APRIL 21 • 2022 | 9

We will sing, and we will 
pray. Most of all, we will ask 
what our obligations are some 
80 years after the close of 
World War II. 
For some of us, “Never 
Again” means making every 
effort to protect Jewish lives 
and to embrace Judaism. 
We help Israel defend itself 
against terrorism and nucle-
ar weapons, and we battle 
against antisemitism at home 
and abroad. Our synagogues 
and our homes offer children 
and adults alike a joyful, rel-
evant and intellectually rich 
Judaism, and we focus our 
charitable giving and acts of 
lovingkindness on our fellow 
Jews because, “If I am not for 
myself, who will be for me?” 
(Pirkei Avot 1:13). 
For others, the legacy of the 
Holocaust inspires a universal 

approach to pursuing justice 
and caring for the needy. We 
battle against all forms of 
discrimination, and we seek 
to empower and give voice to 
those historically underpriv-
ileged. We remember what 
it is like to be strangers and 
slaves, orphans and refugees, 
and so we seek to remedy 
the plight of all who fall into 
these categories because, “If I 
am for myself alone, what am 
I?” (Pirkei Avot 1:13). 
While Jewish values 
demand the pursuit of all 
these efforts, our time is lim-
ited and our resources finite. 
In addition to the above 
ongoing crises, we respond as 
well to the war crimes com-
mitted by Russia against the 
Ukrainians. Reality dictates, 
however, that we must priori-
tize our initiatives as the voic-

es of those murdered in the 
Shoah call to us: “If not now, 
when?” (Pirkei Avot 1:13). 
The Holocaust’s legacy must 
help to shape our communal 
agenda and our individual 
choices. What does it mean 
to remember and how do we 
fulfill the commandment, 
“Never again”?
After my grandfather’s 
death, my then-13-year-old 
son Caleb wrote, “Vividly, I 
recall his exact words as we 
were about to hang up: in his 
old, Polish accented voice, 
he said to my brother and 
me, ‘Boys, remember me … 
Remember me.’ From that 
point on, I promised myself I 
would always remember him. 
Not the Holocaust survivor, 
not the miraculous 101-year-
old man, but my Zaydie. 
My Zaydie. His legacies, his 

stories and everything he 
worked for in this country of 
opportunity. So, what is the 
power of memory? Having 
the person live on throughout 
your family’s generations. I 
want my children, grandchil-
dren and great-grandchildren 
to remember my Zaydie; to 
tell his stories and pass on his 
legacy: ‘Remember me.’”
Legacy is family, friends 
and community. Legacy is 
also a call to action. Zaydie, 
we remember. 

Rabbi Aaron Starr is a spiritual leader 

at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in 

Southfield. “To Remember, To Remind” 

will take place on Thursday, April 28. 

It is open to the entire community, 

free of charge, and will be led by the 

Congregation Shaarey Zedek clergy 

and members of the CSZ family. For 

more information or to RSVP, call (248) 

357-5544.

daughters and one son, Groth 
watched his pennies and was 
able to spend his retirement 
years living in Palm Beach, Fla.
Tigers first base coach 
Kimera Bartee went to Omaha 
last December to spend the 
holidays with his father. While 
there, he collapsed and couldn’t 
be revived. The 49-year-old 
Bartee was one of the nicest, 
kindest men to ever wear a 
Tigers uniform. Bartee was 
with the Tigers as a player 
when Tiger Stadium hosted its 
final game on Sept. 27, 1999, 
and is the answer to the trivia 
question, who was the last Tiger 
player to bat in Tiger Stadium.

TODAY’S TEAM
While we hope the departed 
Tigers are in a higher league, 
we can expect the 2022 Tigers 
to go higher in the standings.
The 2021 Tigers won 77 
games and lost 85. The 2022 

team is capable of turning that 
record around. Manager A.J. 
Hinch has a lot more to work 
with this season, which should 
translate into some very excit-
ing months ahead for fans and 
downtown businesses.
New impact players are Javy 
Baez and rookies Riley Greene 
and Spencer Torkelson. Baez, 
who ended last season with 
the Mets and hit 31 home 
runs, was signed as a free 
agent by the Tigers. A flashy 
fielder who can play shortstop 
and second base, his bat, glove 
and speed give the team more 
excitement. 
Rookies Greene and 
Torkelson may not be with 
the team all season, but they 
already proved themselves 
at all minor league levels to 
be headed for superstardom. 
Both are capable for hitting for 
a high average and hitting 30 

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