Obituaries Obituaries from page C39 Jewish Maverick On Campus MARCIA WEISBERG, 87, of Bloomfield Hills, died July 6, 2009. She was a member of the City of Hope and B'nai B'rith. Mrs. Weisberg is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Bruce and Mary Ann Weisberg of Bloomfield Hills, Alan and Madeline Weisberg of Oregon; grandchildren, Keith Weisberg, Jason Weisberg, Stephen and Ericka Weisberg; brother and sister-in-law, Arnold Garber and Michele Kargol of Oak Park; broth- ers-in-law and sister-in-law, Elliott Perlman, Estelle and Irving Gladstone. She was the beloved wife of the late Irving M. Weisberg; the loving sister of the late Bernice Garber, the late Annette Perlman; dear sister-in-law of the late Sylvia and the late Isadore Epstein. Contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, 20450 Civic Center Drive, Southfield, MI 48076, www.cancer.org ; Angela Hospice, 14100 Newburgh Road, Livonia, MI 48154, www.angelahospice.org ; or to a charity of one's choice. Interment at White Chapel Cemetery. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. New York JTA — Gary Tobin was a professor who argued for inclu- sion of Jewish converts and who assailed the anti-Israel views of fellow Gary Tobin academics. He died July 6, 2009, at 59 after a long illness. Trained as city and regional planner at the University of California, Berkeley, Tobin first turned his attention to Jewish commu- nal issues while a professor at Washington University in St. Louis. He moved to Brandeis University in Massachusetts, where he became a tenured professor and director of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies before departing to start his own think tank, the Institute for Jewish & Community Research, in San Francisco. Lacking a background in sociology, Tobin often came at problems from a different perspective than many of the researchers who dominate the study of American Jewry While most communal professionals were bemoaning the loss of Jews to inter- marriage and assimilation, Tobin assailed Is The Ira Kaufman Chapel considering a rit-Av location in the future? My six- and eight-year old children are very close to their grandfather who's dying and in Hospice care. I want to bring them to the Chapel, but not the cemetery. is this the right decision? the community for its insularity and hostility toward converts and the gentile spouses of Jews. While Jewish organizations were complaining that wealthy Jews were directing their philanthropy to non-Jewish causes, Tobin told them to quit kvetching and give them a good reason not to. And while many Jewish institutions were content to ignore Jews of non-European origin, Tobin actively sought them out. Through its initiative B'Chol Lashon (In Every Tongue), his institute reached out to Jews of color and helped educate the main- stream community about Jewish diversity. "To the black Jewish community he was a friend, a colleague and just one that cared a great deal about seeing the broader com- munity be more inclusive of Jews of color, particular African Americans," said Capers Funnye, a black Chicago rabbi and the asso- ciate director of B'chol Lashon. Tobin showed up 12 years ago at Funnye's synagogue in Chicago and the two had been friends ever since. Funnye, a cousin of first lady Michelle Obama, said he had a closer relationship with Tobin than with any main- stream Jewish organizational leader. "This loss, for me, it is indeed like losing a brother, a member of my family," he said. While Tobin staked out liberal posi- tions on issues of Jewish community and identity, he had no qualms about making common cause with conservative groups in defense of communal interests. In 2004, he was named to the Forward Fifty list of the country's most influential Jews, which noted both his "maverick liberal" attitudes on conversion and racial diversity as well as his partnership with the neoconservative Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a post-9-11 creation intended to fight the spread of radical Islam. It was there that Tobin produced studies on U.S. attitudes toward Israel and anti- Israel sentiment on campus and conducted public opinion polls relating to national security and the Middle East. In 2005, he co-authored The Uncivil University, which charged colleges violated the public trust by permitting a climate of rampant anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment to take root. Tobin also was a fierce critic of the National Jewish Population Survey, claim- ing it vastly undercounted American Jews. He estimated the population at 6.7 million, more than 1 million more. armed ea , considering carefully .t ie central location to the cemeteries and the population we serve, The location and building still fit our nees s perf tly today. Our extensive par in area and four points of entry and exitm e us easily accessible omal directions. 0 asked this question. member, what :children see is= often n ` s frighteni g that what they -imagine. I find it best to 4iscus.s the entire process from death to burial prior to the funeral. Knowm *- what to expect usually allows them to participate throughout. My mother has organized a pre-arranged funeral with a graveside service. If our family wants to change that for any reason, such as the weather, can we alter the arrangements? Yes, we meet and review all of the arrangements. When a graveside service has been predetermined, there is an understanding that severe weather could alter the plans. THE iRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL Bringing Together Family, Faith & Community 18325 WEST NINE MILE ROAD, SOUTHFIELD. MI 48075 C40 July 16 • 2009 Obituaries . 248.569.0020 j FAX 248.569.2502 VVWW IRAKAUFMAN.COM