…JULY 22 • 2021 | 3 PURELY COMMENTARY 4-12 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 16 Learning to Lead Antisemitism rally in Washington gave this father and daughter lessons in how to combat hatred. 20 Jewish Unity Video Temple Israel cantors team up with Israeli a cappella group. 22 A New Voice B’nai Moshe hires hometown woman as cantor. 23 Teens and Business Course offers Jewish guide to issues in the commercial world. 24...…
…4 | JULY 22 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY for openers No Israeli Child Left Behind ... E veryone knows how Israelis take care of one another as if everyone is one big family. Here is a story about exactly that. The invitation culture in Israel is such that parents invite friends to their son’s bar mitzvah or daughter’s bat mitzvah, and no one is expected to respond. There are no seating cards, so when they arrive, everyone just sits a...…
…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 23 | July 30 August 6 | August 13 | August 20 | August 27 September 3 5725 WALNUT LAKE ROAD, WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI 48323 248-661-5700 TE...…
…6 | JULY 22 • 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...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 7 DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING. An expansive menu of freshly prepared meals and daily chef specials Fine arts performances A variety of thoughtfully planned, engaging activities Individual chauffeured transportation A host of technology- based enrichment Family engage...…
…8 | JULY 22 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY continued from page 6 Jews themselves. The first Jewish weeklies published by German Jews (who pioneered so much of modern Jewish thought and politics) were, like most German Jews, liberal, enlightened, Reform, pro- gressive. The Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums, which published its first issue in Leipzig in 1837, became the model for liberal Jewish weeklies in London, Vienna, Paris, Budap...…
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…10 | JULY 22 • 2021 PRO: CRT Helps Us Teach Jewish History A nyone teaching the past by skipping over the unpleasant parts isn’t teaching history. They are engaged in propaganda. Jewish tradition understands this: Refusing to sugarcoat their own people’s culpability, the sages themselves teach that the destruction of the Temple by the Romans is a consequence of baseless hatred — among Jews. Yet in nearly two dozen states, ...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 11 continued on page 12 ical race theory aims to do just that — put people into neat boxes. Because CRT revolves around race and racial cate- gories, by definition it must downplay the individual. We become defined by our skin color, a radical departure from Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous dictum that we ought to be judged by “the content of our character and not the color of our skin.” This stereotyping is especi...…
…12 | JULY 22 • 2021 continued from page 11 PURELY COMMENTARY of controversial aspects of history,” or even “the impartial instruction on the oppression of a particular group of people.” On the other hand, it bans teaching that “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged” (forestalling, presumably, lessons in how the redlining in the 1930s led to white wealth accumulation today or how men e...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 13 Carole BenEzra Regional President Nicole Miller Regional Director on being named the 2021 FRED M. BUTZEL AWARD RECIPIENT, the highest honor bestowed on a member of the Detroit Jewish community by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit! It’s no surprise that you are joining the ranks of Federation’s legendary leaders and being recognized for your outstanding leadership and decades of service to the Jewish co...…
…14 | JULY 22 • 2021 Pop-Up Gallery & On-line Art Auction Taking place late fall/early winter - stay tuned for details presents This year’s ORT and the City fundraiser will feature 30+ original works of art created by Detroit artists, reflecting this year’s art challenge Elegant Chaos. The art will be displayed in our pop-up gallery for interested buyers to see the art in person (location and dates of the exhibit to come). All art will be a...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 15 RUB-A-DUB 2021 100 YEARS OF ORT AMERICA 100 MOMENTS OF MICHIGAN’S IMPACT AD JOURNAL OPPORTUNITIES Congratulate ORT AMERICA on a Century of Achievement. and/or Congratulate Your GRANDPARENT · PARENT · CHILD · SIBLING · FRIEND for the role they have played in helping ORT America reach 100 years of success. A NO-SHOW FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT Next year, ORT America will be celebrating its centennial anniversary – a huge...…
…16 | JULY 22 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY E arlier this month I received an email from Rabbi Asher Lopatin, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and the rabbi of Kehillat Etz Chayim, our synagogue in Huntington Woods, informing congregants of his plan to attend an upcom- ing rally in Washington D.C., representing the JCRC and Detroit’s Jewish community. The flyer he sent, billed “No Fear: A Rally in ...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 17 continued on page 18 is also critical as mechanisms to affect change. Like a Venn diagram, engagement and being well-informed each overlap with politics in helping shape public policy. Those precepts are what led me to choose a career in journalism. LEARNING OPPORTUNITY I also thought the rally would provide a perfect civics lesson for my 16-year-old daughter, Bella, a rising senior at Frankel Jewish Academy...…
…18 | JULY 22 • 2021 TOP: A diverse crowd was at the rally. BOTTOM: Oakland County Deputy Executive Sean Carlson, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, JCRC/ AJC Executive Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin, Bryan Gottlieb and Bella Gottlieb. continued from page 17 OUR COMMUNITY ON THE COVER place on college campuses is often dubious, where anti-Zion- ism is incubated and given quar- ter with a false patina of intel- lectualism. Bella...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 19 NOW OPEN 248-264-6044 #1 Generac Dealer in the U.S.A. NOW in New Hudson, Michigan FREE In-Home Consultations N OPEN 248-264-6044 Come visit our showroom with Generators On Display! In-Stock and Ready to Install! GeneratorSupercenterOfDetroit.com 53115 Grand River Ave • New Hudson, MI 48165 Powered By: SAVE up to $500 during your FREE In-Home Assessment! Have a friend or neighbor join your appointment and SA...…
…20 | JULY 22 • 2021 T emple Israel Cantors Michael Smolash and Neil Michaels joined forces with the Rabotai Jewish A Cappella group to create an inspiring paro- dy of “Mr. Red, White and Blue, ” a patriotic song by country singer Coffey Anderson, to try and bring some unity to Am Yisrael. Coming off the heels of a difficult period of unrest in Israel and the pandemic, the cantors said they wanted to emphasize that the Jewish peo...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 21 Rabotai chose the “Mr. Red, White and Blue” melody after sifting through a few song ideas, including both American and Israeli songs. “The patriotic emotional pull that song had … I fell in love with that tune, ” Brill said. “When this opportunity came around, it seemed to me that having that story being told with some of the Zionistic unity perspectives would make so much sense. ” Cantor Smolash said he do...…
…22 | JULY 22 • 2021 H istory has been made in Metro Detroit. Congregation B’nai Moshe of West Bloomfield has hired Cantor Deborah Bletstein, who becomes the first full-time female cantor of a Conservative synagogue in Metro Detroit’s history. Cantor Earl G. Berris retired from the pulpit after 24 years as cantor of CBM following the 2020 High Holidays. Then-President Mark Roth initiated a task force to explore hiring a cantor....…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 23 OUR COMMUNITY L ocal high school students will have a chance to learn about business issues from a Jewish perspective while earn- ing college credits this fall. A new course created by Yeshiva University and Chabad will be offered in person at three local sites beginning in October. “This is a class for Jewish teen- agers to learn about Judaism and get college credits from Yeshiva University. There will be o...…
…24 | JULY 22 • 2021 T he Well’s annual social media campaign, #Reflect4Rosh, focusing on reflection and introspec- tion leading up to the High Holidays, has returned. It began July 19. #Reflect4Rosh is running for seven weeks, wrapping up just before Erev Rosh Hashanah on Monday, Sept. 6. Each week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, The Well will post on its Facebook and Instagram sites (@meetyouatthewell on Facebook and @thewell...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 25 OUR COMMUNITY A mid a COVID out- break that has sick- ened 40 prisoners in Myanmar’s Insein Prison since early July, Frontier Myanmar Managing Editor and Huntington Woods native Danny Fenster, 37, was granted permission to speak to his par- ents, Rose and Buddy Fenster of Huntington Woods, on July 8, 46 days after he was detained. Danny complained to his family he had fever and chest congestion, though the pris...…
…26 | JULY 22 • 2021 faces&places Everyone is thrilled to gath- er in person once again for special events, programming and services at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. More than 20 families with young children gathered under their outdoor pavilion for an All- American Shabbat for Tots during 4th of July weekend. Families enjoyed a full morning celebrating Jewish American pride with crafts, a parade, dancing and a festive Shabba...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 27 2021 Judi Schram Tuesday, October 5, 2021 • 1pm ET Adat Shalom Synagogue, Farmington Hills, MI featuring Marlee Matlin 248.683.5030 | greaterdetroit@hadassah.org | www.hadassah.org/detroit HADASSAH, THE WOMEN’S ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA, INC. ©2021 Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. Hadassah, the H logo, and Hadassah the Power of Women Who Do are registered trademarks of Hadassah, The W...…
…28 | JULY 22 • 2021 SPORTS D aniel Shamayev is the youngest player in the new Detroit Shul Basketball League. The 20-year-old from Keego Harbor also is the league’s founder and commis- sioner. The first league games were played on the night of July 14 at Farber Hebrew Day School in Southfield. That was less than two weeks after Shamayev began putting together the league and one week after opening night was canceled because of ...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 29 SPORTS media, and texts and phone calls to family and friends to get the word out about the league as he tried to orga- nize it. Old-fashioned word of mouth helped, too. The effort began over the July 4 holiday weekend. Plans to begin league play July 7 were squashed when players couldn’t get into Farber because of a power failure that followed strong storms that pelted southeast Michigan earlier in the day. Po...…
…MAZEL TOV! 30 | JULY 22 • 2021 HOW TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS Mazel Tov! announcements are welcomed for members of the Jewish community. Anniversaries, engagements and weddings with a photo (preferably color) can appear at a cost of $18 each. Births are $10. There is no charge for bar/bat mitzvahs or for special birthdays starting at the 90th. For information, contact Editorial Assistant Sy Manello at smanello@thejewishnews.com or (248) 3...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 31 SPIRIT The Scholar Within B efore entering the promised land, the Jewish nation encoun- tered trouble. The mighty armies of Sichon and Og were not going to simply allow them safe passage. They would have to fight. Fought they did, and they miraculously con- quered their lands east of the Jordan. Then, Moses des- ignated three cities of refuge for the tribes that settled in those conquered lands to serve as a...…
…32 | JULY 22 • 2021 The Great Restoration S lowly but surely, the lives we enjoyed B.C. (Before COVID) are beginning to return. We’re beginning to have Shabbos guests again, and schools are planning on returning to (almost) nor- mal in the fall. Shuls are slowly returning to normal, planning full in-person High Holiday services and even bringing back their Kiddushes. As we return to these parts of our lives, we can now bett...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 33 distanced and masked outside. Rav Nachman’s and Shmuel’s answers also speak to a larger re-ability to connect after over a year of living apart. The third- and fourth-cen- tury rabbinic sage Ulla answers that the wicked king of Northern Israel, Yeravam ben Navat, stationed guards at the roads to prevent his subjects from traveling to the Temple in Jerusalem for the festivals. It was on a Tu b’ Av that a later k...…
…34 | JULY 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 Congregation 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 bethtephilathmose...…
…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 Israel Lansing (517) 88...…
…36 | JULY 22 • 2021 ARTS&LIFE ART T wo Judaic artists — one working with batik projects and the other using multi- media — will be part of the 18th annual Orchard Lake Fine Art Show, spread out Saturday-Sunday, July 24-25, in West Bloomfield. The two participants also display projects unrelated to Judaism as they join some 120 artists with a range of approaches — paintings, sculpture, glass, fiber, jewelry and much more.Among...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 37 ARTS&LIFE ART at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obisbo. “I saw batik artwork, felt connected to the warmth of the fabric and taught myself how to work with it. I kept doing art shows while I was studying, and art took over.” Amit uses white cloth as his sketching base for designs completed in pencil. On the designs, he moves from light to dark colors by separately dying the fabric in lay...…
…TOP TO BOTTOM: Kari Nidy’s Abraham Israel Stamp Art; art made from an Israeli stamp; an abstract from Amos Amit. ABOVE: Star of David by Kari Nidy. then carve it out. I incorporate other materials, including handmade papers, as focus points. People give me stuff, such as coins from Israel, and I give objects new life through my artwork.” Nidy studied techniques at the Maitland Art Center in central Florida before entering Valencia ...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 39 D uring the pandemic, Rebecca Feber used a biographical story from the past to inspire plans for favorite activities, and the Ridgedale Players Theater in Troy is showcasing her creative approach with the help of many others. Feber combined an intense science leaning as a senior at Berkley High School with a devotion to theater and decided to write and produce a teen musical comedy to be staged for post-pande...…
…40 | JULY 22 • 2021 and Elf the Musical among many Ridgedale young people’s productions. Shaya Schreiber, 15, a Berkley High 10th-grader who also wants to be an engineer, takes the role of Josh and becomes a character very different from himself. “It’s a challenge for me to take this role because Josh is confused, disorganized and not school-minded,” said Schreiber, of Huntington Woods. “I’m the opposite, and I learned my l...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 41 JN BRING THIS AD FOR $2 OFF ONE ADMISSION Amos Amit, Batik www.hotworks.org Facebook.com/HotWorksArtShows Instagram @HotWorksArtShows 18th HotWorks.org July 24 & 25, 2021 West Bloomfield, Michigan Orchard Lake Fine Art Show ® Juried Fine Art & Fine Craft Show – All Art is Original & Personally Handmade Voted Top 100 Art Shows in America - $2,500 Professional Awards! Event Hours Saturday, 10am-6pm & Sunday 10am-5pm ...…
…42 | JULY 22 • 2021 FEAR 3X; BIG HIT BACKSTORIES Perhaps because I’m not a huge horror fan, I didn’t flag in advance the Netflix release, this past month, of a trilogy of original horror films based on some of the Fear Street novels of R.L. Stine, 77. Stine is most famous as the author of the very popular Goosebumps scary novels for children. The first Netflix film, Fear Street Part One: 1994, takes place in a small Ohio town. ...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 43 GLOBAL CONNECTIONS 4-5 PM, JULY 22 American Friends of Rabin Medical Center will present on Zoom “Eating In & Eating Out: Our Changing Relationship With Food.” Robert Siegel (former senior host of NPR’s All Things Considered for 31 years) interviews Mark Bittman (food author & journalist); Ruth Reichl (six-time James Beard Awardee); and Mark Fachler and Monica Klausner (co-founders, Veestro). Free registratio...…
…44 | JULY 22 • 2021 HEALTH A well-known obser- vation: In medieval times, many rabbis worked as physicians. Less well- known: In our own times as well, several Orthodox rabbis are also physicians. A few rabbi/ physicians told the Jewish News what Jewish law advises about COVID-19 vaccines. Aaron Glatt earned rab- binical ordination from Rabbi Avraham Tzvi Wosner at Machon LeTorah Vehora’ah and his medical degree from Columbia U...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 45 disease that destroys the heart muscle, weakening its ability to effectively pump blood. With all these experiences in mind, I am certain of our collective respon- sibility to be vaccinated against this plague. ” Addressing “those in the community who worry about the health risks posed by the vaccine itself, ” Schlagman notes that “remaining unvaccinated puts one at risk of being infect- ed … the vaccine would s...…
…46 | JULY 22 • 2021 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. the exchange community bulletin board | professional services For information regarding advertising please call 248-351-5116 or 248-234-9057 or email salessupport@thejewish...…
…SYDNEY ALTUS, 71, of Southfield, died July 13, 2021. He is survived by his daughter, Shana Altus; son, Brian Corson; mother, Brenda Altus; brothers and sisters-in- law, Mark and Brenda Altus, Harvey and Nancy Altus, and Joel and Cathy Altus; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. Mr. Altus was the son of the late Irving Altus. Interment took place at Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Birmingham. Contributions ...…
…48 | JULY 22 • 2021 about the Holocaust and to make sure that her story was told and remembered by each generation to come. The family invites you to contact them if you would like to read her story. Mrs. Bohm is survived by her son, Larry Bohm; daughter and son-in-law, Debbie and Dr. Martin Karp; grandchildren, Ellen and Mario Bendana, Elisa and Joel Wasserman, Marianne Sacks, Rachel and Jeffrey Levine, Rebecca and Matthew Z...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 49 JOEL N. BRUSS, 75, former Detroiter of Highland Park, Ill., died July 10, 2021. Joel was a man of many interests, passionate about hobbies and great food. His family was his everything, bringing him joy and nachas. Mr. Bruss was the beloved husband for 51 years of Lauren Bruss; adoring father of Jonathan Bruss and Jill (Loren) Rivkin; doting Grampsy of Meredith and Jacob Rivkin. Contributions may be made t...…
…50 | JULY 22 • 2021 DR. MICHAEL D. FALKOFF, 73, former Detroiter, died peacefully after a long battle with cancer on July 2, 2021, with his family by his side. Dr. Falkoff practiced cardi- ology for more than 40 years in Rochester, N.Y., describing it as a calling rather than sim- ply a career. He was extreme- ly dedicated to his many patients, some of whom he treated for decades and many of whom had to endure his corny jokes. De...…
…JULY 22 • 2021 | 51 HILDA GREEN, 96, of West Bloomfield, died July 8, 2021. A deeply reli- gious individual, Mrs. Green was a regular Shabbat attendee and member of Congregation Shaarey Zedek and its sisterhood. She was such a loving indi- vidual that she was matron of honor at her granddaughter’s wedding. Her family was her life and she was a selfless and devoted woman who nurtured and cared for her entire family. Mrs. Green is...…
…52 | JULY 22 • 2021 most every month to visit Myra, whom she loved and adored as a mother. Myra will be missed by granddaughter, Amy Landau Schaeffer; her husband, Jeff Schaeffer; great-granddaughter, Maddy Schaeffer; granddaugh- ter, Julie Landau; her husband, Ken Young; great-granddaugh- ter, Eve; great-grandson, Jacob; grandson, Michael Garvett; two beloved stepdaughters, Jo Ellen Warner and Nora Pasman-Green; Nora’s husband, ...…
