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… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 17 mental healthcare and trauma therapy, vocational skills train- ing and job placement, financial education, peer support and much more. It’s “very much designed in a woman’s needs and what they want, ” Franklin said. “We have people now who want to go to culinary school, who are work- ing outside of the house, who purchase their own vehicles. ” Sanctum House has part- nerships with hospitals, social workers an...…

…18 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 I f you are a parent of a pre- schooler and possess an ample supply of last year’s coveted rolls of toilet tissue and paper towels, hang onto that cardboard center. According to Arielle Endelman, creator of the recently launched Instagram crafting site @itsmarthajewart, the humble cardboard roll can be used for countless projects to keep preschoolers occupied during these long pandemic months. When Endelm...…

… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 19 T he Holocaust Memorial Center will host How Healers Became Killers: Nazi Medical Professionals, to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day, Wednesday, Jan. 27. The program also is the opening event of the new featured exhibit, Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race, which opens Jan. 17 and runs through July 11, 2021. “This thought-provoking exhibit and opening program scrutinizes the role medical profes...…

…20 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 T he Jewish Community Center of Metro Detroit is in the beginning stages of developing a concept called “Off-Center” — a satellite JCC operation to serve as an “east side hub” located in the Oak Park-Berkley area and a possible additional location in Downtown Detroit. JCC Assistant Executive Director Judy Loebl, who helped conceive of the idea, says this is the latest step in the JCC’s shift from being...…

… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 21 MOMENTS BIRTHS OCT. 19, 2020 Carolyn and Andrew Blechman of West Bloomfield happily announce the birth of their son, William Ari Blechman. Excited older sister is Gabriella Paige. Thrilled grandparents are Randa and Richard Feldman of West Bloomfield, and Rosanne and Karl Blechman of Silver Spring, Md. William was named in loving memory of his great-grand- father Wilfred Feldman and his great-grandmother Anne ...…

…22 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 SPIRIT Lessons of the Past T his week’s parshah, Bo, contains what I believe is one of the Torah’s most important mitzvot: It is a dedi- cation to education, to knowing our past and ensuring that our history informs our future. Having just won their free- dom from Egyptian bondage, the Israelites are instructed by Moses on the laws of Passover, which they are to observe for all time. As they prepare for ...…

… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 23 A year ago, few would have imagined so many of our personal and business interactions would be conducted online, using our computers, iPads and smart- phones to “meet” and socialize safely during the pandemic. Various online platforms — Zoom, Skype, FaceTime and Microsoft Teams, to name a few of the most popular — are now a common way to celebrate family birthdays, have medical appointments and attend cla...…

…24 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 T he Oakland County Health Division (OCHD) is asking residents cur- rently eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, including all residents over the age of 65, to remain patient while the county works to increase its supply. The county does not have enough vaccines to meet demand after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the state has entered its “Phase 2” of vaccine distribution, which includes residents 65 years...…

… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 25 Outstanding Reputation Award-winning Service 27698 Franklin Road | Southfield 248.354.7600 | marisahomecare.com CELEBRATING 10 YEARS GREATER DIGNITY AND SAFETY FOR AGING SENIORS T he D. Dan and Betty Kahn Older Adult Care Loan Fund (KOACLF) at Hebrew Free Loan helps adults age 62 and older, and their families, better afford life-enhancing services, equipment and home adjustments. Interest-free loans of up to...…

…B’nai B’rith Bowling Leagues in the Gutter Because of COVID-19 History has been made in the Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson and Downtown Fox-MLZG B’nai B’rith bowling leagues. But it’s not the kind of history the weekly leagues want repeated. For this first time in each league’s long existence, the season has been canceled. Blame the COVID-19 pandemic, of course. Capacity and other restrictions placed on bowling alleys by the Michigan D...…

…manager Elon Friedman. “He was a great teammate who played anywhere on the field where he was needed and always got the job done. He also was a good hitter. ” Friedman also was Brad’s teammate and manager on a coed floor hockey team called the Ugly Pucklings that plays in a league at the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit in West Bloomfield when there isn’t a pandemic. “Brad was our goalie. He was the best goalie in ...…

…28 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 ARTS&LIFE DOCUMENTARY COURTESY OF VERONICA SELVER S usan Fanshel always will remember one import- ant characteristic of the late mother of her best friend, Veronica Selver. When the two friends were teens and summer- ing near the Atlantic Ocean, Irmi Selver invariably would walk along the coastline as they swam, watching them with a compelling intensity. Fanshel could sense anx- iety in the woman’s expres- ...…

… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 29 Now professional colleagues as filmmakers, the two have revealed a biography in a film appropriately titled Irmi. The film is being spotlight- ed Tuesday, Jan. 26, as the last feature of the New York Jewish Film Festival, which this year is available to a wider audience because of digital presentations necessitated by the pandemic. The lineup, running Jan. 13-26, showcases 17 features and seven shorts. “I fe...…

…30 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 D eborah Dash Moore thought back through Holocaust history when she watched the storming of the United States Capitol on Jan. 6. What came to mind was the burning of the German Parliament’s Reichstag Building on Feb. 27, 1933. Knowing Jewish history is everyday for Moore, editor-in-chief of the Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, not a physical library but a published collec- tion availab...…

… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 31 PRIVATE COLLECTION. © ESTATE OF JULES LELLOUCHE. La Ghriba Djerba, Tunisia (ca. 1944) by Jules Lellouche. more than what was under- stood to be religious culture. He thought of it as a very diverse, imaginative culture and believed putting reli- gious restrictions around it narrowed it and excluded all kinds of wonderful materials.” Going beyond historical text, different literary genres are included — cultura...…

…32 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 A fter decades making movies star- ring characters — often women — bristling against social strictures and navigating romance in ways that tended to surprise even themselves, Jewish film- maker Joan Micklin Silver has died at 85. Silver, who died Dec. 31, 2020, was best- known for 1988’s Crossing Delancey, a sur- prise hit. The film finds Isabelle Grossman (Amy Irving), a 30-something Manhattan bookseller, naviga...…

… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 33 SEGEL; LEBOWITZ; SEX AND THE CITY REBOOT Our Friend, a “tearjerker” dramatic film, opens in a few theaters Jan. 22 and is also available that day on video-on-demand. It is based on a 2015 Esquire article in which Matthew Teague detailed the death of his wife, Nicole, from ovarian cancer. The couple’s best friend, Dane, upended his life and stayed with them for months, assisting with everything, including ...…

…34 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 THEATRE PRODUCTION THROUGH JAN. 29 The Nicely Theatre Group presents what hap- pens after happily ever after. Disenchanted! revisits familiar princess charac- ters to get their side of the story. Tickets are $15 per household for the 65-minute musical production. You can watch it whenever you'd like and as often as you like during the run since it is not a ZOOM-style produc- tion. Rather, it was filmed by in...…

…media and popular culture with moderator Jaemi Loeb, senior director of Cultural Arts at the JCC. To see where Jews are and aren't in British film, check out these: Babylon: an incendi- ary portrait of racial tension and police brutality set in Brixton, London; Dough: The owner of a struggling Jewish bakery hires Muslim African immigrant teenager Ayyash Habimana to work in the shop. Tickets: $5 per person per film. Info: filmfest...…

…36 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 M ost of us are invol- untary homebodies these days because of the pandemic lockdown. For nutrition, we might rely on carryouts and deliveries from restaurants or devise meals of our own, of varying quality. At this point, many house- holds might welcome a healthy and convenient new option. One just starting to roll out to the public is “Fresh n ready by Chef Cari.” The all-natural, glu- ten-free and fresh...…

…HEALTHCARE G&F Professional Services- Compassionate, affordable, responsible and efficient homecare. Call Georgiana (248) 571-1837 (www. gfprofessionalservices.com) A1 CAREGIVER/COMPANION. Experienced, excellent references. 248-991-4944 Seeking reliable female caregiver for mother. Experienced with Alzheimer's and Severe Medical Needs. please call (313) 670-0438 Exp. private duty caregiver for 27 yrs would love to care for your ...…

…38 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 SOUL OF BLESSED MEMORY JOANNE ARONOFF, 81, of Farmington Hills, died Jan. 6, 2021. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Larry Aronoff; children, Marc Aronoff, Jacqui Aronoff and Michael Kinsella, April Aronoff and Bruce Gerstman, and Nance Aronoff and Kari Spaeth; grandchildren, Alexander Kinsella, Emily Kinsella, Dominique Hall, Leo Chiasson-Aronoff, Hugo Gerstman and Nathaniel Gerstman. She...…

… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 39 His daughter remembers him as a fierce supporter of Jews and Israel. SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER Hero of Israel’s Founding Dies at 96 A aron Friedman, a founding hero of the State of Israel, died Jan. 6, 2021, at the age of 96 in the Los Angeles area, where he lived for many years. Friedman helped to smuggle Jewish refugees from Europe to Palestine during the British mandate when immigration wa...…

…40 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 of the late Alexander Ashendorf, who also died during the Holocaust. Contributions may be made to Friendship Circle, 6892 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322; or to a Jewish charity of one’s choice. A family graveside service was held at Workmen’s Circle Cemetery. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. NANCY MAGID GLANZ- MILLER, 89, of Hallandale Beach and Deerfield Beach, Fla., formerly of Wind...…

… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 41 SANDRA KOPELMAN, 69, of Franklin, died Jan. 10, 2021. She is survived by her husband of 48½ years, Jeffrey Kopelman; daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Aaron Fenberg; grandchildren, Luke and Justin Fenberg; sisters and brothers-in-law, Arline and Allan Rein, and Rhea and Richard Sweet; brother-in-law, Michael Kopelman. She was also loved and adored by her canine companions, Brooklyn and Yogi. Mrs. Ko...…

…42 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 SOUL OF BLESSED MEMORY Samantha; sisters and brothers-in-law, Georgia and Chuck Robertson, Rhonda and Mike Matlack, Martha and Paul Lee; brothers and sisters-in-law, Victor and Jody Commons, Raymond and Catherine Commons; many loving nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. Interment took place at Beth El Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Soc...…

… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 43 Contributions may be made to Jewish Family Service, 6555 W . Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322. A family graveside service was held at Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. GEORGE H. SIMMONS, 95, of Bloomfield Township, died Jan. 10, 2021. He is survived by his sons and daughters- in-law, Mark and Ellen Simmons, and Michael Simmons and Stacey Dobrusi...…

…44 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 SOUL OF BLESSED MEMORY SONJA SZAKAL, 67, of Southfield, died Jan. 6, 2021. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Gabriel and Jenny Szakal, and Jason Szakal and Danielle Cook; other loving relatives and friends. Mrs. Szakal was the beloved wife of the late Robert Szakal; the devoted daughter of the late Irene and the late Arthur Snitchler, and the late Alexander Mann. Contributions may be ...…

… JANUARY 21 • 2021 | 45 F olks used to love going to Cedars of Lebanon Lounge on Columbia, Detroit … Customers will never for- get the potpourri of Middle East food that was so exotic … as well as the wonderful native dancing that brought many stomping feet. The food brought out always tickled the tongue with an odor of pleasing excellence … Like the hum- mus with tahini …a dish that consisted of mashed chick- peas and sesame seed b...…

…46 | JANUARY 21 • 2021 Looking Back From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org Justice for Louis Gross T wo weeks ago, I had a very inter- esting conversation with Judge Avern Cohn. To be sure, a chat with Judge Cohn is always interesting. This time, he told me a story that led me into the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit history for this week’s “Looking...…

…JANUARY 27-31, 2021 jewishclimatefest.org Hazon is honored to be a lead sponsor of The Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest, making climate change a central moral issue of the Jewish community. Come learn with us and and explore over 100 free online events! Come learn with us and and explore over 100 free online events! Not in My Backyard: How Detroit Has Fought Back Thursday, 1/28 4 - 5:00pm ET Sound System: Greening the Music Business ...…

…Managed by: Proud Recipient of the Prestigious Ask Us Why! INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING. LEARN MORE AT ALLSEASONSLIVING.COM Ann Arbor - NOW OPEN | Birmingham | Rochester Hills | West Bloomfield For the Joys of Independent Senior Living We have adopted new standard of care in our daily operations by implementing COVID- specific initiatives for our residents’ well-being including: Ÿ Contact-free “EasyMove” progra...…

… JANUARY 14 • 2021 | 1 $200 Jan. 14-20, 2021 / 1-7 Shevat 5781 Seniors, frontline workers among first to get COVID vaccine. See page 10 Fertility Fraud? More stories come forward following Dr. Peven revelations. page 16 Capitol Fallout Riots leave a mark on the nation as ADL calls for Trump’s ouster. page 14 …

…OWN YOUR JOURNEY. DISCOVER YOUR TOMORROW. FJA WILL PREPARE YOU. FOR COLLEGE? YES. FJA GRADUATES ATTEND THEIR COLLEGE OF CHOICE. BUT THIS SCHOOL IS ABOUT MORE. ARIELLE ENDELMAN Director of Admissions aendelman@frankelja.org 248.671.3248 Apply by February 21, 2021 to be considered for the FRANKEL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP a four year merit and leadership based award that covers $15,000 tuition per year for four years at FJA IDENTIFY, ES...…

… JANUARY 14 • 2021 | 3 contents OUR JN MISSION: We aspire to communicate news and opinion that’s trusted, valued, engaging and distinctive. We strive to reflect diverse community viewpoints while also advocating positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continuity. As an independent, responsible, responsive community member, we actively engage with individuals and organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, and Jewish life, ...…

…4 | JANUARY 14 • 2021 OUR JN MISSION: We aspire to communicate news and opinion that’s trusted, valued, engaging and distinctive. We strive to ref ect diverse community viewpoints while also advocating positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continuity. As an independent, responsible, responsive community member, we actively engage with individuals and organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, and Jewish life, in Sout...…

… JANUARY 14 • 2021 | 5 : Take a shot with JSL! Lease by January 29, 2021 in time to participate in our COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics. Lindsay Sklar, MD Dr. Sklar is pleased to announce that she has joined West Bloomfi eld Dermatology and Mohs Surgery. Dr. Sklar received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. She completed medical school and residency at Wayne State University, School of Medicine, where she served as...…

…6 | JANUARY 14 • 2021 Most Read on the Web Each month, the JN will let you know the stories that were read most often online. If you missed any, you can go to the jewishnews.com and search for them by title. Here’s what was most popular in December. TOP 10 ON THE WEB 1. Longtime Fertility Doctor in the Jewish Community Used His Own Sperm to Inseminate Patients, DNA Tests Show 2. My (Big, Fat) Joyful, Tearful Polish Wedding 3. Evel...…

… JANUARY 14 • 2021 | 7 letters Importance of WSU Press Thanks so much for your recent story about Stephanie Williams, the new director at Wayne State University Press (Dec. 24, pg. 18). One of the great traditions of the Press has always been its rich tradition to not only publish books about Judaism but also to give voice to the dozens of local Jewish authors commit- ted to telling our Detroit sto- ries. I, too, was shaken up by ...…

…8 | JANUARY 14 • 2021 essay This Year, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Be a Heschel W e’ve all seen those grainy black and white photographs from the 1960s. We see Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marching in civil rights demonstrations, oftentimes locked arm and arm with Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, his fellow activist and close friend. As Jews, we see these pictures and we rightly take pride that a rabbi was integral to D...…

… JANUARY 14 • 2021 | 9 Take a shot with JSL! Lease by February 9, 2021 in time to participate in our COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics. Supported through the generosity of The Jewish Fund and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Family Foundation. .org We Have Answers. Need help finding senior care?  Call jhelp at 1-833-44-JHELP  Visit jhelp.org  Chat online with a staff member or schedule a call at jhelp.org  Do all of the above ✗...…

…10 | JANUARY 14 • 2021 Jewish seniors, frontline workers among fi rst to get COVID vaccine. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER of A s 2021 begins, many hope the year will bring a return to nor- malcy with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. And mem- bers of the Detroit Jewish com- munity are playing pivotal roles in distributing the lifesaving injection throughout the area. From frontline and health- care workers being the first ones ...…

… JANUARY 14 • 2021 | 11 gram the hospital system uses to set up appointments. Employees included in the first tier of vaccinations includ- ed emergency room physicians and staff, operating room staff, and the anesthesia, ENT (ear, nose and throat) and critical care departments, according to Adelman. The vaccine arrived at the Henry Ford West Bloomfield loading dock at 10 a.m. that day, with employee health techs primarily giving o...…

…12 | JANUARY 14 • 2021 a.m. and finished around 4 p.m. More than 130 people were administered the first dose that day. Most long-term care facil- ities will be receiving the Moderna vaccine due to the specific refrigeration and temperature needs the Pfizer vaccine calls for. The residents were mon- itored for 15 minutes after receiving the vaccine, and wellness checks were done the morning after for every resi- dent. The follow-up...…

… JANUARY 14 • 2021 | 13 according to Zenlea, includes the participants’ option to become unblinded, which means they can be told if they received the vaccine or the placebo in the trial if they want to. For those who received the placebo, they will be offered the Moderna vaccine that same day. For those who received the vaccine as part of their participation in the study, they won’t be offered anything since they’re already vacci...…

…14 | JANUARY 14 • 2021 O n Wednesday, Jan. 6, as Congress prepared to ratify the Electoral College vote confirming President-elect Joe Biden’s win, mobs of Trump supporters clashed with police and broke into the U.S. Capitol building. Five people have died as a result of the attempted insurrection. Michigan members of Congress were among the many politi- cians sheltering in place. The riots began after President Trump hosted a ...…

… JANUARY 14 • 2021 | 15 MICHIGAN FORESHADOWING The U.S. Capitol siege took place nine months after armed anti-lockdown protesters gained entry into the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing in April. “There were lessons to be learned that weren’t, ” state Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), who is Jewish, told Slate after the Capitol riots. “This hap- pened in Michigan on April 30, Washington in January, and unless there’s a serious discu...…

…16 | JANUARY 14 • 2021 M ore people in the area are thinking about their DNA heritage and coming forward with sto- ries of their own fertility fraud experiences after the Detroit Jewish News reported last month that Dr. Philip Peven, a well-re- spected OB-GYN in the Detroit Jewish community, had secretly used his own sperm to artifi- cially inseminate some patients (Dec. 24 cover story). The JN story, however, alarmed some readers...…

… JANUARY 14 • 2021 | 17 she’ d been donor-conceived in 1993. Spencer then spent years looking through records of Wayne State University medical students, thinking one of them must have been her biological parent. After connecting with her first half-sibling through DNA tests in 2014, Spencer eventually deduced that their donor had not been a medi- cal student, as the doctor had promised her parents. Instead, he was a man named Han...…

…18 | JANUARY 14 • 2021 N ow more than ever, with a steadily increasing elderly population and continuing COVID-19 concerns, people are searching for compassionate and trustworthy care for their aging loved ones. With this in mind, two longtime friends combined their shared skills and interests to start a home healthcare business dedicated to personalized, professional caregiving. Matt Yaari, 32, of Royal Oak, and Guy Lavi,...…