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… JANUARY 23 • 2020 | 53 the best of everything Raskin Beans & Cornbread continues to earn accolades as it enters its 23rd year. Soul Food Mecca I nto its 23rd year is one of Michigan’ s top soul food restaurants … as acclaimed recently in GQ magazine along with other highly esteemed pub- lications. And the list of celebrities continually grows as Beans & Cornbread, Sunset Strip, Northwestern Highway, between 12 Mile and Inkst...…

…Looking Back From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org 54 | JANUARY 23 • 2020 ‘The Holocaust Unfolds’ Exhibit I ’ m pleased to let you know that our Jewish News Foundation Exhibit — “The Holocaust Unfolds: Reports from the Detroit Jewish Chronicle and News” — will be on display again at the Mardigian Library at the University of Michigan-Dear- born. This exhibit was...…

…thejewishnews.com thejewishnews com $200 Jan. 16-22, 2020 / 19-25 Tevet 5780 See page 15 On the Border Clergy trip gives local rabbi a fi rsthand view of the immigration situation. …

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… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 3 contents Views 5-11 Jews in the D Standing Together 12 Anti-Semitism event in Brooklyn draws a diverse show of unity against hate. Remember the Stranger 15 HIAS trip to U.S.-Mexico border gives local rabbi a view into the immigration situation. Expanding Civil Rights 20 New ballot initiative seeks to expand civil rights protection to Michigan’ s LGBTQ community. More Than Pretty Voices 22 Local cantors exp...…

…4 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 THANK YOU, MICHIGAN! YOU ARE A TRUE FRIEND OF THE IDF FRIENDS OF THE IDF IS A 501(C)(3) NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION. CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. ©2020 BY FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLD-WIDE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT FIDF MIDWEST REGION – MICHIGAN CHAPTER 248-824-6208 | MICHIGAN@FIDF.ORG WWW.FIDF.ORG WOMEN OF VALOR LUNCHEON TUESDAY...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 5 Views jewfro Shirts Off to Diane Starr T he year was 1963 and E. J. Korvette was looking for a lady’ s man. The discount department store (not named for Eight Jewish Korean War Veterans) needed someone to head up women’ s wear at their branch in Roseville, Michigan. That man was Seymour Birnbaum. Fifty-six years later I learned to tie a bowtie. A few things happened in between. Seymour clocked out for ...…

…6 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 essay A Message from Federation: Invitation to Forum on Anti-Semitism Views W e’ ve said goodbye to the festive lights of Chanukah and move forward into the first days of our secular calendar. Before we close the books on 2019, however, we want to offer a sincere thank you to every one of our supporters, volunteers and participants who continue to make the work of the Jewish Federation possible. We are gra...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 7 Support ed t hr ough t he gener osi t y of The Jewi sh Fund and t he D. Dan and Bet t y Kahn Fami l y Foundat i on. We Have Answer s. help J . or g Know someone goi ng t hr ough a di f f i cul t t i me? Cal l j hel p at 1 -833-44J-HELP Visit j hel p. org Chat onl ine wit h a st af f member or schedul e a cal l at j hel p. org Do al l of t he ab...…

…Views commentary It Was Time for an Administration to Break Foreign-Policy ‘Rules’ F or 20 years, he had sowed terror and confusion throughout the Middle East with impunity. As head of Iran’ s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Qassem Soleimani was the mastermind of the world’ s leading state sponsor of ter- rorism, as well as the second most powerful person with- in that oppressive Islamist theocracy. No matter how much mayhe...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 9 PAM FEI NBERG- RI VKI N, rn FOUNDER & CEO Trai ned I nterventi oni st STEVE FELDMAN CHI EF OPERATI NG OFFI CER Trai ned I nterventi oni st They don’ t have to hi t rock bottom Recovery from an addiction or mental health concern can begin today. Let us help you bring hope and healing to your family. 248.538.5425 Fei nbergConsulti ng.com Professional Interventions Treatment Recommendations ...…

…10 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 Views The premise of much of the criticism of Trump’ s decision on Soleimani rests on a false assumption. Those who lament the president’ s trashing of conventional wisdom act as if he has upset a tradition that safeguarded American interests and lives. But it did nothing of the kind. What happened in Syria as Iran and its ally, President Bashar Assad, lay waste to that country was the direct consequence ...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 11 one to three weeks living and working on a non-combat IDF army base alongside Israelis and other volunteers from around the world. The program offers a way to con- tribute to the State of Israel in a very direct way. For additional information about the program, email michgan@vfi-usa.org, visit vfi- usa.org or call Carol Kent or Ed Kohl at (248) 420-3729. — Cherie Selis Farmington Hills LETTERS continued ...…

…continued on page 14 Standing Together Anti-Semitism event in Brooklyn draws a diverse show of unity against hate. KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER Jews in the D W hen some 25,000 people gathered in New York City on Sunday to stand against anti-Semitism, West Bloomfield native Rabbi Leah Sternberg was there. Sternberg, who today serves as assistant rabbi of Congregation B’ nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, N.J., made her way fr...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 13 RIVKA SEGAL RIVKA SEGAL KAREN SCHWARTZ RIVKA SEGAL …

…14 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 Jews in the D continued from page 12 building better bridges between all denominations of Jews, and between Jews and non-Jews, ” said Eric S. Goldstein, CEO of UJA-Federation of New York. “Building bridges means putting aside our differences, religious and political, and call- ing out anti-Semitism and all forms of hate wherever we see it. The purpose of today’ s march is to loudly and publicly pro- claim th...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 15 Jews in the D continued on page 16 T hough news of deplorable condi- tions for immigrants and asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border has been overshadowed recently by reports of presidential impeachment and direct U.S. conflict with Iran, the situation still receives attention from humanitarian groups fighting for rights to be recognized. Rabbi Jennifer Kaluzny of Temple Israel joined 19 rabbis, cantors an...…

…Jews in the D 16 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 for the families and individuals dealing with conditions at the border, she said. Rebecca Kirzner of HIAS said the pur- pose of these trips is for Jewish leaders to “gain a deeper understanding of the injustices and complexities at the border, and the unconscionable ways our gov- ernment is slamming the doors on those seeking asylum in our country. “Our goal is to make sure there is a strong moral ...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 17 I mmigration issues, favorable and not, have cropped up periodically in American history, according to Melanie Goldberg, legal director at Justice for our Neighbors Michigan, an immigrant agen- cy of the United Methodist Church. “Go back in time and you can see we have periodically welcomed immigrants and then had reactions against immigra- tion, ” she says. “The ebb and flow of immigration has to do with ...…

…Jews in the D 18 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 it was hard to prove. Kaluzny said when they vis- ited, only 19 of the 1,000 men being held there had any crim- inal record. She said the detainees have little privacy or freedom of movement; even access to showers and bathrooms was monitored. She added that detainees are allowed fresh air two hours per day. There are scheduled meals. They can choose to make a phone call, however, a two-minu...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 19 Jews in the D and how we might best sup- port them. ” Rabbi Jeffrey Falick of the Birmingham Temple Congregation of Humanistic Judaism in Farmington Hills recounts that they have been Rabbi Jeffrey Falick working on immigration issues since 2016, with a big ramp-up in January 2017 in response to the govern- ment’ s “Muslim ban. ” Birmingham Temple declared itself a sanctuary in 2017 and became part o...…

…JACKIE HEADAPOHL ASSOCIATE EDITOR A citizen-led ballot initiative to expand the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to include dis- crimination protections for members of the LGBTQ community is moving forward. On Jan. 7, the group Fair and Equal Michigan asked the state Board of Canvassers to approve the wording of a petition that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Michigan currently afford...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 21 LOCAL LGBTQ REACTIONS Ron Elkus, retired owner of The Shirt Box, said it’ s amazing to him that in the year 2020, LGBTQ folks still lack civil rights protection in Michigan. “I thought it was interesting that once marriage equality passed, you could get mar- ried on a Sunday and fired from your job on Monday because you’ re LGBTQ. “I think the majority of the public doesn’ t realize the LGBTQ community ...…

…T he members of the Michigan Board of Cantors want you to know that they are more than a collection of pretty voices. Someone who simply leads and interprets prayers is not necessarily a cantor. The equivalent would be calling anyone who presents an inter- pretation on a Jewish text a rabbi, he said. “Singing is just a little bit of what we do, ” he said. Even the English translation of the Hebrew word hazzan to “can- tor, ” a La...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 23 Jews in the D D r. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Detroit will feature a visit by Rabbi Capers Funnye, an interna- tionally renowned African American rabbi from Chicago. Funnye is the chief rabbi of Beth B’ nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, one of the largest and oldest black synagogues in America, and one he describes as “some- where between Conservative and Modern Orthodox.” A cousin of Michelle O...…

…24 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 | faces&places Jews in the D Families at Adat Shalom Synagogue prepared for Chanukah at a Family Chanukah Bash Dec. 18. Smiles and laughter filled the room as more than 150 congregants and friends played, ate and created art together. Enthusiastic participants created their own dreidels, left notes for the Western Wall, made greeting cards, spun dreidels, created fuse art and, most importantly, connected ...…

…Royal Oak Chabad Jewish Center organized the first public menorah lighting in downtown Royal Oak on Dec. 29. Mushky and Rabbi Moishie Glitsenstein, founders of the center, were joined by more than 500 people. An ice menorah was lit; there were activities for the children, a fire show, and donuts, latkes, cider and soup were served. One of the highlights was a “gelt drop” where firefighters from the Royal Oak Fire Department dr...…

…26 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 | faces&places Jews in the D More than 600 volunteers of all ages spent Christmas Day at approximately 45 social ser- vices agencies in Metropolitan Detroit during the 23rd annual Mitzvah Day. Presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, Mitzvah Day is the largest single day of volunteer- ing in the Detroit Jewish com- munity and included members ...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 27 While two months apart, Diwali and Chanukah are both the Festival of Lights for their respective communities — Hindu and Jewish. Late last year, the Metropolitan Detroit Hindu and Jewish communities gathered to mark the holidays at the “Chanukah-Diwali Fireside Chat” held at Congregation Shir Tkvah in Troy. Hosted by the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC and Hindu American Foundation (HAF), the dis...…

…Moments 28 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 APRIL 12, 2019 Jay and Dani Pliskow of Mountain View, Calif., are proud to announce the birth of their son, Ezra Tal. Sharing in their joy are big brother Elan and grand- parents Rob Pliskow of Huntington Woods, and Amiee and Elie Bachar of St. Louis, Mo. He is also the grandson of the late Rhonda Pliskow. Rachel Lauren Chynoweth, daugh- ter of Gail and Gary Chynoweth, will be called to the Torah as ...…

…Moments JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 29 Schonberg 50th T he children of Ila and Leslie Schonberg of Farmington Hills happily announce their parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. Ila and Les met at the University of Michigan and were married on Nov. 29, 1969, in Chicago, Ill. They have been blessed with three children, Mara (Jeff), Michael (Rachel) and Daniel (Helaine) and 10 grandchildren. Les is a retired electrical engineer who spent ...…

…30 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 Spirit torah portion T he opening verses of the Book of Exodus are an abridged, shorter repe- tition of a much more detailed account of the family, which grandfather Jacob brought with him on his journey to Egypt to meet his beloved son Joseph. Rashi and Ramban, two classic biblical commentators, explain that with these opening verses, Exodus establish- es its connection to and continuity with Genesis; t...…

…A new Israeli app that works on devices using the Android operat- ing system allows the users of streaming services to receive on-screen alerts on their screen in real-time. Nir Vaknin, a 15-year-old Sderot resident, is one of the two developers behind the app. He told Israeli news site Mako that when using streaming devices, he usually received rocket alarms 30 seconds too late. Israelis in Sderot only have an average of 15 sec...…

…32 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 C omposer Alan Menken’ s studio, just outside New York City, became the setting for work with lyricist Glenn Slater to develop the score for a musical version of A Bronx Tale, first a one-man stage production and then a large-cast film. The award-winning musical team, while punc- tuating the fictionalized early neighborhood experiences of actor-writer Chazz Palminteri, sought to enhance the emotional sensit...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 33 up with music for a student production, won a compe- tition seen by a producer and had his work presented off-Broadway. He went on to write for the Hasty Pudding Theatricals while attending Harvard. After moving to New York, working in advertising for a time and attending a BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, he wrote pieces noticed and used by Disney Studios, where he caught the attention of Menken. In a projec...…

…34 | JANUARY 16 • 2019 I n between professional stage roles, Leslie Ann Handelman became a certified fitness instructor. Besides keeping her- self strong, she helps others build strong bodies in ways she first learned at a gym near a St. Louis theater. Ironically, in her current role as Elvira in Noel Coward’ s Blithe Spirit, she abandons body to portray the apparition of a writ- er’ s late first wife. Her entrance into the actio...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 35 Arts&Life movies Violinist’s Saga Song of Names melds Holocaust, mystery and music. MICHAEL FOX SPECIAL TO THE JN T here’ s a profound question at the core of The Song of Names. What is the responsibility of a Holocaust survivor — or any Jew, for that matter — to those who died and to their memories? That aching existential and practical dilemma acquires a different meaning, and arguably becomes more re...…

…Arts&Life celebrity jews 36 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 TV SHOWS Deputy started Jan. 2 on Fox (9 p.m.). Stephen Dorff, 48, plays Bill Hollister, a deputy who becomes the chief of the huge Los Angeles County Sheriff’ s Department when the elected chief dies suddenly. Hollister is more an Old West guy than a modern lawman. Dorff, who identi- fies as Jewish, is a veteran action film actor. Dorff’ s late mother wasn’ t Jewish. His Jewis...…

…On The Go people | places | events JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 37 MUSICAL EVENING Spend an evening with Jesse Palter at 20 Front Street, Lake Orion. Palter released her debut album with Mack Avenue Records, “Paper Trail,” available on all digital platforms, and is becoming a noted voice in the music industry calling for open discussion on mental health. The Detroit native lives in a mix that is equal parts soul singer, pop artist and singer-...…

…38 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 On The Go people | places | events continued from page 37 MONDAY, JAN. 20 FIBER ART CLASS 9 am, Jan. 20. An Active Life- JCC Without Borders program. At Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 10 classes for $65 non-members; $45 JCC/Beth Shalom members. JCC MEN’ S CLUB 10-11:30 am, Jan. 20. An Active Life program at the West Bloomfield Jewish Community Center. Cl...…

… JANUARY 16 • 2020 | 39 (248-547-7970) or reserve online at congbethshalom.org/event/ cafe-Shalom-2020.html. Info: Beth Rodgers at bethlrodgers@gmail. com. WEDNESDAY, JAN 22 MAH JONGG 12:30 pm, Jan. 22. An Active Life- JCC Without Borders program at Beth Shalom in Oak Park. Every Wednesday. Sponsored by the Beth Shalom Sisterhood. Info: 248-547- 7970. DROP IN & LEARN 1 pm, Jan. 22. “American Jews and Their Politics: Origi...…

…40 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 BY STEVE STEIN sports HIGHlights brought to you in partnership with F rom tragedy to tradition. That’ s the story of the Kenny Goldman Basketball League, which has been a year-round staple at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield since 1984. Hundreds of basketball players ages 4-25 play in the league during its fall, winter, spring and summer seasons, filling the JCC on Sundays. Players in house a...…

…continued on page 42 Former Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler announced his retirement as a player Dec. 20. Kinsler, 37, was with the Tigers from 2014-17 after being traded from the Texas Rangers for Prince Fielder in November 2013. He was traded by the Tigers to the Los Angeles Angels for outfielder Troy Montgomery and pitcher Wilkel Hernandez in December 2017. A four-time All-Star and two-time Golden Glove winner during his ...…

…42 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 quick hits BY STEVE STEIN sports HIGHlights STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER Stats ‘ n’ stuff from the first half of the Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson B’ nai B’ rith bowling league season at 300 Bowl in Waterford Township: Stats 1. Aaron Radner, 224.75 2. Lyle Schaefer, 222.58 3. Dave Shanbaum, 221.91 4. Mike Kolb, 215.03 5. Keith Kingston, 212.00 6. Corey Slutsky, 210.22 7. Phil Horowitz, 210.09 8. Mike Rosen, 209...…

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…Soul of blessed memory PEARL BAUM, 91, of West Bloomfield, died Jan. 5, 2020. She is survived by her sons, David Baum, Howard Baum of West Bloomfield; daughter and son-in-law, Ilene and Richard Tucker of Highland Park, Ill.; grandchildren, Aaron Tucker (fiancée, Lauren Martin), Rachel (Adam) Glass, Ally Tucker, Michael (Traci) Baum, Stuart Baum, Seth Baum, Daniel Baum, Bradley Baum; great-grandchild, Parker Baum. Mrs. Baum was th...…

…46 | JANUARY 16 • 2020 Soul of blessed memory late Sara Schwartz. Services were held at Beth Israel Memorial Chapel and burial was at the South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth, Fla. Contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. Local arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. MARILYN FREEDMAN, 86, passed away peacefully, sur- rounded by her beloved family on Dec. 31, 2019. ...…