16 | MAY 9 • 2024
GERALD S. COOK
Gerald “Jerry” Cook began
his Jewish community
volunteerism after graduating
from Harvard Law School.
He was an active volunteer
and board member of Hillel
Day School, Adat Shalom,
Jewish Community Relations
Council, Jewish Federation
of Detroit and the Michigan
Committee for Conservative
Judaism in Israel, as well as
president of the American
Jewish Congress Michigan
Region and Jewish Historical
Society of Michigan.
He balanced these roles
with devotion to family,
judicial clerkship with
U.S. District Court Judge
Theodore Levin and a 42-year
career at the Honigman law
firm.
Cook’s most substantial
volunteer role has been as
the Trustee of the Ben N.
Teitel Charitable Trust. His
uncle, Ben Teitel, left the
bulk of his estate to help
Jews in Michigan and Israel,
and Cook is privileged to
carry out the work his uncle
entrusted to him. The first
major gift from the Teitel
Trust helped create the
Harriett and Ben Teitel Jewish
Senior Life Apartments in
1990. The Teitel Trust gift
provided enhancements such
as air conditioning, a canopy
and carpeted halls as well as
created the endowment fund
that helped secure United
States government aid for
JCare.
As Trustee, Cook has given
millions of dollars in Harriett
and Ben Teitel’s names to
fund teen travel to Israel,
JVS (now Gesher Human
Services), Jewish Family
Service, the JOIN program
for college internships, and
many other Michigan Jewish
programs and buildings.
The Trust also brought
two planeloads of Soviet
immigrants to Israel and
funded Israeli buildings and
programs for youth and older
adults.
PAUL GOLDSMITH
As an architect at Harley
Ellis Devereaux and adjunct
faculty member at Lawrence
Technological University’s
School of Architecture and
Design, where he taught
LEED-focused courses, Paul
Goldsmith is known for his
expertise in green building
and sustainable architecture.
Though retired, the
founding board member of
the Detroit regional chapter
of the U.S. Green Building
Council hasn’t stopped
making a difference in the
community, using his vast
knowledge and passion for
green building. A board
member at Adat Shalom
Synagogue and chairperson
of its building committee,
Goldsmith has helped convert
all lighting to LED, oversaw
implementing an air filtration
system and roof repair, and
is part of its Green Team,
leading the way for improved
efficiencies.
For the last 10 years, he has
volunteered in the Detroit
Public Schools Community
District (DPSCD). He’s
worked with the Detroit
nonprofit EcoWorks as an
AmeriCorps coordinator in
the Go Green Challenge
program. Goldsmith has
also been involved with
three of DPSCD’s career
training schools, including
the A. Phillip Randolph
Career and Technical
Center, where he has assisted
with the class curriculum and
is now the teacher of record,
instructing students in the art
of residential carpentry.
The Farmington Hills
resident also shares his love
of Hebrew with young and
old. Goldsmith volunteers
every week to teach the
language to beginning
Hebrew students, attends
Shabbat services and
personally calls members
when assigning parts for the
High Holidays services.
NANCY KALEF
A light in the lives of all
who know her, Nancy Kalef
is a recent cancer survivor
who believes in meeting
life’s challenges head on and
seizing (as well as creating)
opportunities to make
OUR COMMUNITY
continued from page 15
DETAILS
Jewish Senior Life’s 31st Annual
Eight Over Eighty Celebration
takes place Sunday, May 19,
beginning at 10:45 a.m., at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek,
27375 Bell Road in Southfield.
Complimentary valet parking.
Dietary laws observed. Visit
jslmi.org/events/8over80. For
sponsorships, journal ads and
event information, contact
Nicole: (248) 592-5098 or
nlupi@jslmi.org.
FJA student Hayden Dean
and Eight Over Eighty
Honoree Barry Kaufman
meet at a recent JSL Getting
To Know You luncheon.
continued on page 18
BRETT MOUNTAIN