…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 3 contents Jan. 27-Feb. 2, 2022 / 25 Shevat- 1 Adar 1 5782| VOLUME CLX, ISSUE 24 PURELY COMMENTARY 4-12 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 14 Hostage Aftermath Examining the courage required to be a rabbi, community support, antisemitism and security. 18 University of Michigan Removes Schlissel as President Former University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman has been appointed interim pre...…
…4 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 PURELY COMMENTARY opinion Jews And Muslims Can Walk a Common Path. Martin Luther King Jr. Showed Us How. I n 1957, at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered words whose wisdom continue to resound today: “For the person who hates, the true becomes false and the false becomes true. That’s what hate does. You can’t see right. The symbol of objectivity is lost. Hate dest...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 5 gather a book group for clergy, so that we can study deeply and reflect upon social issues that we can best address together. We need to establish advocacy coalitions to push together for better governmental monitoring of Islamophobia and the overdue confirmation of Dr. Deborah Lipstadt as U.S. Special Envoy to Combat and Monitor Antisemitism. We need to dream about more Muslim-Jewish community centers an...…
…6 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 1942 - 2022 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: send changes to: De...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 7 DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com Discover the Difference Mortgage Rates at an All-Time Low There’s no better time than right now to make your dream home a reality with Toll Brothers. Reserve at West Bloomfield combines spacious ranch-style homes, a convenient location, and resort-style amenities to create luxury, low-maintenance living j...…
…8 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 of 10 prisoners who were then building Monowitz, the vast synthetic rubber factory whose construction took thousands of lives, yet produced not an ounce of the precious material. Those who did not die that winter would “suffer minute by minute, all day, every day.” In fact, the very word “winter,” Levi argues, seems inadequate to what the prisoners had to endure. “Just as our hunger is not the feeling of ...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 9 After being a finalist on the NBC show Last Comic Standing, comedian Gary Gulman is shining a spotlight on mental health in his HBO special, The Great Depresh, from executive producer Judd Apatow. With humor, vulnerability, and honesty, Gary destigmatizes mental illness, normalizes treatment and offers hope. Join us as he takes the stage for a night of comedy and connection. For registration and sponsorship infor...…
…10 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 opinion Importance of In-Person Prayer T he Jan. 15 hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, has inspired many fears: that there will be more violence directed at synagogues, that this attack will fuel Islamophobia, that increased policing at shuls will harm Jews of color. I think there is yet another danger, less immediate but nonetheless worth discussing. As Jewish commun...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 11 We lead increasingly atomized lives, buying in private rather than being in public. Private spaces are also inherently unequal. Not everyone has a computer, a quiet room and a reliable internet connection to access online services. For all their inclusiveness, online services will likely marginalize unhoused people; they will be most comfortable for those with large, spacious houses and up-to-date technol...…
…12 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 opinion Schools Must Coexist with COVID I am tired of COVID. I know you are, too. But here we are, dealing with a fourth wave of coronavirus, and beginning to wonder if we’re going to work our way all the way through the Greek alphabet and ultimately get to an Omega variant sometime this year or next. At least for those of us who are vaccinated and boosted, each new outbreak is somewhat less disrupti...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 13 …
…14 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY A s far back as Abraham and Sarah, Jews have been taught to be a welcoming people. Congregations and those who lead them have long championed the message, opening their doors, literally and figuratively, to their members and the broader community. “These are open spaces; there’s a strong, deeply rooted notion in Judaism about kindness to strangers and welcoming strangers,” says Howard Lup...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 15 continued on page 16 service when she heard ranting and shouting. She was shocked to learn her rabbi and three congregants were being held hostage. “During the ordeal, I thought, if I was ever in such a situation, [Rabbi Charlie] would be the person I would want with me because he’s such a calming presence,” she tells the JN. “ After learning the details since they escaped, I feel certain that he is the ...…
…16 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 whatever way worked for her,” Miller says. “... It is paralyzing to simply wait in fear.” Miller usually does not use email or social media on Shabbat, yet he put out a post to inform the Beth El community and to ask for prayers while also protecting the identity of the rabbi’s family members. Additionally, he sent a message to the Temple’s board of trustees and notified them that he would only send out a...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 17 started a school security program and focused on agencies serving children. In recent years, Federation has additionally helped agencies apply for National Department of Homeland Security grants and offered grant-matching programs to help synagogues improve their security. And when it comes to responding to incidents like the one recently in Texas, Detroit’s community also relies on close relationships wit...…
…18 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY T he University of Michigan Board of Regents on Jan. 15 announced it unanimously voted to remove Mark Schlissel as president due to an alleged “inappropriate relationship with a university employee.” They said an anonymous tip came on Dec. 8 alleging that Schlissel, the second Jewish president in U-M’s history, and the sub-ordinate were having an affair. “After an investigation, we learned...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 19 T his February, Rabbi Levi Dubov of Chabad Jewish Center of Bloomfield Hills will offer Meditation from Sinai, a fascinat- ing and deeply mean- ingful new six-session course by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), exploring the nature of Jewish med- itation, mindfulness and spirituality, and the profound benefits it can bring to one’s daily life. Meditation from Sinai is a rev- olutionary, empowering c...…
…20 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 F or 18 years, a group of protesters has gathered every Saturday outside one of this city’s synagogues during Shabbat morning ser- vices, brandishing signs with slogans such as “Jewish Power Corrupts.” Last week, for the first time, the city council of Ann Arbor issued a formal resolution condemning the protests as antisemitic. The resolution answers the pleas of members of Beth Israel Congregation, a Co...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 21 He said the city had issued some proclamation against the group in 2004, before he became mayor, but that a 2021 resolution condemning anti-Asian harassment had “resurfaced” the desire to issue something more force- ful against this group. Taylor has spoken out against the protests before and has visited the syna- gogue to apologize directly to congregants. The protesters “express antisemitic tropes, they ped...…
…22 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 OUR COMMUNITY J ewish Family Service (JFS) of Metropolitan Detroit continues to develop Lev Detroit (lev means heart in Hebrew), directed specifically toward the local Orthodox Jewish community. “Lev Detroit, JFS’s recent initiative to be as frum-friendly as possible, began in 2019 with JFSers Dini Peterson and Sammie Rosenbloom leading the charge, ” says JFS CEO Perry Ohren. “This follows almost 100 years ...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 23 continued on page 24 HEALTH Struggling to Sleep Try these tips to ensure you get your Zzzzzs. DORON LAZARUS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS A re you feeling that tension right about now? Is it the latest wave of COVID that is causing stress? (As if we didn’t have anything to worry about before COVID). Perhaps it’s a per- sonal financial issue? New job or conflict in the workplace? Having a rough time with you...…
…24 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 HEALTH and paper and pour out your concerns. Plan your next day. Right out some of your emotional angst. If talking things out is better for you then find a friend. You don’t need to come to a resolution, but you do need to process thoughts and emotions beyond your own head. 3. Sacred Space: Kabbalistically, a couple’s bedroom in their home parallels the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem. And tha...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 25 Look the age you really feel Gina Lopiccolo, MSN, APRN, FNP-C Enhance your natural beauty. Gina and Gail have specialized expertise in cosmetic dermatology and can help you explore the world of anti- aging and revitalizing aesthetic treatments. They address common concerns with many of today’s most sought after treatments including BOTOX® Cosmetic, dermal fillers, HydraFacial®, laser and energy in...…
…26 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 I f you are like most people, you’ve thought of health-related issues and little else during the past year and a half. Yet, at the same time, many of us have neglected our health during the pandemic. If this seems like an oxymoron, consider the fact that despite hours spent wiping down groceries and researching the best masks for our families, many of us stopped paying careful attention to what we e...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 27 BRUCE SMOLER D.D.S., F.A.G.D., F.I.C.O.I Changing the lives of thousands of dental patients, giving back the simplest pleasures of living like chewing, eating, smiling and laughing. State of the art implant robotic technology Zygomatic Dental Implants; solution for patients with bone loss SMOLER SMILES FAMILY & IMPLANT DENTISTRY | WESTLAND, MI FIND OUT MORE AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE 855-NEED-TEETH www.SmolerSmil...…
…28 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 Tips to Help Reduce Stress Spend time outside … even if it is cold! Being in nature helps release stress so venture outside for a few minutes each day to nurture a sense of wellbeing. Limit exposure to the news. We all need to stay informed about the world around us. But 24/7 exposure can cause a tremendous increase in our baseline stress levels. Instead, limit yourself to one half-hour news show eac...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 29 Navigating these times together 6445 W. Maple Road | West Bloomfield, MI 48322 | 248-661-1600 | wbhrc.com Choosing a skilled nursing facility for your loved one during these trying times can certainly seem daunting. Thankfully, impartial third-party experts are available to help distinguish the very best in the industry. We are honored that U.S. News & World Report has named West Bloomfield Health & Rehabilitation C...…
…30 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 J anuary and February are some of the toughest months for Michiganders. In previous years, an increase in mental health concerns during this time could be attributed in part to seasonal depression. Now, however, the ongoing COVID- 19 pandemic and surge of the Omicron variant are making this winter more challenging than ever for people in Metro Detroit. “There’s a feeling of hopelessness right now, ” says...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 31 very helpless and like they don’t have any control over the situation. ” Now, Michiganders are growing irritable. Schwartz is seeing a lot of “when is this going to be over?”-type thinking, with frustration mounting over rapidly changing guidance from the CDC. “The information changes every day, which seems to also create anxiety for people because nobody knows what the right answer is anymore, ” she says...…
…32 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 E ating disorders can be serious health problems but often are unrecog- nized or misunderstood. Dini Peterson, chief program offi- cer, Family and Community Services, Jewish Family Service (JFS) of Metropolitan Detroit, says that 9% of the American popu- lation is believed to have an eating disorder — two-thirds of them girls and women. Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating are mo...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 33 D eborah Dash Moore has taught Jewish history surrounding the Holocaust for 30 years and is confi- dent there always is a lot more to be learned by students and teachers. Moore, the Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor of history and professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan as well as editor-in-chief of the Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, applied that stance throughout the pande...…
…34 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 S ix million Jewish individuals were killed during the Holocaust, and many of the hundreds of European communities where they lived were essentially decimated. Afterward, beginning in the 1950s and continuing even today, some Jewish survivors of European villages, cities and regions began to publish books about their communities. They wanted to document the rich Jewish life of their hometowns, often dating ...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 35 moved to Farmington Hills), a library with archives was an important part of his plan. According to Weiss, “He wanted documentation.” Today the Zekelman memorial book collection is an important resource for Holocaust survivors and their children; individuals doing genealogy research; as well as students, researchers and authors. Cheri Eisenberg, a former Detroiter who now lives in Atlanta, explains that th...…
…36 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 ERETZ A lot of hopes are riding on the skates of Hailey Kops and Evgeni Krasnopolski. The figure-skating pair are among six athletes expected to represent Israel at the Beijing Olympics, Feb. 4–20. And Israel has never medaled at the Winter Games. “Yes, there’s a little pressure — but in the best way possible,” Kops tells ISRAEL21c. This will be the first Olympics for Kops, 19, and the third for Krasnopolski,...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 37 COMMUNITY but his Outstanding Athlete status allowed him to contin- ue training and competing. Relocating to New Jersey for intensive training, he returned to Israel every three months to put in his required time on base over the next five years. Hailey Kops first ventured onto the rink at 3 years old under the tutelage of her mother, Lisa, a U.S. Figure Skating Association gold medalist. Within a few years...…
…38 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 faces&places O n Jan. 19, close to 250 members of Temple Shir Shalom joined in-person and online for their annual “Tikkun Olam-a-thon” — a day of social action celebrating both Jewish values and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. From toddlers to octogenarian participants, there were projects for every age benefitting 10 different local orga- nizations. Projects ranged from making peanut butter and jelly...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 39 T he JCC Maccabi Games are back. Or, perhaps more appropriately, starting again 40 years after they began. After an unprecedented two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Olympic-style sports, cultural and social event for Jewish teens ages 13-16 will return this summer in San Diego. It appears 22 Detroit athletes will attend, perhaps a few more, a steep drop in attendance from previous ...…
…40 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 Antonio. In 2011, 31 Detroit teens went to Israel, 42 went to Philadelphia and 26 went to Springfield, Massachusetts. In the two years prior to Detroit being a Maccabi Games host in 2019, 59 Detroit teens went to Miami in 2017 and 58 went to Orange County (California) in 2018. About 70 to 75 Detroit athletes and artists were expected to participate in the 2020 Maccabi Games before they were canceled by the ...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 41 E very year I am amazed at the lessons in sensitivity that the Torah teaches us in this Torah portion. One would think that the Torah would begin its laws (mishpatim), given at Sinai, regarding the High Holidays or the service in the Tabernacle or the requirement to tithe, etc.; but it first chooses to discuss the unsavory person who is a thief and needs to be sold into servitude. The Torah is worried a...…
…42 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 W illiam Ury, found- er of the Harvard Program of Negotiation, tells a marvelous story in one of his books. A young American, living in Japan to study aikido, was sitting one afternoon in a train in the sub- urbs of Tokyo. The carriage was half empty. There were some moth- ers with children and elderly people going shopping. Then, at one of the stations, the doors opened, and a man staggered into the ca...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 43 there to offer help when others are suffering. And so it has proved to be. There were Jews helping Gandhi in his struggle for Indian independence; Martin Luther King in his efforts for civil rights for African Americans; Nelson Mandela in his campaign to end apartheid in South Africa. An Israeli medical team is usually one of the first to arrive whenever and wherever there is a natural disaster today. The ...…
…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 B’nai Israel Sy...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 45 Shomrey Emunah Southfield (248) 559-1533 congregation-shomrey- emunah-105705.square.site The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch West Bloomfield (248) 788-4000 theshul.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 Israel Lansing (517) 882-0049 kehillatisrael.net Congrega...…
…46 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 46 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 ARTS&LIFE THEATER O n March 11, 2020, casting for the workshop reading of the musical An Officer and a Gentleman, The Musical was a go. And then Broadway shut down the next day. In April 2020, the first script reading of An Officer and a Gentleman was moved from in-person to Zoom. “ And then the world went silent,” said Dan Lipton, An Officer and a Gentleman music supervisor, arrang...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 47 Details: Performance times for An Officer and a Gentleman appearing Feb. 1-13, 2022, at the Fisher Theatre, located at 3011 W. Grand Blvd. in Detroit are Tuesday through Saturday evening performances at 8 p.m., Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., Sunday evening performance at 7:30 p.m. and an open captioned performance on Sunday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $39 and include facility and park...…
…48 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 T he three members of the Corn Potato String Band began playing fun country music together in 2012, but it’s been almost three years since they’ve been able to appear in person as a trio. With entertainment venues opening again, they’re glad to resume taking their song styl- ings around Michigan with an appearance Thursday, Feb. 10, at The Ark in Ann Arbor. Sensing their energy geared up, the three dubbed...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 49 by the late famed fiddler Kenny Baker. McCaw does “Washington and Lee Swing,” a jazz version early on per- formed by Louis Armstrong. “We love to revel in the history and connection to the past, but we’re also very much about entertainment and humor,” explained Lewis, whose group has appeared in and out of the U.S. “It’s funny how we’ll find a song that’s been played by some kind of hillbilly string ...…
…50 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 ARTS&LIFE BOOK REVIEW Y udi Levine, a native Detroiter who now lives in Texas, has written a lively, funny, read- able, informative book about what could be a forbidding topic — legal thinking in the Talmud. This book is not for everyone, though. However, if you fit into the target audi- ence, you will certainly want to read his book, Are You Sure? (Volume 1) How Chazakahs Guide Us Through the Unknown (...…
…JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 51 thinking do not often con- sider what Kanye West did when presenting an award to Taylor Swift at the 2009 Video Music Awards — interrupting her presenta- tion to imply that Beyonce deserved the award. Levine judges Kanye West’s opinion correct — Beyonce deserved the award — but the action inappropriate. Levine uses this incident to illuminate the complex Talmudic discussion of a Kohen who seizes the agri- c...…
…52 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 MYSTERY IN 8 ACTS; BETTY CELEBRATED; GAME-CHANGING VACCINE? AT&T STAR UPDATE The Afterparty is an Apple+ series that premieres on Friday, Jan. 28. It centers on a murder mystery at a high school reunion. Each one of the series’ eight episodes features a retelling of the same night from a different character’s perspective. Each episode has its own unique visual style and film genre to match the teller’s ...…
