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