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B I R M I N G H A M



36 | JANUARY 12 • 2023

here’s to

The Jewish
Theological
Seminary
awarded
honorary
doctorates to 40
rabbis at a recent
convocation
ceremony. JTS
celebrated and
honored the achievements of these
important members of the rabbinate
for their more than 25 years of service.
Among them was a Detroiter, Rabbi
Michele Faye Faudem of Hillel Day
School of Metropolitan Detroit in
Farmington Hills.

Transitions Legal, a Bloomfield Hills-based
family law firm, has hired Kacie Pohlman
as its newest associate attorney. Pohlman
worked in family law and personal injury/
no-fault law at her previous firm. During
her college studies, she studied romantic
relationships and group therapy, adding
knowledge that informs her legal career
and inspiring her to choose family law as
her area of specialty. She also learned
conflict resolution and
attachment styles to
better understand how
people react and manage
conflict, which informs
her work with the Our
Family in Two Homes
resource that Transitions
Legal offers to clients.

Hadassah has
selected Detroit
resident Amy
Sapeika to be a
member of the
inaugural class of
Evolve Leadership
Fellows, the
organization’s new
leadership development program.
Sapeika, a communications coordinator
at Hillel Day School of Metro Detroit,
is a third-generation Life Member
of Hadassah. The Fellows met with
senior Hadassah volunteer leaders
and longtime Hadassah members in
Israel in November. On their return to
the U.S., the Fellows began a series of
leadership development sessions.

S

eeing the Berkley Coffee
staff at work, there is no
denying they are mas-
ters of a craft. Rachel Rosenthal,
the coffee shop manager, loves
feeding people and sharing the
world one beverage at a time.
Rosenthal, born in Jerusalem,
moved to Michigan eight years
ago. Today, she and her family
call Oak Park home. Rosenthal’s
career started with AISH. She
specialized in Jewish outreach
and education for adults and
young families. Bringing people
together and creating space for
meaningful growth and bonds
are the anchors of her life work.
These are also sacrosanct to her
work at Berkley Coffee.
Attracted to the Berkley
Coffee mission to slow down
with intentionality, wonder
and exploration were just

one part of the coffee shop’s
appeal. “I felt like I was walking
into someone’s home,
” recalls
Rosenthal of her first time
entering Berkley Coffee. At the
time, Rosenthal was working
for Fresh Collective Kitchen
and Market where Berkley
Coffee sources its sandwiches.
That first time, Rosenthal
entered through the East
Room, also known as the Quiet
Room. She was in awe of the
quality, care and detail of the
space. The space caters to
young children and individuals
seeking to enjoy their coffee
without music. The coloring
books, Rosenthal recalls, are the
type she would invest in for her
own children.
Rosenthal shares one power-
ful business choice of Berkley
Coffee: to offer the full bar-mu-

sic-gathering experience and be
fully non-alcoholic.
The Berkley Coffee mission
statement reads: “Our non-
alcoholic bar exists to encour-
age consciousness, life balance
and appreciation of all those
other ingredients shadowed by
ethanol in most ‘adult bever-
ages.
’ For the full spectrum of
strictly sober to struggling alco-
holic, we exist for you to enjoy
well-considered, often complex/
challenging adult drinks devoid
of the negative impacts of alco-
hol.
”
Rosenthal takes great pride
that Berkley Coffee is not your

typical coffee shop minimal-
ist music space. The absolute
opposite. Kenny Showler,
the owner and creative force
behind Berkley Coffee, stud-
ied sound design at Michigan
Technological University and
honed his skills working at
theme parks and museums
around the globe.
Berkeley Coffee is a top-of-
the-line music performance
space. The venue regularly
hosts talent of all ages, offering
everything from open mics on
Thursdays to a monthly stu-
dent expo series for AIM High
School.

Berkley Coffee is a welcoming and
inclusive space to gather.

A Place for
Community

STORY AND PHOTOS BY YEVGENIYA GAZMAN

Rachel Rosenthal, Kenny Showler, Adam Magy and Gasana
Theophile

continued on page 37