Beth Israel Reads Ariel Samson, Freelance Rabbi
On September 10, at 12:30 p.m., Beth Israel Reads social action book group will host a facilitated virtual discussion of this spirited read.
Israelis challenge their government
In mid-July I read a Facebook post by Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America written after he participated in a massive pro-democracy protest in Tel Aviv. He wrote “I felt honored, and perhaps even relieved, to be a speck in this crowd tonight.”
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From our distance here in Washtenaw County, Michigan, it may be difficult to get a sense of what continues to motivate these massive protests, to understand the Israeli government’s determination to
Summertime and the living is easy
by Lonnie Sussman I love summer in Michigan. Summer means no school, summer camps, shorts and t-shirts, outdoor swimming, blue skies, and memories of summers past. It does not mean long hours in the kitchen or planning meals, but fun trips to the farmers’ markets to see what fruit or vegetable is in season. Summer…
Dizengoff in Odessa
By Shifra Epstein In memory of my grandparents, Shifra Epstein (1879–1925) and Israel Epstein (1872–1932), who moved in 1919 with their four children from Bialystock (Russia) to Jaffa. My grandparents are buried in the Trumpeldor Cemetery in Tel Aviv, not far from Zina and Meir Dizengoff. A Jewish city An Odessan was asked one day,…
Finding Jewish community Ann Arbor to Switzerland
Two years ago, my company offered my family and me an opportunity to move from Ann Arbor to the French-speaking part of Switzerland for a four-year assignment. It was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when travel still felt like a distant dream. Our family had moved around a lot, but we’d been in Ann Arbor for seven years and had finally settled down. We had recently bought and started fixing up a charming old home, and our two children were very happy at school. We also had never felt more connected Jewishly, having found an extended family with the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) and also being able to connect virtually with a wonderful Jewish Renewal synagogue near our old home in California. The idea of blowing up our lives was completely unnerving, but it felt like an opportunity of a lifetime that we couldn’t pass up.
New Jews of Color network in Washtenaw
By Deborah Meyers Greene West Bloomfield has one, Chicago has at least one, New York City has several, along with countless other cities and towns in the United States. Now Washtenaw will, too. A Jews of Color network of greater Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County is getting together and, if you self-identify as a Jew of Color…
Michigan’s oldest Jewish cemetery
By Shifra Epstein (originally published August 2022) Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, I have been visiting festivals, shops, and events in Ann Arbor speaking with individuals about the war. This June, my interest in how the war in Ukraine impacts Ann Arborites led me to the Top of the Park, the popular…
Never enough Moroccan food
Lonnie Sussman, special to the WJN True confessions. I lied when I wrote last month that I had just returned from Morocco. I was about to leave for the trip and didn’t return until after the May issue was published. Please forgive me as I’m still jet lagged but excited to share some actual experiences…
Andy Schiff’s art featured at JCC’s Amster Gallery
By Drew Coel, Marketing and Program Associate at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor The Amster Gallery at the Ann Arbor JCC continues to feature the work of local artists for all in the community to enjoy! Starting on June 6, the JCC will showcase the beautiful abstract acrylic paintings of Ann Arbor…
Today’s Jewish artisans and their creations
Modern Judaica: Today’s Makers, Today’s Sacred Objects by Jim Cohen Reviewed by Janet Kelman Modern Judaica, by Jim Cohen, is a book to treasure. Included are works by over 50 of the most talented contemporary Judaica artists. While most of the artists reside in the United States, several others live in Israel, the Netherlands, England,…