…8 | JANUARY 26 • 2023 I recently read an interesting article by Alan Zeitlin, “Should Rabbis Fear Robots?” Zeitlin interviewed several rabbis, asking them whether the brand new ChatGPT program could deliver sermons and answer halachic questions as well as human rabbis. For those who don’t know, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence program that has recently been made available to the public, and the early reviews have been a...…
…JANUARY 26 • 2023 | 9 needs and emotions, and that answering halachic questions wouldn’t be any different. In many cases, artificial intelligence programs might even understand you better than you understand yourself. However, most of the other people who participated in this discussion felt otherwise. Rabbi Reuven Spolter (formerly of Young Israel of Oak Park) summed it up well: “Real psak is the application of halachah to a ...…
…JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT Jewish students share their culture with non-Jewish students in first-of-its-kind program in Michigan. See page 12 S t u d e n t Student to $200 Jan. 19-25, 2023 / 26 Tevet-3 Shevat 5783 thejewishnews.com …
…10 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 PURELY COMMENTARY opinion How American Jews Should Navigate Israel’s New Political Reality I n the wake of the recent elections, many progressives have expressed angst at the new leadership in Israel. Matti Friedman wrote a piece in Tablet (tabletmag.com) about the election aftermath in Israel. It is “not threatening ‘democracy,’ or the ‘peace process,’ which hasn’t existed for more than 20 years,” he wro...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 11 — is a communal strategy forged in the civil rights era meant to push scary antisemitic voices to the margins. It has its time and place. But we don’t always have to be on condemnation footing. It is not even always the best way to counter domestic antisemitism, and it does nothing to de-platform duly elected Israeli officials, no matter how you feel about them. Restraining our moral impulses will not “...…
…12 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 W hat if we could prevent antisem- itism before it even begins? That’s the goal of Student to Student, a program empowering high school students to present their experience of Judaism to non-Jewish high school students. Late last year, Fawn Chapel and Rabbi Andrew Terkel of Be the Narrative, a national non- profit organization that devel- ops interactive educational pro- grams that connect Jewish and non-Jew...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 13 A Typical Presentation At a typical Student to Student pre- sentation, the Jewish students speak about “What Judaism means to me,” which, national director Fawn Chapel notes, also “really presents ‘who I am.’” The students come prepared to speak about the Jewish life cycle, Shabbat, kashrut, antisemitism and the Holocaust, Israel and, if time, holidays. Typically, the presentation about Shabbat begins with bi...…
…14 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 schools with few or no Jews. ” Abramson-Goldstein began the program with 10 student presenters. Her successor at Student to Student, Fawn Chapel, reports that now, in St. Louis alone, each year, 120 Jewish students give presentations to 3,000- 4,000 non-Jewish high schools students. Beginning in 2015, with the help of a grant from the Natan Fund, the program spread to four other communities. As it did, it outgr...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 15 O ffering a prayer for the administration, Rabbi Alicia Harris joined Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on the dais during the inauguration ceremony on Jan. 1, 2023. Since her arrival at Shir Tikvah, Rabbi Harris has been part of the governor’s Ecumenical Council. This group of faith leaders from around the state performs a variety of services, including prayers for the electors, statements on voting rights and act...…
…16 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 OUR COMMUNITY COURTESY OF BBYO T he BBYO Regional Con- vention 2022 (RC), Dec. 25-28 at the JCC in West Bloomfield, was truly a week to remember. The convention theme Byachad Hamishpacha or Together as Family, was demonstrated more perfectly than anything I have ever seen. While Michigan Region consists of 12 different chapters and nearly 600 members in grades 8-12, Regional Convention was the perfect ...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 17 and craziness that is RC, and spend my last RC with people I am beyond lucky to call my siblings. Among all of the games and competitions, mental health did not go unnoticed. From a “zen zone” to food trucks and even therapy dogs, there was always something nearby if members needed a break. I can say without a doubt that knowing my mental health was acknowledged helped to enhance my overall experience. ...…
…18 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 N ine days after he was hired for the position of middle school dean of students for Richmond Community Schools in Macomb County, educator Michael Woodberg resigned after receiving anonymous written antisemitic threats to him and his family if he kept his post. According to his LinkedIn profile, Woodberg for 12 years was a special education teacher in West Bloomfield Schools, where he also coached spo...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 19 cooperated with the officers at the Richmond Police Department and Chief of Police Tom Costello, providing investigators the antisemitic death threat note, access to security camera footage from multiple cameras in the building, log entry records of individuals utilizing the security swipe card readers for entrance to the building and restricted areas, names of individuals who work in Richmond Middle Scho...…
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…20 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 W est Bloomfield’s Lori Ellis will be joining her Holocaust survivor mother, Sophie Tajch Klisman, and her mother’s liberator, Doug Harvey, when they speak together about the Holocaust at the First United Methodist Church of Troy on Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The event is open to the public and starts at 7 p.m. “They speak in order to continue the mission of educating others about ...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 21 TOP TO BOTTOM: Doug Harvey and Sophie Klisman at an FIDF event in 2019. Lori’s husband Jeff, Lori, Sophie, her son, Mark, and his wife, Anne, celebrate Sophie’s 90th birthday. it, and one of her best friends died and never spoke about it, she felt an obligation to finally open up and share her story.” After the 2016 Poland trip, Klisman returned in 2019 to be a survivor speaker for FIDF’s mission to Poland a...…
…22 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 OUR COMMUNITY D eb Ford of Livonia, a member of Temple Kol Ami in West Bloomfield, is this week’s Volunteer of the Week. A former kindergarten teacher, Ford became an activities director at an assisted living center after retirement and remained working with the senior population until she retired in 2020. Ford’s passion for the elderly began with visiting local assisted living centers with her three...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 23 She periodically adds them or a family member to the TKA Mi Sheberach list, saying there are never too many prayers when in need of healing. She makes sure each Jewish client has some of the essentials for Jewish holidays. This year she purchased 80 bags of potatoes for latkes and passed out Chanukah candles that were donated from various local stores and Yad Ezra. Ford says of all her volunteer efforts, the p...…
…24 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 OUR COMMUNITY L ike any boy who wants to look like his father, E.M. Cohen, 7, of Oak Park was desperate to own his own suit. His mother, Mindy, balked; he would likely outgrow a suit pretty quickly and suits could be expensive. A few months ago, Mindy was on Mrs. Schwab’s patio, flicking through some boy’s clothes when she came across two brand new boy’s suits — in exactly E.M’s size. One came with a matchi...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 25 of West Bloomfield has been collecting toys, books and games and bringing them to Mrs. Schwab’s patio; baby paraphernalia is always a huge hit. When Rhonda Ginsburg of Southfield heard about the gemach, she started posting online, asking for donations of hangers, then she drives around town to pick them up, and brings them all to Mrs. Schwab’s porch. “It’s a huge help, we used to scrounge around for hangers, ”...…
…26 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 OUR COMMUNITY B orn in Detroit, a descendent of Eastern European immigrants, Dr. Max Robins was raised to appre- ciate his Jewish background and value his secular education. His hero was his Zaydie. Robins’ maternal grandfather left Ukraine in the 1890s for the United States, crossing the ocean with little information and a dream of opportunity. Robins, a pediatrician in East Lansing, remembered his family...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 27 R obert and Beverly Rosenfeld of West Bloomfield recently ded- icated their second Life Support Ambulance for Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national paramedic and Red Cross ser- vice. The ambulance was built on a GM chassis, sent to a con- version plant in Indiana, and then transported to Michigan for the dedication ceremony before being shipped to Israel. The event took place at Temple Israel, the couple...…
…28 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 OUR COMMUNITY F riends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) hosted its seventh Annual Israel Bike Mission — an intensive six-day bicycle ride through Israel — from Nov. 11-17, 2022. Southfield residents Howard and Michal Korman and Alon Tolwin joined FIDF supporters for this cross-country ride. A group of wounded Israeli combat veterans who have benefited from rehabilitative programs and prosthetic devices...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 29 T emple Shir Shalom’s Tea, Talk & Torah is returning in 2023 with its first class on Jan. 25. The monthly sessions at the West Bloomfield temple invite all to gather for an afternoon tea, light treats, schmooze and a brief study of the day’s text. Shir Shalom’s Rabbi Daniel Schwartz and Rabbi Michael Moskowitz take turns teaching the classes. The class started off meeting over the summer of 2021 at ...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 3 contents PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 12 Student to Student Jewish students share their culture with non-Jewish students in first-of-its-kind program in Michigan. 15 Inaugural Prayer Rabbi Alicia Harris offered the prayer at Gov. Whitmer’s inauguration. 16 Together As Family 600 teens joined the BBYO Regional Conference last month at the JCC. 18 Antise...…
…faces&places Celebrity chef, popular food influencer and cookbook author Naomi Nachman came in to run a Chopped- style cooking competition at the Young Israel of Southfield on Dec. 10, 2022. Competitors had to use four ingredients, unknown to them until their arrival, on their plate to present to the judges. There were five teams of five and four judges. Lots of fun was had by competitors as well as spectators! PHOTOS COURTESY OF...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 31 On Dec. 4, 2022, the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan held a Jewish Detroit heirloom roadshow and invited community members to bring historic belongings — especially items from before 1930. Held at The Hawk in Farmington Hills, the event was packed with people who simply wanted to see what was brought in and others who had items they wanted evaluated by JHSM’s six antiques experts. Items included book...…
…32 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 NEXT DOR W ell Inc. is a program series that examines the overlap between our professional identity and Jewish identity, and features community leaders and entrepreneurs to learn together around dif- ferent subjects on this issue. On this particular program that fell on the fourth night of Chanukah, we invited Ron Elkus to join us at the Office Coffee Shop to learn with us around the themes of light and dark a...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 33 tifies (Masechet Shabbat 77b), which we used to frame our conversation about what we confront as we pursue our professional dreams and goals. Ron Elkus then told us about his Jewish journey, the founding story of his business, The Shirt Box, and led an inspiring con- versation about the values and community involvement that made The Shirt Box such a special place. Throughout the conversation, Ron shared snipp...…
…34 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 O ne was fun — and successful — so how about another? Riding a wave of momen- tum from a Jewish Heritage Night game held Dec. 4 by the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, a Jewish Heritage Night has been scheduled for the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ G League affiliate. It will be Feb. 13 against the Greensboro (N.C.) Swarm, the G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, at the Wayne State Uni...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 35 Supported through the generosity of The Jewish Fund and the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Family Foundation. Need help taking care of a parent? ☐ 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. We could use a hand. If you have a passion for caring for others and are looking If you have a passion ...…
…36 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 quick hits Eight Were Great on the Tennis Court Eight Jewish boys tennis players from Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham Groves and Birmingham Seaholm high schools were named to all-state teams selected by the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association. Here’s the list: • Division 1 singles: Jonah Chernett, Bloomfield Hills freshman. • Division 1 doubles: Ryan Rose, Bloomfield Hills junior. • Division 1 dou...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 37 There were three Jewish players on the ice Dec. 28 in Pittsburgh when the Detroit Red Wings fell behind 4-0 in the first period and came from behind to beat the Penguins 5-4 in overtime for a historic victory. It was the first time in the Red Wings’ 96-year history that they rallied from at least a four-goal deficit to win on the road. One of the three Jewish players in the Dec. 28 game — Red Wings defenseman...…
…38 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 I t’s 3 a.m. and you’re hungry, but all the restaurants are closed, and you don’t want to cook. No, you’re not out of luck. A new local option can give you a fresh, hot pizza and treats within 3-4 minutes — surely, the definition of quick and easy. ZaBot Pizza Robot is avail- able 24/7 in the parking lot of Southfield-based Capri Pizza. While the machine may strike some as odd, most users seem to agree with...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 39 my credit (could be a debit) card, also displayed pictures of two types of warm cookies from vending partner Gold Mountain Cookies (“one of our top-selling items”), as well as garlic cheese bread and soft pretzels. Once an order is placed, the ZaBot goes to work. A label on the delivery box has a QR code matched to the customer’s desired item. The item is then pulled from its refrigerated holding slot. Th...…
…4 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 PURELY COMMENTARY from the executive director Coming Home – Again I ’m what you might call a double boomerang. Twice in my adult life, I have moved away from Metro Detroit, only to be drawn back. More than just a geographic location, Detroit — and more specifically, its Jewish com- munity — has been home to me. I grew up here. It’s where I stud- ied for my bat mitzvah, went to summer camp and excelled as ...…
…MAZEL TOV! 40 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 Merzin-Weinstein D r. Lee and Debi Weinstein are thrilled to announce the engagement of their daughter Elana Danielle to Maxwell Loren Merzin, son of Mitchell and Cathy Merzin. Elana and Max are to be married Aug. 5, 2023, at Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield, where they met as teenagers. Lieberman-Robinson R ochelle and Joel Lieberman of Farmington Hills and Davida (DeDe) and Warren R...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 41 SPIRIT Inheritance v. Heritage I t is only natural for parents to want to leave a legacy for their children and grandchildren. For those fortunate enough to be able to do so, this wish expresses itself in the form of an inheritance. For most people, this is simply not realistic. How might they transmit a legacy to the next generation? The answer can be found in the distinction the Torah makes between t...…
…G od appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men were standing over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent entrance, and bowed down to the earth… Genesis 18:1–2 Thus, Parshat Vayera opens with one of the most famous scenes in the Bible: Abraham’s meeting with the three enig- matic stra...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 43 them and bowing low, he said, “I pray you now, Adonai, turn aside to your servant’s house and tarry all night and bathe your feet and you shall rise up early and go on your way.” Gen. 19:1–2 As there is no contextual ele- ment to suggest that Lot might be speaking to God, it seems clear, in this case, that adonai refers to the visitors. The simplest reading then of both texts — the one concern- ing Abraham, th...…
…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...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 45 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 Farmingto...…
…46 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 ARTS&LIFE THEATER I t’s no secret in the theater world that plum roles for women of a more mature age are very scarce. “There are either parts for the ingenue or some really old granny, ” says Cantor Rachel Gottlieb Kalmowitz of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township. When she saw an audition notice for the David Shire and Richard Maltby Jr. musical Baby at Ridgedale Players in Troy, Kalmowitz was all in. “...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 47 alone when going through things like infer- tility, miscarriage or marital stagnancy, and it’s helpful to see those experiences actual- ized on the stage, ” she adds. “ Apparently, we are the first theater in the country to stage Baby post-COVID, and it’s not done often, so it’s important to see it while you can. ” JEWISH ROOTS IN GRAND RAPIDS After living in Detroit and Ann Arbor, Kalmowitz’s family moved to Gran...…
…48 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 A lisa Weilerstein has appeared around Michigan over her many years as a cel- list — either as a soloist or with orchestras — but this month she is performing alone for the Wharton Center for Performing Arts. Her selections on the program are all by Bach and are his Cello Suites 1, 3 and 5. They will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at Cobb Great Hall in East Lansing. “I chose the Bach suites because t...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 49 “Over the pandemic, I did countless livestreams and, after a while, that got very old, ” Weilerstein said. “I also did several recording projects and created a very large commis- sioned (work), which is going to be a multi-year project with thoughts about how we would come back together in the concert hall. “It’s very much live music and called ‘Fragments. ’ I commissioned 27 composers diverse in every way ...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 5 …
…50 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 M y soon-to-be 9-year-old niece, Bobbi, recommended that I read a book about World War II. She “loved it,” and told me that I would, too. D-Day: Battle on the Beach, the seventh volume of 12 in the Ranger in Time series by award-winning children’s author Kate Messner, is an excellent work of historical fiction for grade-four readers. The main character, Ranger, is a golden retriever of immense talents. ...…
…JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 51 Subscribe Today! Get The Detroit Jewish News print edition delivered to your door every week for less than $2 per issue. Stay in the know with all things Jewish... thejewishnews.com/subscription Weekly Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox. thejewishnews.com/newsletter …
…52 | JANUARY 19 • 2023 AUTO, MARKLE’S EX, LOVING LEAH American Auto, the hit NBC comedy series about a Detroit-based automobile company, begins its second season (Jan. 24; 8:30 p.m.) with two new episodes. The series was created by Justin Spitzer, 45, and co-stars Jon Barinholtz, 43, (the brother of actor Ike Barinholtz). Next week, I may add to what I just wrote. The Jewish director of the Auto third episode (airs Jan. 31) ju...…
