This & That
A compilation of news tidbits gathered from around the community.
Rena Friedberg, co-developmeht
director at the Southfield-based Jewish
Association for Residential Care
OARC) , reports that Academy Award-
nominated actress Elizabeth Shue
(Leaving Las Vegas) flew two JARC
clients and a JARC staffer to Holly-
wood for research on an upcoming
movie role.
Shue, who learned about JARC
through a colleague, will play the role
of a woman with severe developmental
disabilities in a film written by her
husband. She wanted to spend time
with the women to learn their man-
nerisms and thought processes, Fried-
berg says.
The women were in Hollywood
Jan. 22-25 and vvere "treated like roy-
alty," she adds.
JARC provides housing and services
for people with developmental disabil-
ities.
Jim and Nancy Grosfeld of
Bloomfield Hills recently returned
from Rome, where they visited
Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.•
The couple was part of an 18-
member Anti-Defamation League
delegation that met with high-
level Vatican officials to discuss
release of records pertaining to the
actions of the Vatican during the
Holocaust.
ADL and Vatican representa-
tives also discussed the release of
the current Pope's official repudia-
tion of church anti-Semitism. An
important piece of the Jan. 12-15
mission was to thank the Pope for
his work in improving Jewish-
Catholic relations.
Jim Grosfeld joined the
National Commission of the ADL
last summer at the invitation of
his friend, Howard Berkowitz,
ADL chairman. Nancy Grosfeld is
chairperson of the Ruby Division
of the Jewish Federation of Met-
ropolitan Detroit Women's Cam-
paign and a board member of the
Women's Campaign and Educa-
tion Department.
Pushcarts, business and street
signs, army uniforms, Depression-
era scrip, clothing, vintage pho-
tographs, Judaica items and other
artifacts and mementos from the 20th
century are being sought by the Jew-
ish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit for an historical exhibit dur-
ing the Detroit Jewish community's
centennial celebration.
The celebration begins in the fall
and will run through March 1 -999. If
you want to lend your stuff, contact
Sharon Alterman at the Federation,
(248) 642-4260, ext. 271. All items
will be carefully handled and returned.
Resistance ReCords, a white suprema-
cist recording company that operated
from homes in Oak Park and White
Lake Township — both owned by
Jews — has reopened shop in Troy.
The company had been raided and
shut down in its last location on April
9, 1997, for evading the Michigan
sales tax. It was fined for back sales tax
owed and within a month obtained a
sales tax license to sell, via the Inter-
Remember When
When we wander memory lane, all of us
can recall favorite TV shows, popular
tunes and maybe what we were "doing
when." To help jog those memories, here
are some news "billboards" from the pages
of The Jewish News for this week, 10,
20, 30 and 40 years ago.
1988
Rioters ran rampant in the Gaza Strip,
chanting slogans in support of the
Palestine Liberation Organization.
Rabbi Silberberg of Bais Chabad
Torah Center published a comparative
study of areas of Halachah, Zichron
Yaakov Kopel.
Yakov Smirnoff, comedian, kicked
off the new special entertainment series
created by the Cultural Arts Depart-
ment of the Jewish Community Cen-
ter.
1978
Court challenges were growing to
block the march in Skokie, Ill., of the
American Nazis.
A fire of mysterious origin razed the
main building of Camp Can Israel
near Fenton.
raided the home,
confiscating comput-
er records.
Avram B. Lyon, the
new executive direc-
tor of the Jewish
Labor Committee,
stopped by The Jew-
ish News offices last
week during a round
of visits of selected
major cities. Lyon
noted that the JLC,
now 60 years old,
Jim and Nancy Grosfeld meet Pope John Paul II.
serves as a bridge
between the labor
movement
and
the
Jewish community.
net, its recordings, said Don Cohen,
According to its mission statement,
regional director of the Anti-Defama-
the JLC mobilizes coalitions "to com-
tion League's Michigan Region.
bat anti-Semitism and other forms of
Mark Wilson and his family moved
bigotry and to promote respect for
out of the home in Oak Park when
diversity in the workplace and in our
protesters showed up with signs, and
communities ... We strive to advance
left Highland Township when police
worker rights in the United States and
abroad."
The JLC in recent years has kept a
low profile as a matter of policy, but
Lyon wants to change that in hopes of
Julian S. Tobias received special
making more of an impact on Jewish-
recognition on his 65th birthday for
labor relations. For more information,.
his work as chairman of the education
the local chapter president is Selma
division of the Jewish Welfare Federa-
Goode, at (313) 534-0553.
tion.
Paul Gross, meteorologist for WDIV-
1968
TV4, joked that a piece of legislation
The Anti-Defamation League of New
could be named after him.
York joined two black civil rights orga-
Gross was in Lansing on Wednes-
nizations to protest racial discrimina-
day, testifying before a House com-
tion at the New York Athletic Club.
mittee about the need for state
Premier Aleksei Kosygin negated
schools to require tornado drills. Stu-
allowing the emigration of Russian
dents already are subjected to 10 fire
Jews to Israel following an appeal from
drills per year.
British Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
Gross notes that Michigan is hit
Beth-Sheva Laikin headed the cast
by an average of 16 to 20 tornados
of the Center Theater's production of
yearly and one of the deadliest in
The Rose Tattoo.
history struck here. Back in '53, a
tornado in the Flint area killed more
1958
than 100 people and injured close to
Nikita Kruschev, Soviet Communist
900 more.
Party head, assailed Israel and refused
The legislation, introduced last
aid.
October by Rep. Gerald Law, R-Ply-
Abe Kasle, president of the United
mouth, would amend the state school
Hebrew Schools, was given the 1958
code to require schools to hold two
Jewish Welfare Federation Award.
tornado drills each school year. Gross
Louis Blumberg and Hyman Safran
prompted the legislation by contacting
were named to chair the 1958 Allied
Rep. Law.
Jewish Campaign.
"I jokingly call it the 'Gross Weath-
er Bill,"' Gross said. ❑
2/6
1998
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