frontlines

Mickey Shapiro
Honors His
Parents With
Beaumont Gift

p

icture a glutton. Does your
mind's eye see him as fat,
greedy, selfish and filthy? If so,
he is a pig. Oy!
This highly non-kosher reference,
which has often been said to "wrongly"
malign the swine, is, nevertheless, a
major contributor to expressions in
English.
Obsessed as we seem
to be with eating, it is
often that we hear of
someone making a pig
of himself or pigging out
at a meal (or at a buf-
fet, more likely). So here
is a Catch-22 situation:
Farmers feed pigs a lot to
fatten them for sale and
yet consumers label such
eating in a negative light.
A favorite appetizer
at a function is the "pig
in a blanket" (a small cocktail wiener
wrapped in dough). This is not in the
parlance of kosher events, but it is a

favorite there,
nonetheless.
When it comes
to being tidy,
anyone who is lacking in this trait is
labeled a pigpen (the character in the
Charlie Brown comics, who is often
seen in a swirl of dust, comes to mind).
His home may also be referred
to as a pigsty. Just because the
actual sty is usually muddy
— the animals seem to prefer
accommodations that permit
them to wallow and cool off —
does not mean that is to be con-
demned. But we do not regard
the actual pigsty that way, do
we? Hmmm.
When someone is the bread
winner, he is also said to be in
charge of bringing home the
bacon. Do Jewish breadwinners
bring home the brisket? Or do
we just say he/she makes a good living?
Experiencing a severe injury, you
might observe that you bled like a stuck

JN CONTENTS

pig. I am sure other animals bleed also
when stuck; why single out the swine?
Still in the pejorative vein, police
have often been referred to as pigs;
such disdain for law enforcement
was quite common among those who
wished to lead free-spirit lives.
A positive slant can be heard in an
Australian expression "on the pig's
back:' which is used to describe being
in a fortunate position.
In the machinery world, a pig is a
brush or scraper used to clear the inte-
rior of pipes. In metallurgy, a pig is a
mass of metal from the blast furnace
run while molten.
Well, if you trying to keep your con-
versation kosher, never buy a pig in a
poke (buying an object sight unseen).
Even if it weren't literal, you may end
up with something you really would not
want.

❑

theJEWISHNEWS.com

June 11-17, 2015 I 24-30 Sivan 5775 I Vol. CXLVII, No. 19

Ann Arbor
35, 50
Around Town
26
Arts & Life
39
Business
28
22
Calendar
42
Editor's Picks
Here's To
28
Home
43
Jews In Digital Age ...16
Israel
5, 19, 32, 33
5
Letters
Lifecycles
51

Marketplace
Metro
NextGen
Obituaries
Points of View
Sports
Synagogue List
Torah Portion

55
8
36
61
32
38
34
35

Shabbat Lights

Columnist
Danny Raskin
Robert Sklar

50
32

Times are from Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar.

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-
tive, we must always strive to be the most respected, outstanding Jewish community publication in the nation. Our
rewards are informed, educated readers, very satisfied advertisers, contented employees and profitable growth.

Shabbat: Friday, June 12, 8:52 p.m.
Shabbat Ends: Saturday, June 13, 10:04 p.m.

Shabbat: Friday, June 19, 8:55 p.m.
Shabbat Ends: Saturday, June 20, 10:07 p.m.

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
to: Detroit Jewish News, 29200 Northwestern
Highway, #110, Southfield, MI 48034.

Real estate developer Mickey
Shapiro of Bloomfield Hills has
given Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak
$10 million to honor his parents
through the
creation of the
Sara and Asa
Shapiro Heart
and Vascular
Intensive Care
Unit.
"I'm doing
it for them;
this is really
my parents'
Mickey Shapiro
story," says
Shapiro, CEO of
Farmington Hills-based M. Shapiro
Real Estate Group. Both his parents
are still alive: His father is 92 and his
mother is 85.
"Mr. Shapiro's generous gift will
enable us to renovate the current
15,500-square-foot surgical inten-
sive care unit, transforming it into
a heart and vascular intensive care
unit designed for the future:' says
Marc Sakwa, M.D., chief, cardiovas-
cular surgery, Beaumont Royal Oak.
Shapiro's parents Sara and Asa,
both Holocaust survivors, came
to Detroit after World War II. Asa
Shapiro founded the family busi-
ness, ASA Builders Supply and ASA
Cabinets, in 1952.
"Mickey's parents, like many
immigrants of that generation,
braved multiple hardships before
they had the opportunity to suc-
ceed; Sakwa says. "The Sara and Asa
Shapiro Heart and Vascular Intensive
Care Unit is not only a tribute to
honor Mickey's parents, but also
represents their desire to provide
comforting and specialized care to
very ill individuals.
"If this unit saves one or many,
if it prevents suffering for patients
and families, it will have achieved a
legacy of which Sara and Asa would
be proud"
Along with the intensive care unit
on the second floor of the hospital's
East Tower, the gift will create the
Mickey Shapiro Endowed Chair in
Cardiovascular Surgery.
"We are deeply grateful to Mickey
Shapiro for the generosity he has
shown to Beaumont. His gift will
impact thousands of patients
each year:' says Margaret Cooney
Casey, Beaumont Foundation presi-
dent and chief development officer,
Beaumont Health.

❑

June 11 • 2015

3