frontlines

Joint Venture

It Is More Than Being All Wet

W

ith 71 percent of the Earth's
surface taken up by oceans
and more water to be found
in lakes and glacial regions, water is a
big part of our lives.
Water's many forms —
droplets, streams, vapor
— find their way into our
vocabulary because of this
prominence. However, not
all splashes will get you wet.
The most obvious splash
is that of someone dash-
ing water at someone else.
("He splashed my shirt:')
If you were in the logging
business, you would know
that a splash dam is used to
contain water, which is then
released to drive logs. (And
you are now ready for Jeopardy.)
We all know that when a space shuttle
returns to Earth, its landing in water
is referred to as a splash down. And a

splash guard goes near a vehicle's wheels
to prevent splashing of vehicles behind.
(Having been behind 18-wheelers, I
doubt the efficacy of such devices.)
If you make your way across a body
of water, you may be said to be
splashing your way. (Remember
the fun of spring puddles when
you were younger?)
Have we any bakers out there?
If so, you are familiar with add-
ing just a splash of flavoring
such as vanilla.
If any of you ever waxes poetic
or just appreciates the rarity of
the sun's rays during long winter
months, then you can attest to
the pleasure of seeing a splash
of sunlight. Artists will often
add a splash of color to enliven a
painting. Some really famous works are
just splashes of color. (No, I am not an
art critic, just an observer.)
Finally, if you wish to make an impres-

JNCONTENTS

Jan. 8-15, 2015

sion, you may sport a splash of color
in your outfits, but remember that the
really showy and ostentatious are splashy
— not necessarily a good thing.
When you achieve a goal that gains
you prominence, you may then be said to
have made a splash in business. (Actors
and actresses often make such splashes
on Broadway.) Please do not seek to
emulate the desperate man who made a
splash on Broadway by leaping off a tall
building.
That pun sort of fell flat, no?

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JEWISHNEWS

17-23 Tevet 5775 Vol. CXLVI, No. 22

Angels and Dreamers....16
Around Town
14, 22
Arts/Entertainment
43
Business
28
Business Memos
32
Calendar
25
Home
38
Israel
5, 26, 57
Jews in Digital Age
20
Letters
5
Lifecycles
50
Love Connection
52
Marketplace
52

Mentsh of the Month ....23
Metro
8
NextGen
34
Obituaries
57
Points of View
26
Staff Box
6
Torah Portion
35
World
57

Columnists

Danny Raskin
Robert Sklar

Shabbat Lights

Shabbat: Friday, Jan. 9, 5 p.m.
Shabbat Ends: Saturday, Jan. 10, 6:06 p.m.

Shabbat: Friday, Jan. 16, 5:08 p.m.
Shabbat Ends: Saturday, Jan. 17, 6:13 p.m.

Times are from Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

48
26

Our JN Mission

The Jewish News aspires to communicate news and opinion that's useful, engaging, enjoyable and unique. It strives to
reflect the full range of diverse viewpoints while also advocating positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continu-
ity. We desire to create and maintain a challenging, caring, enjoyable work environment that encourages creativity
and innovation. We acknowledge our role as a responsible, responsive member of the community. Being competi-
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rewards are informed, educated readers, very satisfied advertisers, contented employees and profitable growth.

Cover page design: Michelle Sheridan.
The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520) is

published every Thursday at 29200 Northwestern
Highway, #110, Southfield, Michigan. Periodical
postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and
additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send changes
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Highway, #110, Southfield, MI 48034.

Yaffa Klugerman
Special to the Jewish News

T

he Museum of the History of Polish
Jews opened to great fanfare in
Warsaw in October, saluting the
1,000-year history of Poland's Jewish com-
munity. But behind the scenes, the museum
and the University of Michigan signed a
significant document to ensure that Polish-
Jewish studies would continue to thrive.
The Memo of Understanding between the
museum and U-M's Copernicus Program in
Polish Studies, in partnership with the Jean
& Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies,
calls for an exchange of academic publica-
tions and materials of shared interest. This
includes mutual visits of U-M faculty, gradu-
ate students and museum staff to pursue
research and training as well as cooperation
on joint research projects in fields related to
Polish-Jewish themes.
"We are the first and only institution to
date to have an agreement with the muse-
um," said Genevieve Zubrzycki, director of
Copernicus and the Center for Russian, East
European and Eurasian Studies. "They chose
us not only because of our scholarly exper-
tise, but also because of our experience with
building collaborative projects:'
Zubrzycki, who attended the opening in
Warsaw, sees the museum as a turning point
in Polish national identity.
"The museum offers two important cor-
rectives:' she said. "One is to the world,
which tends to see Poland as the land of
ashes but overlooks the long and rich history
of Jewish life on Polish lands. The other is
to Poles themselves, who, since the end of
World War II, have lived in a mostly mono-
ethnic and mono-religious nation-state.
"The museum tells the story of a different
Poland," she said.
The agreement between U-M and the
museum is just one of many joint ventures
between the Frankel Center and Copernicus.
Courses focusing on Polish-Jewish studies
are taught by prestigious faculty members
and numerous events are offered to the
public that focus on Polish-Jewish themes.
In March, for example, the Frankel Center
and Copernicus will co-sponsor a movie and
talk by Toronto-based filmmaker Francine
Zuckerman about her documentary, We Are
Here, about Jews in today's Poland.
"These varied initiatives — cultural, intel-
lectual and scholarly — address perspectives
reflecting the rise of a new generation:' said
Deborah Dash Moore, director of the Frankel
Center and Frederick G. L. Huetwell profes-
sor of history at U-M. "Both in the United
States and in Poland, young people are eager
to understand the complex Polish-Jewish
past as a means of charting a future that
looks beyond the Holocaust, even as they
continues to wrestle with the murder of 3
million Polish Jews:'

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January 8 • 2015

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