…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 3 contents Purely Commentary 4-10 Essays and viewpoints. Our Community 12 Sophie’s Sorrow Holocaust survivor shares the agony of doomed girl from the Lodz Ghetto. 18 A New Normal During the pandemic, synagogues adjust policies for masks, vaccines and distancing. 20 Celebrating Hope for the Future Yeshiva Beth Yehudah Annual Dinner inspires thousands. 22 What’s Next for We Need to Tal...…
…4 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY essay Over and Done With I n 1917, many an ear caught the bars of “Over There,” a highly patriotic song by George M. Cohan. It was hard to overlook its popularity. It was never considered overdone; however, we can easily make a case for the overuse of “over” in our everyday speech. We are desirous of having roofs over our heads; but to purchase the same, we may get in over our heads. ...…
…SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2021 3:00 p.m. Share an afternoon of stories and songs with ZALMEN MLOTEK, the artistic director of the National Yiddish Theater-Folksbiene who conceived the New York production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, and the performers who played Tevye and Golda: the much-acclaimed STEVEN SKYBELL, who won the coveted Lucille Lortel award for Outstanding Actor in the 2019 Broadway and Off-Broadway season; and JENNIFER BABIAK, ...…
…6 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY 1942 - 2021 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: se...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 7 DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com wisdom into contemporary insight and realistic policy. To my mind, only Rabbi Sacks has earned the title of gadol in recent times. ENGAGING THE WORLD Rabbis today, like the clergy of other religions, have been compartmentalized as the leaders of the faithful only, with little to say in the public sq...…
…8 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY essay My Superior (Wis.) Jewish Genealogy: From Historic Baseball Diamonds to Bob Dylan I ’m a singer by name and by trade. I am neither a sports fan nor an expert on the subject. But this summer, after seeing the Associated Press report that “no practicing Orthodox Jewish player has made it to the big leagues, ” I challenged sports journalists to recognize the most observant Ortho...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 9 continued from page XX genealogy websites, social media and DNA testing, which is all continuing to advance and change how we conduct research and make genealogical connections. HUGE FAMILY TREE My connection was made by accident, only after I’ d posted a tongue-in-cheek question on Facebook about the possibility of Zimmerman’s surname originally being Zemerman. It was a cute midrash, perhaps designating a ...…
…10 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY continued from page 4 race and subverting peo- ple of color (among other things). We’ve been blamed for plagues, famine, eco- nomic hardship and war. Whatever major problem a society has, Jews have been blamed for it. None of those things has any- thing to do with religion. Criticism of Israel or opposition to it isn’t necessarily antisemitic. Harsh criticism of Israeli government policy ...…
…A special group of seven volunteer judges will be reviewing submissions and choosing the 36 winners. Honorees will receive free three-year subscriptions to the JN and be featured in a February 2022 issue. GO ONLINE TO THEJEWISHNEWS.COM AND NOMINATE THEM BY NOVEMBER 18, 2021 JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT Do you know someone who gives of themselves to the community in robust — and often thankless — ways? Someone you admire and aspire to be like...…
…12 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY ALAN MUSKOVITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER JERRY ZOLYNSKY PHOTOGRAPHY Sophie’s Sorrow Holocaust survivor shares the agony of doomed girl from the Lodz Ghetto. A somber, but reflective Sophie Klisman, 92, grasped a tissue as she gazed at a large map of the city of Lodz, Poland, displayed on a wall of the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills. Her clenched tissue stood at the ready as tears wel...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 13 continued on page 14 “It was not an ongoing con- versation” between her and her husband. “No, no, we tried to build a life in this country, tried to get Americanized and tried to build a good life for our two children,” referring to her daughter Lori Klisman Ellis, 62, and son Mark Klisman, 64, both of West Bloomfield, who were standing by her side at the HMC exhibit. TOGETHER AT HMC I met Sophie at the HMC ...…
…OUR COMMUNITY 14 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 about her mother’s survival; daughter-in-law Anne is a docent at the HMC; and Doug was a member of the 84th Infantry Division that liber- ated Salzwedel, the last of the three camps where Sophie was held captive. They all have played a role in Sophie’s decision to begin sharing her story, not just with family, but with the public at large. (See adjacent article.) I had the privilege of join- ...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 15 continued on page 16 a young, observant Orthodox girl in the ghetto. A collection of photo- graphs, videos and artifacts throughout the exhibit also adds visual content that fur- ther magnify the impact of Rywka’s words. As Sophie and I turned the corner from one display to another, one artifact lay hauntingly under glass — a lone pair of intricately woven baby shoes. They were the kind that Rywka’s diary de...…
…OUR COMMUNITY 16 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 Lodz Ghetto to Auschwitz- Birkenau in August 1944. The reunion was short-lived, as upon their arrival, Srylek was separated from his sisters and was never seen or heard from again. After only 15 days in Auschwitz, Sophie and Felicia were sent to Bergen-Belsen for six weeks. Finally, on to Salzwedel concentration camp for nine months before being liberated. Thankfully, in the absence of her ...…
…Save the Date for the Trip of a Lifetime! March 12 to March 21, 2023 Get ready! We’re going back to Israel as a community for the fi rst time in over a decade and want you to join us. Here’s your chance to experience the heart and soul of Israel and the Detroit Jewish community at the same time. To explore the history, beauty, tastes, sounds, magic and wonder of the Homeland together. 2023 is Israel’s historic 75th Anniversary, too. A...…
…S haina Shevin Warshay moved from the Detroit suburbs to Israel. She reports that the shul she goes to regularly has outdoor services. “Over a certain number of peo- ple, and we are required to mask, ” she adds. In subtropical Israel, even in the cool rainy season, people can usually stay outside long enough for services; many synagogues have an outdoor service, a “street minyan. ” Warshay adds: “The other shul we had been freque...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 19 hosting services both in-person as well as streamed in order to reach all of the community. “ As things continue to change, we will adapt as we have through- out the pandemic, ” he says. Rabbi Asher Lopatin reports that Kehillat Etz Chayim in Huntington Woods “is mak- ing every effort to ensure an uplifting and safe davening for everyone. ” Rabbi Lopatin explains, “To that end, we have determined that if you a...…
…O n Oct. 24, more than 2,000 people celebrated an Evening of Hope and Renewal with the Yeshiva Beth Yehudah. They came to the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center for an inspiring and heartwarming evening highlighting the special place the children of the Yeshiva occupy in the hearts and minds of our community. And they left feeling they were part of a transformative movement. Based in Oak Park and Southfield, the Yeshiva is the ed...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 21 of hopelessness, that which was destroyed will never be rebuilt. That is why Noah needed to banish the raven, as he and his family were about to rebuild and repopulate the world. They could not allow space for pessi- mism and hopelessness. “It was the dove, the symbol of hope and renewal, that was sent out to herald the dawn of the new era of rebuilding. The Torah describes that when the dove came back to No...…
…22 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY Y outh mental health challenges have been on the rise, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. News outlets report that increasingly younger children are ending up in hospital emergency rooms experiencing mental health crises. In fact, three prominent children’s health organizations recently declared the rise in youth mental illness a national emergency. The local Jewish community saw this...…
…Child's Name:______________________________________ Age:____________ Parents' Names: ____________________________________________________ Address:__________________________________________________________ City: _____________________________State:_________Zip:_______________ _ Day Phone: ________________________ Evening Phone:___________________ _ Email:____________________________________________________________ School: ________________...…
…T he relaxed musical styl- ings of singer, songwriter and pianist Michael Feinstein, a five-time Grammy Award nominee, will bring a warm ambiance to the 37th Anniversary Benefit for the Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus, the first freestanding institution of its kind in the United States. Nancy Grosfeld will be hon- ored at this year’s in-person fundraising event which will be held Sunday, Nov. 14, at Suburban Coll...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 25 chair of resource development at the American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), a leading Jewish humanitarian organization. JDC assisted Jewish war refugees and helps Jews in need today. Her other major roles with the Jewish Federation include past president of Women’s Philanthropy, imme- diate past chair of both the Jewish Fund and Federation’s Centennial Fund for Detroit’s Jewish Future. Since 2002, more ...…
…26 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY I n May of 2020, Brandon and Kate Movitz, both 33 of Bloomfield Hills, welcomed their new son, Pierce, into the world. Pierce was known as a “COVID baby,” or a baby born during the COVID-19 pandem- ic, which gave Brandon Movitz a unique chance to be with his son as he worked remotely from home. “I didn’t have that long with him,” Movitz says, “but I felt like I did because I was with him eve...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 27 sion to prevent funeral costs from giving grieving parents even more pain. “Financial stress shouldn’t be something that affects your grief,” he says. RAISING FUNDS Pierced Forever Foundation held its first fundrais- ing event last month, a squash tournament at the Birmingham Athletic Club that saw 60 players compete for a good cause. Out of the $25,000 raised over the last three months, $15,000 came from ...…
…28 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY A new course for women, Well- Connected: It’s Not What You Know. It’s What You Do, explores how while we often think faith is a core set of beliefs surrounded by ceremony, Judaism is, in fact, less a system of belief than a system of action. This November, Chabad Jewish Center of Bloomfield Hills launches a new course for women, Well-Connected. In this seven-part monthly lunch-and-lea...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 29 SERVING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOR OVER 30 YEARS! NOAH BISHOP COHEN The Next Generation of “SOLD” ns.cohen26@gmail.com MELANIE BISHOP “SOLD” is my middle name melaniesold@aol.com 4130 Telegraph Rd. Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 MelanieSold.com 248.867.7800 OVER $63 MILLION SOLD IN 2020! • Over $63 million SOLD in 2020! • We live & work in your area. • 2 top agents for the price of one! • Call now for a free market ...…
…30 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 W hen business owners Geoff Kretchmer and Brian Siegel opened Detroit Axe in Ferndale in 2017, they knew axe-throwing would be a hit, but they never anticipated it to become popular enough to eventually open a third location just four years later. Joining the original Ferndale location and a newer spot in Clinton Township’s Partridge Creek that opened in 2019, The Yard in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood ...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 31 “His focus is on the growth of the JCC,” Kretchmer says of Siegel, “but he’s our visionary. He’s our vision guy.” Yet the two business own- ers share the same passion: axe-throwing. “When we first heard about it, we fell madly in love with it,” Kretchmer recalls. “Brian and I, we just thought it was the coolest thing in the world.” Despite encountering skep- ticism surrounding access to alcohol and axe-throwi...…
…T here are many reasons for the Frankel Jewish Academy boys tennis team’s remarkable success since Larry Stark took over as coach in 2015. Talent and hard work have been the driving forces behind the Jaguars’ five appearances in the Division 4 state tourna- ment in Stark’s seven years as coach. Frankel qualified for state in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019, finishing as high as eighth place in 2015, before its 13th-place finish this f...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 33 Monica Stark, Larry Stark’s wife for 27 years, has been the Frankel boys tennis team’s assistant coach for two years. Matthew said Monica dish- es out the tough love players on the team need when they’re struggling and need encouragement. This was Matthew’s fourth year on the team. He said he started experiencing the fam- ily atmosphere when he was a freshman. “It was great back then get- ting to know the older...…
…34 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 MAZEL TOV! Jackson-Kastan D r. Richard and Ronda Jackson of Birmingham and Boca Raton, Fla., announce the engagement of their daughter Nicole Arielle to Benjamin Ari, son of Dr. David and Carol Kastan. Nicole and Ben completed Beth Hayeled preschool and the University of Michigan together. Nicole received her degree as a clinical psychologist from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and practic...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 35 A Need For Self Control P our into me now, some of that red stuff (HaAdom), for I am exhausted. ” He was therefore called Edom (red)” (Bereishit 25:30) In this week’s par- shah, Esau comes back from a hard day’s work, sees Jacob making a stew, demands some and agrees to sell his birthright to Jacob for it. He is therefore called Edom. The Midrash says that Esau returned home that day after committing fi...…
…36 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 T he Netziv (Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, 1816–1893, dean of the yeshiva in Volozhin) made the astute observation that Isaac and Rebecca seem to suffer from a lack of communication. He noted that Rebecca’s “relationship with Isaac was not the same as that between Sarah and Abraham or Rachel and Jacob. When they had a problem, they were not afraid to speak about it. Not so with Rebecca.” (Ha’amek Davar to G...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 37 blessing of the covenant to Esau. He intended to give each child the blessing that suited them. The entire deceit planned by Rebecca and carried out by Jacob was never necessary in the first place. Why did Rebecca not understand this? Because she and her husband did not communicate. Now let us count the consequences. Isaac, old and blind, felt betrayed by Jacob. He “trembled violently” when he realized what ha...…
…38 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 B eginnings are definitive moments. They set the tone, the foundation for what follows. The begin- nings of the Jewish people are no exception. These portions of the Torah which we are reading at the moment, from the Book of Genesis, detail the origins of the Jewish nation, telling the events of our forefathers and fore- mothers — Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov; Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah. These are ...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 39 Avot 1:2). These are the spir- itual pillars of the world. The Maharal of Prague explains that our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, each embodied one of these pillars. Avraham is the icon of acts of kindness. He embodied compassion, giving and love for all people. Yitzchak is the icon of service of God. It was he who willingly submitted himself as a sacrifice to God, and embodied devout service and...…
…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...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 41 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 I...…
…42 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER ARTS&LIFE THEATER B roadway songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb are world-renowned for their stage musicals, which include the smash hits Chicago and Cabaret. Now, Ann Arbor’s residential performing arts group Theatre Nova is paying homage to that legacy with a performance dedicated to their music. The nonprofit theatre will present a limited engagement of Sing H...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 43 N ow past 80, Ed Codish continues to work on his poetry nearly every day, producing new and inventive works. Codish drew significant international notice with the publication of his sonnet sequence, Sailing to Gaza, some 40 years ago. Hailed as one of the finest poets working in English in Israel, he dismissed the praise as “the equiva- lent of being called one of the finest downhill skiers in all of Uganda. ” ...…
…44 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 MOVIE NEWS THE TREK STORY, HANKS’ ‘HUMAN’ ROBOT, COURIC’S NOT NEW “REVEAL ” On Nov. 5, The History Channel will premiere a 10-part docuseries called The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek. It’s directed by Brian Volk-Weiss, 45, the director/producer of The Movies That Made Us, a hit Netflix series. Each epi- sode focuses on different “chapters” of the Trek fran- chise: live-action TV series, animated seri...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 45 SELF ENRICHMENT 8:30 AM, NOV. 4 On Thursday mornings, The Well starts the day by nourishing bodies and souls. Join for mindful morning learning and music that will leave you energized, connected, and ready to start the day. Info: meetyouatthewell.org. PIANO CONCERT 8-9:30 PM, NOV. 5 The Chamber Music Society of Detroit will pres- ent Michelle Cann in her Detroit debut. At Schaver Music Recital Hall, 480 W. ...…
…46 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 continued from page 45 HEALTHCARE A1 CAREGIVER/COMPANION. Experienced, excellent references. 248-991-4944 G&F Professional Services- Compassionate, affordable, responsible and efficient homecare. Call Georgiana (248) 571-1837 (www. gfprofessionalservices.com) 24-HOUR AFFORDABLE CAREGIVER w/ Memory Care, Med Reminder & Companionship Experience. 26 Years of Excellent Services! References Available. Call A...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 47 Aaron Mendelson Heating and Cooling 248-855-0437 Cell: 248-912-2292 License # 7118488 Maintenance, Installation, Repair & Hot Water Heaters Ajmendelson1@gmail.com FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1973 $65 SERVICE FEE Apple a Day Take a bite out of learning! Call Debbie! (248) 514-8349 On Site Apple Training and Support Call today for your free in-home consultation 248.855.8747 Caren Bass Custom Closets,Inc. WHERE P...…
…48 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 faces&places A few technical glitches couldn’t stop the Reach for Hope Benefit from being a huge success. On Oct. 21, A Single Soul, Black Family Development and L!FELeaders Inc. hosted the event, featuring a table reading of the play Right Before I Go, by Stan Zimmerman and starring Hill Harper. Detroit native Lily Tomlin sent a video message. The event, held at Cass Tech High School and emceed by Fox 2 ...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 49 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY continued on page 50 MARILYN DUBRINSKY, 81, of Oak Park, died Oct. 28, 2021. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Alan and Lauren Dubrinsky, Jay and Karen Dubrinsky, and Brian and Ludy Dubrinsky; grandchildren, Hanna Dubrinsky, Ethan Misner, Max Dubrinsky, Arielle Dubrinsky, Emily Dubrinsky and Abraham Dubrinsky; sister and brother- in-law, Janice and David Israel...…
…50 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 He then founded Solvent Distillers Inc. and RTR Inc., using these materials to add to the fuel reuse programs. In all, he held 11 patents for these companies. Mr. Foster was heavily involved with his alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis, having served on many boards and programs, including as a member of the McKelvey School of Engineering National Council and founding chair of Washington Universi...…
…NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 | 51 B’nai Israel Cemetery in Novi. Contributions may be made to B’nai B’rith or a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. ROBERTA “BOBBIE” KAY, 92, of Farmington Hills, died Oct. 21, 2021. She is survived by her daugh- ter and son-in-law, Marsha and Dr. David Friedman of West Bloomfield; brother and sister- in-law, Leo and Sheila Ordin of Scottsdale, Ariz.; grandchildren, Aaron Friedman and Juli...…
…52 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 devoted friends. Mrs. Scapelliti was the daugh- ter of the late Larry Strager; sis- ter of the late Jonathan Strager. Donations may be made to the Loss ECC Programming Fund at Temple Israel. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. HOW ARD SCHW ARTZ, 83, passed away on Oct. 12, 2021, sur- rounded by his family in Scottsdale, Ariz. Howard was an active and vibrant man, who was stricken by the West Nile virus in lat...…
