health & wellness
A Perfect Match
P hoto Cred it Jo hn Hardwic k
Denver docs make Detroit home.
Vivian Henoch
Special to the Jewish News
B
orn and raised in Denver, avid
skiers Esther and Richard
Zekman, both 39, never imagined
that their medical residencies would turn
to a permanent residency in Franklin and
a natural affinity for Jewish Detroit.
"We moved to Detroit in 2000 strictly
for our residency program with the full
intention of moving back to Denver after
completing our training; says Rich.
"Fifteen years later, we are still here and
have no plans to leave. Southeastern
Michigan is our home."
With their pagers never far from reach,
Esther and Rich readily admit to keeping
long hours at work.
"We are a team:' Rich says.
"We could never do what we do without
one another," Esther says. "If we're not on
the same page, pulling in the same direc-
tion, the wheels can fall off pretty quickly.
So we lean on each other all the time to
be where we need to be, to be available for
one another and to be home for our three
active little boys, Aaron, 9, Jonah, 7, and
Asher, 3."
Rich says, "Being married to another
doctor has advantages, too. The fact that
we went through medical school together
and started our careers together helps take
the pressure off because we can relate to
one another's time constraints."
Runners and would-be marathoners,
the Zekmans met at the Denver JCC while
working out. As Rich says, they were
"destined to be together" — two premed
students in their junior year at Colorado
State University (CSU), enrolled in the
same classes and, coincidentally, taking on
board positions at the CSU Hillel.
Self-described as "driven," the Zekmans
are well matched in all that they do. Both
earned their medical degrees from the
University of Health Sciences College of
Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City. Rich,
a medical oncologist, and Esther, an obste-
trician-gynecologist, have each established
a busy private practice affiliated with
Michigan Health Care Professionals.
As Hillel Day School parents and mem-
bers of multiple congregations, they have
been active in the community, assuming
broader roles with Federation's Israel and
Overseas Couples Program and the Israeli
Camper Program. This year, Rich is par-
ticipating in Pathways to Leadership and,
together, the Zekmans are on board to co-
50
May 28 • 2015
Esther and Rich Zekman
chair Federation's upcoming Maimonides
2015 Israel Mission scheduled for October.
On Growing Up In Denver And
Choosing Jewish Detroit
Q: For two people who practically grew up
together, how is it possible that you did not
meet until college?
Rich: We were born six weeks apart,
grew up 10 minutes apart in the same city,
but in two very different Jewish cultures.
As children, our paths never crossed. I
grew up in a secular environment, and
my family belonged to Temple Emanuel,
a large Reform congregation in Denver.
Esther grew up in a Modern Orthodox
home.
Esther: My mother became more reli-
gious when I was very young. She owned
the only kosher deli in town and worked
hard until she retired. She now lives in
Karmiel, Israel, with my stepfather. My
brother and his family live in Ra'anana, not
far from Tel Aviv.
Rich: Though we had two very different
backgrounds in Denver, here, in Jewish
Detroit, we're very comfortable to "meet
in the middle." Are we Conservative?
To be honest, we don't put labels on our
Jewish practice. Esther feels comfortable
with the mechitza (partition in a shul) and
maintains a kosher home. We are affiliated
and feel welcome at both Congregation
Shaarey Zedek in Southfield and The Shul
in West Bloomfield.
We have found that this community is a
great fit for us. If you're Jewish in Detroit,
it doesn't matter how or where you relate
to the spectrum of Reform, Conservative
or Orthodox Judaism because we tend to
see ourselves as one Jewish community.
We find ourselves at many different events
at various synagogues and feel at home
wherever we go. That's one of the many
things we always have liked about this
area.
Esther: In choosing a job for Rich, we
sat down and thought hard about where
we wanted to raise a family and finally
asked ourselves why leave the opportuni-
ties we'd already found in our career, our
home life and within the Jewish commu-
nity right here. We wanted our children to
have an opportunity to go to a top-notch
Jewish day school and be raised with
good Jewish values. We have been very
impressed with Hillel Day School and are
happy we chose this school for our kids.
On Career Choices
Q: What early influences drew you to medi-
cine? What drew you to your specialties?
Esther: I knew I wanted to go into
medicine at a young age. I helped manage
an internal medicine practice at the age of
16 and had the opportunity to learn some
medicine from my boss while working. I
watched the childbirth of her office man-
ager (whose job I took over while she was
on maternity leave), which sparked my
interest in OB-GYN.
Throughout medical school, I explored
many other fields but always came back
to OB-GYN. I enjoy the dynamics and
diversity of the field. I love working with
my hands, and knew I wanted to enter a
surgical specialty. Following my female
patients through their stages in life is
exciting. Much of my office practice deals
with preventative medicine. It is rewarding
to teach my patients how to live a healthy
life. It is the most privileged job to help life
come into the world.
Rich: Honestly, I didn't know what I
wanted. My best friend was a premed stu-
dent, so I followed that direction; but the
more I learned about physiology, the more
I loved it. I didn't realize I was going to
love the field of medicine until college.
And then my father was diagnosed with
chronic lymphocytic leukemia during my
first year of medical school. That was the
initial reason I concentrated on oncology,
but I later developed a passion for the
field.
After being a close family member of
people with cancer (dad and sister), you
deeply understand the horrific realities
of the physical, psychological, financial
and spiritual burden cancer takes on the
patient. I have been inspired by my dad,
my sister, Liz, and many of my patients.
Being an oncologist gives me perspective
that I would not otherwise have. It is hard
to complain about much in my life after
seeing what others have to go through on
a daily basis.
On Detroit: First Impressions
Q: In many ways you have chosen Jewish
Detroit twice, first as a place to work, then
to stay and raise your family. What sur-
prised you most?
Esther: Coming from an outside area,
Detroit has an edgy, tough reputation.
What we didn't realize was how genuine
and friendly people are here. We have
come across so many outstanding people
since moving to the area, from acquain-
tances at work, to our numerous friends,
to strangers we meet in the service indus-
try.
Rich: First impression — heads in the
sand; it was all about medicine! I did
my clinical rotations at St. John's Detroit
Riverview, a Downtown hospital that
has since closed, and there I saw a lot of
pathology in patients in lower socio-eco-
nomic situations, where people generally
have more health problems. I saw a lot,
and it was great training.
And to see how much has changed and