…$200 March 7-13, 2024 / 27 Adar I - 3 Adar II 5784 JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT thejewishnews.com UNSTOPPABLE Matisyahu talks of his new EP, his upcoming visit to Detroit — and how he’ll continue to be a voice for the Oct. 7 hostages. See page 38 …
…10 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N essay For Ukraine’s Jews, the Work is Not Yet Done A s we passed the grim second anniversary of the Ukraine conflict, I’m reminded of a haunting melody I heard in the city of Poltava last month. I was standing before Sonia Bunina, a plucky 17-year- old, when she opened her mouth to sing when an air raid siren rang out. I flinched. Not Sonia — she didn’t miss a beat. “Kol haolam kulo gesher t’zar meod, ...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 11 J N essay For Ukraine’s Jews, the Work is Not Yet Done 2022, the center became a staging ground for truckloads of emergency aid — part of the 800 tons of humanitarian assistance we’ve delivered so far. A few blocks from missile strikes, it now hosts children’s camps and soulful Shabbat services and operates a “kids’ hub,” offering academic enrichment to children who haven’t had in-person school for years — ro...…
…12 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N J ewish students and parents of the Upper School of Roeper said that there have been rising tensions in the months fol- lowing the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, culminating with the appearance of posters with pro-Palestinian messages calling for a ceasefire and accusing Israel of committing genocide on the week of Feb. 12 just before the private school’s scheduled winter break. Some students requesting ano- ny...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 13 continued on page 14 cuss Oct. 7 or its ramifications because it was too polarizing, and one Jewish student decided they wanted to create chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine at school, according to the stu- dent. Still, this student felt the decision to quell the discussion of Oct. 7 in a Jewish group was unfair because objections to this discussion mainly came from one stu...…
…14 | MARCH 7 • 2024 who is also the Black Student Union adviser. Posts Harris has made on X reveal that he believes U.S. defensive and military aid and support for Israel is “disgust- ing. ” Harris mocked a video of Jewish women college students at an undisclosed campus cry- ing to administrators about a pro-Palestine protest in the days following Oct. 7. He reposted tweets describing Gaza as an open-air prison where people are b...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 15 been comforted. Gutman works for the Jewish Federation of Detroit as senior Israel and overseas program- ming associate. She said she worked to correct messaging coming out of school commu- nications that acknowledged the attack. Gutman made sure communications from Roeper said that Israel is not fighting Palestine but Hamas, and that Hamas is a terrorist organiza- tion. Gutman said that the experi- ence for ele...…
…16 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N W hether you are a Jewish professional or lay leader in a Jewish organization or have millennial kids or grandkids who you are looking to understand and engage in Jewish personal and communal life, you will benefit from the lived lessons and practical tools shared by Rabbi Dan Horwitz in his first book Just Jewish: How to Engage Millennials and Build a Vibrant Jewish Future. On Sunday, March 10, Rabbi...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 17 J N building. “I view myself as a research-informed practitioner,” Horwitz says. While some practices were as fundamental and widely used as coffee dates, other practices, such as super- creative events like biblically inspired escape rooms, came directly from the minds of The Well team. One of the original team members was Jessica Katz, the panel facilitator. Katz “is an exceptional communal Jewish leader w...…
…18 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N C ongregation B’nai Moshe of West Bloomfield, along with Tzfat Distillery 148, is inviting the Metro Detroit community to a wine and spirits tasting on Monday, March 18, at 7 p.m. Tzfat Distillery, Israel’s first whiskey makers, is on a tour of the U.S. bringing samples of their delicious products. B’nai Moshe is excited to help support Eretz Yisrael one business at a time and will host up to 70 people ...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 19 J N OUR COMMUNITY O n the morning of Oct. 7, as Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, they reached the music festival taking place very near the border. Roughly 3,000 Israeli and foreign partygoers were celebrating at the psychedelic Supernova rave. Immediately, bullets and missiles were flying as the festival participants scattered across fields, to their cars or attempted to take cover. Eventually, 360 were ...…
…AdvancedDerm.com Zero-Fee Payment Options: Debit Card, HSA, FSA, check, Gift Card, Cash, Care Credit . Credit Card surcharge fees vary up to 3% Offices in Livonia, Shelby Township, Southfield/Franklin, Warren, Wyandotte Our family taking care of your family’s skin for 105 years. Sunscreens Expire… With more daylight hours right around the corner, now’s the perfect time to purchase your new 30+ SPF sunscreen with your HSA/FSA card. ...…
…F riday nights for Nicole Koppel growing up meant lighting candles, singing “Shalom Aleichem,” making the traditional bless- ings, homemade challah and a full meal. Today, Koppel, who lives with her partner, TJ McKenzie, and her son, Andy Kovenich, 8, has carried on the tradition of making Shabbat a time for the family to come together. Part of a busy household, she says she’s worked hard to make the focus on relaxing and havin...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 21 J N J CRC/AJC Executive Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin announced that he is leaving the organization to become the director of com- munity relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, effective March 4. JCRC/AJCAssistant Director/ Director of Media Relations Sam Dubin has been named interim executive director. “Rabbi Lopatin is leaving his five-year tenure at the Jewish Community Relations Counci...…
…A group of some 50 West Bloomfield School District bus drivers and bus monitors took part in pilot training Feb. 14 offered by the district in collaboration with The J to improve bus rides for students, including those with special needs. The session was the third in a three-part series put on by the school district, the second and third of which were facilitat- ed by The J. The program is designed to help adults on the bus ke...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 23 on the bus, for example. They also opened the conversation on how to improve commu- nication. “It will make a huge dif- ference, ” Smith says. “I think building the awareness, build- ing communication, helping students feel safe — having that understanding will develop and create a cadence of all of that, and help them feel safe minimizing unsafe behaviors on the bus so that travel can be more efficient. ” Nikki...…
…24 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N W hen Ira Goldberg’s retirement from teaching was nearing, he started developing a pho- tography business to pivot his energies once he finished working at Berkley High School. And then, right around the time of retirement, his mother-in-law, Janet Pont, was honored as part of Jewish Senior Life’s 8 Over 80 program. “My mother-in-law’s mission was all about volunteering,” says Goldberg, a Farmington Hills r...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 25 J N much to me to have my picture taken in the synagogue.” Goldberg made all the arrangements and even picked Rubin up at Meer and drove her to the synagogue, where Rabbi Steven Rubenstein was waiting for them. Rubin sat in front of the Aron Kodesh, the Holy Ark, and Goldberg took pictures of her holding the Torah. They even invited the rabbi to join Rubin for a few images. “I can’t begin to tell you how thril...…
…26 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N M ike Stone was a fixture on Detroit sports talk radio for more than 30 years before signing off as a full- time show host last month. “Stoney” also was a fixture in the Detroit Jewish community during his three-plus decades on the air. He emceed the always-enlightening sports panel discussion at the Hank Greenberg Golf, Tennis and Pickleball Invitational and the opening ceremonies at the JCC Maccabi Games. H...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 27 SPOTLIGHT An ual Event CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK FARBER HEBREW DAY SCHOOL Celebrating our 60th Anniversary event24@farberhds.org www.farberhds.org/giving/annual-event AND TO HONOR FARBER ALUMNI SERVING IN THE IDF 11:30 AM | CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, MI 48034 April 14, 2024 Rachel & Josh Op erer is proud to recognize EVENT CHAIRS Julie and Eugene Sherizen Drs. Ora and Michael Sin...…
…28 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N NOSH DINING AROUND THE D Try out this unique addition to Berkley’s Mongers’ Provisions. The Rind Will Werner behind the bar …
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 29 continued on page 30 V isitors to Will Werner and Zachary Berg’s Mongers’ Provisions, a specialty appetizer store on 12 Mile Road in Berkley, have only to walk through an archway (or use front and back entrances) to reach the partners’ relaxing storefront addition. The Rind, opened last summer, initially offered only a sampling of well-curated cheese and wine. “We are a neighborhood wine bar evolving into an inc...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 3 J N PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 12 Tensions at Roeper Jewish Upper School students meet with pro-Palestinian propaganda. 16 Just Jewish Book Signing Rabbi Dan Horwitz returns to his alma mater, Hillel Day School, to launch book on how to engage millennials. 18 Taste Wine from Israel Congregation B’nai Moshe welcomes Israel’s first whiskey distillery for a ...…
…30 | MARCH 7 • 2024 is Chef Will BeDell, most recently employed at Sarah Welch’s well-regarded Marrow restaurant in Detroit. Cheese-lovers may create boards with three to five choices and perhaps include charcuterie. My flavorful assortment one evening included Bay Blue, a rustic- style blue cheese; Fromager d’Affinois, a mild cow’s milk cheese; Appalachian, another cow’s milk cheese with a velvety texture from southwest Virginia; and P...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 31 Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (All Periodicals Publications Except Requester Publications) 1. Publication Title 2. Publication Number 3. Filing Date _ 4. Issue Frequency 5. Number of Issues Published Annually 6. Annual Subscription Price 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication (Not printer) (Street, city, county, state, and ZIP+4®) Contact Person Telephone (Include area cod...…
…32 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N faces&places A s an avid football fan, the Super Bowl meant a great deal to Andy Collins, a person who was served by JARC for more than 30 years until he passed away in 2023. Since 2017, Andy’s family has raised money each year for the Andy Collins Super Bowl Party Fund, which pays for a viewing party event for all interested people that JARC serves. After Andy passed away, his family decided that th...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 33 J N MAZEL TOV! Jacob Maxwell Ben, son of Meredith and Joshua Ben, will be called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Friday, March 8, 2024. He will be joined in celebration by his sister, Madison. Jacob is the loving grandchild of Barbara and Allan Ben, and Marilyn and Michael Rice. He is a student at Walnut Creek Middle School in West Bloomfield. Jacob’s most meaningful...…
…I n Vayakhel we meet, for the second time, the man who became the symbol of the artist in Judaism, a man by the name of Betzalel. Then Moses said to the Israelites, “Know that the Lord has chosen Betzalel, son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and has filled him with a Divine spirit of wisdom, understanding and knowledge in every craft, to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, as well as cutt...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 35 and Rav Kook wrote a touching letter in support of its creation. He saw the renaissance of art in the Holy Land as a symbol of the regeneration of the Jewish people in their own land, landscape and birthplace. Judaism in the diaspora, removed from a natural connection with its own historic environment, was inevitably cerebral and spiritual, “alienated. ” Only in Israel would an authentic Jewish aesthetic emerg...…
…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 ...…
…ARTS&LIFE ON THE COVER Matisyahu talks his new EP, his upcoming visit to Detroit — and how he’ll continue to be a voice for the Oct. 7 hostages. LYNNE KONSTANTIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER 38 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N …
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 39 Matisyahu talks his new EP, his upcoming visit to Detroit — and how he’ll continue to be a voice for the Oct. 7 hostages. atisyahu has a bit of magic to him. His music has a way of filling you and lifting you up, even more so when watching him perform live. But he also is a real person. Like the rest of us, he is angry and struggling. So, he’s doing what he’s always done: touring, despite attempts to stop him, ins...…
…4 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N from the executive director The War of Words Must First Be Won at Home R ecently, I was invited to participate in a round table discussion led by Yaakov Katz, a senior reporter at the Jerusalem Post. As an esteemed media veteran, Yaakov speaks to diverse groups around the world about the crisis in Israel. Yaakov briefed attendees on the realities of what is happening on the ground in Israel from a po...…
…ARTS&LIFE ON THE COVER 40 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N “It’s basically a dream I had in my early 30s. I was praying in an ancient Middle Eastern synagogue, and playing with a baby tiger, then the mom was shooting fire out of her eyes, and I was covered in flames. I realized that my arm was not on fire — I looked down and it was made out of water. “When I woke up, I immedi- ately thought of the story of the burning bush and Moshe Rabeinu —...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 41 J N to go to Israel. My son had been studying there before Oct. 7. He came home a week later, but he was sad being at home. He said there was an incredible unity there, which I saw in videos of Israelis and how they came together, shining through this horror. “I was feeling such hopelessness, like a lot of us. And this young generation seems to have no concept whatsoever. This uphill battle that feels so hopeless ...…
…42 | MARCH 7 • 2024 ARTS&LIFE ON THE COVER Matisyahu beside his wife, Talia Miller, at Kibbutz Nir Oz. As soon as he landed in Israel, he went to the sites where the Nova, Kibbutz Nir Oz and Kibbutz Kfar Aza massacres occurred. He posted photos of the destruction on his Instagram, writing, “The Holocaust happened again here in my lifetime. To all of the Jews around the world who are afraid to speak up, it’s time to wake up or it wil...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 43 festival apologized and re-invited him to perform. In February, two tour shows, in Arizona and New Mexico, were canceled due to “safety concerns just before the show, ” he says. “There were no safety concerns. There were very few protesters; there was security. It was antisemitism. ” This time, the worldwide outrage has quieted to Jewish supporters and fans. Determined not to be silenced, Matisyahu announced he w...…
…44 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N ARTS&LIFE T he Oscars will be presented on Sunday, March 10 (ABC; 7 p.m.). Jimmy Kimmel will host. The Governors’ Awards (Honorary Oscars) were pre- sented last November. Mel Brooks, 97, was one of three awardees. He gave an amusing short speech (on YouTube). Here are the Jewish nominees in all but the “technical” cate- gories (like costumes, makeup and sound). This is the oddest year I’ve ever seen. No ...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 45 I don’t think he will ever be a practicing Jew. But I suspect he wouldn’t mind a bit if his chil- dren are bar/bat mitzvah. Best Original Screenplay: Anatomy of a Fall (a French language legal mystery film), was co-written by nominee Arthur Harari. 42. Harari’s paternal Sephardi grandfather was born in Egypt and became a well-known French actor. With help, I found out that Arthur Harari’s parents are Jewish, t...…
…46 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N ARTS&LIFE THEATER A one-performer, award-winning biographic play, Hedy! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, will have two performances, March 14-15, at the West Bloomfield Berman Center for the Performing Arts. The play title gives the essence of the production about the late movie star born of Jewish heritage. Both presentations will be the same with the matinee on the second day hav- ing some accommoda...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 47 J N Massie said. She needed to get out. “ Although Hedy was of Jewish heritage, she was not raised in Jewish traditions,” Massie explained. “She was more secular and assimilat- ed. She married Mandl in a church and declared they were Roman Catholic. I think that was likely a business decision on Mandl’s part.” Massie, whose early com- fort with acting came through 4-H initiatives, explained that Hedy’s religion ...…
…48 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N Musical Educator A fter performing solo and with multiple bands around the world, musician and songwriter Josh Grekin decided to bring his passion for music back home, and he opened the Grekin School of Music in Ann Arbor. “My goal was to build a community for musicians of all levels and all ages, ” says Grekin, who grew up in Ann Arbor and plays trumpet and piano professionally. Grekin clearly struck a ch...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 49 Broadway-style musical and that camp has auditions and lasts two weeks. ” A LOVE OF MUSIC For Grekin, who is 52, opening a music school came naturally, as playing instru- ments, singing and writing songs have always been a big part of his life. While in elementary school in Ann Arbor, Grekin began playing the trumpet and piano. “I would play piano and write songs by age 11, ” he recalls. “My mom wanted me to perfo...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 5 J N XXXX We are so proud of you! Congratulations on getting your Masters.You are an incredible person and will go far in life. All our love, Mom, Dad, Jeff and Shayna Mazel Tov! Ad Style #4 1/8 PAGE $150 XXXXXXX You continually make us proud, keep shining your light. Mom, Dad, Brianna, Hannah, Lacey, Mazel T ov! Ad Style #3 1/16 PAGE $125 Custom Style 1/2 PAGE $485 Can include multiple images & any design!...…
…50 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N ALL ABOUT PHIL AND COCO CHANEL STINKS Somebody Feed Phil, a Netflix documentary series, began its seventh season on March 1. The host is Phil Rosenthal, 64. He’s best known as the creator of the big hit series Everybody Loves Raymond (1996- 2005). Rosenthal oversaw the production of the show and often wrote, or co-wrote, the show’s scripts. He won three Emmys for his scripts alone. In the new season’s ei...…
…DOG OF THE WEEK Ollie! A Letter from D ear Readers, I’m Ollie. I am a very sweet, loving, calm and obedient dog! I do not chew on anything. I love going on long walks. And I adore nuzzling my head on my human’s lap to get petted. I am a bit timid around male people and I get startled very easily. Maybe I will relax over time. The only thing wrong with me is I have heartworm disease. This is usually very successful to treat. Almost H...…
…52 | MARCH 7 • 2024 J N VILLAGE PLAYERS NOW-MARCH 24 The Cemetery Club. At Birmingham Village Players, 34660 Woodward Ave., Birmingham. This touching, humorous play tells the story of three Jewish widows who accompany one another once a month to a local cemetery in Forest Hills, Queens, where their husbands are buried. When the ladies run into Sam, a butcher visiting his wife’s grave at the same cemetery, a romance is in th...…
…MARCH 7 • 2024 | 53 Xiao-Lin Rigelhaupt is a writer, consultant, actress, speaker, and advocate for disability and autism representation in the entertainment industry. PURIM MITZVAH PROJECT 2-3:30 PM, MARCH 10 (SUN.) Hosted by The J’s JFamily/ JGrand and Tamarack Camps for grandparents and grandchildren. Prepare for Purim by packing, decorating and delivering mishloach manot (Purim gift packages) to our friends at Jewish Sen...…
…P arlez vous Francais? Hablas Espanol? Du redst Yiddish? Your answer to any of the above is proba- bly “no” or per- haps “a bissel.” Actually, you do know more than you think since so many English words have come to us from other languages and are now in common parlance. Yiddish is a prime example, especially since the forms of the words have not been changed since they were “adopted.” Let’s examine some. If you invested in so...…
