…$200 April 11-17, 2024 / 3-9 Nissan, 5784 JEWISH NEWS THE DETROIT thejewishnews.com Yeshiva Beth Yehudah leads the way with successful special ed programs for kids with varying abilities. See page 12 Inspiration. Innovation. Inclusion. …
…10 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N I put my hands in the dirt in Israel to work the land and it changed everything. Let me back up. I was raised in the Conservative movement. I am not observant. Before Oct. 7, I would have called myself “vaguely Zionist.” I had been to Israel several times as an adult as part of several Jewish Federation mission trips that left me proud of the Detroit community’s commitment to the country. It seem...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 11 J N Robin Food that creates tasty meals prepared with leftover food from the Haifa shuk (marketplace). And we spent time — not nearly enough — at Hostage Square where the families of the hostages share their grief in moving and profound ways as the rest of us bear witness and try to support them. And we farmed. Our biggest project involved extricating the irrigation system from the winter overgrowth and ali...…
…12 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N Yeshiva Beth Yehudah hosts Statewide Special Education Symposium to spark innovation, encourage collaboration and share how others can emulate their successful programs for children with varying abilities. Inspiration. Innovation. Inclusion. JACKIE HEADAPOHL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OUR COMMUNITY COVER STORY PHOTOS ROBERT BRUCE PHOTOGRAPHY FROM RIGHT TO LEFT: Angelique Power, President and CEO of the Skillman Fo...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 13 J N continued on page 14 O ver 250 heads of school, superintendents, deci- sion makers and lead- ers convened on March 6 with a common mission: to exchange ideas, share resources and nur- ture aspirations for the advance- ment of special education in Michigan. The James Grosfeld Center for Special Education and Support Services, a division of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, host- ed this impactful symposium, drawing educa...…
…14 | APRIL 11 • 2024 for the success of all children, ” she said. She described her team of 101 dedicated professionals — doctors, special educators, physical speech, behavioral and occupational therapists, para- professionals, reading and math specialists and social workers. “Together we unite with our passionate, caring, and loving teachers, principals and, most importantly, parents, hand in hand. We collaborate to create the b...…
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…16 | APRIL 11 • 2024 tial might not be obvious, is an obligation that we all share. There’s much to be passionate about in supporting our chil- dren and in supporting their educational needs. ” He contin- ued, “Gary has asked me to tell you that the Yeshiva is willing to share its expertise with anyone, to help improve the lives of chil- dren throughout our state. Just don’t steal our people. They are priceless. ” Yeshiva President ...…
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…18 | APRIL 11 • 2024 folks to let them know about our program and seeing how we can continue to support the work that the Yeshiva is doing, ” Santus said. “The breadth of services, the number of families they support, the number of professionals helping in that program, I would say is far and beyond what I’ve seen in most private schools, ” he added. “This symposium is helping to build awareness, both for schools and families as...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 19 At Wayne State University, we define student success as more than grades, more than a degree, even more than that first job. We focus on making our students job ready, career ready, and prepared for a lifetime of success. That starts with learning from faculty who are leaders in their fields. Then we build into every degree learning that goes beyond the classroom — from internships to hands-on projects, from communit...…
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…20 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N I n the weeks leading up to finals and gradua- tion, Jewish students and communal leaders at the University of Michigan claim that in the name of free speech, the campus administration is tolerating disruptive hate-filled protests aimed at Jews. They say this level of hostility bordering on violence would not be tolerated if it were directed at any other minority. Anti-Israel rhetoric and messaging permeates ...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 21 J N continued on page 22 pus administration buildings. This past January, the University of Michigan honored Hamamy and SAFE with the 2024 Spirit of MLK Jr. Award for “exemplifying Dr. King’s leadership and extraordinary vision. ” Then came the university’s 101st Honors Convocation on Sunday, March 24. Lisa Barron Momblanco of Huntington Woods had her purse searched as she went through security and entered Hi...…
…22 | APRIL 11 • 2024 comes through in time for graduation. Echoing Lopatin’s disgust of the two inci- dents — Hamamy’s genocidal Instagram post and the disruption of the ceremony — was the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) at the national and state level. In an open letter with requests for signa- tures that will be sent to Ono’s office, ADL Michigan Director Carolyn Normandin said: “These episodes are just the latest in a string of unan...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 23 …
…24 | APRIL 11 • 2024 CREATING SAFE SPACES Hillel Director Rabbi Davey Rosen said together with Chabad and the Jewish Resources Center, Jewish campus organi- zations are working in unison to create spaces of support for Jewish students on campus, especially in highly trafficked areas such as the Diag. What is most important is that Jewish students should continue to feel at home on their campus even among the rising tide of antise...…
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…26 | APRIL 11 • 2024 OUR COMMUNITY STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER I n the days immediately following the Oct. 7 attacks, University of Michigan President Santa Ono released a statement condemning the violent brutality set on the Israeli people by Hamas. In the statement, he reaffirmed the university’s academic and research ties to Israel and the Israeli people and said he reached out to his colleagues at Israeli universities...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 27 it so they know what to expect. Some students will take classes with these professors but are hesitant to express that they are Jewish or pro-Israel in class discussions. Some students notice that some professors lace ele- ments to demonize Israel into classes that have nothing to do with Middle Eastern history or culture. B* is a sociology student. She knows she is within an extremely progressive department, wh...…
…28 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N W hile the main scheduling conflict between Passover, finals and graduation ceremonies is happening in East Lansing at Michigan State University, Jewish students and faculty affiliated with other colleges and universities in the state are also grappling with Passover’s late fallout on the Gregorian calendar. Moving forward, colleges and universities across the state with a sizeable Jewish student and ...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 29 minority that must grapple with juggling exam schedules and religious observance, from the notion of rescheduling exams or for finding non- Jewish faculty or graduate students who can step in and proctor exams so Jewish faculty could take off. “ At Oakland University, there is now a task force made up of faculty and students and staff taking a closer look at the future academic calendar and how it will work o...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 3 J N PURELY COMMENTARY 4-11 Essays and viewpoints. OUR COMMUNITY 12 Inspiration. Innovation. Inclusion. Yeshiva Beth Yehudah hosts Statewide Special Education Symposium to spark innovation, encourage collaboration and share how others can emulate their successful programs for children with varying abilities. 20 Campus Chaos in Ann Arbor Increasing anti-Israel protests leave students angr...…
…30 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N I n my research for this monthly column, I come across all sorts of interesting organizations and opportunities. This month, I’ve come across something I cannot wait to sign up for. The Polk Penguin Conservation Center at the Detroit Zoo is the largest and most extraordinary center for penguins in the world. The facility features a 326,000-gallon, 25-foot- deep aquatic area where visitors can watch as ...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 31 YO M H A Z I K A R O N W I T H YA D I N G E L L M A N , I D F E L I T E U N I T H E R O A COMMUNITY VIGIL FOR THE FALLEN Join us for the annual memorial for Yom HaZikaron, as we gather as a united community to remember the victims of October 7 and the soldiers lost in the ongoing war. We will hear a story of bravery and loss from our guest speaker Yadin Gellman, an IDF elite unit hero who was severely wounded o...…
…32 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N C hapter meetings, regional conventions at the JCC, Milan or Bittker Weekends, beaus and sweethearts ... If this means anything to you, then you belong at a Celebration of the Century when Michigan Region celebrates 100 years of AZA, BBG and BBYO with a once-in-a century-reunion. On May 3, 1924, a group of teens in Omaha, Nebraska, founded AZA and, shortly after that, the first chapter was founded in Gran...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 33 J N OUR COMMUNITY O n March 25, the Joan Meyers Jampel Center for Michigan Jewish Heritage welcomed the Jewish War Veterans Department of Michigan (JWV) for the opening of its newest exhibit: The People Behind the Posts. Since 1896, the JWV has been an advocate for the care and rights of veterans. It supports local programs and educates the public about the contributions of Jews to the U.S. military. It...…
…34 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N T he incomparable life of the late Dr. Günther “Guy” Stern was celebrated before a sold-out gathering at The Zekeleman Holocaust Center (The HC) in Farmington Hills, on Sunday, March 10. Stern — Holocaust survivor, WWII Ritchie Boy hero and celebrated scholar — passed away on Dec. 7, 2023, just weeks shy of his 102nd birthday. He was laid to rest the following day in a private funeral with military honors...…
…never heard of the elite Army unit, which is credited with supplying 60% of the intelligence gathered in Europe during WWII. “He was my first Ritchie Boy,” Henderson said. “He started me on a three-year journey to write Sons and Soldiers, the untold story of the Jews who escaped the Nazis and returned with the U.S. Army to fight Hitler.” Henderson yearned to know more and with that Stern invited him to come to Michigan from Californ...…
…36 | APRIL 11 • 2024 were written 80 years ago as part of Guy’s formal evaluation when he left Camp Ritchie, about to become a staff sergeant in the United States Army. His first evaluation report said among other things, ‘He’s quiet, unassuming, theatrical and, most importantly, quite intelligent.’” A CHERISHED PROFESSOR Wayne State University (WSU), like The HC, was a second home to Dr. Guy Stern. The university and its students ...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 37 in German at Columbia University in 1954. In 1980, upon the invitation of Lenya, Guy became a member of the board. In his video tribute, Dr. Kim Kowalke, president and CEO of the foundation, proudly spoke about the high honor he was able to bestow upon his lifelong friend. “In December of 2021, just four weeks before his 100th birthday, the board of trustees of the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music elected Guy St...…
…38 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N W hen we get a new phone number, we often assume the numbers are random, but other times, we’re reminded very clearly: Nothing in life is random. Meet Jaclyn Baird, for example. After moving to New York recently, Jaclyn obtained a new phone num- ber. How annoying is it to get constant messages or calls addressed to someone else? Most people just ignore them, muttering things like, “Can’t they see from m...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 39 SPOTLIGHT A diverse mix of religious and lay leaders from 10 large Conservative, Reform and Modern Orthodox American Jewish communi- ties, including Rabbi Harold Loss from Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, are visiting Israel on a five-day American Friends of MDA Rabbinic Solidarity Mission. The mission’s packed itinerary brings the par- ticipants face to face with Israel’s complexities and challenges six ...…
…4 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N essay Winning Hearts and Minds for Israel I srael’s Hasbarah outreach campaign got a big boost in Metro Detroit recently at the 19th annual Schoolcraft Community College Multicultural Fair. Some 1,500 students and area residents came to the Schoolcraft campus in Livonia to explore the cultures, traditions and histories of dozens of countries that were represented at the event. Israel’s booths...…
…40 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N A bby Wolfson of Oak Park has lots of guests for Shabbos. It’s how she grew up and a tradition she loves to continue, she says. Every Friday night her mom would host, for as long as she can remember, she explains. “It was never just us. My house was never quiet for Shabbos dinner. I think that’s really important in terms of how I feel Shabbat is meant to be spent, really with other people.” Whether s...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 41 adding that she went out recently to buy a card table to add on for more space. “This is a passion for me; it’s a labor of love,” she says, adding she grew up in a shomer Shabbos home with a vibrant Shabbat table, joined regularly by her parents’ friends. “I expect to have a lively table,” she says, adding that she tries to incorporate something religious and spiritual as well. She seeks to bring energy a...…
…42 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N faces&places O ver 100 friends of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Central Region (Michigan, Ohio and Illinois) gathered on Feb. 25 at the home of Miriam and Fred Ferber in Del Rey Beach, Florida, for an inspiring brunch featuring three elite members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who provided a first-hand look into the unique challenges currently facing Israel since Oct. 7. This ...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 43 J N faces&places O ver 500 people joined the Royal Oak Chabad Jewish Center for its annual Purim celebration, this year’s theme being “Purim in Israel. ” The event took place March 24 at the Royal Oak Farmers Market. Guests had the opportunity to “travel through” various locations with corresponding activities in Israel, including a petting farm at a kibbutz, art corner in Tzfat, fresh juice squeezing in Jaffa, ...…
…44 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N A ge is just a number for Bob Tarnow. The nearly 60-year Southfield resident is 84 years old and still going strong, competing in multiple sports. And winning, too. He won three gold medals in pickle- ball last month in the Michigan Senior Olympics Winter Games. The competition was held at Life Time — Rochester Hills. The medals were in men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles in the 85-89 age group. ...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 45 DOG OF THE WEEK L et’s play ball! That’s Rocco’s favorite sentence and not just because the Detroit Tigers’ season just opened at Comerica Park! Rocco loves to chase a baseball, tennis ball and even a soccer ball! Just add, “athlete” to Rocco’s list of good traits. Someone get this dog an agent! Rocco is a 2-year-old Shepherd mix who does well with other pets and active kids over the age of 8 or 10. He came to...…
…business SPOTlight brought to you in partnership with B I R M I N G H A M 46 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N B orn to American parents, Israeli- American David Ross of West Bloomfield lived most of his life on Kibbutz Tzora in central Israel after his parents made aliyah shortly after the Six Day War. There, his mother Shira was an occupational therapist who eventually developed painful carpal tunnel syndrome. She searched for a...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 47 J N its hot weather. “I realized at some point that to grow my business, products to keep you warm were not so desirable in Israel, so I came to the United States, where there were more opportunities,” said Ross, a graduate of Israel’s Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. So five years ago, Ross with his family moved to Michigan — a state that has cold weather and a sizeable Jewish community in a much larger...…
…48 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N F rom the evening of April 22 to April 30, Jews across the world partake in the annual celebration of Passover, a 3,300-year-old story of freedom and sacrifice, commemorating their liberation from slavery in Egypt. It’s one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the Jewish calendar, and PJ Library, one of the leading resources for Jewish families across North America, offers up dozens of ways to ...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 49 Repair the World, along- side AEPi and Moishe House and other Jewish Service Alliance partners, announced the “Passover Earth Day Challenge, ” aiming to contrib- ute 5,000 Passover Earth Day Challenge service actions leading up to Passover and Earth Day — both occur April 22, and as a part of Global Volunteer Month throughout April. The Passover Earth Day Challenge will launch on Saturday, April 13, with daily...…
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…50 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N Natalie Grace Adelman, daughter of Karen and Eric Adelman, will lead the con- gregation in prayer as a bat mitzvah at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Saturday, April 13, 2024. She will be joined in celebration by her sister, Jocelyn. Natalie is the loving grandchild of Ellen and Cary Adelman, and Sofia and Reuven Urman. She is a student at Warner Middle School in Farmington Hills. Natalie’s most meani...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 51 J N The Need for Compassion H ave you ever found yourself in a situation where someone close to you seems to be straying from their morals and values? It’s a dilemma; should you intervene or stay silent? This week’s Torah por- tion discusses the impuri- ty known as tzara’at, often translated as leprosy. However, while this con- dition was physical, it was a manifestation of a spir- itual malady. In biblical ti...…
…52 | APRIL 11 • 2024 J N H annah Smith was a 14-year-old schoolgirl living in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. Bright and outgoing, she enjoyed an active social life and seemed to have an exciting future ahead of her. On the morning of Aug. 2, 2013, Hannah was found hanged in her bedroom. She had died by suicide. Seeking to unravel what had happened, her family soon discovered that she had been the target of anonymous abusive...…
…APRIL 11 • 2024 | 53 Partly this has deep roots in the Jewish understanding of God and the human condition. Judaism is less a religion of holy people and holy places than it is a religion of holy words. God created the universe by words: “And God said, Let there be … and there was.” God reveals himself in words. He spoke to the patriarchs and the prophets and at Mount Sinai to the whole nation. Our very humanity has to do with o...…
…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...…
