…DECEMBER 23 • 2021 | 49 ReelAbilities Film Festival, which focuses on films by and about people with disabilities.” Ever the director, Dr. Magidson once told Rabbi Norman Roman to save a poem recited at a memorial service. Rabbi Roman got the message, and passed the poem along to Rabbi Gutmann. It defined what can bring greatness to life and included dreams, truths, worth earned and help given — qualities attributed to Magidson ...…
…50 | DECEMBER 23 • 2021 BRONCHA ALTUS, 95, of West Bloomfield, died Dec. 13, 2021. She is survived by her sons and daughters- in-law, Mark and Brenda Altus, Joel and Cathy Altus, Harvey and Nancy Altus; grandchildren, Staci Andrade Altus (fiancé, KC Limback), Kari (Kevin) Miller, Julie Altus, Jordan (Lori) Altus, Angela Altus (Michael Egbert) and Shana Altus; great-grandchildren, Matti, Lia, Ella and Ava; many other family m...…
…DECEMBER 23 • 2021 | 51 continued on page 52 Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. CLAIRE FINN, 96, of Rockville, Md., died Dec. 15, 2021. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Gayle Finn; daughter and son-in-law, Debi and Ken Greene; grandchildren, Erika Finn, Courtney (Brad) Elson, Lindsey Finn, Robyn Greene (Jason Bellamy), Samantha Greene (Peter Dudley), Shayna and Benjamin Finn; great- grandchildren, Ha...…
…OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY 52 | DECEMBER 23 • 2021 may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. RICHARD LULKIN, 84, of Farmington Hills, died Dec. 11, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Linda Lulkin; son and daughter- in-law, Sam and Jill Lulkin; daughter, Jennifer Lulkin- Bartlett; grandchildren, Emily Lulkin, Ethan Lulkin and Merrick Bartlett; sister, Renee Ettinger; sister-in-law, Joann She...…
…DECEMBER 23 • 2021 | 53 Rhonda Verona; grandchildren, Bradley Verona, Brandon Verona and Jessica Verona; sister-in-law, Paula Polan; several adored nieces, nephews and wonderful, lifelong friends. Mr. Verona was the dear brother-in-law of the late John Polan; the devoted son of the late Florence and the late Abe Verona; the loving son-in-law of the late Ruth Trivax Waxer; the cherished brother of the late Eleanor and the late Dr....…
…Looking Back From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org 54 | DECEMBER 23 • 2021 Oh, Christmas Tree D r. Jeff London’s essay in the recent Dec. 2 issue of the JN, “The Most Chanukah Time of the Year … Making Peace with Christmas, ” intrigued me. London provided a personal review of grow- ing up Jewish and dealing with a non-Jewish religious holiday that dominates America ...…
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…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 3 contents PURELY COMMENTARY 4-12 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 14 Armed with Knowledge JScreen Detroit offers affordable genetic screening for cancer, diseases and more. 18 Hands-On Learning JOIN summer internship program gets new leadership. 20 New Teen Hangout BBYO Michigan opens new office in West Bloomfield with space for Jewish teens. 22 Parental Advice Loving your kids, even...…
…4 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 for openers Laughing Through Tears T his column was supposed to appear last week. But I only got one sentence into my usual monthly “attempt” at humor and abruptly stopped. Actually, I had begun with a question: “Have you heard about former Detroit Tiger Max Scherzer’s newest contract?” That question still existed a week later, by itself, with a blank page below it. I saved the document file on Nov....…
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…6 | DECEMBER 16 • 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 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send changes to: D...…
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…8 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 J ust as we’re exiting COVID lockdown into a touch-starved world, I’ve had the uncomfortable realization that my family’s tradition of hugging needs to be re-examined. Hugs have always been complicated for me. I grew up in a family where hugging was very important. And not just hugs, but long, intimate embraces. These hugs became famous and infamous, meaningful and memorable. On the surface, my family’...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 9 mostly the room was filled with people who simply knew who I was. Assumptions were made about my comfort embracing others, which was understandable, given my hugging history. There were people present whom I would have wished to hug, but I felt compromised and watched, unable to make decisions freely. When I informed people that I was uncomfortable with hugs, some ignored me and hugged me anyway. Some b...…
…10 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY opinion Larry David has Never Been More Jewish than in this Season’s ‘Curb’ C urb Your Enthusiasm has always been a Jewy show, but this season it is downright Jewish. On the HBO sitcom, now in its 11th season, Larry David has never been shy about surfacing, and lampooning, Judaism and Jewishness. He has contemplated the dilemmas of Holocaust survival, waded into the Israeli-Palestin...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 11 Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association and a member of Temple Israel, received the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honor) award, the highest French order of merit, on Oct. 20. Conferred by President of France Emmanuel Macron, the award rec- ognizes Gary’s service in spearheading France’s tran- sition to a technology-for- ward society and organizing CES, the world’s foremost te...…
…12 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY opinion Abraham Accords Represent a Groundbreaking Model for Mideast Peace L ast year’s normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco featured all the pomp and circumstance you might expect — handshakes, verbal affirmations of mutual support and photo ops reminiscent of past “groundbreaking signings” between Israel and its neighbors. Naysayers will ...…
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…14 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 J Family, a program of the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit in West Bloomfield, is lowering the financial barrier to those who want to learn if they are genetically predis- posed to certain hereditary cancers or diseases through its new JScreen Detroit program that launched Nov. 6. Without health insurance, costs of reproductive genetic and cancer screening can run as high as $600. But tha...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 15 PHOTOS COURTESY OF JFAMILY BRCA2 mutation. When such mutations are detected, the next steps are to meet with a team of genetic counselors to learn the next steps of preventative intervention. That can mean more frequent and earlier-in-life cancer screenings, preventative surgeries and even emerging medical treatments, such as a new class of drugs called PARP inhibitors, that have dramati- cally progressed o...…
…OUR COMMUNITY 16 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 would go to and what to do in the worst-case scenario. It was powerful to have a plan within less than a week of my diagno- sis, whereas for others it may take weeks to even be seen by a specialist to receive a diagnosis. ” Foon had a double mastec- tomy in December 2020 and began chemotherapy later that month. Now, like her mother, she is cancer-free. She emphasized that the pub- lic should not...…
…Detroit: 400 Renaissance Center, Ste. 1404, Detroit, MI 48243 • 313-567-6837 Bloomfield Hills: 39475 Woodward Ave, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 • 248-792-9609 J O E M U E R . C O M DETROIT’S PREMIER Destination SEAFOOD DINING Established in 1929, Joe Muer Seafood is known for serving the world’s most celebrated and exclusive seafood from regions across the globe. For over 10 years, the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group has continued th...…
…18 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY W hen Elana Weinstein moved back to Metro Detroit early in 2021 for a job at JVS Human Services, after previous career moves to Chicago and Denver, she felt her life had gone full circle. Not only was she working at the agency where, in 2009, she had her first experience of working in the Jewish nonprofit world, but she was also heading the same program that had given her that first start. Wei...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 19 JOIN program in 1987, retired from JVS Human Services in August 2021 after a long and successful career. Weinstein is, however, happy to be building on Silver’s legacy, helping to expand the JOIN Network for alumni of the program, pro- viding mentoring and career advice, and increasing social media for the program with a new Instagram channel. Weinsten also introduced “Fireside Chats” for student participa...…
…20 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 F or more than 97 years, BBYO (former- ly B’nai B’rith Youth Organization) has given teenagers a place to build friendships, leadership skills and their Jewish identity. Now, the Michigan Region, which serves 13 local chapters and more than 1,000 Metro Detroit teens annually, has a brand- new space to call home. They recently opened a new office and teen hangout at 7115 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 220, in ...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 21 action everyone needs,” Ellis says. “What we’re seeing now is that teens are showing up, they’re really excited, they miss each other, and they want to be in person. So, this is a perfect time to be in BBYO and be a part of this new space.” NEW SPACE, NEW STAFF The office isn’t the only thing that’s new, three new staff members joined BBYO Michigan in August and September. They are Regional Director Audre...…
…22 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 A lmost all parents have been there: Your child acts up and you realize that, although you love her at that moment, you can’t stand her! West Bloomfield educational consultant Franki Bagdade provides constructive ways to face this in her new book, I Love My Kids But I Don’t Always Like Them, published earlier this year by MSI Press LLC. Bagdade, a West Bloomfield mother of three — girls 14 and 12 (turni...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 23 SHE REALIZED CHILDREN IN SHE REALIZED CHILDREN IN THE MIDDLE OF A TANTRUM THE MIDDLE OF A TANTRUM WEREN’T SO MUCH WEREN’T SO MUCH GIVING GIVING HER A HARD TIME, THEY WERE HER A HARD TIME, THEY WERE HAVING HAVING A HARD TIME. A HARD TIME. That doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be consequences, she says. But consequences should be decided logically and be directly related to the behavior — for example, ta...…
…24 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY A fter a year’s hiatus due to COVID, a group of 39 Detroiters were happy to reconvene for their annual hiking trip in September. The 2021 hik- ing adventure in the Bend, Oregon, area was the Detroit Hikers 19th hiking trip. The trips are organized by Richard Stoler, D.O., Bloomfield Hills, who says that there are now more than 140 alumni of the group. They enjoy the camaraderie, out- door b...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 25 V eterans Day is always an extremely busy time for WWII Jewish War Veteran (JWV) Arthur “ Art” Fishman. The 94-year old Oak Park resi- dent’s calendar is filled with nonstop events. His week in and around Veterans Day this year includ- ed participating in Detroit’s annual Veterans Day parade, attending the annual Veterans Shabbat service at Shaarey Zedek and representing the JWV at a ceremony at Great La...…
…26 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY M ichigan Jewish War Veterans (JWV) were once again well represented at Veterans Day events this year, both as par- ticipants and as honorees. Congregation Shaarey Zedek held its annual Veterans Shabbat on Saturday, Nov. 6. The program featured the Southfield Police Department Color Guard, which led a large processional of veterans down the center aisle of the sanctu- ary, with proud family ...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 27 ART FISHMAN was among the dignitaries in attendance. HONORED AT HMC A busy month for the JWV also included several post members being honored guests at the Holocaust Memorial Center’s (HMC) 37th annual anniversa- ry benefit held Nov. 14 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. The JWV were given a warm round of applause after being asked to stand and be recognized. The event marked the return of the...…
…28 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 W hen Miri Halpern was grow- ing up in Oak Park, she could not find modest clothing for herself locally. She usually shopped for clothing on visits to New York City or Lakewood, New Jersey. Halpern had held a variety of jobs, including bookkeeping, but she always dreamed of opening a business of her own, although she wasn’t sure what kind. She thought of selling maternity supplies or baby’s needs. And then,...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 29 T he Infrastructure Act, signed by President Joe Biden on Nov. 15, includes a section offering direct grants to nonprofit insti- tutions that upgrade their ener- gy efficiency. Section 40542 appropriates $50 million to pay for grants of up to $200,000 to nonprofits that increase their energy efficiency. Secular and religious orga- nizations, including the Jewish Federations of North America...…
…30 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 T he Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus announced a donation in the amount of $15 million from the Zekelman fami- ly and Zekelman Industries. The gift is the single largest charitable donation received in the Holocaust Memorial Center’s 37-year history. The donation represents the lead gift toward the Holocaust Memorial Center’s $100 million Comprehensive Campaign. The financial commitment i...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 31 faces&places The 13th annual JVS Human Services Trade Secrets Event was held Nov. 11 at the Detroit Marriott Troy. The event raised $273,803, through sponsorship and ticket sales, for Women to Work, a program that offers intensive assessment, testing and job search training for women needing immediate employment. This year’s honorary chair and keynote speaker at Trade Secrets was Shari Finsilver, who has ded...…
…32 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 faces&places The community came out on Friday, Dec. 3, to celebrate Temple Beth El’s Hanukkah Extravaganza Shabbat! The Kid-ish Club started the night with a special meet-up before joining the Temple- wide party for dreidel competitions for all ages, a beautiful sand art project created by local artist Gail Kaplan, latkes and donuts from the Donut Bar food truck, and so much more. The celebration cont...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 33 MAZEL TOV! JAN. 1, 2021 Meryl (Meisner) and Hector Chen of Beaufort, S.C., announce the birth of their son, Irving Yiping Chen. Maternal grandparents are David, former Detroiter, and Pamela Meisner of Wyoming, Ohio. Paternal grandparents are Lin Chen and Sui Chen of Cincinnati, and Medea Meng of New York, N.Y. Great-grandparents are the late Lillian and the late Irving Meisner; Irving Yiping is named for this...…
…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...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 35 Shomrey Emunah Southfield (248) 559-1533 congregation-shomrey- emunah-105705.square.site The Shul-Chabad Lubavitch West Bloomfield (248) 788-4000 theshul.net Woodward Avenue Shul Royal Oak (248) 414-7485 thewas.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 ...…
…J acob was on his deathbed. He summoned his children. He wanted to bless them before he died. But the text begins with a strange semi-repetition: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.” (Gen. 49:1-2) This seems to be saying the same thing twice, with one difference. In the first sentence, there is a reference to “what will happen ...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 37 ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, went to him and said, ‘This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.’ Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ‘Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.’ And Hezekiah wept bitte...…
…38 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 T his Shabbat Genesis con- cludes with the death of patriarch Jacob. Until now, we hear only brief details regarding the deaths of personalities and there is no mention of any illnesses preceding a death. Jacob becomes the first of our ancestors to be identi- fied as sick. As Jacob nears the end, his son Joseph is informed of his father’s illness, prompting Joseph to see Jacob. Joseph is told: Hineh Avi...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 39 ARTS&LIFE BOOK REVIEW I t is 1924. The Soviet Army had drafted two of the sons of widow Gellis, and then sent notice that the boys were dead. She was not going to let the army get another of her sons. By the time David Gellis reached draft age at his 16th birth- day, she had arranged a plan for him to escape. He would hide in the concealed closet in the basement. On that birthday, when the soldiers searched...…
…40 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 A “NORMAL” KENNEDY CENTER HONORS AND A LAST, MOVING NOTE The Kennedy Centers Honors are annually given to five people in the per- forming arts for their lifetime contributions to American culture. The honorees this year are Lorne Michaels, 77, Bette Midler, 76, Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Justino Diaz, a Puerto Rican opera singer, and famous singer/songwrit- er Joni Mitchell. The Honors are a week...…
…DECEMBER 16 • 2021 | 41 HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS DEC. 17-19 Two shows on Friday and Saturday at Orchestra Hall in Detroit. share Detroit’s favorite holiday musical tradition with family and friends and thrill to the spectacle of the season. Stuart Chafetz returns to lead a sparkling celebration with carols and classics that sells out year after year. To protect the health and well-being of its patrons, musicians and staff due to ...…
…sports HIGHlights brought to you in partnership with NMLS#2289 42 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 Jackie Kallen is the First Lady of Boxing, the most successful female manager in boxing history. She’s also a sought-after and pro- lific public speaker. So much so that Bruce Merrin’s Celebrity Speakers Bureau and Kallen reached an agreement this month to have the speakers bureau represent the 75-year-old West Bloomfield resi- dent. “They’re t...…
