32 | MAY 11 • 2023
OUR COMMUNITY
J
ewish Senior Life of
Metropolitan Detroit
is celebrating its
30th annual fundraising
celebration, Eight Over
Eighty, on May 21 at 11:30
a.m. The event takes place at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
in Southfield. Master of
ceremonies Al Muskovitz will
kick off the gala luncheon
with a film about the eight
honorees. Eight students
from the Sam and Jean
Frankel Jewish Academy —
Rosalia Aronov, Anthony
Carson, Madison Charnes,
Eliyah Fradkin, Camryn
Katzen, Rebecca Rabin,
Ryan Schmeltz and Harrison
Shaevsky — interviewed the
honorees to write their bios
for the event.
Here are the honorees:
Jim August of
Southfield, former
advertising
agency executive
and owner of
Stone-August, founder of the
JET Theatre, longtime
volunteer with Federation,
Detroit Men’s ORT, Michigan
Jewish Conference, National
Foundation for Jewish
Culture and vice president of
the JTA.
Hidden child
Barbara Cohen
of West
Bloomfield is a
physical therapist
and a speaker for
the Zekelman Holocaust
Center, active in CHAIM to
promote Holocaust education
and awareness and active
with the Program for
Holocaust Survivors and
Families at JSL. She also
teaches chair exercise at JSL’s
Meer Apartments.
Dennis Frank,
CPA, of West
Bloomfield served
as president,
treasurer and
board member at
Temple Beth El and other
organizations, including
Oakland Family Services,
Metro Federation of Reform
Synagogues, Mumford High
School Reunion Committee,
Michigan Jewish AIDS
Coalition, Jewish Gay
Network and the Jewish
Community Center.
Avid walker and
mah jongg player
Roslyn Garber of
West Bloomfield,
former teacher for
children with
learning disabilities and
math, volunteers weekly at
Yad Ezra and spent time in
Israel teaching English to
Ethiopian students and
soldiers.
Dr. Richard
Krugel of
Bloomfield Hills,
a former
orthopedic
surgeon, served in
the Air Force, continues to
learn with Partners in Torah,
is an active volunteer with
Federation and is a former
Fred M. Butzel Memorial
Award recipient for
distinguished community
service.
Phyllis
Lewkowicz,
former
bookkeeper,
resides at
Hechtman
Apartments and serves as
president of the Resident
Council in West Bloomfield.
As an active disabilities
advocate, this former
sisterhood president of
Livonia’s Congregation Beit
Kodesh, then B’nai Moshe,
prepared foods to feed the
congregation, now hosts and
cooks meals for her friends,
raising funds for JSL by
creating tribute cards.
Career educator,
nursery-school
teacher and
parent educator
Janet Pont of
Southfield
continues to stay active as a
volunteer with Jewish
Hospice and Chaplaincy
Program and serves as a
friendly visitor at JSL.
Avid tennis and
pickleball player
Ellis Slovis of
Bloomfield Hills
volunteered at
Children’s
Hospital as “Art Lady,”
developed the program for
visually and hearing-
impaired children at
Cranbrook Institute of
Science and is the former VP
of NCJW, where she actively
served in many volunteer
positions to make a
difference in our community.
Proceeds from Eight
Over Eighty assist the older
adults in the Metro Detroit
JSL community to live fully
and help subsidize kosher
foods and other programs
and services that enrich
their lives. To learn more,
visit https://jslmi.org/
events/8over80.
JSL’s Eight Over Eighty returns for its 30th
annual fundraising celebration on May 21.
30th Annual
Eight Over Eighty
JN STAFF