8 | APRIL 29 • 2021 

PURELY COMMENTARY

JEWISH DOG from page 4

PARTNERSHIP2GETHER from page 6

beloved Judaic friends. For 
after years of study, research, 
interviews, and consultations 
with experts, I am about to 
publish the only guide of its 
kind, ‘How to Tell if Your 
Dog is Jewish.’ At long last, 
you can have peace of mind 
about at least this one small 
yet vital part of your family’s 
life. You’re welcome.”

THE SMELL TEST
The rabbis continue: “For a 
week, chart the things (and 

people) that your dog sniffs. 
Clothes may make the man, 
but smells make the dog, 
and in particular, the Jewish 
dog. 
 “Do you find him 
primarily sniffing the pets 
of other Jewish pet owners? 
When you walk past a Jewish 
deli, do his nostrils go crazy 
as he makes a sharp turn 
to steer you toward the 
pastrami? And while we’re 
on the subject of Jewish 
meat, has your dog, after 

getting a whiff of your 
Shabbat brisket, jumped up 
on the table and gobbled it 
down while you’re distracted 
lighting the candles?” 
And finally, the Rabbis of 
Boca Raton tell us: “Then 
again, ask yourself if it really 
matters if your dog is Jewish. 
If it does, perhaps that’s a 
sign that your life is not 
Jewish enough to start with. 
“Because if there’s enough 
Judaism in your life and 
in your relationships with 

others, you could have a 
Baptist dog, a Muslim dog 
or an Episcopalian dog and 
still live a pretty good and 
satisfyingly Jewish life, no? 
Then again, if you’d truly 
prefer a Jewish dog, who am 
I to stop you?” 
I say the Rabbis of Boca 
Raton are correct. Bertie 
would have loved them! 

Sandy Hermanoff is a local 
public relations consultant who 
loves to cook and bake.

LINKS WITH ISRAEL
The mission of Partnership 
is “to create and support 
programs and initiatives that 
foster deep, interpersonal 
relationships between the 
communities in Michigan 
and our Partnership Region 
in Israel. We utilize these 
experiences to engage and 
strengthen our communities 
while embracing Israel as a 
core value.”
Relationships are defined 
as a connection between 
people or groups. Great. 
What is it, then, that 
connects us?
Is it that we are all Jewish? 
Well, not so fast. That is 
evolving with the times … 
If you happened to see the 
March issue of the Israel 
and Overseas Department’s 
Newsletter, you would have 
read about Hisham Bisharat, 
an avid biker, Christian 
Arab Israeli and dedicated 
volunteer in the Partnership 
region. (By the way, if you 
are not currently receiving 

the Israel & Overseas 
Department Newsletter you 
can sign up at jewishdetroit.
org/get-involved/israel-and-
overseas.)
Is it that we all care about 
Israel as the land for the 
Jewish people? Yes, though, 
we don’t live there. We also 
care strongly about our local 
Detroit community. In fact, 
70% of the funds raised by 
the Jewish Federation stay 
local to take care of needs 
here.
Or is it the idea of 
Partnership being our “home 
in Israel”? I think this comes 
closest to explaining what is 
special about Partnership. 
The vision of Partnership 
that was developed by the 
committee, chaired by Randi 
Sakwa and Ron Sollish and 
staffed by Dona Stillman, is 
that our Partnership builds 
relationships of mutuality, 
understanding and support 
in which members of our 
communities are one family. 
• Mutuality — both 

parties benefit from 
these relationships and 
connections.
• Understanding — we 
know about one another, our 
communities and our lives.
• Support — we are there 
for each other emotionally, 
financially and otherwise.

TAKING ACTION
I see examples of all three of 
these qualities every day on 
our P2G What’s App group. 
When fires tore through Nof 
HaGalil last fall, Detroiters 
immediately responded with: 
“What can we do? We are 
here for you.” 
Similarly, when the 
gravestones at the Ahavas 
Israel cemetery in Grand 
Rapids were desecrated last 
November, the message 
from the P2G Israelis was 
clear: “We think of you and 
our hearts are with you 
always and especially in 
these difficult hours. We are 
supporting you all the way 
from your home away from 

home in Israel.”
Ruthi Zamir, the 
immediate past Israeli chair 
of P2G, summed it up nicely 
on What’s App during Tu 
b’Shevat: “Our Partnership 
is like a tree. We have old 
and strong roots that keep 
us safe together in stormy 
weather. Each year, we grow 
and flourish, we have new 
branches and very good 
fruits.”
I hope that each of you 
will be able to experience 
this home away from home 
for yourself. Please don’t 
hesitate to contact us if you 
are planning a trip to Israel. 
We will help you plan a visit 
to the region. We promise 
that it will leave a lasting 
impression and that you 
will come away with new 
relationships and connections 
to the Land of Israel. 

Jennifer Levine is director of the 

Israel and Overseas Department for 

the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan 

Detroit.

