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$2.00 MAY 10-16, 2012 / 18-24 IYAR 5772
A JEWISH RENAISSANCE MEDIA PUBLICATION

theJEWISHNEWS.com

» Earthly Inspiration Israel's unceasing magnetism
begins with walking the land. See page 30.

» A New World

Local artist Robert Schefman's paintings
explore ever-changing technology. See page 43.

» Lag &Omer Bonfires

DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

metro

Ex-Detroiter explains meaning
behind holiday bonfires popular in Israel. See page 61.

Collected Knowledge, 2012,
Robert Schefman

>> cover story

Rabbi Mendel Shemtov; Rabbi Bentzion Stein; Schneur Zalman Krinsky, Vilnius, Lithuania;

Moshe Spalter, Costa Rica;- Lavi Shemtov, West Bloomfield; Yudi Namdar, Gothenburg, Sweden;

Shmuli Friedman, Bahia Blanca, Argentina; Moti Schusterman, Atlanta; Mendel Korf, Los

Angeles; Mendel Marinovsky, Houston; Tzvi Alperovitch, Belmont, England; Rabbi Mendel Stein

Growin

Outreac

Lubavitch Yeshiva Eduational Center's
expanded new home almost ready.

Shelli Liebman Dorfman I Contributing Writer

p

erhaps you've seen them.
Teenage boys in white
shirts, black pants and hats
walking on Northwestern Highway
to visit business owners before
Shabbat, or manning a sukkah on
wheels in an Orchard Lake parking
lot or driving in a parade of cars
topped with hand-built Chanukah
menorahs.
They are the middle school
and high school students of the
Lubavitch Yeshiva Educational
Center in Oak Park.
Beyond their studies, which
are immersed in the teachings of
Chabad-Lubavitch, an Orthodox

Putting a modern twist
on an ancient tradition.

Rabbi Marla Hornsten at the Temple Israel mikvah

T

he age-old custom of mikvah is taking some new
turns as modern Jewish women expand the tradi-
tion and dispel some of the negative beliefs that
have long been associated with the ritual.
Use of the mikvah has become more widespread in recent
years, with a proliferation of ritual bath facilities through-
out the United States and Europe. Many of these are quite
spacious and luxurious, even with custom tile work, like
Mikvah Israel in Oak Park. While the mikvah once was used
primarily by prospective brides and observant wives in
accordance with the Jewish laws of family purity, now the
mikvah is used for a variety of other life-changing situa-
tions, including recovery from illness, becoming a grandpar-
ent or surviving a death or divorce.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Yea; s

19, 12 - 21111

Covering and
Connecting
Jewish Detroit
Every Week

1 1

8 0880

Ronelle Grier I Contributing Writer

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

93363

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