6 | JULY 28 • 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.

VISION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will operate to appeal to the broadest segments of the greater 
Detroit Jewish community, reflecting the diverse views and interests of the Jewish community while advancing the 
morale and spirit of the community and advocating Jewish unity, identity and continuity.

DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
32255 Northwestern Hwy. 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: Kaitlyn Iezzi, Kelly Kosek, 
 Deborah Schultz, Michelle Sheridan 
 

PURELY COMMENTARY

essay

The Jewish Dilemma
A

s a Jew I was always 
taught that there 
were three levels 
of observance (Reform, 
Conservative and Orthodox). 
In my early 
life, I thought 
of myself as a 
Conservative 
Jew, as my 
mom called us. 
Growing up, I 
went to a Jewish 
day school, 
and I learned the Hebrew 
blessings and the Jewish 
customs and the meaning 
behind them, and I would go 
home and talk about them 
with my family to the best of 
an 8-year-old’s knowledge. 
I was excited to have a 
Passover seder and remember 
being 7 years old and making 
my entire family sit for the 

full length of the seder as 
I read from the Haggadah. 
I remember their faces as 
they watched me read the 
Hebrew words that were very 
unfamiliar to them, and I 
watched them beaming, like 
adults often do when they are 
proud of their kids. 
I remember being so 
excited about Jewish customs 
and holidays and thinking 
that all Jews ate fruit on Tu 
b’Shevat and lit the candles 
on Friday nights, or at least 
aspired to. After I graduated 
from Jewish day school at 
13 and went to a public 
high school, I was in for a 
big reality check. I realized 
that in our fast-paced world, 
every Jew has their own level 
of observance. Each far too 
varied to simply categorize 
under one name, such as 

Reform or Orthodox.

FINDING MY PATH
I set out to find the right 
level of observance for 
myself, and that has been 
more of a challenge than 
I thought it would be. I 
have had many interesting, 
humorous and jaw-dropping 
experiences along the way. 
 In high school, like many 
other teenagers, I wanted to 
fit in. I ate pepperoni pizza 
at lunch, and I ate shellfish at 
seafood restaurants. I would 
go to see a movie whenever 
I had the chance and never 
passed up an opportunity 
to do something with a 
friend, no matter what day 
of the week it was. I would 
celebrate the Jewish holidays 
at home with my family, but 
sometimes I would forget 

about a custom or two 
because I was studying for 
AP U.S. history or going to 
the mall with a friend. 
 Occasionally, a non-
Jewish friend would ask me 
a question about a Jewish 
holiday, and I would rack my 
brain and try to remember 
what I learned in school 
and how to answer that 
question. I was sometimes 
left wondering, how do I 
represent my religion to 
someone who knows nothing 
about it, and do I even 
represent it at all? Then, I 
went away to college and 
moved into a dorm, and 
something changed in me.

A CHANGE OF HEART
Maybe it was being far away 
from home that made me 
miss lighting the candles 

Rachel Lanis

ANNA FRENKEL PHOTOGRAPHY

