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Jewfro
The Day After
E
lection Day hurt. And as Secretary rience a loss, Judaism doesn’t just allow
Clinton said, it will be painful for
us to mourn; it expects that we will
a long time. So I sought out art
and that we will take our time and do it
— not to escape the pain, but for coping together.
and for context.
Oh, the gravitational pull of the Rivera
Detroit Institute of Arts
Court. Diego seems to welcome
(outside). The millage that
me back and tell me something
lived! Why we can support a
different every time I’m there.
Picassoriffic museum (and a
Yesterday, he told me that we
penguintastic zoo) with our
are defined by our contradic-
tax dollars and can’t get behind
tions — labor and capital,
buses to get people there is a
diversity and white privilege,
mystery to me. If, even in a
physical and spiritual, solidar-
national election, all politics
ity and inclusion, particular-
Ben Falik
are local, the failure of the RTA
ism and pluralism, individual,
shows we still lack some combination of local, social, global, universal, human —
trust in our public institutions and com- and how radically reconcilable they are.
passion for our neighbors to invest in
The arc of the moral universe is long,
something bigger than ourselves.
but it bends toward justice. Dr. King’s
Perhaps the trains running up and
words live colorfully on the walls of the
down Woodward will help people to
museum and the faces of elementary
believe it when they see it and then see
school students walking past.
it when they believe it; I’m not sure.
To boot, the Detroit After Dark photo
Detroit Institute of Arts (inside). A
exhibit reminded me of the work it takes
powerful woman soars directly inside
to see light and love in a city where oth-
the Woodward entrance. Thalassa by
ers see blight and fear.
New York street artist Caledonia Curry
Sing for Your Life. By the time you
is 20 feet tall and weighs 400 pounds. As read this, I will have escorted author
if there to both comfort and condemn,
Daniel Bergner to and from the Jewish
this literal woman of color drapes the
Book Fair, and it will have been lovely.
whole space in diverse, flowing materi-
Meanwhile, I’m reading and recom-
als while looking off to a distant horizon mending his book. Like so many works
— past the patriarchy, perhaps. Make
at the DIA (and perhaps the electoral
sure to visit before she leaves us on
map), Sing for Your Life tells the story
March 19, 2017, lest you end up on her
of power derived from pain. Beyond
bad side.
the conceit — Ryan Speedo Green’s
In the Kresge Court, I stumbled upon
journey from juvenile detention to sing-
the staff of the Downtown Synagogue
ing at New York’s Metropolitan Opera
(a group of powerful women known
— are all the daily details and decisions
to soar) struggling. Rabbi Ariana
that bridge and blur the ordinary and
Silverman suggested that when we expe- extraordinary.
My Story
Thalassa by New York street artist
Caledonia Curry
2.5 Mile Ride. Every day, I look across
the street from Repair the World at the
Matrix Theatre and — as someone who
once wanted to go into theater and set-
tled for being theatrical — have come to
take for granted that we have a profes-
sional performance space that is steeped
in social justice right under our nose.
2.5 Mile Ride is a one-woman show
from Tony Award-winner and Lansing
native Lisa Kron. If a tragic flaw of this
election was our failure to understand
the fears and frustrations of those
around us, 2.5 Mile Ride offers a vivid,
vulnerable look at the compounded
experiences of a recurring large fam-
ily trip to Cedar Point and a belated
small family trip to Auschwitz. Go see it
before Dec. 4. Tickets and showtimes at
matrixtheatre.org.
From today’s pain, tomorrow’s
power.
*
Jewish Tweets
Sarah Silverman
@SarahKSilverman
I am now a Pistons fan
@BleacherReport Pistons
coach Stan Van Gundy doesn’t
hold back regarding the election.
Dave Coulier @DaveCoulier
After this election I’m moving deep
in to the woods and only turning
my TV on to watch hockey. @NHL
Irene Slobin describes herself as
a true “people person.”
“I’m very outgoing, and I really love
people,” Irene says. “I like hearing
what they think, what they have to
say, and I enjoy making them
happy.” Those qualities helped give
Irene a boost over the years as she
worked as a bank teller, jewelry
salesperson, and other jobs that
brought her in contact with the public
each day. Irene finally settled into a
long career as a matchmaker, to
great success.
However, her welcoming smile
became an issue when Irene needed
dental work. “I grind my teeth,” she
said. “I needed a root canal. And my
hearing became a problem, requiring
a hearing aid. I went to Hebrew Free
Loan for help with the costs, and
they couldn’t have been nicer.”
Irene received a loan through HFL’s
Project HEAL, Health Emergency
Assistance Loans, made possible by
grants from The Jewish Fund.
“We are lucky we have such great
resources in our community,” Irene
said. “I don’t drive right now, but my
synagogue will come pick me up for
services. There are also wonderful
agencies like Hebrew Free Loan. They
have been so kind to me, supportive
and compassionate. The loan I
received is interest-free, and they
worked with me on a payment I could
afford.
“If you are Jewish and need any
help at all, you should look into it. The
process was great, and I tell people
about HFL all the time.”
Become an HFL Donor.
Click. Call. Give Now.
www.hfldetroit.org
248.723.8184
Health. A fresh start.
A good education.
The next great business idea.
Hebrew Free Loan gives interest-
free loans to members of our
community for a variety of
personal and small business
needs. HFL loans are funded
entirely through community
donations which continually
recycle to others, generating
many times the original value
to help maintain the lives of
local Jews.
Rabbi Jason Miller @RabbiJason
Mazel Tov to Alec Baldwin on your
4-year contract with SNL.
6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 300 • Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301
Hebrew Free Loan Detroit
@HFLDetroit
2098360
November 17 • 2016
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