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5:
Year in Review
By Jackie Headapohl I Managing Editor
and Seymour Monello I Editorial Assistant
L
ooking back, 2015 was a year filled with joy, new beginnings, losses and historic
milestones as well as some collective shock, dismay and disappointment. Was
2015 much different from most years in that regard? Judge for yourselves as we
offer a look at the news from 2015 as seen in the pages of the Jewish News.
JANUARY
BLIND JUSTICE
Richard Bernstein was sworn in on New Year's Day as Michigan's first blind Supreme
Court Justice.
JANUARY: Justice Richard
JANUARY: Some of the damage done to the Treetops
Bernstein.
Resort.
JEWISH U-M GREEKS TRASH SKI RESORT
About 270 members of the University of Michigan chapters of Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity and
Sigma Delta Tau sorority caused more than $100,000 in damages at the Treetops Resort and
Spa on a January ski trip. U-M would later disband the Sigma Alpha Mu chapter.
GRASSROOTS SUPPORT FOR JPM
An outpouring of grassroots support for JPM drew about 600 people to a public forum Jan.
12 held by Federation to discuss the proposed closure of the Jimmy Prentis Morris Jewish
Community Center in Oak Park. Local community members would work throughout the
year to attempt to find a financial solution to save the center.
FEBRUARY
JANUARY: Hundreds showed up at a public forum to show their support for the Jewish
Community Center in Oak Park.
DAY SCHOOLS REVISE RULES
In light of recent upticks in cases of measles and pertussis (whooping cough) throughout the
United States, two of Detroit's Jewish elementary day schools revised vaccination policies.
Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills and Akiva Hebrew Day School
in Southfield reserve the right to exclude any child whose family has refused immunization.
They will no longer accept waivers from parents who don't want to vaccinate their children
because of religious or philosophical reasons.
MARCH
MSU JEWISH STUDIES DIRECTOR RETIRES
Ken Waltzer, who completed 43 years of teaching, scholarship and service as professor of his-
tory at Michigan State University's James Madison College and worked to build a solid Jewish
Studies program, retired. MSU threw him a Big Bash Retirement Celebration March 27-28 at
its Kellogg Center in East Lansing.
MARCH:
Ken
APRIL
Waltzer.
HILLEL GETS NEW DIGS
A group of 130 Jewish community leaders, Hillel supporters, students and university officials
cheerfully crowded together on the sixth floor of the Student Center on April 15 for a recep-
tion and dedication of the recently renovated Hillel of Metro Detroit's (HMD) offices at Wayne
State University.
APRIL:
A. Alfred
Taubman.
APRIL: WSU student Chavivah Bluth poses with
event chair Elaine Driker in front of the mezu-
zah Bluth made for HMD.
8 December 31 • 2015
COMMUNITY LOSES MENTSH
The local Jewish community mourned when A. Alfred Taubman, an extraordinary entrepre-
neur, passionate Zionist and staunch supporter of Jewish life and causes in Israel and through-
out the world, died April 17 at age 91. Locally, he was a dedicated community benefactor
whose generosity changed lives and transformed organizations throughout Metro Detroit and
beyond.