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 Composer Four months Eco-houses Permit No. 85 Samuel in Israel — in Adler a life Israel at TBE changing experience page 3 page 13 page 21 March 2018 Adar/Nissan 5777 Volume XVII: Number 6 FREE Limmud 2018, a day of Jewish learning and celebration Why social justice, Mira Sussman, special to the WJN immud Michigan, the annual event of This year there will be a new track on Jewish courage participants to take a step further in their with Ruth Messinger Jewish learning and celebration, will education, for and by teachers. While this track Jewish journey, no matter their starting point. Kelsey Robinette, special to the WJN L be held on Sunday, March 11, 10 a.m.– is targeted for Jewish educators, it is open to the “One young participant told me she likes n Thursday, March 8, Ruth Messinger 5:15 p.m. at the Student Center at Wayne State general public as well. Limmud because she could be her ‘Jewish will give the 28th Annual David University. Registration opens at 9 a.m. Lim- Limmud, the Hebrew word for “learning,” is self’ without hiding any views or pretend- O W. Belin Lecture in American Jew- mud Michigan’s registration fee includes a ko- an international organization that started in Eng- ing anything—and without being bored!” ish Affairs. The lecture is titled, “From Amos sher box lunch from Dish Kosher Catering. said Sue Birnholtz of to Heschel and Now entering its third year, Limmud Michi- Sylvan Lake, Steering Beyond: A Per- gan welcomes people of all ages, backgrounds, Committee co-chair. sonal Reflection levels of Jewish education, and all strata of Jew- Many of Limmud on Social Justice ish practice, and encourages everyone to chal- Michigan’s presenters are as an Inherent lenge themselves and explore something new. well-known educators Part of Judaism Last year’s Limmud Michigan event from throughout south- Past, Present and welcomed around 450 participants from east Michigan, but several Future” and will throughout the state of Michigan; Windsor, are individuals with fas- begin at 7 p.m. Ontario; and Ohio, and at least that many are cinating experiences and The event, which expected this year. knowledge to share. will take place Participants can choose from one of ten Out-of-town present- at Forum Hall presentations during each of the six ses- ers include Stanley Wulf, Ruth Messinger of Palmer Com- sions throughout the day, on topics ranging who will facilitate a session mons (100 Washtenaw Ave.), will begin with a from arts and culture: current events; so- Limmud Michigan 2017 on how to have inter-gen- reception at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to cial justice; Israel; our community; text and land 37 years ago, and has since spread to over 80 erational discussions about Israel that don’t end the public. thought; Jewish life and practice; history, communities throughout the world. Each Lim- in a shouting match or grim silence. Before Messinger became the CEO of Amer- identity, and body and soul. mud is run by volunteers whose mission is to en- continued on page 2 ican Jewish World Service (AJWS), a position she held for 18 years, she was a New York City elected official for two decades. She remarked on her early career as a politician, “Politics helps BIC to host Rosenberg Scholar-in-Residence you prepare to do anything of use in the world Elliot Sorkin, special to the WJN because it schools you in the values of relation- abbi Jane Kanarek, Ph.D., will be American issue. believes that halakhah is a way that we make ships, listening and persistence.” Considering Beth Israel Congregation’s Rosen- In this session, meaning of our worlds. In this d’var Torah, she the current political climate, she advises politi- R berg Scholar-in-Residence during she will examine will explore how the ancient rabbis derived law cians working on social justice policies, “This is the weekend of March 9 and 10. She is associ- the Talmud — its from biblical stories. Weaving together law and what they were elected to do, so they need to be ate professor of Rabbinics at Hebrew College, internal culture story, the rabbis created a model for how law can true to the values of democracy, of Torah and of where she teaches Talmud and halakhah, and of argument and be a language for meaningful living. The service human rights and they need to be willing to run supervises the year-in-Israel curriculum. the multi-centu- will be followed by a kiddush luncheon. more risks than most of them are.” Rabbi Kanarek is the author of Biblical ry culture of Tal- After the luncheon, Rabbi Kanarek will She currently works as the AJWS Global Narrative and the Formation of Rabbinic Law mud study—as present “Nasty Questions: Talmudic Women Ambassador, as well as the Finkelstein Institute (Cambridge University Press, 2015) as well as models for the Who Ask” Too often, everyone struggles to Social Justice Fellow at the Jewish Theologi- the co-editor of Learning to Read Talmud: What creation of a vi- ask for what they want. In this session, Rabbi cal Seminar of America, and the Social Justice Rabbi Jane Kanarek, Ph.D. It Looks Like and How It Happens. Her book sion for civil dis- Kanarek will examine Talmudic tales about Activist-in-Residence at the Manhattan Jew- manuscript, Legalizing Genesis: Biblical Narra- course. This is an issue of vital importance for women who ask provocative questions. How ish Community Center. In all of her positions, tive and the Formation of Rabbinic Law, is cur- our nation and Rabbi Kanarek will explore how can these ancient stories be resources for Messinger engages rabbis, faith leaders and rently under review. In addition to her scholarly the Talmudic notion of debate can shed light on people today who claim the power that comes community change agents to work collabora- work, she is a member of the Rabbinical Assem- ways that we can address this issue today. from asking difficult questions? tively and speak out and take action for justice. bly’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards. On Saturday, March 10, the Shabbat morning The Rosenberg Lecture Series is endowed She observed that the most difficult part of her On Friday, March 9, following a 6 p.m. service will begin at 9:30 a.m. and Rabbi Kanarek through a generous contribution by Vic and current position is “keeping up with the new Kabbalat Shabbat Service and a 6:45 p.m. Fri- will deliver the D’var Torah, “Law as Meaning.” Val Rosenberg in memory of Cantor Alfred and wave of interest in activism and helping people day night dinner, Rabbi Kanarek will present She observes that it is a fact that law, and even Alice Rosenberg. do it in ways that are maximally productive and “A Summons to Civility: Talmud and Civil more so Jewish law, is commonly thought of Call the Beth Israel office at (734) 665- minimally conducive to burnout.” Discourse.” The quest for civil discourse, par- quite narrowly: as a list of do’s and don’ts. But 9897 or visit the Beth Israel website (www. be- During this year’s Belin lecture, Messinger ticularly between people with radically diver- law, and halakhah in particular, can and should thisrael-aa.org,) for further information or to will reflect on her personal experience as a Jew gent perspectives, is a pressing contemporary be thought of more expansively. Rabbi Kanarek make reservations for the Friday night dinner. n continued on page 2 ICommunity 2935 Birch Hollow Drive Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108 Knight-Wallace Fellow sheds light on (734) 971-1800 e-mail: [email protected] mental health shadows www.washtenawjewishnews.org Clara Silver, special to the WJN he Jewish Community Center of happen in America?” To answer that question, Editor and Publisher Greater Ann Arbor will host a Univer- Pendygraft will explore a history of the deinsti- Susan Kravitz Ayer sity of Michigan Knight-Wallace Jour- tutionalization of mental health and a legacy of T Calendar Editor nalism Fellow on Wednesday, March 21, at 7 conservative Florida politics. Claire Sandler p.m. Journalist and filmmaker John Pendygraft, For his Knight-Wallace Fellowship, Pendy- of the Tampa Bay Times, will present “In Flor- graft is studying how journalism and academia Advertising Manager ida Shadows,” ex- can partner to produce publically beneficial Gordon White ploring the mental work, and is exploring partnerships between health crisis using legacy print organizations and feature film Design and Layout Florida as the lens. companies. He has received national awards Dennis Platte During this pre- for feature writing, video, and still photogra- Staff Writers sentation Pendy- phy from the American Society of News Edi- Lois Godel, Emily Slomovits, and graft will present tors, Society of Professional Journalists, Scripps Lonnie Sussman information on Howard, National Headliner Awards, and Pic- the mental health tures of the Year International. His documen- Contributing Writers system in addi- tary revealing escalating violence and neglect Brian Blum, Laurie Cohen, Rabbi Robert Dobrusin, Ali Duhan, Eileen Freed, Rabbi tion to excerpts in Florida mental hospitals was included in the Aharon Goldstein, Sora Gordon, Rachael from his Emmy winning entry for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Hoffenblum, Ben Kessler, Julian Levinson, and Pulitzer Prize Investigative Reporting. John Pendygraft Kelsey Robinette, Sarah Schneider Hong, winning docu- Pendygraft was born and raised in El Paso, Clara Silver, Patti F.