MARCH 28 • 2024 | 25

“We are seeing the trend (of 
stealing and vandalizing Israeli 
flags) all over the country,” 
Normandin said. “Sometimes 
it is just vandalism; sometimes 
it is accompanied with assault 
and a violent grabbing of the 
flag from someone’s hands. 
When incidents like this hap-
pen, I encourage people to 
make a report with the ADL. It 
is our data that drives decisions. 
“We can then help coordinate 
our efforts with law enforce-
ment, especially when we detect 
patterns if this is occurring in 
multiple communities. We have 
found in these cases that law 
enforcement is very helpful and 
responsive.” 
In addition to flying an 
Israeli flag in support of Israel, 
Krebs, usually clean-shaven, 
has been growing a beard since 
the Oct. 7 attacks and refuses to 
shave it off until Israel defeats 
Hamas.
Sprader said though neither 
she nor her father have visited 
Israel, her cousin is marrying 
an Israeli woman. Now living 
in the United States, the cous-
in was visiting her family in 
Jerusalem in October and was 
supposed to fly home on Oct. 
8. Instead of going to the Nova 
festival, she spent her last day in 
Israel with her parents. Many of 
her friends were murdered that 
day, Krebs said. 
Krebs was supposed to travel 
at some point to Israel with his 
sister to attend the wedding, 
but the wedding has been post-
poned. Everything seems like 
it’s up in the air, he said. 
“My neighborhood is very 
safe,” Krebs said. “Nothing 
has ever been touched on my 
property except for my Israeli 
flag. I am Jewish, and I put that 
flag there to show my support 
of Israel. And for some reason, 
there are people who just don’t 
like it. But that’s their problem. 
I have extra Israeli flags. If they 
rip them down, I’m just going 
to keep putting it back up.” 

F

or the third year in 
a row, The Well is 
partnering up with 
Zingerman’s Delicatessen for 
the Friendseder Community 
Brunch, taking place at 
Zingerman’s Greyline in Ann 
Arbor on Sunday, April 7, at 
11 a.m. 
Friendseder started in 2019, 
inspired by the Friendsgiving 
trend, having a meal with 
friends leading up to the 
big Thanksgiving holiday. 
Friendseder is the sidekick to 
Passover that helps people gath-
er with their friends prior to (or 
during) the week of Passover to 
make the holiday their own.
Attendees will enjoy a four-
course brunch that’s inspired 
by the seder plate without 
needing to follow Passover 
dietary rules. The menu will 
include dishes like lamb or 
vegetarian tagine and other 
surprises from the kitchen. 
Fun brunch beverages will be 
offered as well - the tickets 
include mocktail pairings.
The hosts for the brunch 
will be Zingerman’s Event 
Coordinator Tessie Ives-Wilson 
and The Well’s Executive 
Director Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh. 
Together, they will lead those in 
attendance on a guided tour of 
this special brunch menu – the 
tastes, products, ingredients, 
meaning, ritual and traditions.
Rabbi Stombaugh says 
they’re hoping to once again 
show through this experience 
how food tells stories. 
“We’re keeping some classics 
on the menu this time, and we 
are also evolving the menu, 
as we do every year,
” Rabbi 
Stombaugh said. “It’s gonna be 
fantastic. It’s the number one 
Jewish food event in Detroit, in 

my opinion.
”
Everything The Well does 
is geared toward young adults, 
but this is one of the events 
they do that creates the space 
for more of an intergeneration-
al experience. 
Due to the generosity of The 
Well donors, subsidized tickets 
are available at three pay-what-
you-can tiers: $45, $65 and $85 
per person.
Each ticket includes a 
four-course brunch menu + 
mocktail pairings plus coffee 
and tea and a guided tasting 
and learning experience with 
Zingerman’s Delicatessen and 
The Well. 
A cash bar will also be avail-
able for handcrafted cocktails, 
beer and wine. True cost of 
the ticket is $65+ per person. 
Each ticket also includes a 
20% off coupon to use to shop 
Zingerman’s Specialty Foods 
grocery area after the tasting.
This is the first Passover 
and Friendseder since the 
events of Oct. 7 and everything 
that’s happened since. Rabbi 

Stombaugh believes Passover 
in general, and Friendseder 
particularly, is a real oppor-
tunity for us individually and 
as a community to process 
the events of Oct. 7 through 
using the different Jewish tools 
Passover has to offer - includ-
ing symbolism, storytelling and 
asking questions. 
“I think because the events of 
Oct. 7 are clouding everything 
in our community now, this is a 
perfect opportunity to be open, 
to ask new questions, to ask 
sharper and better questions, 
but also be open to hearing 
new answers to be able to push 
forward because we need to 
continue to come together as 
a community, more and more, 
stronger and stronger,
” he said. 
“This year more than ever, it’s 
about bringing that story into a 
new light, and we should all be 
better off telling the story and 
retelling it and seeing this expe-
rience through.
” 

Get your tickets now and learn more at 

zingermansdeli.com/event/friendsed-

er-community-brunch-2/.

Friendseder Returns!

DANNY SCHWARTZ SENIOR STAFF REPORTER

“WE’RE KEEPING SOME CLASSICS 
ON THE MENU THIS TIME AND WE ARE 
ALSO EVOLVING THE MENU, AS WE 
DO EVERY YEAR.” 

— RABBI JEFF STOMBAUGH

