…JANUARY 26 • 2023 | 57 ceremony in Israel, as did my younger brother and sister, and read the Torah in front of the Western Wall, which was very special. “My grandpa is a Holocaust survivor so, in life, I want to honor my Jewish heritage as much as possible. For me, it’s important to keep the legacy of being Jewish. I have never once not been proud of my religion, faith and culture. It’s a testament to my family and how I was raised...…
…58 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 ARTS&LIFE THEATER A t East Hills Middle School in Bloomfield Hills on the night of Jan. 9, peo- ple from all ages gathered to rehearse their hopeful masterpiece just a few weeks from opening night. The Bloomfield Players Community Theatre will be performing Feb. 3-5, 10 and 12, at Bloomfield Hills High School. This year’s play is Seussical — a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based o...…
…JANUARY 26 • 2023 | 59 “It leaves the audience GROUPS (10+) BROADWAYINDETROITGROUPS@THEAMBASSADORS.COM (SUBJECT: JAGGED LITTLE PILL) OC SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19 7:30PM FEBRUARY 14-26 FISHER THEATRE • BROADWAYINDETROIT.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 de...…
…6 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 1942 - 2023 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: De...…
…60 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 7-HEBREW ACTOR SERIES, SPOOKY STUFF, FORD SHRINKS SEGAL, MORE Poker Face premieres on the streaming Peacock channel on Jan. 26. It is a “case-of-the-week” mystery comedy-drama. Natasha Lyonne, 43, produces the series and she stars in it (I gather that she is the only actor who will appear in all 10 episodes). An astonishing number of Jewish thespians will star in an episode: Lyonne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt...…
…JANUARY 26 • 2023 | 61 EXHIBIT OPENS NOW-MARCH 1 An exhibition featuring new contemporary abstract art by 18 artists across the nation at Janice Charach Gallery, inside the Jewish Community Center, 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield. Gallery hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11-4 or by appointment. TRIO PLAYS 8 PM, JAN. 27 The Gryphon Trio with Patricia O’Callaghan, vocal- ist, will perform at the War Memorial-Lakeside Ballroom, Grosse Poin...…
…62 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 passion for food and its abil- ity to help us navigate the healing process. Julie will be joined by her mother and daughter, highlighting the importance of sharing mem- ories and recipes across generations. Info: holocaust- center.org or 248-553-2400. GOLF OUTING 11:30 AM, FEB 5 B’nai B’rith Great Lakes Region and Temple Israel Brotherhood invite you to Top Golf, 500 Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills. Da...…
…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. 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 SIN...…
…64 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 F or the last 80 years, the only way to see images of Jews rising up against their captors in the Warsaw Ghetto has been from the perspective of Germans, who took the only known photographs of the seminal event of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. But last month, a roll of film taken by a Warsaw firefighter during the uprising was discovered by his son. The developed pictures offer a previously uns...…
…JANUARY 26 • 2023 | 65 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY continued on page 66 DONALD BARON, 82, of East Lansing, died Jan. 14, 2023. He is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Anita Baron; son and daugh- ter-in-law, Neil and Elsy Baron; daughter, Hannah Hall; grandchildren, Nicole Baron and her fiance, David Sable, Abigail Baron, Adam Baron, and Harrison Hall; brothers-in- law and sisters-in-law, Elliott and Marlene Harvith, and ...…
…66 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 ried to her beloved husband, Marvin Bookstein, for more than 61 years. She worked alongside him at Nationwide Income Tax Service as well as other ventures. She was a fabulous wife, a wonderful mother, fantas- tic Bubbie and amazing BG (great-grandmother). Her passions in life were music and singing in several choirs, including Bel Canto Choir, Music +1, Congregation Shaarey Zedek Choir, Zamir Chorale and C...…
…JANUARY 26 • 2023 | 67 continued on page 68 son of the late Louis H. Golden and the late Sylvia N. Golden. He is survived by his brother, Stephen; two sis- ters, Katherine, Micky (Bud) Golden Moore; children, Sabra (David), Sydney, Adam; former wife and mother of his children, Rebecca Forslund; loving grandchildren, Liam and Ella. A private memorial service will be held. Contributions may be directed to the Friendship House, a di...…
…68 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 JAMES PHILLIP MALAMUD, 83, of Las Vegas, Nev., formerly of Detroit, died peacefully in Las Vegas on Jan. 15, 2023. He was born in Detroit on Nov. 22, 1940, to Reba and Samuel Malamud. James lived for the last 30 years in Las Vegas and enjoyed visits from his daughter, eating a good burger and making a bad joke. Mr. Malamud is survived by his daughter and son-in- law, Hollie “Beth” Malamud and Christoph...…
…J UDITH CAROL (CALFIN) SCHNEIDER passed away peacefully on Jan. 14, 2023. Born Nov. 5, 1938, Judy attended Pasteur Elementary School as a child, a school her chil- dren, Stephanie and Craig, attended, and where, later in life, she became a member of the board of trustees and often volun- teered to read to the students. Judy attended Mumford High School in Detroit and went on to undergradu- ate studies at Wayne State Univers...…
…DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com JANUARY 26• 2023 | 7 to pivot with the times, while never losing focus of the mission: providing educational excellence appropriate and responding to current needs. In doing so, ORT has emerged as one of the world’s biggest, most prestigious Jewish education networks, serving thousands of students in 40 countries and ta...…
…Looking Back From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org 70 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 International Holocaust Remembrance Day J an. 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. As declared by the United Nations on Nov. 1, 2005, this is a memorial day for the six million Jews, as well as thousands of other minorities, who were murdered by the German Nazis between 1933 and 194...…
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…8 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 I recently read an interesting article by Alan Zeitlin, “Should Rabbis Fear Robots?” Zeitlin interviewed several rabbis, asking them whether the brand new ChatGPT program could deliver sermons and answer halachic questions as well as human rabbis. For those who don’t know, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence program that has recently been made available to the public, and the early reviews have been a...…
…JANUARY 26 • 2023 | 9 needs and emotions, and that answering halachic questions wouldn’t be any different. In many cases, artificial intelligence programs might even understand you better than you understand yourself. However, most of the other people who participated in this discussion felt otherwise. Rabbi Reuven Spolter (formerly of Young Israel of Oak Park) summed it up well: “Real psak is the application of halachah to a ...…
…JEWISH NEWS JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT thejewishnews.com A happy ending as an “only child,” 62, meets her unknown siblings for the first time. See page 12 $200 May 26-June 1, 2022 / 25 Iyar - 2 Sivan 5782 A happy ending as an “only child,” 62, meets A happy ending as an …
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…MAY 26 • 2022 | 3 PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11 Essays and Viewpoints OUR COMMUNITY 12 Mystery Solved! A happy ending as an “only child,” 62, meets her unknown siblings for the first time. 18 A “Home for Everyone” Bais Chabad in final stages of opening a new mikvah and new playground. 20 Beth Shalom’s Mastermind of Events Beth Rodgers brings the community together through events. 22 ‘Charging Up’ Their Faith Kalamazoo’s B’n...…
…4 | MAY 26 • 2022 for openers Our Last Class with Mr. Leuchtenberg A nticipating a high school reunion can evoke varied reactions. Most folks look forward to seeing old friends. Some dread the return of high school angst. For some, it’s the push to really start following that diet. Everyone who attends tries to look their best. And, of course, some skip the whole darn thing. Every 10 years since my graduation, I’ve gone t...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 5 Member FDIC. ⬢®, Huntington® and ⬢ Huntington.® are federally registered service marks of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. ©2022 Huntington Bancshares Incorporated People expect banking that suits the bank. We do things differently at Huntington. We work to deliver services that feel intuitive, benefits that feel effortless, and experiences that feel tailored to your life and your goals. People tell us it’s hard ...…
…6 | MAY 26 • 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: Detroi...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 7 brilliantly noted has the same three syllables as Leuchtenberg). I included a dubious line about how he had helped us to learn to fly like “Leuchtenbirds.” We watched our beloved teacher take it all in, and we just knew we had done something good. It was our chance to try to pay Mr. L. back for all he had given us many years ago. And something else happened as we went around the room that day. We were able to ...…
…8 | MAY 26 • 2022 PURELY COMMENTARY student’s corner The Bible’s Portrayal of Jewish Trauma U pon reading the books of Ruth and Esther, it may appear as though the only similarity between them is their resilient titular characters. However, when put parallel to one another, their boundless contrasts — from tone to demographic — serve to the Torah’s intent of revealing the difference outlooks on life bring to trauma. With...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 9 …
…10 | MAY 26 • 2022 guest column Detroit Project Understanding T he Jewish Community Relations Council/ American Jewish Committee of Detroit (JCRC/ AJC) kicked off the month of May with the inaugural 2022 Detroit Project Understanding fellowship sum- mit. The summit was designed to bring together emerging young leaders in the Black and/or Jewish communities of the Metropolitan Detroit area. It was co-sponsored by the Coalitio...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 11 I have a friend who just gave birth in Jerusalem. Her baby girl was struggling to latch, and awash in a flood of hormones and debilitating exhaustion, the two of them spent a long two hours sobbing together in the nursing room at Hadassah Hospital. My friend is Israeli. She wears a Star of David. There was another mother in the room — a Palestinian woman from East Jerusalem … she wore a purple hijab, ...…
…12 | MAY 26 • 2022 ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER E M YSt R At age 62, an “only child” meets her unknown siblings for the fi rst time. ON THE COVER ABOVE: Susie Simons Liebman (center) and her newly found siblings, Maureen Lefteroff and Marvin Katz. RIGHT: A collage of love between the two “new” sisters, Susie and Maureen. OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT: Susie with her son Benji Tarockoff and daughters Halli Tarockoff and Abbi Eme...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 13 E SOL D V MAY 26 • 2022 | 13 E L he pretty, outgoing little girl always knew she was adopted and therefore felt very special. Her late parents, Rachel and Jack Pludwinski of Southfield, did not believe in keeping the adoption a secret from the child they named Susan Beth Pludwinski. Susie, 62, now known as Susan Simons Liebman of Coral Springs, Fla., left Michigan in 2010 when her now deceased husband, Steven Si...…
…continued from page 13 decided, and went about her life. That includes working as a substi- tute teacher at Lubavitch Hebrew Academy in Margate, Fla. Susie became frum (Orthodox Jewish) 12 years ago and brought along second husband, Steven Simons, when Rabbi Yankie Denburg introduced her to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, a form of Chasidic Judaism. Susie had met the rabbi when she had his daugh- ter in her class at the Hebrew Acade...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 15 Since the genetic genealo- gy revolution began in the late 1990s, DNA testing has provided valuable informa- tion to anyone interested in learning about their genetic ancestry. Researchers find the commercial DNA testing kits invaluable for untan- gling genealogical riddles on their family trees. The kits reveal how the custom- er’s DNA is similar to others from certain geographic regions. Results are shown by p...…
…16 | MAY 26 • 2022 After the portion stating, “In the Matter of, ” the line below reads “Baby Girl, ” followed by a redacted last name now known to be “Katz, ” and then “Pludwinski. ” Jack, Rachel and their attorney signed the document. FINDING OUT How did cousin Tracey’s mother, Janet, now deceased, learn about the adopted Katz baby? Tracey said the most likely source was Frances Jackson, her grandmother and Janet’s mother. Ethel a...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 17 DNA testing has lifted the veil of secrecy on closed adoptions, also called “confidential” or “secret” adoptions. Once a com- mon practice in the United States, they make up only 5% of adoptions today. Closed adoption is a process by which an infant is adopted by another fam- ily, and the record of the biological parent(s) is kept sealed — protected from inquiries. Closed adoption was often a societal solu- t...…
…18 | MAY 26 • 2022 R abbi Elimelech and Chaya Sarah Silberberg came to West Bloomfield with two small children in November 1975 as shluchim (emissaries) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. They embraced the quiet, suburban community, encouraging people from all levels of observance to learn and increase their participation in Jewish life. The Sara & Morris Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center’s founding fathers were a group of Holocaust sur...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 19 members who are the pillars of our community, but many of their children and grandchildren have now moved back,” he said. “Bais Chabad has a very youthful energy, and I’m very happy to say I’m always looking to add to that.” Bais Chabad has two major projects currently in the works. The Mallor Walder Community Mikvah Center, an approximately 2,500-square-foot facility, is about triple the space of the curren...…
…20 | MAY 26 • 2022 B eth Rodgers wears many hats at Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park as its vice president and chair of the programming committee. Rabbi Robert Gamer nominated her as Volunteer of the Week because he wanted to shed light on what Rodgers brings to the congregation. “She continues to bring exceptional programs to Beth Shalom as well as the larger community,” Gamer said. “Café Shalom brings musical talents on an...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 21 PRESENTING SPONSOR Barbara and Michael Kratchman Thank You Premier Event Sponsors! VIRTUOSO SPONSOR Bluma Schechter CONDUCTOR SPONSORS Judy and Jeff Aisen | Janet Aronoff | Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Judy and Irwin Elson | Nancy and James Grosfeld Gail Katz – Hava Leichtman Creative Expressions Fund Katie and Evan Leibhan | Joy and Allan Nachman ARTIST SPONSORS Nora Lee and Guy Barron | Faye and Paul Blatt | Rh...…
…22 | MAY 26 • 2022 I f you’re driving an electric or hybrid vehicle around Kalamazoo and need some charging power, you could head to the parking lot at Temple B’nai Israel. The congregation maintains two power lines available to anyone. The charging station, installed last June, might impress onlookers as strictly an expression of environmental concerns, but the congregation also is expressing a modernized approach to spirituality....…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 23 mentally conscious and to be part of an effort of like-mind- ed faith organizations, ” Odza said. “Having EV chargers at Temple B’nai Israel makes it easy and convenient for me to recharge my car. “I hope that someday soon we will all take for granted that chargers are nearly everywhere we travel. For now, I’m happy to know that our congregation is out front in encouraging sustainable practices. ” Bertman likes...…
…24 | MAY 26 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY T here’s a mitzvah I like to do; it’s so easy you can do it, too! Just a few coins is all it takes, for you to do the Tzedakah Shake!” Among the many mitzvot students learned about this year, tzedakah was one we focused on each week. Every Sunday morning, the students at Yachad, the combined religious school of Temple Emanu-El and Congregation Beth Shalom, both in Oak Park, came together to s...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 25 OUR COMMUNITY T ake a peek inside JSL ’s Meer Apartments in West Bloomfield and you’ll see residents participating in usual independent living activities, such as a book club, playing cards and shmoozing. But one you might not expect — a men’s woodworking club — was started about four years ago by Meer’s Environmental Services Supervisor Rick Napper. “ At previous buildings I’ve worked at, I’ve always had a men’...…
…26 | MAY 26 • 2022 F ew experiences are more disheart- ening for a newly minted Jewish college student or young profes- sional than an encounter with anti-Jewish bigotry, which is spreading and becoming more vicious and prominent on campuses and in media, especially social media. As part of a year-long effort to con- front antisemitism — often masquer- ading as anti-Zionism or opposition to Israel or social activism on behalf of the P...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 27 ment is trying to recruit.” Tishby’s book, written in the popular argot of the millennial (and even young- er generation) — filled with “F-bombs,” by her own description — offers a skeletal history of Zionism, including the complex poli- tics, militarism, immigration, ethnic displacement and upheaval that reshaped the modern Middle East. Growing up in Israel, she had her existence shaped by the reality of war an...…
…OUR COMMUNITY 28 | MAY 26 • 2022 F arber Hebrew Day School-Yeshivat Akiva’s 58th Annual Dinner takes place on June 8, and this year’s alumni honorees, Chaya and Joey Selesny and Shaindle Braunstein-Cohen, are as representative as ever of Farber’s consistency in producing communal leaders. The Selesnys’ time at Farber shaped them as people and professionals, and Joey Selesny fondly recalls there always being a desire for excel...…
…MAY 26 • 2022 | 29 M1 Concourse is excited to announce the opening of a 28,500 SF state-of-the-art event center located immediately adjacent to the Champion Motor Speedway, where your guests can enjoy thrill rides around our 1.5-mile track that you cannot experience anywhere else. M1 Concourse is one of the most unique entertainment facilities in the Midwest. Our new event center is ideal for hosting signature events, including vehi...…
…30 | MAY 26 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY W DIV-TV Sports Director Bernie Smilovitz is a go-to source for news about Detroit’s franchise sports teams and other professional sports. A winner of six local Emmys and six Best Sportscaster Awards, he’s known for the humor that informs his reporting and in his trade- mark “Bernie’s Bloopers” and “Weekend at Bernie’s” sports segments. Smilovitz was born in Brooklyn and raised in southeast Wa...…
