metro » s continued from page 14 Steve and Joan are Jewish, so Elana was raised in her adoptive parent’s faith. Evie is Christian, however, so had Evie nurtured Elana, she would have known Christianity. Elana refers to herself as “Jewish by conversion.” “My birth mother may not have been Jewish, but Judaism is all I’ve ever known,” she said. Some of the many aspects of Judaism that Elana appreciates include the culture, the traditions, the teach- ings of the Torah and the history of the Jewish people. She also has a love for Israel, having traveling there with her family in 2005. Evie said she didn’t know Elana had been adopted by a Jewish family and raised Jewish until they reunited, but she said it “doesn’t matter” to her. Evie has had friends of different faiths throughout her life and religious per- suasion has never had any bearing on her relationships. “Religion doesn’t change who you are — we’re all the same,” Evie said. “It doesn’t matter what anybody believes in. It doesn’t affect my outlook on people.” Joan and Steve note that Elana is a “spiritual child” who has the capacity to embrace various religious traditions. “I imagine had she been raised in a Christian home where she had those kind of opportunities that would have spoken to her as well because that’s just who she is,” Steve said. Judaism has framed Steve and Joan’s perspective on adoption. They belong to B’nai Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, and both are educators at Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills. “In the Jewish tradition, which we believe is very wise, the parent is the person who raises the child, not gives birth to the child,” Steve said. “Birth is an event that happens once, raising a child is forever.” The Freedmans also have two sons and a daughter. NOW ON 910AM EVERY FRIDAY 12 NOON - 2PM A BOND IS FORMED “There’s definitely a tie between the two of them,” Steve said, referring to Elana and Evie. Elana and Evie have continued to keep in touch since their meeting last summer. They often exchange messag- es on Facebook, as well as text and talk on the phone. Elana said they “defi- nitely” plan to see each other again. Last holiday season, Elana was sur- prised to receive more than two dozen small gifts from Evie (“One for every year I missed,” she said.). The package came with a card that wished Elana both “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Chanukah.” INSIGHTFUL, RELEVANT AND INTELLECTUAL Journalist and accomplished author, Bankole Thompson, challenges the conscience of the powerful and breaks down complex policy questions each week on his all talk show “Redline”. He cuts through the double talk of politicians who sometimes play fast and loose with the facts. Thompson is a columnist for the Detroit News and author of the highly regarded books Obama and Black Loyalty and Obama and Christian Loyalty. He is one of the most influential black Journalists in America today. www.910AMsuperstation.com A DIVISION OF ADELL MEDIA 000000 16 May 5 • 2016 Birth mother and birth daughter have learned they have much in com- mon. Besides a shared appearance that includes eye color, skin tone and facial structure, their personalities are also somewhat alike. “Elana’s outgoingness, the bubbli- ness, the desire to help people — a lot of that comes from me,” Evie said. In addition, they have several of the same interests, including fitness, dogs and motorcycles. Elana said they are still getting to know each other and look forward to discovering other con- nections. Elana has also become close to Evie’s other biological daughter, Christina, and Elana would like to meet her bio- logical father at some point. Both Elana and Evie hope their story will motivate others who are searching for loved ones, especially those who are also involved in closed adoptions. “I want to inspire other people,” Elana said. “If you are searching for your birth parent or a sibling or who- ever — don’t give up.” * Adoption Help Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit (JFS) in West Bloomfield pro- vides personalized social and mental health services to individuals and families in the Metropolitan Detroit area. One of JFS’ offerings was an adop- tion program that was discontinued eight years ago, said Ellen Yashinsky Chute, JFS’ senior director of behav- ioral health services. Hundreds of children were placed with parents in the years the service was in exis- tence. The organization now refers adoption queries to outside agencies, including Child & Parent Services Inc. in Bingham Farms. “Adoption is a very pertinent issue in the Jewish community,” said Yashinsky Chute. JFS does serve those who may have issues stemming from the fact they were adopted. Yashinsky Chute oversees a staff of 15 mental health therapists, including herself, who pro- vide outpatient counseling. “Adoption might not be the primary reason people seek counseling, but it comes out in counseling — it does affect people,” Yashinsky Chute said. To learn more about JFS, visit jfsdetroit.org, call (248) 592-2300 or email resourcecenter@ jfsdetroit.org. Find out about adoption resourc- es by visiting Child & Parent Services Inc. at childandparentservices.com or call (248) 646- 7790.