“Given that my
grandparents
were Holocaust
survivors, I
grew up with a
strong sense of
where we came
from and what
our place was in
the world.”

— Adam Ostroff

finally going to get married?’ I told
her, ‘When your grandson gives me a
ring.’”
Adam then gave Amy a ring that he
bought in Israel a few years earlier and
that he used to wear. He then dropped
Amy off at the Renaissance Center to
return to her hotel room before her
flight. They said goodbye. As Adam
was walking away, Amy told him that
if he wanted his ring back, he needed
to come to Israel to get it.
A year and a half later, after he
made aliyah, Adam’s grandmother,
Helen Lankin, passed away. Adam
and Amy both came to Detroit for the
funeral and, a few days after, Adam
took Amy to the Renaissance Center,
proposed and gave her a new ring.

A BEAUTIFUL BLEND
From two families of diverse origin,
initially drawn together by their love
of Israel, Adam and Amy were married
on Oct. 31, 2008, in Caesaria. Adam
describes his Jewish background as a
Reform Jewish household.
“I was always involved in one way
or another with youth organizations
through temple activities and Jewish
summer camp every year. Given that

my grandparents were Holocaust sur-
vivors, we grew up with a strong sense
of where we came from and what our
place was in the world.”
Amy’s parents are of Jewish-Indian
origin. Among a community of
approximately 80,000 Jews from India
living in Israel today, they moved from
the Gujarat region of northern India
before Amy and her siblings were born.
As Amy describes, “My grandfather
always wanted to make aliyah, but
he died in India in a car accident. To
honor him and to fulfill his dream,
my mom and her sisters moved to
Israel in 1969. Still single at the time,
my dad decided to follow his heart to
Israel to marry my mother in 1973.
“After they made aliyah, my parents
were more concerned about integrat-
ing into Israeli culture and society, so
they were more involved in being a
part of the community in their neigh-
borhood in Nazareth Illit. However,
my grandmother still lives in India,
and we visit with a large extended
family that gets together every so
often.”
Asked what they miss about life
in Israel (besides the weather), both
Adam and Amy agree it’s the common
bond of being Jewish.
“Living in Israel is not for the faint-
hearted,” Adam says. “But whether
you are Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Indian
or Ethiopian, everyone there has com-
mon cause and purpose. Israelis have
their arguments, for sure, but Israelis
know what they’re fighting for: a very
strong sense of themselves. But on
the flip side, if ever you are in need
of help, there’s always someone there
for you. It’s a kind of camaraderie and
generosity of spirit I’ve never seen
anywhere else.”
Amy adds, “I miss the proximity
and warmth of the small neighbor-
hood where we lived. In Israel, you
don’t drive. You walk: to the doctor,
to the supermarket, to the post office.
You walk to the community center.
You see people, you know people.
The children go outside and play. You
don’t need to constantly watch them
like you do here. Our door was always
open; our neighbors would come for
dinner. You didn’t need an invitation
to our home; everyone would come
and go as they wished.”
“It’s funny,” says Adam. “Now that
we’re back, we’ve been hanging out
more with new Israeli friends that
we’ve made here. Sometimes I feel
more Israeli than I do American.”

The Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit’s Center Travel,
SAJE (Seminars for Adult Jewish
Enrichment) and the Cohn-Haddow Center
for Judaic Studies Present

Italy

WITH A

Jewish Twist

with Professor Howard Lupovitch

July 10-21, 2016

You’re invited to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to experience the Jewish culture, history and community
of one of the most beautiful countries in the world!

Registration Deadline: Friday, March 18

Join us for an informational meeting with
Professor Howard Lupovitch!

Thursday, March 3, 7 p.m. in the JCC’s Greenberg Suite

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

VATICAN CITY & ROME - The Forum, the Colosseum,

the Spanish Steps, the Fountain de Trevi, the Jewish
Museum, the Jewish Ghetto

OSTIA - Home of the oldest known synagogue in Europe

PITIGLIANO - Tour a synagogue built in 1598, a mikvah
and a matzah bakery

FLORENCE - The Brunelleschi Dome, the Ponte Vecchio bridge,
the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia Gallery (where you’ll see
Michelangelo’s statue of David), the Jewish Museum

PADUA - Home to a Jewish community that dates to the

11th century

VENICE - The Jewish Museum, the Peggy Guggenheim
Museum, Murano glass manufacturing, a strolling opera,
the Jewish Ghetto (with synagogues, a yeshiva, Judaica
shops, a kosher restaurant and a bakery)

PISA - The Leaning Tower

For a brochure, please visit www.jccdet.org/travel
or contact Marilyn Wolfe:
mwolfe@jccdet.org or 248.432.5471.

*

Vivian Henoch is editor of Federation’s
myjewishdetroit.org where a longer version
of this story first appeared.

D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322

Seminars for Adult Jewish Enrichment

2075440

February 25 • 2016

21