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…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 3 contents PURELY COMMENTARY 6-10 OUR COMMUNITY 12 Sense of Duty Young Detroiters serve in IDF to “give back” to Israel. 15 Advocacy Always, Inclusion Indubitably How JCC Detroit is honoring Jewish Disability Advocacy and Inclusion Month all year. 17 A Safe Purim Orthodox organizations issue guidelines for Purim. 18 You Have a Pandemic Story. We Want It. Instead of letting future ...…

…4 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 for openers The Places I Call Home T he New Yorker’s Erin Overbey wrote a col- umn “The Meaning of Home.” It was about jour- nalist and screenwriter Nora Ephron and her love affair with the Apthorp, a Beaux-Arts building on the Upper West Side of New York where she lived for more than 20 years. For her, it was what happened under that roof. It made me think of what home means to me. It made me realize ...…

…0% APR FINANCING FOR 48-60 MONTHS! Available on approved credit through Honda Financial Services, Example: 0% APR for up to 60 months on select new and unregistered 2021 Honda Pilot models through 03/01/2021, 10% down payment. 60 months financing at $16.67/month per $1,000 financed. For well-qualified buyers. Not all buyers will qualify. Higher financing rates apply for buyers with lower credit ratings. Actual down payment may vary. Dealer s...…

…6 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 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 29200 Northwestern Highway, #110, Southfield, Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send changes to: Detroit...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 7 DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 29200 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com 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 dail...…

…8 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 essay Purim: From Exodus to Esther I t would make sense to start the Jewish calendar year on Rosh Hashanah, literally the “head of the year,” the anniversary of the creation of humans, but that’s not how it goes in the Bible. Just as we are about to leave Egypt, with great signs and wonders, the first commandment given to the nation is initializing the calendar. Therefore, the Jewish year actually b...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 9 NEW LUXURY RANCH HOMES IN BLOOMFIELD HILLS ROBERTSONHOMES.COM FURNISHED MODEL OPEN DAILY (248) 963-8913 Lahser Rd, South of Square Lake NEW LUXURY RANCH HOMES IN BLOOMFIELD HILLS EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY MAINTENANCE-FREE DETACHED RANCH CONDOS FROM $1,039,990 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K JewishNews Blmfd 2021 Half Page Horizontal copy.pdf 1 2/10/2021 1:44:46 PM Supported through the generosity of The Jewish Fund...…

…10 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY Yiddish Limerick Yiddish Limerick Purim Mir vel hern di Megillah again Af Esther, zi hot gevayn azay Shayn. Un Mordechai der Yid and all that he did. Yetzt hern di Megillah ich vil gayn. Mir vel hern di: We will hear the Af Esther: About Esther zi hot gevayn azay shayn: she was so beautiful Un Mordechai der Yid: And Mordechai the Jew Yetzt hern di Megillah: Now to hear the Megillah ich vil ...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 11 Nazli G. Sater Family Law Practice Chair | Partner 248.784.5178 nsater@wnj.com Roquia K. Draper Family Law Attorney | Partner 248.784.5081 rdraper@wnj.com wnj.com FAMILY L AW Warner’s Managing Partner Douglas Dozeman is responsible for the contents of our advertising. Contact: ddozeman@wnj.com or 616-752-2148. Please read our full privacy policy on our website. …

…M etro Detroit natives Daniel Selesny, 21, and Elijah Wolfe, 20, had a bit too much time on their hands in January as they quarantined for two weeks off their Israeli army base following a vacation with family and friends back home. They spent the days and nights in separate rooms in a makeshift quarantine center for Lone Soldiers in the coastal town of Hadera. They passed the time reading, FaceTiming with friends and family, and bing...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 13 Sense of Duty continued on page 14 Selesny began IDF service last March, right at the onset of the pandemic. He was supposed to fly back to Detroit for a visit, but all flights were canceled. So, after finishing studies at Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem, he and Wolfe reported to base. In an unusual situation where soldiers usually get leaves for Shabbat or holi- days, they spent the next 35 days on base, inclu...…

…14 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 13 months and, while I studied, others were protecting me, ” Wolfe said. “I enjoyed that privilege and wanted to give back. Later on in life, I want to look back and have no regrets that I did not take this time in my life to take on this oppor- tunity. So far, I’m a better per- son for it. ” BASIC TRAINING Training for Wolfe has been a “formative experience” filled with l...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 15 OUR COMMUNITY I nclude. Empower. Educate. The year-round motto of the JCC’s Special Needs Department is particularly aus- picious this month, as February is Jewish Disability Advocacy and Inclusion Month (JDAIM). This initiative, powered by the Jewish Federations of North America, shines a spotlight on education, solidarity-building and empowerment in support of people with special needs. In the midst of ...…

…16 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 camp, Special Needs offers year-round social groups, yoga classes and Drums Alive fitness classes. About 20 JARC homes bring residents of all ages to a Thursday Night Social Group. Even during the pandemic, Zoltowski and her team made sure their participants stayed active. “We’ve tried to support all of our families. All of the parents have my cell phone, we have a Facebook group; I did some Zoom calls wi...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 17 T he Orthodox Union (OU) and the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) have issued guidelines to ensure health and safety at Purim, which starts at sundown on Feb. 25. Purim celebrates the deliver- ance of the Jews, led by Esther and her uncle Mordechai, from a plot to exterminate them by the evil Haman, the king’s chief minister. It is a time of rejoicing, exchanging gifts of food and, usually, of partying....…

…18 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 W e don’t have to tell you that this time is unprecedented or how drastically our lives have changed due to the coronavirus, but future generations will want to learn from what we are living through today. Throughout this experience, we have wondered how our ancestors tackled the challenges of the pandemic of 1918. A cen- tury from now, our descendants could be asking the same ques- tions about us. With ...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 19 WHAT YOU CAN DO We can’t do this without you. Through this partnership between the Leo M. Franklin Archives and the Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives, we intend for this to be a true community project. Any Michigander who identifies as Jewish is encouraged to participate. There are many ways you can contribute! What we didn’t do during the pandemic is just as important as what we did do. It is ea...…

…20 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 T emple Kol Ami in West Bloomfield has been running a food pantry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since early July, and even with a new year and vac- cines being rolled out, the num- ber of families taking advantage of the pantry doesn’t seem to be slowing down. It started small with just a few families, growing steadily. At this point, it has grown to feed more than 90 families a week, reflective of ...…

…HMC Program Confronts Evil Help Sarah’s Fund Fight Mastocytosis Need Help Getting Health Insurance? NCJW Offers Scholarships ‘Mood Lifters’ for Self-Help The Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus will present Learning from the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil featuring a discussion between phi- losopher and author Susan Neiman, and Jenn White, host of National Public Radio’s (NPR) 1A. The program will take place o...…

…NATIONAL H ow and where do Jews fit into America’s minority communi- ties? That’s the question at the center of a debate that has raged for more than a year over new school curriculum guides that are being adopted in California. Jewish groups strenuously objected to the first draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, or ESMC, saying it did not reflect the American Jewish experience and even advanced some forms of antisemit...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 23 JOSEFIN DOLSTEN/ TIMES OF ISRAEL Bari Weiss also included a song lyric that appeared to accuse the Jews of manipulating the press, a long-standing antisemitic ste- reotype. “We cannot support a curriculum that erases the American Jewish experience, fails to discuss antisemitism, reinforces negative stereo- types about Jews, singles out Israel for criticism, and would institutionalize the teaching of antisem...…

…24 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 MAZEL TOV! Alexis Samantha Gitler, daughter of Stella and Howard Gitler, will lead the congregation in prayer on the occasion of her bat mitzvah on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. She will be joined in celebration by her siblings Branden and Gabby, proud grand- parents Asya and Mark Nisnevich, Lois and Rick Wonboy, and Mel and Pat Gitler, and great-grandpar- ent Sergey Ly...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 25 Mendelson-Stauss J ody and Shelly Mendelson of Franklin announce the marriage of their daughter Arielle Mendelson to Jeremy Stauss, the son of Meir Stauss of Detroit and Carrie Stauss of Jerusalem. Arielle and Jeremy were married by Rabbi Dahlen of Congregation Shaarey Zedek on Aug. 30, 2020, at the home of Jeremy’s grandparents, David and Beverly Frank of Bloomfield Hills. Arielle’s maids of honor were h...…

…26 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 SPIRIT Lasting Legacies W hile not often considered an architectural design manual, the Torah has several examples of artful and practical construction instructions. Noah’s ark is described with dimensions and floor structure. There are building codes requir- ing a rail for a porch to prevent a fatal fall. There is a description of house demolition in case of a tzara’ at (skin disease) outbreak. And, ...…

…FEBRUARY 2021 Michigan State University researchers have received $2.1 million in grant funding to test for the novel coronavirus in wastewater, including from the Detroit area, which has the potential to be an early warning system for the presence of COVID-19. The funding was provided by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services from Michigan’s allocatio...…

…provide a tool that can be used by public health officials.” DWSD, GLWA and MSU have been at the forefront of U.S. wastewater utilities using the sewer system to help identify virus outbreaks. “The expansion of the partnership gives us targeted information that is critical in our battle against COVID-19,” says Denise Fair, City of Detroit Chief Public Health Officer. “The expanded reach of this study allows us to pinpoint neighborh...…

…Music programming for parents and caregivers with children under age six. Catch up on the latest from MSU msutoday.msu.edu Explore giving opportunities givingto.msu.edu More about alumni participation alumni.msu.edu Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation supports early childhood development program The Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation has combined two of its primary philanthropic interests in its support for the MSU Comm...…

…When I was a student at MSU, it was a simpler time than today, but the fledgling new antisemitism, the masquerade of anti-Zionism, was already informing my Jewish identity while the Jewish Studies faculty and my student peers were an academic and intellectual rock of support I relied on. I took courses in analyzing Middle East conflicts and cooperation; Israeli government and politics; Israeli cinema; and through independent study ass...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 31 I f you know me, you know I’m a major media consumer. I spend much of my day on social media, watch YouTube videos about graphic design techniques, and finish each night watching Netflix. I find media to be fas- cinating due to the wide variety of forms it can take and have found a pas- sion for creating content. This is why I decided to apply and interview for the Langer Family Multimedia internship ...…

…32 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 L ike most of the world, I found comfort in the kitchen during COVID-19 lockdowns. Baking has always been a passion of mine, but it wasn’t until a global pandemic that I realized it is what I am meant to do. To document my baking jour- ney, I started a brand called JBBakes (@ jbbakes_ on Instagram) in March of 2020. It began as a creative outlet to share the things I was bak- ing with friends and famil...…

…34 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 Hillel of Metro Detroit (HMD) has been hosting a monthly trivia night as a way to gather students together virtually for a fun, competi- tive, Jeopardy-style contest. Students have been sub- mitting suggestions for trivia categories, and the HMD staff has been using those to create a variety of topics to formulate the content. Categories have included Pop Culture, Jewish Athletes/ Celebrities, Worldwide J...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 35 INTEREST-FREE LOANS FOR MICHIGAN JEWISH RESIDENTS APPLICATIONS OPEN APRIL 1 TO MA Y 15 COMPLETE AND SUBMIT ONLINE: jewishcollegeloansmi.org ADMINISTERED BY WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHAT IS THE WILLIAM DAVIDSON JEWISH COLLEGE LOAN PROGRAM? • A Need-based, interest-free loan program for Jewish Michigan residents who are U.S. Citizens. • Qualifying students must be enrolled in full-time accredited colleges or univer...…

…B randon Rothenberg has found his voice. It’s on his new base- ball-themed podcast called Motor City Hardball that is available through Blue Wire, a California-based sports podcasting platform that was launched in 2018. Rothenberg, a 23-year-old West Bloomfield resident, has done 10 weekly episodes of Motor City Hardball since December. Each episode is released at 3 p.m. EST Wednesday on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. “Baseball is my...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 37 BRANDON ROTHENBERG the theme music for his pod- cast,” Weil said. “I wanted to create music that fit Brandon’s show. I think the music has an old-school Motown feel. I hope it creates a familiarity when you hear it, like ESPN’s theme.” Rothenberg’s podcasting work has caught the attention of Tyler Chin, Blue Wire’s head of operations. “You can tell Brandon is becoming more comfortable with each episode,” Chi...…

…38 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 A s a little girl, Elyssa Biederman cried the first time her parents laced up her tiny white figure skates. She does not remember sobbing throughout the entire preschool learn- to-skate class. Still, the story is a family favorite, especially now that Biederman will be playing women’s ice hockey for Colgate University in New York State. She’ll join the Division 1 college team in the fall of 2022 after gradua...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 39 ARTS&LIFE BOOKS S ome years ago, at an age close to 90, Constance Harris felt bored. “What can I do with the rest of my life?” the Californian and former Michigander asked her son, Stephen. “Write another book, ” he suggested, and she did just that, dedicating it to him and his wife, Ruth. The Many Ways Jews Loved: A History from Printed Words and Images (McFarland) came out this year and follows her two...…

…40 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 T he word “Purim” means “lots, ” or using today’s language, lottery. And from a particular lottery, we’ve created an entire holiday that is the most outwardly joyous of the Hebrew calendar. Back in the sixth century BCE, Haman, the vizier to the King of Persia, ordered the annihilation of Jews. The event was to take place on the 13th of Adar. Through a series of actions, which included the Jewish w...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 41 AMAZON’S NEW CEO & RAP AND ALLIANCES On Feb. 2, we learned Jeff Bezos would step down as CEO of Amazon sometime in the third quarter of 2021. He would “transition” into the role of executive chairman. His replacement as CEO will be Andy Jassy, 53. (Bezos will retain a lot of oversight power in his new role.) Jassy is currently the head of Amazon’s successful cloud computing division (“AWS”). A Harvard bu...…

…42 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 TOUR ISRAEL NOON-1PM, FEB. 18 Temple Shir Shalom is offering a live, virtual tour “Latrun and the Six Day War” with Rabbi Daniel Schwartz and Israeli tour guide Beni Levin. Begin in Egypt and then travel back to Latrun to hear the story of the taking over of Jerusalem. The tour concludes with the Golani Brigade’s battle for the Golan Heights. There is a charge. To register: shirsha- lom.org/event/israel-5.h...…

…the exchange community bulletin board | professional services For information regarding advertising please call 248-351-5116 or 248-234-9057 or email salessupport@renmedia.us Deadline for ad insertion is 10am on Friday prior to publication. FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 43 JF Green Renovations Your Trusted Local Expert For Interior & Exterior Restorations ROOFING ROOFING SIDING SIDING CHIMNEY RESTORATION SEAMLESS GUTTERS MOLD & FLOOD R...…

…D r. Ned Chalat of Grosse Pointe died Feb. 5, 2021, at the venera- ble age of 95. As a lifelong resident of the Detroit area, a practicing physician and active leader in many civic organizations, Dr. Chalat had a profound impact on the community and his family. His legacy includes more than 50 years as a practicing ear, nose and throat physician in Downtown Detroit, most of which was devoted to residents of the inner city. He was a...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 45 continued on page 46 practice in 1990, which gave him more time to devote to a variety of intellectual pursuits. He began writing poetry, and he and his wife, Joann, expanded their travels to include Vietnam, Russia and Africa. His adventures also includ- ed frequent visits with his children — a fishing trip in Alaska with his son and grandson, camping in the Utah desert with his daughter and numerous family...…

…46 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 continued from page 45 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY FM Rock Pioneer Jerry Lubin G erald Lubin, 80, of La Quinta, Calif., formerly of Michigan, died Feb. 4, 2021. A graduate of Mumford High School, Mr. Lubin was a pioneer of radio, best known for his work in the 1960s-80s at local Detroit radio stations WABX-FM, WRIF-FM, WWWW-FM and WLLZ-FM. He was considered a mentor to many in the industry. John O’Leary ...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 47 continued on page 48 his passing. Herb’s daughter, Sandi Meixner, remained a devoted friend. Sylvia was honored in life and will be deeply missed by her sister, Beverly Gold (the late Bernard); brother, Arthur Genser (Fern); her daugh- ter, Carol (aka Aaron Rachel Rose); sons, Robert (Debra) and Richard (Romana Auth); her granddaughter, Jessica Rosen (Daniel); grandsons, Evan Hollander and Leonard Hollande...…

…continued from page 47 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY 48 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 was part of the first wave of occupation troops in Japan. After his time in the service, he attended Wayne State University and eventually Eastern Michigan University (Michigan State Normal College) and graduated in 1952 with a degree in edu- cation. He taught English at various schools in Detroit for many years, earned a master’s degree in education bef...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 49 continued on page 50 Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Meals on Wheels, National Council of Jewish Women, 26400 Lahser Road, Suite 306, Southfield, MI 48033, (248) 355-3300, ext. 0, ncjw- gds.org; or Yad Ezra, 2850 W. 11 Mile Road, Berkley, MI 48072, yadezra.org/ donate. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. BERNARD “BOB” RIVKIN, 90, of Plantation, Fla., formerly of West Bloomfield, died...…

…50 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 continued from page 49 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY en/affiliates/michigan/ detroit; Alyn Hospital, alyn. org; or Friendship Circle, 6892 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, wfriendshipcircle. org/donate. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. PAUL RUSSMAN, 90, of Southfield, died Feb. 4, 2021. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Elaine Tanzman Russman; sons and daughters-in-law, Steven Russman ...…

…FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 | 51 continued on page 52 ROBERT IRVING SOLOMON, 94, of Livonia, died Feb. 8, 2021. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Stuart and Michele Solomon; other children, Pamela Rosenberg, Jeri (Dr. Victor Strecher) Rosenberg; grandchil- dren, Candace (Angelo) Barbara, Adam Solomon, Ryan (Lauren) Solomon, Rachel; great-grandchildren, Jake, Amber, Kayla, Corey, Justin, Maddi and Jonah; great-great-grandc...…

…52 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 continued from page 51 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY OBITUARY CHARGES The processing fee for obituaries is: $125 for up to 100 words; $1 per word thereafter. A photo counts as 15 words. There is no charge for a Holocaust survivor icon. The JN reserves the right to edit wording to conform to its style considerations. For information, have your funeral director call the JN or you may call Sy Manello, editor...…