…$200 April 22-28, 2021 / 10-16 Iyar 5781 JEWISH NEWS JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT thejewishnews.com A Passion A Passion A Passion for Healing for Healing for Healing Detroit Detroit Detroit for Healing Detroit for Healing for Healing for Healing Detroit for Healing Detroit for Healing Detroit for Healing for Healing for Healing Detroit for Healing Meet Jodee Raines, New Detroit Inc.’s new Jewish ally. Page 12 Inside Home & ...…
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…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 3 contents OUR COMMUNITY 12 A Passion for Healing Detroit Meet Jodee Raines, New Detroit Inc.’s new Jewish ally. 17 Backlash at MSU Jewish students get nasty pushback for efforts to define antisemitism. 18 Albion College Student Suspended After Antisemitic, Racist Graffiti Found The student is believed to have been acting alone. 18 Mother’s Day Art Excursion Take a virtual tour of the Weste...…
…4 | APRIL 22 • 2021 for openers Boisterous Kids? – Just Love Them! W ithin a few weeks of the world shutting down, my children and I had final- ly gotten into a quarantine groove with Zoom school, schedules and routines. This morning, though, my eldest suggested that I go relax because he had “something really, really great” planned for his brothers. Trust my 6-year-old and have a few minutes of quiet productivity? Sure! Wh...…
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…6 | APRIL 22 • 2021 analysis The U.S.-Iran Talks at Vienna W hile some may regard the cur- rent multilateral talks in Vienna that include the Biden administration and Iran as a reboot of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), much has changed for the United States and its presence in the Middle East since the Trump adminis- tration withdrew from the agreement in 2018. The geopolitical realities facing Americ...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 7 continued on page 10 Paid & Free Announcement Submissions Now Open to All High School & College Graduates! Congratulatory announcements are a special way to honor your graduate and connect with the community. PAID ADS* INCLUDE: 1 image, title, student’s name, your own special message and signature. FREE LISTINGS* INCLUDE: 1 image, student’s name, high school, university, achievements, and featured in the online ga...…
…8 | APRIL 22 • 2021 guest column Judaism After the Pandemic I n countless conversations, the same words arise to describe this past year: loss, loneliness, fear, as well as opportunity, gratitude and “silver linings.” Mourners grieved alone. Parents suf- fered exhaus- tion. Children regressed. Teens and adults bat- tled depression and anxiety. Divorces multi- plied. Yet also, among the Jewish community in particular, adult edu...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 9 Moreover, the pandemic exacerbated humanity’s greatest challenges, such as confronting loss and power- lessness; recognizing suffer- ing and inequality; search- ing for balance between individual freedoms and moral obligations toward others; and battling existen- tial loneliness. Judaism, in general, and synagogue life, in particular, are uniquely capable of addressing the human condition and pro- viding moral gu...…
…10 | APRIL 22 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY JUST LOVE THEM! continued from page 4 conventions. Trump administration actions — additional sanc- tions and the assassina- tion of Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 2020 — were viewed by the E3 as heavy-handed and unilateral. The Biden administration sees Vienna as the venue for America to “return” to the world stage as a team player. The ongoing neg...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 11 See Our Improved Features to Help Manage Your Account! • Online Account Access for Immediate Updates • Submit Address Changes, Starts and Stops • Easy Renewal Payments • Manage Gift Subscriptions • More ways to get in touch Email Us: subscriptions@thejewishnews.com Reach Out Through Our Website: https://thejewishnews.com/contact/ Or Call 248.351.5108 Subscribe Today! $200 Feb. 11-17, 2021 / 29 She...…
…12 | APRIL 22 • 2021 DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER J odee Fishman Raines has a passion for bringing people together. In 2006, she helped organize the Tri-Synagogue Women’s Night at the Oak Park JCC. Women from Orthodox, Conservative and Reform congregations came together to socialize, have dinner and share ideas. “We’re all Jewish, but with the different streams of Judaism, some- times differences might tend to pull us apart,” Rain...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 13 back to philanthropy, return- ing to Skillman after four years of practicing law. It was then that Raines combined her legal and philanthropic skills and greatly helped Skillman, whose focus was on children and families in Detroit, to grow. By 2001, a job as executive director at the Jewish Fund became available, and Raines jumped at it. Her motivation for the move was to build her professional skills by lea...…
…14 | APRIL 22 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY ON THE COVER Raines said. “That gave me the courage to apply. The fact that it’s a support role as COO, not CEO, is a good place for me to be as a white ally.” New Detroit, which was formed in response to civil unrest in 1967 that uncovered a host of entrenched social and community ills, works to fight racism by improving interpersonal relations, collab- oration and policy. New Detroit is shifti...…
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…16 | APRIL 22 • 2021 to really think differently about how we take on envi- ronmental sustainability in Detroit,” Goss said. Goss said she relied on Raines heavily for the thought leadership strategy of the coalition and support during the process. “I’ve seen Jodee take vague concepts that are unclear to everyone else and get it done — make sure all the voices are at the table and be really clear about what is needed to actu...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 17 J ewish students at Michigan State are estimated to number between 3,000 and 3,500. During the past several years, a number of antisemitic incidents have occurred — threatening phone mes- sages, a defaced mezuzah and a swastika painted in front of a fraternity house. In addition, Hillel’s sukkah was damaged and Jewish students have experienced some casual antisemitic remarks. While these were not considered majo...…
…18 | APRIL 22 • 2021 A s a prelude to Mother’s Day, the Jewish National Fund and JNFuture Detroit invite mothers and daughters to a virtual artist tour of the Western Galilee region in the chapter’s kickoff event “Mimosas in the Marketplace” noon Sunday, April 25, over Zoom. Israeli tour guide Karmit Arbel will introduce northern Israeli artists who create Judaica sculpted from recycled kitchen countertop materials. Part...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 19 Candlesticks made from Corian leftover from construction jobs that would otherwise wind up in a landfill. sustainability projects in Israel. For the Goldbergs, involvement in JNF has long been a family affair. Laura’s husband, Andy Goldberg, who serves as JNF’s Michigan president, said he is excited that the emerging chapter of JNFuture will draw more attention to this region in Israel, which hopes to attra...…
…20 | APRIL 22 • 2021 R abbi Daniel S. Horwitz, a product of the Metro Detroit Jewish community, has been hired by Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills. “I’m incredibly excited to have the opportunity to return home in order to join the Adat Shalom communi- ty,” Horwitz said in a state- ment from the synagogue. “In addition to having the chance to work alongside world-class colleagues and committed lay leaders, as someon...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 21 survivor, knows the realities of the disease all too well. Kasselman was first diagnosed in September 2007 and started the foundation in June 2008. A big priority for Kasselman with the foundation and the Women’s Event’s is breaking the stigma of the cancer. “I felt that it was a silent disease, and it’s not anything to be ashamed of,” Kasselman said. “I decided that if I live and I have the ability to think...…
…22 | APRIL 22 • 2021 C ongregation Shir Tikvah in Troy is con- ducting a shoe drive fundraiser with drive-thru, con- tactless drop-off collection dates noon-1 p.m. Sundays, April 25, and May 16 and 23. Shir Tikvah will earn funds based on the total weight of the pairs of gently worn, used and new shoes collected, as Funds2Orgs will issue a check for the collected shoes. The funds will go toward social action initiatives, arts and...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 23 F our Jewish Detroit orga- nizations are teaming up to create an interac- tive community event for Lag b’Omer on Thursday, April 29. Hillel of Metro Detroit (HMD), Chabad in the D, NextGen Detroit and The Well are coming together to create an event for Lag b’Omer in an elevated camp-style evening of bonfires, food, archery, lanyard and tie dyeing, arts and crafts, as well as a bar for 21+ guests. The evening ...…
…24 | APRIL 22 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY T his Mother’s Day, there’s a meaningful way to bring joy to mothers and other women alike that also gives back to the local Jewish community. Via the Joy Project, people throughout Metro Detroit can send the special women in their lives a custom-made card that donates proceeds to women and families in need. Running through Mother’s Day, the seasonally held program has taken place each year ...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 25 faces&places On April 8, Holocaust Remembrance Day cere- monies took place at both Fleischman Residence and Meer Apartments of Jewish Senior Life. Holocaust survi- vors were joined by residents and staff who remembered the 6 million Jews who perished in the Shoah. In 1959, Israel established Yom HaShoah to honor the heroism of the Warsaw Ghetto fighters. Dr. Charles Silow, director of JSL ’s Program for Hol...…
…26 | APRIL 22 • 2021 MAZEL TOV! Lyla Camryn Acrich, daughter of Darci and Bryan Acrich, will chant from the Torah on the occasion of her bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, April 23, 2021. She will be joined in cele- bration by her brother Ari and proud grandparents Susanne and Ruben Acrich, and Shirley and Robert Oles. She is the great-grandchild of the late Charlotte and Leo Simko. Lyla attends Cliffo...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 27 Amelia Jane Lippitt will chant from the Torah on the occa- sion of her bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Saturday, April 24, 2021. She will be joined in celebration by her proud par- ents, Denise and Ron Lippitt, and siblings Maureen and Caroline. She is the loving grandchild of Elaine and David Lippitt, Marjie and Steve Ziff, Linda and Ken Rudisel, and the late Don Messing. Amelia attends C...…
…28 | APRIL 22 • 2021 Synagogue Directory CONSERVATIVE Adat Shalom Synagogue Farmington Hills (248) 851-5100 adatshalom.org Ahavas Israel Grand Rapids (616) 949-2840 ahavasisraelgr.org Congregation Beth Ahm West Bloomfield (248) 851-6880 cbahm.org Beth Israel Flint (810) 732-6310 cbiflint.org Congregation Beth Shalom Oak Park (248) 547-7970 congbethshalom.org Beth Tephilath Moses Mt. Clemens (586) 996-3138 bethtephilathmoses.com B’nai...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 29 Shomrey Emunah Southfield (248) 559-1533 congregation-shomrey- emunah-105705.square.site The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch West Bloomfield (248) 788-4000 theshul.net Woodward Avenue Shul Royal Oak (248) 414-7485 thewas.net Yagdil Torah Southfield (248) 559-5905 Young Israel of Oak Park (248) 967-3655 yiop.org Young Israel of Southfield (248) 358-0154 yisouthfield.org RECONSTRUCTIONIST Congregation Kehillat Isr...…
…30 | APRIL 22 • 2021 H illary Levin was scared of bugs when she was a little girl. “I didn’t like being in nature. I didn’t play sports — I was not athletic, ” she says. “I liked being inside. ” And she liked doing art projects. Growing up in New Jersey, she liked watching a TV show that showed people drawing characters while telling stories about them. “I thought that was the coolest thing, ” Levin says. “I started doing the same t...…
…let. Her husband, Jordan, a fitness trainer and motivational speaker, owned CrossFit Bloomfield, and Levin soon found that it was her own golden ticket to overcoming her distaste for sweating and achieving mental and physical empowerment. She became a trainer at and co-owner of CrossFit as well as a yoga instructor. “I thought, ‘I’m a coach, this is what I am now, ’” Levin says. But she didn’t realize how much she missed her first pas...…
…32 | APRIL 22 • 2021 continued from page 31 creating a colorful, joyous frame to what has become her reading room, akin to a man cave. She next turned her eye to a wooden bannister, which now dances with lively details. “I’m inspired by a lot of things, ” Levin says. “It could be a person that I love, a color, a texture. A lot of my pieces have repetitive black and white checks and dots on them. Creating repetitive patterns is v...…
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…34 | APRIL 22 • 2021 G ardening enthusiasm is surging thanks to our increased time at home — whether on a small patio or in a larger backyard. In fact, people spent 42% more time gardening in 2020 than the year before, according to Axiom Marketing’s 2021 Gardening Insight Survey, and it is estimated the pandemic contributed to creating nearly 20 million new “gardeners.” Many experts agree the trend toward nurturing flowers, p...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 35 spaces and have confidence in their performance. These impatiens are low- maintenance and have high resistance to impatiens downy mildew, a disease that has caused plant loss in recent years. THE FUN FAMILY- FRIENDLY GARDEN Having a family garden comes with many benefits. Whether it’s you and your partner at home or the entire family, gardening has proven to be a fun and safe hobby that people of all ages ca...…
…36 | APRIL 22 • 2021 HOME & GARDEN RESOURCES 750 FOREST a Robertson Larson Group Development 750 Forest, Birmingham, MI 48009 (248) 633-8169 www.750Forest.com New, luxury mid-rise condominium building offering two- and three-bedroom condos within a short walking distance to downtown Birmingham. Enjoy carefree living with a con- cierge service, indoor parking and a fourth- floor rooftop terrace. Furnished model open by appointment only. ...…
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…38 | APRIL 22 • 2021 ARTS&LIFE FILM T he Academy Awards will be pre- sented on ABC on Sunday, April 25 (8 p.m.). Again, this year there will be no host. There are fewer Jewish nom- inees than usual. The pandemic caused a reduction in the making and/or release of big-budget American films. Here are the verified Jewish nominees in all but the technical categories. BEST PICTURE/ACTORS The best picture award goes to the film’s principa...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 39 original screenplay Oscar says: Screenplay by Will Berson and Shaka King [who also directed the film]; Story by Berson, King, Keith and Kenny Lucas. Berson, who has several minor writing credits, began “shopping” a script about the death of Hampton in 2014. The Lucas Brothers, identical African American twins, began shopping their own Hampton script around the same time and got Shaka King interested. In 2017, a b...…
…40 | APRIL 22 • 2021 J osh Young, a Tony Award nominee, often performs in cabaret style on pres- tigious stages. He sometimes appears in cabaret shows with his wife, Emily Padgett, also with Broadway credits, and he regularly teaches cabaret enter- tainment at Oakland University in Rochester. Although the couple’s live performances have been side- lined during the pandemic, Young and Padgett will be onstage at the Berman Center f...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 41 T wo longtime artists and one emerg- ing artist are among those juried into this year’s digital “Our Town Art Show and Sale, ” the 36th, sponsored April 22-May 6 by the Community House of Birmingham. Their entries, introducing new individual directions, will be among 200 chosen with a goal of having a mixture of art forms. Steffanie Samuels, a nationally recognized ceramist for 20 years, has turned to oil pastels ...…
…42 | APRIL 22 • 2021 continued from page 41 Pieced Together 2 presents an encaustic print with texture and pattern providing an abstract- ed view of the human head. European Graffiti takes form as a painting using gouache and watercolor pencil to enhance an image originally captured in a photo. “Figurative and landscape sub- jects remain my primary interest since moving into encaustic tech- niques in 2009 after many years of worki...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 43 DIA TOUR 1-3 PM, APRIL 22 The National Council of Jewish Women will host a free virtual interpretive tour of Diego Rivera murals, fea- turing Carlene VanVoorhies, DIA Interpretive Program vol- unteer. Visit ncjwmi.org. WAR WITH PLASTIC 7-9 PM, APRIL 22 NCJW|MI presents: “The Global War with Plastic,” a free Zoom webinar. Hear Laura Sullivan, investigative reporter for National Public Radio who created “Plastic ...…
…44 | APRIL 22 • 2021 SPORTS Joe Bernstein says Isaac Mougoue is a perfect exam- ple of what high school sports are all about. “You can give something a try,” said Bernstein, the boys bowling coach at Frankel Jewish Academy. “And one of the great things about a small school like Frankel is Isaac was able to join our bowling team.” Mougoue, a freshman, started the late-starting and condensed season bowling in the 30s at FJA practi...…
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…the exchange community bulletin board | professional services For information regarding advertising please call 248-351-5116 or 248-234-9057 or email salessupport@thejewishnews.com Deadline for ad insertion is 9 a.m. on Friday prior to publication. HEALTHCARE A1 CAREGIVER/COMPANION. Experienced, excellent references. 248-991-4944 Private Duty / Live-in Nursing Direct Care Worker for the Elderly. Please call Amen at (313) 478-1374. C...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 47 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY LEONARD BAKST, 89, of West Bloomfield, died April 10, 2021. He is survived by his son and daughter-in- law, Marc and Wendy Bakst; daughters and sons-in-law, Susan and Jordy Sacksner, and Cindy and Mark Weingarten; grandchildren, Noah Bakst, Danny Bakst and Syd Hutnick, Chloe Bakst, Jamie, Evan, Marlee and Jillian Sacksner, and Erin, Merrick and Tori Weingarten; brother-in-law, ...…
…48 | APRIL 22 • 2021 the evening as an extra in the Detroit Metropolitan Opera productions. He loved reading American history, riding in his 1967 Corvette and watching Formula One racing. His loss will be felt by everyone whose life he touched but no one will miss him more than his family: his wife, Kay; son, Adam Harris (Julie Straus Harris); daughter, Molly Harris; grandchildren, Stephen and Ruth Harris; sister, Judy Rubin (Bo...…
…APRIL 22 • 2021 | 49 brother-in-law, Elyse and Darrell Silber; nieces, Jaimee and Alexis Silber; aunts, Mona Kaufman and Maxine Le Vine; his loving cousins, Ian and Kat Le Vine, Monica Le Vine, Robin Motisi, Peter Le Vine, and Kim Kaufman; an infinite group of lifelong friends who have been there for each other and supported each other at every turn. Mr. Le Vine was the devoted son of the late Ronald Le Vine; he was also precede...…
…OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY 50 | APRIL 22 • 2021 (Jason) Strattard and Rachel McKenna; great-grandchil- dren, Penelope, Jordan, Eli, Isaac, Eden, Lily and Gibson; sister, Trudy Goldman. She is also survived by her devoted caregiver, Joanne Desmarais; and many other loving family members and friends. Mrs. Meyer was the beloved wife of the late Marvin Owen and the late Martin Meyer; the mother of the late Michael Owen; sister-in...…
