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…$200 May 9-15, 2024 / 1-7 Iyar, 5784 JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT thejewishnews.com Baking up a Storm Jacob Gross has become integral to the operations at Dakota Bakery and Soul Café. See page 10 …

…10 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N OUR COMMUNITY COVER STORY ABOVE: Jacob Gross gets started on making pastries at Soul Café. RIGHT: Jacob led babka-baking classes for teenagers and young adults at Friendship Circle in New York. …

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 11 J N J acob, you need to stay over here,” I heard Ethan Gross say to his son while I spoke with them over the phone. “He’s trying to bake something while we’re talking,” Ethan laughed to me. You would be hard-pressed to find someone as passionate about something as Jacob Gross is about baking. When you have an unshakeable pas- sion, you do everything you can to turn the passion into something greater — so it become...…

…12 | MAY 9 • 2024 His passion for baking (and babka) is so great that he recently got his own puppy and named him — yes — Babka. Jacob has exercised his passion in other ways. He’s recently been putting on babka-baking classes. “Jacob’s Babka Bakes,” they’re called. Jacob’s sister is a program director for Friendship Circle in New York City. She’s had him come out and lead babka- baking classes two different times for teenagers and...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 13 Josh White, manager at Dakota Bakery and Jacob’s boss, says what Jacob brings to the bakery environment is priceless. “When Jacob walks in, there’s a smile on everybody’s face. And when he walks in, you know he’s there,” White says. “He walks in every day and the first thing he does is give people hugs, to the front of the bakery all the way to the back, and he’s not starting his day until he makes sure he says ‘...…

…14 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N S ophia Loren, the legendary film actress who will turn 90 in September, once said, “ Aging is not about how many years have passed, but how much life you’ve embraced. ” The eight exceptional individuals who will be honored at this year’s Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit’s 31st Annual Eight Over Eighty fundraiser on Sunday, May 19, at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, exemplify Loren’s wise words, demonstrat...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 15 J N Jewish Senior Life’s 31st annual Eight Over Eighty event celebrates special people. PURPOSE- DRIVEN LIVES SHARON ALTERMAN In 1965, Sharon Alterman of West Bloomfield was the director of a Thursday Night Social Group at the JCC for young adults with developmental needs. Her dedication to and compassion for her beloved group members led her to think about what their futures might look like when they got older...…

…16 | MAY 9 • 2024 GERALD S. COOK Gerald “Jerry” Cook began his Jewish community volunteerism after graduating from Harvard Law School. He was an active volunteer and board member of Hillel Day School, Adat Shalom, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Federation of Detroit and the Michigan Committee for Conservative Judaism in Israel, as well as president of the American Jewish Congress Michigan Region and Jewish Historica...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 17 V accines save lives by preventing disease. However, in rare cases, vaccines can cause severe aller- gic reactions and injury. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), created by Federal Code, exists to give vaccine-injured people a streamlined legal pathway to seek compensation. The program has been in place since 1984, yet few are aware of it, and Attorney Gary Krochmal is working to change tha...…

…18 | MAY 9 • 2024 a positive impact in the community. A committed citizen and community advocate, she chaired the Tikkun Olam committee at Beth Ahm for many years. Kalef, who resides with her husband at JSL’s Meer Apartments, also served as president of its Resident Council for three terms, encouraging and implementing numerous social action initiatives to benefit West Bloomfield firefighters and police officers, Yad Ezra an...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 19 Kadima clients. Simon has co-chaired the Book Fair at The J for the past three years. She also bakes bread monthly for the nonprofit Kneaded with Love, which serves the unhoused, delivers Kosher Meals on Wheels, serves as a Friendly Visitor with Jewish Family Service and is involved annually in Bookstock. Her mother was active in NCJW|MI, as well as other Jewish causes, and Simon followed in her foot- steps by...…

…MARK ADLER & BRIAN NEEPER COLLAOBARTION! | 1.5 ACRE LOT 4,800 SF | 5 BR | 5.2 BA | DAYLIGHT OR WALKOUT LL SITE FOUR CAR GARAGE | BIRMINGHAM SCHOOLS | $3,995,000 3,813 SF | 4 BR | 3.2 BA | .4 ACRE LOT 10’ CEILINGS | CHEF’S KITCHEN | FINISHED LL | HOME GYM 3 CAR GAR | BIRMINGHAM SCHOOLS | $2,250,000 NEW CONSTRUCTION RANCH HOME 2,014 SF | 2 BR + DEN | 2.1 BA | WALLED LAKE SCHOOLS COMMUNITY CLUBHOUSE, GYM & POOL | $749,900 ONE OF TH...…

…20 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N O akland County Circuit Court Judge Lorie Savin’s lifelong quest has been advocating for the needs of children caught up in domestic disputes. “My parents got divorced when I was very young, ” she said. “When we were in court, I was thinking that my dad had a lawyer who talked to the judge, and so did my mom. I wished I had a lawyer, too, to tell my side. “It was then when I decided I wanted to be a lawye...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 21 motivated to do what’s best for families, especially when children are involved, ” she said. Judge Savin and Adam Larky live in West Bloomfield and are members of Temple Israel. They have two daughters in college. Elizabeth is a graduate student at George Washington University and Abigail attends the University of Michigan. Savin will be introduced at the JBAM event by her father- in-law, family law attorney Sheld...…

…22 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N A highly visible “Free the Hostages” demonstration was held on April 25 on a I-696 pedestrian overpass in Farmington Hills as hundreds of cars and trucks passed underneath. The demonstration marked over 200 days of brutal captivity for more than 100 Israeli, Israeli-Americans and other hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Organized by Don Cohen and Allan Gale, both of West Bloomfield, the demonstration was...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 23 J N T wo wrongs don’t make a right” is an oft-quoted statement, typically told to children who are busy taking revenge on one another … But, is that entirely true? A dilemma (Greek for “double proposition”) is a problem offer- ing two solutions or possibilities, each of which is problematic (hence there are “two wrongs”), and one must choose which of the options is best to follow (or, which of the “wrongs” is rig...…

…24 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N J ewish Family Service is shining a light on mental health in the community at the agency’s Spotlight Event at 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 22, at the Flagstar Strand Theatre in Pontiac The evening, which is part of the Reva Stocker Lecture Series, will feature the nationally renowned comedian Gary Gulman, star of two HBO comedy spe- cials and author of his recently published memoir, Misfit: Growing up Awkward in th...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 25 Serving the Jewish Community for over 30 years! 4130 TELEGRAPH ROAD BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI 48302 NOAH BISHOP COHEN The Next Generation of “SOLD” ns.cohen26@gmail.com MELANIE BISHOP “SOLD” is my middle name melaniesold@aol.com MelanieSold.com 248.867.7800 OVER 1 BILLION IN CAREER SALES! COMING SOON THIS MONTH! WEST BLOOMFIELD TWP | $2,995,000 6 beds, 5.2 baths, country estate home in the heart of the West Bloomfiel...…

…26 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N S elf-reporting for “jury duty” at a mock trial next week, members and friends of SOAR Lifelong Learning Institute will be asked to make their choice about a relevant question of today — “Can it Happen Here? Fascism in America.” Mock trials are an imitation proceeding in which real jurists use court procedures to explore both sides of notable cases or issues. The public is welcome to attend SOAR’s free e...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 27 continued on page 28 although he’s newsworthy,” Sedler said. “He’s a phenomenon like we haven’t seen before.” Kosmala will call Warren- based attorney Bill Barnwell to testify as a “neutral witness to establish the parameters and contours of fascism” — stating what that ideology could look like in the U.S., Sedler said. During his time as a witness on the stand, Lessenberry said he will present the “historical a...…

…28 | MAY 9 • 2024 OUR COMMUNITY In 2016, trials held at both Temple Israel in West Bloomfield and the Macomb Center, posed the question: “Was there a second shooter in the Kennedy assassination or a conspiracy?” The next year brought: “Should elections be decided by popular vote vs. Electoral College?” at Macomb Center. After SOAR moved into its temporary home at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills, the 2018 mock trial ...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 29 Be a part of the growth of Yad Ezra’s new fruit orchard and expanding gardens. Support nutrient rich, farm fresh produce for food insecure families. Your gift is worth twice as much. Every gift will be matched up to $10K. Your gift is worth twice as much. SUMMER GARDEN Rooted in Community INVESTING IN A FRUITFUL TOMORROW 2600 Harvard Street, Berkley, MI Light refreshments will be served June 9, 2024 3:...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 3 J N PURELY COMMENTARY 4-9 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 10 Baking up a Storm Jacob Gross has become integral to the operations at Dakota Bakery and Soul Café. 14 Purpose-Driven Lives Jewish Senior Life’s 31st annual Eight Over Eighty event celebrates special people. 20 The Best of the Best Two esteemed judges will be honored by the Jewish Bar Association of Michigan. 22 Small but Might...…

…30 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N A ndy Rosenfeld says his team has the most fun of any team in the Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson B’nai B’rith Bowling League. That proclamation may be up for debate among the weekly league’s 23 other teams. But no one can debate that Rosenfeld’s team, named Uncle Miltie in honor the late Jewish actor and comedian Milton Berle, couldn’t be stopped this season and won the league championship. Uncle Miltie won th...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 31 SPOTLIGHT In 1948, as Israel fought for its independence, the medics of Magen David Adom were there, treating wounded soldiers and civilians alike. Today, as Israel celebrates Yom HaAtzma’ut, MDA is still treating the injured — even under fire. But for MDA to continue being there for Israel, we need to be there for MDA. Make a donation at afmda.org/give. AFTER 76 YEARS, WE’RE STILL FIGHTING FOR A JEWISH STATE. Inv...…

…32 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N T he meaning and expe- riences of motherhood transcend words. It’s a journey marked by profound moments of joy, challenges that test the limits of one’s patience, and a love so deep and bound- less that it defies explanation. I am so thankful to have witnessed the beautiful example of my wife, Mayim, who has shown me what it means to be a loving, patient and mindful mom. However one becomes a mother, t...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 33 J N D ozens of students unfurled Palestinian flags and banners at the main commencement ceremony of the University of Michigan. Of several graduation disruptions across the country, U-M experienced the biggest when dozens of students unfurled large Palestinian flags and marched toward the stage. According to the New York Times, they chanted, “Regents, regents, you can’t hide! You are funding genocide!” The p...…

…34 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N W hen Lawrence “Larry” Traison was in his early 20s, his father, Samuel Traison, who managed their family-run printing business Walker Printery, passed away in 1957. Larry Traison, now 90, was faced with the unimaginable task of not only continuing the Detroit-based business that his father founded, but also supporting his mother and younger siblings. Still, Traison persevered, a strength his daughter-in...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 35 J N wide range of industries that include government, auto and manufacturing clients. One client, in particular, has stayed with Walker Printery for an impressive 80 years. The reason? Larry Traison says it’s Walker Printery’s family-first approach that includes treating clients like family. “Their problem becomes our problem, and we take care of it,” he says. “When they call us, their problems are over.” Walker ...…

…36 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N T he Michigan Israel Business Accelerator (MIBA), the nonprofit international trade organization committed to accelerating Michigan’s economic growth through Israeli corporate connections, announces the most recent innovative companies based in Israel to choose Michigan for international growth. They include: Upstream, an automotive cybersecurity and data management company that has opened an office in ...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 37 1. Extravaganza 2. Audience 3. Dreamers 4. Showgirls 5. Performer 6. Minstrel 7. Tableau 8. Comedy 9. Vaudeville 10. Showman PUZZLE ANSWERS Solution to puzzle in 5/2/24 issue. AFTERNOON CONCERT SERIES FEATURING.... THURSDAY, MAY 16TH • 2:00 PM AT TEMPLE ISRAEL DAVID SYME Open to the community free of charge. Registration is required. More Info and RSVP: www.temple-israel.org/event/afternoon24 Partial...…

…38 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N T he business district in Berkley is sweeter, a tad saltier and decidedly more fun since the official opening on April 19 of Jill and Matt Kasle’s Bombshell Treat Bar. The corner store with a red awning and brick wall mural replaced the former Sugar Kisses Bakery on Coolidge Highway, a block north of Catalpa Drive. With Bombshell, a name that came to Jill in a dream, the Kasles have created a cool de...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 39 find a permanent location for Bombshell. What had started as a hobby became a passion, especially for Jill. She took the lead on the storefront’s design, working with Michigan partners McIntosh Poris Architects, Shaw Construction and Unsold Studio. Bombshell is now a welcom- ing space encompassing 2,200 square feet. The shop has windows fronting Coolidge, a light oak floor, white walls with scattered colored spr...…

…4 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N opinion Is There a Better Way? S ince Oct. 7, I have felt loneliness like I have never felt before. Being an Israeli in America, I am used to some degree of everyday loneliness, but this is uncharted territory. Who can I talk to? What is OK for me to say? Who wants to hear me, and what will they think of me if I tell them how I really feel? Friends from across the spectrum reached out to me immediately...…

…MAZEL TOV! Aden Cetner (Adar Levi) of Bloomfield Hills will become a bar mitzvah at Congregation Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield on Saturday, May 11, 2024. Proud parents are Shirley and Lenny Cetner. His brother and sister are Jonah and Lila. Aden is the grandson of Mia and Ike User, and Barbara and Manny Cetner. Aden is a student at South Hills Middle School in Bloomfield Hills. He raised money for IDF therapy dogs to help so...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 41 J N To Be Holy I n the opening lines of this week’s Torah portion, the Israelites are told: “Holiness you shall be, for holiness am I, the Lord your God.” As Jews, we are instructed to be holy, to be sacred. But what does that mean? There are two prima- ry understandings of sacredness in Judaism. The first understands separation as definitional to sanctity. In the words of Rabbi Adin Steinzaltz: “To be holy is,...…

…42 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N A t the center of the mosaic books is Vayikra. At the cen- ter of Vayikra is the “holiness code” (Chapter 19) with its momentous call: “You shall be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” And at the center of Chapter 19 is a brief paragraph which, by its positioning, is the apex, the high point, of the Torah: “Do not hate your brother in your heart. You must surely admonish your neighbor and...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 43 J N your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”). This is entirely untrue. There is a wonderful teaching in Avot deRabbi Natan: “Who is the greatest hero? One who turns an enemy into a friend.” What sets the Torah apart is its understanding of the psy- chology of hatred. If someone has done us harm, it is natural to feel aggrieved. What then are we to do in order to ful- fil the command, “Do not hate your ...…

…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 Blo...…

…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 ...…

…46 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N ARTS&LIFE ART A n image from Naomi Hart’s artistic works, made using beeswax with drawing and print skills falling into the category of encaustics, has been chosen to go on promotional materials for this year’s Art Birmingham. The event, held May 11-12 in surrounding areas of Shain Park and originally known as the Birmingham Fine Art Festival, is early in this year’s out- door art fair season. With Mother’...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 47 Popular Summer Art Fairs Below is listed some of the popularly recurring outdoor art fairs. To find out about the special features of each and any changes to an event, check the websites before attending. May 11-12: Art Birmingham, streets surrounding Shain Park. theguild.org. May 18-19: East Lansing Art Festival, 410 Abbot Road. elartfest.com. MAY 25-27: Kensington Art Fair, Milford (Maple Beach). kensingtonartfair.c...…

…48 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N A s one of the most gripping and pow- erful Holocaust novels of our time, the best- selling book The Tattooist of Auschwitz is coming to life as a new series streaming on Peacock. Released on May 2, the six-episode limited drama series traverses the harrowing yet heartwarming true story of Slovakian Jew Lale Sokolov, who was imprisoned at Auschwitz in 1942 and forced to work as a tattooist tattoo- ing numbe...…

…in a place like that when your life is threatened every second of every day, and you’ve been dehumanized? That is the stuff of great drama, really, to find charac- ters in incomprehensible posi- tions, but who display a uni- versal truth about who we are as human beings. So, we went after the book, and we knew very early on that we want- ed to adopt it as a television series. Lale’s story is just too big for a film; it wouldn’t have ...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 5 J N DISCOVER THE POWER OF SANCTUARY Discover Lincoln Owner Benefits Custom Ordering & Home Delivery Upon Request A, Z, X Plans Specialist RICHARD WOLF LINCOLN PRODUCT SPECIALIST Office : 1950 W Maple Rd, Troy, MI 48084 Email : rwolf@lincolnoftroy.com 734.812.1125 …

…50 | MAY 9 • 2024 J amie Harris of Brooklyn exhibited colorful glass pieces in last year’s annual show at the Habatat Galleries Complex in Royal Oak, and he has new abstract work to be presented in this year’s display. Glass52 is exhibiting some 400 art glass works by international artists and marking 52 years of special displays as the largest modern glass art gallery. Various forms, some utilitarian, are being featured by new...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 51 prisoner drawings. It was an experience that was shared across all departments and a huge team effort. JN: How do you bring forth love and beauty in such a heartbreaking place? Mundell: We have to remember that in order to survive, survivors had to find a way to continue to live even in the specter of death and brutality. That was something that really struck us about Lale and Gita’s story, for two people to b...…

…52 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL: 12% ARE JEWISH On April 17, Time magazine released its annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. On April 25, Time hosted its annual Gala party to celebrate the list and, on Sunday, May 12, at 10 p.m., ABC will broadcast a one-hour special titled Inside the Gala: Time 100. In an hour, ABC really can’t say that much about all the honorees at the Gala...…

…MAY 9 • 2024 | 53 Build your own custom worksheet at education.com/worksheet-generator © 2007 - 2024 Education.com Israel Tourist Attractions K M K Q O A A U U P L D T Q N X A C F Y E P S K O Z X T Q Q M B C O X B Z Q L O D B C A H W I D J I F S R R Q M K N W Y K M G N G E G I D Z H D N P Q H M K T E M P L E M O U N T G Z N O U Q A P D Z M A O D N Y H I G X R A B X D Q G L P W N W M T P N T R T T N A R Z Z Z P B A S N I B Y A D Z Q N U K J...…

…54 | MAY 9 • 2024 J N ‘THE PROM’ NOW-MAY 19 Birmingham Village Players will stage The Prom, a joyous, funny and sweet production that will appeal to musical fans. A high school student dreams of taking her girlfriend to their senior prom. Unfortunately, her plans are foiled by a homophobic PTA. Performances are Friday and Saturday nights (May 10, 11, 17, 18) at 8 pm and Sunday afternoons (May 12, 19) at 2 pm. Reserved ticket...…