6 | JULY 28 • 2022
1942 - 2022
Covering and Connecting
Jewish Detroit Every Week
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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
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Associate Editor:
David Sachs
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Social Media and Digital Producer:
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Staff Reporter: Danny Schwartz
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Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello
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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
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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