…$200 Feb. 29-March 6, 2024 / 20-26 Adar I 5784 JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT Season No. 2 in Motor City’s Ryan Turell continues his drive to become first Orthodox player in NBA. See page 12 thejewishnews.com …
…10 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N essay Returning to Israel I n August of 2023, I was on a Fact Finders trip to Israel with Michigan State students, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, to learn about the conflict on the ground in Israel. We spent time in the Gaza Envelope region, specifically Sderot and Kfar Aza. In Sderot, we visited a playground made up almost completely of bomb shelters; in Kfar Aza, we talked to a resident who explained ...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 11 J N organization that creates the “Bring Them Home Now” dog tags. We pack- aged dog tags and other materials, which are sold to aid the families of the hostages, as well as help them share their stories. When we toured the site of the Nova Festival massacre in Re’im, a man saw us as he was getting into his car. He stopped and, hanging halfway out of the car, begged us to tell his story and the story of h...…
…12 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N MICHAEL SUDHALTER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS Season No. 2 in Motor City’s Ryan Turell Motor City’s Ryan Turell continues his drive to become continues his drive to become fi rst Orthodox player in NBA. fi rst Orthodox player in NBA. OUR COMMUNITY COVER STORY …
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 13 J N R yan Turell always has a smile on his face. He could be doing the most mundane basketball drill, and he’d be thrilled to be in the moment. It doesn’t matter if it’s Madison Square Garden or like Jan. 6, 2024, a regular season G-League game in suburban Dallas. “I love playing this game,” said Turell, a 6-foot-7, 190- pound forward for the Motor City Cruise, the G-League affiliate of the Detroit Piston...…
…14 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 that it’s cleared by the NCAA is if they play a non-college team. That’s where teams like Athletes for Israel, made up of players from various sources, play an important role. It allowed Turell to face Division I powerhouse schools, like Arizona and Kansas State. Turell scored 32 points against KSU — a team that was just a few minutes away from a Final Four bid last year — and 30 points against Arizona, which...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 15 Serving the Jewish Community for over 30 years! CHAD BISHOP and ALAN BISHOP 4 0 1 E . L A S O L A S B LV D # 1 0 0 | F O R T L A U D E R D A L E , F L 3 3 3 0 1 ChadBishopGroup@gmail.com 954-999-7317 ChadBishopGroup.com ELLA MIAMI BEACH NORTH BEACH Explore a distinctive collection of junior one bedroom to two bedroom homes situated just moments from the Atlantic Ocean, boasting sweeping water and city views. ...…
…16 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 and the Pistons upset Turell’s beloved Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. The Pistons had a notably Jewish connection that season, with Larry Brown as head coach. In high school, Turell starred at Valley Torah High School and played for an AAU Basketball Team created by former UCLA and NBA player Earl Watson. His AAU team was comprised of a who’s who of southern California roundball talent. He turned...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 17 Need Help with an IRS or State Tax Problem? As featured on: Need Help with an IRS or State Tax Problem? Call the experts at 1-800-TAX-LEVY (829-5389) • Tax Liens • Collection Notices • Penalties • Unfi led Tax Returns • Audits Call us today to answer your questions or to schedule a meeting and say goodbye to those sleepless nights! 1-800-TAX-LEVY (829-5389) www.levytaxhelp.com We Listen …. We Care … We Help!...…
…C ongregation Shaarey Zedek’s annual Leypsa and Rabbi Irwin Groner Memorial Lecture takes place Thursday, March 7. In as critical of a time as ever, this year’s event will feature Israel’s former ambas- sador to the United States, Michael Oren, who has devoted his life to serving Israel and the Jewish people around the world. The American-born Oren moved to Israel in the 1970s where he joined the IDF and served in the 1982 Lebanon ...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 19 J N O n the evening of Feb 15, Knollwood Country Club was set to host an FIDF Young Adult event. Because of security concerns, the event was moved to Temple Israel. Nevertheless, that evening a group of protestors arrived and blocked both the entrance and exit to Knollwood property. West Bloomfield Police quickly dealt with the protests and the crowd soon left once they realized it was an empty venue. Unfortunate...…
…XXXX We are so proud of you! Congratulations on getting your Masters.You are an incredible person and will go far in life. All our love, Mom, Dad, Jeff and Shayna Mazel Tov! Ad Style #4 1/8 PAGE $150 XXXXXXX You continually make us proud, keep shining your light. Mom, Dad, Brianna, Hannah, Lacey, Mazel T ov! Ad Style #3 1/16 PAGE $125 Custom Style 1/2 PAGE $485 Can include multiple images & any design! Ad Style #2 1/4 PAGE ...…
…20 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N A bout 225 Friends of the IDF (FIDF) young supporters gathered Feb. 15 at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield in a strong show of solidarity with the thousands of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers on the frontlines. The solidarity gathering allowed Michigan-based young Jewish professionals to show their support for Israel’s soldiers during their greatest time of need. One hundred percent of proceeds...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 21 J N O n Sunday, March 10, you can be a part of an evening full of connec- tion, listening and supporting each other through meaningful conversations and shared stories. Five speakers, Max McColl, Chayala Torgow, Tina Clements, Mia Bragman and Sean English, will bravely share their personal journeys related to topics deal- ing with mental health, commu- nity and life. The live storytelling event presented by F...…
…I n the face of adversity, the human spirit has a remarkable capacity to shine brightly, bringing warmth and hope to even the darkest corners of our world. Meet fifth-grader DeeDee Lefkowitz of Southfield, a compassionate and determined 10-year-old girl whose baking skills became a ray of hope for the displaced community of Kibbutz Zikim, located in the south Israel. DeeDee single- handedly raised $800. On that fateful day, Oct. 7...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 23 J N C aregiving is an import- ant public health role that affects the quality of life for millions of individuals, including those with developmental disabilities. And the impact of caregivers on life and community makes the work they do a critical part of a strong society. On Sunday, March 3, local nonprofit JARC, an organi- zation serving adults with developmental disabilities, will honor the work of thei...…
…I n a congregation that’s tagline is “Big enough to enrich you, small enough to know you,” what makes Beth Ahm of West Bloomfield so special? Well, many things, accord- ing to their spiritual leader Rabbi Steven Rubenstein, who has been its rabbi since arriving from Queens in 2005. Congregation Beth Ahm, which in Hebrew means “house of the people,” is a friendly, comfortable congregation filled with approximately 320 down-to- ...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 25 J N “THE SMALL CONGREGATION ALLOWS FOR CONSTANT BONDING TO OCCUR.” — ZEEV MAINE Rabbi is nice and welcomes everyone.” According to Rabbi Rubenstein, “What we see on Shabbat and the holiday services reflects the feel of our congregation: warmth, openness and individuality.” What makes Beth Ahm unusual is that it has no cantor. Adult volunteers and post b’nai mitzvah students help Rabbi Rubenstein lead th...…
…26 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N P ublic officials are subject to con- stant scrutiny today — every action and word, however casual, can be captured on a cell phone and post- ed on many platforms, sometime with misleading descriptions. Often policy issue differences are transformed into person- al attacks and family members may be caught in the crossfire. Despite these challenges, some individu- als still believe that public service is wor...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 27 J N continued on page 29 prosecutors, investigators and analysts in this unit has resulted in criminal charges, convic- tions and court supervision of some offenders. Carolyn Normandin, regional director, Michigan ADL, says that it’s “really important to have someone who understands that hate crimes are message crimes — they bring absolute terror to their targets. ” She says that the Hate Crimes and Domestic ...…
…28 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 H ow can I make a dif- ference? I’m just one person so how can I hope to change anything? Is it possible to create more justice in our world? Imagine you are a teenager; you care about our country but have no idea how your one voice could possibly have an impact. But then you attend the L’Taken Social Justice Seminar at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) and you begin to realize that y...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 29 been good partners, ” Nessel says. Nine individuals have been convicted during her ten- ure as attorney general. Nessel is well-known as a strong supporter of LGBTQ rights. In 2014, she repre- sented Michigan resident April DeBoer in a case that challenged state law that didn’t recognize same-sex marriage. The DeBoer v Snyder case was combined with similar lawsuits in other states and appealed to the U.S. S...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 3 J N contents PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 12 Season No. 2 in Motown Motor City’s Ryan Turell continues his drive to become first Orthodox player in NBA. 18 Shaarey Zedek Hosting Ambassador Michael Oren Oren will give his perspective about Israel in the wake of Oct. 7 and the ongoing war. 19 Knollwood Vandalized The country club was set to host an FIDF ev...…
…S ometimes the place where a couple first met holds extra spe- cial significance … Such as in the case of Larry and Carole Miller of Farmington Hills, who met in the Holy Land. It was July 1970. Larry Miller of Oak Park had just graduated from Wayne State. To celebrate, he went back- packing throughout Europe together with some of his Sammies (Jewish fraternity brothers.) “ And there I was, close to Israel, so I decided I just ha...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 31 J N every shivah. He banded together a few men to help out and, to date, Larry’s been leading shivah services for the Temple Israel com- munity for 38 years; he’s led about 200-250 shivahs. In 1988, the couple joined Temple Israel on a mission trip to Israel and for the first time, traveled back to the place they’d first met. It was the 40th anniversary of the State of Israel and the night they arrived, th...…
…32 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N I t seemed like Brooke Soper was des- tined to be a Spartan. She attended Okemos Public Schools, a school district that’s next door to the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, and graduated from Okemos High School in 2020. Her mother and father graduated from MSU. Her sister graduated from MSU. Three of her four grandparents graduated from MSU, including John Fleser, who played baseball for th...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 33 SCAN THE QR CODE HAVE AN HAVE AN EVENT? EVENT? POST IT FOR FREE ON POST IT FOR FREE ON thejewishnews.com thejewishnews.com …
…faces&places 34 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N T emple Shir Shalom of West Bloomfield once again stepped up to support those in need with its 11th Annual Chicken Soup Cook-Off. The Feb. 4 event benefited Metro Food Rescue, CARE House of Oakland County and the temple’s youth and young adult pro- gramming. More than 20 pro- fessional and amateur participants were on hand with their versions of the best chicken soup. The chicken soup r...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 35 J N JEWISH SENIOR LIFE On Dec. 12, Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit toasted the holidays in style at a wine pairings and tapas event in the new Fireside Lounge at West Bloomfield’s Hechtman Apartments. Guests sampled wines selected by Plum Market Sommelier Paula Hartson who shared decanting and pouring techniques, wine storage temperature guide- lines, and other wine tips and tricks. Plum Market’s se...…
…36 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N L et me begin by introducing myself. I’m a new regular writer for the Detroit Jewish News, and I’m excited that each month I’ll be sharing recipes that I’ve vetted. Don’t hesitate to reach out if there are par- ticular recipes you would like to see. While it’s still a few weeks away, before you know it, Purim will be here. The holiday of Purim is associated with several food- based mitzvot, including...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 37 J N with the cooking oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté the mushrooms over medium heat until the mush- rooms have released all of their water, and it has evapo- rated out of the pot. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic to the soup pot along with the thyme, sage and rosemary. Continue to sauté the vegetables until the onions are soft and trans- lucent. Add the lentils and veg- etable broth to the po...…
…38 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N E mergency visits to hospitals or urgent cares often involve long stressful hours in packed waiting rooms and a weird, empty feeling when finally being seen by a rushed medi- cal professional. Shmuel Bass and Bentzi Oseroff, friends and entrepreneurs from Southfield, decided that some- thing had to be done. “ A lot of medical care has become dispassionate over the years,” Bass said. “Sometimes patient...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 39 office. Mezuzahs are on the doors. Bookshelves are lined with Torah books; Jewish kids’ videos play on the screen. The receptionist wish- es patients a “refuah shelaim- ah” (speedy recovery). “Our patients are most- ly people we see in shul, at school, at the grocery stores … I’ve even had some at my Shabbos table!” Bass said. “There’s a different level of genuine care and empathy coming from a doctor you ru...…
…4 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N PURELY COMMENTARY guest column Finding Unity in Israel S itting on an El Al plane waiting to take off, I realized that, for the first time on my many flights to Israel, I was happy to see not even one empty seat on the plane. Despite the fact that Israel is considered a war zone; in fact, because of it, the Jewish people are more motivated to travel to our beloved land than ever before. I traveled to Isr...…
…40 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N HEALTH F amilies seeking psycho- logical evaluations for their children often wait up to a year or more before being assessed by a medical pro- fessional. These assessments, which can help diagnose develop- mental conditions like autism, are critical to beginning timely treatment and intervention. Still, barriers with health insurance, access and simply getting an appointment can leave months, if not y...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 41 Listen to this article now 00:00 07:23 Listen to this article now 00:00 Check out thejewishnews.com option on all articles. NEW option on all articles. text-to-speech …
…MAZEL TOV! 42 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N Levine 95th A lvin Levine of Bloomfield Hills celebrated his 95th birthday in Naples, Fla. Those celebrating include his wife, Carol; his children, Marc and Ute Levine, Nancy and Daniel Blake, Bruce and Cindy Levine, and Lisa and Jon Adler; his grandchildren, Jessica Blake and Benji Benoliel, Emily and Jason Price, Sam Blake, James and Lindsay Robinson, Katie Robinson and Ben Robinson, Bl...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 43 J N You Are Not Replaceable I f you take no other lesson away from Parshat Ki Tisa, remember that you are not replaceable. Human beings are irreplaceable. To suggest other- wise is not only morally reprehensible, but utterly contrary to the Torah. We see this chal- lenged multiple ways: first, where the people fear Moshe is gone and demand an elohim to go before them (Exodus 32:1), and Aaron forges the go...…
…44 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 C omparing two of the most famous events in the Torah, we face what seems like a glaring contradiction. In this week’s parshah, Moses on the mountain is told by God to go down to the people. They have made a golden calf. Moses descends, holding in his hands the holiest object of all time, the two tablets carved and inscribed by God Himself. As he reached the foot of the mountain, he saw the people...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 45 from our emotional life: pride and anger. About anger he says this: “Anger is an extremely bad attribute, and one should distance oneself from it by going to the other extreme. One should train oneself not to get angry, even about something to which anger might be the appropriate response … The ancient Sages said, ‘One who yields to anger is as if he had worshipped idols.’ They also said, ‘Whoever yields...…
…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 Bloomfield (248) 78...…
…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 ...…
…ARTS&LIFE THEATER T o Kill a Mockingbird holds the record as the highest-grossing American play in Broadway history. Harper Lee’s beloved work won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize in fiction and was voted “America’s favorite novel.” Academy Award, Emmy and Golden Globe-winner Aaron Sorkin, prolific screen- writer and playwright of the television series Sports Night, The West Wing and The Newsroom has also had great success on Broadway with...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 49 J N courtroom and about Atticus coming to terms with the reality of the jury and, therefore, society as a whole. For our Atticus, he goes through a real catharsis. It’s almost a coming-of-age story for him.” To Kill a Mockingbird had been playing on Broadway for 16 months when the COVID shutdown happened. Wolf and his team were brought on to co-produce Mockingbird when it resumed on Broadway on Oct. 5, 20...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 5 J N …
…ARTS&LIFE THEATER T he young-adult play Connected by the celebrated Israeli playwright and television writer Ori Urian will be performed for the first time in English at the Sponberg Theatre at Eastern Michigan University Campus on March 9 at 7 p.m. and March 10 at 2 p.m. Urian, who has been recognized by the Children’s Stage Awards and the Israeli Academy Awards, has just been nominated for the ASSITEJ inspirational playwright...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 51 J N CHALAMET’S MOMENT, SANDLER SOARS TOO, MUCH MORE Dune, Part 2, opens in theaters on March 1. Part 1, released in 2021, got very good reviews, and it got 10 Oscar nominations, includ- ing best adapted screenplay (co-written by Eric Roth, 78) and best picture. Hans Zimmer, 66, won an Oscar for his score. Awards were just the cherry-on-the-top: Dune, a sci-fi action film, cost $165 million and earned $40...…
…52 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N HAZZAN SINGS 7 PM, MARCH 2 (SAT.) At Congregation Shaarey Zedek. A beautiful Havdalah service followed by an inti- mate live musical perfor- mance with Hazzan David Propis. Enjoy refreshments, drinks and great company. Register: shaareyzedek. shulcloud.com/events/ HazzanPropisLive. JEWS & COMICS 10 AM, MARCH 3 (SUN.) At Congregation Shir Tikvah in Troy. “We’ve Got Issues: Jews, Comics and Superheroes” wit...…
…FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 53 Jewish Joke of the Week When young David was asked by his father to say the evening prayer, he realized he didn’t have his head covered, so he asked his little brother Henry to rest a hand on his head until prayers were over. Henry grew impatient after a few minutes and removed his hand. The father said, “This is important! Put your hand back on his head!” to which Henry exclaimed, “What, am I? My brother’s...…
…DOG(S) OF THE WEEK 54 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N 54 | FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 J N J N J B agel is everyone’s favorite. She’s sweet, soft with a warm personality, and has lots of flavor … she also loves cream cheese as a special treat. Who doesn’t? Bring on the schmear! Bagel is a young beagle. She dares you to say that five times fast! She has been a delight to have at the shelter after a tough past. We are currently looking for a foster h...…
