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…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...…

…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 51 TOT SHABBAT 10-11 AM, SEPT. 17 Hosted by Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. Young fam- ilies are invited for a sweet start to the Jewish New Year. Join us as we celebrate Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah with crafts, musical prayer and, of course, apples, chal- lah and honey. Register: jlive. app/events/2675. STREET ART FAIR 10 AM, SEPT. 17-18 Sponsored by Common Ground at Shain Park, Birmingham. Approximately 1...…

…52 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 AUTUMN STROLL SEPT. 18 Sky Foundation support- ers from all over the U.S. will gather in groups, both large and small, for the Autumn Stroll to fund pan- creatic cancer research. The Autumn event can be walking, jogging, running, swimming or biking. Each team leader can create their own event. The foundation encourages friends and family from out of town to participate in their own city to raised awaren...…

…the exchange community bulletin board | professional services For information regarding advertising please call 248-351-5116 or 248-234-9057 or email salessupport@ thejewishnews.comDeadline for ad insertion is 9 a.m. on Friday prior to publication. Aaron Mendelson Heating and Cooling, LLC. 248-855-0437 Cell: 248-912-2292 License # 7118488 Maintenance, Installation, Repair & Hot Water Heaters Ajmendelson1@gmail.com FAMILY OWNED SINC...…

…OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY 54 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 ELAINE ADELMAN, 91, of West Bloomfield, died Sept. 7, 2022. She is survived by her beloved husband, Harvey Adelman; sons and daughter-in-law, Cary (Ellen) Adelman, Ralph Adelman and Gregg Adelman; grandchildren, Eric (Karen) Adelman, Scott (Rebecca) Adelman, Megan (Jeremy) Lawless and Kevin Adelman; great-grandchildren, Jocelyn, Natalie, Mia, Graham, Olivia, Ava, Madeline...…

…B roadcast industry legend Julian “Jerry” Liebman, aka Specs Howard, was an innovative entrepreneur, a generous men- tor and, above all, the beloved patriarch of a large and loving family. Jerry, who was 96, died Sept. 3, 2022, in his Southfield home, with his cherished wife of 68 years, Ceil, at his side. Jerry Liebman was born in 1926 in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, a small town outside Pittsburgh. After con- tracting polio in a l...…

…OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY 56 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 Aaron and Kacey Baum, David Baum, Erica and Alex Baum, Michelle Baum, Alex Baum; great-nieces and great-nephews, Ruby, Gab, Avi, Richard, Lilly, Dov, Shai, Daisy, Ava. Mr. Baum was the dear com- panion of the late Samantha “Sam” Hamood. Contributions may be made to Friendship Circle, 6892 W . Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322; or Hillel Day School, 32200 Middlebelt, Farming...…

…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 57 Mickey Chudler. Interment took place at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. GERSON COOPER, 88, of Bloomfield Hills, died Sept. 8, 2022. He is survived by his sons and daughter-in- law, Eban Cooper, and Dr. Adam and Carol Cooper; grandchildren, W . Hunter Cooper and Kelsey Martin, Claudia Page Cooper, ...…

…OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY 58 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 SHIRLEY GREEN, 94, of West Bloomfield, died Sept. 2, 2022. She was the dear mother of Rhonda (Jeffrey) Shuster, Jon Green, Andrew (Diane) Green and Elizabeth Green; loving grandmother of Daniel (Tamar) Shuster, Amanda Shuster, Jeremy Green and Sherri Green; adoring great-grandmother of Elle Smith, Sloane Smith, Joseph Shuster, Aviva Shuster and Isaac Shuster. She is also ...…

…SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 59 late Shila Morganroth and the late Ilene “Tina” Caplan; dear sister-in-law of the late Melvin Leshman and Mike Morganroth; loving aunt of Renee Leshman, Lonny and Jeanette Morganroth, Scott and Candy Morganroth, the late Leslie Shafkind; many great-nieces and great-neph- ews of the Morganroth family. She was the companion and best friend of Denise Marston, our mother’s lovely caretaker. Our “Betty” was on...…

…OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY 60 | SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 RONALD ROSENBERG, 68, of Phoenix, Ariz., died Aug. 30, 2022. He grew up in Detroit and moved his family to Chicago in the early 1990s. Ron will always be remembered for his devotion to his family, Jewish faith and finding joy in making people laugh. He was a lifelong University of Michigan fan, collector of comics, a Raised Master Mason and Shriner; and he could never resi...…

…Mary Ann was incredibly proud of her children, Mark (Susan), Julie Sherrard (Steve), and Scott (Laura); grandchil- dren, Lauren (Mark), Dan (Sally), Abbey (Nim), Henry and Ben (fiancé Kyrani); and great-grandchildren, Theo, Jack, Desmond and Lucy. She is also survived by brother, Peter (Shelly) Cooper; and in-laws, Jack and Cecile Freeman. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests don...…

…Looking Back From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org L ike you, I read the JN. Two recent stories by Associate Editor Rachel Sweet inspired me. Rachel writes a weekly feature about members of the Jewish community who volunteer to help others. In the recent July 27 JN, she wrote about Casey Belen, 12, who dedicated his bar mitzvah project to helping children in pediat...…

…RUTH KARMEL למרכ יתור Associate Broker Cell (248) 408-1745 ruthieapel@yahoo.com ruthkarmel.com For a stress free transaction call FLORENCE ABEL Associate Broker “Ready, Willing & Abel” (248) 227-1881 realtorflo@aol.com LINDA SINGER Multi-Million Dollar Producer (248) 752-4211 lindasinger@sbcglobal.net DENNIS H. SCHEINFIELD Broker Associate/Associate Manager CBR, SFR Cell (248) 790-7000 supermandenn1@aol.com The Moving Mavens Roberta ...…

…$200 July 15-21, 2021 / 6-12 Av 5781 JEWISH NEWS JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT thejewishnews.com Downtown Synagogue plans $4.5 million renovation. Page 14 in the in in Pretty Pretty Pretty City …

…JULY 15 • 2021 | 3 contents PURELY COMMENTARY 4-12 Essays and viewpoints OUR COMMUNITY 13 A Good Neighbor Angelique Power joins Detroit’s Skillman Foundation as president & CEO. 14 Pretty in the City Downtown Synagogue plans $4.5 million renovation. 18 One Step Closer to a New Mikvah Southfield site is prepared for Lahser Road Mikvah. 19 People We Know & Stories We Don’t: Shoshana Leah Greenberg 20 Keeping Up wi...…

…4 | JULY 15 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY P ermit me to introduce myself and this column. I chose the name of the column as sometimes you’ll find me wise, and at times you may find me otherwise. Since there’s been and are a couple of more accomplished and taller Irwin Cohens in the area, I’ll tell you about this one. I’m Irwin J. and the only one that has a Detroit Tiger World Series ring. My driver’s license tells me that I’m 80...…

…Wherever you choose to go for your education, your first step is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It’s the doorway to grants and scholarships that can make a big difference when it comes to paying for your education. A FAFSA form can be completed at fafsa.gov from a phone, tablet or laptop in under an hour — and the payoff could be huge. Some awards, including programs at Wayne State like Wayne Access and...…

…6 | JULY 15 • 2021 1942 - 2021 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: send changes to: Detro...…

…Your Your FIRST YEAR DUES ARE VOLUNTARY. Contact Alan Harris (Chief Operating Officer), David Tisdale (Chief Executive Officer) or visit our website for additional membership information. Come Be A Part Of Our Our Family. YourFamily Belongs Here. DON’T MISS OUR SHABBAT UNDER THE TENT SERVICES! July 16 | July 23 | July 30 August 6 | August 13 | August 20 | August 27 September 3 5725 WALNUT LAKE ROAD, WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI 48323 248-6...…

…8 | JULY 15 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY back helps educate the person making the comment, who may not even realize it is an antisemitic comment. What we all must do is practice how to answer such comments calmly and in a way that educates the other person. In the case of the statement about Jews only caring about money, perhaps an appropriate answer could be: “You may not realize that what you said is an antisemitic statement said ...…

…JULY 15 • 2021 | 9 THEY’RE YOUR METROPARKS. WATER YOU WAITING FOR? METROPARKS.COM Stay in the know with all things Jewish... Get The Detroit Jewish News print edition delivered to your door every week for less than $2 per issue. thejewishnews.com/subscription Get The Detroit Jewish News print edition Subscribe Today! C l i c k. C a ll. G i v eN o w . www.hfldetroit.org • 248.723.8184 Hebrew Free Loan Detroit 6735 Telegraph Road, ...…

…10 | JULY 15 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY continued from page 8 path of danger? Does the reality of imminent attacks on Israel frighten you so much you would never visit Israel, never mind sending your children? Last month, when the locations popped up on the Red Alert app, it was evident that Hamas was no longer targeting only the usual pop- ulations adjacent to Gaza. This time they had the capa- bility and were intentionally aimin...…

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…12 | JULY 15 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY essay Heading a Nation Like No Other T o the honorable President of Israel, Truth be told, I’m a little envious of you. In a short while, you will find out exactly how magnificent the privilege of the presidency is. Over the next seven years, you will meet Israelis from all walks of life, and let me tell you right now — you’ll want to embrace all of them. You’ll want to share their la...…

…JULY 15 • 2021 | 13 OUR COMMUNITY A ngelique Power remembers being 13 years old, as the daughter of a white Jewish mother and a Black father, standing in a synagogue on the south side of Chicago, not so sure she fit in. Power pulled the synagogue’s rabbi aside, telling him she had many doubts, not even sure if she believed in God. She asked the rabbi, “ Am I still a good Jew if I don’t believe that?” The rabbi asked her two q...…

…OUR COMMUNITY W ith more than $4 million raised so far toward its $4.5 million capital campaign to completely renovate its building on Griswold Street, the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue (IADS) marks its first century in serving Detroit’s Jewish community as it looks ahead to its next. From its humble beginnings in 1921 in a house on Rosedale Court in Detroit’s North End to the 1962 purchase of its current Downtown building, the si...…

…JULY 15 • 2021 | 15 TOP: A rendering of the facade. BOTTOM, LEFT-RIGHT: The future first floor. Second floor sanctuary and event space. The third floor will have shared workspace. …

…continued from page 14 16 | JULY 15 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY ON THE COVER growing focus on social justice and Jewish community building and is based on other movements such as IKAR in Los Angeles and Mishkan in Chicago. “Social justice is an import- ant part of who we are at the Downtown Synagogue, and the ritual aspects of Judaism are an important sliver of what we do as well,” Avshalumov said. “The goal with this renovation is to t...…