36 | OCTOBER 19 • 2023 J
N

DETROITERS IN ISRAEL
Moshe “Mark” and Badonna 
Berkman lived in Flint for 
10 years and Oak Park for 
15 years before making 
aliyah and settling in 
Ranana. 
“Badonna and I have some 
fear for personal safety, but 
a strong sense of anger for 
what has happened,” Moshe 
said. “Think of it, Hamas 
launched literally thousands 
of missiles into areas where 
people live, trying to kill 
them on a holiday (Simchat 
Torah), a day intended 
for family and festive 
celebration.”
Holding back her 
emotions, Badonna noted 
that after the missiles began 
flying as a distraction to 
the Israeli Army and to kill 
civilians, “they then sent 
thousands of their ‘soldiers’ 
into Israel for the expressed 
purpose of shooting 
innocent men, women and 
children. They also forcibly 
kidnapped other innocent 
people to hold them for 
ransom.”
Moshe considers his 
emotions fairly similar to 
those of other Israelis. 
“We have a very 
determined resolve to stop 

these attacks. Everyone here, 
including us, have friends 
and family members who 
are literally risking their 
lives to stop these attacks 
and protect us. We find 
it infuriating to read that 
some politicians/journalists 
around the world try to 
justify, rationalize murder. 
“Would any of them 
condone someone 
committing mass murder of 
their loved ones or friends? 
If not, then it should not 
be OK for them to justify 
Hamas walking into 
communities and shooting 
innocent people for a 
political agenda,” he said.
“We hope and pray that 
everyone will condemn 
what Hamas has done and 
that Israel will succeed, 
soon, in stopping this 
attack and prevent it from 
happening again.”

As education director at 
Farber Hebrew Day School/
Yeshivat Akiva from 2000 to 
2009, Rabbi Yigal Tsaidi and 
his wife, Shulamit, raised 
their children in Southfield. 
“Ten of my nephews were 
called up to the army on 
Saturday. Most of them are 
officers,” said Tsaidi, who 

lives on moshav Rnei Reem 
near Ashdod. “Also, one of 
my nieces, who has a new 
baby, and her husband also 
were mobilized.”

Owen Alterman, who grew 
up in Bloomfield Hills and 
now lives in Petah Tikvah, 
said that his focus revolves 
around his job and his 
family. “My job is in media, 
so it’s up to me to absorb 
information, dissect what 
matters, look forward and 
explain it all to viewers,” 
said the senior international 
affairs correspondent for 
i24NEWS.
“As for my family, we have 
two small children,” he said. 
“So, our job is to shield 
them and keep as much of a 
routine as possible. Nursery 
school and outside activities 
are all on hold and going 
to the playground risks 
being caught in a siren. It is 
intensive and a challenge.”

Growing up in the 
former Soviet Union, Eva 
(Grinbaum) Yavine came 

to Detroit as a teenager in 
1979, living in Oak Park 
and Farmington Hills 
through university and her 
optometry studies. She and 
her family made aliyah to 
Hod Hasharon in 2001, 
followed a few years later 
by her parents, Dr. Emerich 
z”l and Judy, who moved to 
Ra’anana.
The mother of three with 
one grandchild said, “Both 
of my boys are in miluim 
(reserve duty). Daniel, 23, is 
in the north and Noam, 26, 
was in a base in the center 
of the country. He probably 
is being moved somewhere 
else, but I haven’t heard 
from him since [Sunday] 
morning.” 

Yonaton and Meirav 
Edrei were the Bnei Akiva 
shlichim in Detroit, with 
Yonaton also serving as 
regional director, from 
2015 to 2019. Living in 
Southfield, they grew the 
youth group throughout 
Oak Park, Southfield, 
Farmington Hills and West 
Bloomfield. They live in 
Jerusalem.
Yonaton, Bnei Akiva’s 
Midwest regional director, 
has not yet been called up 

Badonna and 
Moshe “Mark” 
Berkman, 
Ranana

Rabbi Yigal 
Tsaidi, Rnei 
Reem

Owen Alterman, 
Petah Tikvah

Eva (Grinbaum) 
Yavine, Hod 
Hasharon

Yonaton and 
Meirav Edrei 
and their 
children, 
Jerusalem

OUR COMMUNITY

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