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…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 3 contents PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 12 From Frankel to Fatigues Determined high school grad forgoes her prom for basic training. 18 A Tale of Two Museums JCRC/AJC brings Jewish and African American students together to understand each other’s history. 20 A Unique Partnership Ann Arbor’s Temple Beth Emeth co-owns its building with a Christian church. 2...…

…4 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 PURELY COMMENTARY for openers A Whole Lot of Back and Forth column Riding the Bus while Jewish H ere’s the wind-up and the pitch … and it’s a home run! For those of you who are sports fanatics, those words are familiar. For others of us, the concept of the throw and catch is also familiar as revealed by the many expressions using those terms that we employ daily. Hearing some unexpected news may throw ...…

…Roz Rebeck has had a long career of helping other people. She worked with abused and neglected children in Toledo, Ohio for many years. Then, she and husband Ray, a self- employed accountant for over 50 years who also worked full time as a pricing specialist for Great Lakes Gas Transmission, moved to Michigan. Roz then operated a fully staffed licensed daycare, where she cared for infants and toddlers for almost 30 years. Once Roz reti...…

…6 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 PURELY COMMENTARY 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...…

…DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT For those without computer access, please mail the following to 32255 NORTHWESTERN HWY, SUITE 205 FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334: • Who is Turning 80? [first/last] • What Day is their Birthday? • Personalized Message and Signature • A picture of the birthday person (if you would like the picture retu...…

…8 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 PURELY COMMENTARY opinion Is Russian Threat to the Jewish Agency a Return to Soviet Oppression? I f you’re old enough to remember the darkest days of the movement to free Soviet Jewry, the news a few weeks ago that the Russian Justice Ministry has asked a court to close down the operations of the Jewish Agency in Israel in that country seems ominously familiar. In the Soviet era, the Communist regime w...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 9 continued on page 11 stepping up the pressure on the Kyiv government with military actions that are killing more civilians. Just as troubling, the economic sanctions slapped on Moscow have done more damage to the West with rising gas prices in the United States, as well as worries about the supply of food and the flow of natural gas in Europe, than they have on the Russians. Still, in a war where the stakes a...…

…10 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 PURELY COMMENTARY guest column Shalom Hartman Institute Again Welcomes Michigan Participants to Jerusalem W hy Israel? This is the question that the Shalom Hartman Institute campus in Jerusalem asked this summer as it excitedly opened its doors to North Americans after a two- year hiatus forced by the pandemic. The campus was filled with diverse learners and leaders from the end of June throughout July, incl...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 11 and studying with Hartman colleagues, immersed with Israelis and celebrating with Shaarey Zedek friends visiting Israel, I return home wiser, impassioned and ready to grow in my leadership of the Jewish people. ” The Institute in Jerusalem also gathered heads of day schools, journalists, campus professionals and Muslim leaders all from North America for specialized cohort learning opportunities throughout th...…

…12 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 ON THE COVER T he Jewish War Veterans-Department of Michigan (JWV) held its annual meeting at Temple Shir Shalom on Sunday, June 26. The event featured the official installation of newly elected leadership, as well as remarks from office holders who collectively provided what could be called a “State of the Department address. ” As the department’s adjutant and a patron of JWV Shapiro- Rose Post 510, I had th...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 13 continued on page 14 among her fellow JWV comrades, many of whom are 50, 60, even 75-plus years her senior. Only one year out from having graduated from the Frankel Jewish Academy (FJA), I was immediately struck by Rachel’s confi- dent yet humble demeanor. Describing her as older beyond her years is a vast under- statement. Hers was a story deserving to share with our community. Rachel was surprised by my invitatio...…

…14 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 ON THE COVER shows. At 10 years old, I decided I wanted to become a detec- tive. This desire later evolved to become a K-9 handler and then developed into wanting to become a police officer, ” Rachel said. She did become a dog handler of sorts. “I didn’t do a party for my bat mitzvah because I’m not a party girl. I got a dog instead. I was like, I’ d much rather have a dog that lasts, you know 13-15 years, th...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 15 day when she received a text from her MIARNG recruiter, Sgt. 1st Class Shane DeRoso. “I remember exactly what part I was at on the sidewalk of the JCC, ” Rachel said. The message included a screen shot of an email he had been in receipt of from the liaison at the Military Entrance Processing Station in Troy that simply stat- ed: “Baker is a go. ” That text remains on her phone as a constant reminder of what s...…

…16 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 said. “I don’t want to put my life on pause.” She will always have that option. For now laser-focused, she says: “I want to live my life. I want to start progressing my life.” It was a decision that had the blessing of her longtime, now retired, FJA counselor Ella Dunajsky, who met Rachel in her freshman year. “She has a genuine heart for her country,” says Ella, “who never saw her enlistment in the Army Nationa...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 17 “I thought it would be so nice and appropriate to invite her to join the Jewish War Veterans because she’s not the typical veteran,” Wagner said. “I found her service in the Michigan Army National Guard at her young age very, very impressive.” The operative word being “age.” The JWV, like so many military organizations, is dealing with age-related attrition. It’s no secret that they are in desperate need of ...…

…18 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 O n May 25, JBLU was launched. The Jewish Black Unity project was inspired by Israeli Consul Yinam Cohen in a meeting with Black and Jewish leaders of the Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity when he called for building bridges between Jewish and African American students — and hopefully lead- ing to partnerships with Israeli students as well. JBLU was the offshoot of that meeting, created by JCRC/AJC’s Isr...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 19 1. Rabbi Asher Lopatin, Rev. Sterling Brewer and a Pershing student engage in important conversation. 2. Jewish and Black students at the Anne Frank exhibit at the Holocaust Center. 3. Students learn of Jewish communities destroyed in Europe due to hatred and racism. 4. Rev. Brewer connects with Jewish and Black students and with JCRC/AJC staff. 5. Guide meets with students to start their tour of the Charles H. Wright ...…

…OUR COMMUNITY F or many years, the Conservative Beth Israel Congregation was the only Jewish synagogue in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area. In 1966, Professor Ronald Tikofsky initiated a meeting in the hopes of establishing a Reform temple. Beginning with a small gath- ering in his home, with help from the regional director of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, a preliminary steering committee was formed. Several communi...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 21 ples of synagogues renting space from churches or church- es from synagogues, there are very few examples, if any, of co-ownership the way we have co-ownership of this facility, ” says Rabbi Josh Whinston, head rabbi of Beth Emeth. “Besides our office spaces and small cha- pels, every other space is shared. “I think the Genesis partner- ship is a unique aspect of who we are and an amazing invest- ment that’s bee...…

…22 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 J ulia Cunnien, 23, of Detroit was nominated as Volunteer of the Week for turning her volunteer efforts into not only her career but also her lifestyle. Nominated by Repair the World Detroit, the organization says she actively gives her time and knowledge to local organizations like Yad Ezra, Voice for Earth Justice, Detroit Community Fridges and more. Growing up in Canton, Cunnien says she was first in...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 23 with AmeriCorps VISTA Life Remodeled as a youth coordinator. “It was clear to me how different resources were spread amongst current populations,” she said. “For example, I helped a lot of the kids with their homework and helped them get enrolled in a free golf program. Being able to be next door to the school, we could show students opportunities they wouldn’t have even heard of.” Cunnien says she was grate...…

…24 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY D r. Lawrence Brown, a podiatrist based in Center Line and board president of Young Israel of Southfield, was attending a lec- ture at the synagogue when the guest speaker commented on the embarrassing condition of the seating. This hap- pened just before COVID, and he looked around. It didn’t take long for Brown to agree, and he began thinking that a renovation plan would be a good idea for...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 25 who has led the congregation since 2002 and gave his input for the renovation. “The community is full of children and young families, and that reflects the growth, vibrancy and excitement we have in look- ing forward.” A NEW LOOK Brown volunteered to be the central con- tractor based on his experience with his own two buildings designed for specialized professional use. With the agreement of the synagogue board, ...…

…26 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY F or the previous two sea- sons, Yad Ezra’s Giving Gardens program has thrived in its partnership with the nearby property owned by Our Lady of La Salette Church in Berkley by planting crops in their side lot, land referred to by them as the “Genesis Garden. ” Due to the success of the partnership, the church has granted Yad Ezra permission to expand to the farming property around their old p...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 27 ically increases the size of Giving Gardens. “We had about 5,000 square feet on the south side that were in production, and we added even more land this year, another 2,000 square feet on that side as well,” Gordon said. “Then the North Side that the playground is on is probably at least two to three times that size. We’re just add- ing in another 2,000 square feet of growing space on that side. So, we almost...…

…OUR COMMUNITY 28 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 F ifteen Michigan women recently enjoyed a unique multi-facet- ed educational trip to Israel. Along with 14 other women from the U.S. and one from the United Kingdom, they participated in the Women of the American Technion Society (WATS) Mission in early June. This was only the second Technion women’s mission — the first was held in 2014. That mission included Detroiters Cathy Deutchman and L...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 29 serving as its first woman president. About 10 years ago, she started a Detroit-area Women of American Society of Technion stock group to “try and build ambassadors” for Technion. Most of the stocks purchased have a Technion connection and profits are donated to the university. Wolfe, who joined Kovan’s Technion stock group, was already familiar with Technion. Her late father — D. Dan Kahn — became involved ...…

…30 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY W ith their largest group of riders to date, Chai Lifeline’s Tour de Simcha fundraising bike ride took place on the country roads of upstate New York on July 19. The annual all-wom- en’s ride raises funds for Chai Lifeline, the international children’s health organization providing social, emotional and financial assistance to children with life-threatening and lifelong illnesses and their familie...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 31 R elay for Life in West Bloomfield, which has had an annual outdoor event to raise funds for the American Cancer Society, is joining with other groups for the first time this year in the hopes of drawing more interest and funding, Now, Relay for Life of South Oakland County includes residents of Bloomfield Hills, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Birmingham and Royal Oak and will open at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 14...…

…32 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 entertainment, and each participant gets a goodie bag from the American Cancer Society. Sylvia Wolf, a survivor for 11 years, wanted to give back so she began volunteering with the Relay. “I’m a member of the main board and help with all the events,” Wolf said. “I help raise money and set up the Relays. I get things for the silent auctions. I think the consolidation is a great idea and is working out very...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 33 faces&places T the community has been eagerly awaiting the return of Tamarack Camps’ Bubbie Zaydie Family Camp. Grandparents, such as Diane and Howard Morof, look forward to and enjoy this special time with their grandkids. “The entire weekend was perfect in every way. The staff were fun, warm, interesting, helpful, sweet, and my granddaughter loved all of them,” said Diane. “We look forward to participat...…

…34 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 J osh Lowenthal always knew he was going to be a lawyer. The owner and founder of Law Office of Joshua A. Lowenthal PLC, a Michigan-based virtual law firm, grew up with an entrepreneurial spirit. “Both of my parents were very entre- preneurial,” he explains. “For me, law school always made sense.” Specializing in business, estate planning and tax concerns, Lowenthal, 30, is a graduate of Hillel Day School and...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 35 N EXTGen Detroit is having an eventful summer with multiple successful and sold-out events this year. The programs have ranged from rooftop yoga to a ’70s-themed night with bowling, a darty (a daytime party) with bubbles and foam, a Pickleball event and more. NEXTGen Board and Social Committee member Zack Slabotsky has attended multiple events. He chaired and orga- nized the sold out Pickleball event at the...…

…36 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 continued from page 35 Rachael Gordon and Nicole MacWilliams grab a bite to eat during the NEXTGen Detroit’s Balance Slow Burn in the Sky on the rooftop of Citizen Yoga. NEXTGen Detroiters having a moment of Zen. Daniel Levine knocks some pins down. Michael Penfil, Natalie Ciner and Avi Knopf schmooze at the bar. PHOTOS COURTESY OF NEXTGEN DETROIT NEXTGen Detroiters learn the game of Pickleball Josh Sternberg i...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 37 Emily Slabotsky, Zack Slabotsky and Abbie Jankelovitz stop to pose for a photo during NEXTGen Detroit’s Back in the Bubble Darty. NEXTGen Detroiters having food and drinks at the Back in the Bubble Darty event. Jayme Ruby and Jordan Ettinger jump right into the foam during the Darty. Ian and Shane Jacobson slide down the slip-n-slide. Let Old Friends be your Michigan-Florida Connection Keyes Real Estate Estate ...…

…38 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 D ebra Meyerson, a Metro Detroit native, was a Stanford University professor and a healthy, athletic mother of three when her life was turned upside down in 2010 by a severe stroke that nearly killed her. The stroke left Meyerson paralyzed on her right side and with no speech at all. Suddenly, her roles as a professor, mother and wife were seemingly impossible to fulfill. Instead of giving up, Meyerson, now 65, ...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 39 nize events and achieve our mis- sion goals, ” Zuckerman says. “If we get behind, we’ll just have to ride in the RV a bit. Fortunately, so far, we’ve had no forced car travel. ” The group starts each day at 6 a.m. and begins riding around 8 a.m. Then, they take three to four breaks throughout the day and finish at 3-4 p.m. Each week includes rest days where the team sleeps in, catches up on laundry and works on...…

…40 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 SPORTS A fter a two-year hia- tus caused by the COVID-19 pandem- ic, the JCC Maccabi Games are back. They’re being held this week (Aug. 1-4) in San Diego, California. Eighteen Detroit athletes, two chaperones and delegation head Karen Gordon are participating in the revival. That’s a small group of ath- letes by Detroit standards. But even though this is the 40th Maccabi Games, in many respects the sports, soc...…

…— 16U 3-on-3 boys basket- ball: Gideon Lopatin, Shmuel Shottenstein. — Golf: Alex Lustig. Gordon said Detroit’s flag-bearers in the Maccabi Games opening ceremony normally are four-year ath- letes who are in their final year of competition. There aren’t any this year, so four Detroit athletes who competed in the 2019 Maccabi Games in Detroit — Ben-Ezra, Gesund, Hutton and Kleinfeldt — were expected to be Detroit’s flag-bearers...…

…42 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 T he first verse of Devarim, the fifth and culminating book of the Torah, sounds prosaic. “These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan — in the wilderness, on the plain opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Di-zahav.” There is no hint of drama in these words. But the Sages of the Talmud found one, and it is life-changing. What is odd in the verse is the last pla...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 43 until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord … You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you. ” (Deut. 9:7, Deut. 9:24). His critique extends to the future: “If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die!” (Deut. 31:27). Even the curses in Deuteronomy, delivered by Moses himself, are bleak...…

…44 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 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 Congregatio...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 45 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 ...…

…46 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 E rika Boyd “grew up cooking with my mother and grandmother,” skills she puts to good use as the executive chef and co-owner of Detroit Vegan Soul (DVS) in the thriving North Rosedale Park neighborhood. Her business partner is former public relations executive Kirsten Ussery, the restaurant’s general manager. Detroit Vegan Soul’s niche is offering vegan versions of Southern soul food entrees and sides. It’s...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 47 winner with organic kale, black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, sesame seeds and house-made sesame dressing. My Curried Potato Salad, dotted with fresh red pepper, had a strong curry taste, but wasn’t spicy hot. Miller said his vinegary coleslaw was “comparable to some of the best I’ve had.” The DVS beverage menu includes several smoothie choices. We both enjoyed one called Paradise, which was blended mango, strawbe...…

…48 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 T wo years after the Holocaust film My Name Is Sara was ready for general distribution, it is being shown Aug. 5 at the Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township, where a talkback segment will be conducted by Sara’s son, Michigan resident Mickey Shapiro, and the film direc- tor, Steven Oritt (American Native, Accidental Climber). COVID got in the way of the docudrama’s theater dis- tribution, but it has been a priz...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 49 the Jewish community, and it shows art- house cinema,” Oritt said. “In each of the communities where we’re launching the film, we’re depending on a lot of word of mouth and connecting with temples and other Jewish organizations to help spread the word. “ A lot of people wanted to know what Sara’s impressions were of the making of the film. Unfortunately, Sara passed away in 2018, but she was not aware of the pro- ...…

…50 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 I t’s been 25 years since Mitch Albom’s book Tuesdays With Morrie has been published and almost that long since the adapt- ed play has been produced around the world — except in Michigan. That omission is being cor- rected this year as the play, written by Albom and Jeffrey Hatcher, appears in six the- aters around the state with Michael Russotto as Morrie Schwartz and Cody Nickell as Mitch Albom. The boo...…

…AUGUST 4 • 2022 | 51 ALS and started a company to find a cure. There’s been a slow progression. I won’t be happy until they have something that says this gets rid of it. JN: What were the most important lessons you learned from Morrie? MA: There were two. One has to do with dying and one has to do with living. The one that has to do with dying says that death ends a life but not a relationship. What it means is that if you put...…

…52 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 KILLERS ON A TRAIN, A GREAT BAR MITZVAH MOVIE?, THE SANDMAN Joey King, 22, co-stars in Bullet Train, a thriller that opens in theaters on Aug. 5. All the main characters have “coded” names, like “Ladybug.” Here’s the capsule plot: Trained killer Ladybug (Brad Pitt) wants to give up “the life” but is pulled back in by his handler in order to collect a briefcase on a Japanese bullet train. Once onboard, he an...…