AROUND

7

Casey Lezell of West Bloo
id
Slavick of Birmingham and Benji
Auslander of Farmington Hills.

Lor
of BI
Daina R

he life of Joshua Faudem, 30,
was forever changed on a warm
April night along the Tel Aviv
beachfront. The young Israeli filmmak-
er, originally from West Bloomfield,
was documenting the music, laughter
and social scene at the popular live
music bar, Mike's Place. He and fellow
filmmakers Jack Baxter and Faudem's
then-girlfriend Pavia Fleisher wanted
to show the brighter side of life in
Israel amid the constant threat of ter-
rorism.
"Mike's Place represents the best
this part of the world has to offer,"
Faudem said.
A band was playing and the mood was
festive on April 30, 2003, when a British
Muslim suicide bomber blew himself
up at the nightspot, injuring dozens of
patrons and killing waitress Dominique
Hass and musicians Yanai Weiss and
Ron Baron. Joshua's camera kept rolling
as emergency crews raced in, the injured
were hospitalized and the upbeat story
turned to tragedy.
"Every time I see Dominique's face on
the screen, it just kills me," Faudem said.
"She was a good friend of mine; I loved
her very much."
The footage from the tragic inci-
dent is now part of Faudem's powerful

T

Joshua Faudem of Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv Blues

A film spotlights Israel's resilience
against the backdrop of terror.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN

award-winning feature film Blues by the
Beach, which was recently shown for the

in Israel before moving to Metro Detroit.
"I think it's good that they're show-
first time in Michigan at the
ing it — for a lot of people, it's
Birmingham 8 Theatre. About
their day-to-day reality," Giske
60 of Joshua's family members
said. "It happens every week and
and friends attended the private
people go on, Israelis go on."
screening, along with participants
As the film shows, Mike's
of the Grosfeld leadership pro-
Place re-opened seven days after
gram. The group, sponsored by
the terror attack. It remains a
Jim and Nancy Grosfeld of West
popular nightspot today. Many
Bloomfield, takes young leaders
of the original staff members
ROBIN
on an annual trip to Israel and
returned to work in the wake of
SCHWARTZ
other countries. Many Grosfeld
COLUMNIST the tragedy, including security
members have either seen or vis-
guard Avi Tabib, who was seri-
ited Mike's Place, including Fabio
ously injured. He emerges as a
Giske of Farmington Hills, who also lived
hero in the film because he pushed the

Ali and Sara Spatter of
Farmington Hills and Avi
Davidoff of West Bloomfield

Jeff and Jodi Michaelson
of Huntington Woods

rry Cooper

bomber out of the doorway — saving
many lives.
"He just saw trouble on the guy's
face," Faudem said.
But things don't easily return to busi-
ness as usual. The film highlights some
of the lingering psychological effects of
the blast. People crack, and relationships
break as the main subjects struggle to
move forward.
Faudem says he still has nightmares
and has a hard time traveling on planes.
He often finds it too painful to watch
the film, so he ducks out during most
screenings.
"I really wish that more and more
people in this world could see it because
it's really powerful," said Mike Rott of
Oak Park, a longtime friend of Faudem's.
Also spotted in the crowd at the May
30 screening were: Adam Cohen and
Gayle and Lorne Gold of Huntington
Woods; Sheri Wagner of Birmingham;
Chad Zamler and Renee and Craig
Erlich of Bloomfield Hills; Staci Giske
of Farmington Hills; and Esther and Jack
Liwazer of West Bloomfield.
"What's important is that you walk out
thinking," Faudem said as he took ques-
tions from the crowd after the film. "My
dream is to show it in Ramallah — that
would be, for me, the best thing." 1]

Holley Krawiec of Denver
and Jennifer Fishkind
of West Bloomfield

Sheri Wagner of Birmingham
and Gayle and Lorne Gold
of Huntington Woods