Oct. 18
Local Jews react to the release of Gilad
Shalit after 1,941 days of captivity in a
prisoner exchange for 1,000 Palestinian
prisoners. "My own hope is that Gilad's
safe return ushers in an era of peace and
security:' said Kari Alterman, director of
the American Jewish Committee Detroit
Chapter.

Aug. 10
Rabbis representing Detroit's local Reform
movement described in a formal letter
a lack of denominational sensitivity by
officials at Frankel Jewish Academy in
West Bloomfield. The letter spurred talks
between the school and the rabbis.

Oct. 26
About 250 Jews and African Americans
gathered to begin re-forging a strained
relationship at the inaugural Black-Jewish
Forum, where panelists discussed the state
of the socioeconomic alliance between
blacks and Jews.

Julie Bass, with her children Yehoshua,

11, and Hadassah, 6, check out their

front-yard garden.

Lilly Epstein Stotland stands beside the

July 20
After an Internet uproar, Oak Park dis-
misses charges against Julie Bass, an
Orthodox woman who had a front lawn
vegetable garden. She had been cited for a
misdemeanor, but after launching a web-
site and garnering national support and
attention, the charges were dropped.

Aug. 3
CommunityNEXT launches its month-
long nationwide effort to raise $100,000
for the Live Detroit Fund to provide rent
subsidies to 25 next generation change
agents to live in Detroit. The goal: bring
young Jewish professionals back to Detroit.
The kickoff event attracted 200 people for
food and kickball at Birmingham Groves
High School in Beverly Hills.

Oct. 29
Congregation Beit Kodesh in Livonia
celebrated its last Shabbat as the 53-year-
old synagogue closed its doors. Many
members of Beit Kodesh planned to
join Congregation B'nai Moshe in West
Bloomfield.

9-11 memorial at the Birmingham fire

Australian teen singer Cody Simpson

station.

amid adoring fans at Somerset

Sept. 15
JVS celebrated its 70th anniversary and
honored president and CEO Barbara
Nurenberg during its annual meeting
at the Pine Lake Country Club in West
Bloomfield.

Collection for the launch of the Defeat

the Label campaign

Aug. 28
Friendship Circle in West Bloomfield
announced its anti-bullying campaign,
Defeat the Label, would go national. Singer
Cody Simpson gave a free concert and
announced his support for the campaign
at the Somerset Collection in Troy.

Nov. 8
Political newcomer Marian Meisner
McClellan defeated longtime Oak Park
Mayor Gerald Naftaly in the Nov. 8 elec-
tion.

Nov. 18
Rabbi Paul Yedwab of Temple Israel was
honored for 25 years of service at a week-
end celebration that included "Yedstock."

Sept. 8
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
President Michael Horowitz submitted
his resignation after serving one year of
his term when he was named CEO of the
Atlanta, Ga., Federation.

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Congregation Shaarey Zedek in

Southfield began its 150th anniversary

celebration.

Sept. 28
Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield
kicked off it 150th anniversary celebration.
The congregation planned a year's worth
of activities to commemorate the event.

Matthew Schenk, flanked by Anthony

Dillof, carries the newly dedicated

Reconstructionist Congregation of

Jason Garden of Chicago, Samantha

Kirschner of West Bloomfield and

Bryan Robbins of Farmington Hills

Nov. 26
Around 800 young adults gathered to have
fun at the seventh annual Latke Vodka at
the Royal Oak Music Theatre, which fea-
tured live music from the Killer Flamingos.

Detroit's Torah in a procession down

Rivard Street in Detroit.

Martin Abel stands with Chana, 4,

Mussi, 9, and Yisroel Shemtov, 11, of

West Bloomfield beside the menorah he

designed and had built for The Shul in

honor of his 65th wedding anniversary.

Aug. 10
Martin Abel marks his 65th wedding
anniversary by building and dedicating
a monumental menorah for The Shul-
Chabad Lubavitch in West Bloomfield. The
9-foot stainless steel menorah adorns the
Maple Road entrance to The Shul.

Sept. 11
The Reconstructionist Congregation of
Detroit celebrates its first Torah. The Torah
was carried in a procession down Rivard
Street to the education building of Christ
Church Detroit, where its sanctuary is
located.

Sept. 11
Lilly Epstein Stotland, a 9-11 survivor, and
her family dedicate a memorial contain-
ing a piece of a remnant of 9-11 steel at a
Birmingham fire department during the
10th anniversary of the attack.

Brett Koretzky, Dan Cherrin, Anessa

Kramer and Lena Koretzky chat with

Gov. Rick Snyder at a gathering of

young Jewish leaders.

Oct. 12
About 50 young Jewish leaders in Metro
Detroit met at the West Bloomfield home
of JN publisher Arthur Horwitz for an
intimate conversation with Michigan Gov.
Rick Snyder.

Dec. 1
Lawrence Technological University in
Southfield hosted an evening of hors
d'oeuvres and drinks for nearly 200 in
honor of the Chaldean-Jewish Building
Community Initiative that began in April
2010 and has brought the two communi-
ties closer together.

Dec. 20
Chanukah menorah lighting in Downtown
Detroit is the first such public event in
the city. Sponsored by CommunityNEXT,
Quicken Loans and The Shul-Chabad
Lubavitch of West Bloomfield, the light-
ing included food and activities and drew
about 200 people. n

December 29 2011

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