…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 31 J N every shivah. He banded together a few men to help out and, to date, Larry’s been leading shivah services for the Temple Israel com- munity for 38 years; he’s led about 200-250 shivahs. In 1988, the couple joined Temple Israel on a mission trip to Israel and for the first time, traveled back to the place they’d first met. It was the 40th anniversary of the State of Israel and the night they arrived, th...…
…32 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N I t seemed like Brooke Soper was des- tined to be a Spartan. She attended Okemos Public Schools, a school district that’s next door to the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, and graduated from Okemos High School in 2020. Her mother and father graduated from MSU. Her sister graduated from MSU. Three of her four grandparents graduated from MSU, including John Fleser, who played baseball for th...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 33 SCAN THE QR CODE HAVE AN HAVE AN EVENT? EVENT? POST IT FOR FREE ON POST IT FOR FREE ON thejewishnews.com thejewishnews.com …
…faces&places 34 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N T emple Shir Shalom of West Bloomfield once again stepped up to support those in need with its 11th Annual Chicken Soup Cook-Off. The Feb. 4 event benefited Metro Food Rescue, CARE House of Oakland County and the temple’s youth and young adult pro- gramming. More than 20 pro- fessional and amateur participants were on hand with their versions of the best chicken soup. The chicken soup r...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 35 J N JEWISH SENIOR LIFE On Dec. 12, Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit toasted the holidays in style at a wine pairings and tapas event in the new Fireside Lounge at West Bloomfield’s Hechtman Apartments. Guests sampled wines selected by Plum Market Sommelier Paula Hartson who shared decanting and pouring techniques, wine storage temperature guide- lines, and other wine tips and tricks. Plum Market’s se...…
…36 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N L et me begin by introducing myself. I’m a new regular writer for the Detroit Jewish News, and I’m excited that each month I’ll be sharing recipes that I’ve vetted. Don’t hesitate to reach out if there are par- ticular recipes you would like to see. While it’s still a few weeks away, before you know it, Purim will be here. The holiday of Purim is associated with several food- based mitzvot, including...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 37 J N with the cooking oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté the mushrooms over medium heat until the mush- rooms have released all of their water, and it has evapo- rated out of the pot. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic to the soup pot along with the thyme, sage and rosemary. Continue to sauté the vegetables until the onions are soft and trans- lucent. Add the lentils and veg- etable broth to the po...…
…38 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N E mergency visits to hospitals or urgent cares often involve long stressful hours in packed waiting rooms and a weird, empty feeling when finally being seen by a rushed medi- cal professional. Shmuel Bass and Bentzi Oseroff, friends and entrepreneurs from Southfield, decided that some- thing had to be done. “ A lot of medical care has become dispassionate over the years,” Bass said. “Sometimes patient...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 39 office. Mezuzahs are on the doors. Bookshelves are lined with Torah books; Jewish kids’ videos play on the screen. The receptionist wish- es patients a “refuah shelaim- ah” (speedy recovery). “Our patients are most- ly people we see in shul, at school, at the grocery stores … I’ve even had some at my Shabbos table!” Bass said. “There’s a different level of genuine care and empathy coming from a doctor you ru...…
…4 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N PURELY COMMENTARY guest column Finding Unity in Israel S itting on an El Al plane waiting to take off, I realized that, for the first time on my many flights to Israel, I was happy to see not even one empty seat on the plane. Despite the fact that Israel is considered a war zone; in fact, because of it, the Jewish people are more motivated to travel to our beloved land than ever before. I traveled to Isr...…
…40 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N HEALTH F amilies seeking psycho- logical evaluations for their children often wait up to a year or more before being assessed by a medical pro- fessional. These assessments, which can help diagnose develop- mental conditions like autism, are critical to beginning timely treatment and intervention. Still, barriers with health insurance, access and simply getting an appointment can leave months, if not y...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 41 Listen to this article now 00:00 07:23 Listen to this article now 00:00 Check out thejewishnews.com option on all articles. NEW option on all articles. text-to-speech …
…MAZEL TOV! 42 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N Levine 95th A lvin Levine of Bloomfield Hills celebrated his 95th birthday in Naples, Fla. Those celebrating include his wife, Carol; his children, Marc and Ute Levine, Nancy and Daniel Blake, Bruce and Cindy Levine, and Lisa and Jon Adler; his grandchildren, Jessica Blake and Benji Benoliel, Emily and Jason Price, Sam Blake, James and Lindsay Robinson, Katie Robinson and Ben Robinson, Bl...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 43 J N You Are Not Replaceable I f you take no other lesson away from Parshat Ki Tisa, remember that you are not replaceable. Human beings are irreplaceable. To suggest other- wise is not only morally reprehensible, but utterly contrary to the Torah. We see this chal- lenged multiple ways: first, where the people fear Moshe is gone and demand an elohim to go before them (Exodus 32:1), and Aaron forges the go...…
…44 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 C omparing two of the most famous events in the Torah, we face what seems like a glaring contradiction. In this week’s parshah, Moses on the mountain is told by God to go down to the people. They have made a golden calf. Moses descends, holding in his hands the holiest object of all time, the two tablets carved and inscribed by God Himself. As he reached the foot of the mountain, he saw the people...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 45 from our emotional life: pride and anger. About anger he says this: “Anger is an extremely bad attribute, and one should distance oneself from it by going to the other extreme. One should train oneself not to get angry, even about something to which anger might be the appropriate response … The ancient Sages said, ‘One who yields to anger is as if he had worshipped idols.’ They also said, ‘Whoever yields...…
…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 Bloomfield (248) 78...…
…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 ...…
…ARTS&LIFE THEATER T o Kill a Mockingbird holds the record as the highest-grossing American play in Broadway history. Harper Lee’s beloved work won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize in fiction and was voted “America’s favorite novel.” Academy Award, Emmy and Golden Globe-winner Aaron Sorkin, prolific screen- writer and playwright of the television series Sports Night, The West Wing and The Newsroom has also had great success on Broadway with...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 49 J N courtroom and about Atticus coming to terms with the reality of the jury and, therefore, society as a whole. For our Atticus, he goes through a real catharsis. It’s almost a coming-of-age story for him.” To Kill a Mockingbird had been playing on Broadway for 16 months when the COVID shutdown happened. Wolf and his team were brought on to co-produce Mockingbird when it resumed on Broadway on Oct. 5, 20...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 5 J N …
…ARTS&LIFE THEATER T he young-adult play Connected by the celebrated Israeli playwright and television writer Ori Urian will be performed for the first time in English at the Sponberg Theatre at Eastern Michigan University Campus on March 9 at 7 p.m. and March 10 at 2 p.m. Urian, who has been recognized by the Children’s Stage Awards and the Israeli Academy Awards, has just been nominated for the ASSITEJ inspirational playwright...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 51 J N CHALAMET’S MOMENT, SANDLER SOARS TOO, MUCH MORE Dune, Part 2, opens in theaters on March 1. Part 1, released in 2021, got very good reviews, and it got 10 Oscar nominations, includ- ing best adapted screenplay (co-written by Eric Roth, 78) and best picture. Hans Zimmer, 66, won an Oscar for his score. Awards were just the cherry-on-the-top: Dune, a sci-fi action film, cost $165 million and earned $40...…
…52 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N HAZZAN SINGS 7 PM, MARCH 2 (SAT.) At Congregation Shaarey Zedek. A beautiful Havdalah service followed by an inti- mate live musical perfor- mance with Hazzan David Propis. Enjoy refreshments, drinks and great company. Register: shaareyzedek. shulcloud.com/events/ HazzanPropisLive. JEWS & COMICS 10 AM, MARCH 3 (SUN.) At Congregation Shir Tikvah in Troy. “We’ve Got Issues: Jews, Comics and Superheroes” wit...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 53 Jewish Joke of the Week When young David was asked by his father to say the evening prayer, he realized he didn’t have his head covered, so he asked his little brother Henry to rest a hand on his head until prayers were over. Henry grew impatient after a few minutes and removed his hand. The father said, “This is important! Put your hand back on his head!” to which Henry exclaimed, “What, am I? My brother’s...…
…DOG(S) OF THE WEEK 54 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N 54 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N J N J B agel is everyone’s favorite. She’s sweet, soft with a warm personality, and has lots of flavor … she also loves cream cheese as a special treat. Who doesn’t? Bring on the schmear! Bagel is a young beagle. She dares you to say that five times fast! She has been a delight to have at the shelter after a tough past. We are currently looking for a foster h...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 55 J N 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 $85 SERVICE FEE 24/7 Emergency Service Call today for your free in-home consultation 248.855.8747 Caren Bass Custom Closets,Inc. WHERE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE as featured on HGTV Leading ...…
…56 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY H arley Shay Rockind, 22, of Bloomfield Hills, died Feb. 16, 2024, after a hard-fought battle with a Diffuse Midline Glioma, a form of brain tumor. He was born in Royal Oak and went to Birmingham Public Schools, graduating from Seaholm High School in 2019. Harley went to Michigan State University and was a proud member of the Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity. He graduated in 2023 wi...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 57 J N Foundation or the International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation. SHERRY LYNN GOREN, 81, of Farmington Hills, died Feb. 16, 2024. She is survived by her beloved husband, Aaron Goren; son and daughter-in-law, Rick and Jennifer Goren; daughter and partner, Lisa Goren and Meg Grimes; grandchildren, Shayna, Sammy Goren, Hugo, Max Grimes; broth- er-in-law, Kal Goren; aides, Shalisa Patterson,...…
…58 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY E STELLE BLOOM, 76, daughter of Benjamin and Frieda Bloom, and sister of Marvin Bloom, passed away on Feb. 13, 2024, at her home in Scottsdale, Ariz. Estelle grew up in Northwest Detroit, graduating from Mumford High School and Wayne State University with B.A., M.A., and Ed.D. degrees in education. She enjoyed her years as a teacher and was proud of her professional ...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 59 J N Dr. Komer graduated from Mumford High School in 1956 before pursuing his education at Wayne State University and the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Des Moines, Iowa. He excelled in his career as a flight surgeon in the Air Force, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Dr. Komer’s dedication to aero- space medicine and psychiatry touched the lives of many during his service. Dr. Komer primarily re...…
…1942 - 2024 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.thejewishnews.com 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: Detroit Jewish News, 322...…
…60 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N grandson, Henry V . Michaels; brother and sister-in-law, Franklin Levinson and Ilona Staikou; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Dr. Al and Aurelia Michaels. Mrs. Michaels was the cher- ished mother of the late Gary Steven Michaels; the devoted daughter of the late Benjamin and the late Clara Levinson. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Ar...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 61 218 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 540, Chicago, IL 60604, lungevity. org; JARC, 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 100, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48301, jarc. org/give; Friends of the IDF Michigan Chapter, P.O. Box 999, Walled Lake, MI 48390, fidf.org/donate; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. BERNICE RISKIN, 95, of West Bloomfield, died Feb. 15, 2024. She is survived by her husband of...…
…Looking Back From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at thejewishnews.com 62 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N When Zionists Were Welcomed I t jumped off the page as I cruised the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History. A half-page advertisement from Chrysler Corporation in the July 1, 1938, issue of the Detroit Jewish Chronicle had this headline in big letters: “Welcome Zionists!” Th...…
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…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 7 J N The Program for Holocaust Survivors & Families provides the following: • Support Groups • Monthly Café Europa Concerts • Individual Wellness Calls • Special Holiday Events • PORTRAITS OF HONOR Oral History Exhibit and Photo Gallery located at the Zekelman Holocaust Center. Please visit: portraitsofhonor.org PLEASE DONATE TODAY Visit jslmi.org/phsf-fundraiser For more information contact Dr. Charles Silow at 2...…
…8 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N PURELY COMMENTARY opinion Jewish Service Can Support Recovery Efforts in Israel and Sustain Jewish Life in North America I t’s not hard to feel a sense of despair in these extraordinarily difficult times for Jews in Israel and around the world following the horrors of Oct. 7, the upsurge in antisemitism close to home and the continuing loss of human life. In times of despair, Jewish tradition offers us...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 9 J N is done in partnership with those impacted and includes Jewish learning. Service is a universal value, but Jewish tradition has much to say about how we offer it, and participants should explore Jewish wisdom about how service should be approached. Service that combines these components — that actually contributes to relief and recovery efforts and cares about the experience of American Jewish volunte...…
…Michigan Israel Business Accelerator launches The Elevator — first landing zone for Israeli startups in the U.S. See page 10 ISRAELI- MICHIGAN ISRAELI- MICHIGAN PARTNERSHIPS UPLIFTING JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT thejewishnews.com $200 June 29-July 5, 2023 / 10-16 Tammuz 5783 …
…10 | JUNE 29 • 2023 ISRAELI- MICHIGAN ISRAELI- MICHIGAN PARTNERSHIPS UPLIFTING The Globe Building in Bricktown, home to The Elevator …
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 11 OUR COMMUNITY M ichigan Israel Business Accelerator (MIBA), an economic development organization, recently unveiled “The Elevator” as the first land- ing zone exclusively for Israeli startups in the U.S. This Israeli coworking community, located in Detroit’s Bricktown neighborhood in the Globe Building, is focused on forging connections between Israeli startups and companies and Michigan enterprises. The laun...…
…12 | JUNE 29 • 2023 Mark Davidoff, Matt Elliott and Quentin Messer Jr. unveil the chosen name “The Elevator.” According to Davidoff, The Elevator’s roots reach back to 2014, when, after returning from leading a mission to Israel, he wrote an essay for Crain’s com- paring Detroit to the Jordan River. “The Jordan River was going through a reclamation process, and my essay compared Detroit post-bankruptcy and the Jordan River in its ...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 13 Metro Detroit. Membership at The Elevator grants complimentary access to an array of amenities, including dedicated and flexible office space, conference rooms, 360° video conferencing capabilities with an 86-inch display screen, high-speed internet connec- tivity, high-capacity printing, a convenient kitchenette and a U.S. mailing address with mail delivery service to an assigned locker. Moreover, The Elevator...…
…14 | JUNE 29 • 2023 be for the city of Detroit. ” Itai Biran, Consul for Political & Commercial Affairs at the Israel Consulate General to the Midwest, was there for The Elevator’s launch. “This space will undoubt- edly serve as a catalyst for Israeli companies, enabling them to rapidly accelerate their growth models in in the United States, ” he said. “The opening of this space represents a milestone in our efforts to strengthen tie...…
…DOROTHY & EDDY BARAK LEAH & SHAYA BAUM DORIS & FRED BLECHMAN ROBYN & BOB CANVASSER AVIVA, NOAH, & RENA CIVAN MINDY & JESSE CIVAN JENNY & ELIEZER (Z”L) DORFMAN JOHN ELLIOTT LINDA & BOB FINKEL SHARI & STANLEY FINSILVER SHARON & MARTY GENE ILANA GLAZIER & LOWELL SCHMELTZ SANDRA & MANNY GLAZIER KAREN & KEN GOSS NANCY & JAMES GROSFELD BARBARA & MICHAEL HOROWITZ SHERI & DAVID JAFFA SUE & ALAN J. KAUFMAN KAUFMAN INSURANCE GROUP , LLC, SABRINA & B...…
…16 | JUNE 29 • 2023 O n Friday, June 16, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested a 19-year-old Upper Peninsula man with East Lansing ties and charged him with trans- mitting a communication containing a threat to injure another. He is charged with making plans to kill people at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in East Lansing on the chosen date of March 15, 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Federal officials arrest...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 17 going through a relation- ship breakup, and others sympathizing with him about his breakup as well as the number of “kikes” who lived near them or attended their schools. To his online associates, the man, said: “I’m sure we’ll meet again in the next life. The world sucks. I won’t be taken alive and I will make sure of that. Remember: Heil Hitler.” He also ruminated about getting a camera to live- stream the ...…
…18 | JUNE 29 • 2023 OUR COMMUNITY the many phone calls I had with Totten, and on my TV in the background, the news headlines from Pittsburgh were scrolling on the bot- tom of the screen,” recalled Bigman. “It was all so sur- real. But the congregation and I are very grateful to law enforcement, federal and state and local, for making sure that the gentleman who threatened us was arrested and will be charged.” Like the Tree of Li...…
