…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 3 PURELY COMMENTARY 4-12 OUR COMMUNITY 14 Fighting Back How to combat misinformation about the Israeli-Hamas conflict on social media. 18 United Against Antisemitism A community-wide rally urges action against hatred. 20 Air Force Over-Head Head coverings led Jewish and Muslim chaplains from Detroit to form a fast friendship. 21 New Leader at Yad Ezra 22 Bring Danny Home Efforts to secu...…
…4 | JUNE 10 • 2021 for openers Drop and Switch G ames with words can be fun: Scrabble, Spill & Spell, Words With Friends. One that fascinates me involves changing/replacing one letter at a time to lead to a new word. Here is an extended exam- ple (several sequences): Try your hand with your own; even challenge someone to play with you. There is no need, however, to provide narration as I do here; it is only to tie my attem...…
…2 0 2 1 J E W I S H F A M I L Y S E R V I C E A N N U A L M E E T I N G and Community Recognition Event Lifetime Achievement Award Norman R. Keane Micki Grossmanz”l ANITA BLENDER EMILY CAMIENER BECCA STEINMAN DEGROOT Thank you to the board members who will be rolling off this year. We appreciate your time, talents and dedication in supporting the mission of Jewish Family Service. MICHAEL BAUM GAIL DANTO BETH DAVIDSON MARA MOSS ...…
…6 | JUNE 10 • 2021 A s I started my day one Sunday morning, my first instinct was to look away when I drove toward an opossum and several babies that lay dead on my street cor- ner. Something made me slow down and take another look. I was shocked — the mother was clearly dead, but her stomach was moving up and down. I called my brother who trains and rescues wild ani- mals, and he reminded me that opossums are marsupials an...…
…INNOVATIVE. ENGAGING. ENLIVENING. TOTALLY CAPTIVATING. An expansive menu of freshly prepared meals and daily chef specials Fine arts performances A variety of thoughtfully planned, engaging activities Individual chauffeured transportation A host of technology- based enrichment Family engagement app All Seasons emboldens you to discover a dynamic range of enlightening perspectives and experiences each day. Ann Arbor ...…
…8 | JUNE 10 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY guest column A Letter to the Jewish Community I hope this letter finds you safe and healthy as we emerge from the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic to the promise of a brighter day. Please know the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and our local police agencies and public safety departments are working in concert to support your com- munity and faith. Tensions remain high amid ongoing threa...…
…MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SUMMERםינמזה ןיב Learn More at: YU.edu/BeinHazmanim | Info Session: June 24 at 8 p.m. ET • Study in 3.5 weeks of synchronous virtual classroom time, followed by 2.5 weeks of asynchronous coursework completed on your schedule. • Professionalize years of rabbinic counseling experience. Scholarships available, valued at over $11,000. • During the fall and spring, continue with online classes and gain practical ex...…
…10 | JUNE 10 • 2021 guest column Left in Silence A s a progressive Jew growing up with an Israeli father, I’ve always had a complex relation- ship with Israel. There was a saying that my dad loved and that made an impression on me: “Don’t be so open-minded that you fail to choose your own side in a fight. ” So many years later, I feel this tongue-in-cheek truism has something important to teach progressives as we navigate th...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 11 Supported through the generosity of The Jewish Fund and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Family Foundation. Facing financial dif iculty? ☐ 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. 6555 W. Maple Road • West Bloomfield, MI 48322 • 248.592.2687 • www.jewishhospice.org NO JEW IS EVER ALONE Jacquelin...…
…12 | JUNE 10 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY LEFT IN SILENCE continued from page 10 other words, just leave us alone, and we won’t stand between you and the Jewish state. It is this duck-and-cover response that has allowed the term anti-Zionist to somehow become acceptable in civil dis- course as anything but hatred of Jews. Repeating the specious argument that anti-Zionism is not antisemitic will never make it true. Zionism means suppo...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 13 SERVING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOR OVER 30 YEARS! NOAH BISHOP COHEN The Next Generation of “SOLD” ns.cohen26@gmail.com MELANIE BISHOP “SOLD” is my middle name melaniesold@aol.com 4130 Telegraph Rd. Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 MelanieSold.com 248.867.7800 OVER $63 MILLION SOLD IN 2020! BLOOMFIELD HILLS Renovated in 2020. 3755 sq. ft. plus f n. lower level, 3 bed, 4.2 baths. Sunlit & open with 2 story windows viewi...…
…OUR COMMUNITY I f you have supported Israel on your social media chan- nels by posting an Israeli flag in your profile picture only to receive a barrage of unsolic- ited hateful messages in your Facebook inbox or Twitter feed, or if you have been ousted or silenced in online professional forum groups after offering counterpoints to anti-Israel or antisemitic posts, you are not alone. Following the 11-day conflict between Israel a...…
…Fighting Online Antisemitism • File a report with the Anti- Defamation League (ADL) if you see hateful posts or imag- es online. Michigan.adl.org or (248) 353-7553 • If you witness hateful actions or statements on campus, con- tact the campus Hillel to work through the student govern- ment or the university admin- istration. • If you feel you have been silenced by professional organizations and Facebook groups regarding your pro- I...…
…16 | JUNE 10 • 2021 statement about the conflict that expressed complete solidarity with “indigenous” Palestinians, accused Israel of ethnic cleans- ing, and called for a divestment of all funding and academic col- laboration with Israel. Moss, a junior, said it “caught the Jewish student body completely by surprise. ” He and other Jewish students have created a petition to counter the statement and are asking the CSG for an apolog...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 17 they were screen-capturing private conversations and shar- ing them externally on social media. Lograsso-Gaitens said the infographic does not repre- sent the views of MI Core and has since been removed. Nancy Harf, who has been a longtime volunteer and fund- raiser in the Jewish community, said she was troubled that many of the small businesses in Detroit she likes to patron- ize came out in support of Palestini...…
…18 | JUNE 10 • 2021 A bout 200 people united on a very hot Sunday afternoon to show solidarity against a rising tide of antisemitism. The rally took place on June 6 on the west side of Orchard Lake Road north of 14 Mile in West Bloomfield. Representatives of a broad spectrum of the Jewish community led a united front against anti-Jewish bigotry and violence that is on the rise as tensions increase in the Middle East. Groups partici...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 19 star. We stand here today as proud Jews. “Hate against any one of us is hate against all of us,” Gould said. “The Jewish people know what it means to be silent to crimes against us. Today we say, we will not be silent. We will not bow to ter- ror. Never again!” Carolyn Normandin, regional director of ADL Michigan said, “My office is get- ting incident after incident after incident reported. “Incidents of hate must b...…
…20 | JUNE 10 • 2021 H e’s a kippah-wear- ing Jew from Oak Park and she’s a hijab-wearing Muslim from Dearborn — and the friend- ship they have forged in the U.S. Air Force has a lot to do with religion. Yosef (Yossie/Joe) Hochheiser and Maysaa Ouza are both captains in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) corps of the U.S. Air Force. For Hochheiser, 38, it’s a part-time gig as a member of the Air Force Reserves. But most of his wor...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 21 be the woman whose case he had researched. He emailed Ouza, who quickly responded. They email chatted about their experiences and their families and realized both had grown up in reli- gious families in Detroit. They became Facebook friends. About a year ago, Ouza was reassigned to Wright- Patterson; she and Hochheiser were excited to meet at last. But with Hochheiser on base only for short periods totaling abou...…
…22 | JUNE 10 • 2021 A s of JN press time, it has been over two weeks since the mili- tary junta in Myanmar detained journalist and Detroit native Danny Fenster, 37, at the Yangon International Airport May 24 as he was about to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur on the first leg of a journey back to see his family after being abroad for three years. Two weeks passed since Danny last texted his wife, Julianna, that she should call th...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 23 return to the United States. #BringDannyHome. ” Fenster is managing editor of online magazine Frontier Myanmar and has worked to cover life in that country before and during the coup. On May 24, the publication released a statement that it believes Fenster is being detained at Insein Prison. According to reports from the New York Times, Insein (pronounced “insane”) is a 134-year-old prison notorious for harsh...…
…T he North Farmington High School junior var- sity baseball team didn’t win a lot of games this season. Neither did the West Bloomfield High School freshman baseball team. But at least there was a season, after spring sports were canceled last year by the Michigan High School Athletic Association because of the rag- ing COVID-19 pandemic. And the young men on the North Farmington and West Bloomfield teams were able to begin their...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 25 “ Ari [Klinger] threw strikes. That’s the single most import- ant thing for a pitcher in freshman baseball, ” Rys said. “He was very efficient with his pitches, and he was a bull- dog. He finished every game he pitched, whether he started or relieved. I can remember only one ball hit hard off him all season. ” Klinger was 2-2, but with an 0.99 ERA. He allowed only 12 hits and three earned runs, struck out 25 and ...…
…26 | JUNE 10 • 2021 Bradley Evan Bellinger will chant from the Torah on the occasion of his bar mitzvah on Saturday, June 12, 2021, at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. He will be joined in celebration by his proud parents, Amy and Craig Bellinger, and sister Sydney. Bradley is the lov- ing grandchild of Diane Linick, the late David Linick, and Sharon and Bill Bellinger. He is a student at Clifford Smart Middle School in Co...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 27 Hechler 95th M ark Hechler will cele- brate his 95th birth- day on June 20, 2021, with family and friends. He is a World War II veteran and is still involved in many activities with friends. He and his wife, Rose, have been married for 73 won- derful years and are still going strong. He has two daughters, Ellen and Andi, a son-in-law, Mark, and five grandchildren. He especially enjoys playing cards with his gran...…
…W hen I spoke with Aviv Ezra, Israel’s consul general to the Midwest, it was Day 2 of what would become the 11-Day “Operation Guardian of the Walls, ” which began in response to Hamas rockets flying toward Jerusalem. During the past 48 hours, a thou- sand rockets had been fired at Israel and Ezra’s 80-year-old parents were in a bomb shelter as were a million other Israelis. Though he described the present as “extremely tense, ” he wa...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 29 “Say it with a clear voice, a proud voice, ” he urges. “Stand up and say, ‘We support Israel. ’” He finds the same problem on college campuses. “The major, major challenge I find is that the pro-Israel side does not respond, ” he says of his experiences on campuses throughout the Midwest. “We do not promote our narrative enough. “We need to zoom out to provide context and under- standing. For example, they say ...…
…30 | JUNE 10 • 2021 ERETZ Editor’s Note: As of press time, no announce- ment of a new Israeli prime minister has been made official, although a vote to elect Naftali Bennett must be taken by June 14. B enjamin Netanyahu may likely no longer be prime minister of Israel. So who will be the next person to lead the Jewish state? The answer will likely be Naftali Bennett, a former Netanyahu ally who supports many of his right-wing polic...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 31 Netanyahu. Since then, Bennett has served in various cabinet positions under Netanyahu alongside his longtime political partner, Ayelet Shaked — as diaspora affairs minister, education minister and defense minister. He later split from Jewish Home and now heads a right-wing party called Yamina. Last year, after an uneasy alli- ance with Netanyahu, Bennett broke with the prime minister and last week announced t...…
…32 | JUNE 10 • 2021 SPIRIT Arguing for Heaven’s Sake A mong the many gifts Judaism offers us are two seemingly contra- dictory notions. The first gift is future-oriented: When the mes- sianic era arrives, all humanity will unite behind shared truths and peace among peoples will prevail. In those times even “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb; the leopard (will) lay down with the kid ... And the lion, like the ox, shall eat str...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 33 mourns the loss of our friend May her memory be a blessing to her children, Julee Landau Shahon and Dr. Robert Shahon, Irving Marc Landau and Denise Landau, her grandchildren, great grandchildren, extended family, and to our entire community. Alene Landau of blessed memory 6555 W. Maple Road • West Bloomfield, MI 48322 • 248.592.2687 • www.jewishhospice.org NO JEW IS EVER ALONE Alene Landauz’l MARCH 30, 19...…
…34 | JUNE 10 • 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 bethtephilathmose...…
…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 Oak Park (248) 823-7115 tchiyah.org Reco...…
…36 | JUNE 10 • 2021 business SPOTlight brought to you in partnership with B I R M I N G H A M A ri Tolwin always wanted to be an entrepreneur. When the now 39-year-old based in Brooklyn, N.Y., was growing up in a Southfield yeshi- vah family, he spent his days coming up with creative business ventures. At age 12, Tolwin was selling CDs to his classmates in school. “I bought $400 of CD inventory using bar mitzvah money, ” recall...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 37 L awrence Technological University (LTU) became the new home of the Specs Howard School of Media Arts on June 1. Specs Howard has offered courses in radio and television broadcasting, graphic design and digital media arts since 1970, and has graduated more than 15,000 alumni in these fields. LTU has had a relationship with the Specs Howard School since 2004, when an agreement allowed Specs Howard students to t...…
…38 | JUNE 10 • 2021 COURTESY OF ARI TOLWIN dynamics of the industry were too difficult, ” he says. “So, at a certain point, with a friend of mine, we had the idea for Numilk. ” BUILDING A BRAND As an adult, Ari Tolwin followed a primarily plant-based diet. “When it comes to dairy-like products, we’ve always sort of bemoaned the fact that plant- based milks just aren’t that great, ” he explains. “They’re filled with gums; they don...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 39 “It was the right size at the right price with the right func- tion, ” Tolwin says of Numilk. But the pandemic saw the machine being turned off, along with anything else inside Whole Foods that customers could touch. “We knew we had a real problem. ” At the same time, Tolwin says customers turned to Amazon Prime, which offers home delivery from Whole Foods for its members. “We didn’t just have a short-term COV...…
…40 | JUNE 10 • 2021 ARTS&LIFE THEATER J ason Briggs has main- tained a theater career during the constraints of the pandemic. As the development officer of the Flint Repertory Theatre, Briggs continued his admin- istrative responsibilities. As an independent actor, he was able to secure a role in A New Brain, a play produced in film format by Theatre Nova in Ann Arbor, working with the Ringwald Theatre in Ferndale. The productio...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 41 but it’s not about that,” Briggs said. “It’s more about him struggling about his job and who he is. It’s like this brain surgery is giving him this second chance at life, doing the things he’s always wanted to do and not so much the things he has to do.” Briggs’ religious insights come from being raised with Jewish culture and some observance because of the religious heritage of his mother’s side of the family...…
…42 | JUNE 10 • 2021 ARTS&LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY R andall Kaplan, raised in Michigan and based in California, is making a public splash with a project that mixes pleasure, business and artistry. Holding a longtime love of beaches and a background of billion-dollar business successes, Kaplan launched Sandee, a firm providing worldwide beach tour- ism information, and put togeth- er Bliss: Beaches (Cameron), an aesthetic coffee table book...…
…“FROM A PRACTICAL POINT OF VIEW, I DON’T HAVE A FAVORITE BEACH.” — RANDALL KAPLAN “The needs of families and the needs of couples will almost always differ. Most families will want food, bath- rooms and showers, and they also want to know if you can swim at that beach. A couple may want to know if a beach has surfing, snorkeling or vol- leyball. ” Kaplan, 52, a University of Michigan (U-M) psychol- ogy graduate who earned an adva...…
…BACK TO THE MOVIES 6:30 PM, JUNE 11 (ALSO 7:30, 8:30) LIBRARY OPENS 11 AM, JUNE 10 The Southfield Public Library will open its doors to the public for Grab- and-Go Service. Visits should be limited to 30 minutes. The library will follow Southfield COVID 19 rules, including always wearing masks over nose and mouth regardless of vaccination status and keeping 6 feet from non-family members. Expanded hours will begin Monday, Ju...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 45 for young adults and their pets will take place at Red Oaks Dog Park, 31353 Dequindre, Madison Hts. Info: jlife.app/events/525. BROADWAY ENTERTAINMENT 4 PM, JUNE 13 Eleanor Roosevelt Hadassah presents “An Afternoon of Broadway Entertainment.” This virtual event is open to everyone. Please register by June 10, hadassahmidwest.org/ RooseveltBroadway. There is a $36 general admis- sion, $54 mezzanine, $72 orches...…
…STEVEN BARKIN, 67, of West Bloomfield, died June 2, 2021. To be loved by Steve was to have a lifelong champion, a fiercely loyal ally who seemed to know exactly how to make things better. He was a man of few words; he said he left the talking to his wife, Teri. Steve kept his beloved family blanketed in support and surrounded by his own quiet strength. He was a doting dad who took pride in standing out in a sea of moms at element...…
…continued on page 49 JUNE 10 • 2021 | 47 DIVERA BUEGELEISEN of West Bloomfield passed away May 26, 2021. She was nearly 94. Div taught elementary school in Detroit for 26 years, followed by a 10-year career in coun- seling and therapy. Retirement was all about tennis, skiing, painting, photography and travel with David Buegeleisen, her husband of 60 years. Div’s family and friends will miss her greatly. Contributions in her me...…
…48 | JUNE 10 • 2021 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY G eli knew everyone, and everyone knew Geli. Or so it seemed to anyone who crossed paths with the friendly, outgoing Jewish communal worker — a born connector. Some might know Geli from his long association with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit (JFMD) in Bloomfield Township. He also was an executive for 15 years at the West Bloomfield-based Jewish Community Center ...…
…JUNE 10 • 2021 | 49 continued from page 47 continued on page 50 Smith, Rebecca Landau, and Gregory Landau; dear cousin of Mary Brieger. She is also survived by many loving great-nieces and great-nephews. Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. JEAN MARIAN LEVY, 87, of West Bloomfield, died May 27, 2021. She is survived by her sister, Carol Branston; long-cherished friend, Do...…
…50 | JUNE 10 • 2021 continued from page 49 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY continued on page 52 Lasser, Olivia Appelman, Stella, Lucy and Henry Barnett, and Hailey and Brayden Hesano; much loved sister-in-law of Sally and the late Nathan Soberman, the late Lillian and the late Jack Perlman, the late Thelma and the late Louis Milgrom. She is also survived by nieces, nephews and many loving family and friends. Heartfelt gratitude g...…
…For the peace you need . . . ... and the respect of the life you treasured. We believe that every Jew has a portion in the world to come. Trust us to prepare your loved one for that journey. HEBREW MEMORIAL CHAPEL (248) 543-1622 ~ hebrewmemorial.org …
…52 | JUNE 10 • 2021 continued from page 51 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY Leonard Shebses; the daughter of the late Helen and Alfred Berkowitz. Interment took place at Oakview Cemetery in Royal Oak. Contributions may be made to Temple Kol Ami Religious School Fund or the American Red Cross. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. EARL I. SHERMAN died May 23, 2021, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Born March 26, 1926, he was a Detroit resident f...…
