metro

Divas On The Bimah

Adat Shalom concert to present
four well-known female cantors.

Elizabeth

Magda Fishman

Jen Cohen

Groups partner to offer six-week
Chabad medical ethics course.

Alisa Pomerantz-Boro

Shammash

F

our acclaimed cantors from con-
gregations along the East Coast
will join forces in "Divas on the
Bima," a concert featuring an array of
popular, Broadway, Israeli and Jewish
music at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4, at
Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington
Hills.
Gracing the synagogue's sanctuary
will be Cantors Elizabeth Shammash,
Magda Fishman, Jen Cohen and Alisa
Pomerantz-Boro.
"Each of these women could headline
her own show, and we are extremely
fortunate to have them all on stage
together," says Cantor Daniel Gross, who
is coordinating the evening.
The four cantors will appear along
with special guest performers: local
"divas" Lauren Gross, a world-renowned
soprano, and Cantor Pamela Schiffer
of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in East
Lansing.
Shammash of Tiferet Bet Israel in
Blue Bell, Pa., has performed with the
New York City Opera, the Boston Lyric
Opera, the China National Symphony,
the Israel Philharmonic, the Mostly
Mozart Festival, the Vienna Chamber
Orchestra, the Berlin Radio Symphony,
Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields,
the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the
Seattle Symphony and Boston Baroque.
Fishman of North Shore Synagogue
in Syosset, N.Y., has been a soloist with
the Israeli Army Orchestra and has per-
formed at the Prague State Opera, the
Kennedy Center, the National Gallery of
Canada, AIPAC, the Apollo Theater, the
Jewish Museum of Heritage and Israeli
embassies in Washington and New York.
Cohen of Temple Beth Shalom in
Cherry Hill, N.J., had a successful career
as a vocalist based in Nashville, where
she toured the United States playing
universities and clubs, recorded two CDs

20 October 24 • 2013

JN

and earned nominations for Campus
Entertainer of the Year three years run-
ning.
Pomerantz-Boro of Congregation Beth
El in Voorhees, N.J., was featured in
the ABC special At Evening I Seek You,
and on the Showtime documentary, An
American Tapestry. She has appeared
with the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony
and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra
and has released two CDs.
The "Divas" will be accompanied by
Scott Stein, a New York-based pianist,
composer, songwriter and conductor. He
is a recent winner of the Guild of Temple
Musicians' Young Composer Award.
Chairing the star-studded evening are
Susie Graham and Julie Wiener, both of
West Bloomfield. Working with them are
Renee Fein, Wendy Heller-Kippelman,
Joel Kahn, Rayna Kogan, Sue Lutz, Dan
Medow, Maria Pacis-Biederman and
Mark Shatz.
General admission tickets for the con-
cert are $18 ($25 at the door). Preferred
seating is $36 per ticket. For $180, Diva
Donors will receive two preferred seats,
a private afterglow with the divas and
a listing in the program. Prima Diva
Donors at $500 will receive four pre-
mium seats, a private afterglow with the
divas, a listing in the program and a CD
of the concert.
To purchase tickets, send a check to
Adat Shalom, 29901 Middlebelt Road,
Farmington Hills, MI 48334, or call the
synagogue office, (248) 851-5100. Note
that all tickets will be distributed at
"Will Call" the night of the event.
The concert is underwritten in part
by the Diane and the late Sol Colton
Concert Fund of Adat Shalom. A portion
of the proceeds from the concert will
benefit the Cantor Larry & Gitta Vieder
Memorial Chesed Fund of the Cantors
Assembly.

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Medical Dilemmas

hould you let your child play
high school football? What
should you do when faced
with the agonizing decision of pro-
longing life — and possibly the suffer-
ing — of a loved one?
These questions will no doubt gen-
erate differing opinions, but what does
Judaism say about it? Many would
assume that Jewish
law, whose source
is the 2,000-year-
old Talmud, doesn't
address any of these
modern dilemmas.
Many would assume
wrong.
Beginning
Rabbi Shneur
Thursday, Oct.
Silberberg
31, Rabbi Shneur
Silberberg of the
Sara and Morris Tugman Bais Chabad
Torah Center in West Bloomfield will
give a six-week course on Jewish med-
ical ethics, titled "Life in the Balance
produced by Chabad's Jewish Learning
Institute (JLI), the world's largest adult
education network, operating in over
350 locations.
Topics range from painful end-of-
life dilemmas to the ethics of new
technologies, such as digital autopsies
and uterine transplants.
"At some point, everyone faces a dif-
ficult medical decision that he or she
isn't equipped to handle Silberberg
said. "This course seeks to acquaint
the public with Jewish perspectives on
some cutting-edge dilemmas in medi-
cal ethics!"
The course is open to all, and offers
both CME (medical) and CE (dental)
credit.
The first lesson is of particular
importance to Jews of Ashkenazi
descent, who have a higher risk
of breast and ovarian cancer. "An
Ounce of Prevention: BRCA, Genetic
Testing and Preventive Measures"
is presented with support from the
Susan G. Komen Detroit Race for the
Cure and its local presenting sponsor,
the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer
Institute.
Dr. Michael Simon, breast cancer
multidisciplinary team leader at
Karmanos, will speak prior to the
class.
The class will explore the biblical
requirement to safeguard one's health,
and whether it obligates Jews of

Ashkenazi descent to test for BRCA-1
and BRCA-2 gene mutations. It will
also discuss the position of Jewish
law on a woman's prophylactically
undergoing a radical mastectomy or
oophorectomy if she does test positive,
in order — possibly — to save her life.
Because of the importance of this topic
in the Jewish community, this class
will be free of charge.
Other topics are "End-of-Life
Dilemma: "Sanctity in Death:'
"Complications in Pregnancy:'
"Confronting Organ Shortage" and "A
Gift of Generations:'
Silberberg has partnered with the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit to offer JLI classes for four
years; classes have grown from 20 to
almost 100 students last year.
New courses, covering various top-
ics, are presented three times a year.
The current course is offered in
partnership with Federation's FedEd
department as well as Maimonides of
Southeast Michigan.
"It's been a fantastic addition to
our FedEd program!' said Judy Loebl,
director of the adult education pro-
gram at the Federation.
"Students know that each of these
courses offers a high level of educa-
tion as well as a healthy dose of Rabbi
Shneur's humor and stories:'
This course marks the first time
that Maimonides is a partner. Dr.
Renee Horowitz, chairperson, said,
"We are excited to partner with JLI
for this important medical ethics
course. Jewish healthcare profession-
als continually grapple with ethical
challenges, and this dialogue will give
us opportunity to discuss these issues
with other members of our profes-
sion:"
Classes begin on Thursday, Oct.
31, and are offered twice weekly:
Thursdays at 7 p.m. at the Jewish
Federation Building in Bloomfield
Township, and Sundays at 11 a.m. at
Bais Chabad Torah Center in West
Bloomfield (a complimentary break-
fast is served at the Sunday class). Cost
for the entire course is $80, which
includes textbook.
To register, go to Baischabad.com or
contact Silberberg at rabbishneur@
baischabad.com. He also will lead
a group as part of a JLI Israel trip
in March. For more about the Israel
Mission, visit www.landandspirit.org .

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