10 | MARCH 26 • 2020 

continued from page 8

Woody Allen in Annie 
Hall tells us that life is sep-
arated between the “hor-
rible” and the “miserable.” 
The horrible are the blind 
and deaf people and those 
with terrible diseases. The 
miserable are the rest of us, 
so we should be thankful if 
we’
re only miserable. It’
s a 
crazy and outrageous com-
mentary about human life, 
yet it’
s become a popular 
half-funny/half-serious way 
some Jews see the world. 
The best that our people 
can hope for, under this 
Woody-ism, is to be only 
miserable. How sad and yet 
strangely funny.
We can even find humor 
in the Holocaust. The 
award-winning 2017 doc-
umentary film The Last 
Laugh interviews survivors 
and comedians and looks 
at humor in and about the 
concentration camps. It’
s 
irreverent, shocking and 
often hysterical. Who else 
but Jews could produce 
such a film?
So, I have to ask: Is there 
something deep within a 
modern Jewish soul that 
searches for meaning not 
just in our holy scriptures, 
but also even within the 
humorous corners of our 
cultural DNA? And if so, 

isn’
t this the perfect time to 
tap into the wealth of that 
vast humor?
Our community has 
always amazed me in our 
ability to come together. 
I believe it’
s our greatest 
strength. We’
re a very big 
tent these days, filled with a 
massive, diverse spectrum 
of people who look, think 
and act differently, yet we 
all share an undeniable 
commonality. We are all the 
children of Abraham. We 
may disagree, debate and 
even dislike one another 
at times, but we also share 
many visceral values. We 
pray together, study togeth-
er, dance together, cry 
together, laugh together.
The coronavirus virus 
pandemic of 2020 shall pass 
one day, just like all the 
countless crises humankind 
has faced since time imme-
morial. Meanwhile, during 
these dark days, I suggest 
that aside from only leaning 
on our faith, knowledge and 
determination, Jews should 
also give ourselves permis-
sion to sometimes draw on 
our vast humor, that other 
precious Jewish gift that 
always serves us well.
And, as we like to say 
about chicken soup, it 
couldn’
t hurt either. 

OUR JN MISSION: We aspire to communicate news and opinion that’
s trusted, valued, engaging 
and distinctive. We strive to refl
 ect diverse community viewpoints while also advocating 
positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continuity. As an independent, responsible, 
responsive community member, we actively engage with individuals and organizations 
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, and Jewish life, in Southeast Michigan.

Detroit Jewish News | 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110 | Southfi
 eld, MI 48034

DEPARTMENTS
General Offi
 ces: 248-354-6060 
Advertising: 248-351-5129 
Circulation: subscriptions@renmedia.us
Classifi
 ed Ads: 248-351-5116 / 248-234-9057
Advertising Deadline: Friday, 11am 
Editorial Fax: 248-304-8885

SUBSCRIPTIONS:
1 year 
 $85
2 years 
$153
3 years 
$204
1 year out-of-state $125
2 years out-of-state $2 
25
Online only $36

Contact Us

NEWS UPDATES
Watch videos and read the latest 
news about Metro Detroit’
s Jewish 
community. thejewishnews.com

MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
Renew your subscription, change 
your postal or email address, 
forward for your vacation, report 
a missed delivery. thejewishnews.
com/my-account

LIFE-CYCLE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Submit your life-cycle 
announcement, as well 
as obituaries — and learn 
about deadlines and fees. 
thejewishnews.com/lifecycle-
announcements

COMMUNITY EVENTS
Submit your community events 
for the JN calendar and fi
 nd 
deadline information.
thejewishnews.com/calendar

ADVERTISE
Connect with the JN sales team.
thejewishnews.com/advertise

SUBMIT STORY IDEAS/
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Share your news or ideas. 
thejewishnews.com/contact

READ THE ONLINE EDITION
Read the weekly online version 
of the JN print edition with a 
subscription. thejewishnews.com/
web-edition

SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTER
Sign up for our daily or 
weekly email newsletter. 
thejewishnews.com/newsletter

LOCATIONS SELLING 
COPIES OF THE JN
Visit thejewishnews.com/where-
to-buy for a list of stores and 
boxes.

BACK ISSUES OF THE JN
The Detroit Jewish News 
Foundation’
s William Davidson 
Archive of Jewish Detroit History 
contains more than 330,000 
pages of content — spanning 
more than 100 years — from the 
Jewish News and its predecessor 
publication. It is fast, free and 
accessible via djnfoundation.org

Visit the 
JN website
www.thejewishnews.com

Views

005_DJN032620_POV Opinion Pages.indd 10
005_DJN032620_POV Opinion Pages.indd 10
3/23/20 10:29 AM
3/23/20 10:29 AM

