views

Ask Attorney
Ken Gross

for openers

Coming To A
Small Screen Near You

Alan’s big scene in the Detroiter s

M

Meanwhile, the last
y column last month about
couple of weeks haven’t just been con-
seven-layer cake really
sumed by my consumption of cake.
struck a nerve, or a taste
bud if you will, with Jewish News read- I’ve also been busy making my long-
awaited comeback to national televi-
ers. I’m really not surprised. I had a
sion prominence. On June 21, I had a
feeling that might happen because
speaking part on Season 2/
you can never underestimate
Episode 2 of Comedy Central’s
the power of 7LC.
Detroiters.
In the last month, I’ve
Detroiters is the brainchild
received emails from former
of Detroit-born-and-raised
Detroiters who reminisced
comedians Sam Richardson
about their love affair with
and Tim Robinson, who
the layers. Plus, it seems like a
portray owners of a small
day hasn’t gone by that some-
Motown ad agency. Both
one hasn’t come up to me to
actors come to the show
comment on my cake column. Alan Muskovitz
with impressive resumes.
Fake news? Nope, that’s cake
Richardson has had a recur-
news!
ring role on HBO’s The Veep,
The Jewish News’ Facebook
starring Julia Louis Dreyfus,
page also lit up with a tre-
and Robinson is a former cast
mendous reaction from read-
member on Saturday Night Live. The
ers/eaters who shared their personal
show also includes a dynamic duo of
seven-layer sentiments. The response
producers: Lorne Michaels and Jason
prompted the JN to reach back to me
Sudekis.
and ask if I wouldn’t mind visiting
Detroiters is filmed entirely in the
some of our favorite local bakeries
Metro Detroit area and favorably
to gauge the reaction on the ground.
highlights many of our most popular
Talk about making me an offer I
sites in the city, most of which are on
couldn’t refuse. Of course, I would …
screen a lot longer than me.
and did … with the help of JN Digital/
I was cast in the role of — and these
Social Media Editor Hannah Levine.
are in the words of the writers — a
Hannah videotaped me eating
“shlubby nerd.” I can hear JN readers
my way on what I have come to call
collectively thinking “typecasting.” I
the “Tour de Seven-Layer Cake.” The
portrayed an actor auditioning for a
video is now available for your view-
TV commercial. Officially, I was on
ing enjoyment on the Jewish News’
screen for 4.92 seconds … just long
Facebook page and website.

enough for one of my good friends not
to see me. This friend actually left me
a voicemail that said, “I watched the
entire show and didn’t see you.” I had
warned him not to blink. However,
allow me to remind you that quality,
not quantity, is the stuff of great per-
formances.
My appearance in Detroiters marked
my return to the small screen after an
eight-year hiatus. I last appeared as
a polka band leader on ABC’s Detroit
187, my national television debut in
2010. Why the eight-year gap between
acting gigs? Well, let’s just say that
there comes a point in a successful
actor’s career that one becomes more
selective about what roles to accept.
But like a fine wine, I believe my act-
ing will get even better with age. The
good news is I’ve got plenty of time.
When you combine my 15.37-second
appearance on Detroit 187 with my
recent 4.92-second role on Detroiters, I
feel blessed that I have roughly 14 min-
utes and 40 seconds left in my 15 min-
utes of fame. And wherever that leads
me, I’ll never change. I’ll always be
approachable. Hurray for Hollywood
— and humility. •

Alan Muskovitz is a writer, voice-over/acting
talent, speaker, emcee and guest host on the
Mitch Albom Show on WJR AM 760. Visit his
website at laughwithbigal.com and “Like” Al on
Facebook.

letters

Welcome, Rabbi Lopatin

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article
“Mixed Welcome” (page 10, June 21,
2018, issue).
Our Metro Detroit Jewish community
is distinguished by its diversity and
inclusion. There is practically a place
of worship for each and every Jew,
and with the addition of Rabbi Asher
Lopatin and his wife, Rachel, a real
ezer k’neged throughout his rabbinical
career, it’s going to be even more so, and
I look forward to it.
Granted, the kind of inclusive
Judaism that Rabbi Lopatin espouses
and follows is in variance with
Orthodoxy, but my wish is that he will
be welcomed by each and every one of
our Orthodox rabbis, even if they aren’t
able to completely agree with him. Let’s
make the wide tent of Judaism in our
Metro Detroit Jewish community even

bigger and wider. I personally extend
my bruchim habaim (welcome) wishes
to Rabbi Asher Lopatin, Rebetzin
Rachel Lopatin and their four children.

Rachel Kapen
West Bloomfield

Embracing All Jews

The JN article states that “[Rabbi
Lopatin’s] position on gay marriage is
what raises the ire of Orthodox rabbis
both locally and nationally.” While this
is true, it is important to note that in
the Book of Tanya, Chapter 32, Rabbi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of
the Chabad Chassidic movement, cites
Talmudic sources that the mitzvah of
loving a fellow Jew as yourself applies to
even those Jews who stray from a Torah
lifestyle. Although the Orthodox tradi-
tion rejects homosexual activity, we cer-
tainly accept every Jew: intermarried or

not, kosher or not, Shabbat-observant
or not, straight or gay. We may dis-
agree with their belief system, but we
embrace all Jews.

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Trump’s
Outrageous Policies

I understand how many Jews are rejoic-
ing over some of President Trump’s
actions: the relocation of the embassy
to Jerusalem and the tentative rap-
prochement with North Korea; but
there isn’t a day where there isn’t some
new outrageous policy posted in tweets
contrary to the ethos of our country, i.e.
America.
That’s what’s most disturbing; that
as Jews we are not united in condemn-

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continued on page 8

jn

July 5 • 2018

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