… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 17 She’d learned in her 20s that there was “something unique about [her] conception,” she said. After her brother got a DNA test, she decided to get one, too. “I think it’s really great,” Landes said. “It answers a lot of questions because I’ve never resembled any of my current siblings at all. When I’ve spo- ken with my DNA matches, close matches, I feel like a part of me … that was missing is now found.” H...…
…18 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 T he annual Association for Jewish Studies Conference for academic publishers took place Dec. 13-17. For Wayne State University Press, one of the biggest national publishers of Jewish Studies aca- demic books, quite a lot has changed since last year’s display. Most significant- ly, the Press has welcomed a new director, Stephanie Williams, who started her job in August and moved to Detroit at the end of...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 19 either did not have a vigorous understanding of publishing, of university press publishing or of management making major deci- sions for the Press. ” She declined to elaborate further. Now, though, Williams is “very pleased” with the administration’s current level of support for the Press. “I would not have taken the job, and I certainly would not have moved to Detroit, I defi- nitely would not have bought a ...…
…20 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 E than Endelman’s summer should have included camp and hanging out with friends. But COVID severely limited his options. Of course, he wasn’t alone. Students everywhere faced disappointments over canceled plans and social restrictions, but Endelman, a Bloomfield Hills High School freshman, found a very productive and charitable way to fill his schedule. In June, he started a Detroit chapter of Balance Box...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 21 F or the first time, Jewish families who live in eastern Oakland County had a Chabad Chanukah event of their very own. On Dec. 13, the Chabad Jewish Center of Troy arranged a very large public Menorah lighting in Troy, attended by 350 people who joined from the safety of their cars. “This must have been the largest Jewish celebration that the entire eastside has seen in a very long time, and for sure a ...…
…22 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 R abbi Yoni Dahlen of Congregation Shaarey Zedek has gone viral on the social media platform TikTok for a video in which he shows how to light a chanukiah. The video had nearly 100,000 views as of press time. Using the username “Motor City Rabbi” on the popular video plat- form, Dahlen uses the service to teach Jewish rituals to the general public. Other videos of Dahlen’s on the platform include a tutorial...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 23 B’nai Moshe To Feed 400 Henry Ford Hospital Workers on Christmas Eve Congregation B’nai Moshe of West Bloomfield is show- ing their gratitude for all that healthcare workers have done over this year by providing a Christmas Eve dinner to all 400 night-staff personnel at Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield on Dec. 24. For many years, B’nai Moshe has baked and delivered cookies to Metro Detroit police a...…
…24 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 M any people are struggling with stress issues as the pandemic marches on. One way proven to help is to engage in creative activities. Studies have shown that working on crafts lets people forget about their stress for a while and allows them to focus on the positive things in their life, an effect similar to meditation. The Council Re|Sale thrift store in Berkley, operated by the National Council of Je...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 25 Detroit Jews for Justice Celebrates Detroit Moratorium on Water Shutoffs D etroit Jews for Justice has long been working to end water shutoffs in Detroit, and their efforts came to fruition Dec. 8, when Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced a moratorium on water shutoffs would be extended until the end of 2022. Duggan also announced that Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, former director of the Detroit Health Department a...…
…My (Big, Fat) Joyful, Tearful Polish Wedding 26 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 …
…O K, it wasn’t that big, and it wasn’t that fat. But meaningful? Oy, vey! My beautiful bride, Dr. Freda Lengel Arlow, a divorcee of 10 years, and I, a widower of 13 years, decided to exchange our wed- ding vows in a very special place. We were wed in October 2019 in Kazimierz, the centuries-old Jewish quarter of Krakow, Poland’s second-largest city. The choice of Poland for a destination wedding might seem “beyond the pale” — but the city...…
…destroyed; but now, we are rebuilding Jewish life here. “Your wedding in Krakow is a symbol of our people’s resilience and ability to start over and start fresh — and that’s something very special. ” HEARTFELT MOMENTS Freda’s son, Dan Arlow of San Francisco, walked his mother to the chuppah just after Dan’s wife, June, escorted me there. All wedding arrangements were made by the very helpful JCC Krakow staff, including a heimish ...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 29 IN THED JEWS R eaders have voted and the results are in! Here are the winners of the online Chanukah art contest. Each will receive $18. JN readers choose online Chanukah winners. WINNERS! More UNDER 6 FIRST PLACE: HALEY HAMBURGER SECOND PLACE: MAX FRIEDMAN AGES 7-9 FIRST PLACE: ANNE GARDIN SECOND PLACE: NOAH GITLIN AGE 10-12 FIRST PLACE: ZEEV MAINE SECOND PLACE: TALYA BERNHARDT FIRST SECOND FIR...…
…30 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 A multi-million-dollar economic program announced earlier this month will provide immediate, quick relief for some members of Oakland County’s restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Oakland Together Restaurant Rescue Program will distribute $10 million in grant money to 1,000 restaurants and bars. The money can be used for operations, including payroll costs; weatherization and equip- men...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 31 T CF Bank announced Dec. 13 that it had been acquired by Columbus, Ohio-based Huntington Bank and that the combined entity would have “dual headquarters” in Detroit and Columbus, mark- ing a big moment in the career of TCF Bank chair and prominent Jewish Detroit philanthropist Gary Torgow. Under the agreement, TCF will merge into Huntington, and the combined holding company and bank will operate und...…
…32 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 M ichelle and Jan Sherman of Farmington Hills are thrilled to announce the engagement of their daughter Jamie Renee to Benjamin Ethan Blinder, son of Laurie and Mark Blinder of West Bloomfield. Jamie received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Michigan State University and spent the past decade working in public relations in New York City, Chicago and finally back home in Detroit. Benjamin rece...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 33 SPIRIT I n this week’s portion, we have a big reveal. Joseph, moved by his brother Judah’s desire to serve as Joseph’s slave in place of Benjamin, orders his Egyptian entourage out of the room and tells his brothers who he really is. They are speechless until he assures them he is not angry with them — rather, his being sold into slavery was part of a Divine plan that allowed him to be in a position to...…
…34 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 A nn Arbor-based fiction writer Anna Megdell’s short story “For the Days to Be Long Again” has been selected to be included on the 30th-anniversary edition of NPR’s Hanukkah Lights series, airing nationally on various NPR stations during Chanukah. The hourlong show can also be heard online at NPR.org. Since 1990, NPR has celebrat- ed Chanukah with the program of original stories inspired by the Jewish fes...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 35 P rofessional dancer and activist Johanna Kepler has made it her mission to use the creative arts as a tool to inspire social change. The recent University of Michigan graduate who majored in dance with a minor in Latino studies has used her platform to spark discussions about racial injustice, immigration reform and most recently, the impact that the COVID- 19 pandemic has had on the performing arts community...…
…36 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 “That intersectionality in my identity sparked interest in the personal narrative and the personal story.” She especially focuses on gathering stories from people of color, which are portrayed in both her interview project and through her choreographed dance. “Creating these plat- forms and making those connections, I’m trying to figure out how we can get a seat at the table,” she continues, “to make cha...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 37 HISTORY AT BEDTIME 8 PM, ONGOING The Detroit History Club is offering short, nightly, history lessons presented as a bedtime story. History Bedtime Stories will be posted nightly on its Facebook page, and on its website the following morn- ing, detroithistory- tours.com. DIA FOR KIDS 1 PM, DEC. 26 The Detroit Institute of Arts is proud to present a free special edition of Wimage LLC’s engaging and live o...…
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…40 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 SOUL OF BLESSED MEMORY c. 1956 PRISCILLA “PRISSY” BACHAIOV, 84, of Farmington Hills, died Dec. 11, 2020. She was a very talented person: a singer, actress, comedian and artist. Priscilla was a warm, lov- ing, welcoming and fun indi- vidual; she cooked fabulously and loved to feed her family and friends great Jewish and Bukharian dishes. She was also a talented singer and actress, who loved to laugh an...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 41 love of her life, Steven Belson of Birmingham. They first lived in Boston, Mass., then moved to South Florida in 1985. Sally worked as a social worker for the Detroit Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office in Detroit, served as the founding executive director and social worker for the women’s shelter Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA) in Delray Beach, was an interviewer for the Steven Spielberg Shoah Visu...…
…42 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 SOUL OF BLESSED MEMORY THEODORE “TED” BROD, 82, of Oak Park, died Dec. 14, 2020. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Annette Brod; daughter and son-in-law, Dana and Ron Swain; son and daughter- in-law, Todd and Rhonda Brod; stepchildren, Michelle and Kevin Raisch, Brian Soloway, Pamela Soloway Strohs, Olive and Isabelle Soloway; grandchildren, Alexander Swain, Vanessa Swain, Isabelle Swain, Jacqu...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 43 the AEPhi sorority. She loved to travel with Ruth Felmus; they became world travelers and had visited 67 countries. She is survived by her daughters, Ilene Harris, Nancy Harris/Roger Shepherd, Pat Harris-Linton, Elaine Pollack; her grandchil- dren, Megan and Jonathan HLZacks, Whitney Harris- Linton; her great-grand- daughter, Gavriella HLZacks. She is also survived by Dennis and Peggy Frank. Mrs. Harris wa...…
…44 | DECEMBER 24 • 2020 SOUL OF BLESSED MEMORY GAIL ROSE SOSKIN, 88, of Sacramento, Calif., formerly of Southfield, died Dec. 7, 2020. She is survived by her daughter, Diane Ash; son and daughter-in-law, Neil Soskin and Gayle Brickman; grandchildren, Justin Ash and Michelle Zimmerman, Marissa Ash and Michael Reilly, Aaron Soskin and Kayla Soskin; great-grand- son, Ethan Joshua Ash- Zimmerman. She is fondly remembered by Norma...…
… DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 45 I t is among pride and joy structures of Novi that build- er/developer Irwin Arkin once called a dream of life … The white edifice that today stands as the fine Shiro Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar enjoys history and décor as a yesteryears home and fine eatery that today might seem to overshadow its fine Japanese pre- sentations … But the Japanese choices and appearances are noted to be in somewhat of...…
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…4 | DECEMBER 17 • 2020 VIEWS 6-10 IN THED JEWS 14 The Well Digs Deeper Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh takes over as executive director of celebrated Jewish young-adult group. 20 Chanukah in the D Menorah lighting and a colorful mural brighten Downtown Detroit. 22 Virtual Fun FJA teacher leads Zoom class in costume. 24 SCOTUS Hears Holocaust Restitution Case Local attorney who works to help victims recover s...…
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…6 | DECEMBER 17 • 2020 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 Sou...…
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…8 | DECEMBER 17 • 2020 Jewfro Borrowed Time: Brain Surgery is Not Rocket Science My brother-in-law Marc Rosenzweig was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2012 and Stage 4 ALK lung cancer in 2013. Borrowed Time is a storytelling project about his journey to the present as told to me by him. B rain surgery is not rocket science. You’ d think it would be a complicated diagnosis and a difficult decision, but the picture ...…
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…E very year on Christmas Eve, I serve my husband, children, and in-laws a Polish feast consisting of dill pickle soup, pierogis, and sev- eral other dishes that have many silent letters and strange conso- nant-to-vowel ratios. Among these dishes is the bane of my December — czernina. Czernina is the Polish word for duck blood soup. Yes, there really is duck blood in the soup. Not one for handling blood, I instead go down to H...…
…THANK YOU for your support of the Holocaust Memorial Center’s HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER • ZEKELMAN FAMILY CAMPUS Eleanor and Larry Jackier Barbara & Harold Beznos Ilene & Greg Bischer Penny & Harold Blumenstein Michelle & David Carroll Sandy & Jim Danto Gretchen & Ethan Davidson Marsha Eisenberg Robin & Leo Eisenberg Carolynn & Aaron Frankel Rozie & Bernie Friedman Lindsay & Adam Grant Maran & Josh Grant Marci & Steven Grant Nancy & James...…
… THANK YOU for your support of the Holocaust Memorial Center’s 36th Anniversary Benet Mary & Jonathan Aaron Debbie & Eric Abramson Barbra & Peter Alter Kari & Edward Alterman Marcia Applebaum, Pamela Applebaum & Gaal Karp Ascension Michigan Kathy & Bruce Ballard Dorothy & Eddy Barak Net Gingras & Bruce Barget Henry Baskin The Baum Family Lauren & Eric Bean Carolyn & James Bellinson Hadas & Dennis Bernard Helen Charlupski & Joseph Biede...…
…HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER • ZEKELMAN FAMILY CAMPUS Eleanor Jackier | Honoree | November 15, 2020 Nina Abrams Allied Printing Company Lisa & Robert Aronson Julie & Larry August Robin & Brad Axelrod Nora & Guy Barron Ruth & Aaron Bergman Michele & Mitchell Bleznak Lee & Paul Blizman Marlene & Paul Borman Kathleen & Richard Brown Robyn & Robert Canvasser C.H.A.I.M. - Children of Holocaust-Survivors in Michigan Susan & Robert Citrin Comerica B...…
…14 | DECEMBER 17 • 2020 Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh takes over as executive director of celebrated Jewish young-adult group. ANDREW LAPIN EDITOR The Well Digs Deeper F or the time being, Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh is still uncomfortable with being referred to as The Well’s new exec- utive director. “Who am I to embody this thing?” he asks. “I’ve only just arrived. I’m trying to keep it floating. I haven’t actually built anything yet. ” ...…
… DECEMBER 17 • 2020 | 15 unique model of form- ing informal Jewish communities around “shared interest groups,” they believed its model could be exported to other metropolitan areas around the coun- try. By 2019, The Well was turning out more than 1,700 unique attendees per year to its gatherings, of which there were 350 in a sin- gle year. So, it was a surprise to many when Horwitz announced, in January of this year, that he wa...…
…16 | DECEMBER 17 • 2020 IN THE JEWS D ON THE COVER for both Horwitz’s tenure and Stombaugh’s, knew the transi- tion was part of the mission. “ As an organization that really champions the idea of innova- tion, we are always interested in change, ” she said. “ Anyone who’s in that role is going to champi- on innovation and progress. ” To replace the passion and vibrancy that Horwitz brought to the role, The Well would need a singular...…
… DECEMBER 17 • 2020 | 17 Of the 2.5 percent of the world’s water that’s safe to drink, how do we keep it that way, seeing as it’s mostly underground? Thanks to the Weizmann Institute’s groundwater dynamics model, we can now pre- dict how contaminants will spread, so we can reach endangered parts of the water supply faster, and detoxify any polluted groundwater before it disperses. Every day, Weizmann Institute scientists in Israel work to...…
…18 | DECEMBER 17 • 2020 COURTESY OF THE WELL “You don’t have to have the right things, you don’t have to know all the words to be Jewish, ” he says. “You can create meaningful Jewish experienc- es with the things you have around you.” This is the kind of messaging that Yedwab believes will reso- nate with young Jewish adults who may see traditional mem- bership as too old-fashioned or too regimented. He views The Well as “a feeder ...…
… DECEMBER 17 • 2020 | 19 Donations to American Friends of Meir Panim are tax deductible in the US registered under EIN number 20-1582478 BE THEIR LIGHT IN THIS TIME OF DARKNESS 88 Walton Street, Suite B1 . Brooklyn, NY 11206 . 877.736.6283 UNEMPLOYMENT IN ISRAEL HAS SURGED 23% THIS CHANUKAH, MAKE SURE EVERY FAMILY HAS THE NOURISHMENT THEY NEED 23% TO MAKE A DONATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT MPDONATE.ORG DONATE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE! A...…
…20 | DECEMBER 17 • 2020 T wo events, five minutes away from each other in Downtown Detroit, marked the first night of a reimagined Chanukah. Menorah in the D, the yearly event that usually draws thousands to Cadillac Square to watch local luminaries light a giant menorah to ring in the holiday, took place mostly virtually Dec. 10 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hybrid event took place in Campus Martius Park like usual as h...…
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