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…JULY 1 • 2021 | 3 contents Purely Commentary 4-9 Essays and viewpoints Florida Disaster 10 Mom’s Instinct Saves Family 30 Searching for Victims Jewish community and Israel respond to condo collapse. Our Community 12 Fighting Antisemitism at U-M One-sided diatribes against Israel cross the line. 18 Thank You, Gilda! Gilda Jacobs reflects on four decades of public service. 20 Homecoming Rabbi Blair Nosanw...…

…4 | JULY 1 • 2021 for openers Internal Workings I f you can stomach it, I would like to get right to the heart of the matter: the bones and blood of what makes our conversations tick. Are you the person who is always a bundle of nerves? If so, you will get on people’s nerves. You would have to have a lot of nerve to ignore their reactions to you. Devotion to a cause means that you must give blood, sweat and tears. Such devo- ...…

…Sophia Lyn Aaron | Emily Sarah Abrams | Joshua Evan Bertman | Chason Alexander Brodsky | Natalie Jane Brooks | Andrew Eli Cohen Carly Sarah Cohen | Benjamin Max Cohon | Natalie Grace Cooper | Noah Benjamin Eaton | Zachary Harrison Eisman Logan Carly Forman | Isabelle Rose Freund | Shelby Faith Ginsburg | Samantha Ellie Green | Mia Olivia Hirsch | Miles Devin Hirsch Ethan Matthew Ingber | Ethan Alexander Johnson | Amelia Josephine Kaftan ...…

…6 | JULY 1 • 2021 essay Israeli Arabs, Jews Refuse to Be Enemies W alking under the silver-laced sky late at night on May 20, with our beloved dog Lucy, I look up at the moon, which is not new, in fact, it’s very old, much older and wiser than we all are, and I pray: Help me to help people understand. It’s a simple prayer, on the surface, for a writer who always uses words to explain life. But its complexity con- founds me, ...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 7 when the United Nations was voting on its resolution equat- ing Zionism with racism, and when anti-Israel and anti-Jew- ish slogans began to show up on buildings in some sections of Paris. And I wasn’t afraid when the Latin Quarter’s only Jewish student restaurant was bombed in 1979 — injuring 26 people — or in 1982 when attackers fired submachine guns and hurled grenades into Jo Goldenberg’s, a restaurant in the...…

…8 | JULY 1 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY bor, has already advertised the T-shirts to our Kibbutz and everyone is asking for one. War or no war, we will be wearing these T-shirts on many occasions. No matter what gov- ernment is in power, and what terrorist organization it seems to be playing into the hands of, there are thousands and thousands of Jews and Arabs in Israel who are and will be work- ing together for peace in the Middle E...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 9 Lincoln Shopping Center Greenfield and 10½ Mile Advance America ALDI Bling Bling Book Beat Church’s Chicken Conservative Cuts Dollar Castle DTLR Dr. Lazar J Anthony Kroger Lee Beauty Supply McDonalds Metro PCS Metropolitan Dry Cleaners Mookey’s Beans & Greens Original Bread Basket Rainbow Step In Style Street Corner Music Suit Depot T Nails Top That White Castle FROM THE SHOPS AT Click. Call....…

…10 | JULY 1 • 2021 A survivor of the Miami-area build- ing collapse has described how the condo came down in three stages, giving him and his family time to escape the deadly disaster after their mother told them to run for their lives. Gavriel Nir said that the condo complex in the town of Surfside near Miami, fell to pieces over a period of a few minutes on June 24. The 12-story oceanfront Champlain Towers South pancaked in ...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 11 Supported through the generosity of The Jewish Fund and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Family Foundation. Need help taking care of a parent? ☐ Call jhelp at 1-833-445-4357 ☐ Visit jhelp.org ☐ Chat online with a staff member or schedule a call at jhelp.org ☐ Do all of the above X Q We Have Answers. DETROIT’S PREMIER BOUTIQUE AUCTION HOUSE JOIN US FEBRUARY 7 th FOR OUR EXCLUSIVE ONLINE AUCTION FEATURING ICO...…

…12 | JULY 1 • 2021 Fighting Antisemitism at U-M …

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 13 F ollowing the May conflict between Hamas and Israel, University of Michigan students, parents and alumni were astonished at an onslaught of one-sided statements con- demning Israel from student organizations such as the U-M Central Student Government (CSG), the College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA), an email sent by the Ross School of Business BBA Council to all its con- tacts, and dozens of othe...…

…OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 13 14 | JULY 1 • 2021 GEO member Amir Fleischmann said he was involved in penning the GEO statement to push the organization to “take a stronger position against Israeli apart- heid.” “I am proud to be Jewish and that my labor union is finally standing up for Palestinian human rights.” said Fleischmann, who is a graduate student and lecturer studying political theory. When asked how the one-si...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 15 OUR COMMUNITY continued on page 16 Executive Director Tilly Shemer stated that the widely distrib- uted, one-sided messages “made many Jewish students who are concerned about Israel in this moment feel upset, unseen and unrepre- sented … Jewish and non-Jew- ish students who have chosen to speak publicly about these statements or share their concern for Israel and how it is depicted or even just call for neut...…

…16 | JULY 1 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 15 antisemitism. The best way to “move forward,” is to adapt the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, which includes demonizing Israel, she said. In 2018, Smith sat through a mandatory guest lecture presentation that juxta- posed images of Benjamin Netanyahu and Adolf Hitler with the caption “genocide.” “When I was a ...…

…Awards NOMINATE YOUR HARDWORKING VOLUNTEERS Volunteering is an important part of Jewish tradition. The Metro Detroit Jewish Community is blessed with individuals, families and organizations who give their time and energy to make the world better. As such, the Detroit Jewish News is excited to announce our first annual We will honor a select number of members of our Metro Detroit Jewish community whose volunteer efforts have been instru...…

…18 | JULY 1 • 2021 T he Michigan League for Public Policy in Lansing announced that its president and CEO, Gilda Z. Jacobs, will retire at the end of the year after 11 years with the organization and four decades of public service. The League, founded in 1912, is a nonpartisan policy institute dedicated to economic opportu- nity for all. Jacobs’ lifelong love for public service is deeply rooted in her Jewish values. “Tikkun olam ha...…

…Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit will take place on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 7:30 p.m. The Berman Center for the Performing Arts West Bloomfield, MI 48322 Petition Candidates: Other persons may be nominated for membership on the Board of Governors by petition signed by not less than one hundred (100) members of the Jewish Federation and filed with the Chief Executive Offi...…

…20 | JULY 1 • 2021 BY JERRY ZOLYNSKY A fter serving several rabbinical intern posts in New York and Connecticut, trying her hand as one of the country’s few schochetet (a female ritual slaughterer) and teaching class- es that wove common threads between the transformative nature of studying Torah and pickling food, Rabbi Blair Nosanwisch returns to her Detroit roots. This April, she joined the cler- gy at Adat Shalom Synagogue...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 21 A cclaimed musician Mike Posner chose climbing Mount Everest in Nepal this year for his next physical challenge after touring part of the U.S. on foot two years ago. After months of preparation, the former Southfield resident and his crew reached the sum- mit of Everest on June 1. “It was humbling to be there, ” said Posner of Eagle County, Colo. A graduate of Birmingham Groves High School, as well as Duke Univ...…

…22 | JULY 1 • 2021 T he name Pat Blackwell brings to mind one thing in the Metro Detroit Jewish party-planning commu- nity: Indispensable. The founder and face of the Red Coat Ladies (named for their iconic, eponymous attire), Blackwell has been running the show for bar and bat mitzvahs and weddings for close to 25 years under the name Party Assurance. From wrangling in unruly tween guests to sewing brides into their dresses las...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 23 Orthodox wedding for my employees, ” Blackwell says. “That was fun. ” “Week after week, we at Party Assurance are training vendors to work with Jewish customs. After the ketubah signing, for example, we know that the rabbi is coming back to do the bedekken, but the photographer’s gone because they think they’re done so I’m running after the photographer to come back, ” Blackwell says. “The chuppah might be made...…

…OUR COMMUNITY 24 | JULY 1 • 2021 T wo years ago, Samantha Merecki, a student at L ’ Anse Creuse High School-North in Macomb Township, was scrolling through Instagram. Samantha, who is Jewish, stopped at a post about a synagogue being vandalized and realized antisemitism was still rampant, despite it being many decades since the Holocaust occurred. Then, she saw a post about a synagogue holding a drill to teach people what to do in...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 25 T he ongoing border clo- sure between the U.S. and Canada continues to impact Jewish communities in both countries. These effects are felt especially hard in Windsor and Detroit, where Jewish life is often intertwined with families living on both sides of the bor- der and Metro Detroit residents attending school in Windsor and vice-versa. Since March 2020, the border has been closed to nonessential travel due to...…

…26 | JULY 1 • 2021 P roduction on Keith Famie’s Shoah Ambassadors Holocaust documentary film continued on June 23, as high school students, guests and the two young Shoah Ambassadors themselves took part in a virtu- al Yad Vashem experience. At the Emagine Theatre in Novi, ambassadors Hailey Callahan, 23, and Curtis Bates, 20, sat in the theater with a camera crew filming their experience while designated hosts at Yad Vashem, t...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 27 resonate with the younger generation. “It’s a much better way, it might be the only way,” said Kevin Wang, a 16-year-old Novi High School student. “Especially Curtis, I loved his song and would definitely lis- ten to it outside of this event, at home while I’m studying or something. The way his lyrics are worded gives an accurate depiction of what actually happened, and it’s not just random words thrown togeth- ...…

…28 | JULY 1 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY A s Congregation Beth Ahm’s project chair Debra Darvick fit- tingly stated, this was a situa- tion where “too many cooks do not spoil the sauce.” The situation was an inspir- ing one — Metro Food Rescue, a local food rescue and redis- tribution organization, held a batch cooking event at Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield on June 22, before taking the cooked meals to City Covenant Church in the Brightmoor ...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 29 S hirley Benyas, 93, a resident of Jewish Senior Life’s Meer Apartments in West Bloomfield for the past six years, has been teaching a Yiddish class for other Meer residents for nearly two months. Benyas learned to read, write and speak Yiddish through an afterschool program from the time she was 8 years old until her first year in college. She was also a Detroit Public Schools teacher for nearly 40 years. The c...…

…30 | JULY 1 • 2021 W hile the wait con- tinues for word on those missing after Champlain Towers South, a condominium in the heavily Jewish area of Surfside, Fla., par- tially collapsed on June 24, area Jewish groups stepped in to offer support to the community and to family members who have arrived to the area seeking news. As of Monday morning, nine people had been confirmed dead, and the number of people unaccounted for had ris...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 31 Services of South Florida and Mishkan Miami: The Jewish Connection for Spiritual Support, are providing financial assistance, chaplaincy support, crisis counseling and social ser- vices to people impacted by the tragedy. They have established a fund to help with expenses, and Jewish federations elsewhere have been sharing that link with their members. The Young Israel of Bal Harbour and The Shul of Bal Harbour w...…

…32 | JULY 1 • 2021 T here will be a JCC Maccabi Games in 2021. It won’t look like a traditional Maccabi Games, and the event was organized far more quickly than normal. But nobody is complaining after the Maccabi Games were canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it appeared the same thing would happen in 2021. Here’s the best news for local Jewish teens: Detroit athletes have been invited to participate in the 2...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 33 Maccabi Games experience than sports competitions because of the limited num- ber of sports, but that’s fine because the experience is a very important part of the Maccabi Games, ” Gordon said. Out-of-town athletes must pay for their transportation to San Antonio and hotel stay, which is about $150 per room per night. Each room can have up to three people. The JCC Association of North America will cover uni- form...…

…34 | JULY 1 • 2021 ERETZ E ach month, we’ll feature a Metro Detroiter who has made aliyah. Q: Tell me about your life in Detroit and what your connection was to Israel. Rachel Lichtenstein: I was born in Israel, but I was raised in Detroit from the age of 3. I went to Thompson Junior High [Southfield] and Vandenberg Elementary [Detroit]. Although I was raised in Detroit, I used to come back and forth to Israel all the time. I ...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 35 BUSINESS A fter 10 years in business, local Jewish-owned toy store chain Toyology Toys is sticking to the same goal: to remain in the Klar family and to continue being there for the community. “We want to be a staple in everyone’s home,” says Nori Klar, 62, founder of Toyology Toys. “We don’t want to be the biggest company around.” Launched in 2011 at their inaugural West Bloomfield location by Nori Klar and ...…

…36 | JULY 1 • 2021 Aric Klar continues. “But when we think of toys, we think the brain.” Toyology Toys sees customers of all ages shopping in their stores, including both kids and adults who have autism. They also see adults who are navigating memory loss and are turning to toys for their memory-boosting properties. “These toys became a staple for education,” Aric Klar says. “Once that staple became clear, I think we official...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 37 HOW TO SUBMIT ANNOUNCEMENTS Mazel Tov! announcements are welcomed for members of the Jewish community. Anniversaries, engagements and weddings with a photo (preferably color) can appear at a cost of $18 each. Births are $10. There is no charge for bar/bat mitzvahs or for special birthdays starting at the 90th. For information, contact Editorial Assistant Sy Manello at smanello@thejewishnews.com or (248) 351-5147 for i...…

…38 | JULY 1 • 2021 SPIRIT TORAH PORTION I n this week’s Torah portion, we learn of the daugh- ters of Zelophehad: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. The first thing which makes this story unique is that we know the women’s names. So often in the Torah we don’t know the female characters’ names, let alone what they thought, felt or said. The women approach Moses with a request. Since the Israelite laws of inheritance at...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 39 How Can Israel’s Orthodox Prime Minister Run the Country? S ince Israel declared its inde- pendence in 1948, the top political leadership has largely been represented by figures from the so-called “secular” community — sec- ular but committed Jews who understand and embrace the importance and sanctity of our tra- ditions. Still, the fact that Israel’s new prime minister hails from the religious Zionist community ...…

…40 | JULY 1 • 2021 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...…

…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 Israel Lansing (517) 882-0049 kehillatisrael.net Congregation T’chiyah Ferndale (248) 823-7115 tchiyah.org Reco...…

…D rummer Sean Perlmutter leads his own jazz trio, MOUTHBREATHr, but he also performs and records with other groups around Michigan. Most recently, he joined with the Paxton/Spangler Septet for the recording, Anthem for the New Nation, which will be introduced July 11 at the Cadieux Café in Detroit. The album consists solely of compositions by Abdullah Ibrahim, a pianist who mostly performs his own work. “The recorded music came ...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 43 A sia is a journey into a complicated and complex mother-daughter relationship that proves to be heart- warming and heart-wrenching at the same time. The Russian- and English-language film, which has a quick runtime of just 85 minutes, is playing at the Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township now through July 8 and is available for streaming through the Detroit Institute of Arts now through July 30 (dia.org/events/dft-h...…

…44 | JULY 1 • 2021 WHO’S THE BOSS? BETTING ON MICHIGAN The animated film The Boss Baby: Family Business opens on July 2. Lisa Kudrow, 57, again is the voice of the Templeton brothers’ mother, and Jeff Goldblum, 68, is the voice of Dr. Armstrong, a busi- ness rival of the Templetons. Then there’s Lady Boss. A documentary about writer Jackie Collins (1937-2015) began streaming on CNN on June 27. Check listings for encore showings, an...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 45 OUTDOOR KABBALAT SHABBAT 6 PM, JULY 2 Adat Shalom Synagogue invites you to join them for an uplifting Friday eve- ning service, outdoors on the synagogue’s grounds. They will welcome new members of their clergy, Rabbi Dan Horwitz and Rabbi Blair Nosanwisch, director of spiritual care. Reservations are required and limited to the first 150 people to register. Contact the synagogue office at 248-851-5100. The ...…

…46 | JULY 1 • 2021 Good Food Good Decision HEALTHCARE A1 CAREGIVER/COMPANION. Experienced, excellent references. 248-991-4944 We Provide in home service care giver for individuals and elderly at their comfort level in their homes. Please call (734) 680-3803 or (734) 709-5288 Foot Doctor Available for Home Visits! Covered by Most Insurance. Foot Disorders and General Foot Care. Call Dr. Steve 248-219-2638 CAREGIVER. Cert. Medica...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 47 Basement & Garage Epoxy Flooring Specials Decorative / Metallic Epoxy Flake Flooring • Polished Concrete Concrete Floor Cracking Repairs Anti-Slip Coatings LOW COST HIGH QUALITY Basement & Garage Epoxy Flooring Specials Decorative / Metallic Epoxy Flake Flooring • Polished Concrete Flake Flooring • Polished Concrete Concrete Floor Cracking Repairs Concrete Floor Cracking Repairs Anti-Slip Coatings Anti-Slip Coatin...…

…48 | JULY 1 • 2021 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY ‘H ero of Israel, ” a “one- man space agency” and “huge loss for the defense establishment” are just some of the descriptions of Israel Defense Prize laureate and rocket scientist Aby Har-Even, who was injured during riots in Acre last month and died June 6 at age 84. His contribution to space exploration and Israel’s national security is unknown to most Israelis, and much of hi...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 49 continued on page 50 BERNICE BAER, 99, of West Bloomfield, died June 20, 2021. She is survived by her sons and daughter-in- law, Richard Baer and Frances Schott-Baer, and Jeffrey Baer; sister-in-law, Gwendolyn Klein; brother- in-law, Elbert Lipman; loving nieces and nephews. Mrs. Baer was the beloved wife of the late Melvyn J. Baer; the loving sister of the late Julian Klein and the late Harriet Lipman. Intermen...…

…50 | JULY 1 • 2021 continued from page 49 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY late Izzy King. Contributions may be made to Hospice of Michigan. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. RONALD M. ROTHSTEIN, 94, of West Bloomfield, died June 24, 2021. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Joyce Rothstein; daughters, Jane Rothstein and Emily Minns; sons and daughters- in-law, Charlie and Diana Rothstein, and J. Adam and Julie Rothstein; gra...…

…JULY 1 • 2021 | 51 great-grandchildren, Rotem, Ido, and Alon Kravi, Shachar, Ori and Zohar Mayan-Scheer, Drake and Eve Navarre, and Keagan and Riley Golemba. Mrs. Scheer was the beloved wife for 70 years of the late Martin Scheer; loving moth- er-in-law of the late Timothy Wright. Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to a breast cancer fund; Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W. Maple, Wes...…

…52 | JULY 1 • 2021 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY In loving memory of Marcia Applebaum z"l May her memory forever be a blessing. our building's namesake and a pillar of light in our community and beyond. Jewish Community Center Detroit Marcia Applebaum, 81, of Bloomfield Hills, died June 24, 2021. Marcia lived a life devot- ed to her family and com- munity. The love of her late husband, Eugene, was special and inspirational. They w...…