The J - Detroit

Pushing Boundaries - Artist Talk
2025-02-16 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Detroit) | Janice Charach Gallery 6600 W Maple Rd,, West Maple Road 6600, Michigan, 48322, United States
Join us on Sunday, February 16 from 1-3pm to hear from the artists of Pushing
Boundaries.
Developed in conjunction with Nanci LaBret Einstein, “Pushing Boundaries”
features artists using diverse materials that are brought together in the
spirit of play and concept of challenging space. This immersive exhibit is a
collection of installations from seven artists: Jeanne Bieri, Boisali Biswas,
Terry Lee Dill, Nanci LaBret Einstein, Meighen Jackson, Jay Knapp and David
Velez Felix.
The Pushing Boundaried exhibition will be on view January 19 – March 5, 2025.
For more information about the exhibition and the gallery, (https://charachgallery.org)
Let us know you can make it. Registrations are not required, but they are
appreciated.
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/10010

Brad Meltzer
2025-03-06 19:00 - 21:00 | The J – Detroit 6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield Township
" If you really want to shock the world, unleash your kindness."
—Brad Meltzer
Based on bestselling author Brad Meltzer’s viral commencement speech for his
son’s 2024 graduating class at the University of Michigan, MAKE MAGIC is the
little book of hope for anyone who has ever wished for more. More
authenticity. More empathy. More gratitude. A more fulfilling life.
With charming, thoughtful insights from his remarkable life and career,
Meltzer uses magic as allegory, sharing the secret that there are only four
types of magic tricks:
1) you make something appear,
2) you make something disappear,
3) you make two things switch places, and
4) you turn one thing into something else—the hardest trick of all,
transformation.
Embracing each of these easy-to-follow tricks—and unleashing your kindness and
empathy—will inspire you to craft a life filled with wonder and awe. MAKE
MAGIC is an uplifting message from one of today’s most inspiring voices.
Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of thirteen
thrillers, six nonfiction books, and the Ordinary People Change the World
series.
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/10617

Film Screening and Talk Back with Eddie Rubin, Executive Producer of "OUT OF MY MIND"
2025-03-09 15:30 - 17:30 | The Berman Center For The Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield
Celebrating Jewish Disability Awareness Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAIM)
with Opening the Doors and JKids and Families departments.
Film screening and talk back with Eddie Rubin, Executive Producer of Out of
My Mind
Sunday, March 9 at 3:30 PM
Registration & Resource Fair at 3:00 PM
FREE event for adults and children 10 and up
Sensory family friendly activity room for children 10 and up – Must be
accompanied by parent.
﻿ASL Interpreter available
*Registration Required for film and activities
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/10405

Winter Community Blood Drive
2025-03-11 08:30 - 14:30 | The J – Detroit 6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield
Give the greatest gift of all – the gift of life.
The J Detroit Community Blood Drive
Tuesday, March 11
8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
After our last blood drive, we were blown away by the support of our caring
community. Let’s keep the giving going! Sign up today to give the lifesaving
gift of blood.
Your donation supports the local blood supply and helps ensure Blood Centers
of America is ready to provide blood to Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency
services system, whenever needed.
Spots are limited. Register today!
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/10281

Scholars in Session: Jews and Drag-An American Cultural History 1900-2020
2025-03-16 16:00 - 18:00 | The J – Detroit 6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield
Golan Moskowitz, 2024-2025 University of Michigan Frankel Institute Fellow,
explores the Jewish American cultural history of the gender-transcendent
performance art of drag, from early twentieth-century Yiddish vaudeville
through contemporary Emmy-winning reality television. Professor Moskowitz will
discuss how marginalized Jewish artists, writers, and performers creatively
process legacies of embodied otherness, focusing especially on Jewish American
descendants of immigrants and Holocaust survivors, as well as on LGBTQ Jewish
creatives.
Presented by SAJE (Seminars for Adult Jewish Enrichment). Co-Sponsored by the
Frankel Institute for Advanced Judaic Studies, University of Michigan and
JLearn.
Seminars for Adult Jewish Enrichment (SAJE) programming is endowed by a
generous gift from Cis Maisel and supported by Carol & Ronald P. Fogel, Sheri
& David Jaffa, and Elaine & Michael Serling through The J’s Pillar of Light
Program. SAJE inspires meaningful connections and important conversations.
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/10051

Infant and Child CPR Training
2025-03-18 18:00 - 21:00 | The J – Detroit 6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield
Join The J Kids & Families departments for an Infant and Child CPR Training
session.
This training will cover the essential skills needed for pediatric and infant
CPR. Upon completion, attendees will receive a certification provided by the
instructor, Randi Krause, a nurse practitioner. Mannequins and necessary
supplies will be provided for hands-on practice. The course will also include
instruction on the use of an AED, as well as basic first aid and choking
prevention techniques.
About the Instructor:
Randi Krause brings 14 years of experience working in the emergency room as a
technician and registered nurse. She earned her nurse practitioner designation
in December 2023 and currently practices at an urgent care facility.
Randi is passionate about teaching and believes everyone should be equipped
with basic CPR skills. After her extensive experience in the ER, she
recognizes that the majority of CPR efforts (76%) take place outside of
hospitals—often in public spaces or at home—and emphasizes the importance of
widespread CPR training.
Refreshments will be provided during the training.
This program is sponsored by the JKids & Families departments: JFamily, JCC
Day Camps and Special Needs, and Sarah and Irving Pitt Early Childhood Center
and Opening the Doors.
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/10208

Detroit Jewish Film Festival: Torn
2025-04-28 19:00 - 21:00 | The Berman Center For The Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd,
Documentary / USA / English / 75 minutes
After the October 7 attacks, artists Nitzan Mintz and Dede Bandaid launched
the “Kidnapped from Israel” grassroots poster campaign in NY to raise
awareness about the hostages taken by Hamas. Torn explores the motivations
of activists putting up and tearing down the posters, revealing the
complexities of the war through intense debates and personal stories.
Talk-back with director Nim Shapira and the artists following the screening,
moderated by Prof. Yael Aronoff, Director of the Serling Institute for Jewish
Studies and Modern Israel at Michigan State University.
This program is proudly sponsored by the Israel Engagement Fund: A JCC
Association of North America Program Accelerator and the Ministry of Diaspora
Affairs.
Presented by The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival
Sponsors: Jewish Federation of Detroit; The MSU Serling Institute for
Jewish Studies and Modern Israel; Janice Charach Gallery, JFamily; JLearn
Pillar of Light: Manat Foundation; Elaine and Michael Serling
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/11176

Detroit Jewish Film Festival: Colleyville
2025-05-01 19:00 - 21:00 | The Berman Center For The Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd,
Documentary / USA / English / 80 minutes
On January 15, 2022, an ordinary Shabbat morning at Congregation Beth Israel
in Colleyville, Texas, turned into a harrowing hostage crisis involving Rabbi
Charlie Cytron-Walker and three others. Colleyville is a gripping real-life
drama showcasing the resilience of the hostages and community while
highlighting the complexities of antisemitism._
_
Talk-back with Ophir award-winning filmmaker Dani Menkin and Rabbi Charlie
Cytron-Walker following the screening, moderated by Rabbi Paul Yedwab, Temple
Israel.
Presented by The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival
Sponsors: ADL Michigan; Hadassah Greater Detroit Region; Temple Israel
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/11178

Detroit Jewish Film Festival: Matchmaking 2
2025-05-04 16:00 - 18:00 | The Berman Center For The Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd,
Romantic Comedy / Israel / Hebrew with English Subtitles / 110 minutes
Israel’s biggest box office hit of the year, Matchmaking 2 , is the feel-
good, long-awaited sequel to the beloved 2022 rom-com starring some of
Israel’s brightest young talents. This tender, side-splitting celebration of
clashing traditions and big-hearted characters follows a love-struck bachelor
in a Jerusalem yeshiva, pressured to find his soulmate before it’s too late.
Presented by The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival
Sponsors: Adat Shalom Synagogue Sisterhood; Jewish Senior Life of
Metropolitan Detroit
National Council of Jewish Women, Michigan; The Women of Temple Israel; The
J’s Opening the Doors
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/11183

Detroit Jewish Film Festival: For the Living
2025-05-05 19:00 - 21:00 | The Berman Center For The Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd,
Documentary / USA /English / 117 minutes
In 1945, 10-year-old Holocaust survivor Marcel Zielinski made a 60-mile
journey by foot from Auschwitz-Birkenau to Krakow in search of his family.
Decades later, 250 cyclists retrace his path in a mission called Ride for the
Living. This powerful documentary draws parallels between his experience and
the cyclists’ journey to spark a conversation about the struggle between
dehumanization and empathy.
Talk-back with co-director Tim Roper and producer Lisa Effress following the
screening.
Presented by The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival
Sponsor: Team Alex; Jewish Federation of Detroit; Temple Israel
Brotherhood; The Zekelman Holocaust Center; JRec
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/11185

Theater Kid featuring Tony Award-winner Jeffrey Seller in conversation with Douglas Sills
2025-05-06 19:00 - 21:00 | The Berman Center For The Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd,
Tony Award-winner Jeffrey Seller in conversation with Tony Award-nominee
Douglas Sills (Broadway’s The Scarlet Pimpernel and HBO’s The Gilded Age)
A coming-of-age tale from one of the most successful American producers of our
time, Jeffrey Seller, one of the masterminds behind the Tony Award-winning
musicals Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights , and Hamilton. Theater Kid is a
gripping memoir about chasing a dream against many odds and finding acceptance
and community. Jeffrey is a Suburban Detroit native and a proud graduate of
the University of Michigan.
“I loved reading the wonderful, inspiring adventures of Jeffrey Seller’s life
and career. If you feel like an outsider from the poorest part of town, take
heart, your dreams can come true.”—Bernadette Peters

Sponsors: BELFOR USA Group; Hebrew Free Loan Detroit; Tamarack Camps; West
Bloomfield Township Public Library; Henry & Delia Meyers Library; Jewish
Federation of Detroit, Affinities Pride; The Berman; The Detroit Jewish Book
Fair
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/11186

Detroit Jewish Film Festival: The Ring
2025-05-08 16:00 - 18:00 | The Berman Center For The Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd,
Drama / Israel, Hungary / Hebrew and Hungarian with English subtitles / 120
minutes
Arnon Noble, a devout man with a strong bond to his mother, a Holocaust
survivor, embarks on a journey to Hungary with his estranged daughter to seek
a legendary ring that once saved her life. Written by and starring Ophir
Award-winning actor and beloved stand-up comedian Adir Miller, The Ring is
based on his own family’s story of Holocaust survival.
Presented by The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival
Sponsors: CHAIM-Children of Holocaust Survivors Association in Michigan;
The Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/11189

Women of The J : Bad Shabbos
2025-05-08 17:30 - 20:45 | The J – Detroit 6600 West Maple Road, West Bloomfield Township
A Shabbat so good, we’re doing it Thursday!
Come for the wine, stay for the whodunit at ‘Bad Shabbos’ and bring an
alibi.
Begin your night with a strolling Shabbat-themed dinner in the Janice Charach
Gallery, then make your way to the Berman Theater where the Jewish Film
Festival will show Bad Shabbos , a dark comedy starring Kyra Sedgwick.
Watch as a simple Shabbat dinner spirals into a delightful disaster, filled
with unexpected twists and irreverent laughs. Don’t forget to bring an alibi.
Date: Thursday, May 8
5:30 PM – Strolling Shabbat Dinner & Wine in the Janice Charach Gallery
7:00 PM – Film "Bad Shabbos" in The Berman Theater
Co Chairs: Dana Jacob, Michal Nodel, Sophia Roslin
Cost : $52
RSVP by May 1.
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/11374

Detroit Jewish Film Festival: Bad Shabbos with Comedy Short Sauna Dreams
2025-05-08 19:00 - 21:30 | The Berman Center For The Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd,
Comedy / USA / English / 84 minutes
David and his fiancée Meg attend a Shabbat dinner at his mother’s house to
introduce her Catholic parents to his Jewish family. When a turn of events
leads to a frantic cover-up, the evening spirals into darkly comedic chaos.
Uproariously funny with a cast featuring Emmy-winner Kyra Sedgwick, Method
Man, and David Paymer, Bad Shabbos is filled with twists, turns, and laughs
you won’t see coming!
Talkback with Rabbi Blair Nosanwisch, Adat Shalom Synagogue, and Rabbi
Yonatan Dahlen, Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
Sponsor: B’nai B’rith Great Lakes Region; ORT America Michigan Region;
Women of the J; Jlive
Before the feature short film: Sauna Dreams
Comedy Short / USA / English / 18 minutes
This mockumentary follows Dave Roffman, a schlub from New York, on his quest
to win the 2023 World Sauna Championships in Detroit. Watch for a brief
appearance by local actor David Shevrin, who shows up in a towel, though his
lines were left on the cutting room floor.
Presented by The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival
Sponsor: The Schvitz
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/11190

Detroit Jewish Film Festival: Midas Man
2025-05-11 16:00 - 18:00 | The Berman Center For The Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd,
Biopic / UK / English / 112 minutes
Witness the rise of Brian Epstein, the visionary manager who catapulted The
Beatles from a scrappy Liverpool band into global rock legends. The film
details Epstein’s belief in The Beatles and the sacrifices he made to help
them achieve fame. Midas Man features a star-making turn by Jacob Fortune-
Lloyd (The Queen’s Gambit), alongside dynamic performances by Emily Watson,
Jay Leno, and Eddie Izzard.
Presented by The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival
Sponsors: Burton A. Zipser & Sandra D. Zipser Foundation and Hampton Inn
Southfield/West Bloomfield; Home 2 Suites West Bloomfield; The Berman
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/11191

Detroit Jewish Film Festival: Technion 10 Squared
2025-06-29 16:00 - 18:00 | The Berman Center For The Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd,
Documentary / Israel / English and Hebrew with English subtitles / 77 minutes
The story of this institution’s hundred years on Mount Carmel provides a
fascinating prism through which to describe the history of the State of
Israel.
Exclusive film screening followed by a conversation with Scott Leemaster,
Chairman of the Technion Board of Governors and former National President of
ATS, and Larry Jackier, ATS lay leader and Detroit native.

American Technion Society will be hosting a reception before the film!
Please arrive by 3:00 PM to enjoy light bites and beverages and connect with
fellow attendees before the screening begins.
Please note: Former Technion President Peretz Lavie, who was previously
scheduled to attend this event, is no longer able to do so because of the
security situation in Israel.
Presented by The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival
Platinum Film Sponsor: American Technion Society;
Gold Film Sponsor: SAJE;
Silver Film Sponsor: The Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and
Community Engagement, Oakland University
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/11192

Fall Community Blood Drive
2025-09-09 08:30 - 14:30 | The J – Detroit 6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield
The J Detroit Community Blood Drive
Tuesday, September 9
8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Our community showed up in a big way at our last blood drive, and we’re ready
to do it again. Join us this September to make a lifesaving impact. Every
donation matters. Every drop counts.
Your gift helps strengthen the local blood supply and supports emergency
needs, including those of Magen David Adom , Israel’s national EMS system,
through Blood Centers of America.
Spots are limited. Reserve yours now and give hope, strength, and life.
Chairperson: Josh Yaker
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/12295

HEBREW LEVEL 1: Learn to Read Hebrew - with Dorit Series 1 of 2
2025-09-16 10:30 - 11:45, 2025-09-30 10:30 - 11:45, 2025-10-21 10:30 - 11:45, 2025-10-28 10:30 - 11:45, 2025-11-04 10:30 - 11:45, 2025-11-11 10:30 - 11:45, 2025-11-18 10:30 - 11:45, 2026-01-06 10:30 - 11:45 and 2 more dates
LEVEL 1: LEARN TO READ HEBREW – AN INTRO CLASS with Dorit Warfman
In-Person I Max M. Fisher Federation Building
TUESDAY, 10:30 – 11:45 AM

SERIES 1: Sep. 9, 16, 30; Oct. 21, 28; Nov. 4, 11, 18; Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27
SERIES 2: Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24; Mar. 3, 10, 17, 24; Apr. 14, 28; May 5, 12

If you ever wanted to learn the Hebrew letters, follow prayers in Hebrew or
read signs in Israel, then this is the course for you. This may be a stand-
alone class or advance into the “Hebrew 1” class to learn conversational
Hebrew.
Tuition: $250 per series
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/12356
Click here to join the livestream.
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Anita Naftaly Family Circle Conference - Raising Resilience: Help our Children THRIVE
2025-11-16 13:00 - 14:30 | The Berman Center For The Performing Arts 6600 W Maple Rd,
Opening the Doors
Anita Naftaly Family Circle Conference
Presenting Tovah P. Klein. A child development expert, psychology professor
and author, Dr. Tovah P. Klein gives parents and teachers the tools to help
kids facing learning, social and/or mental health challenges build resilience
and flourish in an unpredictable ever-changing world. Accessible and
compassionate, Raising Resilience is a timely resource for empowering kids
to build meaningful thriving lives.
Questions and sponsorship: llight@jfsdetroit.org
A partner of Jewish Family Service.
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/12018

Winter Community Blood Drive
2025-12-02 08:30 - 14:30 | The J – Detroit 6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield
The J Detroit Community Blood Drive
Tuesday, December 2
8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
This Giving Tuesday , give the gift of life. After the incredible success
of our last blood drive, we’re coming together once again to make a lifesaving
difference.
Every donation matters. Every drop counts. Your gift strengthens our local
blood supply and helps meet urgent needssupporting emergency medical services
in Israel through Magen David Adom, in partnership with Blood Centers of
America.
Spots are limited. Reserve your appointment today and be part of something
truly lifesaving.
Chairperson: Josh Yaker
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/12911

Scholars in Session: Advice Columns and the American Press with Ayelet Brinn, UofM Frankel Fellow
2026-01-18 16:30 - 18:00 | The J – Detroit 6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield
At the turn of the twentieth century, American Yiddish advice columns were
more than entertainment—they became vital guides that helped new immigrants
navigate personal struggles, American politics, and Jewish communal life while
forging deep, trust-based relationships between newspapers and readers.
Brinn delves into how these columns transformed the Yiddish press into a
central institution of immigrant acclimation, extending their influence beyond
the page and into readers’ everyday lives.

SAJE programming is endowed by a generous gift from Cis Maisel and supported
by Carol & Ronald P. Fogel, Sheri & David Jaffa, and Elaine & Michael Serling
through The J’s Pillar of Light Program. SAJE inspires meaningful connections
and important conversations. This program is proudly supported by the Jean &
Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan.
View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/13987
