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Sisterhood Of The Seder
JTA, New York Jewish Week and other
sources
ewish feminist writer Esther
"E.M." Broner, perhaps best
known as the co-author of The
Women's Haggadah, has died.
Ms. Broner, a longtime professor of
English at Wayne State University in
Detroit, died June 21, 2011, in New York at
83. The cause of death was multiple organ
failure due to an infection.
Ms. Broner was born in Detroit in 1927
and received her B.A. and M.A. (creative
writing) from Wayne State; she received
her Ph.D. from the Union Graduate
School in Cincinnati in 1979. She was
a faculty member in the WSU English
Department from 1964-1988, working
as an instructor, an assistant professor
(1969), associate professor (1975) and
professor (1983).
For several years before her retirement
in the 1980s, she was a writer-in-resi-
dence at Wayne State, teaching in winter
term. She taught all levels and mul-
tiple genres of creative writing courses,
including fiction and playwriting. She
j
ANNE ACKERMAN, 77,
of West Bloomfield, died
June 20, 2011.
She is survived by her
daughters and sons-in-
law, Trayce and Randy
Fenton, Carol and Robert
Johansing; grandchil-
Ackerman
dren, Aaron Fenton, Kyle
and Leah Fenton, Jesse Fenton and Cori
Johansing; great-grandchildren, Stella and
Ryder Fenton; sisters and brother-in-law,
Edie and Larry Horowitz, Millie Phillips,
Harlene Pennica; her significant other,
Milton Rotenberg; many loving nieces,
nephews, cousins and friends.
Mrs. Ackerman was the beloved wife of
the late Syd Ackerman.
Interment at B'nai Israel Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to Jewish
Hospice and Chaplaincy Network, 6555
W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322,
www.jewishhospice.org ; National Kidney
Foundation, 1169 Oak Valley Drive, Ann
Arbor, MI 48108, www.nkfm.org ; or a
charity of one's choice. Arrangements by
Ira Kaufman Chapel.
KARYN APPEL, 35, of Oxford, died June
23, 2011.
She is survived by her parents, Midge
and Dr. Jerry Appel of Bloomfield
Township; brother and sister-in-law,
Howard and Pamela Appel of Farmington
Hills; sisters and brothers-in-law,
Stephanie Appel and David Drisko of
Birmingham, Deborah Appel and Kevin
known Jewish feminists and writers who
also taught at UCLA in Los Angeles, the
attended were Grace Paley, Gloria Steinem,
University of Haifa, Hebrew University in
Bella Abzug and Letty Cottin Pogrebin.
Jerusalem, Oberlin College in Ohio and
In 1994, Ms. Broner
Sarah Lawrence College in
published Mornings and
New York.
Mournings: A Kaddish
The Women's Haggadah,
Journal, a chronicle of the
co-written with Naomi
year she spent trying to say
Nimrod, first published in
Kaddish for her father in an
Ms. magazine in 1977, was
Orthodox synagogue in New
an early feminist interpreta-
York.
tion of the Passover seder. It
Ms. Broner also was a
has been used by numerous
prolific writer of spiritually
women's seders and inspired
Esther Broner
infused, Jewish-themed
similar re-imaginings of
fiction. One of her most
other Jewish rituals.
popular books was A Weave of Women,
Harriet Berg of Detroit describes Ms.
released in 1978, which told the tale of 15
Broner as a very good friend and an
abused women living together in male-
inspiration. "Through her books and
dominated Jerusalem in the early 1970s
her example, she set a standard for what
and creating new feminist rituals.
feminism should be:' Berg said.
Jewish feminists said Ms. Broner
"Her feminist seder is still given every
brought
a strong Jewish sensibility to a
year by the Detroit Women's Forum at
largely
secular
Jewish feminist movement.
Prentis Apartments in Oak Park. We are a
Ms.
Broner
"brought
the comfort of ritu-
family of people who have come together
al
into
our
lives,
with
poetry,
humor, feath-
for over 20 years to reaffirm the place of
ers,
too,
and
wands:'
said
Gloria
Steinem at
Jewish women in Jewish history"
New
York
Jewish
Week.
the
funeral,
reports
Ms. Broner also hosted women's seders
"She
was
a
holy
troublemaker
...
a
at her Manhattan home. Among the well-
Berke of West Bloomfield; nieces and
nephews, Alana, Benjamin, Jordyn,
Jeremy and Macee; aunts, uncles, cousins
and friends. She is also survived by her
extended family at the Dartmouth Home.
Contributions may be made to North
Oakland Residential Services, 106 S.
Washington St., Oxford, MI 48371.
Interment at Adat Shalom Memorial Park
Cemetery in Livonia. Arrangements by
Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
MILLICENT BARNETT, 82, of West
Bloomfield, died June 24, 2011.
She is survived by her daughters and
son-in-law, Marsha Hoffert of West
Bloomfield, Gail and David Caplan of West
Bloomfield; sister and brother-in-law,
Ilene and John Monkman of Huntington
Woods; grandchildren, Julie (Jeff) Rosen,
Jared (Julia) Hoffert, Mara Hoffert, Matthew
(Cheryl) Caplan, Rachel (Tom) Frawley,
Lauren (Nick) Rossi, and Ben Greenberg;
great-grandchildren, Justin, Maya, Sarah,
Torin, Aria, Logan and Sedona.
Contributions can be made to the
American Cancer Society or to a charity
of one's choice. Interment at the Clover
Hill Park Cemetery in Birmingham.
Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.
LEONARD S. BERKOVITZ, 81, of
Southfield, died June 24, 2011.
He is survived by his niece, Ardith
Berkovitz; nephew, Lewis and Donna
Berkovitz.
Mr. Berkovitz was the loving brother of
the late David Berkovitz, the late Esther
Kogan, the late Freda Berkovitz, the late
Sara Berkovitz.
Services and interment at Machpelah
Cemetery in Ferndale. Arrangements by
Hebrew Memorial Chapel.
WILLIAM A. BORKIN, 88, of Southfield,
died June 25, 2011.
He is survived by his daughters and
sons-in-law, Marilyn and Dr. Danny
Benjamin of West Bloomfield, Karen and
Robert Gladstone of Commerce; brother
and sister-in-law, Morris and Connie
Borkin of West Bloomfield; sister-in-law,
Marion Shlom; grandchildren, Matthew
and Ryan Benjamin, Bradley Gladstone;
many loving nieces, nephews and other
family members and friends.
Mr. Borkin was the beloved husband of
the late Winifred Borkin; brother of the
late Harry (the late Irene) Borkin; son of
the late Max and the late Ida Borkin.
Contributions can be made to the
American Cancer Society or to a charity of
one's choice. Interment at Hebrew Memorial
Park Cemetery in Clinton Township.
Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.
Burke
SUSAN BURKE, 68, of
Bloomfield Township,
died June 22, 2011.
She is survived by her
beloved husband, David
Burke of Bloomfield
Township; son and
daughter-in-law, Dr.
Obituaries
remarkable blend of the spiritual and
political, the dreamer and the doer:' said
Lefty Cottin Pogrebin. "She railed against
injustice because she'd experienced it in
the form of sexism in academia, the pub-
lishing world, traditional Judaism and the
organized Jewish community"
Ms. Broner's interest in a seder that
emphasizes women's perspectives on the
Exodus story grew out of her experiences
at her family's seder in Detroit, where she
once asked her father if she could add
something to the ritual meal; and her
father agreed, reports Jewish Week.
"Often she reminded me of one of the
biblical prophets in her stance said jour-
nalist-filmmaker Lilly Rivlin. "She would
get a stern look on her usually smiling
face as if the dark heavens came down to
cover her visage
Her husband, Robert, died last year.
Ms. Broner is survived by two daughters,
Nahama and Sari; two sons, Adam and
Jeremy; a brother, Jay Masserman; and
two grandchildren.
Senior copy editor David Sachs contributed to
this report.
Kevin and Barrie Frankel of Huntington
Woods; daughter and son-in-law, Jodi
and Eric Glick of West Bloomfield, step-
son, Daniel Burke of Boca Raton, Fla.;
sister and brother-in-law, Andrea and
Dr. Joel Silberg of Farmington Hills;
grandchildren, Leah, Marcus and Molly
Frankel, Ben and Josh Glick.
Contributions can be made to the
Botsford Foundation or the Bear Hug
Foundation. Interment at the Machpelah
Cemetery in Ferndale. Arrangements by
Dorfman Chapel.
SHEILA C. CLIFFORD,
69, of Bloomfield Hills,
died June 23, 2011.
She is survived by
her brothers-in-law and
sisters-in-law, Herbert
and Ceryle Clifford of
West Bloomfield, Helene
Clifford
and Dr. Bert Rabinowitz
of Glen Arbor, Mich.;
many loving nieces, nephews, great-
nieces and great-nephews, other family
members and friends.
Mrs. Clifford was the beloved wife of
the late Norman R. Clifford.
Contributions can be made to
Odyssey VistaCare Hospice Foundation
or to PURRS Abound Siamese Rescue.
Interment at the Clover Hill Park
Cemetery in Birmingham. Arrangements
by Dorfman Chapel.
Obituaries on page 54
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