metro
Bar Mitzvah:
The Sequel
At age 83, Martin Herman
gets his second bar mitzvah
at the Downtown Synagogue.
Marielle Temkin
JN Intern
D
EXHIBIT OPENING
SUN., JULY 15 2:30
P.M.
THE LEGACY OF THE BIELSKI BROTHERS
Durin g World War II, three brothers, Tuvia, Asael and
Zus Bielski, led a Jewish partisan group in Western Belarus -
saving over 1,200 Jews from the ghettos of Novogrudok and
Lida while fighting the Nazis.
A shining example of courage
Exhibit opening features a
presentation by Tuvia Bielski's
and compassion, the Bielski
granddaughter, Sharon Rennert,
brothers are upstanders,
and a special tour of the exhibit.
individuals willing to stand up
a Free to members or with museum
for those in need or who put
admission:
their own lives in danger on
- $8/adults
- $6/seniors and college students
behalf of others.
- $5/children
Kosher refreshments will be served.
,4-4auj44,u,, .2441,04,teia,A $44:
4;44.
28123 Orchard Lake Road Farmington Hills, MI 48334-3738
2 4 8 . 5 5 3 . 2 4 0 0
24
June 28 - 2012
www.holocausteentenorg
espite growing up in
Brooklyn, N.Y., once Martin
Herman, Ph.D. arrived in
Michigan in 1959, he never looked
back. Marty, as he is affectionately
known, came to the University of
Michigan to complete his Ph.D. in
musicology. Last Saturday, he cel-
ebrated his second bar mitzvah at the
Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in
Detroit surrounded by family, friends,
colleagues and members of the syna-
gogue.
Two guests who Marty was "par-
ticularly pleased" attended were his
daughters, who traveled from the West
Coast for the occasion.
A second bar mitzvah at the age of
83 is a tradition that stems from the
Torah's statement that 70 years is a
"normal" lifespan. So, once one reaches
83, he is 13 year in his "second" lifetime
and due for a second bar mitzvah.
The Torah portion that Marty read,
parshat Korach, was the same one that
he read at his first bar mitzvah, which
took place in Brooklyn in 1942.
When asked if he was excited about
the event, he said that he was "more
excited that they've kept the syna-
gogue alive," despite the hardships on
which Detroit has fallen.
The synagogue, which offers weekly
Sabbath services and High Holiday
services, is the only Conservative syn-
agogue in Detroit. One of its principal
missions "has always been to provide
an accessible and open space of wor-
ship and celebration for everyone."
In 1989, Marty became actively
involved with the Downtown
Synagogue. Previously a congregant
and member of the Adat Shalom
Synagogue's board of directors and
ritual committee, he joined the
Downtown congregation and quickly
became more involved as an officer
and member of the board. In 2007,
he became the president and was re-
elected to a three-year term in 2008.
He is currently the immediate past
president and the de facto ritual direc-
tor.
When asked if he had any particular
Marty Herman
memories from his first bar mitzvah,
Marty recalled that one of his relatives
had to sleep in the bathtub because
there were so many visitors in town
for the occasion. "We put a lot of blan-
kets and pillows in the tub, and he just
slept in there," Marty said.
Elizabeth Kannon, the secretary of
the Downtown Synagogue, said that
Marty is "the backbone of the syna-
gogue and has been forever; he keeps
us all in line."
Board member Rena Friedberg
fondly remembered the first time she
and her husband attended services
at the synagogue. "We walked in, and
there was Marty with a big smile on
his face, saying 'Welcome!' It was a
beautiful thing to be welcomed so
genuinely"
The synagogue is "attempting to
revitalize" itself, which is a big theme
for the city of Detroit. Marty, who is
invested in the city's revitalization,
said there are "lots of negative things
[in the city], but there are positive
things happening in Midtown and
Downtown."
He talked about young people
becoming very active in the city and
bringing new life to Detroit.
Contributing to the city, Marty
still teaches an occasional course
for Wayne State University's Honors
College, and also offers programs
about music and music-related sub-
jects to Metropolitan Detroit audi-
ences. He currently lives in the city, in
a house he bought in 1966.