…spent high school years at Interlochen Center for the Arts, earned a University of Michigan bachelor’s degree and holds a doctor’s degree in music from Indiana University. “I want to communicate a feeling of nostalgia, mem- ories from childhood and a time when life was a little simpler.” Donner, 38, whose interest in art began in childhood, let piano skills dominate his life as a teenager and now teach- es private students, directs...…
…1942 - 2024 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.thejewishnews.com 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: send changes to: Detroit Jewish News, 322...…
…60 | MARCH 21 • 2024 J N ROOTS UPDATE; THREE NEW FILMS, STAND-UP & SKATING This week’s Jewish-related films, etc., are more varied than usual. But before I describe them, I want to give you a long heads- up: Michael Douglas and Lena Dunham will be the guests on the Finding Your Roots on Tuesday, April 2 (PBS). Their paring isn’t an accident: Roots episodes often pair celebs with sim- ilar backgrounds (Jewish, African American, ...…
…MARCH 21 • 2024 | 61 J N JUST FOR FUN Word Challenge Using the letters in MEGILLAH, can you: Find 10 four-letter words? 1. ________________ 2. ________________ 3. ________________ 4. ________________ 5. ________________ 6. ________________ 7. ________________ 8. ________________ 9. ________________ 10. ________________ Find 1 seven-letter word? 1. ________________ Find 5 five-letter words? 1. ________________ 2. __________...…
…62 | MARCH 21 • 2024 J N BRUNCH & BAKE 10 AM-NOON, MARCH 22 (FRI.) Have brunch and learn how to create your “Esther Moment” then make a tray of delicious hamentashen with all types of filling to take home and bake. At Aish Detroit, 25725 Coolidge, Oak Park. For cost, register at jlive.app/ events/7121. ‘MOURNING IN LOD’ 7 p.m. MARCH 22 (FRI.) See Mourning In Lod, directed by Hilla Medalia at the Riviera Cinema as part of the Gre...…
…MARCH 21 • 2024 | 63 J N PURIM IN ISRAEL 5:30-7 PM, MARCH 24 (SUN.) Experience Purim in Israel at Royal Oak Chabad, 316 E. 11 Mile, Royal Oak: Photo Booth at the Western Wall; Fresh Juice Squeezing in Jaffa; Wine Tasting at the Galil; Falafel and Shawarma at the Tel Aviv Shuk; Pet Farm at the Kibbutz; Print Making at the artist quarter in Tzfat. Register: jeweishroyaloak. com/purim. SINGER PERFORMS 8 PM, MARCH 25 (MON.) Jill Sobul...…
…64 | MARCH 21 • 2024 J N the exchange community bulletin board | professional services For information regarding advertising, please call 248-351-5116 or 248-234-9057 or email salessupport@thejewishnews.com. Deadline for ad insertion is 9 a.m. on Friday prior to publication. JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT ADVERTISE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS OR SERVICE IN OUR CLASSIFIED SECTION. Digital & Print starting at $20 per week. Scan the QR code for the ...…
…MARCH 21 • 2024 | 65 J N DONNA BARNETT, beloved for 93 years, died Feb. 26, 2024, surrounded by her family. She was born Jan. 31, 1931, in Detroit to Louis and Viola Weiss; she moved to California as a young child, following the tragic automobile accident death of her father. Not one to have the dust settle under her, Donna married Robert Barnett and graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit after spending a single ...…
…66 | MARCH 21 • 2024 J N fundraising.stjude.org/goto/ donnabarnett. c. 2021 BARBARA M. BECKER, 85, of Commerce Township, died March 13, 2024. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, David and Jennifer Becker of Franklin; daughters and sons-in-law, Judy and Alan Wormser of Commerce Township, Carol and Jay Weiss of Farmington Hills; brother and sister-in- law, Dr. Marty and Rena Janower; sister and brother- in-law, Lin...…
…MARCH 21 • 2024 | 67 J N continued on page 68 Dawes; the loving brother of the late Oscar Dawes and the late Sophie Shriman; the dear brother-in-law of the late Sanford and the late Dorothy Stone. Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jhcn.org/donate/ tribute; or American Cancer Society, 20450 Civic Center Drive, Southf...…
…68 | MARCH 21 • 2024 J N to Jewish Family Service, the Aileen and Harvey Kleiman Fund, 6555 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jfsdetroit.org; Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, jhcn.org/donate/ tribute; or to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. SIDNEY LIFTON, 92, of Beverly Hills, Mich., died March 9, 2024. He died the day before his 92nd birthday....…
…MARCH 21 • 2024 | 69 J N N. Siegel; son and daughter- in-law, Andrew and Kimberly Siegel; daughter and son-in-law, Dr. Lisa Siegel and Adam Green; grandson, Charles Oliver Green; nephews and nieces; Alan and Lisa Rose, and Stuart and Kristi Rose; great-nephew and great- niece, Evan and Abby Rose. Mrs. Siegel was the loving sister of the late Reena Rose; the devoted daughter of the late Joseph and the late Evelyn Biederman. Inter...…
…DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com MARCH 21 • 2024 | 7 J N continued from page 4 Jewish institutions and fur- thering Jewish learning, we must unabashedly support politicians who recognize Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism and who condemn antisemi- tism in the U.S. With Michigan as a bat- tle-ground state, we would do well to make regular p...…
…Looking Back From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at thejewishnews.com 70 | MARCH 21 • 2024 J N The Generosity of Purim A t sundown on the 14th day of Adar, or March 23, the holiday of Purim begins. This is the most joyful and festive of Jewish holidays. Purim commemorates the victory of Queen Esther and Mordechai in the fourth century B.C. over the evil Haman. It is a time to wear costum...…
…PASSOVER MENU 2024 To place your Passover order: order online at QualityKosher.com call us - 248-352-7758 ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10TH 2024 THIS PASSOVER, ENJOY HOME COOKING, WITHOUT COOKING AT HOME! PICK UP MONDAY, APRIL 22ND FROM 9:30AM - 12:30PM* at Shaarey Zedek 27375 Bell Rd. Southfield, MI. 48034 *please come at the time you select when placing your order GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST (PACK OF 2) Boneless flame grilled ...…
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…8 | MARCH 21 • 2024 Yiddish Limerick by Rachel Kapen Happy Purim! On Purim di Megilla we read Af Esther un Mordechai der Yid. Un ven Haman HaRasha mir vel hern a bissl meshuge mir vel vern. A frayliche yontef nit nor far a kid. der Yid: the Jew Un ven: and when Haman HaRasha: Haman the wicked mir vel hern: we will hear. a bissl meshuge: a little crazy mir vel vern: we will become A frayliche yontef: a happy holiday nit nor: not only fa...…
…MARCH 21 • 2024 | 9 JOIN US! LUNCH & LEARN EVENT THURSDAY, APRIL 18TH 12:00 - 2:00PM LONGACRE HOUSE 24705 FARMINGTON ROAD, FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48336 Join us for a special lunch and learn event with Rose Senior Living Farmington Hills, a brand-new senior living community in your neighborhood. Learn about Rose Senior Living and the benefits of joining our Founders Club! RSVP by Friday, April 12th by calling (248) 850-1351 Cont...…
…$200 March 14-20, 2024 / 4-10 Adar II 5784 JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT Actresses and artists give voice to women’s Oct. 7 stories. See page 32 Rays of L ight thejewishnews.com …
…10 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N essay How to Pray for the Hostages S tart in the swimming pool. Aim for the relative stillness in the late evening hours when the lanes are nearly empty and black skies seep through wall-length glass, the deeper end of quiet. As you break the water’s surface again and again, swimming freestyle, begin the incantation. Scan the dark with your goggled eyes as the whoosh of chlorinated water folds over...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 11 J N mountaintops. Thoughtful petitions need somewhere to go. Mother Nature will receive them. So will your favorite book, wedged with a bookmark. Or the crisp novel on your nightstand that still smells of new book. Pray into swings and sandboxes, the yelps of children. Caterpillars emerging into fluttering butterflies. Pray into puddles of fresh rain. The promise of a rainbow. Pray into your freshly brewed ...…
…12 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N O ne Friday in 2006, when Dr. Maier Belen was in Beaumont hospital, his wife, Molly, sat at his bedside, frightened and worried. Suddenly, Jeanette Blumenkopf and Chana Ellenberg turned up, quite literally offering warmth and light, in the form of battery- operated candles for Shabbat and a listening ear. Touched, Molly immediately called her daughter, Barbara Pichette. “That visit bought my mother so...…
…WHAT THEY DO Each Thursday, the volunteers begin by checking in with the hospital’s Spiritual Care office. The chaplain prepares a list of room numbers for all the Jewish patients who had registered as Jewish or contacted Spiritual Care. (It’s suspected that there are many more Jewish patients who did not register, and the hope is that this article might bring awareness of at least one benefit in doing so!) The volunteers — eit...…
…14 | MARCH 14 • 2024 see us,” Ashin said. “Being in the hospital over a holiday is the worst. Patients feel very alone and miss their families. They were so grateful for a visit and to receive our little turkey cupcakes.” Each week, the experience is different. Patients are admitted and released. Mothers in the maternity ward are proud and happy to show off their new babies. For other patients, these visits are a regular highlig...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 15 …
…OUR COMMUNITY H illel Day School’s Annual Gala, themed Israel and Hope, will be held on Sunday, May 19, and promises to be an inspir- ing and meaningful evening emphasizing the impact Israel has had on Hillel’s community and, in turn, Hillel’s collective commitment to, and hope for, the State of Israel. Hillel will welcome best-selling author, for- mer Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization, and a leader ...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 17 Kids* are invited to a spectacular night at Temple while their grown-ups enjoy our Adult Purim Spiel! Be sure to wear your most fashionable pajamas, slippers, and bring your pillow and sleeping bag to get cozy for an epic movie night on the big screen! Advance registration required by 3/18 at www/temple-israel.org/event/PurimKids $10/child. Children must be able to use the toilet independently. Geared to...…
…18 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N M etro Detroit’s community of Conservative congregations invites everyone to a lively weekend of Purim celebrations like no other. The fun begins at Southfield’s Congregation Shaarey Zedek on Saturday evening, March 23, at 8:45 p.m. with ma’ariv and megillah reading — including some amazing surprises. The evening continues with a dessert reception and drinks, and dancing to Jennifer Christiansen and ...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 19 SCAN QR CODE FOR MORE INFO! LISTING DEADLINE: MAY 13, 2024 ISSUE DATE: MAY 23, 2024 WANT TO GIVE YOUR GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE SENIOR A SPECIAL SHOUTOUT? You are invited to celebrate your high school senior with a listing in our Cap & Gown issue. Submit your senior’s accomplishments and future plans to be included, for FREE. DON’T LET YOUR GRAD BE LEFT OUT! 2024 94 | MAY 19 • 2022 continued...…
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…20 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N C ome fulfill the mitzvah of Purim this year at Aish Detroit, where there will be something fun for everyone in the family. The mitzvot of Purim includes feast, charity, megillah and mishloach manot. Starting with “Purim Pop-Up, ” you can invite friends and family over to your home and make delicious hamentaschen, mish- loach manot baskets and share in some Purim Torah education. Or you can simply brin...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 21 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! H...…
…22 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N A pessimist, they say, sees a glass as being half empty; an optimist sees the same glass as half full. But a giving person sees a glass of water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty. ” — G. Donald Gale This month, I urge you to take that advice and find a way to help others in our commu- nity. Care House of Oakland County is looking for vol- unteers to provide meals to their evening progr...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 23 Now more than ever, Israel needs our support. The Jewish Federation of Detroit’s newly updated Israel Emergency Resources pages are a great source to help you stand up to the misinformation, miseducation and antisemitism since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Historical background, videos and steps you can take to help are now all in one place. The Israel Emergency Resources section (https:// jewishdetroit.org/i...…
…24 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N B efore an audience of more than 500 at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township on Feb. 29, facilitated by the Jewish Federation of Detroit, Israeli social media influencer, author and activist Hen Mazzig said the Jewish community needs to be 10 times prouder to be Jewish than those who hate us for being Jewish, and the way to win over online misinformation that is fueling the hatred is to share accurat...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 25 In the months following Oct. 7, the author of The Wrong Kind of Jew: A Mizrachi Manifesto, has been on a lecture circuit. Speaking from his hotel in New York City, where he had events scheduled throughout the tri-state area, Mazzig said he spoke with the Jewish com- munity in Cleveland and also sat courtside at the NBA All- Stars game in Indiana, where he accompanied hostage survivors and Israelis whose family ...…
…26 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N M etro Detroit caregivers who look after loved ones living with dementia can experience a special day devoted to their own enjoyment and well-being on Sunday, April 7. The event is free and is being offered by the Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program, known as the Brown Program, with respite care being offered at its West Bloomfield location (6720 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 27 J N Caregivers Day Off is fairly typical. “ At the end of the program we ran last year, I was surprised at how many people hugged me and thanked me for such a special day. They knew their loved ones were in a safe space and having a good time, so they had the rare opportunity to focus on themselves,” she says. “Caregivers are often at a constant level of high alert. It is not until they truly relax that ...…
…28 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N Y oung members of Metro Detroit’s Jewish community have an opportunity to gain professional work experience and live in Israel this summer through the Onward Israel Program. Thirty individuals, age 18 to 30, will work and live in Tel Aviv for eight weeks. Participants will work alongside Israelis, gaining valuable cross-cultural experience. “It’s a way to jumpstart their careers and experience living somewhere ...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 29 J N S ometimes a mutual pas- sion can bring couples together. In Patty and Steve Ceresnie’s case, it was music. Steve grew up in Detroit and Oak Park. He played clarinet in the high school band, “my best subject, ” he likes to say, and was a tenor sax player in a jazz band. In 1967, when his buddy (and guitar player in the jazz band) Marc spent a week at a resort in South Haven, Michigan, the resort owner as...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 3 J N PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 12 Visiting the Sick Bikur Cholim of Detroit volunteers brighten the days of Jewish hospital patients. 16 Save the Date! Hillel Day School’s Annual Gala scheduled for May 19. 18 Community Purim Conservative congregations join for giant Purim celebration. 20 Purim Fun with Aish Detroit Four fun events feature something for ...…
…L ast month in Atlanta, Alpha Epsilon Pi held its annual Leven Leadership Institute for current and rising AEPi student leaders. Nearly 100 undergraduate student leaders were hand-picked and invited to the three-day conference with the opportunity to meet, interact and learn from AEPi alumni who have gone on to become leaders in their fields and in their Jewish commu- nities. The objective is for the student leaders to apply the les...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 31 Committee’s Global Forum in Tel Aviv and was a student leader on the Jewish National Fund’s College Summit Committee this fall. Since Oct. 7, May’s work has become more important than ever. He quickly worked with the Chabad president to organize a vigil for those impacted by the terrorist attack in Israel. The vigil was attended by 300 students. Since then, he has continued to rally MSU’s Jewish student popu...…
…32 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N O n Oct.10, three days after the Oct. 7 attack that shocked Israel and Jews worldwide, Dana Dvorin decided to take action. An artist and women’s rights activist, Dvorin, art director and CEO of Platforma Theater in Tel Aviv, called eight colleagues and got started on a volunteer podcast project called Rays of Light to bring women’s stories, which were often too graphic for a general audience, to the f...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 33 J N continued on page 34 listen. ” Her all-volunteer team is searching for stories and trying to reach the women to get their permission to be part of the testimony library, she says. “It changed how people think about women in Israeli wars, ” she says. The project approaches well- known actresses in Israel to read the testimonies and give voice to the women, she says, and has sand art to go alongside it. “S...…
…34 | MARCH 14 • 2024 This is her first time drawing a tragedy, she says, and she tries to make it as smooth as possible. She does pencil sketches and then heads to the sand table, which has a camera above it, and starts to shoot. She has an editor that edits it and adds voiceover and music and sends it to the staff. “I’m the last person that works on it. First, they collect the stories, they edit it and they record it, and when it...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 35 TEE UP TO RETIREMENT Tuesday, March 19 at 11:30 am Meer Apartments | 6760 W Maple Rd | West Bloomfield, MI 48322 RSVP to Beth (248) 592-5026 TTY# 711 or info@jslmi.org Seating is limited, call now to reserve your space! Lunch, Learn & Stay in the Swing. What can you do to stay in the game on and off the golf course? Franklin Hills Country Club’s Kimberly Brennan and JSL’s Tracey Proghovnick have the answers. Joi...…
…36 | MARCH 14 • 2024 world. For me, it means a lot. ” Actress Andreea Shvartz got a call from Dvorin two weeks after the war began. “She asked me to come give my voice to one of the testimonies of one of the heroes of Oct. 7, and I didn’t think about it at all, I just said ‘yes’ because I wanted very much to do something, ” she says. She went to the recording studio, learned a woman’s story and also came to understand the project’...…
…MARCH 14 • 2024 | 37 Anita Blender 248-444-9400 anita@blenderrealty.com The home building industry has notoriously been dominated by men. Not much has changed in the past decade, and Anita Blender thought it was time! Anita, owner/broker of Blender Realty, has 25 years of experience in all facets of residential real estate. Her boutique real estate company offers a variety of services: marketing and sales to home builders, counse...…
…38 | MARCH 14 • 2024 J N J ewish Working Women’s Network, which will hold its next event April 17, is providing a way for Jewish women to grow their businesses and build meaningful networks, say Jewish businesswomen, at a time when being connected and supporting each other is more important than ever. The group, which is a program of the Jewish Federation of Detroit Women’s Philanthropy Department, has evolved over time, moving meeti...…
