…See page 12 U-M student’s research reveals his ancestor’s courageous journalistic legacy in Nazi- dominated Europe. $200 Jan. 7-13, 2021 / 23-29 Tevet 5781 2 Jan. 7-13, 2021 / 23-29 Tevet 5781 Thicker than Water, Mightier than the Sword …
…4 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 contents OUR JN MISSION: We aspire to communicate news and opinion that’s trusted, valued, engaging and distinctive. We strive to reflect diverse community viewpoints while also advocating positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continuity. As an independent, responsible, responsive community member, we actively engage with individuals and organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, and Jewish life, i...…
…Paid for by Oakland County Health Division. We can’t forget the danger. Wear the mask. Wash your hands. Practice physical distancing. Consider virtual gatherings. Curbside food pickup. For more holiday safety tips, visit oakgov.com/covid. THE ONLY WAY TO BEAT COVID-19 IS TO FACE IT. Paid for by Oakland County Health Division. We can’t forget the danger. Wear the mask. Wash your hands. Practice physical distancing. Consid...…
…6 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 OUR JN MISSION: We aspire to communicate news and opinion that’s trusted, valued, engaging and distinctive. We strive to ref ect diverse community viewpoints while also advocating positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continuity. As an independent, responsible, responsive community member, we actively engage with individuals and organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, and Jewish life, in South...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 7 for openers Here’s to the Memories I ’m at a total loss to describe the pure, unmitigated joy I felt, I’m sure you all felt, when the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31 and you finally said goodbye to 2020. Perhaps you kissed a loved one, clanked glasses over a toast or shared a few expletives to say good riddance to arguably the worst year in our lifetime — on so many levels. I’m proud to announce I’v...…
…8 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 essay The U.N. is a Major Obstacle to a Two-State Solution in the Mideast I n a year marked by so much misery and misfortune, a rare bright spot has been Israel’s historic diplomatic breakthroughs. In 2020, UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and now Bhutan have either established official relations with Israel or announced their intention to do so for the first time. In 1977, the late Egyptian President Anw...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 9 statements of these U.N. bodies explicitly endorse the “right of return.” Thus, the U.N. propaganda apparatus gives this major obstacle to peace the official imprimatur of the international community. Under these circumstances, why would the Palestinians ever give up this demand? Yet every year, the resolutions authorizing these bodies pass in the General Assembly by large majorities. It is highly unlikel...…
…10 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 VIEWS The top 25 most-viewed stories at thejewishnews.com in 2020. 1. Oakland County Creates Interactive Map of COVID- 19 Cases by Zip Code 2. Lansing Demonstrators Protest Whitmer With Hitler Signs 3. JCC Health Club to Permanently Close 4. Kippah Masks You Can Make at Home During COVID-19 5. MSU Student Spray-Paints Swastika in front of Own Frat House 6. ‘Rewind’: Jewish Filmmaker Confront...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 11 letters Too Sympathetic to Dr. Peven My family and I were recent- ly reading the article “ An Unknown Mishpachah” (Dec. 31, page 14), and I wanted to write in with some deep con- cerns we had. We found Dr. Peven’s actions absolutely appall- ing and not ethical, both med- ically and Jewishly speaking. The article painted Dr. Peven in a sympathetic light and not in the way that I think a journalist ethically has...…
…12 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 W hen I was little, my mother told me a story about her “Bonpapa:” my great-grandfather, Otto Schirn. During her college graduation ceremony, Otto circled names in the program he thought were Jewish. He wanted to prove other Jews had survived. Otto died before I was born. When I began studying at the University of Michigan in 2017, I knew only a few other facts about his life. I knew that he and his wife, Yvonne,...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 13 continued on page 14 speech Otto was to give on Feb. 14, 1945, to the Detroit Women’s Division of the American Jewish Congress. The letter about Otto’s parents’ deaths — the transport of numbers of 61 and 62, my great-great-grandparents, from Malines to Auschwitz — was postmarked by a Belgian government official that very same day. When I shared the article with my grand- mother, she remarked at how happy her f...…
…14 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 continued from page 13 Marcel watched Hitler implement increasingly antisemitic policies in Germany. He watched Nazism gain traction among Vienna’s passively antisemitic youth. In some instances, Marcel’s reporting was fearless. He mentioned two Austrian report- ers critical of Hitler whom the Germans “silenced. ” He was the first to report an attempted bombing of a Catholic event that the police had traced to ...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 15 (Council of Jewish Associations). He rep- resented Belgium at the last World Jewish Congress before the war. One of his duties was to help Belgian Jews determine the fates of their Polish relatives. He met my great-grandmother, Yvonne, when she came to his office for help finding her Polish aunts and uncles. Months later, they were a happily mar- ried couple on honeymoon in the Belgian countryside. Yvonne never l...…
…16 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 T here are people in your life that you’re glad are proud of you when you achieve success. And then, there are people in your life who you love and respect so deeply that you actively seek out their approval when you achieve that success — because when tye live vicariously through you, it feels just as good as living it yourself. When I got this job as reporter for the Jewish News back in August, my first fu...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 17 Need a Free COVID-19 Test? If you are concerned you may have been exposed to COVID- 19, free testing is now available at Oak Park High School, locat- ed at 13701 Oak Park Blvd. Henry Ford Health System will be at the school from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays to provide free COVID-19 PCR tests for adults and children. No appointment, insurance, physi- cian referral or prescription is needed. Results are ava...…
…18 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 W hen 13-year-old Sydney Hertzberg adopted Mr. Mittens in 2019, the tiny bot- tle-fed kitten needed much TLC. He was just 4 days old, and when the Birmingham teen first laid eyes on him at the no-kill Ferndale Cat Shelter, where she had been volunteering for her bat mitzvah project with Temple Israel, she knew it was love at first sight. “He’s grown so much,” the Cranbrook Kingswood Girls Middle School st...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 19 F or Alex Wineman, deciding to go back to Israel was never a question of yes or no. It was a question of when. So, when she found out about the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit’s Get There! Teen & Young Adult Travel Fund from her grandma, she knew her opportunity had presented itself. The Get There! program is open to Jewish residents of Metro Detroit between the ages of 13 and 28 years old who w...…
…20 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 T he City of Huntington Woods recently approved an “ Anti- Racism Plan” as part of efforts to expand its commitment to build equity and tackle institu- tionalized prejudice on a local level. The plan, approved by the city commission on Oct. 14, comes after a statement issued by the heavily Jewish Detroit suburb June 2 condemning acts of racial injustice in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Tay...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 21 that disproportionately impact lower-income individuals. Rebecca Driker-Ohren, an IfNotNow Detroit mem- ber who was involved in a Black Lives Matter march in Huntington Woods in June, believes the plan is a positive step to take, but would like the plans to be more specific and well-rounded. Driker-Ohren and Zak Witus, another IfNotNow Detroit member involved in the June march, both raise questions about th...…
…22 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 E astern Michigan University Professor David Victor has won the Association for Business Communication’s 2020 Francis W. Weeks Award of Merit, a lifetime achievement prize for his work in the field of busi- ness communication. Winning the award “was a great feeling of accomplish- ment that, over three decades of work, my colleagues con- sidered that to be worthy of notice,” Victor told the Jewish News. “ A...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 23 JN STAFF PHOTOS COURTESY JCRC/AJC Mitzvah Day 2020 F or the last 24 years, the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC (JCRC/AJC) has provided thousands of Christmas Day volunteer opportunities for members of the community as part of Mitzvah Day. Each year, more than 600 people of all backgrounds spend the day at Metropolitan Detroit non- profits filling staff shortages and allowing organizations to reduce ...…
…sports HIGHlights brought to you in partnership with 24 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 E ric Israel has been knocked down but not out a few times in his hock- ey career. So, there’s no reason to believe the 25-year-old from Huntington Woods won’t bounce back from his latest adver- sity. Israel, a defenseman for the Rapid City (S.D.) Rush of the ECHL, suffered a torn MCL ligament in his left knee Dec. 12 in the third period of the Rush’s seco...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 25 He was a star for four years at Robert Morris University, outside Pittsburgh. Israel had 85 points in 146 games for Robert Morris, led Colonials defense- men in goals, assists and points in each of his last three seasons, led the Atlantic Hockey Association and ranked fifth in the Division I in blocked shots during the 2018-19 season, and was a three-time AHA All-Academic Team selection. The Colonials made it to ...…
…26 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 Rapid City Rush defenseman Eric Israel (6) keeps a Utah Grizzlies player away from the net during a Dec. 12 game. RAPID CITY RUSH When they’re in Rapid City, Rush players must spend most of their time in their apartment. They go to the rink, a Walmart for gro- ceries, and get carryout and curbside from restaurants. Masks must be worn by Rush players during team activities except when play- ing, practicing...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 27 A fter the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces organization (FIDF) appointed Rabbi Steven Weil as its new national director and CEO in September, Weil has stated that after spending the last 30 years of his life trying to help build American Jewry, his new role is an opportunity to build Israeli Jewry, which he believes is “the ultimate future of the Jewish world. ” Weil began his new role on Sept. 16, su...…
…28 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 I t’s official: Israel will have its fourth election in two years. Israel’s Knesset, or parliament, dissolved the night of Dec. 22 after failing to pass the 2020 budget, trigger- ing an election that will take place on March 23. The exact date could change through a government vote. The election will be Israel’s fourth in two years. A coalition formed earlier this year by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 29 MOMENTS MAZEL TOV! Whitney Paige Leff will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. She will be joined in celebration by her proud parents, Carrie and Randy Leff, and sisters Reagan and Reese. Whitney is the loving granddaughter of Marcia and Roger Fenton, and Cindy and Fred Leff and the great-granddaughter of Anne Colman and Sally Soberman. She i...…
…30 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 New book illustrates how institutions failed to protect victims of sexual assault. HOWARD LOVY CONTRIBUTING WRITER Bystanders and Enablers ARTS&LIFE BOOKS A uthor Amos N. Guiora’s parents sur- vived the Holocaust, but the subject was never dis- cussed when he was growing up. It wasn’t until much later in life, when a non-Jew- ish friend asked him the simple question of how the Holocaust happened, that ...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 31 Today, he commutes between Salt Lake City and Jerusalem, where his family lives. BYSTANDERS AND ENABLERS Guiora distinguishes between bystanders and enablers. Bystanders are physically present and have specific knowledge about a crime. “ All we want the bystander to do is to dial 911,” he said. The enabler, however, is somebody who knows the victim is in peril and either does nothing or actively discourag...…
…32 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 T en years ago, Susan Shapiro began grappling with a problem she could not dismiss. Her thoroughly trusted therapist and confidante of 15 years had lied to her, and she wondered how she could ever forgive him. “If somebody says, ‘I’m sorry,’ I can forgive anybody anything,” she explained. “But if somebody refuses to acknowledge that they did something wrong, I have a really hard time with that.” Shapiro’s wa...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 33 A local Jewish fine artist, Cheryl Widener, and a local Jewish dance studio owner and teacher, Shanon Stibor, have teamed up in the face of the pandemic to bring a heightened level of excitement, visibility and opportu- nity to their respective businesses. Widener reached out to Stibor, who owns and runs Shanon’s Dance Studio in Keego Harbor, through a business posting on a Facebook Jewish women’s networking ...…
…34 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 ROOTS & THE REST OF THE “CHA-NOOK-AH” STORY Finding Your Roots, the PBS celebrity ancestry series, is on a “COVID schedule.” It paused its sixth season in November. A new episode premiered on Jan. 5 and the last season episode pre- mieres Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. Six more new episodes (Season 7) will premiere every following Tuesday through Feb. 23. The Jan. 12 episode, titled Coming to America, is a “T...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 35 T he recent surge in COVID-19 cases is stressing many aspects of life — from health care to work, school, finances and family life. That stress is caus- ing increased sleep problems, especially for women, accord- ing to some to some local phy- sicians and therapists. Many people are working from home, and women typically have more family obligations such as childcare. “My patients are feeling it more now sin...…
…36 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 NOSH EATS | DRINKS | SWEETS T hey wanted a name that was simple and to the point. Coming up with a name that rep- resented their brand was the trickiest part of launching a new business, says The Salami Chip Co. co-founder Josi Ryke, 55. The Oak Park-based food company pro- duces exactly that — salami chips — and their goal was for people to know exactly what they were all about without having to do extra resea...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 37 R epublica, a Berkley neighborhood restaurant-bar in the Woodward corridor, is making the best of the state’s current pandemic ban on indoor din- ing. The restaurant’s front patio facing Coolidge Highway, so enjoyed during the warm weather, was partially enclosed during Thanksgiving week. On the patio, heavy white panels with faux window inserts are hung up shower curtain-style. When guests leave any of t...…
…the exchange community bulletin board | professional services For information regarding advertising please call 248-351-5116 or 248-234-9057 or email salessupport@renmedia.us Deadline for ad insertion is 10am on Friday prior to publication. 38 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 Apple a Day Take a bite out of learning! Call Debbie! (248) 514-8349 On Site Apple Training and Support www.loisharondesigns.com Lois Haron Interior Designer Allied ASID (...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 39 GERALD ALVIN, 88, of Franklin, died Dec. 17, 2020. He is survived by his beloved wife, Marian Alvin; sons and daughter- in-law, William Anthony Alvin, Robert Lewis Alvin, and Matthew Samuel and Courtney Alvin; loving grand- children, Michael and Jessica Alvin; many other loving fam- ily members and friends. Interment took place at Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Contributions may be made to Yad Vashem. Ar...…
…40 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 SOUL OF BLESSED MEMORY RICHARD A. FARKAS, 70, of Bloomfield Hills, died Dec. 16, 2020. He is survived by his beloved wife, Shelley Farkas; son and daugh- ter-in-law, Michael (Chudapa Julimasustra) Farkas; daughters and sons-in-law, Jessica and Lynn DaDeppo Jr., Allison (Andrew Farwell) Farkas; grandchildren, Benjamin, Graham and Lydia; brother and sister-in-law, Steven and Catherine Farkas; many loving ...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 41 Contributions may be made to Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48202, dia. org; Birmingham Temple, 28611 W . 12 Mile, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, birminghamtemple.org; or Virginia Mason Medical Center, 1100 9th Ave., Seattle, WA 98101, virginiamason.org/ seattle. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. DR. HERBERT MENDELSON, 87, of Huntington Woods, died Dec. 28, 2020. He is survive...…
…42 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 SOUL OF BLESSED MEMORY ALEXANDER “ ALEX” MILBERGER, 25, of Boston, Mass., formerly of Bloomfield Hills, died Dec. 24, 2020. He is survived by his moth- er, Amy Liss Fink; siblings, his twin, Justin Milberger, and Noah Milberger and Kyla Milberger; grandparents, Carol and Alvin Levine, Robert and Judy Liss, and Barbara Milberger; many loving aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Mr. Milberger was the cher- i...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 43 the late Norman and the late Sybil Shackman; the devoted daughter of the late Daniel and the late Gittle Shackman. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. CLARA SHPARGEL, 90, of Southfield, died Dec. 26, 2020. She is sur- vived by her daughters and sons-in-law, JoAnne and Rick Adams of Buffalo Grove, Ill., Deni...…
…44 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 SOUL OF BLESSED MEMORY other family and friends. Mr. Walt was the beloved hus- band for 62 years of the late Ada Walt; the loving uncle of the late Joanna Rebelgale. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to JVS Human Services, 29699 Southfield Road, Southfield, MI 48076, jvshumanservices.org; Yad Ezra, 2850 W . 11 Mile Road, Berkley, MI 48072, yadezra.org; or to a charity of o...…
… JANUARY 7 • 2021 | 45 T he three sons of their late parents Buddy and Mary Meyerson, whose Buddy’s Bar-B-Q was a Detroit land- mark for 30 years before closing, was the impetus to honor them with the building of a three-purpose restaurant. And so the Trio at Franklin was designed from the ground up with this basic premise in mind … The creation of a dining insti- tution by sons Arlyn, Jerry and Aubrey, that would build them a...…
…46 | JANUARY 7 • 2021 Looking Back From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org Where Fashion Reigned I recently wrote about the famous Himelhoch’s clothing store in Detroit. While there were many, many Jewish retailers in the city over the past centu- ry, there was one other women’s cloth- ing store in the same elite league as Himelhoch’s — B. Siegel’s. B. Siegel is mention...…
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