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DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Treif Decision
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati last month ruled
against a Michigan prison inmate who sued the Michigan
Department of Corrections for taking away his kosher meals.
Phillip Berryman, 66, serving a life sentence for murder, had
his kosher meal privileges taken away in 2005 after he pur-
chased non-kosher candy, soup and pizza sauce at the prison
store. Berryman claimed the food was for another inmate.
At the time, Berryman was imprisoned in St. Louis, Mich.,
45 miles north of Lansing. He has since been transferred to a
facility in Jackson.
The appeals court panel supported an earlier ruling by a
U.S. District Court judge in Detroit dismissing the case. Its rul-
ing said, "Prison officials have a legitimate interest not only in
controlling the cost of the kosher meal program and ensuring
that only those with sincere beliefs participate ... but also in
maintaining discipline."
The Michigan Department of Corrections says 822 of their
prisoners identify as Jewish and 239 inmates are on the kosher
meals program. There are 47,500 prisoners in the state system.
— Alan Hitsky, associate editor
Seeding Growth
The seed has been planted for increased professional devel-
opment for the Detroit Jewish community's congregational-
school teachers.
On Aug. 16, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
Alliance for Jewish Education, in conjunction with the Metro
Detroit Board of Jewish Educators, sponsored the first Seminar
for Educational Excellence in Detroit (SEED). The Temple
Israel-hosted event in West Bloomfield drew 175 educators
from across the state.
Participants chose a track for the main portion of their day
of study. They could choose from Hebrew prayer, family educa-
tion, the primary-age child, working with upper-elementary
students, post-bar and bat mitzvah, Judaism 202, the veteran
teacher and modern Hebrew.
Teachers also participated in an elective class designed to
enrich how they related subject material. Presenters consisted
of clergy, educational directors and people with expertise in
teaching in congregational schools.
The Magic Word
Marilyn Rowens has
been a volunteer
in the Jewish com-
munity for 40 years.
During this time,
her experiences
have motivated her
to create cartoons
on the human con-
dition.
"Many years ago,"
the Livonia resident
told the JN, "I was
a guest author at
the Jewish Book Fair at the Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit. I displayed one of my cartoon collec-
tions."
For her 80th birthday, the former ceremonial director of
the Birmingham Temple in Farmington Hills published a
current collection "Now That I've Retired..." (Mini-Lectures
Press, Livonia). "And it seems to be a hit with my peers!" she
said.
She's donating some copies to the Jewish Book Fair this
fall in order to share a few smiles with other seniors in the
Jewish community.
Rowens ran a creative expression workshop at the Detroit
Jewish community's Borman Hall and Prentice Manor start-
ing in 1978. Some of the poetry created by the residents was
published in The Treasure Chest, a publication distributed at
the 100th anniversary celebration of West Bloomfield-based
Jewish Home & Aging Services (now part of Jewish Senior
Life) in 2007.
From 1986 to 2004, Rowens served as executive director of
the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism
led by the Birmingham Temple's Rabbi Sherwin Wine.
"My cartoons are my alter ego and I love sharing them,"
Rowens said. "I feel like Groucho Marx. Whenever anyone
mentions my cartooning, that's the magic word — and I give
them a copy!"
—Robert Sklar, editor
—Robert Sklar, editor
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Quotable
"Astonishingly, the reform that President Obama is trying to pass, in all of its congressional
permutations, doesn't actually offer a reasonable, morally sound system. It's far more watered
down than the universal health plans proposed over the years by Theodore Roosevelt, Harry
Truman and Richard Nixon. It leaves the main burden on private businesses, driving up labor
costs and hurting American competitiveness. The notion that Obama is pressing for some radical
reordering of American society is just plain silly. It's a wonder anybody buys it."
— J.J. Goldberg, editorial director of the New York-based Forward newspaper in his Aug. 21 "Good Fences" column.
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8
September 3 • 2009
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