…NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 | 51 SPIRIT Crossing A Divide I n this week’s parshah, Jacob is fleeing the only home he has ever known to escape the wrath of his brother Esau. When he sleeps, he dreams of a ladder stretching between heav- en and Earth. Angels are ascend- ing and descending. To me, this moment represents the in-be- tween, the blurring of the bound- ary, the crossing of borders. Ritual theory places tremen- dous significance on the...…
…52 | NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 W hat is it that made Jacob — not Abraham or Isaac or Moses — the true father of the Jewish people? We are the “congregation of Jacob, ” “the children of Israel. ” Jacob/Israel is the man whose name we bear. Yet Jacob did not begin the Jewish journey; Abraham did. Jacob faced no trial like that of Isaac at the binding. He did not lead the people out of Egypt or bring them the Torah. To be sure, all ...…
…NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 | 53 — Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah and Jonah — actually pray to die rather than continue. Nor was this true only in the distant past. Abraham Lincoln suffered deep bouts of depres- sion. So did Churchill, who called it his “black dog. ” Gandhi and Martin Luther King both attempted suicide in adolescence and experi- enced depressive illness in adult life. The same was true of many great creative artists, among them M...…
…54 | NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 E veryone needs a vision. We all need a vision to give us direction and inspiration in life. Life can’t just be about surviving. It has to be about the goals and the aspi- rations and the big picture that we are striving for. There are too many challenges and opportunities in the path of life not to have clarity of vision. In this week’s parshah, Vayetze, we read about a great vision given to our fore...…
…NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 | 55 pain and hardship: the decep- tion of Lavan; the loss of his beloved wife, Rachel; the sep- aration from his beloved son, Yosef; and many other severely challenging experiences. And yet, throughout, this vision — this pledge that God would be with him at all times — sus- tained him, and gave him the strength to withstand all of the difficulties and challenges that lay ahead. This vision can sustain us through...…
…Synagogue Directory CONSERVATIVE Adat Shalom Synagogue Farmington Hills (248) 851-5100 adatshalom.org Ahavas Israel Grand Rapids (616) 949-2840 ahavasisraelgr.org Congregation Beth Ahm West Bloomfield (248) 851-6880 cbahm.org Congregation Beth Israel Flint (810) 732-6310 cbiflint.org Congregation Beth Shalom Oak Park (248) 547-7970 congbethshalom.org Beth Tephilath Moses Mt. Clemens (586) 996-3138 bethtephilathmoses.com B’nai Israel Sy...…
…NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 | 57 Shomrey Emunah Southfield (248) 559-1533 congregation-shomrey- emunah-105705.square.site The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch West Bloomfield (248) 788-4000 theshul.net Woodward Avenue Shul Royal Oak (248) 414-7485 thewas.net Yagdil Torah Southfield (248) 559-5905 Young Israel of Oak Park (248) 967-3655 yiop.org Young Israel of Southfield (248) 358-0154 yisouthfield.org RECONSTRUCTIONIST Congregation Kehillat ...…
…58 | NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 ARTS&LIFE ART E ven before the Fifth Jerusalem Biennale opened new artistry to the in-person and digital public Nov. 11-Dec. 30, a specialized award was presented for a proj- ect created by a Michigan artist and distanced teammates. The 2021 Isaac Anolic Jewish Book Arts Award of $1,500 went to The House Is in the Book: A Collaboration in Isolation, jointly developed by artists Lynne Avadenka of Huntingt...…
…NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 | 59 Lynne Avadenka “We started talking over Zoom of what we might do together, ” Avadenka recalled. “We defined the size and the shape of the book pages and also built an online archive of imagery to show common visual elements of measuring. We were thinking of personal space, community space and cosmic space — all included in each of our works. ” Avadenka, whose projects over time have covered the physica...…
…SHRINK IS A SHONDA, HOME ALONE AGAIN, ORTHODOX BASEBALL The Shrink Next Door is an eight-episode limited series that will begin stream- ing on Apple+ Friday, Nov. 12. It is based on a hit 2019 podcast of the same name. In the early ’80s, Marty Markowitz, now 79, was referred to Dr. Isaac Hershchkopf, a psychiatrist, for treatment. Markowitz (played by Paul Rudd, 52) was a wealthy man who suffered from depression. For about 30 ...…
…NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 | 61 VIRTUAL TRIVIA NIGHT 7-9 PM, NOV. 13 This year’s trivia night on Zoom is part of Congregation Beth Shalom’s Chanu-Con! weekend, sponsored this year by Cohen, Lerner & Rabinovitz Attorneys & Counselors. Tickets are $10 per household. Prizes (gift cards) will be won by the top two households. Visit bit.do/ cbstrivia2021 to register. CONCERT SET 8-9:30 PM, NOV. 13 The Chamber Music Society of Detroit will pres...…
…62 | NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 Group, to talk about the recently renovated Detroit Free Press Building, exploring the impact the building and the people within have had on each other and revealing how the preservation process was informed by and has impacted both people and history. Cost: $10 for members, $18 for non- members. Register by 9 pm on Nov. 16: info@ jhsmichigan.org. KNOCKERBALL 7-9 PM, NOV. 17 NEXTGen Detroit will sponsor ...…
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…64 | NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY P inhas Barak’s life story was truly one going from rags to riches. A poor Moroccan Jew whose parents died young, he rose to become an officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and later a respected Ph.D. engineering professor in Michigan and eminent leader in his profes- sion. Mr. Barak, 86, of Bloomfield Hills, died Oct. 31, 2021. He and his wife, Miriam, were members at C...…
…NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 | 65 c. 1980 JEFFREY CHARACH, 69, of Studio City, Calif., died Oct. 8, 2021, at sunset with loving Allie at his side. He is survived by his mother, Natalie Charach; two loving and endearing aunts, Doris Shulman and Esther Hankin; cousins, Fred and Becky Hankin, Joe Hankin, Susan and Eden Henkin, Jerry and Kit Shulman, and Joel Shulman; many other loving cousins, friends from California, Oak Park and all ...…
…OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY 66 | NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 continued from page 65 sisters and brother-in-law, Lisa and David Yarnell, and Bonnie Cherrin; sisters-in- law and brothers-in-law, Marcia and Alan Fiedler, Beth and Robert Blum, and Ted Lubin; nieces and nephews. Mr. Feuerman was the dear son-in-law of the late Donald Lubin. Interment was at Clover Hill Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Run4Papa, (giving to North...…
…NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 | 67 school sweetheart, Jack, in 1946. Mrs. Green is survived by her daughters, son, their spouses and her niece and nephew, Carol and Dan Dmitruk, Nancy and John Shaub, Robert and Marla Green, Randy and Marylyn Ross; grandchildren, Sandra and Tony Vendittelli, Christine and Terry Gray, Isabel Dmitruk and David Dawson, Molinee Martillini and Wren Budden, Sam Martillini and Brandon Parker, Kyle and Katie Gree...…
…OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY 68 | NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 Amy Marton, Adam Marton and Benjamin Marton; great- grandchildren, Elliana and Nora Wagner, Nathan and Caleb Wagner, John Marton, and Liam Kissel; many loving nieces and nephews. Mr. Greenberg was the loving brother of the late Myron L. Greenberg; the dear brother-in-law of the late Shirley and the late Paul Thoma; the devoted son of the late Jacob and the late Evelyn Greenbe...…
…NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 | 69 her family and friends, while celebrating life’s milestones. She was a great listener and consoler of others in times of challenge. Lynne had a wide range of skills including hours of countless versions of “Heart and Soul” with her mother on the upright piano in Oak Park. She was loved and will be truly missed. Lynne was a loving sister to Alan Bednowitz (Sandy) and David Bednowitz (Nancy); proud and adori...…
…Looking Back From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org 70 | NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 WWII Hero Barney Ross V eterans Day is Thursday. Every year, Nov. 11 is the day we honor all who have served in America’s armed forces. Originally, this federal holiday was known as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of combat in World War I, on the anniversary of the signing of the Armisti...…
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