…MAY 13 • 2021 | 3 contents PURELY COMMENTARY 4-10 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 12 Thanks, Hebrew Free Loan! Making loans, not interest for more than 125 years. 17 Helping Jewish Teens “Collective Compassion” project promotes mental health, coping. 18 Legal Warrior Retiring WSU law professor looks back on a lifetime of accomplishments. 20 A Guiding Hand New mapping system at Clover Hill makes finding ...…
…4 | MAY 13 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY B ella Abzug was a force of nature. She was the first Jewish woman elected to the U.S. Congress and a leader in the women’s movement. Abzug, who died 23 years ago, served three terms in the House of Representatives in the 1970s. Ahead of her time, she championed progres- sive changes, co-authored and shepherded through passage of the Freedom of Information Act and the Right to Privacy A...…
…YOU’RE INVITED TO AN ALL SEASONS EXCLUSIVE EVENT For the Joys of Independent Senior Living Managed by: Proud Recipient of the Prestigious Ask Us Why! Aging Well With All Seasons Hear from local experts on the topic of health and wellness as well as exercise and fitness for seniors May 25, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Light refreshments will be served Kindly RSVP to 248.260.2471 or email ASWBSalesCounselor@beztak.com by May 21, 2021 ...…
…6 | MAY 13 • 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: Detroi...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 7 DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com essay What Would It Take for Me to Go Back to Synagogue? W hen I was very young, what moti- vated me to go to shul on Shabbat morning was the fire station two houses away from the synagogue. My dad was the rabbi of the only con- gregation in Annapolis, Md., and shul atten- dance was a family affair. ...…
…8 | MAY 13 • 2021 PURELY COMMENTARY continued from page 7 own pleasant pattern: sleeping later, praying at home, spend- ing more time with my wife and, when the weather allowed, meeting up with friends — 6 feet apart — on a bench out- side. I know I’m not alone in my ambivalence about going back to shul now. I’ve talked to friends about it and they, too, seem a bit mystified about what keeps some of us home. We know that going ba...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 9 People's Attorney The The role of Michigan’s Attorney General in today’s world. Thursday, May 20 Thursday, May 20 • 6pm 6pm Join Legal Referral Service, a program of Jewish Family Service, as we welcome Michigan Attorney General Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel for a timely discussion on the role of the Attorney General and how it impacts us as citizens of the state of Michigan. Q&A to follow To regis...…
…10 | MAY 13 • 2021 continued from page 8 ating in a joint effort to derail the Islamist regime’s nuclear ambitions, the administration went out of its way to disavow any role in Israel’s recent suc- cessful attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. The implication of these off-the-record comments from “senior administration officials” is that the adminis- tration regarded Israel’s efforts as seeking to forestall an American push t...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 11 zolmanrestoration.com | 3285 Martin Road | Suite N-106 | Walled Lake, MI 48390 Commercial and Residential Restoration Services call us at 800.799.8560 | available 24/7/365 WATER & flood wind & storm Fire & smoke mold personal property established 2013 on this well-deserved new role! Congratulations to Steven Ingber on being named Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit Mazel Tov ...…
…12 | MAY 13 • 2021 Thanks, Thanks, Thanks, Hebrew Free Loan! Hebrew Free Loan! Hebrew Free Loan! Hebrew Free Loan! Hebrew Free Loan! Hebrew Free Loan! I t was 1895, and Detroit’s Jewish population was exploding with an influx of immigrants from Russia, Poland and other Eastern European countries. Most had few resources, but the Jewish community had only just begun to organize communal and charitable services. Looking for a way to ...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 13 continued on page 14 Eli Golshteyn: Getting Resettled as a New Immigrant Eli Golshteyn was only 6 when he left Novosibirsk in southwest Siberia with his parents, Alexander and Rufina, and his older brother, Roman. Golshteyn’s father held a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and his mother a master’s in civil engineer- ing. They knew they’d have to learn English before they could get profes- sional jobs here. His fath...…
…14 | MAY 13 • 2021 In the run-up to World War II, Hebrew Free Loan aided Jews escaping from Nazi Europe and, after the war, aided survi- vors who made it to Michigan. In the late 1960s, Hebrew Free Loan helped business- men whose properties were destroyed or damaged during Detroit’s racial turmoil. HFL also started making loans for tuition at Jewish day schools, enabling parents to make small- er monthly payments instead of one lar...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 15 who will complete her two-year term as president in June. She was impressed by how quickly staff and volunteers adapted to remote operations. “They didn’t miss a beat, ” she said. “The office ran like clock- work, and we didn’t have any layoffs or furloughs. ” And HFL gave borrowers a three- month extension on repayments, if request- ed. One thing hasn’t changed over the years: Hebrew Free Loan col- lects on 9...…
…16 | MAY 13 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY ON THE COVER dents up to $7,500 a year for full- time undergraduate study or $10,000 a year for graduate work, with 10 years post-graduation to repay. The program grew out of the Jewish Educational Loan Service, started in the 1940s. It was renamed after the William Davidson Foundation made $12 million worth of grants. Applications decreased somewhat in 2020 because of COVID, but the program serves...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 17 C ollective Compassion, a project of the Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative takes place in May to acknowledge Mental Health Awareness Month. The organization is an innovative philanthropic col- laboration where national and local funders work together to develop new approaches to teen engagement. Collective Compassion shares events and resources from more than a dozen partners to address...…
…Y ou might not think Sens. Mitch McConnell and Gary Peters had anything in common. They are on opposite sides of nearly every important issue. The dour Senate minority leader is nearly old enough to be the hard-working Michigan Democrat’s father. But they do share something no other two U.S. senators do: Both are former law students of Robert “Bob” Sedler, now Wayne State University’s Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 19 in Ethiopia. Not until the international edition Newsweek arrived did they really know what had happened. They ended up staying in Ethiopia three years. While there, Bob wrote a legal text- book for Ethiopian law students, which “as far as I know may still be in use. ” When they returned, he taught at the University of Kentucky law school till 1977, where his students included McConnell, an Alabama native who went...…
…20 | MAY 13 • 2021 T rying to locate the gravesite of a loved one at Clover Hill Park Cemetery, a 60-acre cemetery with more than 15,000 burials, could make an already emotional situation even more stressful. Until last year, visitors to Clover Hill had to rely on their memory or a ceme- tery employee to help locate a gravesite. Now visitors can get driving or walking directions directly to a plot in the same way they would get dire...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 21 I t was the brainchild of a 9-year-old boy. When Avery Schwartz of Commerce, who attends Hillel Day School, wanted to give his Nana Margaret Garvin a hug, he created a “Hug Buddy. ” Since Avery couldn’t hug Nana in person because of pandemic distancing, he instead created a two-dimensional “hug” figure that was drawn on paper and mailed to Nana, who was moving to Traverse City. For Avery’s father, Glen Schwart...…
…22 | MAY 13 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY T he new survey from the Pew Research Center released May 11 paints a por- trait of Jewish Americans in 2020 that is not dramatically different from 2013, when the survey was last taken. For the survey, a total sampling of 4,718 people were counted as Jewish Americans, defined as having at least one Jewish parent or having been raised Jewish. Counting all Jewish adults — young and old, combined — the...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 23 Orthodox, 17% to 3% respective- ly. One-in-10 U.S. Jewish adults under 30 are ultra-Orthodox (11%), compared with 1% of Jews 65 and older. At the same time, 40% of Jewish adults under 30 identify as Jewish culturally, but describe themselves religiously as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particu- lar” rather than as Jewish. This is compared to 27% of all Jewish adults who do not identify with the Jewish religion....…
…24 | MAY 13 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY T wo exceptional Jewish law students will receive $1,500 scholarships from the Jewish Bar Association of Michigan (JBAM) at a free Zoom event on May 25. Jessica Davidova of Wayne State University Law School and Chase O. Yarber of University of Detroit Mercy School of Law will each receive JBAM’s Charles J. Cohen Scholarship, which recognizes law students who have demonstrated a commit- ment to maki...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 25 my commitment to the field of law, ” Yarber says, “and my growth as a future attorney. ” He says his experiences in Judaism have taught him passion, leadership and the importance of community. His mother, Judy Yarber, bravely fought leukemia for three years, and Chase was a bone marrow donor for her. Sadly, she died on May 4, and Chase is dedicating his award to his mother to honor the love and support she prov...…
…26 | MAY 13 • 2021 OUR COMMUNITY T he Jewish Federation/ United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit (JFMD/UJF) announced that it has named Steven Ingber as its new chief executive officer, effec- tive immediately. Ingber has served as the orga- nization’s chief operating officer since 2016. He succeeds former JFMD/UJF CEO Scott Kaufman, who stepped down from the role at the end of 2019 after nine years. The announcement come...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 27 MAZEL TOV! MARCH 25, 2021 Kelly and Brett Kifferstein of Chicago, Ill., are thrilled to announce the birth of daughter Shiloh Harley Kifferstein. Big sister, Saylor, welcomed her with open arms. Loving grand- parents are Marsha and Warren Kifferstein of Bloomfield Hills, and Judy and Jeff Silver of Moreland Hills, Ohio. Shiloh’s middle name, Harley, is in loving memory of her great-grandfathers, Harold, Harry and L...…
…SPIRIT TORAH PORTION 28 | MAY 13 • 2021 Everyone Counts W e’ve now arrived at the fourth book of the Torah, Bamidbar, “in the wilderness.” We refer to this book as Numbers. Both names are accurate since the narrative takes place in the desert, and there are many censuses taken through the story. The Torah por- tion opens with the scene of the Israelites organizing themselves for the long journey to the Promised Land. Since...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 29 S top counting and pass the cheesecake; it’s Shavuot! Shavuot — Z’man matan Torateinu — is “The time of the giving of our Torah,” when Moses ascended Mount Sinai to meet the Almighty “face to face” and bring back the divine teachings to the Children of Israel. That’s the historical side of the holiday. But what’s all this about counting and cheesecake? Counting refers to the fact that we determine the date o...…
…30 | MAY 13 • 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 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 B’nai I...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 31 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) 823-711...…
…32 | MAY 13 • 2021 M ichigan-born reporter and editor Rebecca Blumenstein is stepping into a new role. After a long and storied career in journal- ism that has taken her from Newsday to the Wall Street Journal, Blumenstein, who grew up in Essexville outside of Bay City, is transitioning into a top leadership position as deputy editor in the pub- lisher’s office at the New York Times. Blumenstein, 54, of Maplewood, N.J., is a U...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 33 and economics of my home- town, Bay City, which flipped from a Democratic strong- hold to support Trump in 2016 and again in 2020. Can you tell us about your new role with the Publisher’s Office? I recently stepped away from the newsroom to take on a role as deputy editor in the Publisher’s Office. A.G. Sulzberger, who took over as the paper’s publisher in 2018, needed someone to work as his day-to-day partner, ...…
…34 | MAY 13 • 2021 BUSINESS T ech entrepreneur and innovation speaker Josh Linkner believes any- one can achieve personal or career milestones by taking small creative steps. This mindset is the focus of his new book, Big Little Breakthroughs, which launched April 20 via independent publishing house Post Hill Press. For Linkner, 50, of Franklin, who grew up in Detroit and is affiliated with Temple Shir Shalom, his fourth book speak...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 35 HERE’S TO! Jim Newman, owner and managing partner of Newman Consulting Group LLC (NCG) in Farmington Hills, was honored as a Fellow of the international ASHRAE organization, which recognizes members who have attained distinction and made substantial contributions in HVAC&R and the built environment such as education, research, engineering design and consultation, publications, presentations and mentorin...…
…36 | MAY 13 • 2021 A singer-songwriter, a playwright-author and a producer — all raised in Metro Detroit — will be part of an international digital program celebrating the holiday of Shavuot. They will be helping to navi- gate an all-night event remem- bering what occurred before the sunrise presentation of the Ten Commandments. DAWN: A Cosmic Reunion spotlights singer-songwriter Ethan Davidson perform- ing two songs with his wife...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 37 to rise after this pandemic, and we hope that will be soon.” Davidson is performing the second song because Prine was a hero of his, one of his favorite singer-songwriters. Prine died of COVID-19 fairly early on in the pandemic, but lyrics he left behind relate to the purpose of Shavuot: “Just give me one thing that I can hold on to” is repeat- ed throughout the song. SOUL OF SHAVUOT “Shavuot is [thought to be] when...…
…38 | MAY 13 • 2021 ARTS&LIFE BOOKS A beat-up, 75-year-old black-and-white pho- tograph hangs over my desk at home. It shows a thin young man in a misshapen suit and a pretty young woman in a Bavarian dirndl outfit holding hands and gazing at each other. It was taken in 1946 in the Landsberg Displaced Persons camp in Germany. The couple are my parents, Berek Fiszlinski and Hanka Monczyk, newly freed from Hell. Berek survived sev...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 39 N ext week is quite a week. On Sunday, May 16, we begin the two-day festival of Shavuot, a harvest holiday. Like Sukkot, homes are festooned with fruits, flowers, branches and greenery. And for many reasons, it’s long established that dairy foods are served during this holiday along with seven-species of foods, including wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranates, olives (and olive oil), and dates (or honey). It ...…
…40 | MAY 13 • 2021 W hat would happen to the estimat- ed 450,000 Jews living across North Africa, from Morocco to Jerusalem, if Germans won the battle for North Africa during World War II? This theater of war is usually depicted as a contest between Germany’s General Irwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox,” and British Commonwealth forces: Australians, New Zealanders, Indians, Scots, Welsh and English. What is often not discussed a...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 41 SHABBAT WITH FRIENDS 6:30 pm, May 14 Join Rabbi Jeff and Steph of The Well and special guests to celebrate Shabbat. A short Kabbalat Shabbat service will be followed by Shabbat ritu- als led by guests. Participate on The Well’s Facebook page. WHY WE DRUM 7 pm, May 14 The Great Lakes Taiko Center will share the art and spirit of Japanese taiko drum- ming through Raion Taiko & Godaiko Drummers. This free performanc...…
…42 | MAY 13 • 2021 ON THE GO PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS Compiled by Sy Manello/ Editorial Assistant. Send items at least 14 days in advance to calendar@thejewishnews.com. Saeed Khan Howard Lupovitch MUSLIM-JEWISH RELATIONS 7 pm, May 20 (May 27, June 3) The Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies will pres- ent this free lecture series on Zoom, with Wayne State University Professors Howard Lupovitch and Saeed Khan. This year’s to...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 43 T hey weren’t born in 1999, when the Detroit Tigers played their final game at Tiger Stadium after calling the iconic ballpark home since 1912. But the 14 players on the Frankel Jewish Academy baseball team experienced the aura of the magical place at Michigan and Trumbull on a warm spring afternoon and evening April 27 when they faced Detroit Cristo Rey at The Corner Ballpark, where Tiger Stadium once stood. The ...…
…the exchange community bulletin board | professional services For information regarding advertising please call 248-351-5116 or 248-234-9057 or email salessupport@thejewishnews.com Deadline for ad insertion is 9 a.m. on Friday prior to publication. Aaron Mendelson Heating and Cooling 248-855-0437 Cell: 248-912-2292 License # 7118488 Maintenance, Installation, Repair & Hot Water Heaters Ajmendelson1@gmail.com FAMILY OWNED SINCE 19...…
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…OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY 46 | MAY 13 • 2021 c. 2000 HOWARD GARVIN, 83, of Boca Raton, Fla., formerly of West Bloomfield, died May 2, 2021. He is survived by his son and daughter-in- law, Larry and Robin Garvin; daughters and sons-in-law, Jillian and Paul Frankel, Margo and John Lansat; grandchil- dren, Hannah, Phillip and Sammy Garvin, Judah and Ava Frankel; sister, Beverly Peterson; many other loving family members and f...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 47 J oseph Z. Nederlander, raised in a family of theater entrepreneurs and a key force in the Detroit theater scene, died May 1, 2021, after a battle with Parkinson’s disease. It was exactly one month before he could celebrate his 94th birthday and one month after the family-owned Fisher Theatre was sold to International Entertainment Holdings Limited, parent company of Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), a live t...…
…48 | MAY 13 • 2021 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY continued from page 46 E li Broad, former Detroit businessman and philanthropist whose generosity was as vast as his fortune, died April 30, 2021, in Los Angeles, where he resided for the past six decades with his wife of 67 years, Edythe. He was 87. Eli Broad was born in the Bronx in 1933, the son of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. When he was 6 years old, his family moved to ...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 49 son, Marc; grandchildren, Matthew, Elizabeth, Rachel, Garrett, Abigail and Rose; great grandchildren, Lilee, Jasmine, Gavriel and Aria; nieces, cousins, other loving family and friends. She was preceded in death by her mother, Miriam Nyman; her father, Max Nyman; and brother, Erwin. DOLORES ROBERTA MANDELL, 92, of West Bloomfield, died May 3, 2021. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Leonard ...…
…50 | MAY 13 • 2021 CAROLYN MAE MARTIN, 75, of Farmington Hills, died April 30, 2021. She is sur- vived by her son and daugh- ter-in-law, Joel and Shana Kruger of Miami Beach, Fla.; daughters and sons-in-law, Anne Goldman and Mark Flemming of Commerce Township, Miriam Kruger of Berkley; grandchildren, Molly Goldman, Ozzie Kruger, Uri Kruger, Dani Kruger; nieces and nephews, Charlie and Jodi Fried, Heshy and Chaya Miriam Fried; ...…
…MAY 13 • 2021 | 51 For the peace you need . . . ... and the respect of the life you treasured. Judaism embraces all facets of life . . . including death. Trust us to assist you with dignity and grace. HEBREW MEMORIAL CHAPEL (248) 543-1622 ~ hebrewmemorial.org …
…OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY 52 | MAY 13 • 2021 F aye Schulman, a Holocaust survivor who lost most of her family to the Nazis but joined a group of partisan fighters and document- ed their work in photographs, died April 24, the Washington Post reported Saturday. She was 101 years old. Schulman’s photographs often depicted the smiling faces of young partisan fighters, with Schulman at times at the center in a stylish leopard prin...…
