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