DECEMBER 17 • 2020 | 49 plays I wrote, including Change of Life and The Day We Met. “Evie had enormous faith in me as a playwright when I was just starting out. Her faith in me made me believe in myself, and I will be forever grateful to her for that. She was a dyna- mo who could make things happen, a can-do person who, in spite of what the obstacles were, always plowed ahead. ” Henrietta Hermelin Weinberg and Mary Lou Zieve (a continuing board member) got to know Orbach through associations with Michigan theater companies and broadcast programming. They were glad to offer their artistic suggestions and busi- ness introductions to establish JET and remained impressed by Orbach’s perseverance — both artistically and in seeking out private donors and public grant providers, first to launch and later to supplement ticket prices. “Evelyn had tenacity and vision, ” said Weinberg, who had worked in New York before moving back to her hometown and starring in JET plays as well as other local pro- ductions. “She had a vision for the arts in the Jewish commu- nity and sometimes could be overwhelming. She got ahold of something and didn’t let go. ” A MENTOR TO OTHERS Orbach’s personality motivated young performers chosen to showcase their talents. One was Jaime Ray Newman, whose early acting experience at JET helped prepare her for work that went beyond theater and into television and film. She won an Oscar in 2019 for producing the Best Live Action Short Film. “Evie was a powerhouse teacher, producer and direc- tor, and I credit her for giving me my first acting job at age 12 in JET’s second-ever play, ” Newman emailed from her California home. “She believed in me as a young girl and proved that a career in the arts was 100 percent possible. “My love of the theater and the life I’ve committed myself to is in large part due to Evie’s infectious rapture with the stage. I will remember her always. The Detroit [area] is a better [place] for having her talents shine there. ” Daniel Kahn, who appeared with Newman in the plays A Rosen by Any Other Name by Israel Horovitz and First Is Supper by Shelley Berman, went on to build an international career with his Painted Bird music group. He was cast in the Yiddish version of Fiddler on the Roof staged in New York. “There are few people in my life who have had as profound an impact on me as Evie, ” Kahn wrote from Germany. “When I was 11, she saw me recite a poem at Temple Israel and asked me to audition at JET. “For the first time, I found myself working under Evie’s caring direction and alongside professional actors. That expe- rience and the relationships that grew from it completely changed my life’s trajectory. “I gained a community of creative mentors, free spirits, wise artists, thoughtful crafts- people, working humanists and cultural warriors who continue to inspire me. I owe it all to Evie. ” Also grateful to Orbach is Christopher Bremer, JET executive director who was hired by Orbach for tempo- rary responsibilities and later promoted. He anticipates an in-person memorial once the pandemic has been defeated and programming named in her honor. “I met Evie on a Greek island, where she had come to do a play with artists and actors from all over the United States, ” Bremer recalled. “She played a role in the chorus of a Greek tragedy. “I started working at JET about a year later, and virtually every day, I think about the things I learned from her. She had respect for everybody and showed no fear. Evelyn taught me to have ambition, determi- nation and courage. “She chose plays with the guiding philosophy that evil should not win. She was a pro’s pro and championed the JET mission statement of produc- ing theater according to the highest professional standards. This will always be the guiding principle of the institution she founded. ” Beyond the romance of captivating audiences during her active years in theater into 2009, Orbach’s retirement years brought some unstaged romance. On a cruise, she met Melvin Dalbow, who, at 90, converted to Judaism in honor of their marriage. “Mel saw her on that cruise and asked her to dance, ” Lazarus said. “They danced for three years. ” Evelyn Orbach is sur- vived by four children and their spouses, Richard (Leda Meredith) Orbach, Sharon (Howard) Quarters, Judy (Paul) Chamberlin and Lila (Ed Fernandez) Lazarus; nine grandchildren; four-great-grandchildren; and sister Anita Blank. Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association- Greater Michigan Chapter, 25200 Telegraph Road, Suite 100, Southfield, MI 48033, (248) 351-0280, http://www. alz.org/gmc; or JET Theatre, 1124 E. West Maple Road, Walled Lake, MI 48390, (248) 788-2900. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. MICHAEL LIPSHAW, 63, of Roseville, died Nov. 26, 2020. He was an alum- nus of Oakland University and a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Jeffrey and Alene Lipshaw; sister and broth- er-in-law, Leslie and Robert Hawring; nieces and nephews, Arielle Lipshaw Latour and Jeremy Latour, Matthew Lipshaw and Kiti Ho, James Lipshaw and Lauren Zawanda, Stephen Hawring, and Scott Hawring; great-niece and great-nephew, Harper Lipshaw and Calvin Latour. Mr. Lipshaw was the devot- ed son of the late Harold M. Lipshaw and the late Renata (Gruenebaum) Freed; the lov- ing brother of the late Pamela Lipshaw. Contributions may be made to Kadima, 15999 W . 12 Mile, Southfield, MI 48076, kad- imacenter.org; or Michigan Animal Rescue League, 790 Featherstone, Pontiac, MI 48342, marleague.org/donate/ donate-now. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. IRVING MENDELSON, 92, of West Bloomfield, died Dec. 3, 2020. He is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, David and Barbara Mendelson, and Marc and Lisa Mendelson; grand- children, Jason and Rebecca Weiner, Adam and Ashley Weiner, Rachael Mendelson, Jaclyn Mendelson, Melissa Mendelson, Kari Broder, Dayna Broder; Amelia Mendelson, Isla Mendelson, Auguste Mendelson; great-grandchildren, Ronen continued on page 50 continued from page 47