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.