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ISRAELI INNOVATION

Artist’s
rendering of
DuCharme
Place

NEW DIGS DOWNTOWN

After a groundbreaking ceremony Nov.
6 with longtime Detroit developer
Walter Cohen, along with business
leaders and elected officials, construc-
tion is set to begin on DuCharme Place.
The 85-unit apartment community
will be the Lafayette Park area’s first
new lifestyle community. The site is
close to Downtown, the Dequindre Cut
bicycle/walking paths and the river-
front.
DuCharme Place will offer a mix of

studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom
floor plans with prices ranging from
$900 to $1,900 per month.
“We saw this as an ideal opportunity
to develop a lifestyle-focused residen-
tial community,” says Walter Cohen,
developer of DuCharme Place along
with his son David Cohen.
“DuCharme Place offers indoor
parking, top-quality amenities and is
centrally located, while offering afford-
able living to Detroiters.”

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YIOP IMPROV

The GO Comedy! Improv Theater
of Ferndale will entertain at
Young Israel of Oak Park at 8
p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. The melava
malke event to welcome new
synagogue members will feature
wine and dessert. $28 per person.
There will be a kids’ movie night
for ages 3 and up at $2 per child.
RSVP to Milt Neuman, 248 398-
7079 or https://www.eventbrite.
com/e/yiop-go-comedy-night-
tickets-20111088808.

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GO Comedy! Improv Theater

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Marilyn Fealk, Ruth Zerin and Nancy
Josephson

A REALLY BIG SHOE

NCJW/Greater Detroit volunteers held
another successful shoe drive this fall, gath-
ering more than 2,300 pairs of shoes and
boots they donated to a dozen agencies in
Wayne and Oakland Counties that help those
in need.
Volunteers dropped off collection boxes
to schools and synagogues, shlepped the
full boxes back to the office, and sorted and
prepared bags of shoes to be picked up by, or
delivered to, agencies.
NCJW offers big thanks to all who donated
their gently used shoes and boots. Every pair
made a difference to someone in need. Time
to start saving for next October.

MENTAL HEALTH

The George Orley Mental Wellness
Initiative (GOMWI) and University of
Michigan’s Wolverine Support Network
will host a second annual event to create
a network of mental wellness for youth
and their families beginning with regis-
tration at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, at
the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham.
Speakers include students from the
Wolverine Support Network who have
benefitted from the program and Dr.
Stephen Strobbe, recipient of University
of Michigan’s 25th annual Golden Apple
Award, as guest speaker. Hosts are Linda
Aikens and Diane Orley of GOMWI.
Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will
be served. A ticket donation of $50 per
person is suggested, or a tax-deductible
donation can be made to the George
Orley Mental Wellness Initiatitve at
theGOMWI.org/donate-today.

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CONTEST FOR KIDS

The Kroger Co. of Michigan’s ninth annu-
al “I Can Make History” contest is open to
students in grades 4-12 who demonstrate
their creativity in art, essays, music and
poetry.
Besides individual awards, Kroger will
offer a $3,000 Best in Show Scholarship
and a $5,000 School Leadership Award as
part of the $71,000 presented. The latter
honors the school with the most winning
entries in the combined categories.
Students may submit only one entry per
category, but are encouraged to enter mul-
tiple categories. All entries must address

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one of two themes:
• Name an African American past or
present that you admire and describe
how that person impacted or continues to
impact history.
• How do you feel young people today
can make an impact on history?
Packets are available at Kroger stores or
at www.icanmakehistory.com. Deadline is
5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 29.

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JEWISH WRITING CONTEST

MISSEBABA 2016

Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills will holds its
annual “fun and fundraising”
event, “Missebaba” on Saturday,
Feb. 27.
The gala evening will feature
Bluewater Kings Band
cocktails and hors d’oeuvres
and dinner by Quality Kosher
chic.
Catering as well as music and
Tickets are $150 per person ($75/
dancing to the high-energy sounds of
person for young adults ages 21-35).
the Bluewater Kings Band.
For details, visit www.adatshalom.org
Chairpersons are Joan Chernoff
or call Executive Director Alan Yost at
Epstein of Bloomfield Hills and Cathy
(248) 851-5100.
Slavik of Birmingham. Dress is casual

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24 January 28 • 2016

Daniel Howes, the Detroit News business col-
umnist who wrote articles about his experi-
ences on the 2015 CEO Mission to Israel, will
share his insights about the trip at the Feb.
3 board meeting of the Jewish Community
Relations Council at 7 p.m. at the Federation
Building in Bloomfield Township.
Howes traveled
with nearly two dozen
Michigan CEOs. His
stories last November
explored how Israel’s
risk-taking culture and
collaborative public-
private partnerships may
prove helpful as business
Daniel Howes
leaders in Michigan and
its largest city seek new ways to jump-start
job growth after more than five years of
restructuring and reform.
Howes is columnist and associate busi-
ness editor at the Detroit News. An award-
winning journalist, he has been the paper’s
senior automotive writer as well as its
automotive columnist based in Germany. He
also has been an investigative and projects
reporter for the newspaper’s business desk.
Reservations are requested for the Feb. 3
program. Contact Miriam Ciesla at ciesla@
jfmd.org or (248) 642-5393.

The Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic
Studies at Wayne State University will
hold its first annual writing competition
for Metro Detroit high school students,
with a first prize of $500 in each category.
Submissions may be essays, short stories or
one or more poems relating to some aspect
of Jewish life, culture or history.
The goal of the competition is not only
to encourage high school students to think
and write on matters of Jewish importance
— past, present and future — but also to
cultivate fresh perspectives on what are
often well-trodden and time-worn conver-
sations, discussions and debates.

Winning entries will be included in a
literary magazine published by the Cohn-
Haddow Center. Deadline for submissions
is March 1. Visit www.judaicstudies.wayne.
edu/writingcontest.php for competition
rules and suggested topics.

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