…wrestling opponents this season. That certainly was the case at state. “Lev got a tough draw at state. Both guys he wres- tled had to be around 270 pounds,” said Berkley wres- tling coach Ron Fritz. “Lev will tell you he didn’t wrestle his best at state, but just getting there was a major accomplishment and a testa- ment to his hard work.” Fritz wasn’t surprised that Mechnikov qualified for state. “Lev’s goal was to make it to region...…
…P artners Detroit Jewish Young Professionals hosted a DIY Havdalah experience, a night filled with spices, candles and action. The organization had a sold-out event on Feb. 26 at its Platform 18 space in Royal Oak. Erin Stiebel, an edu- cator with the organi- zation, says its mission is to create a space where Jewish young adults at any level can come and learn. “We try to be a source of education for anybody who is intereste...…
…MARCH 24 • 2022 | 39 L earning how to prepare a new dish can be a daunting task for some. NEXTGen Detroit Balance, which seeks to create a space for young adults to focus on mental health, life and work balance, wanted to take the guesswork out of trying a new recipe. The group brought in Gray Table Cuisine’s personal chef Natalie Brodsky for a step-by-step vir- tual cooking class on Feb. 23. Brodsky is a self-taught, plant-based c...…
…40 | MARCH 24 • 2022 Mendelson-Soifer L ori and Douglas Soifer are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Jennifer Elisabeth to Ethan Benjamin Mendelson, son of Susan and Coby Goutkovitch, and Wendy and David Mendelson. The happy couple, who reside in Chicago, will be wed in Michigan this November. Spector-Kowalsky P aula Spector of Farmington Hills, and Bonnie and Mark Kowalsky of West Bloomfield are excited t...…
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…42 | MARCH 24 • 2022 SPIRIT Beyond Natural Order T here were seven days of training for the Kohanim, the priests, in regard to their roles in the tabernacle. On the eighth day they took the service over and, so to speak, graduated from Kohen school. Eight is a very spiritual number in Judaism. It shows up in connection to Chanukah, the bris milah and the first letter in chai — life. It also transcends the model of nature....…
…MARCH 24 • 2022 | 43 SPIRIT Spiritual Eating A WORD OF TORAH K eeping kosher is a vital part of Jewish life. The word “kosher” comes from the Hebrew word kasher, meaning “fit” or “proper. ” And, indeed, the term itself has even entered the gen- eral vernacular. When some- thing is kosher, it is considered “above board” and meets certain required standards. As we shall see, kosher is an entire world- view — a philosophy on fo...…
…44 | MARCH 24 • 2022 of which you know for certain are kosher, and they become mixed up, you are in fact per- mitted to eat all three, since the two kosher cuts are in the majority, and the non-kosher cut gets subsumed into them. (If you have a question of this nature, you should consult a competent halachic authority just to clarify all the details and make sure that the halachah is being properly applied.) If there were some- th...…
…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 bethtephilathmoses.com...…
…MARCH 24 • 2022 | 46 Shomer Israel Oak Park (248) 542-4014 godaven.com Shomrey Emunah Southfield (248) 559-1533 congregation-shomrey- emunah-105705.square.site The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch West Bloomfield (248) 788-4000 theshul.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 L...…
…MARCH 24 • 2022 | 47 ARTS&LIFE FILM NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST It’s Oscars Time! It’s Oscars Time! T he Academy Awards ceremony will be broadcast (ABC) on Sunday, March 27 (8 p.m.). There have been major changes this year. Oscar cere- mony viewership has been down in recent years, and ABC successfully leaned on the Academy to virtually drop eight “lesser” categories from the main ceremony. ABC put a sugary spin on the change. They said f...…
…48 | MARCH 24 • 2022 ARTS&LIFE FILM BEST PICTURE The best picture Oscar goes to the film’s principal producers. Ten films are nom- inated for best film. All the other Oscar categories have five nominees. Three films have a Jewish producer: Emile Sherman is the (co-producer) of Power of the Dog, a Western set in the 1920s. Sherman, 48, has long been one of the top Australian producers. He won an Oscar (2011) as a producer of The King...…
…MARCH 24 • 2022 | 49 of adoption agency policies. Stewart is engaged to marry screenwriter Dina Meyer, the daughter of nov- elist, screenwriter and direc- tor Nicholas Meyer, 76. He’s best known for writing three Star Trek movies and adapt- ing two Philip Roth novels for the screen. I don’t believe Dina’s mother is Jewish. DIRECTOR Steven Spielberg, West Side Story. Spielberg has been nominated for best director for at least one fil...…
…ARTS&LIFE MUSIC A n innovation-filled local opera scene — from a produc- tion staged in a parking garage to one focused on a 21st century family — came to town in 2020 with the arrival of Yuval Sharon, who spent pre-school years in Israel. The artistic director of Detroit Opera (a recent name change from Michigan Opera Theatre) is about to present audiences with another imaginative presentation by reversing the order of acts in Puccini’...…
…MARCH 24 • 2022 | 51 15 years because of the musical circularity and episodic quality of the four acts, making it a less traditional narrative than other operas. Previous less traditional approaches to La bohème have been stylistic adaptations of what the opera encompass- es, such as jazz pianist Dick Hyman’s version of the single piece “Musetta’s Waltz” and Jonathan Larson’s Broadway musical Rent as based on the entire opera. Sh...…
…52 | MARCH 24 • 2022 FAMILY MOVIE; RADCLIFFE KIDNAPS BULLOCK; A GODFATHER GUIDE-OF-SORTS Rescued by Ruby is an original Netflix film that was released on March 17. It’s a “feel good” movie for the whole family. It’s based on a true story. The “real” Ruby was a wayward puppy. This Australian shepherd and border collie mix ended up in a Rhode Island animal shelter because of behavior prob- lems. Five families adopted her and th...…
…MARCH 24 • 2022 | 53 CANDIDATE FORUM 3-4 PM, MARCH 24 Host: The Jewish Democratic Council of America. Issue-based Democratic Primary Candidates Forum for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. Hear from Rep. Andy Levin and Rep. Haley Stevens on issues important to Jewish Democrats. Info: mobilize.us/ jewishdems/event/445608. PASSOVER AROUND THE WORLD 7-8 PM, MARCH 24 Join with Temple Beth El’s Sisterhood and Debbie Morosohk, ...…
…54 | MARCH 24 • 2022 National Council for Jewish Women for a virtual discussion with Michigan Sen. Rosemary Bayer. During “The State of Gun Violence Prevention – Past, Present and Future,” Bayer will discuss the shooting at Oxford High School, which is in her district, and its implica- tions in Michigan, Red Flag laws and more as it relates to gun violence and its prevention. To reg- ister: jcrcajc.org/events. TO HEALING 7:...…
…MARCH 24 • 2022 | 55 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 SINCE 1973 $65 SERVICE FEE 24/7 Emergency Service FREE ESTIMATES • LICENSED & INSURED HANDYMAN SERVICE • Carpentry • Plumbing • Electrical REMODELING • Kitchen • Bath • Basement A&E ConstruCtion 248-425-9565 Serving ...…
…56 | MARCH 24 • 2022 Building on the successful 50th anniversary celebration in 2017, the Mumford Class of 1967 Reunion Committee is putting final touches on plans for a 55th anniversary reunion. The activities will take place from Aug. 4-7, 2022. Among the planning com- mittee members are Elissa Kass Kline and Danny Kline, Michael Shewach, Doris Rubenstein, Sharon Moss Lebovic, and Marilyn Warren Bowerman. Other committee memb...…
…OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY continued on page 58 MARCH 24 • 2022 | 57 PHYLLIS T. BLAU, 82, for- merly of Detroit, died March 13, 2022, in Paoli, Pa. She is survived by many cousins and friends. Ms. Blau was the daughter of the late Saul and the late Fanny Blau; sister of the late Loretta and the late Kenny. Interment was in Los Angeles, Calif. Contributions may be made to organiza- tions that benefit Jewish peo- ple in the U.S. o...…
…58 | MARCH 24 • 2022 continued from page 57 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY had a regular entertainment column for many years, “ Around the Town with Terry T. Brown” , in the Royal Oak Tribune. He published a novella and a book of poetry, and could write a limerick on any topic in minutes. He was an accomplished bridge player, a Gold Life Master, playing in clubs in Michigan and New Mexico, as well as national tourna- ments. He al...…
…MARCH 24 • 2022 | 59 continued on page 60 org; or Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322. A funeral ser- vice took place at Hebrew Memorial Chapel. Interment was held at Machpelah Cemetery in Ferndale. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. DR. BERNARD KOLE, 62, of West Bloomfield, died March 12, 2022. He was a physi- cian, a professor, a friend, a colleague and an all-around mensc...…
…HOWARD PIKSTEIN, 66, of Northville, died March 14, 2022. He was raised in Oak Park. He helped develop the baggage conveyor sys- tem at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Professionally, Howie worked in IT program man- agement. He was employed by the Ford Motor Company for many years. Howie played Beaver Softball for more than 40 years and his number will be retired. He enjoyed ski trips and vacations to Oscoda ...…
…MARCH 24 • 2022 | 61 Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the powerful leader of Israel’s haredi Orthodox community who was known as the “Prince of Torah, ” has died. Kanievsky was 94 and died after collapsing at his home in Bnei Brak, the center of haredi life in Israel where he was regarded with reverence. The son of a major rabbi with familial connections to numer- ous famed rabbinic dynasties, Kanievsky seemed to be destined for a position o...…
…Looking Back From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org Happy Women’s History Month T his month, we celebrate the achievements of women in America. Since 1995, U.S. presidents have declared March as Women’s History Month, and March 8 as International Women’s Day. This month also marks the 100th year anniversary of the first bat mitzvah in the United States. I dec...…
…Every Wednesday Pick a Wednesday in April to tour any Anthology of Michigan community, and you’ll take home our chef’s flavorful simmering soup. There’s no better time than now to look into Anthology Senior Living communities and dive into a vibrant lifestyle rich with rewards. This will be a socially distanced event. Masks required. RSVP FOR SOUP NOW SOUPER WEDNESDAY AnthologyMichigan.com Tours and Soup CONTINUE YOUR LIFE STORY WI...…
…JEWISH NEWS JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS $200 Feb. 24-March 2, 2022 / 23-29 Adar 1 5782 thejewishnews.com thejewishnews.com Jewish Bakery Renewal Stacy Fox is determined to preserve — and improve — Jewish-style bakeries in Metro Detroit. See page 12 …
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…FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 3 contents PURELY COMMENTARY 4-9 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 10 Good News at Frankel Jewish Academy The school introduces Shorashim Grants providing all students up to $10,000 toward tuition. 12 Jewish Bakery Renewal Stacy Fox is determined to preserve — and improve — Jewish-style bakeries in Metro Detroit. 16 On-Ice Fundraiser Local hockey tournament raises funds for...…
…4 | FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 essay Why I Wrote a Jewish Book about Kidney Donation G rowing up, like lots of idealistic young people, I always wanted to be the kind of person who would change the world drastically and for the better — perhaps as a life-saving scientist, a soul-inspiring musician or a transformative political leader. The problem was I wasn’t quite cut out for those fields and even those who do make it big in t...…
…FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 5 essay Legacy: The Yellow Violin F lemington, New Jersey, was stop number one on my three-week August concert tour some years back. Half of the buildings in this Delaware River town are on the Register of Historic Places. Masterfully restored 19th-century Victorians resplendent with sumptuous flower boxes line each side of the main boulevard. This is not just another exit on the turnpike— its claim t...…
…6 | FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 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: send changes to: D...…
…DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com The Byron and Dorothy Gerson Centennial Innovation Fund Honors the Legacy of Two Community Champions Dorothy “Dottie” (z”l) and Byron “Bud” (z”l) Gerson are remembered as two of Jewish Detroit’s greatest leaders and benefactors. Their passion and generosity for our community was matched only by their commitment to family, and...…
…8 | FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 PURELY COMMENTARY soon forget. I felt blessed to have a role in this incredible saga. After the event, Sharon Brooks wrote to me: “Sam, you asked me a question I never thought about before. What if my grandfather was able to bring the violin to Israel? Would this music have this new life, this revival of spirit? Perhaps what seemed like such an injustice back then was a part of the master plan. Maybe the...…
…FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 9 MISREPRESENTING MAUS continued from page 6 matter of days three different volumes of Maus zoomed up Amazon’s top 10 list — no one has seemed troubled by the ease with which media reports consistently misrepresent Maus as a novel. I doubt the initial report in the Times, or of those who took their cues from it, intended to imply that Spiegelman’s text is a work of fiction. So why did they? Why do our profession...…
…F amilies of high-school aged students who didn’t think they could afford a day school education have a new option today. Frankel Jewish Academy (FJA) announced the Shorashim Grant program — an opportu- nity for current and incoming families, regardless of the ability to pay, to opt-in to grants that help reduce the cost of annual tuition. Shorashim Grants are avail- able at up to $10,000 per student annually. and families will b...…
…FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 11 uates of FJA. Their leadership, and therefore Frankel Jewish Academy’s impact, will be felt for years to come. ” The Shorashim Grants will be evaluated over the next few years to determine their effectiveness. The goal is to continue to offer them to stu- dents who enroll at FJA in 2023 and beyond. In addition to the Shorashim Grants, Frankel Jewish Academy continues to offer generous tuition assis- tance. ...…
…12 | FEBRUARY 24 • ON THE COVER PHOTOS BY GLENN TRIEST Stacy Fox at Star Bakery …
…FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 13 Y ou’re always warm and never hungry if you work for a bakery,” said Stacy Fox, a hometown gal with a thing for old bakeries — old Jewish bakeries in particular. Fox was 16 when she began working with Marty and Joyce Herman at Marty’s Cookies & Bakery in Birmingham, a business known for its definitive chocolate chip cookies. At age 24, she purchased the bakery and kept it for 20 years. A tasty new chapter ...…
…14 | FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 specialties. Speaking of Star Bakery, she said, “People come from all over for our seven-layer cake,” but she’s also found great loyalty to Diamond Bakery’s recipe for seven-layer cake. “We’re famous for our rye bread,” she said, again referring to Star Bakery. For the time being, Star is making all the rye bread sold at Diamond Bakery and teaching bakers there to make it the same way. The rye is popular for...…
…FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 15 Stacy Fox relies on her longtime employee Marilyn Wolton of Oak Park, associated with Star Bakery since 1960. The only child of Polish Holocaust survivors Joyce and Henry “Chaim” Abramowitz, Wolton was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany. She remembered when her father, owner of a shoe repair shop on Coolidge, told 14-year- old Marilyn to “find a job, but you’re not working for me.” Down the street...…
…A vrumi Lorkis of Oak Park has been a hockey player since his school days at Yeshivah Beth Yehudah. Free time would find him on the ice rink at the Jewish Community Center of Metro Detroit at practice or games. Now at 32, the high school teacher still likes to play pick- up hockey for its social and exercise benefits. “Hockey is a passion and a commitment,” Lorkis said. “The gear gets expensive, and it takes time and practice ...…
…FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 17 OUR COMMUNITY T he award-winning series returns for a second season to feature profiles of Detroit seniors, including colorful stories of entrepre- neur Larry Mongo, owner of Cafe D’Mongo’s Speakeasy in Downtown Detroit; the philanthropy of Max Fisher family scion and matriarch Jane Sherman; a vivid oral history of the Cass Corridor arts scene in the 1970s by legendary artist Nancy Mitchnick; the trans- f...…
…T he late Dorothy and Byron Gerson were devoted to Detroit’s Jewish community and to Israel, a commit- ment shared by their family for several gen- erations. They traveled often to Israel and contributed generously to improve Jewish life in Detroit and Israel. Now their legacy is being honored through a series of grants from the William Davidson Foundation. Byron and Dorothy Gerson were the brother-in-law and sister of the late Willia...…
…FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 19 INNOVATION FUND AT FEDERATION In addition to the gift to the Israel Museum, the Foundation is granting $3.5 million to Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit to establish the Byron and Dorothy Gerson Centennial Innovation Fund. The Gersons were long-time donors to Jewish Federation, receiving Federation’s lifetime achievement award in 2011. This new proj- ect complements the Hermelin-Davidson Foundation for...…
…20 | FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY T he Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and Community Engagement will present Defiant Requiem, a moving feature-length documentary that honors the prisoners of the Terezín concentration camp. The screening will be held in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms (312 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester) on Wednesday, March 9, at 7 p.m. The film tells the Terezín prisoners’ stories and combines histo...…
…FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 21 Maestro Murry Sidlin COURTESY OF JEFF ROFFMAN Treblinka and Auschwitz. Maestro Murry Sidlin will speak to OU students during an afternoon event about the film and its music. He will then show the film at the evening public event and lead a discussion after the screening. Defiant Requiem has received numerous awards nationwide. Sidlin, a conductor with a unique gift for engaging audiences, continues a ...…
…22 | FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY E leanor Roosevelt Hadassah, a Hadassah chapter for Greater Detroit and its suburbs, is hold- ing a virtual celebration of Purim on March 3 at 7:30 p.m. with an evening of music, friendship and entertainment, featuring a performance from Lisa Soble Siegmann. Siegmann, a singer, songwriter, cantorial soloist and song leader, began singing professionally at age 5 — and hasn’t stopped. The Blo...…
