If your property tax is excessive, hire the experts in property tax law: Hoffert & Associates • See our ad on the inside back cover • 248-702-6100 • hoffertlaw.com $2.00 JAN. 2-8, 2014 / 1-7 SHEVAT 5774 A JEWISH RENAISSANCE MEDIA PUBLICATION HOFFERT & ASSOCIATES theJEWISHNEWS.com » PeerCorps Detroit New program goes beyond the usual b'nai mitzvah project. See page 8. » Going The Extra Mile(s) Jennifer Slaim's bat mitzvah T-shirt ends up in Kenya. See page 9. » Theodore Bikel At 90 DETROIT JEWISH NEWS world Still-busy actor-singer reminds us of a worthy resolution for 2014: "Live fully." See page 29. PeerCorps mentors Noah Brooks and Emily Zonder with mentees Violet Twomey and Dahlia Wilson-Welsh >> cover story health & wellness Feeling Safe Again Local couple finds affordable way to enjoy Jerusalem and Israel. Barbara Lewis I Contributing Writer Mindful meditation can ease stress and promote healing. Ronelle Grier I Contributing Writer magine taking several minutes to eat a single raisin, feeling its texture, noting how it chang- es, tasting the unique sweetness that is slowly released. While this may feel uncomfortable to those used to nonstop activity and hasty on-the-go meals, it is part of a program called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which uses the art of slowing down to help participants combat ten- sion and anxiety. CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 w Dr. Ruth Lerman teaches stress reduction. I is time for us to go to Israel again:' my hus- Barbara and Joe Joe searched "Jerusalem vacation rental" on Lewis of Southfield band, Joe, said. the Web and found the King George Suites. found a way to visit We'd been many times, especially when Booking a room sight unseen is always a Israel on the cheap. our children were studying or living in Israel. risk, especially when you plan to stay several But our last visit was seven years ago. weeks, because if it doesn't work out, you're Now that we're both retired, we have to watch stuck Online photos of the King George Suites our expenses. Even bargain airfare from Detroit were nice enough. And previous guests seemed to Israel is usually more than $1,000. In the interest of fru- happy; the worst comments on Trip Advisor were that the gality, and because we'd already visited the tourist hotspots rooms were on the third floor (sans elevator) and that the around the country, we decided to look for an apartment street was noisy. rental in Jerusalem and spend most of our time there. The room rate is $71 for double occupancy (a little less from mid-February to mid-March), a bargain when even low-end hotels in Jerusalem cost more than $125 a day. There's a four-day minimum and a surcharge for Jewish holidays, but if you book a longer visit, as we did, the daily rate could be less. 1942 - 2013 The King George Suites is a former apartment in the Covering and Connecting heart of downtown Jerusalem. The owners, Eliana Tantz Jewish Detroit Eve y Week and her husband, Arieh, immigrants from the United States, CONTINUED ON PAGE 19