1942 - 2024 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.thejewishnews.com The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520) is published every Thursday at 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send changes to: Detroit Jewish News, 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334 MISSION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will be of service to the Jewish community. The Detroit Jewish News will inform and educate the Jewish and general community to preserve, protect and sustain the Jewish people of greater Detroit and beyond, and the State of Israel. VISION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will operate to appeal to the broadest segments of the greater Detroit Jewish community, refl ecting the diverse views and interests of the Jewish community while advancing the morale and spirit of the community and advocating Jewish unity, identity and continuity. DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com Publisher The Detroit Jewish News Foundation | Board of Directors: Chair: Gary Torgow Vice President: David Kramer Secretary: Robin Axelrod Treasurer: Max Berlin Board members: Michael J. Eizelman Larry Jackier, Jeffrey Schlussel, Mark Zausmer Executive Director: Marni Raitt Senior Advisor to the Board: Mark Davidoff Alene and Graham Landau Archivist Chair: Mike Smith Founding President & Publisher Emeritus: Arthur Horwitz Founding Publisher Philip Slomovitz, of blessed memory Editorial Director of Editorial: Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com Contributing Editors: David Sachs, Keri Guten Cohen Senior Staff Reporter: Danny Schwartz dschwartz@thejewishnews.com Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@thejewishnews.com Digital Manager: Elizabeth King eking@thejewishnews.com Contributing Writers: Nate Bloom, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Shari S. Cohen, Louis Finkelman, Samantha Foon, Yevgeniya Gazman, Stacy Gittleman, Esther Allweiss Ingber, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz, Karen Schwartz, Robin Schwartz, Steve Stein, Nathaniel Warshay, Julie Smith Yolles, Ashley Zlatopolsky Advertising Sales Director of Advertising: Keith Farber kfarber@thejewishnews.com Senior Account Executive: Kathy Harvey-Mitton kmitton@thejewishnews.com | Business Office Director of Operations: Amy Gill agill@thejewishnews.com Operations Assistant: Ashlee Szabo Circulation: Danielle Smith Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner | Production By Farago & Associates Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Kaitlyn Iezzi, Kelly Kosek, Michelle Sheridan 6 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N PURELY COMMENTARY from Federation A Thousand Women Show Support O n Feb. 12, almost 1,000 partici- pants gathered for Federation’s annual Women’s Philanthropy Signature event. What could bring out so many women on an otherwise ordinary Monday night? If your answer is Debra Messing, the famous Jewish actress, you’re right. But not completely. The other answer to this question — and I would say the more important answer — is that the event was a chance to connect, to be inspired and to stand together as a united Jewish community. In other words, to do what we do best as Jewish Detroiters. These are difficult times for the Jewish people. Our brothers and sisters in Israel are at war with Hamas, a terrible conflict they did not ask for. Over 100 hostages remain in Gaza, a fact that many in the rest of the world seem to have forgotten. Antisemitism has risen to levels we’ve not seen in gener- ations. But what defines us as a people, and what I believe makes us so unique, is our ability to unite in the face of difficulties and to always be there for one another. That is what the Signature event was all about, a thousand women laughing, and grieving, and loudly proclaiming, as they did at the end of the evening, Am Yisrael Chai. And that is just one example. Next month, our young adult community will gather for the EPIC event, which this year will celebrate diverse Jewish commu- nities around the world. After that, we’ll have many other great programs, includ- ing a very meaningful observance of Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtamaut in the spring. I hope you can make it to one of our events, but if you can’t, I encourage you to find community wherever it is right for you, at your temple or synagogue, in a Jewish education class or this week at your Shabbos dinner. As I often say: Just do Jewish. When you do, you enrich your own life and strengthen our community. To paraphrase the words of one of the speakers at the Feb. 12 event: When we come together as a community, we support one another, uplift each other, and ensure that every Jewish individual knows that they are loved and that they belong. Steve Ingber is CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit. Steve Ingber Debra Messing