burial on Saturday. Techner arranged
for a local non-Jewish funeral director
to handle it.
'Different Value System'
Falick said nothing the Birmingham
Temple does establishes precedents for
other rabbis or synagogues.
"We operate out of a different value
system, and we make decisions that
express our integrity just as we hope
that they do:' he said.
The values of Humanistic Judaism
are not derived from Jewish tradition
but from cultural attachment, he said.
"What Jewish customs we retain are in
the service of our Humanistic values,
not the other way around. My ethical
decision-making is not based on ask-
ing, 'Is it Jewish?'
"My sole responsibility lies with the
family of the deceased and what they
desire. I do Saturday morning funerals
because people want Saturday morn-
ing funerals. As a Humanist, that is
reason enough for me. My value sys-
tem does not prioritize an ancient ban
on Saturday funerals:"
He said he didn't expect the other
rabbis to agree with him, but he hoped
they would understand.
Rabbi Tamara Kolton, the first
ordained Humanistic rabbi, grew up at
the Birmingham Temple and served as
its rabbi from 2004-2012. She said she
couldn't recall any previous Saturday
funerals there and thought holding such
services on the Sabbath was a line that
would be better not crossed.
"Shabbat is the greatest gift of the
Jewish people to the world:' said Kolton,
who now works independently and with
Congregation Shir Tikvah, a Reform
synagogue in Troy.
"As a Jewish community, we share the
Sabbath. Everyone can pick and choose
what they want to do from Jewish tradi-
tion, but there are boundaries. I would
hope Humanistic Jews would pick the
Sabbath as something meaningful to
them:"
Rabbi Joshua Bennett of Temple
Israel, a Reform congregation, is presi-
dent of the Michigan Board of Rabbis
but was not at the Feb. 24 meeting. He
said he wasn't comfortable comment-
ing on the issue because he wasn't
present during the discussion.
Specs Howard Offers
$5,000 Scholarships
Specs Howard School of Media Arts
in Southfield is making $125,000 in
scholarships available, at $5,000 per
student, to those seeking training in
its technology-driven courses includ-
ing broadcast media arts, graphic
design and digital media arts.
The program was created to assist
employers and their employees to
transition into the changing digital
world. Employees must complete and
submit an application as well as a letter
of request stating why they feel they are
qualified for the scholarship and how it
will impact their future.
They must also submit a letter of
recommendation from their employer
stating how the training will benefit the
organization.
Applications are available online at
www.specshoward.edu/mibusiness.
WSU Student Wins
Hillel Scholarship
Hillel of Metro Detroit (HMD)
awarded its annual $500 Direnfeld
Family Scholarship to Wayne State
University student
Manuel Cohen
of Southfield.
Cohen is a sopho-
more studying
biology and is
active in the WSU
Jewish Student
Organization.
Manuel Cohen
"My involve-
ment with HMD
has broadened my
knowledge of Judaism and the Jewish
people he said.
Cohen added his involvement with
HMD's Israel Fellowship has taught
him "how to stand up for Israel and
advocate on Israel's behalf:'
Shabbat And Remembrance
Marilyn Rowens, a founding member
of Birmingham Temple, said her family
felt Saturday was an appropriate day to
remember her husband of 58 years.
"Shabbat is a time to be together, to
reflect on and celebrate our human con-
nections, to study the moment of now
and reflect on the memories of the past,"
she said. "We celebrate birth and death
on Shabbat; we remember our ancestors
and our fathers and mothers.
"It never would enter our minds to
antagonize the community," she said.
"We didn't think about Shabbat when
we planned the service"
Birmingham Temple's Rabbi Falick
said he has done two memorial servic-
es on Saturday since he started in July.
"The funeral homes were not pres-
ent. Both were cremations, and neither
involved a cemetery:' he said.
He said he was perplexed that the
issue was brought up at the Michigan
Board of Rabbis meeting. "It doesn't
seem that we want to be questioning
each other's synagogue practices:' he
said, "especially since this practice
affects only one congregation:'
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April 3 • 2014
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15