To Life!
THE SCENE
Happenings
For college age through 30-something.
Send items: ahitsky@thejewishnews.com .
Making Choices .
HILLEL METRO DETROIT
March 16 Thursday, 5-7 p.m. HMD happy
hour at Lily's Seafood, 410 S Washington
Ave, Royal Oak. RSVP: Karen Adelman,
hilleled@wayne.edu or (313) 577-3459.
Robber turned rabbi offers
hope for wayward souls.
EMU HILLEL, Ypsilanti
March 10 Friday, services 6:30 p.m., Israel
Shabbat dinner 7:15 p.m., $5. Learn about
Birthright Israel. RSVP to Scott:
hillel@emich.edu or (734) 482-0456.
Robin Schwart2
Special to the Jewish News
ith his graying beard and
kindly eyes, Rabbi Mark
Borovitz doesn't fit the image
of a gun-toting gangster. But, the 53-
year-Old rabbi from Los Angeles has a
long rap sheet that includes insurance
and check fraud, armed robbery, and
forgery — even stealing from his own
mother. His life of gambling, swindling
and drinking ultimately led him to jail.
"I was a nice Jewish boy growing up in
Cleveland," Rabbi Borovitz said. "I got
hooked up with a bunch of gangsters
and the Mafia and I thought that was a
great life. I -took life for granted; I made
bad choices!'
Not anymore.
After being arrested 1986, Rabbi
Borovitz had a revelation that turned his
life around. He returned to his Jewish
roots, praying and studying Torah in
prison. That led him to redemption
and the rabbinate. He now .
serves as the rabbi and
spiritual leader of
Congregation Beit
T'shuva, a Jewish
addiction recovery
center in Los
Angeles.
W
Nathalie Giske of Birmingham and
Shira Kahan of Bloomfield Hills
24
March 9 • 2006
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Justin Mbrgan of Southfield and Ezra
Drissman of Farmington Hills flank
Rabbi Mark Borovitz
March 14 Tuesday, 6 p.m. Celebrate Purim
in costume. Megillah reading and haman-
taschen. RSVP to Jenn Stotter,
jenn@emuhillel.org or (734)482-0456.
MSU HILLEL, E. Lansing
March 13 Monday, 7 p.m. Guest speaker
Gil Golan of Israel's Technion and
Volunteers for Israel. RSVP: Jordan,
weissjo2@msthedu.
Greg and Dani Glickfeld of West
Bloomfield
"I knew the man upstairs was trying
to tell me something and my job was to
sit long enough in prison to figure it
out:' he said.
On Feb. 28, the rabbi shared his inspir-
ing story with about 60 young adults at
the Bloomfield Hills home of Shira and
Mike Kahan. He also read
excerpts from his memoir,
The Holy Thief a Con
Man's Jouney from
Darkness to Light.
Rabbi Borovitz
said his story
proves change is
possible. He urged
his auience to
become more con-
nected with their
souls.
"If I don't touch you,
if I don't move you, then
this whole evening is
Eli Natinsky of
a waste he said.
Royal Oak and
His story seemed
Rachel Tucker
to strike a chord with
of Farmington
Ezra Drissman of
Hills
Farmington Hills.
"I'm totally blown
Drissman said.
"I thought his talk was very insightful
and thought Provoking," added Rachel
Tucker of Farmington Hills.
"It's inspiring,to meet a Jewish person
who's been on the other side of the
tracks," said Terry Shulman of
Southfield, a therapist who works with
chronic shoplifters. "There are a lot of
March 12 Sunday, 2 p.m. Esther Park, reg-
istered dietician, will discuss the Jewish
perspective on body image. Refreshments.
RSVP to Dayna: hillel@emich.edu or (734)
482-0456.
March 14 Tuesday, 8 p.m. Purim megillah
reading, hamantaschen and chocolate
fondue. RSVP: Becca, steinm15@msu.edu .
Justin Morgan of Southfield, Ron
Hackelman of West Bloomfield and
Michael Harris of Madison Heights
.
secrets we keep from ourselves and each
other, so when I hear somebody say,
`There's help available' and 'There's a new
way, that's the message I try to convey to
people, too!'
The rabbi's visit was co-sponsored by
Hillel of Metro Detroit and the lectures
committee of the Young Adult Division of
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit. Spotted in the crowd were: Event
co-chairs Micha Zwick of Southfield
and Nathalie Giske of Birmingham;
Roger Goodman of Bloomfield Hills;
Sheryl Katzen of Farmington Hills;
Stephanie Bloom of Orchard. Lake;
Jared
Rosenbaum of
Huntington
Woods; Miriam
and Yoli
Silverstein of
West
Bloomfield; and
Brad Shulman
andStephanie
Saal, both of
Rabbi Mark Borovitz Royal Oak. ❑
reads from his book.
March 16 Thursday, 8:30 p.m. Kick boxing
class at IM West. Cose$2. RSVP: Jackie,,
dunayevi@msu.edu .
U - M HILLEL, Ann Arbor
Mondays 5 p.m. Coffee and Hebrew at.
Espresso Royale Cafe, 324 S. State Street.
Information: Miriam Levine,
mtlevine@umich.edu .
• March 11 Saturday, after services. Annual
cholent ,cook-off sponsored by the
•
Orthodox Minyan.
March 1.1 Saturday, 2 p.m. Mazon
President Eric Schockman will lead a dis-
cussion on world hunger.
March 12 Sunday, 6 p.m. Graduates And
Professionals movie night..
March 13 Monday, Purim Bash.
March 13 Monday, 3-5 and 5-7 p.m. Help
serve and cook food for the homeless.
March 14 Tuesday, 8 p.m. Israel current
events discussion at Espresso Royale, 1101
S. University.
March 16 Thursday, 8-10 p.m. Graduate
And Professional bar night at Rush Street,
314 S. Main.