By Rabbi Sara Adler, Staff Chaplain, University of Michigan Hospitals Why do Jews begin the new year in the fading light of summer and as leaves fall from the trees, exposing their bare branches to the cold? During Sukkot, we can almost taste and smell the earth preparing for its deep slumber. Wooded trails are…
By Ari Smith At the July 17 book launch for Ann Arbor resident Ken Wachsberger’s memoir Thumbs Up: Memoir of a Joyful Organizer, Wachsberger lived up to the title of his newest book, chatting with each attendee with such excitement that it was difficult to tell who he’d already known beforehand. Wachsberger is a well-known…
By Ari Smith At an event for a book written by a world-famous journalist, you expect to hear stories about their career. Perhaps what sparked their interest in the profession, how they became leaders in their field, awards they’ve won, the celebrities and politicians they’ve interviewed. At the May 20 event at Zingerman’s Roadhouse for…
Interview by Ellen C. Schwartz Daryl Hafter was born in New Jersey and grew up on the east and west coasts. She earned a BA from Smith College and later received a PhD in French history from Yale. She taught in the Department of History and Philosophy at Eastern Michigan University for 35 years, retiring…
Ayin Press is an independent publishing platform and interdisciplinary creative studio rooted in Jewish culture while reaching beyond traditional boundaries, and a recent grantee of the Jewish Liberation Fund. Below is an edited transcript of a video interview titled “Writing as Activism: Ayin Press” uploaded on July 14. Noa Barash [Jewish Liberation Fund]: Hi there….
Haviva Ner-David and Grace Sherman interviewed by Michael Appel Haviva Ner-David and Grace Sherman live in the Jezreel Valley region of northern Israel and are active in the Israeli protest movement. When I learned of their regular presence at the Tzomet Nahalal (Nahalal Junction) protest site, I reached out to interview them. Moshav Nahalal is…
By Eliana Adler, Etta Heisler, and Mira Sussman In an era when many summer camps are run by career administrators, Camp Tavor stands apart. At this Jewish summer camp in Michigan, the head counselor might be just 23 years old, and campers as young as eight participate in community-wide decisions. This distinctive approach to youth…
By Shifra Epstein I write this in memory of the IDF soldiers who gave their lives during the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza, as well as the Jewish soldiers who sacrificed their lives during World War I and are laid to rest in two British Army Cemeteries in Gaza. Their courage, dedication, and ultimate sacrifice will…
By Rabbi Bruce Warshal If you are reading this, you may know that Clare Kinberg is the publisher and editor of the Washtenaw Jewish News. Clare reached out to me to reflect on the origin of Genesis of Ann Arbor on this 50th anniversary of its founding. As I was the first rabbi of Temple…
By Ruth Kraut, special to the WJN For many Jews, time is now split into “before” and “after” October 7. In the “before times,” the Jewish Federation/Jewish Community Relations Committee convened a parents’ group to discuss antisemitism in Washtenaw County schools. (See the October 2023 WJN for a summary.) They had also requested, from the…