MARCH 16 • 2023 | 35

F

ighting judgment and the 
stigma of weakness are 
two of the biggest issues 
when it comes to substance 
abuse disorder. 
“When somebody says that 
they’re sick, we always ask, 
‘What’s wrong? What’s your 
method of treatment?’” 
Lisa Daniels-Goldman 
said. “But when they tell 
you that they’re sick with a 
substance use disorder, you 
know, the doors close and 
the response is often, ‘Well, 
just stop or you did this to 
yourself.
’”
Daniels-Goldman knows 
all too well how devastat-
ing that stigma can be. 
Her son, Jamie Daniels, 
passed away in 2016 after 
battling substance abuse. 
She remembers the embarrass-
ment Jamie dealt with while try-
ing to recover and the obstacles 
that arose throughout because 
others could take advantage of 
those obstacles. 
“Jamie was afraid that he 
would be judged. And his words 
go through my head all the 
time, ‘You can’t tell anybody 
because they won’t like me 
anymore, and I’ll be judged,
’” 
Daniels-Goldman said. “
And 
little did he realize how many 
people around him were going 
through the same things. And, 
so, we kept it quiet. And you 
just can’t do that.
”
Since Jamie’s death, Lisa and 
Jamie’s father, Ken Daniels, have 
worked to try and help fight 
the stigma and embarrassment 
around substance abuse through 
the Jamie Daniels Foundation, 
which focuses on supporting 
young adults who may be strug-

gling. 
On Friday, March 17, Temple 
Israel, in partnership with the 
Jamie Daniels Foundation and 
the Jewish Addiction Resource 
Alliance, will hold a Serenity 
Shabbat, where Rabbi Jen 
Lader will speak to the 
congregation about the 
importance of opening up 
our ears and minds when 
it comes to substance 
abuse disorders.
“We need to bring 
the Jewish community 
together and learn how 
we can be supportive 
and not be judgmental,
” 
Daniels-Goldman said. 
“
And my thought was that 
if one of our rabbis could 
stand at the bimah and 
say, ‘We understand,
’ then 
it could help the community 
understand that substance abuse 
disorder can affect anybody.
”
Lader added, “This service is 
an opportunity for us to come 
together as a community to 
acknowledge and address the 
devastating impact of addiction. 
We have a responsibility to love, 
support and provide resources 
for those who are struggling, 
and by coming together in this 
way, we can make a difference 
in the lives of those affected and 
their families.
”
Those attending the service 
can bring in old or unused pre-
scription medication (no liquids 
or sharps/needles) for safe and 
proper disposal to help protect 
our community from the harm-
ful misuse of prescription drugs. 
The service is supported by 
the Jewish Addiction Resource 
Alliance & the Jamie Daniels 
Foundation. 

Rabbi Jen 
Lader

Temple Israel service to focus on supporting 
those with substance abuse disorder.
Serenity Shabbat

SEAN SHAPIRO SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Lisa 
Daniels-
Goldman

Still Time to Sign Up for 
Maccabi Games in Israel 

Detroit athletes ages 
14-17 can still sign up 
to participate in the JCC 
Maccabi Games in Israel 
this summer.
Sports offered are boys 
and girls basketball, boys 
baseball, boys and girls flag 
football, co-ed ice hockey, 
boys and girls soccer, girls 
volleyball, boys and girls 
swimming and boys and 
girls tennis.
Cost is $3,500 for the 
July 5-25 event, which 
includes tours of Israel’s 
most significant cultural, 
religious and historical 
sites, meetings with Israeli 

coaches and professional 
athletes, and participation 
in volunteer service 
projects with Israeli not-
for-profits and social justice 
organizations.
Interested? Contact Jessica 
Posnock, JCC Association 
of North America program 
manager for JCC Maccabi, 
at j.posnock@jcca.org.
Detroit tennis players 
seeking more information 
can contact Doug Victor 
at rxdvictor@aol.com or 
(248) 462-0734. Victor 
said both experienced and 
inexperienced tennis players 
can participate. 

On Sunday, March 26, at 2 
p.m. at Congregation Beth 
Ahm in West Bloomfield, 
the Program for Holocaust 
Survivors and Families of 
Jewish Senior Life will host 
its annual fundraising event. 
The Klezmer Fusion Band 
will perform freilich klezmer 
music. 
At the event, there will be 
a special ceremony honoring 
Detroit’s Holocaust survivors. 
A special dessert reception 
will follow.
All proceeds from the 
fundraiser will benefit our 
local survivors through 

support groups, individual 
counseling, wellness calls, the 
monthly Café Europa social-
ization program, and the 
ongoing Portraits of Honor 
oral history project that is 
housed at the Zekelman 
Holocaust Center, portrait-
sofhonor.org.
The program will also be 
on Zoom for those who can-
not attend in person. There 
is no cost to Holocaust sur-
vivors.
The entire community is 
welcome to attend and sup-
port the event. Please go to 
jslmi.org/phsf-fundraiser. 

Program for Holocaust Survivors 
and Families’ Sets Benefit Concert 

