Metro
Stern Cells
Still Kosher
Technion medical dean outlines
health research and advances.
Dave's Gourmet Burgers replaces
Rami's at the same location.
Esther Allweiss Ingber
Special to the Jewish News
he word "amazing," frequently
overused in contemporary con-
versation, is quite appropriate
to describe the innovative discoveries
and products developed to help human-
ity at the Technion-Israel Institute of
Technology in Haifa, Israel.
Ido Perlman, Ph.D.,
dean of the university's
Faculty of Medicine,
presented the
Technion vision of the
future, and particular-
ly its role in stem cell
research, at a recent
program attracting
Dr. Perlman
35 in the Farmington
Hills office of the American Technion
Society. Perlman, also a renowned scien-
tist in retina research, was on an 11-city
speaking tour of ATS offices.
Graduates of the Technion, founded in
1924, literally built the modern Jewish
state. As needs have evolved, so has the
university's focus on preparing students
enrolled in 18 diverse academic faculties,
including biotechnology, aerospace, com-
puters and materials engineering.
"Technion graduates make up 70 per-
cent of those working" in Israel's burgeon-
ing high-tech industry, Perlman said.
By limiting stern cell research in the
United States, President George W. Bush
allowed the Technion take an eight-year
lead in the field of stem cell research.
Prof. Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor and two
Technion colleagues published a paper in
1998 on how to grow human embryonic
(stem) cells and keep them alive.
Identical at conception before splitting
and differentiating, "stem cells want to
turn into a baby, but we can turn them
into anything we want',' Perlman asserted.
New cardiac cells can be introduced to
replace lost heart tissue. Researchers have
done this successfully with pig hearts.
A next step is developing an imaging
center for small animals to determine
if implanted cells damage an animal's
brain or contain toxicity. When intro-
duced to humans, drugs will be needed
to prevent the body's potential rejection
of foreign cells.
Speaking of the potential, Perlman said,
"Restorative medicine someday could
mean 50 million stem cells turned into 50
million pancreatic cells to release insulin:'
The process to treat an inherited
disease starts with a small skin biopsy,
letting stem cells develop and studying
the misfunction in a dish. Such custom-
ized care will be costly at first, Perlman
conceded. With extensive development
of genetic profiles, however, patients will
always get the correct drug and dos-
age and the course of treatment should
become cheaper.
The Technion's stem cell center seeks
to have 200 different lines for better
matching. Current research focuses on
cardiac, retina, neurological diseases,
replacing pieces of bone, cornea trans-
plants and skin grafts.
Dr. Phil Parker of West Bloomfield
related to the talk's focus on stem cell
research. The stem cell injection he
received at Detroit's Karmanos Cancer
Institute four months ago resulted in
"a significant remission" of his multiple
myeloma. His late brother refused the
treatment for the same disease.
Richard Polk of Huntington Woods
enjoyed hearing of "advancements
being made in medical science for the
benefit of humankind."
❑
The local American Technion Society has set a fundraising goal of $1.8
million to support stem cell research at the Technion. For information,
contact Allan Gelfond, East Central Region director, at (248) 737-1990.
What A Doll!
The Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit's Henry & Delia
Meyers Library and Media Center will
hold its next lunch and literature book
club on Wednesday, April 14, at the JCC,
6600 W. Maple, West Bloomfield. The
program will begin at noon.
The focus will be "Barbie and Ruth:'
which traces the parallel lives of
12
Apr - 2010
the Barbie doll and its creator, Ruth
Handler. It will feature an author call-in
with Robin Gerber.
Guests may bring their own lunches;
dessert and beverages will be provided.
The program is free and open to the
public, but reservations are requested
to Francine Menken, (248) 432-5546 or
fmenken@jccde t. org
David Abraham takes
the key to his new
restaurant from Rami
Mandelbaum.
Shell! Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer
I
n a transition so smooth customers
didn't even notice, Rami's kosher
restaurant became Dave's Gourmet
Burgers with the March 23 sale of the
storefront eatery in Oak Park.
"When we closed after business on
March 22, we were Rami's," said former
owner Rami Mandelbaum. "When the
restaurant opened up the next morn-
ing, it had a new name and new owners.
There isn't a new sign up yet, so custom-
ers didn't know about the change unless
they read a notice posted on the front
door informing them of the sale."
The new owners, brothers David,
Daniel and Joseph Abraham, are part-
ners in Dave's Gourmet Burgers. They
may be new to the restaurant business,
but not to local kosher food service.
Sons of the owners of Zeman's New
York Kosher Bakery in Oak Park, David
and Joseph have helped at their parents'
store, where Daniel is the manager.
Since January 2007, Rami's
was owned by Rami and Arly
Mandelbaum, who purchased the
former BKC to Go kosher restaurant,
changed the name and kept the basic
menu, but implemented their own
food sales philosophy.
"We tried to make it more family
friendly and affordable Mandelbaum
said.
Working Together
"The new owners are very business
conscious and customer-service ori-
ented," Mandelbaum said. "They took
over immediately following the pur-
chase, but I'm still around for a while
to help them get settled."
Mandelbaum and the Abraham
brothers met long before striking up a
business deal. "We daven at the same
shul [Agudas Yisroel Mogen Abraham
in Southfield] and we all knew each
other growing up."
Mandelbaum, whose family is deep-
rooted in Michigan, called the sale bit-
tersweet. The couple sold the restau-
rant after making plans to move closer
to Arly's family in Silver Spring, Md.
"We really enjoyed being able to
help fulfill our city's need for kosher
restaurants," Mandelbaum said. "We
thank our customers who made the
last 31/2 years an amazing adventure
and we appreciate their support:'
For now, the kosher and carryout
and eat-in meat restaurant will keep
Rami's varied menu that includes
soups, salads, burgers, chicken, veg-
etarian options and Chinese dishes.
"We will continue to operate
the restaurant with the same high
kashrut standards as Rami did;' David
Abraham said of the eatery, which is
supervised by the Council of Orthodox
Rabbis of Greater Detroit in Southfield.
"We will be focusing on providing a
high level of customer service:"
The eatery will be closed during
Passover and will reopen Wednesday,
April 7. "We hope to have some
announcements regarding extending
hours of operation and expanding the
menu:' David Abraham said.
"Our primary goal is to run a res-
taurant where people eat because the
food is good and the service is friend-
ly, not just because it's kosher."
❑