…28 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N I t is time to come together and celebrate Chanukah and Jewish pride like never before with Detroit Pistons Jewish Heritage Night. “The Chanukah lights that we light at night emphasize our ability to transform the darkness around us. Especially now, when we see the ugly face of darkness all around us, it’s even more import- ant to come together in unity and celebrate the fact that light will always def...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 29 Expertly crafted by one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, this singular theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy—and it’s also “belly-laugh funny!” (The New York Times). In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic rhetoric pointed in his direction online, standup comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly at...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 3 J N PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 12 Proudly Jewish After Oct. 7, Detroiters stand strong, showing their Jewish identity on their doorposts and everywhere else. 18 Farmington Hills Family Displays Jewish Pride Kenbrook Elementary School community learns about Jewish families. 20 An Evening of Unity Yeshiva Beth Yehudah annual dinner’s a showcase of lig...…
…30 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N SPC Rachel Baker shares her story at Shaarey Zedek’s Veterans Shabbat. Proud to Serve M y name is Rachel Baker, and I am a 20-year-old U.S. Army combat veteran.” That was Specialist (SPC) Baker’s opening line as she began her remarks from the bimah before a large gathering at the annual Veterans Shabbat service at Congregation Shaarey Zedek (CSZ) on Nov. 11. I, like everyone in the congre- gation, was ...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 31 J N desire to serve her own country. “In 2014, I experienced one of the most pivotal moments of my life,” Rachel said in her Shabbat remarks. “My family and I were enjoying a fam- ily vacation in Israel on the eve of Operation Protective Edge. Two rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip, both successfully intercept- ed by the U.S.-funded Iron Dome. “A year after the attack, I developed a deep desire to go and p...…
…32 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 from numerous officers, from myself and from God to give everything I had to my job. I wanted to ensure the safety of my fellow soldiers. For the first time in my life, I didn’t look to the future to get me through the day.” Rachel then shared a birth- day with the congregation that she will never forget. “January 2023 rolled around, Jan. 8 arrives, my birthday. I turned 20 in Syria. The moment I woke up t...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 33 J N SUPPORT OF THE JWV Last year, Rachel became one of the youngest members to join the Jewish War Veterans Department of Michigan (JWV-MI). Her fellow JWV comrades came out in full force to support her and participate in the Veterans Shabbat service at CSZ, which included the depart- ment returning as a sponsor of the program. The program opened with Jewish war veterans and their family members receiving ...…
…34 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N S oon after the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, the Auburn Hills Police Department reached out to the Chabad Jewish Center of Troy to offer assistance. “They have been extremely helpful in protecting our center,” said Rabbi Menachem Caytak, director of the center at 3306 Auburn Road. “They have been such a blessing for our community!” The Auburn Hills police are planning a training program to teach t...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 35 have reached out since Oct. 7 wanting to connect with the community, even though being Jewish previously didn’t mean much to them. They feel alone and want to get together with other people that are going through this.” Brian Granader is one of those working on the volunteer security efforts at the center. “It seems that evil and hate are always there, and when there is an opening like this, it raises its ...…
…36 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N OUR COMMUNITY A s a kid, you knew you were in for a treat if your parents drove you to Hunter’s Square, where a nondescript building at the back of the Farmington Hills plaza houses one of Metro Detroit’s most unique attractions. From the outside, Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum — which the Farmington Hills Planning Commission is pushing forward a proposal to demolish in favor of replacing the ...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 37 J N ultimately rest on private entities. As the community rallies in support of Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum, an ongoing Change.org petition (www. change.org/p/save-marvin-s- marvelous-mechanical-museum) to save the museum has garnered nearly 40,000 signatures at press time. Metro Detroiters say another Meijer isn’t necessary, especially because there are numerous grocery stores (including two Meijers...…
…38 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N S ometimes it feels like two people meeting is so inevitable, it’s astound- ing that it hasn’t happened before. When Kimberlee then-Rubin moved to the Walled Lake area after college, she reconnected with her childhood friend, Janine Smith, who she’d known since first grade. Janine is not Jewish but had a Jewish neigh- bor. “ And what do you do when you know two Jewish single people? You set them up!” ...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 39 J N Members of the legal community are invited to the annual Chanukah celebration of the Jewish Bar Association of Michigan (JBAM) on Tuesday, Dec. 5, from 5:30-8 p.m. Enjoy beer, wine and latkes with friends and colleagues at the Urbanrest Brewery at 2615 Wolcott in Ferndale. Admission is free to JBAM members and judges. There is an $18 charge for non-members. Admission includes one drink ticket and kos...…
…4 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N from Federation Proud Jewish Detroiters N ov. 14, almost 1,000 Detroiters went to Washington, D.C., to be part of a national Jewish experience and to send the world a message. In the face of the animus that stands against us in many guises, we, as a com- munity, through our representa- tives, along with 300,000 people stood tall and committed in a remarkable show of the unity that marks our people, o...…
…40 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N D elegations of students from MSU Chabad and Hillel woke up at 4 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 14, to begin their nearly 600-mile trip to the nation’s capital to March for Israel. The groups combined to bring 41 MSU students, 25 with Chabad and 16 with Hillel. The students bused from East Lansing to the Detroit Metro Airport tarmac where they were met by charter flights sponsored by the Jewish Federation o...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 41 meaningful to me that MSU Chabad and Hillel made active efforts to bring students to D.C. to be with the greater Jewish community. I am constantly praying for Omer’s release along with the 240 other hostages, and hopefully that day will come soon.” Orna Neutra, Omer’s mother, spoke at the D.C. March about her son who was taken captive while on active military duty. She said that after graduating high sch...…
…42 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N M ark Snyder left the sports writing pro- fession in 2017 after nearly five years at the Oakland Press and 14 years at the Detroit Free Press. He’s spent the last six years as director of communications and marketing for Lake Orion Community Schools. But sports writing is still in his blood. So much so that the Bloomfield Hills resident devoted two years to a project that resulted in a book on the 1997...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 43 GIFT GUIDE Happy! LYNNE KONSTANTIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER Spread some Chanukah joy, with gifts for everyone on your list. for Her This sleeveless GLITTER KNITTED TOP by Lanhtropy will steal the show at any holiday party. Hersh’s, West Bloomfield. Hershsboutique. com. ▼ Wear it loud and proud: Stephanie Gottlieb’s 14K gold RAINBOW DISC STAR OF DAVID is surrounded by a rainbow of pave gemstones. Ten pe...…
…44 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 Under, over or on-its- own, the LUX LADY LAYERING TOP comes in a rainbow of shades, but we’re partial to this Chanukah blue. Sheer mesh with a high neckline and thumb- hole details. Area Free People stores. Freepeople.com. Local artisan Amy Sternberg, owner of Artworks By Amy, will custom hand-paint almost anything — from tables and bookcases to articles of clothing, like this vintage LEATHER HAMSA JA...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 45 More Great Gifts Wrap her up in your love with Kerri Rosenthal’s luxe cotton-cashmere IMPERFECT HEART BEANIE and LOVED SCARF. Found Objects, Birmingham. Shopfoundobjects.com. ▼ Stunning and brilliant: This two-piece stoneware TALL PEDESTAL BOWL — fired with a shadow-like glaze resulting in a rustic charcoal tone that is food and liquid safe — can be stacked together for a footed bowl and comes apart to cr...…
…46 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 Give movie night an upgrade with urban Accent’s GOURMET POPCORN KIT. Toppings include Buttery Caramel Corn, Sizzlin’ Spicy Sriracha, Cheezy White Cheddar and more. Area Crate & Barrel stores. Crateandbarrel.com. for Him Give Great Gifts GIFT GUIDE Famous for its warmth and durability, Donegal refers to a ground fabric “fleck- ed” with brightly colored yarns, originally woven in County Donegal, Ireland, t...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 47 The best album ever, of course, is subjective, but some rise to the top and their greatness is generally agreed upon. Robert Kidd Gallery in Birmingham has The Classics, ORIGINAL RELEASE ALBUMS SIGNED BY BAND MEMBERS. Among them: Bob Dylan, Nashville Skyline album, 1969, hand-signed by: Bob Dylan (this album cover has the handwritten lyrics of the Song “Lay Lady Lay” written and signed by Bob Dylan); Bruce Springs...…
…48 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 Stash their (or your) on-the-go fortification in this durable clear vinyl SNACKS POUCH — multi-colored chenille patches sewn onto water-repellent nylon. Guys N Gals, West Bloomfield. Shopguysngals.com. for Kids Give Great Gifts GIFT GUIDE Saddle up, Buckaroos! HearthSong’s set of two (read: no fighting) INFLATABLE RIDE-ON HOP ’N GO HORSES have ergonomic handles and weighted bottoms for stability. Area Tar...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 49 Give Great Gifts A new way of listening: With the YOTO MINI, kids 3 and up can listen to music, audiobooks and activities plus free content including sleep sounds, reminders (brush your teeth) and more in their bed, at grandma’s and on-the-go. Insert a digital YOTO CARD inside the player to listen; choose from hundreds of cards for all ages and stages — you can even record your own audio (songs, mom and dad sayin...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 5 J N LOCATED IN THE BIRMINGHAM RAIL DISTRICT 929 S ETON STREET OPEN THU - FRI 12-5PM SAT 11AM-6PM OR BY APPOINTMENT 248.550.1008 mark@matthildur.com www.MATTHILDUR.com SINCE 1975 AUTUMN/WINTER 23 …
…50 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 Super adorable and super coveted, Super Smalls was created by Maria Dueñas Jacobs — former fashion editor for Elle, Glamour and more — to give kids what they really want: “The wow, the weird, the wonder,” she says. The charms in the MAKE IT HANUKKAH MINI BEAD KIT are overflowing with special meanings, including a Chai to symbol- ize life and the good things to come, a Star of David to symbolize Jewish pr...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 51 SIGNATURE Dollars In$ide TM PROOF STEVE'S DELI HP 9-20 PROOF CAREFULLY AND THOROUGHLY Return Immediately 586-329-3658 (fax) CREDIT WILL NOT BE ISSUED FOR MISTAKES NOT CORRECTED ON THIS PROOF Double Check Phone Numbers, Addresses, Expiration Dates etc. Dollars Inside WILL NOT be held responsible for any errors or ad changes verbally called into our office. Dollars Inside cannot be half responsible for the quality ...…
…52 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N GIFT GUIDE M ost of us love to open a gift- wrapped package every now and then. But sometimes it’s a relief to take a break from the toys that won’t be touched or adding a sweater to the pile. This year, try an alternative route — at least for one night of Chanukah. Whether it’s a certificate for a special night for someone special or an outing your family can participate in together, giving the gi...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 53 J N PLAY DATE Treat the kids to something awesome: Cultivate curious minds with colorful, educational — and so much fun! — playtime. The brainchild of Lacey Foon, mom to 4-year- old twins, Fascination Factory in Birmingam’s Rail District, newly opened in April, offers 4,500-square-feet of play-based learning (think anything from building a castle with blocks to pretending to run a grocery store) and STEAM-focused...…
…54 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 GIFT OF FLIGHT Take someone deserving on an unforgettable adventure: the thrill of lifting off the ground and soaring into the sky for a bird’s-eye view of the world below — or in this case, Detroit. MyFlight Tours offers (heated) helicopter rides for stunning views of Detroit icons and landmarks, including the Renaissance Center, sports stadiums, the Ambassador Bridge and more. Various tour packages are avai...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 55 Register at www.dumoart.com (313) 963-6255 409 East Jeferson, Detroit, MI 48226 Register for the December 14th & 15th, 2023 Auctions Today Featuring works from Romare Bearden, Josef Albers, Fernand Leger, Chuang Che, Mira Mikati x Javier Calleja, John Lennon, Guy Carleton Wiggins, Thomas Moran, and Many More Romare Bearden (American, 1911-1988) Collage And Mixed Media on Artists Board, 1971 “Enchanted Woman” , H ...…
…56 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N GIFT GUIDE It’s always good to give with intent; this year, even more so. Here are a few of our favorites. Gifts that Give Back Give Back LYNNE KONSTANTIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER MICHIGAN HUMANE SOCIETY Good for you, good for our best friends who give us so much joy: Rebel Nell in Detroit was founded out of a love of the city’s vibrant street art combined with the opportunity to address social issues. This ...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 57 LEV HAOLAM Lev Haolam is a subscription-only (that can be canceled at any time) box delivery that creates connections between international Israel-supporters and the Jewish pioneers of Judea and Samaria — money goes directly to the people already working the land, helping them flourish in the face of threats of boycott. Boutique chocolates, sweets, olive oil, tea, cosmetics, wine, dried fruits, artisan ceramics and ...…
…58 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N GIFT GUIDE M ad Patches owner Taylor Weintraub grew up in Farmington Hills and moved to Atlanta after college to be a teacher. There she met her husband, Ross Weintraub. After 10 years, they moved back, and she has now pivoted her career from teaching to painting custom-made painted gifts, anything from denim jackets to blankets, T-shirts and sweatshirts. The idea of starting up an at-home paintin...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 59 J N MAZEL TOV! 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@ thejewishnew...…
…1942 - 2023 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.thejewishnews.com 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: Detroit Jewish News, 322...…
…T here are Mozarts and there are Beethovens. Which are you? I have only the most ama- teur knowledge of music, but the impression one gets about Mozart is that, from him, music flowed. There is something effortless and effervescent about his com- positions. They are not “sicklied o’er by the pale cast of thought.” He wrote at speed. He carried the worries of the world lightly. Not so Beethoven, for whom it sometimes took years...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 61 ly selective in the details it chooses to relate. Why not paint Jacob in more attractive colors? It seems to me that the Torah is delivering, here as elsewhere, an extraordinary message: that if we can truly relate to God as God, in His full transcendence and majesty, then we can relate to humans as humans in all their fallibility. In every other religious literature known to me, heroes are idealized until...…
…Synagogue Directory METRO DETROIT CONSERVATIVE Adat Shalom Synagogue Farmington Hills (248) 851-5100 adatshalom.org Congregation Beth Ahm West Bloomfield (248) 851-6880 cbahm.org Congregation Beth Shalom Oak Park (248) 547-7970 congbethshalom.org Beth Tephilath Moses Mt. Clemens (586) 996-3138 bethtephilathmoses.com B’nai Israel Synagogue West Bloomfield (248) 432-2729 bnaiisraelwb.org Congregation B’nai Moshe West Blo...…
…Temple Emanu-El Oak Park (248) 967-4020 emanuel-mich.org Temple Israel West Bloomfield (248) 661-5700 temple-israel.org Temple Kol Ami West Bloomfield (248) 661-0040 tkolami.org Temple Shir Shalom West Bloomfield (248) 737-8700 shirshalom.org REFORM/RENEWAL Congregation Shir Tikvah Troy (248) 649-4418 shirtikvah.org SECULAR/HUMANISTIC Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Metro Detroit Farmington Hills (248) 477-1410 ...…
…64 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N HEALTH I t’s no secret that today’s youth have navigated a diffi- cult past few years. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation and learning remotely, to the Ukraine-Russia war and now the ongoing Israel-Hamas crisis, times have been turbulent for our youngest generations. Pair that with the everyday challenges of being a child or teen — the pressure and compe- tition of social media, family life...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 65 J N continued on page 66 lems, such as wars, recession and terrorism. “Different gen- erations were protected from things that may have still been there, ” she says. “But all of those things that are happening now feel so much bigger because they’re in children’s faces all the time. ” Throughout the pandemic, kids relied heavily on their screens to find connection. While screen time certainly offered a way ...…
…66 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 “People were blamed for having mental health problems, ” Edelson explains. “People were seen as somehow inadequate or inferior. ” While neither is ultimately true, mental health often car- ried a sense of shame in the decades prior. Rather than seeking outpatient therapy, people experiencing mental health challenges often resorted to inpatient care at psychiatric facilities or hospitals. As she guided the c...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 67 Join us for a virtual conversation with director Keren Perlmutter about her father Avraham’s war-torn childhood and his determination to survive in the face of evil. Keren will be joined by descendants of the Beijers family that hid him in the Netherlands during the Holocaust, a testament to the lasting efects of human kindness. Tuesday, December 5 7:00 pm EST Register and learn how to watch the film at Hol...…
…68 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N A lex Grossman hasn’t forgotten about growing up in Michigan. That can be observed through people, places and messages about living expressed through his new film, That’s Funny. As writer, director and actor in That’s Funny, Grossman made use of the production and performance talents of friends kept from his years living in Flint and came to the state to film different scenes, such as those in Char...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 69 that there is always time to enjoy what you’re doing,” said Grossman, whose film shows him trying to put together a standup routine for television in one week’s time. “So often, people think if they’re not improving in leaps and bounds then what’s the point. Studies have shown that just getting a little bit better at something every day can make you great over time,” he said. “The film is only showing the...…
…Learn more! www.geshermi.org | 29699 Southfield Road | Southfield, MI 48076 | 248.559.5000 | DIAMOND SPONSOR SAPPHIRE SPONSORS EMERALD SPONSORS RUBY SPONSORS BAR SPONSOR PEARL SPONSORS TOPAZ SPONSORS JADE SPONSORS OPAL SPONSORS AMETHYST SPONSORS RAFFLE SPONSOR Elaine Fieldman Shari and Stan Finsilver Lisa Keramedjian Meer and Brian Meer Douglas C. Lane and Associates | Cyril Moscow Monni and Joel Must | Stone Foundation of Michi...…
…70 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N G eddy Lee set out “to talk about who I am” in his new memoir, My Effin’ Life. And a big part of that identity is being Jewish. It’s not something Lee, co-founder and vocalist/ bassist/keyboardist for the band Rush, ever kept secret. But given the Toronto trio’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career — encompassing 50 years, 19 studio albums and global record sales of more than 42 million — it was seldom ...…
…NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 71 were separated when she was sent to Bergen-Belsen and he to Dachau, but after the war Morris found her in a displaced persons camp. They married and immigrated to Canada along with surviving members of their extended families. Lee also shares an emotional remembrance about him, his brother and sister accompanying their mother to the 50th anniversary commemoration of Bergen-Belsen in 1995. “My parents an...…
…72 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 J N T he largest potters fair in the country returns Nov. 30-Dec. 3 to the Southfield Pavilion in the Southfield Municipal Complex, and two of the returning artists, among the 140 artists showing their works, are Rachail Laine of Ann Arbor and George Erdstein of Huntington Woods. While Laine showcases very functional works using a lot of shades of blue, Erdstein has functional, decorative and whimsical p...…
