SEPTEMBER 1 • 2022 | 61

H

arlene Appelman, 
a nationally known 
innovator in Jewish 
education, died at the age 
of 75 on Aug. 18, 2022, in 
Ann Arbor. Funeral services 
were held at Beth Israel 
Congregation of Ann Arbor.
Appelman realized early 
in her career that congrega-
tional schools would be suc-
cessful only if parents were 
engaged in their children’s 
education. She created inter-
active educational programs 
such as “Shabbat in a Box,” 
“So You Want to Be a Jewish 
Parent” and Shalom Street, a 
museum for Jewish children 
at the Jewish Community 
Center.
Her husband, Dr. Henry 
Appelman, said of Harlene, 
“She was tremendously 
accomplished and known 
nationally for her work 
in Jewish education.” The 
couple raised five children 
together. 
Appelman was born in 
Elmira, New York, and 
raised with a strong Jewish 
education. She earned 
degrees from Northwestern 
University and the University 
of California-Berkley 
and taught in Israel for 
three years. In 1982, she 
was appointed director 
of Family Life Education 
at Congregation Shaarey 
Zedek in Southfield, where 
she developed interactive, 
experiential education pro-
grams that became national 
models. She later held lead-
ership positions at the Fresh 
Air Society of Detroit, the 
Jewish Community Center 
and Jewish Federation of 

Metropolitan Detroit. 
Marianne Bloomberg, 
associate director of phil-
anthropic engagement 
at Federation, describes 
Appelman as a visionary 
who developed programs 
that “made it easy for you 
to be Jewish.” Appelman’s 
accomplishments were rec-
ognized by Federation when 
she received the Mandell and 
Madeleine Berman Award 
for Outstanding Professional 
in Jewish Communal Service 
in 1994.

Judah Isaacs knew 
Appelman during the 
17 years he worked at 
Federation. While he ini-
tially worked in Federation’s 
Planning Department, 
Appelman quickly told him 
that he belonged in edu-
cation, and he soon was 
reassigned to Federation’s 
Alliance for Jewish 
Education. Appelman was its 
executive director.
“She had a broad vision of 
Jewish education — that the 
family had to be involved. 
She created the field of expe-
riential Jewish education 
for families. She understood 
what would work and that 
you don’t do a program for 
500 years. We visited science 
museums to see how we 
could use them for Jewish 
education,” said Isaacs. 
He adds that Appelman 
believed in respect for educa-
tors and began a program to 
take Jewish teachers to Israel 
in the late 1990s. “She made 
connections with people and 
thought outside of the box,” 
Isaacs said.
Appelman received a 

Covenant Award honoring 
her work as a Jewish educa-
tor in 1991— the first year 
the award was given by the 
Covenant Foundation, which 
supports Jewish education 
and teachers in the U.S. 
and Canada. She joined the 
Covenant board in 1994 and 
served as its executive direc-
tor from 2005 to 2021. 
Joni Blinderman, who 
succeeded Appelman as 
Covenant’s executive direc-
tor, met her in 2000. “She 
was brilliant — a very inno-
vative educator, very creative, 
very bold. Her first love was 
family education and engage-
ment. Jewish Experiences for 
Families became a national 
model,” Blinderman said. 
“Her superpower was under-
standing how to build com-
munity and how to create 
excellence.”
Appelman was a master 
developer of programs but 
also of people. Her col-
leagues remember her as 
a great mentor and caring 
individual who made every-
one feel special.
“She pushed people to 
higher and better places 

with a special focus on 
women. She told people 
what they needed to hear, 
not what they wanted to 
hear. She really pushed me,” 
remembers Kari Alterman, 
who began working with 
Appelman as an intern at 
Federation while in social 
work school. Alterman is the 
program director for Jewish 
Life at the William Davidson 
Foundation.
“She was a mentor to 
all the young women at 
Federation and the agencies. 
She always said yes to you 
— whatever you needed. She 
took everyone under her 
wing,” Bloomberg said. “She 
had an effervescent presence. 
If you were lucky to be in her 
orbit, it was just a blessing.” 
Harlene Appelman was 
the beloved wife of 38 years 
of Henry Appelman; sister 
of Fern Sabian (Michael 
Sabian); cherished moth-
er of Gabriel “Gabi” Adiv, 
Avishai “Avi” Adiv (Vera 
Zolotaryova), and Naomi 
Adiv (Elliot Leffler), and 
Avery Appelman (Cindi 
Tarshis) and Brett Appelman; 
loving Bubbie of Eli Adiv, 
Nava Leffler, Razia Adiv, 
Lillianna Appelman, 
Branson Appelman, Harper 
Appelman and Oxford 
Appelman. 

The family suggested that 
memorial contributions 
be directed to Beth Israel 
Congregation of Ann Arbor, 
the Hebrew Free Loan 
Association and the Jewish 
Federation of Greater Ann 
Arbor. Funeral arrangements 
were handled by the Ira 
Kaufman Chapel. 

Harlene Appelman Transformed 
Jewish Education 

Harlene Appelman

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

