…28 | JUNE 29 • 2023 J ewish children’s author Andy Gutman is back with a new book co-authored by a special group of budding writ- ers. Released this June, My First Day of Kindergarten sees 12 Beechview Elementary fifth-graders sharing their personal stories of their kindergarten experience. Through their storytelling, the Farmington Public School District cohort of students pro- vide invaluable guidance and support to upcoming gener...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 29 S tar Bakery (26031 Coolidge Highway, Oak Park) will be closing on July 2, the bakery’s owners Daniel Buckfire, David Schechter and Stacy Fox announced. Due to the rising costs of both labor and ingredients, and contin- ued difficulties left over from the pandemic, the business could no longer remain viable. Buckfire, Schechter and Fox purchased Star Bakery in July 2021, and then Diamond Bakery (6722 Orchard ...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 3 PURELY COMMENTARY 4-9 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 10 Uplifting Israeli-Michigan Partnerships Michigan Israel Business Accelerator launches The Elevator — first landing zone for Israeli startups in the U.S. 16 Terror Threat Thwarted FBI arrests Michigan man who threatened mass shooting at East Lansing’s Congregation Shaarey Zedek. 20 Remembering Heroes Next generation steps up...…
…OUR COMMUNITY I t was a cold, rain-soaked Monday evening when I visited the Meer Indepenent Living Apartments on the JCC Campus, yet the per- son I’m here to see, Tracey Proghovnick Edelstein, exuded sunny warmth, greeting me at the door and pausing to kibitz with residents and pet a dog. In her office — after insisting on giving me a gift bag — she gave me the bad news — we’re aging. “If you’re lucky, you’re going to get old,” ...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 31 for a Jewish communal profes- sional. I sat down with Proghovnick Edelstein to learn how she dis- covered — and maintains — her zeal for helping older adults, as well as how we can all better our chances of aging in comfort and dignity. “It’s very possible that you will need some type of support in your life, and prior to that, you’re most likely going to be some type of caregiver. We want peo- ple to know, ‘Yo...…
…32 | JUNE 29 • 2023 OUR COMMUNITY continued from page 31 the conversation started. You’re also talking to a stranger about very private things in many cases. ‘WE USUALLY FIND A SOLUTION.’ I currently am director of res- idential marketing and com- munity relations, working with all the communities at Jewish Senior Life. I still often am the first touch when someone calls or inquires about services. I talk through their situation...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 33 E mily Levine has valued Jewish service and social change since she was young. “I feel like ever since I was little, being Jewish to me was way more than reading Torah and text. It was really based in com- munity and values, ” she said. Emily was engaged in Jewish life through Camp Tel Yehudah as a camper and staff member, and also served as a youth advis- er with Young Judaea. After high school, Emily stud- ied...…
…34 | JUNE 29 • 2023 T he weather could not have been more perfect for Hadassah Greater Detroit’s “Garden of Healing” party on May 31. The event celebrated Hadassah’s 111 years of hope and healing. More than 100 guests mingled and dined in Joan and Bob Epstein’s picturesque gar- dens. The evening was generously under- written by the event co-chairs Joan and Bob Epstein, and Nancy and Larry Bluth. Both Joan Epstein and Nancy Bluth are...…
…Hadassah Greater Detroit President Mandy Garver, Event Co-Chairs Nancy Bluth and Joan Epstein LEFT: Featured speaker Dr. Alex Gileles-Hillel of Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem and Hadassah Speakers Bureau Chair Carol Ann Schwartz. BELOW: Stefany and Gary Freeman and Richard and Shauna Elias of Bloomfield Hills, and Ilene and Steve Bez of Farmington Hills. Past Hadassah Greater Detroit President Nancy Bluth, Hadas...…
…36 | JUNE 29 • 2023 Jewish Senior Life hosted its 30th annual 8 Over 80 fundraising event on Sunday, May 21, at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield. Each year, the nonprofit honors eight individuals in the Metro Detroit community who are over 80 and have demonstrated dedication throughout their lifetimes to the Jewish value of tikkun olam — repairing the world. The celebration was emceed by Alan Muskovitz and spotlighted this...…
…Honoree Ellie Slovis and FJA student Cami Katzen Honoree Janet Pont and FJA student Maddie Charnas Honoree Roslyn Garber and FJA student Ryan Schmeltz Honoree Jim August and FJA student Rebecca Rabin JUNE 29 • 2023 | 37 The Alzheimer’s Association Michigan chapter hosted a free event in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month in Southfield on Wednesday, May 31, where they featured a challah bread braiding demonstration and a prese...…
…T he 41st annual Stephen B. Zorn Memorial Golf Classic put on by the B’nai B’rith Great Lakes Region includ- ed a special anniversary celebra- tion this year. It was the 10th year for a college scholarship program, also run by the Great Lakes Region, that began modestly in 2013 and has gained momentum through the years. That year’s scholarship recipi- ents are honored each year at the Golf Classic, which is the major annual fundraise...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 39 HEALTH A new form of mental health therapy is making waves in Michigan. While somatic experiencing is common in states like Illinois and Arizona, it’s just now expanding in Metro Detroit. Oak Park-based mental health therapist Sarah Rollins, 33, owner of Embodied Wellness, PLLC, believes this unique therapy is poised to grow. She’s also one of the few somatic experiencing practitioners in Michigan. “Somatic ex...…
…4 | JUNE 29 • 2023 PURELY COMMENTARY essay The Jewish Future Is All About Choice There was a young lady of title Who insisted on wearing a sheitel. She didn’t care much For kashrut and such, “But the sheitel, ” said she, “now that’s vital!” A s the old limerick suggests, there has long been a tradition of picking and choosing Jewish observance in America, whether it involved keeping kosher or observing Shabbat, or, in this case,...…
…40 | JUNE 29 • 2023 I n 1997 Gary Burnstein, D.O, a cardi- ologist, received a letter from Grace Centers for Hope, a nonprofit serving homeless individuals in Pontiac. Grace was seeking physician volunteers to care for its clients and Dr. Burnstein agreed to help. According to Dana Burnstein, Dr. Burnstein’s wife, “He was always willing to go to bat for his patients — paying for tests if needed. It’s just who he was — a kind, cari...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 41 physicians. He welcomes this opportunity to give back to the community and is impressed with the clinic and its patients. In order to receive the clin- ic’s free care, patients must be Michigan residents who are uninsured and ineligible for Medicaid or Medicare, with an annual income no higher than 250% of the federal pov- erty level. While some clinic patients are unemployed, oth- ers have jobs — often multiple ...…
…42 | JUNE 29 • 2023 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@ thejewishnews.com...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 43 O n this upcoming Shabbat, we read two parshiyot — Chukat and Balak. These parshiyot are two of the 14 that may be paired together in any given year. In fact, when the second day of Shavuot in the dias- pora falls on Shabbat, as it did this year, Chukat and Balak are always read together on Shabbat. Parshah Chukat con- tains the laws of the red heifer, the most incom- prehensible laws in all the Torah. Foll...…
…I t is a scene that still has the power to shock and disturb. The people complain. There is no water. It is an old complaint and a predictable one. That is what happens in a desert. Moses should have been able to handle it with ease. He has been through far tougher challenges in his time. Yet sud- denly at Mei Meriva (“the waters of contention”), he exploded into vituperative anger: “‘Listen, you rebels, shall we bring you water out o...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 45 challenge without drama. He had been there before. The text gives us a clue, but in so understated a way that we can easily miss it. The chapter begins thus: “In the first month, the whole Israelite community arrived at the desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried. Now there was no water for the community …” (Num. 20:1–2). Many commentators see the connec- tion between this and wh...…
…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...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 47 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 H...…
…ARTS&LIFE FILM REVIEW A Holocaust survivor and a home- less teenager develop an unlikely friendship in Tiger Within. One walks with a cane, limping from his Los Angeles apartment to the synagogue and to the cemetery, where he cares for his deceased wife’s grave. The other is a swasti- ka-wearing runaway from a troubled home in Cleveland, where her mother is in an abusive relationship. The 99-minute film from director Rafal Zielinski, ...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 49 life and history. When they walk through a Jewish neighborhood and Jewish men wearing yar- mulkes call Casey a monster, for example, he yells back, telling them to mind their own business. In a very poignant moment in the film, Casey and Samuel are walking arm-in-arm down a Los Angeles street. On Casey’s back is the swastika, and on her arm is a Holocaust survivor. Tiger Within grapples with two important questio...…
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…50 | JUNE 29 • 2023 P laywright, compos- er and performer Andrew Lippa gets back to Michigan at least once a year. He visits with his niece, Gabrielle Kerbel, studying at the University of Michigan (U-M), and he connects with the university’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance about conducting mas- ter classes. This year, Lippa has learned that his musical john & jen is having a Michigan run devel- oped by a new professional thea...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 51 father and went off to fight in Vietnam.” The actors who requested a production never performed the play, which enlarged to a stand-alone production. As Lippa has worked on many projects, his mentor has been Broadway hit maker Stephen Schwartz, whose shows include Wicked and Pippin. Schwartz revealed that he has recognized a recurring theme in his own work and suggested that Lippa would find a theme as he look...…
…52 | JUNE 29 • 2023 FORD IS INDY ONE LAST TIME; CHALAMET IS DYLAN; SCHUMER’S SPECIAL Opening June 30 is Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny. It is the fifth and final Indiana Jones movie, and everybody associated with the series, like Steven Spielberg, swears there will be no more “Indy” films. You can find the plot of this almost-certain block- buster anywhere. So, I will omit it here. Of course, it wouldn’t be an Indiana ...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 53 COUNTRY MUSIC 8 PM, JUNE 29 (THURS.) John Berry will perform at The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor. This romantic tenor shows just how strong Nashville vocals have become. $35. YOGA & MUSIC 7:340-8:30 PMN, JULY 6 (THURS.) Practice yoga outdoors at DSO’s Sosnick Courtyard led by a Detroit Yoga Lab instructor and accessible to all skill levels. String quartet Six Mile Strings will perform a blissful live soundtra...…
…54 | JUNE 29 • 2023 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, LLC. 248-855-0437 Cell: 248-912-2292 License # 7118488 Maintenance, Installation, Repair & Hot Water Heaters Ajmendelson1@gmail.c...…
…LINDA BURDICK, 76, died June 18, 2023, in New York City at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Linda, who lived in New York City, was a Detroit native and earned an undergradu- ate and M.S.W. degree at the University of Michigan. She was in the process of obtain- ing a Ph.D. She had been an adjunct professor at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, New York, and at SUNY (State University of New York.) She was preceded in death...…
…56 | JUNE 29 • 2023 continued from page 55 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY R abbi Yosil Rosenzweig, 76, of Oak Park, peace- fully passed away in West Bloomfield on June 21, 2023. Rabbi Yosil Rosenzweig touched the lives of countless individuals through his teach- ings, music and rabbinical care. Even his birth was a symbol of hope when he was born to Holocaust survivors, Helen (Chaichu) and Jacob Rosenzweig, on April 23, 1947, in...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 57 continued on page 58 School District. He taught his- tory, social studies, economics and political science. Mr. Leopold is survived by his wife of 45 years, Marilyn Leopold; son, Brandon Leopold and fiancée, Heather Hoberman; sisters and brothers-in-law, Esther and Lawrence Weitzman of West Bloomfield, Marsha and Jerome Avrushin of West Bloomfield, Sharon Krasner of Oak Park; brothers-in-law and sister-in- law...…
…58 | JUNE 29 • 2023 continued from page 57 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY Contributions may be made to Hebrew Free Loan or a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. BERNARD MALAMUD, P.E., 90, of Huntington Woods, died June 22, 2023. He was the beloved hus- band of Shirley (Nosanchuk) Malamud for 66 years. A lifelong resident of Michigan, Bernie worked 35+ years in the federal civil service, including active s...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 59 continued on page 60 may be made to the Make- A-Wish Foundation or the Jewish War Veterans. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. NANCY PIERCE, 94, of Oak Park, died June 19, 2023. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Robert (Sandra Smith) Pierce; daugh- ters and sons-in-law, Carol and Bruce Clark, and Cheryl Vasconcellos and Samuel Kalalau III; grandchildren, Eli Clark and Matthew Clark; many loving ni...…
…6 | JUNE 29 • 2023 essay Summer Is Here M y mother died in February, and since then I’ve been car- ing for her home. At the time of her death, she had over a hun- dred plants — and that’s only inside the house. Outside, there were hundreds more — roses and lilacs and dahlias, lilies of the valley and irises and daffodils, violets and honeysuckle and sunflow- ers. They bloom in almost all seasons, from late winter to late aut...…
…60 | JUNE 29 • 2023 continued from page 59 OBITUARIES OF BLESSED MEMORY GLORIA SELLERS, 97, of Lauderhill, Fla., formerly of Southfield, died June 21, 2023. She is survived by her son, David Sellers; daughter and son-in-law, Andrea and Chris Reichardt Sellers; grandchildren, Heidi (Aaron) Vangelisti and Marc Reichardt; great-grandchildren, Bryanna and Zachary; sister-in- law, Rosalind Chalnick. Mrs. Sellers was the beloved wif...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 61 L enore “Susie” Kent , 81, of West Bloomfield, died June 17, 2023. Susie was the only child of Morris and Renee Ager. She was born on July 15, 1941, in Detroit. Susie attended Mumford High School, the University of Michigan and graduated from Wayne State University. Soon there- after, Susie and Michael began their special, 61-year marriage. The pair moved to Chicago, where Susie taught fifth grade in Chicago P...…
…62 | JUNE 29 • 2023 Looking Back From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History accessible at www.djnfoundation.org Tickling the Ivories I read a recent article by Neal Rubin, who was writing about a common plight in modern America. A woman was trying to find someone to take her piano. She’s on a tough path. First, pianos are heavy and extreme- ly hard to move. Trust me. In my younger days, I helped a friend move...…
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…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 7 these verses expansively, saying that when Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai began to teach mystical secrets, the trees started to sing. The Zohar, the mystical Torah commentary, imagines that when the Creator visits the Garden of Eden at mid- night, the trees burst into song. This description of plants is a reflection of the way many of us experience plants — as alive and in relationship to us. And it’s likely they reflect h...…
…8 | JUNE 29 • 2023 opinion Should the Pittsburgh Shul Murderer Hang? I n a decidedly unsurprising verdict, the man who mur- dered 11 Jews in the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh has been found guilty. Now, Robert Bowers faces a second judgment: The court must determine whether he will receive the death penalty. Three congre- gations were using the Tree of Life facility at the time of the massacre — New Light, ...…
…JUNE 29 • 2023 | 9 O n Tuesday, June 20, the JN’s website might have looked a bit dif- ferent to our frequent visitors. The JN moved to a new online platform specifically designed for news to create a better online expe- rience for our readers. The revamped website offers improved navi- gation, making it easier than ever to find the information you need, regardless of wheth- er you’re using a desktop, tablet or mobile device — ...…
…$200 June 22-28, 2023 / 3-9 Tammuz 5783 JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT thejewishnews.com New rainbow-inspired mural in Oak Park celebrates the life of a man devoted to dogs. See page 10 A Mural for Idan A Mural for Idan …
…OUR COMMUNITY T his is a story of heartbreak and beauty set in Oak Park, Michigan, population 29,322, where everyone mentioned is a resident or has another connection to the city. Grieving parents, a noted artist, caring officials and volunteers, and even this writer, were brought together to see a tragedy transformed into something uplifting. Mark and Aviva Phillips, their two rescue dogs and a few select humans, including Oak Park ...…
…JUNE 22 • 2023 | 11 was completely devoted to dogs. His parents now care for Idan’s Reilly, in addition to their own dog, Zippy. “You have no idea how full my heart is,” said Mark, a member of the Dog Park Committee for his city’s Parks and Recreation Commission. He was jubilant about seeing the mural, following months of anticipating Salamon’s sketch painted on a 50-foot-long space. Mark said he and Aviva appreciate getting the ...…
…12 | JUNE 22 • 2023 continued from page 11 child, when “all the ducks and geese would come to him” at the Greenfield Village pond in Dearborn. “They’ d fly away when other people came, ” she said. “Pretty much all his life, not only did he love animals, they loved him. ” After the “celebration of life” held in Idan’s honor at Beth Shalom in late December 2021, Mark and Aviva decided to do “some- thing” in Idan’s honor at the city’s ...…
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…OUR COMMUNITY I t took seven days to ride from Detroit to Mackinaw City, but the third-annual “Ride for Equity, ” a charitable bike ride raising funding for Black Leaders Detroit, was a success. It raised just over $150,000 since the most recent update and held conversations across the state about equity and inclusion, many of which took place in rural communities. Black Leaders Detroit, a social impact organization that provides ...…
