…$200 Sept. 15-21, 2022 / 19-25 Elul 5782 JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT thejewishnews.com This practicing Jewish player on the U-M football team fasts on Yom Kippur, keeps kosher on Passover, and has a passion for strength and conditioning. See page 28 Keeping the Faith …
…Welcoming Consignments INQUIRIES Pamela Iacobelli Business Development Director 313.774.0900 | pamelaiacobelli@hindmanauctions.com HINDMANAUCTIONS.COM We invite you to consign to our upcoming auctions. Please contact us to discuss a single item or entire collection that you are considering selling and to schedule a virtual or in-person appointment to receive complimentary auction estimates. AN IMPORTANT ANTIQUE, COLOR-CHANGE SAPPHI...…
…contents PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 12 For the Love of Cars Members of Detroit’s Jewish community share the special vehicles in their lives. 18 Sometimes a Hamsa is just a Hamsa Tigers closer Gregory Soto wears one all the time. 19 Most Successful Walk Yet Friendship Circle’s Walk4Friendship surpasses its fundraising goal by $65,000. 20 Making New Friends at JARC Free H...…
…4 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 for openers The Message of the Shofar F or a large portion of the Jewish world, Rosh Hashanah involves praying in synagogue, feeling solemn, and (maybe) having thoughts about apples and honey. However, in reality, if you tap into the spiritual potential of Rosh Hashanah, it can be a day that gives you a type of clarity unrivaled by anything else you have ever experienced. With the right things in m...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 5 Your Jewish Journey is Here. 27375 Bell Road Southfield, MI 48034 shaareyzedek.org HIGH HOLY DAYS SERVICES FOR ALL AGES September 26th Rosh Hashanah Day 1 September 27th Rosh Hashanah Day 2 October 5th Yom Kippur Call (248) 357-5544 for more information on joining us for services or any other opportunities. Other exciting opportunities we will offer during the holidays: September 18: Shofar in the Park at CSZ ...…
…6 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 PURELY COMMENTARY 1942 - 2022 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.djnfoundation.org 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: ...…
…SEPTEMBER 15• 2022 | 7 Busch’s Fresh FoOd Market is not a Kosher establishment L’ Shana Tovah L’ Shana Tovah L’ Shana Tovah L’ Shana Tovah Holy SpeS Holy SpeS Myway Member exclusive PricIng valid 9/16/22-9/26/22 BonelEsS, First Cut Mel Mar Bef Brit 1.9 l. Fresh Emi Kos Tur (12-24 lbs.) 2. l. Mel Mar Gro Bef fo Chu 8. l. Fresh Emi Kos Gro Tur 16 oz. 5. Emi Kos Bon-n T...…
…8 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 N o one mentioned tor- ture. As my group walked through Munich’s Olympic Park, we stopped at three memorials to the Israeli athletes murdered by ter- rorists during the 1972 games. We were told that they died. Our guide never mentioned that some were tortured. In 2015, an article in the New York Times revealed that victims’ family members were shown documentation that indicated their loved ones had be...…
…National Council of Jewish Women, Michigan THANKS ALL OF ITS GENEROUS SPONSORS, DONORS, AND VOLUNTEERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF ITS NINTH ANNUAL Back 2 School Store. Co-Chairs: Fran Grossman, Carol Rosenfeld, Margo Stocker Advisor: Lauren Koenigsberg Vice President: Carrie Kushner President: Sallyjo Levine Executive Director: Susan Gertner Staff: Lori Eisenberg, Linda Rouff, Liana Spiegel, Sara Worsham The 2022 Back 2 School Store was a mod...…
…10 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 essay The Gift of Siblings T he history of siblings goes back to biblical times. However, things didn’t work out so well for Cain and Abel or Esau and Jacob, did they? Not to mention Joseph’s brothers who sold him down the river. On the other hand, Moses and Aaron usually supported each other. And Rebekah and Leah married the same guy, for crying out loud! Thankfully, most of us have relationships ...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 11 FROM A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE My three children (now adults), I’m sure, have only wonderful things to say about their mom and me as parents. But, seriously folks, I know they love to talk about our lit- tle foibles in the same way my siblings and I share (mostly) fond memories of our parents. I recall those “wonder years” when our kids were small. There were certainly many conflicts to resolve, often with ...…
…12 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY R ecently, the JN has featured stories related to car culture in Detroit. It is an ethos that has permeated the Motor City for over a century. Simply stated, Detroiters love their cars and everything that goes along with them. We’ve written about the “Car Guy’s Car Guy,” automotive journal editor Eddie Alterman, and about car cruising including the Woodward Dream Cruise. But, with the Nort...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 13 For the Love of Cars continued on page 14 Coupe. Their Jaguar is very rare, one of only 19 1994 XJS Coupes imported to North America with a factory original five-speed manual transmission. But their love story centers on the Karmann Ghia. “Dianne and I met in 1970 for the Oak Park to Wayne State University carpool. I had always wanted a Convertible Jaguar XKE (‘E Type’), which I thought was a beautiful car,...…
…14 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY A BLACK PEARL Ari and Julie Katz and daughters, Sadie and Libby, live in West Bloomfield with their 1978 Datsun 280Z “Black Pearl.” This is a rare one. To determine if Americans would buy black sports cars, Nissan produced about 1,200 Black Pearl 280Zs, which were only sold in the U.S. But this particular Datsun 280Z is a special one for Ari. “My father, Steve Katz, purchased the ‘Z’ new in June ...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 15 There are garages. Then, there are garages that transcend mere shelter for one’s family vehicles, along with bicycles, lawn mowers, and/or snow blowers. In this respect, Robert Stoler’s garage might be classified as a mini-automotive museum. Instead of brooms or grass trimmers, the walls of his garage are filled with auto memorabilia such as road signs, antique license plates and signs for automobile ...…
…16 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 ANTIQUE PANEL TRUCK Rachel Monahan wrote to us about an antique panel truck restoration project that is itself an act of love. “My grandfather is Milt Weinger. My husband, Tim, and I tracked down my great- grandfather’s grocery van. It is a 1950 Chevy Panel Van that my grandfather, who is now 96, used to drive for deliveries for his father Bill’s grocery store when he was younger.” (See the William Davi...…
…3.99% APR ON SELECT CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLES! *$1,000 toward Cap Cost Reduction or Down Payment Assistance with the lease or purchase of a new and not previously reported sold 2022 Pilot to qualified current owners of any 2012 or newer Honda. Must provide proof of ownership of eligible vehicle in the form of a current vehicle registration or proof of valid auto insurance. No trade-in required. Offer excludes purchases made prior to th...…
…18 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 What Is a Hamsa and What Makes it Jewish? This symbol of an eye embedded in the palm of an open hand has had numerous other names throughout the ages, including the eye of Fatima, the hand of Fatima and the hand of Miriam. The form is sometimes rendered naturally and other times symmetrically with a second thumb replac- ing the little finger. The hamsa has been variously inter- preted by scholars as ...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 19 F riendship Circle, a nonprofit that supports individuals with special needs and those struggling with isolation, addiction and other family- related crises, celebrated its 17th annual Walk4Friendship event on Sunday, Aug. 28. With record-breaking donations and community turnout, this year’s walk was the most successful yet. The event surpassed its original fundraising goal of $650,000 by over $65,000, with...…
…20 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 L inda Markowitz from Franklin has always been drawn to making connections with people who have disabilities ever since she developed a friendship with a neighbor who has special needs. So, it is no surprise that she was naturally drawn to the mis- sion of JARC, a local nonprofit organization that serves people with developmental disabilities throughout Metro Detroit. For Linda, her involvement with JAR...…
…JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT For those without computer access, please mail the following to 32255 NORTHWESTERN HWY, SUITE 205 FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334: • Who is Turning 80? [first/last] • What Day is their Birthday? • Personalized Message and Signature • A picture of the birthday person (if you would like the picture returned, please include a stamped return envelope.) • A check Continue to celebrate our octogenarian mile stone f...…
…C onstruction is pro- gressing on two much-anticipated mikvahs — one in West Bloomfield and one in Southfield. The new Mallor Walder Community Mikvah at the Tugman Bais Chabad of West Bloomfield is expect- ed to be completed within a few months. According to Rabbi Schneur Silberberg, outreach director of Bais Chabad, most major con- struction, including instal- lation of the ritual immer- sion pools, is complete. Installation of e...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 23 program and exhibit to their schools in the process edu- cating their peers. Such was the case with stu- dent docents from Oak Park High School, Aliza Lam, Aviva Medved and Maddy Sean, who brought the exhib- it to their school. After completing the DLP Student Docent Training Program, Aviva Medved, a senior at Oak Park High School, shared her thoughts on her journey: “I became a wiser and more empathetic ...…
…OUR COMMUNITY J ewish Senior Life (JSL) of Metropolitan Detroit nom- inated Rose Cooper, 95, of West Bloomfield as Volunteer of the Week for her years of dedica- tion to the nonprofit. “Rose has been a longtime volunteer for JSL in Sharon’s Boutique (located at the Fleischman Residence on the JCC campus) and takes respon- sibility for purchasing, market- ing within the shop, sales and pricing the merchandise, too. She is a dedicate...…
…E lla Fried (Walled Lake Central), Ellery Gnesin (West Bloomfield High School) and Dylan Young (Bloomfield Hills High School) are the winners of the Annual High School Jewish Writing Competition, announced the Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies at Wayne State University. This competition, now in its seventh year, invites high school students across Metropolitan Detroit to sub- mit an essay or poetry on any Jewish-related topi...…
…26 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 faces&places PHOTOGRAPHY BY JARC JARC Adaptive Biking Event with MoGo TOP: Several residents from two JARC homes enjoyed their day biking. ABOVE LEFT: Nussbaum home manager Melissa steers a bike while Shirley gets a ride. ABOVE RIGHT: Lori rides a bike alongside a MoGo employee. J ARC, a nonprofit orga- nization serving adults with developmental disabilities, partnered with Adaptive MoGo in Detroit on Aug. ...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 27 A trivia night fund- raiser was held Aug. 2 for the nonprofit organization JARC, which serves adults with develop- mental disabilities in the Metro Detroit area. The event was held at Dog & Pony Show Brewing in Oak Park and was attended by more than 50 people. Patrons had time to min- gle, visit a food truck and order drinks before the trivia game began. Ten teams com- peted to win a 30-question game of g...…
…M ica Gelb is starting his fourth season on the University of Michigan football team. He didn’t play much in his first three years and probably won’t play much this year, but the 6-foot-5, 288- pound senior offensive lineman from Washington, D.C., has a unique role on the team. “I’ve been the only practicing Jewish player on the team in my four years at U-M,” he said. In that role, Gelb has talked with several teammates who had never met...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 29 He doesn’t participate in the team’s pre-game prayer, although he is close by. He keeps kosher during Passover and fasts during Yom Kippur. “When my teammates ask why I’m struggling at practice during Yom Kippur, I tell them I haven’t eaten or drank anything for hours,” he said. Off the field, the 21-year-old wears a Star of David around his neck. His teammates — especially his buddies on the offensive line — re...…
…SPORTS “WHEN MY TEAMMATES ASK WHY I’M STRUGGLING AT PRACTICE DURING YOM KIPPUR, I TELL THEM I HAVEN’T EATEN OR DRANK ANYTHING FOR HOURS.” — MICA GELB continued from page 29 30 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 ON THE COVER With his back to the classroom wall, Gelb responded. He got all A’s and B’s in the next semester, and he hasn’t had a grade lower than C+ since then. His current GPA is 2.998. His goal is to raise that number to more tha...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 31 SPORTS Gelb’s wish list until a few years ago. He didn’t start playing football until he was a junior in high school and had grown too big to pursue baseball, his first sports love. He was a catcher, first baseman and third baseman. “I was about 6-2, 275 when I was a junior in high school. I sent bombs flying when I batted,” he said. “But I wasn’t fast enough to be a big-time baseball player.” Gelb didn’t have...…
…continued from page 31 32 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 SPORTS ON THE COVER Burke Jackson, the school’s first African American teacher, and former princi- pal Vincent Reed. The high school is part of the District of Columbia Public Schools system and is in the Tenleytown neighbor- hood of D.C. Its enrollment in the 2020-21 school year was 1,951. HARD-WORKING FAMILY Education and work are important in Mica Gelb’s family. Betsy Shapiro is ...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 33 Groves Sophomore Experiences an Emotional Night at Oxford It was a scene that probably — and hopeful- ly — will never be repeated in Avery Gach’s football career. The Birmingham Groves High School sophomore lineman and his teammates were at Oxford on Sept. 2 for an emotion-filled Friday night. It was the first home football game at Oxford since the November shooting at the school that resulted in four student...…
…NEXT DOR A fter getting a drum set for Chanukah when he was 8 years old, Jake Bass was hooked on music. “From that moment on, I knew music was my thing,” he says. Now 32, Bass is an established music producer, composer and self-proclaimed “one-man band” who as worked with the likes of Ludacris, LL Cool J and local artists like Sean Forbes. Still, his musical roots were established long before the drum set entered his life. Jake’s...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 35 at Hebrew school at Temple Emanu-El at a young age), and 4-year-old daughter, Layla. “When she was born, I put out a cover of ‘Layla’ by Eric Claption,” Bass says. “I started the song with her heartbeat that I recorded when I heard it for the first time at a doctor’s appointment.” He also finds inspiration in Michigan rock band Greta Van Fleet, which he says is keeping the sounds of the ’60s and ’70s aliv...…
…T hirty-five young adults gathered at Jam Handy in Detroit on Friday, Aug. 12, for a Tu b’ Av Shabbat experience with The Well. Tu b’ Av is often referred to as Jewish Valentine’s Day, and Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh integrated themes of love and wholeness into the Shabbat service. Together with musicians Keith Schonberger and Noah Rozenberg, Rabbi Stombaugh led participants through a musical Shabbat service that included songs like Elton Joh...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 37 MAZEL TOV! Sperling 80th H eather Sperling celebrated her 80th birthday on Sept. 2, 2022. Wishing her good health and lots of love are her husband, Steve Sperling; her children, Lisa and Dan Sperling, Mindy and Michael Siegel, and Megan Sperling; her grandchildren, Josh Sperling and Emily Lonetto, Jenna and Nate Reisenauer, Shane Sperling and Atara Krakoff, Devin Sperling, Cara Siegel and Abby Siegel. ...…
…38 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 I n this season, as we each engage in Heshbon HaNefesh, taking a personal accounting of our lives, let us also reflect on the gifts that we have been given. Chief among them are the Torah, the Hebrew language and our ability to synthesize meaning through interpretations and opinions. The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote, “... in truth, this always was our greatest gift: the Torah … the voice of Heaven...…
…S torytelling is what makes us human. Interpreting events and constructing narratives about what happens to us in our lives is something we all do. Things happen to us — the basic, factual elements of a story — but as humans, we have unique perspectives that shape how a story is relayed, that give shape and meaning to the experiences we go through. And this, perhaps, is why our sages refer to the human being as the medaber, “th...…
…40 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 SPIRIT A WORD OF TORAH to narrate the story of Jewish identity — a story rooted in the historical facts of the Egyptian slavery, our redemption from that slavery, the Divine mission we were given and the gift of the land of Israel. NARRATIVES GIVE MEANING Narratives are important because they frame the context and the meaning of our lives. This particular narrative — the story of the foundational episode of...…
…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 ...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 43 ARTS&LIFE DOCUMENTARY Ken Burns’ PBS documentary ‘The U.S. And The Holocaust’ asks hard questions and looks at how Americans treated Jews and immigrants during wartime. Asking Hard Questions continued on page 44 ANDREW LAPIN JTA.ORG O ne of the first peo- ple introduced in Ken Burns’ new documentary series about the Holocaust is Otto, a Jewish man seen in the series’ first episode who tries to secure pa...…
…44 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 continued from page 43 on the latest research about the time period, the resulting six- hour series explores the events of the Holocaust in granular detail. But it also chronicles the xeno- phobic and antisemitic climate in America in the years leading up to the Nazi genocide of Europe’s Jews: a nation largely hostile to any kind of refugee, particu- larly Jewish ones, and reluctant to intervene in a war on ...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 45 crafting his own race laws. “To set the table meant we had to go pretty far back, ” Novick said. The chronological approach places particular emphasis on what had already transpired in Europe by the time Americans got significantly involved: the “Holocaust by bullets, ” for exam- ple, in which more than 1.5 mil- lion of what would ultimately be 6 million dead Jews were slaugh- tered by gunfire and dumped in m...…
…46 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 A s the outdoor art fair season dwindles down, two more events hold on to the summer season of creative talent. Each fair features selections by an artist who moved on from working with metal. While Steve Solomon shows a series of framed composite photo images made with transfer tech- niques Sept. 17-18 at the Common Ground Birmingham Street Art Fair held around Shain Park, Rebecca Silverman offers inno...…
…Ivy, a jewelry artist whose diverse pieces have been featured in various outdoor art festivals over many sum- mers. A metalsmith who still has clients, Solomon was trained at the Western Iowa Tech Community College. “My wife developed a complicated and unique jewelry technique,” he said. “I went to the shows with her and started casting some of the sterling silver pieces. I then started doing her photography, which is how I woun...…
…48 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 ARTS&LIFE FILM REVIEW W hat lengths will people go to for those they love? Simchas and Sorrows, a new independent comedy and drama set for theatrical release on Sept. 16 in Los Angeles and digital release on Sept. 20, grapples with the age-old question through the lens of Judaism. No Michigan dates have been set yet. In this 116-minute film by New York-based writer, director and producer Genevieve A...…
…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 49 previously hadn’t looked through. While Simchas and Sorrows is easy to follow and dives into a topic that has been seldom covered in the Jewish film industry, the messaging and plot felt forced. Dry humor and sarcasm often lend themselves well to coming- of-age films, but in the case of this production, the approach simply didn’t work. On the contrary, it needed depth. Simchas and Sorrows lacked substanc...…
…50 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 TWO VERY DIFFERENT, BUT IMPORTANT DOCUMENTARIES The “big Jewish TV event” of this month is U.S. and the Holocaust (see page 43), a three-episode PBS documentary that will air over three nights (Sept. 18-20, 8-10 p.m.). Here is the PBS description: “Inspired in part by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s ‘Americans and the Holocaust’ exhibition and supported by its historical resources, the fi...…
