6 | FEBRUARY 3 • 2022 1942 - 2022 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.djnfoundation.org The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520) is published every Thursday at 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send changes to: Detroit Jewish News, 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334 MISSION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will be of service to the Jewish community. The Detroit Jewish News will inform and educate the Jewish and general community to preserve, protect and sustain the Jewish people of greater Detroit and beyond, and the State of Israel. 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Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com Publisher The Detroit Jewish News Foundation | Board of Directors: Chair: Gary Torgow Vice President: David Kramer Secretary: Robin Axelrod Treasurer: Max Berlin Board members: Larry Jackier, Jeffrey Schlussel, Mark Zausmer Senior Advisor to the Board: Mark Davidoff Alene and Graham Landau Archivist Chair: Mike Smith Founding President & Publisher Emeritus: Arthur Horwitz Founding Publisher Philip Slomovitz, of blessed memory | Editorial DIrector of Editorial: Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com Associate Editor: Rachel Sweet rsweet@thejewishnews.com Associate Editor: David Sachs dsachs@thejewishnews.com Social Media and Digital Producer: Nathan Vicar nvicar@thejewishnews.com Staff Reporter: Danny Schwartz dschwartz@thejewishnews.com Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@thejewishnews.com Contributing Writers: Nate Bloom, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Keri Guten Cohen, Shari S. Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman, Louis Finkelman, Stacy Gittleman, Esther Allweiss Ingber, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz, Robin Schwartz, Mike Smith, Steve Stein, Julie Smith Yolles, Ashley Zlatopolsky | Advertising Sales Director of Advertising: Keith Farber kfarber@thejewishnews.com Senior Account Executive: Kathy Harvey-Mitton kmitton@thejewishnews.com | Business Office Director of Operations: Amy Gill agill@thejewishnews.com Operations Manager: Andrea Gusho agusho@thejewishnews.com Operations Assistant: Ashlee Szabo Circulation: Danielle Smith Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner | Production By Farago & Associates Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Kelly Kosek, Kaitlyn Schoen, Deborah Schultz, Michelle Sheridan PURELY COMMENTARY essay Love and Marriage in the Time of COVID I have recently written about my decision to retire from my psychiatric practice just prior to the onset on COVID. So, this is (as Paul Harvey used to say) the rest of the story. Or an important part of it. I met my wife when we were just kids, 17 and 15. We had a few rocky moments while we were dating, but pretty much remained joined at the hip through college, leading to our marriage in May 1971, after my first year of medical school. Leslie started her teaching career and supported us until our daughter Adina arrived on the scene in 1975, during my resi- dency years in Cincinnati. Despite our long-standing attachment, I realize now that neither of us were really prepared for marriage at respectively 22 and 20. I was ambivalent about commitment and Leslie still held fantasies about “happily ever after. ” I prioritized time with my friends, playing sports or cards and Leslie often felt under-appre- ciated. Our move to Cincinnati (for my residency) helped us to find each other, enhanced by our involvement in Jewish Marriage Encounter. We learned that staying con- nected in a marriage takes hard work. We learned and practiced listening and communication skills, and I think we also both grew up along the way. Having children together also either kills you or makes you stronger. Our relationship got stronger. Flash forward almost 50 years … As I approached the idea or retirement, I think we both had trepidations, remembering those early years before our now empty nest got full. We both wondered how our relationship would respond to being home together without the distraction of my going to work every day. To some people, it might sound idyllic, but I think we both were worried about revisiting some of our early struggles. And then COVID showed up, which upped the ante. A MIXED BLESSING The pandemic oddly seemed like more of a mixed blessing for our relationship. I was in the process of retiring from my practice, and COVID meant I could see my patients on Zoom from home, which eliminated my commute to work. I could still go to the gym to exercise and perhaps play bridge more often at the bridge club, I guessed. Although that quickly changed. And what about my touchstone, my weekly poker game? We began to hear stories of old geezers like us all getting infected after meeting for their weekly game. Whoops! That wasn’t such a great idea either! Leslie and I also began to curtail our regular plans with friends for dinner and stopped going to the movies. So how was this pandemic a “mixed blessing” for our mar- riage? Because suddenly all my outside activities, which had pre- viously served as an alternative to staying home, were no longer an option. And my commute time was 30 seconds instead of Jeff London continued on page 9