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In honor of its 75th anniversary, Temple Israel wrote a new Torah. The
Mitzvah 613 Torah Project began in April with a kick-off celebration
where the very first letters of the new Torah were ceremoniously scribed
on the bimah. Hundreds of members fulfilled the 613th mitzvah by writ-
ing a letter. This memorable project concluded in June 2017 when Temple
Israel’s new Torah was dedicated.

MAY

Jewish Family Service held its annual meeting, “Mission Possible,” to cel-
ebrate the 25th anniversary of Operation Exodus. Famous refusenik Natan
Sharansky was the guest speaker.

The Machon Devorah library at Bais Chabad of North Oak Park, which
opens twice weekly for the community, opened its doors in May.

LifeLinks, a new Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network (JHCN) program,
designed to bridge the gap between diagnosis of a life-threatening illness
and the eligibility for hospice care, led by Rabbi Joseph Krakoff, launches.

MAY: LifeLinks client Marty Scheer, right, enjoys his visits with Rabbi Joseph Krakoff of the Jewish
Hospice & Chaplaincy Network.

After more than 26 years as the owner and manager of the
Tradition!Tradition! Judaica store, Alicia Nelson decides it’s time to retire
and is looking to sell the business she runs in her Southfield home.

After 25 years at Congregation B’nai Moshe in West Bloomfield,
Rabbi Elliot Pachter said he would retire to focus on his role as
dean of student services and programming at Frankel Jewish
Academy in West Bloomfield. He would become rabbi emeritus
of B’nai Moshe on July 1.

Mohel Dr. Craig Singer of Bloomfield Hills was turned around
at the Windsor Tunnel crossing on May 19 as he traveled
to perform a circumcision for a Windsor family because he
didn’t have a work permit from the Canadian Department of
Immigration.

Norman Shy, 74, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fed-
eral program bribery and federal income tax evasion for failing
to report income earned during 2011 for his part in a massive
bribery/kickback scheme involving the Detroit Public Schools.

JUNE: The Soul Cafe is open for business, featuring kosher dairy meals.

Rabbi Herschel Finman found a home in a former dentist’s
office on the western edge of the city’s downtown for Jewish Ferndale. The
grand opening is set for the fall.

Chabad-Lubavitch of Michigan’s four-year secular court case against the
Bais Chabad Torah Center ended May 23, when the U.S. Supreme Court
declined to take up Chabad of Michigan’s appeal, thus granting victory to
the Torah Center.

NEXTGen Detroit launched NEXTGen Detroit Pride to “serve as a wel-
coming gateway into the Jewish community for LGBTQA young adults.”
The kickoff event was May 31.

JUNE

The Farber Soul Center in West Bloomfield held its official grand opening
June 5. The brainchild of Friendship Circle, the center offers artistic and
employment opportunities for young adults with special needs.

JUNE: Rabbi Robert Dobrusin of Beth Israel lights the chanukiah last Chanukah.

On June 5, Beth Israel Congregation held a gala event in celebration of its
100th anniversary.

Marjorie Fisher died at her home in Palm Beach, Fla., on June 12 at age
92. The wife of the late Detroit industrialist and philanthropist Max Fisher,
she devoted herself to improving the lives of others at home and through-
out the world.

32 December 29 • 2016