HILARIOUS!:
Lessons From Jack
Modern-day rabbi is subject of new
children's book.
I
Suzanne Chessler
Contributing Writer
D
ina Shtull, with a long career
in education, wanted upcom-
ing generations of her family
to learn about her dad, the late Rabbi
Jacob Shtull.
As she began writing about him and
collecting photos, Shtull decided the
best way to tell his story was to develop
a children's book, and she found an
illustrator, Loretta Bradfield.
Shtull ultimately self-published Why
the Rabbi Played Clarinet in the Sauna
so the impact of her father's life could
reach beyond relatives.
"The book got me thinking that it
really had a message for other people
as well," says Shtull, who lives in Ann
Arbor. "I wanted it available on
Amazon and worked with CreateSpace,
the Amazon publishing company"
The book, which sells for $14.95, is
Shtull's first writing initiative directed
toward children. While principal of the
Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor for
10 years, she did other types of writ-
ing that had to do with marketing and
grant proposals.
"This role of being an author is new
for me, but it is an inspiration from my
father," says Shtull, 57, wife of pediatric
neurologist Dr. Steven Lieber, mother of
three grown children and grandmother
of two.
"My dad encouraged his children to
try some special interest untried earlier,
and I've picked up a lot of skills as an
adult, from swimming to playing the
saxophone"
Promoting compromise and express-
ing gratitude were other lessons from
the rabbi communicated through the
storybook, in which the author refers to
the rabbi as "Jack," his childhood name.
There is an introduction, a vocabu-
lary list of words derived from Hebrew
and actual family pictures.
"I think that the book has lessons for
adults and children, Jews and non-Jews,
my family members and members of
other families" says Shtull, who made
two presentations at the recent Jewish
Book Festival in Ann Arbor.
"I wanted to express his essence in
a way that children would enjoy and
adults would enjoy reading to children:'
Rabbi Shtull, ordained at the Jewish
Theological Seminary of America,
earned a master's degree in Hebrew
literature. After working in Ontario, he
idq7
RABBI 1 , 1
PIAyED
-
A
'
CLAIIRT
IN Mt
,)A111\1A
Aiwa
'—
11,
i
By Peter Gethers & Daniel Okrent
Based on the Book & Website by
Sam Hoffman & Eric Spiegelman
17 DINA )111-Ull
11.1.0 .11WEB B7 [ACM 6RAB11[1.0
served for 48 years with a Cleveland
synagogue, which evolved into
Congregation Shaarey Tikvah (Gates of
Hope).
Dina Shtull, who majored in sociolo-
gy at Barnard College in New York, also
studied Bible at the Jewish Theological
Seminary in New York. She earned two
master's degrees, one in social work at
Yeshiva University and another in busi-
ness administration at the University of
Missouri.
After working for Jewish fed-
erations in Ohio and New York, she
became part of the management team
in the Graduate Program of Jewish
Communal Service at the University of
Michigan, where she taught graduate
students.
She moved on to the day school, also
teaching in the Florence Melton School
of Adult Jewish Learning and serving
as director of Jewish programming at
Camp Tamarack.
Shtull's latest professional initiative,
Downsize with Dignity, puts her at
the helm of a business with objectives
similar to the original intent of her chil-
dren's book.
"I'm helping people downsize their
homes, but my focus is on what is kept"
say Shtull, who holds on to her dad's
clarinet. "It's about how people want to
be remembered by their children and
what stories go with the things that are
held"
Shtull also works with the Memory
Preservation Lab in Ann Arbor, which
operates similarly to her firm.
"Since I finished the book, relatives
have suggested I write about them or
other people" says Shtull, a lifetime
member of Hadassah active with Beth
Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor. "I
have to think about who to do first:'
26
NO
Directed by Kayla Gordon
Jam-packed with Jewish jokes both old and new, it began as a website, became a
best-selling book, then a hit play in New York. A brilliant, hilarious approach to
Jewish humor for pure entertainment and laughter!
GET YOUR T1021510DAY!
248.788.2900 - WWW_JETTHEATRE_ORG
JET Performs in the Aaron DeRoy Theatre in the JCC on the corner of Maple & Drake Roads in West Bloomfield
THE
KRESGE
FOUNDATION
.7.=
e
roo
th
WEDDINGS I SHOWERS I CORPORATE EVENTS
The Elm Room Banquet & Event Space
Accommodates up to 150 guests
events@thebirdandthebread.com
BOOK YOUR EVENT WITH US THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
AND RECEIVE 10% BACK!
10% Gift Card back on upon purchase*
*Promotion Valid Until December 31st, 2014 .
This promotion may not be combined with other offers, discounts or promotions .
❑
Why the Rabbi Played Clarinet
in the Sauna is available on
amazon.com .
Located behind The Bird & The Bread
210 South Old Woodward, Birmingham
theelmroom.com
JN
December 11 • 2014
67