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…$200 March 14-20, 2024 / 4-10 Adar II 5784 JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT Actresses and artists give voice to women’s Oct. 7 stories. See page 32 Rays of L ight thejewishnews.com …

…10 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N essay How to Pray for the Hostages S tart in the swimming pool. Aim for the relative stillness in the late evening hours when the lanes are nearly empty and black skies seep through wall-length glass, the deeper end of quiet. As you break the water’s surface again and again, swimming freestyle, begin the incantation. Scan the dark with your goggled eyes as the whoosh of chlorinated water folds over...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 11 J N mountaintops. Thoughtful petitions need somewhere to go. Mother Nature will receive them. So will your favorite book, wedged with a bookmark. Or the crisp novel on your nightstand that still smells of new book. Pray into swings and sandboxes, the yelps of children. Caterpillars emerging into fluttering butterflies. Pray into puddles of fresh rain. The promise of a rainbow. Pray into your freshly brewed ...…

…12 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N O ne Friday in 2006, when Dr. Maier Belen was in Beaumont hospital, his wife, Molly, sat at his bedside, frightened and worried. Suddenly, Jeanette Blumenkopf and Chana Ellenberg turned up, quite literally offering warmth and light, in the form of battery- operated candles for Shabbat and a listening ear. Touched, Molly immediately called her daughter, Barbara Pichette. “That visit bought my mother so...…

…WHAT THEY DO Each Thursday, the volunteers begin by checking in with the hospital’s Spiritual Care office. The chaplain prepares a list of room numbers for all the Jewish patients who had registered as Jewish or contacted Spiritual Care. (It’s suspected that there are many more Jewish patients who did not register, and the hope is that this article might bring awareness of at least one benefit in doing so!) The volunteers — eit...…

…14 | MARCH 14 • 2024 see us,” Ashin said. “Being in the hospital over a holiday is the worst. Patients feel very alone and miss their families. They were so grateful for a visit and to receive our little turkey cupcakes.” Each week, the experience is different. Patients are admitted and released. Mothers in the maternity ward are proud and happy to show off their new babies. For other patients, these visits are a regular highlig...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 15 …

…OUR COMMUNITY H illel Day School’s Annual Gala, themed Israel and Hope, will be held on Sunday, May 19, and promises to be an inspir- ing and meaningful evening emphasizing the impact Israel has had on Hillel’s community and, in turn, Hillel’s collective commitment to, and hope for, the State of Israel. Hillel will welcome best-selling author, for- mer Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization, and a leader ...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 17 Kids* are invited to a spectacular night at Temple while their grown-ups enjoy our Adult Purim Spiel! Be sure to wear your most fashionable pajamas, slippers, and bring your pillow and sleeping bag to get cozy for an epic movie night on the big screen! Advance registration required by 3/18 at www/temple-israel.org/event/PurimKids $10/child. Children must be able to use the toilet independently. Geared to...…

…18 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N M etro Detroit’s community of Conservative congregations invites everyone to a lively weekend of Purim celebrations like no other. The fun begins at Southfield’s Congregation Shaarey Zedek on Saturday evening, March 23, at 8:45 p.m. with ma’ariv and megillah reading — including some amazing surprises. The evening continues with a dessert reception and drinks, and dancing to Jennifer Christiansen and ...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 19 SCAN QR CODE FOR MORE INFO! LISTING DEADLINE: MAY 13, 2024 ISSUE DATE: MAY 23, 2024 WANT TO GIVE YOUR GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE SENIOR A SPECIAL SHOUTOUT? You are invited to celebrate your high school senior with a listing in our Cap & Gown issue. Submit your senior’s accomplishments and future plans to be included, for FREE. DON’T LET YOUR GRAD BE LEFT OUT! 2024 94 | MAY 19 • 2022 continued...…

…NEW CONSTRUCTION | ONE OF THE LARGEST LOTS IN WESTCHESTER VILLAGE 3,850 SF | 5 BR | 5.1 BA | FINISHED LOWER LEVEL | THREE CAR GARAGE BIRMINGHAM SCHOOLS | $2,275,000 MARK ADLER & BRIAN NEEPER COLLAOBARTION! | 1.5 ACRE LOT 4,800 SF | 5 BR | 5.2 BA | DAYLIGHT OR WALKOUT LL SITE FOUR CAR GARAGE | BIRMINGHAM SCHOOLS | $3,995,000 MARK ADLER HOMES NEW CONSTRUCTION 3,813 SF | 4 BR | 3.2 BA | THREE CAR GARAGE 10’ CEILINGS | CHEF’S DREAM K...…

…20 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N C ome fulfill the mitzvah of Purim this year at Aish Detroit, where there will be something fun for everyone in the family. The mitzvot of Purim includes feast, charity, megillah and mishloach manot. Starting with “Purim Pop-Up, ” you can invite friends and family over to your home and make delicious hamentaschen, mish- loach manot baskets and share in some Purim Torah education. Or you can simply brin...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 21 Need Help with an IRS or State Tax Problem? As featured on: Need Help with an IRS or State Tax Problem? Call the experts at 1-800-TAX-LEVY (829-5389) • Tax Liens • Collection Notices • Penalties • Unfi led Tax Returns • Audits Call us today to answer your questions or to schedule a meeting and say goodbye to those sleepless nights! 1-800-TAX-LEVY (829-5389) www.levytaxhelp.com We Listen …. We Care … We Help! H...…

…22 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N A pessimist, they say, sees a glass as being half empty; an optimist sees the same glass as half full. But a giving person sees a glass of water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty. ” — G. Donald Gale This month, I urge you to take that advice and find a way to help others in our commu- nity. Care House of Oakland County is looking for vol- unteers to provide meals to their evening progr...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 23 Now more than ever, Israel needs our support. The Jewish Federation of Detroit’s newly updated Israel Emergency Resources pages are a great source to help you stand up to the misinformation, miseducation and antisemitism since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Historical background, videos and steps you can take to help are now all in one place. The Israel Emergency Resources section (https:// jewishdetroit.org/i...…

…24 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N B efore an audience of more than 500 at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township on Feb. 29, facilitated by the Jewish Federation of Detroit, Israeli social media influencer, author and activist Hen Mazzig said the Jewish community needs to be 10 times prouder to be Jewish than those who hate us for being Jewish, and the way to win over online misinformation that is fueling the hatred is to share accurat...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 25 In the months following Oct. 7, the author of The Wrong Kind of Jew: A Mizrachi Manifesto, has been on a lecture circuit. Speaking from his hotel in New York City, where he had events scheduled throughout the tri-state area, Mazzig said he spoke with the Jewish com- munity in Cleveland and also sat courtside at the NBA All- Stars game in Indiana, where he accompanied hostage survivors and Israelis whose family ...…

…26 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N M etro Detroit caregivers who look after loved ones living with dementia can experience a special day devoted to their own enjoyment and well-being on Sunday, April 7. The event is free and is being offered by the Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program, known as the Brown Program, with respite care being offered at its West Bloomfield location (6720 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 27 J N Caregivers Day Off is fairly typical. “ At the end of the program we ran last year, I was surprised at how many people hugged me and thanked me for such a special day. They knew their loved ones were in a safe space and having a good time, so they had the rare opportunity to focus on themselves,” she says. “Caregivers are often at a constant level of high alert. It is not until they truly relax that ...…

…28 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N Y oung members of Metro Detroit’s Jewish community have an opportunity to gain professional work experience and live in Israel this summer through the Onward Israel Program. Thirty individuals, age 18 to 30, will work and live in Tel Aviv for eight weeks. Participants will work alongside Israelis, gaining valuable cross-cultural experience. “It’s a way to jumpstart their careers and experience living somewhere ...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 29 J N S ometimes a mutual pas- sion can bring couples together. In Patty and Steve Ceresnie’s case, it was music. Steve grew up in Detroit and Oak Park. He played clarinet in the high school band, “my best subject, ” he likes to say, and was a tenor sax player in a jazz band. In 1967, when his buddy (and guitar player in the jazz band) Marc spent a week at a resort in South Haven, Michigan, the resort owner as...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 3 J N PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 12 Visiting the Sick Bikur Cholim of Detroit volunteers brighten the days of Jewish hospital patients. 16 Save the Date! Hillel Day School’s Annual Gala scheduled for May 19. 18 Community Purim Conservative congregations join for giant Purim celebration. 20 Purim Fun with Aish Detroit Four fun events feature something for ...…

…L ast month in Atlanta, Alpha Epsilon Pi held its annual Leven Leadership Institute for current and rising AEPi student leaders. Nearly 100 undergraduate student leaders were hand-picked and invited to the three-day conference with the opportunity to meet, interact and learn from AEPi alumni who have gone on to become leaders in their fields and in their Jewish commu- nities. The objective is for the student leaders to apply the les...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 31 Committee’s Global Forum in Tel Aviv and was a student leader on the Jewish National Fund’s College Summit Committee this fall. Since Oct. 7, May’s work has become more important than ever. He quickly worked with the Chabad president to organize a vigil for those impacted by the terrorist attack in Israel. The vigil was attended by 300 students. Since then, he has continued to rally MSU’s Jewish student popu...…

…32 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N O n Oct.10, three days after the Oct. 7 attack that shocked Israel and Jews worldwide, Dana Dvorin decided to take action. An artist and women’s rights activist, Dvorin, art director and CEO of Platforma Theater in Tel Aviv, called eight colleagues and got started on a volunteer podcast project called Rays of Light to bring women’s stories, which were often too graphic for a general audience, to the f...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 33 J N continued on page 34 listen. ” Her all-volunteer team is searching for stories and trying to reach the women to get their permission to be part of the testimony library, she says. “It changed how people think about women in Israeli wars, ” she says. The project approaches well- known actresses in Israel to read the testimonies and give voice to the women, she says, and has sand art to go alongside it. “S...…

…34 | MARCH 14 • 2024 This is her first time drawing a tragedy, she says, and she tries to make it as smooth as possible. She does pencil sketches and then heads to the sand table, which has a camera above it, and starts to shoot. She has an editor that edits it and adds voiceover and music and sends it to the staff. “I’m the last person that works on it. First, they collect the stories, they edit it and they record it, and when it...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 35 TEE UP TO RETIREMENT Tuesday, March 19 at 11:30 am Meer Apartments | 6760 W Maple Rd | West Bloomfield, MI 48322 RSVP to Beth (248) 592-5026 TTY# 711 or info@jslmi.org Seating is limited, call now to reserve your space! Lunch, Learn & Stay in the Swing. What can you do to stay in the game on and off the golf course? Franklin Hills Country Club’s Kimberly Brennan and JSL’s Tracey Proghovnick have the answers. Joi...…

…36 | MARCH 14 • 2024 world. For me, it means a lot. ” Actress Andreea Shvartz got a call from Dvorin two weeks after the war began. “She asked me to come give my voice to one of the testimonies of one of the heroes of Oct. 7, and I didn’t think about it at all, I just said ‘yes’ because I wanted very much to do something, ” she says. She went to the recording studio, learned a woman’s story and also came to understand the project’...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 37 Anita Blender 248-444-9400 anita@blenderrealty.com The home building industry has notoriously been dominated by men. Not much has changed in the past decade, and Anita Blender thought it was time! Anita, owner/broker of Blender Realty, has 25 years of experience in all facets of residential real estate. Her boutique real estate company offers a variety of services: marketing and sales to home builders, counse...…

…38 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N J ewish Working Women’s Network, which will hold its next event April 17, is providing a way for Jewish women to grow their businesses and build meaningful networks, say Jewish businesswomen, at a time when being connected and supporting each other is more important than ever. The group, which is a program of the Jewish Federation of Detroit Women’s Philanthropy Department, has evolved over time, moving meeti...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 39 says Marianne Milgrom Bloomberg, director, philan- thropy at Jewish Federation of Detroit. They’ve also got a Facebook page that continues to grow and are a longtime destination for a broad group of Jewish women hoping to help each other advance. The JWWN is always looking for ways to draw in working women and, in the fall, offered a business accelerator series called “Level UP!” that brought together some 60 ...…

…4 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N from the executive director A Women’s History Tribute to My Favorite Trailblazer I n this week’s issue of the Detroit Jewish News, we salute exceptional women, the brave giants who blazed trails and shattered glass ceil- ings to give those of us who followed the opportunities to walk through doors that would otherwise have been closed. But for me, one giant stood taller than all the rest. My mom, Jane...…

…40 | MARCH 14 • 2024 are no longer relevant.” Zerkel says she’s gained customers and sourced from other people within the net- work. Recently, she was at an event trying to network for a new hire, and the first person she walked up to knew a good fit for the role. Even during COVID, when she was serving as co-chair of the JWWN, they kept building connections with a weekly online Friday lunch and shmooze, she says. Women have shar...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 41 WOMANNOWNED. CUSTOMERNLOVED. THE BEST SELECTION OF DESIGNER FRAMES IN METRO-DETROIT (248) 863-9696 West Bloomfield W W W. O PT I Q U E D E T R O I T. C O M (734) 981-1760 Canton Share Your Joy JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT Book your wedding announcement online by scanning the QR code with the Metro-Detroit Jewish community. …

…business SPOTlight brought to you in partnership with B I R M I N G H A M 42 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N here’s to Since 1987, Dembs has assisted more than 300 nonprofit organizations in Michigan and other parts of the country. Gary Dembs, Longtime Executive Recruiter, Shifts to New Role SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER F or 36 years, Gary Dembs has helped non- profit organizations find and hire candidates for senior leadership ...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 43 J N journalism and then shifted into public relations, includ- ing fundraising and special events for nonprofits. He served on the board of the Oakland Food Bank, which evolved into Forgotten Harvest, a nonprofit organi- zation that rescues unused food from local supermarkets and caterers and then delivers it to food pantries and soup kitchens. Dembs, in conjunction with four other local indi- viduals, started...…

…BUSINESS A new dog grooming service funded in part by Hebrew Free Loan opened its doors to dog parents late last year. Scenthound, located in Birmingham Plaza in Birmingham, is a newer, wellness-focused dog care franchise that offers afford- able grooming services and membership packages. Opened by dog parents and Temple Israel members Adam and Melissa Neff, 36, of Berkley, the business aims to take dog care back to the basic...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 45 J N amounts of money. “There are a lot of dogs who need to be groomed monthly or whatever it might be,” she explains. “But the majority of dogs [don’t need this], they need baths and they need their ears cleaned, their nails clipped and their teeth cleaned.” Many pet parents, Neff adds, aren’t taking these steps as often as they should. That’s why Scenthound’s “bread-and-butter,” as Adam Neff says, is its memb...…

…46 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N T he future looks bright for the Frankel Jewish Academy boys and girls bowling teams. All five members of the boys team’s start- ing lineup should be back next season. Four of the five girls in that team’s starting lineup should be back. They showed promise for the future this season. “Our mantra is it’s not how you start a season; it’s how you finish. And we finished strong, ” said Joe Bernstein, who coaches...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 47 sophomore twins Lilly and Molly Resnick, and junior Zoe Schiffer and freshman Jay Schiffer. Senior Sarah Fish was the team’s fifth bowler. She finished a team-best 19th among 39 bowlers in the individual competition at regionals. The Frankel girls team went 3-7 in the Catholic League matches. It won its lone non-league match. “Our girls team was very close. They’re all good friends, ” Bernstein said. “I’ d like to ge...…

…48 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N faces&places D etroit Chamber Winds and Strings’ latest project invites audiences on an intellectu- al and artistic exploration centered around the creative outputs resulting from the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide and the African Diaspora. Titled “Perseverance of the Human Spirit, ” this proj- ect is a collaborative effort between Temple Emanu-El, St. John Armenian Church and Hartford Memorial Baptis...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 49 J N MAZEL TOV! Cheryl Melissa Rubinstein and Harrison Howard Haney of Lakewood, New Jersey, welcomed daughter Shifrah Devorah Haney on Feb. 3, 2023. Grandparents are Harvey and Nancy Rubinstein, and Craig and Lorraine Haney. Abe and Leslee Markose of Royal Oak are thrilled to announce the arrival of their daughter, Mia Adalee, on Jan. 9, 2024. Proud big sister is Delilah Rachel. Loving grandparents are Diane an...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 5 J N DISCOVER THE POWER OF SANCTUARY Discover Lincoln Owner Benefits Custom Ordering & Home Delivery Upon Request A, Z, X Plans Specialist RICHARD WOLF LINCOLN PRODUCT SPECIALIST Office : 1950 W Maple Rd, Troy, MI 48084 Email : rwolf@lincolnoftroy.com 734.812.1125 …

…50 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N P ekudei has sometimes been called “The Accountant’s Parshah,” because that is how it begins, with the audited accounts of the money and materials donated to the Sanctuary. It is the Torah’s way of teaching us the need for financial transparency. But beneath the sometimes- dry surface lie two extraordinary stories, one told in last week’s parshah, the other the week before, teaching us something dee...…

…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 51 J N Again the same generosity. Now, these two projects could not be less alike. One, the Tabernacle, was holy. The other, the Calf, was close to being an idol. Building the Tabernacle was a supreme mitzvah; making the Calf was a terrible sin. Yet their response was the same in both cases. Hence this comment of the Sages: “One cannot understand the nature of this people. If they are appealed to for a Calf, th...…

…Synagogue Directory METRO DETROIT CONSERVATIVE Adat Shalom Synagogue Farmington Hills (248) 851-5100 adatshalom.org Congregation Beth Ahm West Bloomfield (248) 851-6880 cbahm.org Congregation Beth Shalom Oak Park (248) 547-7970 congbethshalom.org Beth Tephilath Moses Mt. Clemens (586) 996-3138 bethtephilathmoses.com B’nai Israel Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 432-2729 bnaiisraelwb.org Congregation B’nai Moshe West Blo...…

…Temple Emanu-El Oak Park (248) 967-4020 emanuel-mich.org Temple Israel West Bloomfield (248) 661-5700 temple-israel.org Temple Kol Ami West Bloomfield (248) 661-0040, tkolami.org Temple Shir Shalom West Bloomfield (248) 737-8700 shirshalom.org REFORM/RENEWAL Congregation Shir Tikvah Troy (248) 649-4418 shirtikvah.org SECULAR/HUMANISTIC Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Metro Detroit Farmington Hills (248) 477-1410 ...…

…54 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N ARTS&LIFE BOOK REVIEW S ometimes a publisher gets lucky. The pub- lisher works to bring out a book of historical interest that seems to have a modest potential readership, and then events make that book suddenly widely relevant. Many of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s essays, pub- lished in the Yiddish newspaper Forverts in the grim years from 1939 to 1945, unfortunately read as contemporary now. White Goat Pres...…