JUNE 17 • 2021 | 23
B
urton and Suzanne
Shifman of West
Bloomfield are cele-
brating a landmark achieve-
ment on June 19: their 70th
wedding anniversary.
As prominent members of
the community for decades,
Burton is the president of
the Ravitz Foundation and
has served as president of
Michigan’s Jewish National
Fund Council. He was
a recipient of JSL’s Eight
Over Eighty award in 2016.
Suzanne has served on the
advisory board of the Jewish
Women’s Foundation of
Metropolitan Detroit and on
the executive council of the
Jewish Historical Society of
Michigan.
The Shifmans met at a
St. Patrick’s Day party in
1950 while students at the
University of Michigan, hit
it off and corresponded for
months until their first date in
the late summer.
“I remember after our first
date that he was very easy to
talk to,” Suzanne said. “He’s
very easy to talk to now
as well. I think that’s what
attracted me to him. I felt very
much at ease with him right
away.”
The couple got married
on June 19, 1951, at Shaarey
Zedek on Chicago Boulevard.
The expansion of
their family has served
as a highlight for the
Shifmans in their 70
years of marriage. “The
birth of our children
was a very special
time, and the raising
of our children and
the gift of grandchil-
dren and two great-grand-
children … it’s been a great
joy to us,” Suzanne said.
The Shifmans have also
traveled the world extensively
throughout their marriage,
with notable trips to Israel,
New Guinea, Africa, South
America, trips throughout
Asia, including China, Japan
and Burma, and a number of
trips to Russia.
“We’ve been almost every-
where,” Burton said. “The
only place we’ve never been is
Antarctica. Other than that,
every other continent of the
world we’ve been.”
Along with “good luck and
good health,” the couple’s
family ties played an import-
ant role in the strength of the
marriage.
“Burt’s mother was a lovely
person, she was very inclu-
sive, so as soon as we became
engaged, she took in my fami-
ly and they became her family,
too,” Suzanne said.
SENSE OF COMMUNITY
The Shifmans also believe
their close ties to the com-
munity serve as an important
aspect of their marriage.
“The Jewish community of
Detroit was a place we grew
up in and felt part of, and still
do, and it’s the preservation
of that community that’s
important to us,” Burton said.
“It really is related to our mar-
riage.”
Plans for the anniversary
include a Shifman family
get-together in early July.
With 70 years of compan-
ionship behind them, the
Shifmans have advice for new-
lyweds and young couples.
“Have some common val-
ues,” said Burton.
“Have perseverance and a
refusal to give up, and be kind
to your partner,” Suzanne
added.
Expansion of family,
world travels serve
as highlights of
Shifmans’ marriage.
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
STAFF WRITER
years of marriage. “The
dren and two great-grand-
Celebrating
70 Years
COURTESY OF THE SHIFMANS
Suzanne and Burton
Shifman, then and now.
OUR COMMUNITY
JARC Appoints
Joshua Tobias
as President and
Chairman
JARC, a nonprofit agency that
serves individuals with develop-
mental disabilities, has appointed
Joshua Tobias as the new presi-
dent and chairman of the board
of directors for a two-year term.
Tobias has served on JARC’s
board of directors for 10 years,
including three years as vice
president and one year as pres-
ident-elect. Tobias’ plans for
JARC’s future include ensuring
support for the work of JARC’s
professional team and enhancing
the board’s involvement in its
financial growth.
The nonprofit serves 156 indi-
viduals in more than 80 locations
and has helped to vaccinate nearly
3,000 individuals, many of whom
have disabilities, through commu-
nity vaccination clinics.
“I am eager to take on this role
at such an important and impact-
ful organization,
” Tobias said. “I’ve
watched what a fantastic job the
staff has done to move the organi-
zation in the right direction, even
through a pandemic, and I am
continually impressed with the
team’s efforts in helping not only
our own persons served, but the
community around them as well.
”
Tobias is a funeral director
at the Ira Kaufman Chapel in
Southfield. He also serves on the
finance committee for Frankel
Jewish Academy and on the
board of trustees at Temple Israel,.
He lives in Farmington Hills with
his wife, Alyssa Tobias, and two
children.
Joshua Tobias