Washtenaw Jewish News Presort Standard In this issue… c/o Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor U.S. Postage PAID 2939 Birch Hollow Drive Ann Arbor, MI Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Special Celebrate Passover Permit No. 85 Needs Israel Thoughts Inclusion Page 6 Page 7 Page 14 April 2019 Adar/Nissan 5779 Volume XVIII: Number 7 FREE Making History in Ann Arbor Review by Patti Smith, Staff Writer or this Generation Xer, just about came to America, worked outside the home everything learned about "commu- and survived the Depression before giving F nism" was taught in late 1970s-early birth to Miriam, nicknamed Mickey. Dick’s 1980s grade school, where “Commies” were parents were both schoolteachers involved scary, godless monsters who were going to with their union who were eventually fired drop a nuclear bomb or at the very least in- for involvement with the Communist Party. vade our country and make us all into scary, Mickey and Dick’s respective upbringings godless monsters. were immersed in leftist politics, labor orga- It wasn’t until I grew up and went to col- nizing, and communism. When they met in lege that I began to understand what com- 1957 at Camp Kinderland—a camp devoted munism really was. That’s why reading is so, to ideas like fighting segregation, coexistence, well, fundamental—if I hadn’t read more African American history and the dignity about the subject and shaken off the preju- of labor—it was kismet. On November 20, dices, I might never have read the fabulous 1959, while Mickey attended college in New Making History, Making Blintzes: How Two York and Dick was a graduate student at the Red Diaper Babies Found Each Other and Dis- University of Michigan, they got married at covered America by Mickey and Dick Flacks. a farm home located at Nixon and Joy Road. Their tale begins with stories of their par- Local readers will enjoy reading about the Mickey and Dick Flacks will be reading from their book and signing copies on Saturday, ents whose influence spurred the political years that the couple spent in our little city, April 13 at the Downtown Ann Arbor Public Library, 4 – 5:30 p.m. beliefs and lives of Mickey and Dick. Mickey with mentions of a post-wedding Thanks- speaks lovingly of her mother, Sonia Hart- through a brutal Ukrainian civil war, rebelled learning of inherent gender divisions, ini- giving Day dinner at the Thompson Diner, man, a woman ahead of her time. Sonia lived against her parents’ Jewish Orthodoxy upon tially refused legal marriage to her husband, continued on page 20 Maya Goldman, editor-in-chief Emily Slomovits, staff writer he Michigan Daily, the University of months. Sure enough, I realized and reviews of my grandma’s cooking – Michigan’s campus newspaper, tack- that I do, in fact, want to do this definitely my cutest pieces to date. les news around the university, and after college – it’s not easy, but T WJN: I read a Michigan Daily article about the also state and national news. The paper’s edi- it feels so worthwhile. Canary Mission, which blacklists students, tor-in-chief, Maya Goldman, has also worked faculty members and organizations seeming as a newsroom intern at Michigan Radio. I WJN: Was there anything to espouse anti-Israel or anti-Semitic views. spoke with Goldman about her experience about growing up Jewish How did this story come to you, and what in journalism, how her Jewishness affects her that led to your interest in intrigued you about it? work, and more. journalism? Goldman: I don’t know if my Goldman: Our article about the Canary WJN: How did you first get interested in Jewish heritage necessarily led Mission was pitched and reported by one journalism? to my interest in journalism, of our news reporters, Zayna Syed. When Goldman: Growing up, I always loved to but it did provide structures I heard she was pursuing the story, I was read and write, but I didn’t fall in love with for me to get involved. It was immediately intrigued. It’s no secret that journalism until after I’d already joined The older friends and counselors Israel is a very polarizing topic on campus, Michigan Daily. I came to the University at my Jewish summer camp but both Palestinian student organizations of Michigan knowing I wanted to join the who alerted me to The and the University of Michigan’s Hillel have Emily Slomovitz's interview with Maya Goldman is paper, mostly because I’d heard it was a Daily’s existence and who’ve condemned Canary Mission, so it was clearly the first in an occasional series of WJN profiles titled great community to be part of on campus, encouraged me to keep an issue that deserved some attention. Very "Jews in the News (room)" regardless of what you wanted to do after going when I’ve encountered few other news organizations have been school. I started writing for the news section try to get an internship at a professional challenges at the paper. And willing to look into it, so there’s a great deal during my first month of freshman year, and news organization to see if this was what I when I was nine, my extended family’s weekly of mystery surrounding the list, which is part very soon after I’d caught the bug. During my really wanted to do. That led me to Michigan Shabbat dinners provided me with the perfect of its power. Incidentally, that also made it sophomore year, I began to think seriously Radio, where I had a wonderful internship in situation to try my hand at creating my own harder for Zayna to write the story – Canary about pursuing journalism as a career after the newsroom (and great mentorship from newspaper. It was called the Shabbat Digest, Mission wouldn’t speak to us for it. Despite the college, and realized that I should probably the reporters and editors there) for over six and it included lists of the books I was reading continued on page 2 I From the Editor elcome to the April 2019 issue of versity of Jewish thought, identities, and 2935 Birch Hollow Drive the Washtenaw Jewish News. The opinions can coexist and interact with at- Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108 (734) 395-4438 days between Purim and Passover tention and respect. At the recent Jewish W www.washtenawjewishnews.org are days of anticipation. Similar to the month Feminisms/American Visions Symposium, CKinbergeditor@washtenaw jewish news.org of Elul leading up to I learned many helpful tips for creating and the High Holidays, being in these Jewish spaces that contain dif- we know something ferences. Editor and Publisher momentous is upon Here I will list just two. First, put love Clare Kinberg us. In the fall, the and joy at the center, approach others and Advertising Manager Heavens open; in receive others with love. The second re- Gordon White the spring it is the minder came during a panel on Israel in leaf and flower buds the form of a quote from Elie Wiesel. In his Design and Layout that swell and open essay on the “Loneliness of Leadership,” he Dennis Platte to new life. In the said, “After all, we have learned from history first two weeks of that people are united by questions. It is the Staff Writers Lois Godel, Emily Slomovits, Sandor Slo- Clare Kinberg Nissan, our eyes will answers that divide them.” Let’s ask more APRIL 4 - JUNE 1, 2019 movits, Patti Smith, Lonnie Sussman March 29 - May 26, 2018 behold the greening of the Earth, again. questions of each other, and let each answer One of my purposes in my work in the lead to another question. n Contributing Writers How far will a man go to protect his Jewish community as an editor, teacher and Marianne Aaron, Rabbi Jared Anstandig, family and his interests? Joe Keller librarian, is to create containers where a di- Karen Freedland, Sharyn J. Gallatin, Rabbi desperately wants to secure the Aharon Goldstein, Odile Hugonot Haber, business he spent so many years Rachael Hoffenblum, Joanne Brownstein constructing, ready to hand it down Jarvi, Kelsey Robinette Keeves, Steven to his son Chris. Joe’s wife Kate is still Lechtner, Carol Lessure, Rabbi Robert waiting for their eldest son Larry to Letter to the Editor Levy, Anita Rubin-Meiller, Rabbi Ora return from war, determined that he Nitkin-Kaner, Jennifer Rosenberg, Margo is alive and will marry the former girl- Schlanger, Elliot Sorkin, Nellie Stansbury, The Israeli Consul Is Wrong Chrissy Taylor, Jessica Weil. next-door, Ann, the daughter of Joe’s former business partner. To complicate n a recent visit to Ann Arbor, Israeli this letter can prevent me from visiting Is- The Washtenaw Jewish News is published this family drama, Chris and Ann are Consul General Aviv Ezra said, “The rael even though I do not boycott products monthly, with the exception of January and in love and want to get married. All goal of the BDS movement…is the produced within the “green line.” The law July by JCMWC, LLC. Opinions expressed My Sons shows a post-war American I in this publication do not necessarily reflect destruction of the Jewish State.” and the propaganda surrounding it aims those of its editors or staff family in a spiral of lies, greed, love, I love Israel as the center of our cul- to obliterate all distinctions between Israel and loss. ©2019 by the Washtenaw Jewish News. tural revival, for the resurgence of Jewish and the occupied territories.