Happy Leap Year Week
Shabbat Shalom
February 26, 2016

Canada to the Rescue
Trump and Clinton won their respective challenges this week while Jeb made the decision to end his bid for the White House. Trump's continued success baffles and disappoints me.  How can so many people think he is just what our country needs? His promises and policies are hollow, yet people are following him in droves.  Never in a million years would anyone have predicted that Trump could be the GOP nominee but it seems that nothing he says or does can tarnish his support.  What are people thinking...!?! Bloomberg is still that dark horse, but if its Trump vs. Clinton, I'm concerned he'll split the moderate vote and take more from Hillary than Donald. Yikes, this is the most bizarre presidential race, ever, not to mention the really scary horse in the race...Ted Cruz.  But Canada has an offer if Trump triumphs in November. Remember all those people who threaten to "Move to Canada" if...(name your U.S. complaint). Many did just that during the Vietnam war. Canada's Cape Breton Island, with its aging and shrinking population is taking advantage of our Trump dilemma and wooing us northbound with their  island's many virtues;  "women are legally able to choose an abortion, Muslim people can roam freely, Healthcare is free, nobody has a gun and the only 'walls' are holding up the roofs of our extremely affordable houses." They even made a website to help market their efforts.  Any takers...?

Michigan Mass Shooting
In the bad news department, Kalamazoo knocked Flint from the front page this week for a mass shooting by a (deranged) family man with 2 kids and no previous record.  He murdered 6 random people and injured 2 others.  He did this all between several hours of Uber driving.  His easy access to weaponry is a direct result of his spontaneous killing spree. Condolences to the City of Kalamazoo and the family/friends of the victims.  

Brave Soul
Treblinka was an extermination camp that killed nearly 1 million people.  During its operation, 67 people survived a revolt and the last survivor of those brave souls passed away this week in Israel at the age of 93.   Samuel Willenberg z"l dedicated his life to educating the world of the nazi atrocities with a book (translated into 8 languages), sculptures, speeches and tours at the death camp.  Worldwide, there are about 360,000 holocaust survivors still alive with about 1,000 passing away each month. Within a decade, most if not all will be gone. 1st and 2nd hand knowledge will be historical and the lessons of "Never Again" will need to be taught more intently.   http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/last-survivor-of-Treblinka-final-destination-for-up-to-925000-People-has-Died-180958185/?no-ist

Right to Exist
Thank you Chancellor Angela Merkel for standing your ground with Iran as you demand that before Germany and Iran "become friends", Iran must recognize Israel's right to exist. Come on Iran (and 32 other countries), it is quite easy to say Yes to Israel as she was legally established by the UN nearly 7 decades ago and while building her democratic country (from swamps and deserts) she has contributed greatly to the global economy through technological and medical innovations as well as humanitarian efforts all while protecting her citizens from nearly constant neighborly bombardment.  Can you imagine the advancements this tiny country could provide if her hands weren't tied by so many.  

The Time has Come
Obama has Cuba on this mind with his upcoming visit next month.  He joins Calvin Coolidge as the last president who visited the nearby island. He also hopes to end the Gitmo era by finally closing the Terrorist prison.  91 detainees are currently held at Guantanamo Bay and the proposal is to ship some of them to foreign countries and send a few to American prisons. Closing the prison would eliminate the Terrorist's fodder of paraded comrades on social media and could save nearly $100 million a year. The time has come to close this sore spot, but there will be many legal and political hoops to scramble thru with lots of Republican objections to hurdle if and when the lights can finally be dimmed on the far eastern tip of Cuba. 

Shuk Art
When the lights are dimmed on Shabbat at Jerusalem's (Mahane Yehuda Shuk) Market, the Art and Tributes to heroes are revealed, from Golda, Spielberg and Gandhi to many who are less famous but just as heroic.  Leave it to Israel to create beauty and an afterhour gallery on shuttered shop doors. There are 300 shutters in the market and (so far) 140 have incredible stories to tell.  Bravo to artist Solomon Souza and Berel Hahn on creating this art.  Here is a 3 minute video that shares this wonderful story.  http://www.israelvideonetwork.com/the-shuk-gallery/

REM
Speaking of overnight, the CDC says  "Sleeping less than seven hours per night is associated with increased risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, frequent mental distress, and all-cause mortality,"  1/3 of Americans don't get enough sleep according to a new survey of 400,000 people. Surprisingly Hawaiians get the least amount of sleep while South Dakotans are the best snoozers.  To help gain some REM (Rapid Eye Movement), turn off your computers and TVs and try to stick to a somewhat regular routine:

Lullaby
To help you sleep, maybe this video will work on you too...
It is a bit sappy but couldn't resist sharing the cuteness of this 46 second father/son musical moment.

Shame On - Shine On

Shame on 11 repubs on the Senate Judiciary Committee for politicizing the confirmation process by signing a pledge to boycott the confirmation. They would be setting a precedent if they turned a blind eye to Obama's nominee.

Shine on Egyptian educational system for finally including the Israel Peace Treaty in their text books. It only took 4 decades after the historic handshake between Sadat and Begin to start educating the Egyptian youth of the significance. Better late than never: 

Shame on JNF of Canada for "boycotting" the sponsorship of Israeli singer Noa's performance at this year's Israel Independence day concert, claiming falsely that she supports the BDS movement.  The Israeli Embassy in Canada stepped in (as they know the truth) and took over the sponsorship.

Shine on Kuwaiti columnist, Ahmad Al-Sarraf, for publicly expressing the virtues of Israel and the need to take a serious look at their enemy.  A very interesting read...

Wishing you and your family a 
Sweet Shabbat Shalom 

Lisa

Condolences to Les and Tracey Grosinger and their family &  Matt and Nicole Lester and their family on the passing of Les' mother and Nicole's grandmother, Norma Grosinger z"l. May the memories, love and spirit she leaves in the hearts of her loved ones bring comfort to their mourning and may she be a blessing unto her community.

Condolences to the family of Lorraine Schubiner z"l, a dedicated community activist through City of Hope and Jewish Women's Foundation.  May her memory and spirit bring comfort to those who mourn her passing. 

Condolences to  Eugene and Elaine Driker  and their families on the passing of Eugene's brother, Jacob "Jack" Driker z"l. May he be a blessing unto his family and community.

"Before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."  Harper Lee, Rest in Peace.

If you live in the Metro Detroit Jewish Community, please help guide our future planning by filling out this 10 minute survey.
Thanks.

All political eyes are on this week's Super Tuesday outcome with 12 State primaries. There are nearly 600 Republican delegates up for grabs and over 1,000 Dems delegates to snatch.  http://tinyurl.com/SuperTuesdayInfo

When is your State's Primary? 

What are your State's voting guidelines?

Where is your voting location?

Presidential Election is Tuesday, November 8, 2016

2 Democrats
1. Hillary Rodham Clinton 
2. Bernie Sanders 

5 Republicans 
1.  Ben Carson
2.  Ted Cruz
3.  John Kasich
4.  Marco Rubio
5.  Donald Trump 


March 3rd  (Thursday)
Jewish Historical Society of Michigan
Nosh Gen event
6:30-8:30pm
Guest speaker: William Adler  
Will Leather Goods (new Detroit store)
4120 2nd Avenue, Detroit 48201
Valet Parking Available

March 9th (Wednesday)
JVS 8th Annual Trade Secrets
Benefiting the JVS Women to Work Program
Temple Beth El
6:00pm
Featuring the inspiring story of Linda Schlesinger-Wagner, Founder of clothing line, Skinny Tees.

April 11th (Monday)
Federation's Women's Philanthropy
Thanks Event
For Federation donors at $365 or above
Guest Speaker: Sharon Tal, Head Designer of the Israeli Fashion House, Maskit
Gem Theater
aneistein@jfmd.org

April 14th (Thursday)
Send a Kid to Tamarack Camp Comedy Event
Featuring Israeli comic, Modi
The Garden Theater in Midtown Detroit
Registration begins at 6:30 pm
Program starts promptly at 7 pm

April 19th  (Tuesday) 
Emily Stillman Foundation
Spring Sensation Luncheon
Tam-O-Shanter Country Club
Guest Speaker:  Heather Thomson CEO of Yummie, Inc.

April 20th (Wednesday)
U of M Food Allergy Center
Spring Luncheon
Knollwood Country Club

May 4th (Wednesday) 
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
Lois Linden Nelson Woman's World
Honoring Henrietta Weisberg
Featuring Paula Abdul
llnwomansworld.org
248-357-5544 Ext 48

May 6th (Friday)
Orchards Children's Services
2016 Gerald L. Levin Champion for Children's
Signature Event
Soundboard, Detroit
6pm
More details to come.

May 7th (Saturday)
Forgotten Harvest 
24th Annual Comedy Night
Featuring Jay Leno
Fox Theatre
To purchase tickets:
1-800-745-3000 or www.olympiaentertainment.com
Or please contact Marc Berke at 248-864-7525 for more information and sponsorship options.

May 11th (Wednesday)
City Year Red Jacket Gala
Ford Field
5:30-9:00pm
aashkenazi@cityyear.org

May 13th (Friday)
Planned Parenthood 100 Year Gala
Detroit Marriott at the RenCen
Save the date. More details to follow

May 17th (Tuesday)
Jewish Family Service Annual Meeting
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
6:30pm
Featuring Natan Sharansky
Honoring Operation Exodus Participants & JFS Award winners

May 22nd  (Sunday)
Hillel Day School Annual Gala
Honoring: 
Beverly & Arthur Liss and Norma & Michael Dorman
For more info, please contact  Amy Schlussel 
aschlussel@hillelday.org

May 22nd (Sunday)
Jewish Senior Life 
8 over 80
Congregation Adat Shalom
11:30am

May 19th-25th
"Becoming American: The Jewish Experience"
Travel opportunity through EMU Alumni Association to
NYC, Philly and DC.
This experience is open to the public regardless of your University Affiliation, religion, race, age, shoe size...
Any questions can be directed to: 
jeffrey.bernstein@emich.edu
And for further details of the trip:

June 10th (Friday)
Starfish Family Service
Great Hearts Gala
Eastern Market Shed 5, Detroit
Honoree: Mariam C. Noland and the Community Foundation for SE Michigan


Feb. 26th
Lois Cohn
Debby Tukel

Feb. 27th
Eric Adelman
Gil Borman
 
Feb. 28th
Jane Giblin Kush

Feb. 29th
 
March 1st
JoAnne Nosan
Max Appelman
 
March 2nd
Karen Ring Weiss
Rachel Lasser
Missy Plotkin Spickler
 
March 3rd
Tisha Berg
Harry Kirshbaum
David Kramer
Leah Tolwin

 

I am prone to spelling, grammatical and birthday mistakes. Please ignore the typing mistakes but if I missed your birthday or got the wrong date,  please let me know.