.
“I JUST HOPE I HAVE OPENED THE DOOR TO WHAT WE WILL SEE MORE OF IN THIS AREA, THAT WOMEN ARE VITALLY AND EQUALLY IMPORTANT IN THESE ROLES.” — CANTOR DEBORAH BLETSTEIN
with a master of social work degree from the University of Michigan where she was a National Health Service Corps’ HRSA Scholar and completed a clinical internship with teens at the Guidance Center in Southgate. The cantor grew up in this area, and her family still lives in Southfield. She knows how big of an event this is for her-
“The congregation has been very warm and welcoming and after a very long tradition of having males in the role, to be welcoming me in this way has been really fantastic,” Bletstein said. “I’m excited for the High Holidays, to work with Rabbi Shalom Kantor and to just open the door to new possibilities for the congregation.”
Daniel Barth
Beth Shalom Elects Officers and Board At its May general membership meeting, Congregation Beth Shalom, the Conservative Jewish presence in the Woodward corridor, elected its officers and board members for the 2021-2022 year. Daniel Barth of Oak Park was elected president, and Beth Rodgers of Oak Park will serve as executive vice president. Other officers elected were Fran Hildebrandt, Aaron Schwartz, and Arnold Weiner as vice presidents; Greta Zalman as treasurer; and Howard Fridson as secretary. Also elected to serve on the board as directors were Kenneth Bernard, Jared Chimovitz, Ben Fleishman, Sean Fleming, Char Gordon, Boris Milter and Adele Nodler. Immediate Past-President Bryan Beckerman and ex officio officers Glen Pickover and Richard Racusin will also serve on the board for the coming year.
TWO GENERATIONS OF SOLD
OUR COMMUNITY
Teens and Business
colleges and universities. This course has been offered in other cities with a recent pilot version Course offers Jewish guide to issues in in the Detroit area. the commercial world. Ella Dotan, 15, a sophomore from Rochester SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER Hills, learned about the program from ocal high school students ers,” explains Rabbi Menachem her mother. She is will have a chance to learn Caytak of Chabad of Troy. interested in the about business issues from The class was developed by a course because “I a Jewish perspective while earnChabad Jewish teen network and ing college credits this fall. Yeshiva University (cteenu.com). Ella Dotan would like to learn more about Judaism A new course created by It is open to any Jewish student Yeshiva University and Chabad in 10th-12th grades; prior Jewish and business and because of the opportunity for college credits will be offered in person at three education is not required. The while in high school.” Dotan has local sites beginning in October. class will meet weekly for 60-70 had a bat mitzvah and formerly “This is a class for Jewish teen- minutes over 14 weeks, enabling attended services at The Shul in agers to learn about students to earn two college West Bloomfield. She will be a credits with an optional sevJudaism and get student at Avondale High School college credits from en-week extension for an addiLA KES A N D Btional L Ocredit. O M F I E L D S P E CinI A L I SHills T Sthis fall. Auburn Yeshiva University. In addition Yeshiva University is a highly There will be M A X B R O O C K B L O O M F I E L D H I L L S # 1 A G EtoNRabbi T SCaytak, instructors will include Mushky regarded educational institution opportunities to Rabbi based in New York City. Its cred- Dubov, who codirects Chabad Menachem socialize with other its are transferable to many other of Bloomfield Hills, and Rabbi 10th-to 12th-gradCaytak
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OUR COMMUNITY
Time to Reflect — Online
The Well is posting pre-Rosh Hashanah topics for introspection. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
T
he Well’s annual social media campaign, #Reflect4Rosh, focusing on reflection and introspection leading up to the High Holidays, has returned. It began July 19. #Reflect4Rosh is running for seven weeks, wrapping up just before Erev Rosh Hashanah on Monday, Sept. 6. Each week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, The Well will post on its Facebook and Instagram sites (@meetyouatthewell on Facebook and @thewelldetroit on Instagram) a prompt for community members to contemplate and post their own reflections. Each week will center around a different theme, corresponding to the themes used when counting the Omer — but at this time of year, they’re used going backward, from Tisha b’Av to Rosh Hashanah, rather than from Passover to Shavuot. This year will also feature partnerships with various synagogues in the form of
short interviews between their rabbis and The Well’s Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh. They’ll discuss how each rabbi is approaching their High Holiday sermons and services and what individuals can expect at their events, so the young adult community can see the myriad of offerings available and make their High Holiday plans accordingly. Marisa Meyerson, The Well’s operations manager, says #Reflect4Rosh’s prompts can ask general questions like what things bring people joy and how they continue to utilize those things, or something more specific about the past year such as a moment that
challenged them or something they’re particularly proud of. JEWISH VALUES Seven different Jewish values/ principles will be used, one each week, oriented around the week’s theme. “There’s things like ‘the essentials’ or ‘humility,’ ‘strength’ or ‘purpose,’ and we talk about what their roots are as Jewish values and how they apply to our lives at this particular moment as we’re about to transition into a new year,” Meyerson said. #Reflect4Rosh this year is also planning to have a heavy musical emphasis. Fridays will be the
day focusing on that music. “Whatever the theme of the week is, we’re going to have a fun musical post with a song or artist that ties into that,” Meyerson said. As Metro Detroit opens up and is hopeful for the final stages of the pandemic, Meyerson believes this year’s campaign promoting community outreach is a key move, with so many people, including many young adults, seeking connection. “I think that’s why this year it was especially important for us to feature other synagogues and organizations in the area offering High Holiday opportunities, because so many people are looking for them this year, maybe more than normal,” Meyerson said. Meyerson hopes that even with the difficulties of the past year, that people don’t only look forward to starting fresh, but also take something from the past year with them. “#Reflect4Rosh is a time where we try to give people that opportunity to say there certainly were things in the last year that we’re all happy to leave behind, but hopefully also some nice moments and some lessons we’re taking forward with us, a way to take stock of everything from the past year and move forward with intentionality.”
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JULY 22 • 2021 BSD DOTT2021 JN ad 3.6w x 2.32.indd 1
7/6/21 11:52 AM
FENSTER FAMILY
OUR COMMUNITY
THANKS OUR 2020-21 SPONSORS Buddy and Rose Fenster listen to their son’s voice for the first time since he was detained.
Danny Fenster Talks to His Parents STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A
mid a COVID outbreak that has sickened 40 prisoners in Myanmar’s Insein Prison since early July, Frontier Myanmar Managing Editor and Huntington Woods native Danny Fenster, 37, was granted permission to speak to his parents, Rose and Buddy Fenster of Huntington Woods, on July 8, 46 days after he was detained. Danny complained to his family he had fever and chest congestion, though the prison has not tested him for COVID. His parents’ physical and emotional exhaustion was evident as they sat before a laptop, listening to their son on an audio-only line of communication. It was the first time the couple had heard their son’s voice since the ordeal began. “We are so thankful for that call,” wrote Bryan Fenster, Danny’s brother, in a July 9 Facebook post. “It’s our hope these calls continue and they give Danny continued strength and hope, like they do for us. “Our fears were realized when he shared that he had been having heaviness in his chest and felt weak and extremely feverish earlier in the week. He was not tested but instead given a decongestant
and sent on his way. Reuters reported that authorities at the jail have stopped sending prisoners to attend court hearings because of the outbreak. Fenster’s cheduled July 15 hearing went on remotely over Zoom, with his attorney listening in remotely from the U.S. Embassy there. His case was remanded until July 28. “It’s the same thing over again,” Bryan told the JN. “He has yet to be charged with any crime.” Bryan said he hoped his family would be granted another phone call this week, but responsiveness from prison officials is slowing down. The fact that his family cannot get a confirmation if Danny has COVID, or why they will not release him now that he is sick, is “outrageous.” According to Rep. Andy Levin, Danny has yet to be vaccinated or tested for COVID. “We are concerned the Fenster family’s weekly calls with Danny might be canceled,” Levin wrote in a July 15 statement. “I intend to press this possibility with our embassy in Yangon and the Burmese ambassador in D.C. as we work urgently to mitigate any such issues.”
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JULY 22 • 2021
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faces&places
Shabbat n’ Schmooze Everyone is thrilled to gather in person once again for special events, programming and services at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. More than 20 families with young children gathered under their outdoor pavilion for an AllAmerican Shabbat for Tots during 4th of July weekend. Families enjoyed a full morning celebrating Jewish
American pride with crafts, a parade, dancing and a festive Shabbat service led by Rabbi Jennifer Kaluzny and Cantor Neil Michaels. This is just one of Temple Israel’s many Shabbat n’ Schmooze summertime events. Still to come: Sweet Shabbat, Splish Splash Shabbat and Grandparent Shabbat, too. All are welcome.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TEMPLE ISRAEL
IN THE FRONT ROW: Ezra Hack, Rylie Stoller and Shaye Simon
Fun on the Fourth
Jason and Cora Levy
Stuart and Allie Brody, Asher Koretsky, Tatum Bennett, Sara Koretsky
Stuart and Allie Brody and the Mollen family: Liv, Ryan, Brody and Alex.
Families enjoyed the All-American Shabbat for Tots during 4th of July weekend
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JULY 22 • 2021
2021 Judi Schram
Annual Meeting
featuring Marlee Matlin
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 • 1pm ET Adat Shalom Synagogue, Farmington Hills, MI REGISTER OR DONATE ONLINE: www.hadassahmidwest.org/GDannualmeeting
Join us virtually or in-person* as we celebrate and raise life-giving funds to support the marvels of Hadassah medical innovation. Our guest speaker, Marlee Matlin will speak on “Living Generously: Healing the World One Person at a Time.” Marlee is an Academy award winning actress, author, deaf activist, and Life Member of Hadassah. We are proud to also be honoring Elaine and Dr. Stephen Sturman, community philanthropists and vital Hadassah supporters for their tireless dedication. Boutiques: 10am - 3:30pm. $54 Virtual; $75 In-Person. Sponsorships available. *COVID-19 vaccinations required to attend.
248.683.5030 | greaterdetroit@hadassah.org | www.hadassah.org/detroit HADASSAH, THE WOMEN’S ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA, INC. ©2021 Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. Hadassah, the H logo, and Hadassah the Power of Women Who Do are registered trademarks of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.
Q
Event Honorees: Elaine & Dr. Stephen Sturman
Need help finding senior care?
Call jhelp at 1-833-44-JHELP Visit jhelp.org Chat online with a staff member or schedule a call at jhelp.org
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Supported through the generosity of The Jewish Fund and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Family Foundation.
JULY 22 • 2021
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DANIEL SHAMAYEV
SPORTS
Tipoff Time
The Dovid Ben Nuchim-Aish Kodesh team lost a close game on opening night of the Detroit Shul Basketball League.
New Detroit Shul Basketball League, organized by a 20-year-old, has five teams and more than 40 players. STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
D
aniel Shamayev is the youngest player in the new Detroit Shul Basketball League. The 20-year-old from Keego Harbor also is the league’s founder and commissioner. The first league games were played on the night of July 14 at Farber Hebrew Day School in Southfield. That was less than two weeks after Shamayev began putting together the league and one week after opening night was canceled because of a power outage. “Crazy. Awesome. Satisfying. Excited,” were some of the words Shamayev used to describe his emotions after the league’s first night, which saw four of the league’s five teams compete.
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JULY 22 • 2021
There are about 40-50 men in the league from Orthodox shuls, many of them Farber grads like Shamayev. While Shamayev is the youngest league player, the oldest players are in their 40s and 50s. Shamayev’s Keter Torah Synagogue team from West Bloomfield defeated Dovid Ben Nuchim-Aish Kodesh
“I didn’t know the score at the time,” he said. “But I knew it was important for me to make the free throws.” Young Israel of Oak Park defeated Young Israel of Southfield 57-42 in the league’s other opening night game. The fifth league team is Aish Hatorah in the Woods in Oak Park.
“CRAZY. AWESOME. SATISFYING. EXCITED.” — DANIEL SHAMAYEV
from Oak Park 44-41 in the league’s opening game. Shamayev made two free throws with six seconds left to secure his team’s victory.
So why did Shamayev decide to put together a basketball league during the summer before he heads to Yeshiva University in New
Daniel Shamayev
York to study finance, and while he’s working at his father’s Lincoln Tailor shop in Oak Park? “I love basketball. And I love playing basketball,” he said. “I love everything about the sport. I love the teamwork it takes to make a basket. It takes all five players on a team to make a basket. “I’m very vocal when I play. Maybe too vocal. But you have to be vocal to play offense and defense.” Shamayev used social
SPORTS
Young Israel of Oak Park and Young Israel of Southfield players take a break on opening night of the Detroit Shul Basketball League.
media, and texts and phone calls to family and friends to get the word out about the league as he tried to organize it. Old-fashioned word of mouth helped, too. The effort began over the July 4 holiday weekend. Plans to begin league play July 7 were squashed when players couldn’t get into Farber because of a power failure that followed strong storms that pelted southeast Michigan earlier in the day. Power was still out in the Farber area the next night, so the opening night league games were pushed forward a week, as was the league schedule. League games are two 20-minute halves with running time except for the final two minutes of the second half, which are stop time. Paid officials are calling the games. Four weeks of regular-season league play will be followed by two weeks of single-elimination playoffs. all on Wednesday nights at Farber. On the first playoff night,
the No. 4 seed and No. 5 seed teams will play. Then the No. 1 seed will get the choice of facing the winner of the No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed game, or the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the semifinals that night. The two teams the No. 1 seed doesn’t select will play in the other semifinal game that night. Shamayev plans to have special rules in place for the league championship game the following week. He hasn’t decided what those rules will be. The champion team will win something paid for from the teams’ league entry fee, perhaps dinner at a kosher restaurant, Shamayev said. Shamayev isn’t thinking about the league’s future at the moment. He’s more focused on the current season. “If I’m in town, I’ll be happy to run the league each summer,” he said. “If I’m not around, hopefully somebody else will run it.” Please send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.
Drs. Jason and Mary Sherbel are a husband and wife orthodontic team who recently opened their brand new office, Aspire Orthodontics, in Farmington Hills. Both doctors have a personal history and deep connection to the community. Dr. Mary Sherbel attended high school in Farmington Hills and Dr. Jason Sherbel grew up in West Bloomfield. Both doctors are 3x graduates from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where they earned their undergraduate, dental, and orthodontic degrees. Aspire Orthodontics is a family-run practice with a dedication to creating personal connections, utilizing stateof-the-art technology, and offering outstanding orthodontic treatment to their patients. They offer various treatment options including traditional braces and Invisalign. They are currently scheduling new patient consultations. If you are interested in scheduling your complimentary consultation, please call or text (248) 533-0908 or visit aspire-ortho.com.
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JULY 22 • 2021
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JULY 22 • 2021
MAZEL TOV!
Moses 60th
H
enry and Janet Moses are thrilled and grateful to be able to celebrate 60 years of marriage. They will gather with family and friends this summer.
Shapiro-Shlensky
J
udi Shapiro of West Bloomfield and Jeffrey Shapiro of Farmington Hills, and Steve and Bonnie Shlensky of Deerfield, Ill., are pleased to announce the engagement of their children Ian and Alyssa. Alyssa is a graduate of the University of Illinois; she earned her master’s degree from National Louis University and her doctorate in educational leadership from Concordia University Chicago. She is employed as the principal at Twain School in Wheeling School District 21 in Wheeling, Ill. Ian is a graduate of Oakland University, earning his bachelor’s in finance and his master’s in business from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He is the vice president of Analytics and Valuation for an agency out of Los Angeles. Alyssa and Ian reside in downtown Chicago and are excited for their November 2021 wedding in Chicago.
HOW TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS Mazel Tov! announcements are welcomed for members of the Jewish community. Anniversaries, engagements and weddings with a photo (preferably color) can appear at a cost of $18 each. Births are $10. There is no charge for bar/bat mitzvahs or for special birthdays starting at the 90th. For information, contact Editorial Assistant Sy Manello at smanello@thejewishnews.com or (248) 351-5147 for information or for a mailed or emailed copy of guidelines.
SPIRIT
TORAH PORTION
The Scholar Within
B
efore entering the his life must be provided for promised land, the him. Therefore, a student must Jewish nation encounbe provided with his teacher, tered trouble. The mighty for the life of one who possessarmies of Sichon and Og were es knowledge and seeks it, is not going to simply allow them considered as dead if he cannot safe passage. They study Torah. Indeed, there would have to fight. are individuals for whom Fought they did, and life without knowledge of they miraculously conTorah is like life without quered their lands east water — their teachers of the Jordan. should move into the city Then, Moses desof refuge so that they would Rabbi Bentzion ignated three cities of be able to “live.” But can Geisinsky refuge for the tribes we apply this law to all stuthat settled in those dents? Can every student Parshat conquered lands to V’etchanan: “possess knowledge and serve as a haven for Deuteronomy seek it” to the extent that a 3:23-7:11; anyone who killed life without Torah is comIsaiah another unintentionalpared to death? 40:1-26. ly. As the verse (4:41) The Talmud’s answer is in our parshah reads: yes. We look at ourselves “Then Moses separated three or at others, and we sometimes cities on the side of the Jordan tell ourselves that we are supertoward the sunrise, so that a ficial beings, that we care about murderer might flee there, he materialism more than wisdom who murders his fellow man and spiritual growth. We look unintentionally, but did not hate at a student making trouble in a him in time past, that he may classroom and think this child flee to one of these cities, and he will never be able to underwill live.” stand. This attitude is mistaken. What is the meaning of “and The Talmud is telling us the stuhe will live”? The Talmud says dent making trouble, although we must not only provide a he is not yet a “possessor of place for the unintentional mur- wisdom,” is, at heart, a “seeker derer to flee, but that it must be of wisdom.” Deep down, he a place where they can flourish: is a person to whom spiritual “These cities should be mediwisdom is not just an enjoyable um-size towns; they are to be luxury but an absolute necessity. established only in the vicinity When we come across someof a water supply … they are to one who we believe is foolish, be established only where there it is our obligation to see “the are marketplaces.” As the verse seeker of wisdom” within. We indicates, we must provide him must discover and reveal the with arrangements that will beauty of a life imbued with enable him to live. wisdom. As Maimonides puts it: When Rabbi Bentzion Geisinsky lives in a student is exiled to a city of Bloomfield Hills, where he co-directs refuge, his teacher is exiled Chabad of Bingham Farms with his wife, together with him. Implied is Moussia. that everything necessary for
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JULY 22 • 2021
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SPIRIT
A WORD OF TORAH
The Great Restoration
The special significance of Tu b’Av in light of COVID.
S
lowly but surely, the lives we enjoyed B.C. (Before COVID) are beginning to return. We’re beginning to have Shabbos guests again, and schools are planning on returning to (almost) normal in the fall. Rabbi David Shuls are slowly Polsky returning to normal, planning full in-person High Holiday services and even bringing back their Kiddushes. As we return to these parts of our lives, we can now better appreciate what we previously took for granted. After living our lives apart, we find new joy in reconnecting. These causes for celebration enable us to find new meaning in the upcoming “minor” holiday of Tu b’Av (the 15th of the month of Av). Although seemingly minor, the Mishnah (Taanit 26b) describes it as one of the two happiest days of the Jewish calendar (the other is Yom Kippur, though that’s for another discussion). Those somewhat familiar with it know it as the Jewish Valentine’s Day. When the Temple still stood, single women would borrow each other’s white dresses (so as to not embarrass those whose dresses weren’t as beautiful) and dance in the fields. Single men would see the women dancing, approach them and, eventually, get married. The Gemara (Ta’anit 30b) asks why Tu b’Av is such a happy day and provides six
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JULY 22 • 2021
explanations (30b-31a). Each of them can be better appreciated in light of our year and a half of COVID and our return to normalcy. The first is that it celebrates the end of the Israelites’ dying in the desert. The spies came back with their report about the Promised Land on the night of Tisha b’Av. According to the Midrash, as part of the Israelites’ punishment for accepting the spies’ defamation, they had to dig their own graves and lie in them the night of Tisha b’Av not knowing if
realized that they had not erred after all, and that G-d had finally ended the annual plague. Right now, we are finally beginning to climb out of our self-dug graves. Over the past year and a half, we were confining ourselves to our homes whenever possible, unsure when the plague would end. Despite remaining mostly homebound and masked outside, we were still anxious about whether we may have somehow caught it from a delivery person or someone in a store. Those of us who had to work in per-
they would wake up the next morning. That morning, those who lived that year got up, while those who died would remain in the graves they had dug for themselves. In their 40th year, the Israelites dug their own graves again, but, the next morning, they were surprised to discover that no one had died the previous night. They assumed that they must have miscalculated the date, so they lied in their graves the next night. And then the next. And then the next. Finally, by the 15th of Av, they noticed the full moon, and
son were terrified of catching COVID from a coworker, and even more terrified should we see them cough. Those living by themselves couldn’t receive visitors or help other than deliver meal packages and feared dying alone with no one able to help. With COVID finally ebbing, we have finally seen the full moon signifying the end to this plague. TIME TO MARRY Two other reasons given relate to marriage. Shmuel of Nehardea of third-century Babylonia teaches that, in the
desert, the Israelites of each tribe weren’t allowed to intermarry with those of other tribes. It was on Tu b’Av that they were given permission to do so. The third- to fourth-century Babylonian sage Rav Nachman answers that Tu b’Av was the day when the rest of Israel found a way to intermarry with the tribe of Benjamin. At the end of Judges, the rest of Israel wages war against and routs the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 20:1448). Right after the war, the men of Israel swear that they will never let their daughters marry them (Judges 21:1). Soon afterward, their feelings toward Benjamin change; they regret making the vow, but they are nonetheless constrained by it (Judges 21:3-18). It is on Tu b’Av that they figure out a loophole enabling Benjamin to marry into the rest of Israel (Judges 21:19-23). Because of COVID, weddings have either been put on hold or held outdoors with a limited number of guests. While there were certainly dates, many single people, especially those who are immunocompromised, did not, making them undoubtedly feel very lonely. For those unable to date or marry due to COVID, Tu b’Av symbolizes and expresses their renewed ability to date and marry again. Even for those of us who were already married, COVID has also prevented us from connecting with others. Friends had been unable to meet other than over Zoom or socially
distanced and masked outside. Rav Nachman’s and Shmuel’s answers also speak to a larger re-ability to connect after over a year of living apart. The third- and fourth-century rabbinic sage Ulla answers that the wicked king of Northern Israel, Yeravam ben Navat, stationed guards at the roads to prevent his subjects from traveling to the Temple in Jerusalem for the festivals. It was on a Tu b’Av that a later king of Israel, Hosea, removed those guards, enabling all who wanted to travel to the Temple to do so again. COVID SEPARATION During spring 2020, our synagogues were closed due to COVID. Afterwards, most of those that reopened had limited capacity and/or were outdoors. Non-Orthodox synagogues had all of their services — including High Holiday services — over Zoom. Even shuls with indoor services incorporated social distancing mechanisms like distant seating, multiple minyanim, and even barriers between the ba’al kriah (Torah reader) and oleh (one who recites the blessings). Despite these safety mechanisms, many older and immunocompromised congregants still didn’t feel safe attending. Even the Ukrainian city of Uman, the resting place of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, was unavailable for the traditional Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage last year. Shuls are finally able to start relaxing their restrictions and enable us to return to shul as (almost) normal. COVID had also prevented us from traveling in general. Passover 2020 was the first year I’ve ever celebrated the Passover sedarim away from my parents. For the past year and a half, many others have also avoided visiting family. This
is aside from the many family vacations that were canceled or never planned in the first place. Now that we are beginning to travel again, Tu b’Av serves as a celebration of our ability to visit family again and restore these spiritual and emotional connections. The third-century Babylonian sage Rav Matanah explains that when the Beitar rebellion against Rome was put down, the Romans tried to make them into an example by refusing the Jews permission to bury the bodies. It was on Tu b’Av that the Romans finally permitted burials. In fact, Matanah teaches, G-d created a miracle, preventing the bodies from rotting. This light within the darkness is what led the rabbis to compose and institute the fourth blessing of the Grace after Meals. At the worst point of COVID in New York, morgues ran out of space to hold onto bodies. Over the past year and a half, few if any family members were able to attend the funeral. Instead, funerals and shivah visits were held over Zoom. As helpful as Zoom has been over this time, Zoom funerals and shivah visits could not possibly offer mourners the same degree of closure and comfort as being together with the deceased and others in person. Only now, with Tu b’Av
approaching, are mourners mostly comfortable with attending funerals and accepting shivah visits in person. This return toward closure and comfort enables us in this generation to thank G-d as the One Who is good and does good. Finally, Rabbah and Rav Yosef (of fourth-century Babylonia) explain that Tu b’Av celebrates the end of the summer. In the days of the Temple, they would use summer wood for fires on the Altar (since summer wood is dryer, it burns better). By Tu b’Av, they would stop cutting firewood, since the sun doesn’t beat down as hard after that point. Similarly, by Tu b’Av, the days begin to grow shorter and the nights grow longer. As Rashi notes, since the nights are longer, people have more time to study Torah, as the workdays become shorter. BACK TO SCHOOL We parents of young children know that learning over spring and summer 2020 greatly suffered. Most children (including mine) had trouble learning online. Even older students with access to computers and wi-fi found it difficult to learn effectively from home. By the fall, schools were more prepared, and most yeshivah students learned in person. At the same time, students and
teachers would doubtless say that COVID and social distancing requirements hanging over their heads made learning more difficult. Clearly, over the past year, most of our children learned much less than they would have otherwise. Tu b’Av, therefore, expresses anticipation for a school year more or less back to normal. Even for adults, COVID has limited the amount we’ve been able to teach and/or study Torah. Speaking for myself, most of the shiurim and d’vrei Torah I give are in person and over Shabbos and yom tov. From last March until a few weeks ago, I had greatly missed giving them. Even those giving and attending shiurim over Zoom during the week would mostly agree that they simply don’t replace learning in person. Those of us happy about regaining in-person Torah study identify with this dimension of Tu b’Av. Before COVID, I was familiar with this Gemara (I’ve given shiurim on it), but I could never emotionally get why the restoration from loss found in these examples should really add up to making Tu b’Av one of the happiest days of the year. I can now understand. After such a long time of our lives being disrupted, returning to these seemingly small aspects of normalcy make us much happier. Indeed, after facing such loss in these profound ways, returning to life “B.C.” fills us with similar joy to that which previous generations felt on Tu b’Av. Rabbi David Polsky is a rabbi, educator and kashrut professional living in Southfield with his wife and two daughters. He can be reached at rabbipolsky@ gmail.com. JULY 22 • 2021
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SPIRIT
Synagogue Directory CONSERVATIVE Adat Shalom Synagogue Farmington Hills (248) 851-5100 adatshalom.org
Temple B’nai Shalom Benton Harbor (269) 925-8021 tbnaishalom.org
Ahavas Israel Grand Rapids (616) 949-2840 ahavasisraelgr.org
INDEPENDENT Grosse Pointe Jewish Council Grosse Pointe Woods (313) 882-6700 thegpjc.com
Congregation Beth Ahm West Bloomfield (248) 851-6880 cbahm.org Congregation Beth Israel Flint (810) 732-6310 cbiflint.org Congregation Beth Shalom Oak Park (248) 547-7970 congbethshalom.org Beth Tephilath Moses Mt. Clemens (586) 996-3138 bethtephilathmoses.com B’nai Israel Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 432-2729 bnaiisraelwb.org Congregation B’nai Moshe West Bloomfield (248) 788-0600 bnaimoshe.org Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue Detroit (313) 962-4047 downtownsynagogue.org Congregation of Moses Kalamazoo congregationofmoses.org Congregation Shaarey Zedek Southfield (248) 357-5544 shaareyzedek.org
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Kehillat Hatzhav Hagadol Mackinac Island (906) 202-9959 mackinacsynagogue.org
Beth Tefilo Emanuel Tikvah Southfield (248) 559-5022 Birmingham-Bloomfield Shul Birmingham (248) 996-5818 bbchai.org B’nai Israel-Beth Yehudah Oak Park (248) 967-3969 bi-by.org B’nai Zion Oak Park (248) 968-2414
ORTHODOX Agudas Israel Mogen Abraham Southfield (248) 552-5711 aymadetroit.org
Chabad House-Lubavitch of Eastern Michigan Flint (810) 230-0770 chabad.org
Ahavas Olam Southfield (248) 569-1821 Ahavasolam.com
Chabad Jewish Center of Commerce-Walled Lake Commerce Township (248) 363-3644 jewishcommerce.org
Ahavas Yisroel Oak Park (248) 298-2896 Learntorah.info Aish Hatorah in the Woods Oak Park (248) 327-3579 Aishdetroit.com Bais Chabad of Farmington Hills (248) 855-2910 chabad.org Bais Chabad of North Oak Park (248) 872-8878 chabad.org Bais Haknesses Hagrah Oak Park (248) 542-8737 Balfour Shul – K’Hal Rina U’Tefila Oak Park (732) 693-8457
Chabad Jewish Center of Novi-Northville (248) 790-6075 novijewishcenter.com Chabad Jewish Center of Troy Troy/Rochester Hills (248) 873-5851 jewishtroy.com Chabad-Lubavitch of Bingham Farms Bloomfield Hills (248) 688-6796 chabadbinghamfarms.com
Etz Chayim of Toledo Toledo, OH (419) 473-2401 Etzchayimtoledo.org First Hebrew Congregation South Haven (269) 637-1603 firsthebrewcongregation.org Kehillat Etz Chayim Huntington Woods etzchayim-detroit.org Kollel Institute of Greater Detroit Oak Park (248) 968-1891 kollel@kolleldetroit.org Mishkan Israel, Nusach H’ari, Lubavitch Center Oak Park (248) 542-4844 theyeshiva.org Ohel Moed Shomrey Emunah West Bloomfield (248) 737-2626 ohelmoed.org Or Chadash Oak Park (248) 819-1721 or-chadash.org Sara & Morris Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center of West Bloomfield (248) 855-6170 baischabad.com Shaar Hashomayim Windsor (519) 256-3123
Chabad of Western Michigan Grand Rapids (616) 957-0770 chabadwestmichigan.com
Shaarey Zedek Windsor (519) 252-1594 shaareyzedekwindsor.com
Dovid Ben Nuchim-Aish Kodesh Oak Park (313) 320-9400 dbndetroit.org
Shomer Israel Oak Park (248) 542-4014 godaven.com
Shomrey Emunah Southfield (248) 559-1533 congregation-shomreyemunah-105705.square.site The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch West Bloomfield (248) 788-4000 theshul.net Woodward Avenue Shul Royal Oak (248) 414-7485 thewas.net
Congregation Beth El Windsor (519) 969-2422 bethelwindsor.ca
Temple Emanu-El Oak Park (248) 967-4020 emanuel-mich.org
Temple Beth El Battle Creek (269) 963-4921
Temple Israel West Bloomfield (248) 661-5700 temple-israel.org
Temple Beth El Bloomfield Township (248) 851-1100 tbeonline.org
Temple Jacob Hancock templejacobhancock.org
Temple Beth El Flint (810) 720-9494 tbeflint@gmail.com
Temple Kol Ami West Bloomfield (248) 661-0040 tkolami.org
Temple Beth El Midland (989) 496-3720 tbe_midland@yahoo.com
Congregation Shaarey Zedek East Lansing (517) 351-3570 shaareyzedek.com
Young Israel of Southfield (248) 358-0154 yisouthfield.org
Temple Beth Israel Bay City (989) 893-7811 tbi-mich.org
Temple Shir Shalom West Bloomfield (248) 737-8700 shirshalom.org
RECONSTRUCTIONIST Congregation Kehillat Israel Lansing (517) 882-0049 kehillatisrael.net
Temple Beth Israel Jackson (517) 784-3862 tbijackson.org
Yagdil Torah Southfield (248) 559-5905 Young Israel of Oak Park (248) 967-3655 yiop.org
Congregation T’chiyah Ferndale (248) 823-7115 tchiyah.org Reconstructionist Congregation of Detroit (313) 567-0306 reconstructingjudiasm.org REFORM Bet Chaverim Canton (734) 480-8880 betchaverim@yahoo.com Temple Benjamin Mt. Pleasant (989) 773-5086 templebenjamin.com
Congregation Beth Shalom Traverse City 231-946-1913 beth-shalom-tc.org
REFORM/RENEWAL Congregation Shir Tikvah Troy (248) 649-4418 shirtikvah.org
Temple Beth Sholom Marquette tbsmqt.org
SECULAR/HUMANISTIC The Birmingham Temple Farmington Hills (248) 477-1410 birminghamtemple.com
Temple B’nai Israel Kalamazoo (269) 342-9170 Templebnaiisrael.com
Sholem Aleichem Institute Lathrup Village (240 865-0117 secularsaimichigan.org
Temple B’nai Israel Petoskey (231) 489-8269 templebnaiisraelofpetoskey.org Temple Emanuel Grand Rapids (616) 459-5976 grtemple.org
SEPHARDIC Keter Torah Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 681-3665 rabbisasson.wixsite.com/keter
Ohr Hatorah Oak Park (248) 294-0613 Ohrhatorah.us MINYANS Fleischman Residence West Bloomfield (248) 661-2999 Yeshivat Akivah Southfield (248) 386-1625 farberhds.org
ANN ARBOR
CONSERVATIVE Beth Israel Congregation (734) 665-9897 @BethIsraelCongregation ORTHODOX Ann Arbor Chabad House (734) 995-3276 jewmich.com Ann Arbor Orthodox Minyan annarborminyan.org RECONSTRUCTIONIST Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (734) 445-1910 aarecon.org REFORM Temple Beth Emeth (734) 665-4744 templebethemeth.org RENEWAL Pardes Hanah pardeshanah.org SECULAR HUMANISTIC Jewish Cultural Society (734) 975-9872 jewishculturalsociety.org Please email factual corrections or additional synagogues to list to: smanello@thejewishnews.com. JULY 22 • 2021
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Art Sun
ARTS&LIFE ART
Under the
The Orchard Lake Fine Art Show is back.
AMOS AMIT
KARI NIDY
KARI NIDY
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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T
wo Judaic artists — one working with batik projects and the other using multimedia — will be part of the 18th annual Orchard Lake Fine Art Show, spread out Saturday-Sunday, July 24-25, in West Bloomfield. The two participants also display projects unrelated to Judaism as they join some 120 artists with a range of approaches — paintings, sculpture, glass, fiber, jewelry and much more.Among the fine arts, visitors will be treated to performing artists and the availability of food vendors. Amos Amit, who grew up in Israel and settled in California, offers scenes from the country where his artistic interests launched as well as Tree of Life and
Purim images. Some projects presented on large cloths, including depictions of various professions, also are made available in smaller reproductions framed and unframed. Kari Nidy, raised in Florida and now active in an artistic community in North Carolina, provides her own representation of the Tree of Life as well as freeform designs that include collected items, such as vintage Israeli postage stamps. ISRAELI ROOTS “I grew up on a farm, but I always wanted to be an artist,” said Amit, 75, who got a degree in agricultural engineering from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and came to the United States to study landscape architecture
ARTS&LIFE ART
BELOW: Amos Amit’s Noah’s Ark and a colorful floral piece. FACING PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Kari Nidy’s Tree of Life. Amos Amit’s Tree of Life.
“My studio is at the back of my house near the clothesline where the waxing dries,” Amit said. “I always bring new projects to the art fairs and have begun adding collage to some pieces by using archival papers. I love seeing the reactions of people going to art fairs as I keep doing what I love to do.” MULTI-MEDIA ART For Nidy, artistry became a way of supporting herself through college before it transitioned into a career. She made jewelry and stained-glass designs and moved into multi-media processed into wall pieces. “I have pictures in my head of the way each piece will look when it’s finished,” said Nidy, 52, a single mother of two grown children. “For one group of work, I take a thin sheet of clay, draw on top of it and
AMOS AMIT
at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obisbo. “I saw batik artwork, felt connected to the warmth of the fabric and taught myself how to work with it. I kept doing art shows while I was studying, and art took over.” Amit uses white cloth as his sketching base for designs completed in pencil. On the designs, he moves from light to dark colors by separately dying the fabric in layers and covering each layer of color with hot wax to maintain a particular hue. After each layer of wax dries, he is able to move on to the next color. Amit, who traveled his work to about 25 art shows annually before the pandemic, is making his second visit to the Orchard Lake Fine Art Fair, but his ties to Michigan are much deeper. Daughter Shawni Strzelecki studied special education at Michigan State University, and his grandson, Eli, summers at Camp Tamarack. His other daughter, Karen, has followed through with her dad’s original career direction by becoming a floral designer, while his wife of 48 years, Linda, handles the business side of the artwork.
continued on page 38
Details
AMOS AMIT
The Orchard Lake Fine Art Show runs Saturday-Sunday, July 24-25, along Powers and Daly roads, west of Orchard Lake Road and south of Maple. $5. hotworks.org.
JULY 22 • 2021
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ARTS&LIFE KARI NIDY
ART
continued from page 37
Orchard Lake event last year, but of course that was canceled. Getting back to doing art shows is magical for me.” A TOP ART SHOW The Orchard Lake Fine Art Show, voted in the top 100 juried art shows in America over 10 years in a row, has a $5 admission fee to support the Institute for Arts & Education Inc., the associated nonprofit which fosters the arts and includes a youth competition. At 3 p.m. on the Saturday of the show, $2,500 in Professional Artist Awards will be presented to 18 artists by Margaret Iwanik, judge; Steve Kaplan, West Bloomfield Township supervisor; and Debbie Binder, Township clerk.
KARI NIDY
AMOS AMIT
KARI NIDY
then carve it out. I incorporate other materials, including handmade papers, as focus points. People give me stuff, such as coins from Israel, and I give objects new life through my artwork.” Nidy studied techniques at the Maitland Art Center in central Florida before entering Valencia College in Orlando and then the University of Central Florida, also in Orlando. As she developed her approaches to projects, Nidy became a member of the American Guild of Judaic Art. To support herself during the pandemic, Nidy loaded trucks for a large retailer. Otherwise, she does about 30 shows — indoors and outdoors — a year. “I mentor young artists about the business end of art through Asheville Art in the Park,” she said about the times when there is not a pandemic. “It’s part of my commitment to give back in honor of the people who have helped me. “I was supposed to be at the
TOP TO BOTTOM: Kari Nidy’s Abraham Israel Stamp Art; art made from an Israeli stamp; an abstract from Amos Amit. ABOVE: Star of David by Kari Nidy.
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THEATER A rehearsal on the outdoor stage.
Teen Angst, Set to Music
Designed by Emma Driker
Berkley High grad writes and produces play debuting at Ridgedale.
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
D
uring the pandemic, Rebecca Feber used a biographical story from the past to inspire plans for favorite activities, and the Ridgedale Players Theater in Troy is showcasing her creative approach with the help of many others. Feber combined an intense science leaning as a senior at Berkley High School with a devotion to theater and decided to write and produce a teen musical comedy to be staged for post-pandemic outdoor Rebecca Feber audiences. The script builds on knowledge soon to be expanded through engineering studies at Michigan Technological University in Houghton as well as stage experiences in community productions. Biology the Musical is based on what her calculus teacher, Todd Fadoir, said about Sir Isaac Newton’s discoveries during the Great Plague of 1665, and it
centers on advanced placement biology students and their teacher as they prepare for exams. The creative team, cast and crew — except for Fadoir as the teacher — are entirely made up of teens. Their show will run July 24-25 outside the Ridgedale Players Theater in Troy as a fundraiser for the theater company. “As a senior during the pandemic, I was really upset to be missing out on all the traditions of senior year, especially my shows,” said Feber, 18, also a director and actress who was in the choir at Temple Emanu-El. “Theater has been a big part of my life, and not knowing if I would be able to have a senior musical, I wrote this one. Each member of the production has been helpful and uplifting.” Feber, of Huntington Woods, became interested in community theater through her parents, Lisa and Kevin Feber, who have been longtime members of the Ridgedale Players.
Her stamina also is expressed through participation on the track and field team and the cross-country team at Berkley High. “The play takes place in a week of the life of the students,” Feber said. “I think everyone can relate to the characters. I’ve always liked writing, and I learned a lot about the process of writing by working on this play.” Feber also entered into the way lyrics are incorporated into a script. She collaborated with her friend, Sophia Bahnmueller, who composed the original music using GarageBand software. Together, they outlined the message of each song before Bahnmueller filled out the words. During the shows, recorded GarageBand instrumentation will be heard. LOVE OF STAGE Feber, who takes the role of Josie, has enjoyed roles in Peter Pan, Child of Eden continued on page 40 JULY 22 • 2021
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ARTS&LIFE THEATER
Details
Biology the Musical will be performed outdoors at 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, July 24-25, alongside Ridgedale Players Theater, 205 W. Long Lake Road, Troy. $15; bring chairs. Tickets: ci.ovationtix. com/35604. (248) 988-7049. continued from page 39
Outdoors on the grounds of the Berman Center for the Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield Township, MI 48322
For years, this fun, family-friendly, Tony Award-winning musical has charmed audiences across the country with its wit and humor. Featuring a fast-paced, wildly funny story and fresh and vibrant score, this bee is unforgettable!
For ticket info and sales, visit nicelytheatre.org or call or text the Berman box office at (248) 406-6677.
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and Elf the Musical among many Ridgedale young people’s productions. Shaya Schreiber, 15, a Berkley High 10th-grader who also wants to be an engineer, Shaya takes the role Schreiber of Josh and becomes a character very different from himself. “It’s a challenge for me to take this role because Josh is confused, disorganized and not school-minded,” said Schreiber, of Huntington Woods. “I’m the opposite, and I learned my lines with the help of flash cards and practicing with another person.” Schreiber, the son of Lynne Golodner and Avy Schreiber, learned about musical performance from his dad, a singer-pianist who entertains at local events. The younger Schreiber has performed in community theater, and his favorite role has been Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. “I knew Becca, and she asked me to be in her play,”
said Schreiber, who attends services at Congregation Beth Ahm and Young Israel of Oak Park and enjoys participating in soccer and track. “Becca knew that I like theater, and I think the audience will be very surprised by the ending of this play.” To enhance promotional materials, Feber asked Emma Driker to come up with a logo Emma for the musical. Driker Driker, 18, also of Huntington Woods and a senior, is heading to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for the fall semester. “I’m good friends with Becca, and she knew I liked to draw,” said Driker, who has won a drawing award in competition for the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills. “I think this production will be very impressive because of the way students did it. It’s been exciting and fun because it draws from real experiences. That makes it valuable.”
18th HotWorks.org
Orchard Lake Fine Art Show July 24 & 25, 2021
®
West Bloomfield, Michigan
www.hotworks.org Facebook.com/HotWorksArtShows Instagram @HotWorksArtShows
Amos Amit, Batik
Juried Fine Art & Fine Craft Show – All Art is Original & Personally Handmade Voted Top 100 Art Shows in America - $2,500 Professional Awards! Event Hours Saturday, 10am-6pm & Sunday 10am-5pm – $5 Admission; 13 & under free Plus Raymond James Youth Art Competition for Grades K-8 or Ages 5-13 – $350 cash awards! Great Food & Live Entertainment
Powers & Daly Rds, S. of Maple, W. of Orchard Lake Rd ~ free parking in the last back half of the lot behind Beaumont Medical Center, 6900 Orchard Lake Rd THE DETROIT
JEWISH NEWS
BRING THIS AD FOR $2 OFF ONE ADMISSION
JN
JULY 22 • 2021
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FLIPCHIP / LASVEGASVEGAS.COM
ARTS&LIFE CELEBRITY NEWS
NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST
GAGE SKIDMORE, WIKIPEDIA
FEAR 3X; BIG HIT BACKSTORIES Perhaps because I’m not a huge horror fan, I didn’t flag in advance the Netflix release, this past month, of a trilogy of original horror films based on some of the Fear Street novels of R.L. Stine, 77. Stine is most famous as the author of the very popular Goosebumps scary novels for children. The first Netflix film, Fear Street Part One: 1994, takes place in a small Ohio town. After some brutal slayings, a group of teens take on an evil force that’s plagued their town for centuries.
R.L. Stine
The cast includes Fred Hechinger, 21 (Simon), Jordana Spiro, 44 (Mrs. Lane) and Ashley Zukerman, 37, (Nick). Hechinger had his break-
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out role last year in News of the World; Spiro has worked steadily since 2000. You may remember her as the star of the TBS series My Boys (20062010); Zukerman, a handsome “Aussie” landsman, has recently had a recurring role on Succession (HBO) and a big role in the Hulu mini-series A Teacher. These three actors also appear in the other two Fear Street films, which are now streaming (Fear Street Part Two: 1978 and Fear Street Part Three: 1666). Stine grew up quite poor in a small town near Columbus, Ohio. But he began writing very young and, by the early 1970s, he was a bestselling writer. His editor is his wife of 52 years, Jane Waldron (who I am virtually sure is Jewish). Based on quite recent Stine interviews, I can report that the couple survived the pandemic in good spirits — aided by their son and grandkids, who live near them. The six-part original Hulu documentary McCartney 3, 2, 1, began streaming on July 13. It is a series of conversations with nine-time Grammy winning producer Rick Rubin, 58. McCartney describes the “origin” of many of his most famous songs (Beatles’ tunes mostly). NPR says that many of the stories McCartney tells have been told before, but the documentary is entertaining and informative. By the way, McCartney has more “Jewish ties” than any other Beatle. Two of Paul’s three marriages “went well,” and the spouses in those
Jason Alexander
marriages were/are Jewish: Linda Eastman, who died in 1998, and Nancy Shevell, now 61, Paul’s wife since 2011. BLOCKBUSTER BACKSTORIES On July 21, Netflix began streaming The Movies That Made Us (Season 2). It is the latest entry in a series of smart, nostalgic Netflix documentaries made by Brian Volk-Weiss, 45. Season 2, like Movies, Season 1, provides the “backstory” on four blockbuster hit movies. This time it’s Pretty Woman, Forrest Gump, Jurassic Park and Back to the Future. Here are the Jewish connections: Pretty Woman had Jason Alexander, now 61, in a supporting role as Richard Gere’s snooty attorney; Forrest Gump was written by Eric Roth, now 76; Jurassic Park was directed by Steven Spielberg, now 74, and costarred Jeff
Goldblum, now 68; and the script for Back to the Future was co-written by Bob Gale, now 70. I recently saw Back to the Future again, and I noticed how the movie was artfully filmed to hide how short (5’4”) star Michael J. Fox is. I then noticed that his co-star, Lea Thompson, was part of a pattern. She’s a short, but well-proportioned pretty woman. A perfect romantic match for Fox. The actor, I realized, had “like” partners in many other roles and at least three are Jewish (Tracy Pollan in Family Ties; Julie Warner in Doc Hollywood and Helen Slater in Secret of My Success). Fox married Pollan in 1989 and their four children were raised Jewish. Thompson has a similar story. She wed director Howard Deutch in 1989 and their two daughters — actresses Madelyn and Zoey Deutch — were raised Jewish.
ON THE GO
PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS
There is no charge to attend, but registration is requested. For information, call CSZ at 248-357-5544. Talia Reese
GLOBAL CONNECTIONS 4-5 PM, JULY 22 American Friends of Rabin Medical Center will present on Zoom “Eating In & Eating Out: Our Changing Relationship With Food.” Robert Siegel (former senior host of NPR’s All Things Considered for 31 years) interviews Mark Bittman (food author & journalist); Ruth Reichl (six-time James Beard Awardee); and Mark Fachler and Monica Klausner (co-founders, Veestro). Free registration: globalconnections. splashthat.com. FREE CONCERT 7-9 PM, JULY 23 Alexander Zonjic & Friends will headline a summer’s concert series at the Adell Center in Novi, 43700 Adell Center Drive. The concerts are sponsored by both the Adell Center and DTE. Concertgoers can sit on the lawn or bring their own lawn chairs. For information, call Phyllis at 419-280-1073. SHABBAT TORAH STUDY 11 AM, JULY 24 The Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue invites you to this Zoom event with Yiftah Leket. A Zoom link will be provided closer to event date: hello@ downtownsynagogue.org.
Yiftah is the senior community shaliach (Israel emissary) for the Metropolitan Detroit area and has extensive experience as a longtime educator in both Israel and the United States. BARK IN THE PARK NOON-1 PM, JULY 25 Federation’s NEXTGen Detroit will take our pups to the park for some fresh air and face-toface (albeit 6 feet apart) human interaction. At Riverside Dog Park, 115 Erskine, Detroit. Note: Your dog must be 3 months or older and be licensed in your city of residence to get in the dog park; there is a $5 admission fee to get into the park plus a $5 fee to attend the event. Info: Contact Mimi at mmarcus@jfmd.org. SLIP & SLIDE SUNDAY 2-4 PM, JULY 25 Religious School-age children and their families are invited for a free social event on the spacious back lawn of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield. Slip & slides, water play, snacks, music and fun, interactive Jewish learning. This program is geared for families with children who are interested in learning about the fun and welcoming CSZ Religious School community.
STAND-UP COMEDY 7:30 PM, JULY 25 Children of Holocaust–survivors Association in Michigan (CHAIM) will host a live performance on Zoom featuring stand-up comedian Talia Reese. The Jewish comic, a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, performs in New York City clubs and headlines at Jewish fundraisers and galas. The program is dedicated to the memory of Hermina and Bernard Hirsch by the Hirsch family. Free. Contact Chaim2gen@gmail.com for additional information and to request a Zoom link. GOLF CLASSIC 10 AM, JULY 26 The Grosse Pointe Classic, organized by Beaumont health Foundation, will be held at the Country Club of Detroit. It will be an afternoon of golfing along with lunch, cocktails, dinner, gifts and online auction. Registration/sponsorships: Beaumont.org/GPGC . JEWISH WOMEN PIONEERS 3 PM, JULY 27 The Jewish Historical Society of Michigan will present “Shattering the Ceiling,” an interview with Ora Peskowitz, president of Oakland University. Zoom virtual con-
ference platform. Cost: $10 for members, $18 for non-members. Register by 9 pm on Monday, July 26, 2021; michjewishhistory.org. PURE NETWORKING 6 PM, JULY 29 At Detroit Design Center, 4225 Third Ave., Detroit, the studio and showroom of artists Erik and Israel Nordin. Cost: $25 per person. The Jewish Working Women’s Network and Young Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation announce the return of this program. Besides the chance to make business connections, this event features: lite fare (kosher) and drinks; original artworks to view and purchase, including mini-sculptures and one-ofa-kind leather goods. 10% of proceeds from the sale will be donated back to Federation. Meet and mingle with Israel and Erik Nordin, creators of the menorah from Menorah in the D. Secured private parking. This event is limited to the first 50 people; register today. Flat shoes are recommended. Register info: contact Marianne Bloomberg at bloomberg@ jfmd.org. JET SEASON OPENS 9 PM, AUG. 27 JET’s 31st season open with a production of Grease outside under the starts at the Walled Lake Farmers Market. It is appropriate for ages 13 and up; food and refreshments available. Season subscriptions are $225 and are only available by phone or mail: call 248-788-2900. If you purchased a subscription for the 2020 season, your tickets will be applied to this season. Compiled by Sy Manello/Editorial Assistant. Send items at least 14 days in advance to calendar@thejewishnews.com. JULY 22 • 2021
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HEALTH
Roll Up Your Sleeves! Doctors who are also rabbis recommend COVID-19 vaccines — “It’s a mitzvah.” LOUIS FINKELMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A
well-known observation: In medieval times, many rabbis worked as physicians. Less wellknown: In our own times as well, several Orthodox rabbis are also physicians. A few rabbi/ physicians told the Jewish News what Jewish law advises about COVID-19 vaccines. Aaron Glatt earned rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Avraham Tzvi Wosner at Machon LeTorah Vehora’ah and his medical degree from Columbia Rabbi University College Dr. Aaron of Physicians Glatt and Surgeons in New York. He is professor of infectious diseases and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau (N.Y.) and assistant rabbi at Young Israel of
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Woodmere (N.Y.). Rabbi Dr. Glatt strongly advises that people who are able to get vaccinated as soon as possible and rejects arguments for delaying or refusing. “Unfortunately, there are many misguided, not scientifically based patently incorrect high-quality glossy pamphlets that are being circulated,” he said. “I have not seen any that identify the names of the ‘expert’ physicians purportedly writing these statements, which are in total opposition to the true experts in infectious diseases who 100% support COVID vaccination efforts. “They misquote or misrepresent the true facts and unfortunately continue to propagate information that is outright 100% false, such as vaccines cause infertility or cause people to shed virus that infect other
people. Both are nonsense with zero evidence to support such falsehoods.” ‘GUARD YOURSELF’ Rabbi Dr. Shalom Schlagman earned rabbinic ordination at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, affiliated with Yeshiva University in New York, and his Rabbi Dr. Shalom medical degree Schlagman at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) School of Medicine. He serves as a fellow in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of Rochester. Schlagman takes questions about the COVID-19 vaccine personally. “My own uncle, my mother’s brother, who was a medically
fragile person, was taken from us last spring when he was infected in the first COVID-19 surge,” he said. “As a resident in a regional quaternary-care academic medical center, I cared for patients whom we could not save from the disease. I literally watched people succumb to the infection despite our most advanced and aggressive medical care, and I witnessed others who languished in our ICU for weeks or months and whose subsequent recovery was complicated by strokes, blood clots or infections from their prolonged bedbound state. “I cared for teenagers and children, who, with minimal other symptoms of COVID-19 infection, found themselves in the ICU weeks after initial recovery, now the victims of MIS-C, a complication of the
disease that destroys the heart muscle, weakening its ability to effectively pump blood. With all these experiences in mind, I am certain of our collective responsibility to be vaccinated against this plague.” Addressing “those in the community who worry about the health risks posed by the vaccine itself,” Schlagman notes that “remaining unvaccinated puts one at risk of being infected … the vaccine would seem to pose the lesser risk.” Schlagman cited the 17th century Talmudist Rabbi Shabbatai Cohen (Shach Yoreh Deah 155:3) to the effect that we should trust expert physicians, “whose good name depends upon good outcomes.” From the standpoint of Jewish law, given that vaccines were developed at great effort by teams of welltrained, expert physicians, “we can trust the vaccines’ efficacy or at least their safety.” We do not have the option, according to Schlagman, of disregarding the risk to ourselves of COVID-19. The rabbis read the commandment to “guard yourself ” (Deut. 4:9, 15), in context calling for “spiritual fortitude,” also to require us to guard “our physical lives from harm” (Talmud Berakhot 32b; Haameq Davar to Deut. 4:15). “If God has blessed us with good health,” Schlagman asserts, we still have the obligation to be vaccinated to protect others, expressed by the Torah as “do not stand idly by the blood of your fellow” (Leviticus 19:16) and “return what someone has lost to him” (Deut. 22:2). So, we must also help others obtain the vaccine, and “continue to practice caution with good habits of social distancing, masking and hand hygiene if we are unvaccinated or interacting
with those who are unvaccinated (for example children younger than 12 who cannot yet obtain the vaccine) or the immunocompromised (who, even when vaccinated, may be incompletely protected),” he said. Schlagman concludes with the biblical exhortation about commandments, “live by them” (Leviticus 18:5), which the Talmud takes to mean “live by them, but do not die for them” (Yoma 85b). “We must ... obtain the vaccine which has the potential to save our own lives and the lives of vulnerable members of our communities.” DON’T HESITATE Henry Hasson earned rabbinic ordination at Pirche Shoshanim and teaches Torah at Ohel David and Shlomo in Brooklyn, N.Y. He has a practice in pediatric neurology in Brooklyn. He earned his medical Rabbi degree at Albert Dr. Henry Einstein Medical Hasson College in New York. Rabbi Dr. Hasson emphasizes the importance in Jewish law of following scientific evidence. He
cites Rabbi Avraham, the son of Maimonides, who wrote that we should follow the most proven science, even against the opinion of the Talmudic sages (in Rabbi Avraham’s famous “Letter Concerning the Homiletics of the Sages”). Hasson reminds us that the Shulchan Aruch rules that one is not permitted to practice medicine without a license (Yoreh Deah 336:1), from which Hasson derives that we “should not just listen to everyone on the internet.” As for the strategy of waiting for further data on the vaccines, Hasson points out that in matters of danger to life, the rabbis rule that “whoever acts quickly is praised, and whoever hesitates is rebuked” (Maimonides Shabbat 2:16). The Jerusalem Talmud adds another phrase: If someone waits to ask the rabbi what to do, the rabbi is considered disgraceful (Jerusalem Talmud Yoma 8:5); disgraceful because the rabbi should have taught people to act quickly to avert danger. DOING A MITZVAH According to Rabbi Herschel Finman, director of Jewish
Ferndale and host of The Jewish Hour podcast, “It is not enough to deal with health issues as they arise; we must take precautions to avoid danger.” The final chapter of the Code Rabbi of Jewish Law, he Hershel says, emphasizes Finman that “just as there is a positive commandment to build a guardrail around the perimeter of a rooftop lest someone fall so, too, are we obligated to guard ourselves from anything that would endanger our lives, as the verse states, ‘Only guard yourself and greatly guard your soul.’” Finman goes on to say, “We have established that one must do whatever is in their power to save oneself, one’s children and others as well from possible life-threatening dangers. “It would seem that there is no difference between vaccinating and having to flee a city when there is an epidemic. “Guarding your own health does not only make sense; it is actually a mitzvah.” JULY 22 • 2021
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OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY
SYDNEY ALTUS, 71, of Southfield, died July 13, 2021. He is survived by his daughter, Shana Altus; son, Brian Corson; mother, Brenda Altus; brothers and sisters-inlaw, Mark and Brenda Altus, Harvey and Nancy Altus, and Joel and Cathy Altus; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. Mr. Altus was the son of the late Irving Altus. Interment took place at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Birmingham. Contributions may be made to the Michigan Humane Society, the American Heart Association or the National Kidney Foundation. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. MIRIAM “MIRI” BARR, 84, of Bloomfield Township, died on June 9, 2021. Miri, as family and friends called her, passed away after a prolonged illness. She survived the Holocaust, as a 5-year-old orphan, a miracle given that she escaped Belzec death camp. After living with partisans in the Black Forest, she was liberated and then immigrated to Israel. She was a proud R.N. and nursing instructor. Despite everything and against all odds, Miri survived to have a wonderful family, which was the center of her life. She will miss her great-grandson Noah Bigelman’s bar mitzvah and many other family events that kept her family so close together. Miri also loved art, classical music,
fabrics and antique collections. Mrs. Barr was married to Isaac Barr, M.D.; they raised four children, Michal Firsht, Eliav Barr, Merav Grindlinger and Tamar Hermon, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Miri was interred in Israel at Menuhat Olam cemetery in Netanya in the presence of the Barr family and friends. A memorial service was held at Temple Israel with Rabbi Paul Yedwab and Rabbi Joseph Krakoff officiating. ROSE BOHM, 92, of West Bloomfield, died July 8, 2021. She passed away surrounded by her loving children and grandchildren. She leaves many legacies, but her greatest accomplishment is the incredible family she built and life lessons she instilled in all of them. In addition to her three children and son-in-law, Rose had eight grandchildren who adored her, and 17 great-grandchildren that were the lights of her life. She had a very special and unique relationship with each one. Rose also had two great-great-grandchildren, whom she loved very much. Rose was happiest when she was surrounded by all the kids. In addition to her family legacy, Rose also recorded and published a diary, Remember Never to Forget, about her experience in the Holocaust. As a survivor, she made her family promise never to forget continued on page 48 JULY • 2021 47 47 JULY 2222 • 2021
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OBITUARIES
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Her Spirit lives on in Light, Love and Laughter Ruth Vosko was born to Rose and Joe Yendick in Detroit, Michigan on August 21, 1923. She was the oldest of two sisters (Bernice and Eleanor) and three younger brothers (Harry, Saul and Albert). She attended Durfee middle school and Central high school where she made great grades, sang in glee club and met her husband Irv during study hall. They married in Detroit in 1942 and had two sons Alan and Mark. She had an inquisitive and vivacious spirit. She fiercely loved the 5 F’s: Food, Fun, Fashion, Family and Friends. During her 58 year marriage to Irving, she worked as an executive secretary for Trerice -Tosto and Colliers international. She loved the water, sports, enjoyed bowling and even won a golf tournament in her 80s. On her 60th birthday she scuba dove the Great Barrier reef in Australia and on her 90th birthday rode a high speed rollercoaster from the front seat of the front car. She even piloted single engine airplanes. Ruth was known for her incredible energy and zest for life having been called “the Eveready bunny of the Universe”. In fact, the family joke was “what is the difference between our Mom and God?” With the answer being “At least on the seventh day, God took a rest.” Unafraid to meet and welcome strangers, she made friends easily no matter what their age or origin. She had an uncanny ability to find common ground. Ruth traveled the world over and was truly an ambassador of goodwill and charity. Her love of Israel took her there 17 times. The majority of those trips were to work in support of the Israeli military and IDF as a volunteer for “Sar-El” (a non-profit, non-political organization. “Sar-El” is the Hebrew acronym meaning “Service for Israel”). A strong believer in “Tsdaka” (giving charity) she actively raised money to feed Jewish families through both Yad Ezra locally and Lev Uneshama (Heart and Soul) in Tzfat, Israel. She claimed she was terrible in learning new languages yet she spoke fluent English and Yiddish. She was an avid fan of the symphony, live theater and music. She was passionate about dance and was a true patron of the arts. Much more than just a spectator, she participated in crafting, crocheting, knitting, needlepoint and stained glass. In her later years, Ruth traded in her famous red convertible for a red “pride” scooter, left her lovely condominium in Farmington and moved into the Hechtman II apartments. During those last five years she still made tons of friends, was loved by many and continued to hobnob with celebrities like Depak Chopra, Mary Wilson of the Supremes and Jennifer Lopez. In eulogizing Ruth, Rabbi Elliott Pactor of B’nai Moshe summed it up the best when he said “if you were a friend of Ruth Vosko, you probably thought that you were her only friend and her best friend in the world. That’s how she made you feel”. Ruth was a very “spiritual” person with a deep passion and deeper gratitude for life itself. She believed in, collected and surrounded herself with angels. She lit Shabbas candles every week, prayed and meditated daily. One plaque she proudly displayed in her home says “Friends are angels following you through life” now Ruth has become an Angel following us. She is survived by her two sons Alan Vosko and wife Sue. Mark Vosko and Ignacio Romero. Younger brother Albert Yendick and wife Bernice. Grandsons Brian, Martin and Tyra Ware. Nieces, nephews and a myriad of friends.
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about the Holocaust and to make sure that her story was told and remembered by each generation to come. The family invites you to contact them if you would like to read her story. Mrs. Bohm is survived by her son, Larry Bohm; daughter and son-in-law, Debbie and Dr. Martin Karp; grandchildren, Ellen and Mario Bendana, Elisa and Joel Wasserman, Marianne Sacks, Rachel and Jeffrey Levine, Rebecca and Matthew Zusel, Erica and Benjamin Auslander, Brandon Bohm, Courtney Bohm; great-grandchildren, Alex and Emily Bendana, Gabriel Bendana, Jessica and Eric Pressel, Sam Wasserman, Brooke Wasserman, Jamie and Michael Mraw, Michael Sacks, Bradley Levine, Max Levine, Eli Levine, Ariana Zusel, Gillian Zusel, Drew Zusel, Ava Auslander, Henry Auslander, Jacob Bohm; great-great-grandchildren, Oren Pressel, Aiya Pressel; sister-in-law, Batia Eizikovic. Mrs. Bohm was the loving daughter of the late Dvorah and the late Falik Eizikovic; beloved wife of the late Benjamin Bohm; dear sister of the late Zoltan Eizikovic, the late Josef Eizikovic, the late Roize Eizikovic, the late Yakov Eizikovic. Contributions may be made to Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334. A graveside service was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
DENNIS BROOKS, 78, of Farmington Hills, died July 12, 2021. He was the loving father of Dana and Michael Reinglass of Northbrook, Ill., and proud Papa of grandchildren, Noah Brooks Reinglass, 13, and Lainey Brooks Reinglass, 12, also of Northbrook; devoted son of the late Pearl and the late Alfred Brooks; cherished brother and brother-in-law of Sharon and Bob Rudin of Farmington Hills, the late Lynda Brooks, and Debbie and Jeff Chutz of Bloomfield Hills; uncle to Michael and Missy Rudin of Orchard Lake Village, Lisa and Ken McCurry of Solon, Ohio, Steven Rudin of Alexandria, Va., Ben Chutz and Dani Gillman of Bloomfield Hills, Zack and Jenna Chutz of Pittsboro, N.C., and Evie and Scott Sonenberg of Berkley. He was blessed to have lifelong friends and special relationships with his wonderful cousins and close friend, Laurie Greene. He will always be remembered as a good, kind man with a playful sense of humor and will be dearly missed by all who were lucky enough to know him and spend time with him. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Muscular Dystrophy Association, 3300 E. Sunrise Drive, Tucson, AZ 85718, mda.org. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
JOEL N. BRUSS, 75, former Detroiter of Highland Park, Ill., died July 10, 2021. Joel was a man of many interests, passionate about hobbies and great food. His family was his everything, bringing him joy and nachas. Mr. Bruss was the beloved husband for 51 years of Lauren Bruss; adoring father of Jonathan Bruss and Jill (Loren) Rivkin; doting Grampsy of Meredith and Jacob Rivkin. Contributions may be made to a charity of your choice. A graveside service was held at Shalom Memorial Park, Arlington Heights, Ill. For additional information, visit Shalom Memorial Funeral Home, shalom2.com, (847) 2553520. ARLENE RAE BURG, 74, passed away July 7, 2021, in Margate, Fla. A Detroit native, Arlene attended Wayne State University, where she earned her teaching degree. She was a Sunday school teacher for 12 years at Temple Beth El and a manager for Kroger Grocery Stores for 15 years. Arlene was a devoted and loving mother, daughter, mother-in-law and friend. She is survived by her three daughters, Beth Silverberg (Alan), Angela Burg and Candice Burg. Arlene was the daughter of the late Sydney and Dorothy Fishman. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Leukemia Research Foundation at allbloodcancers.org.
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16 Av July 25 Jack Alpert Michael S. Beatus Sam Gornbein William Hacker Lena Hyman Lillian Kaplan Baruch Litvin Nathan Madgy Samuel Maltzman 17 Av July 26 Jacob Anchill Sheldon Colby Ilya Czerkasski Helen Greenbaum Rose Anne Hirsch Elaine Darlene Lusky Zivel Milinsky Sari Schwartz Donald Mark Wolin Eda Yampolsky 18 Av July 27 Rebecca Cetron Yetta Ziporah Cohen Bertha Cooper
Blanche Falkauff Seymour B. Goldman Cecil Charles Malach Herman Radner Mollie Stein Samuel Weiss
Jacob Schwartz Lilly Topor Ber Wolf Zalesin
19 Av July 28 Julius Bronstein Tzvi Cohen Abe Eisenberg Anne Falkoff Minnie Hart Sonia Singer Leonard Stein
21 Av July 30 Fred Berk Jadwiga Lis Butejekis Rochel Fordonski Mary Greenblatt Betty Katz Benjamin Kosins Ruben Mervis Max Mindlin Minnie Raskin Virginia Schwartz
20 Av July 29 Zal Aaron Aron Broder Harry Cohen Phillip Gerald Eizen Bessie Feinstein Esther Friedman Blanche Levin Bessie Lifshitz Lillian Marton Beatrice Moss
22 Av July 31 Eva Davidson Morris Golaner Lettie Goldstein Mollie Plotnisky Jack Scherr Herman S. Shear Michael Shnaider Eva Stein Dora Sukenic Harry Topor
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OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 49
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OBITUARIES
DR. MICHAEL D. FALKOFF, 73, former Detroiter, died peacefully after a long battle with cancer on July 2, 2021, with his family by his side. Dr. Falkoff practiced cardiology for more than 40 years in Rochester, N.Y., describing it as a calling rather than simply a career. He was extremely dedicated to his many patients, some of whom he treated for decades and many of whom had to endure his corny jokes. Despite a progressing illness and a variety of passions, including trading stocks, rooting for Detroit sports teams and wine tasting, he resisted retirement until the end of 2019. He and Cynthia moved to California just before the pandemic to be close to their three daughters. The family offers deepest thanks to his wonderful oncologists, Scott Kopetz, M.D.; Aram Hezel M.D.; and George Fisher, M.D., who worked tirelessly to prolong his life these last several years. Dr. Falkoff was predeceased by his parents, Sophie and Harry. He is survived by his devoted wife of 38 years, Cynthia. He was a beloved father to his three daughters, Lauren Eggert, M.D. (Charles), Jennifer Falkoff Akselrad (Mitchell) and Alexandra Falkoff. He was a proud papa to three granddaughters, Willa, Amelia and Eden. He is also survived by his sister, Andrea Singer (Martin); survived by sistersin-law, Susan Johnson and Leslie Raetz (Thomas); brother-in-law, Robert Johnson (Cathy); many dear cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. A private burial was held in
Palo Alto, Calif. A memorial will be held to commemorate his life on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, at 10 a.m. at the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave., Rochester, N.Y. All are welcome to attend. Contributions may be made to MD.Anderson Cancer Center Cancer Center or the Sands-Constellation Heart Institute of Rochester, N.Y. BEVERLY FRANK, 88, of Bloomfield Hills, died July 11, 2021. She is survived c. 1960 by her sons and daughter-in-law, Bryant and Mary Frank, Bradford Frank and Ian Frank; daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer Frank Sherman and Mark Sherman; grandchildren, William Frank, Alexander Frank, Ella Sherman and Sam Sherman; great-grandchildren, Olivia Frank, Averie Frank and Adilynn Green; sisters-inlaw, Pudgy Kahn and Shirley Colten; loving nieces and nephews. Mrs. Frank was the beloved wife of the late William Frank; the loving sister of the late Jordan Kahn. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to William S. Frank Scholarship Fund, University of Michigan Law School, 701 State St., Jeffries Hall 4th Floor, Ann Arbor, MI 481093091, giving.law.umich.edu; Temple Israel, 5725 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323, temple-israel.org/ tributes; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
HILDA GREEN, 96, of West Bloomfield, died July 8, 2021. A deeply religious individual, Mrs. Green was a regular Shabbat attendee and member of Congregation Shaarey Zedek and its sisterhood. She was such a loving individual that she was matron of honor at her granddaughter’s wedding. Her family was her life and she was a selfless and devoted woman who nurtured and cared for her entire family. Mrs. Green is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Janice and Marty Stoneman of Bloomfield Hills; grandchildren, Ashley and David Murav; great-grandchild, Rylie Murav; many other loving family members and friends. She was the beloved wife for almost 70 years to the late
Meyer Green; loving mother of the late Marc Green. Contributions may be made to Congregation Shaarey Zedek Sisterhood Lunch Fund, 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, MI 48034; Friends of the IDF, P.O. Box 999, Walled Lake, MI 48390; American Friends of Magen David Adom, 3175 Commercial Ave., Suite 101, Northbrook, IL 60062. A graveside service was held at Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. ESTHER LOU KOSOVA, 92, of Oak Park, died July 8, 2021. She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Sally and Leonard Grossman, Linda Hindman, Helene Sawicki, and Dr. Lawrence and Dr.
Marlene Kosova; grandchildren, Michelle Grossman, Jeffrey Grossman, Nicole Hindman, Justin Sawicki, Julie Sawicki, Ilyssa Kosova and Matthew Kosova; many other loving family members and friends. Mrs. Kosova was the mother-in-law of the late Stephen Hindman and the late Jerry Sawicki. Interment took place at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to Hospice of Michigan or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. MYRA FRANK PASMAN, 101, formerly of Detroit, passed away peacefully on July 12, 2021, in Phoenix, Ariz., at the home of her daugh-
ter and son-in-law Sheila and Larry Landau. Myra lived a very long and full life. She was raised by her uncle Samuel Levey, who was one of the original owners of the Detroit Opera House and a founder of Knollwood Country Club. She enthusiastically embraced everyone she met and found something good in everyone. She was loved by all who knew her. Myra loved playing piano and continued to play until her final days. She enjoyed listening to and playing classical music. She was a bridge master and quoted Shakespeare with great alacrity along with her longtime significant other, Alfred Varone. Myra spent the last three years living with her daughter and son-in-law, Sheila Landau and Larry Landau. Hulya Garvett, her daughter-in-law, flew to Arizona from Michigan continued on page 52
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JULY 22 • 2021
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OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 51
most every month to visit Myra, whom she loved and adored as a mother. Myra will be missed by granddaughter, Amy Landau Schaeffer; her husband, Jeff Schaeffer; great-granddaughter, Maddy Schaeffer; granddaughter, Julie Landau; her husband, Ken Young; great-granddaughter, Eve; great-grandson, Jacob; grandson, Michael Garvett; two beloved stepdaughters, Jo Ellen Warner and Nora Pasman-Green; Nora’s husband, Jeff; their grandchildren and children, Molly Rose Pasman, Daniel Nathan Pasman, Eric Michael Pasman, Matthew Green, Jeffrey Green; a multitude of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews; Alfred Varone’s daughter, Ruth; and grandson, Jonathon, whom she loved as her own.
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Myra was predeceased by her son, Robert Frank Garvett; and great-grandson, Jordan Schaeffer. ALAN M. RALSKY, 76, of West Bloomfield, died July 8, 2021. He is survived by beloved wife, Irmie Ralsky; father, Norman Glazer; daughters and sonin-law, Diana (Scott) Bradley, Jacqueline Ralsky and Renee Ralsky; brothers and sisters-inlaw, Stuart and Susan Ralsky, Steven and Edye Glazer; sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Steven Teplinsky; grandchildren, Dylan and Brendan Bradley; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.
Mr. Ralsky was the dear son of the late Minnie Glazer and the late David Ralsky. Interment was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to the Veterans Hospital of Ann Arbor or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. NORMAN TEPLEY, 85, of West Bloomfield, died July 6, 2021. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Jamina Tepley and Michael Stoyanovich; sons, Philip Tepley and Alan Tepley; loving partner of 20 years, Miriam Leventhal; grandchildren, Lina Stoyanovich and
Lidia Stoyanovich. He is also survived by Miriam’s children, Dulcie and Tom O’Connell, Jeffrey Leventhal; Miriam’s grandchildren, Olivia and Ava O’Connell; lifelong dear friend, Lee Bricker. Mr. Tepley was the beloved husband of the late Aviva Rubin Tepley and the late Elaine Ash Tepley; loving brother of the late Lee Tepley. Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Birmingham Temple, 28611 W. 12 Mile, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, 248- 477-1410; or Union of Concerned Scientists, One N. LaSalle St., Suite 1904, Chicago, IL 60602-4064, 312-578-1750. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
RASKIN
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING
The Hy Life (part 1)
The JN’s premier columnist, Danny Raskin, has rapidy recovered from rib injuries from a fall, but remains in rehab for leg strengthening. In the meantime, we’ll be offering highlights from Danny’s prior columns until his return. If you’d like to send him greetings, email Danny at dannyraskin2132@gmail.com or send mail to Danny Raskin c/o The Jewish News, 32255 Northwestern Hwy., Farmington Hills, MI 48334. Here is Part 1 of Danny’s column from Aug. 31, 2001, where he celebrated the 90th birthday of longtime deli man Hy Horenstein. Sadly, less than three months later, Hy passed away, on Nov. 23, 2001.
T
urning 90 recently is no big deal to Hy Horenstein. “I can still hand-cut a Jewish rye bread in record time, and corned beef or pastrami without cutting off any fingers,” says the former premier delicatessen owner. Hy is the only surviving member of the deli Horenstein brothers, whose Danny name is well noted … Lou Raskin Senior Columnist and Sam had Brother’s Deli on Dexter, with Max working for them before going on his own and opening Max’s Deli with wife, Belle, on Southfield and 13 Mile. Hy never joined his brothers at their delicatessens … preferring to be on his
own as Hy Horenstein DelicatessenRestaurant. “You can’t go to a delicatessen anymore and smell the corned beef because it isn’t cooked in front anymore like years ago,” says Hy, as he bemoans the days gone by. Hy was only 11 years old when starting out in the deli game … On Hastings and Farnsworth he was a busboy and dishwasher at the original Boesky’s for owner Sam Boesky … also helping to cut corned beef in the basement … Hy was born on Delancey Street in New York, where Sonny Eliot’s father owned a hardware store, and came here when a year old, living on Hastings and Alfred. Detroit was usually a single-storefront deli town, recalls Hy … “They were small but compact,” he says. Hy’s counter experience, however, sometimes had him at larger ones like when working for Bill Boesky and Joe Friedman at the Brass Rail on Michigan Avenue, next to Kinsel’s and with Al Mendelson at
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Boesky’s on 12th and Hazelwood, before Al went to California years back to open Nate & Al’s in Beverly Hills. Hy had come to work at Boesky’s on 12th and Hazelwood as a busboy … and five years later was a counterman for the same Sam Boesky who started him in the deli business on Hastings … as a dishwasher and busboy. “I’m still as ornery as ever,” laughs Hy, who says he has mellowed from the days he was a delicatessen owner and used to close two times a year … “When I took a vacation, everybody had to take a vacation, too.” His first delicatessen, called Hy Horenstein’s, was on Farmer and Monroe in Detroit … Then came Second Boulevard between Willis and Canfield … and on to Six Mile and Santa Barbara in 1942 … followed by Dexter and Boston Boulevard with partner Mike Selik … After they moved across the street, it was on to Livernois and Seven Mile for Hy. Read about Hy Horenstein’s big move to Oak Park in 1963 in next week’s column. Danny’s email 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 Boys of Summer
I
t is mid-summer. We know this because of hot days, the sun shining (well, not always in Michigan) and Major League Baseball in full swing (to use a baseball metaphor). This year, after a strange 2020 season, truncated by COVID-19, baseball fans have returned to the stadiums. The annual MLB All-Star Game was held last week, a sure mark of Mike Smith mid-summer. Alene and On a cruise into the Graham Landau Archivist Chair William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History, I ran across an interesting story about two Jewish baseball fans — more on that later — and I wondered about baseball stories held in the Archive. Well, the Archives holds an abundance of baseball stories and reports. From 1916 to 2018, baseball is mentioned on more than 7,000 pages in the Archive. Many more can be found if one searched for the names of teams like the Detroit Tigers or teams from local high schools. Include the names of baseball stars like Hank Greenberg in a search or for “Steve Stein,” the JN’s longtime sports writer. and there are even more pages of baseball lore. The earliest baseball story was in the June 23, 1916, issue of the Chronicle. It was an announcement that the baseball team of Detroit’s Young Men’s Hebrew Association was going to play the team from the YMHA of Toledo. Although most of the stories are about boy’s or men’s teams, one can also find stories beginning in the early 1920s about baseball games organized for girls. One lesson I learned a long time ago is that, when discussing baseball with Jewish fans, one cannot go wrong by telling stories of Henry
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“Hank” Greenberg. Many a story in the Chronicle and JN focused on “Hammering Hank.” On the front page of the Sept. 21, 1934, Chronicle, he was already being “Hailed as the Greatest Player Jews have Contributed to Base Ball.” The front page of the first issue of the JN (March 27, 1942) featured a photograph of Sgt. Henry Greenberg in the Army during WWII. Stories about lesser-known baseball participants and events really intrigued me. “Play Ball” is about the beginnings of Little League baseball in Israel, which debuted in 1987. It also cited forthcoming contributions to the league from Detroit (Sept. 16, 1988, JN). Images of its inaugural game were captured by Detroit photographer David Dombey (July 24, 1987, JN). “On the Ball” is a story about retired MLB umpire Dave Dashow of Huntington Woods and his impressive sports collecting (March 23, 1989, JN). “On Some Days, the Rabbi Plays Baseball” tells the story of Rabbi Bruce Aft, “Southpaw Principal of UHS High School.” Not only does Rabbi Aft make a “pitch” for Torah education, he was also a semi-professional baseball player in his spare time. As I mentioned above, one story led to my decision to explore baseball in the Archive: “Round-Trippers” from the Oct. 6, 2011, issue of the JN. It is about a local Jewish couple, Bev and Stuart Feldheim, who had just completed an eight-year quest to visit all 30 Major League stadiums. It’s a pretty darn cool adventure. Unfortunately, they did not take me with them. So, want to read some great stories about baseball and Jewish Detroit? The Davidson Archive is the place to go. Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.
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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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