continued from page 14

16 | OCTOBER 31 • 2019 

received a bachelor’
s of science 
degree at U-M in 1962. She 
then enrolled in the master’
s 
program in geology at Wayne 
State University. 
“My husband pushed me to 
think about medical school,
” 
she said. Following his advice, 
she received her medical degree 
from Wayne in 1967.
“I went into surgery because I 
work with my hands,
” she said. 
“Surgery was an unusual choice 
for a woman at that time, and it 
seemed to me that people might 
better accept a woman in pedi-
atric surgery.
”
Adelman was one of the very 
first female surgeons to set up 
offices in Metro Detroit, one at 
Children’
s Hospital and another 
in Dearborn. It was in 1974 
that she met the Hakim family, 
whose cousin needed an opera-
tion to treat internal cysts. 
“His treatment was lengthy,
” 
Adelman said. During that 

time, she met Norma Hakim, 
her young patient’
s aunt, who 
helped interpret the family’
s 
Chaldean language for Adelman 
so she could understand their 
questions and concerns. She 
was also the beneficiary of 
Norma’
s wonderful cooking. 
Since the time of this surgery, 
Adelman and her husband have 
remained close friends with the 
Hakims, taking part in their 
family celebrations or just shar-
ing a meal.
 
TELLING NORMA’
S STORY
And it is Norma’
s story that 
figures into Adelman’
s writing 
After Saturday Comes Sunday, a 
reference to the Sabbaths of the 
two religions, Saturday for Jews 
and Sunday for Christians. It 
also references the fact that 
first the Jews were exiled from 
Iraq due to persecution. More 
recently, Christians have been 
forced to leave Iraq or be exter-

minated, following the rise of 
the Islamic State of Iraq and 
Syria (ISIS) in 2014. In more 
sinister terms, it refers to first 
the Jews being wiped out due 
to their religion. Now, it’
s the 
Christians’
 turn to face termi-
nation, as Adelman explains.
Norma Hakim, who 
turned 94 this month, came 
to America in 1937 from the 
town of Telkaif in Northern 
Iraq. She was almost 12 and 
was married to a man who was 
then 25, Karim Hakim. She 
was raised by Karim’
s mother, 
who taught her how to clean 
house, follow the Hakim family 
recipes and to cook for almost 
50 people a day. Norma first 
became pregnant at age 14 and 
went on to have eight children.
Adelman has considered 
Norma a mother figure for 
herself for the 40-some years 
she’
s known the Hakim family. 
And it is because of this famil-

TOP LEFT: Adelman at work 
in her home art studio. 
TOP RIGHT AND ABOVE: 
Adelman’
s art studio with 
her varied styles and 
subjects.

Jews in the D