12 | JULY 2 • 2020
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
Online Comments
The JN welcomes comments from our Facebook followers.
Recently, several people responded to the story “Safe to Come
Out?” which discussed how local Jews are feeling about the
state reopening.
Jill Stern: I’
m high risk and so is my daughter. If something hap-
pens to me, she ends up in foster care since I have no remaining
family. I only go out for necessities such as food. Even with that,
I use Kroger pickup. Nothing is important enough to risk my
daughter’
s life. 99% of everything that I need I can get delivered
or pick up every 2 weeks using Kroger pickup.
Fred Cislo Jr.: I worked through the whole time (I work in a
funeral home), went to the store as needed and continue to
work. I feel comfortable going to the nature preserve and to the
park and to where I need to go to get what I need.
Rebecca Goldberg: Depends on the safety standards of the
businesses. Trying to keep my shopping short and focused,
probably only dining out on a patio if I do go somewhere this
summer.
With the outbreak of war,
neither of my parents was able
to finish their schooling. With
only two weeks of English lan-
guage lessons upon their arrival
in Michigan, my mother and
father struggled with English,
their sixth and seventh languag-
es, respectively. However, they
greatly valued and supported
education, and were so proud
of their three college-educated
children. Their family grew, and
they were able to enjoy many
years with their three beautiful
and much beloved grandchil-
dren.
When touring Ellis Island, I
also remembered the surprise
I had uncovered some years
earlier while searching the
Ellis Island ancestry records.
There were the details of my
paternal grandfather’
s ill-fated
exodus to America. My pater-
nal grandfather, Tevye Balaj,
aged 28, arrived in New York
from Glasgow, Scotland, on
the S.S. Furnessia on Aug. 15,
1905. He moved to Boston
for a year, where he joined his
brother-in-law, who had come
to the U.S. some years earlier.
Tevye did not find American
life to his liking, missing the
traditional European Jewish life
of Koretz, then part of Russia.
Instead of bringing the family to
America, tragically, he returned
to Russia, only to face the even-
tual destruction of the family
— except for my father, who
managed to survive after being
deported to Siberia.
My parents survived Hitler,
Stalin, World War II and the
Holocaust. They created a
loving family, finding a piece
of the American dream. They
fulfilled the promise embodied
in the Statue of Liberty, the
“Mother of Exiles,
” in the words
of the famous sonnet by Emma
Lazarus.
Over the years, I recall my
parents repeatedly saying, “This
is the best country in the world,
and don’
t you forget it!” And
as my mother said in her later
years, “I came to this country
with empty arms, and now they
are full.
”
Barbara S. Balaj, Ph.D., a native of
Michigan, lives in Washington, D.C.,
where she works for the World Bank
Group, a United Nations specialized
agency, initially created to rebuild coun-
tries devastated by World War II. The
World Bank now provides loans, grants
and technical assistance to over 100
developing countries around the world.
ANNIVERSARY from page 10
Views