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