Presented by Joseph Pearlstein of Prudential Advisors
Sunday, November 23, 2025 from 1pm to 5pm Congregation Beth Shalom 14601 Lincoln Street Oak Park, MI 48237
FREE!
JGSMI is proud to be a sponsor of this year’s Chanu-Con at Beth Shalom on Sunday, November 23rd. Please stop by our table and say hello!
Live Entertainment with Waterstone Duo | Matthew Ball, Pianist
Fun Chanukah vendors
50/50 Raffle
Delicious Kosher Food
Fun Children’s Activities:
Yoga With Nature’s Playhouse
Bounce House
Candle Making
Face Painting
And much more!
If you have any questions, or are interested in volunteering, please reach out to our Librarian and Beth Shalom member, Linda Bell, at (248) 420-8944 or LindaSBell@aol.com.
In a time of upheaval and turmoil in the Jewish World, Limmud Michigan presents a timely, thought-provoking event, featuring a major panel discussion. Five highly regarded Jewish public intellectuals will share their thoughtful and articulate observations exploring the profound changes and challenges facing Jews worldwide.
The program includes a catered Kosher lunch, Interactive Q&A with the panel members, and breakout sessions offering various perspectives and deeper dialogue with local and regional thought leaders.
Panel Speakers:
Elliot Abrams – Council on Foreign Relations, Senior Fellow
Tal Becker – Shalom Hartman Institute, Vice President
David Harris – Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, Executive Vice Chair
Susannah Heschel – Dartmouth College, Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor and chair of Jewish Studies
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen – AJC Europe, Managing Director
Schedule:
10 AM Main Panel: The Condition of the Jewish People
Beth Olem Cemetery is scheduled to be open on Sunday, September 28, 2025, from 10AM to 1PM.
Beth Olem is the oldest Jewish cemetery in Michigan, with graves dating from the 1880s through World War I. It is located on the grounds of the GM Poletown plant in Hamtramck, Michigan, between Smith and Clay Streets. Visitors are allowed only two times per year, around Rosh Hashanah and Passover.
More information about Beth Olem can be found at the following sites:
Sunday, September 21, 2025 from 10am – 1pm Street parking at 9535 Van Dyke Detroit, MI.
Just two miles from the storied Beth Olem cemetery, B’nai David dates back to 1898 when the founding fathers of the then Beth David Synagogue bought a 1.6 acre plot of land in what was then Hamtramck Township for $1,800.
If you plan to attend you can reach out to Jim Grey for more info or directions. He will be there in person. Email: gentrex@aol.com Cell: 248-739-9070
Sunday, October 12, 10:00 – 11:45 AM Holocaust Memorial Center or on ZOOM Light refreshments will be served Free
The 45th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy took place in Fort Wayne, Indiana, August 10-14, 2025 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center.
Join other JGSMI Members as they discuss their favorite seminars and their experiences at the conference. There will be plenty of time for Q&A.
Please join us IN PERSON or on Zoom for our annual meeting and election!
Sunday, June 29, 2024 at 10:00 AM Zekelman Holocaust Center Free Coffee, tea, and breakfast snacks provided
Oral History Essentials Presented by Robbie Terman, Director, Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives
Oral History interviews are an important part of researching your family story. But without the right techniques and equipment, you might miss out on vital information! Join Archivist Robbie Terman as she shares the essentials for taking a great oral history interview and preserving it.
Robbie Terman is the director of the Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives and a partner in the Joan Meyers Jampel Center for Michigan Jewish Heritage. With a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and certificate in Archival Administration from Wayne State University, Robbie is on a mission to ensure the past is not forgotten. She brings stories of Jewish Detroit to the public through exhibits, presentations, and social media, and has contributed articles to many publications. Robbie believes that every day is a chance to make history and strives to help others contribute their own stories for the enrichment of future generations.
Please register below depending on how you wish to attend. Jim Grey can be contacted with any questions at 248-739-9070.
The program will also feature a musical interlude by David C. Sloan, of Huntington Woods, a third generation Detroiter, past president of JGS of Michigan, member of Congregation Shir Tikvah and life-long singer/ guitarist, will perform songs of family and home.
David has performed his renditions of folk and traditional songs on North American stages, including Nashville for the US Army World War II Regimental Command Team, the DIA Auditorium and in the Pontiac Theater IV’s production of “Man of La Mancha.” As a classical choral singer he has sung with many choruses including the Detroit Symphony at their home venues and at the Meadowbrook Music Festival, the Oakland University-Community Chorus for 30 years and the North Arkansas Symphony Chorus. David incorporated his guitar, singing and love of family when he taught 3rd and 4th grade religious school at Temple Emanu-El.
For David, ”a day without music and song is a day without life.”
2025-2026 Proposed Slate
Officers President VP, Programming VP, Membership VP, Publicity Recording Secretary Corresponding Secretary Treasurer Past President
Committee Chairs Librarian Editor, Generations Cemetery Project Constitution and By-Laws Slate Committee Speakers Bureau Webmaster Member-at-Large Member-at-Large Member-at-Large
Joshua Goldberg James D. Grey Deborah Acker-Zolnoski Adina Lipsitz Adina Lipsitz Diane Freilich Neil Goldman Adina Lipsitz
Linda Bell Deborah Acker-Zolnoski Marc Manson Adina Lipsitz Adina Lipsitz James D. Grey Adina Lipsitz Leah Bisel David Sloan Robert Starkman
Beth Olem Cemetery is scheduled to be open on Sunday, October 6, 2024, from 10AM to 1PM.
Beth Olem is the oldest Jewish cemetery in Michigan, with graves dating from the 1880s through World War I. It is located on the grounds of the GM Poletown plant in Hamtramck, Michigan, between Smith and Clay Streets. Visitors are allowed only two times per year, around Rosh Hashanah and Passover.
More information about Beth Olem can be found at the following sites:
The Burton Collection is now open Tuesdays through Saturdays for open visits. JGSMI has arranged to have a “meet up” for anyone would like to join others researching Jewish and Detroit genealogy, in particular to use their large collection of Detroit City Directories.
Saturday, August 24th from 2pm to 6pm Open house style – come when you want, leave when you want. Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library 5201 Woodward Ave in Detroit Map location
Free parking in the employee parking lot gate (on the South side of the Library).
Carpooling is a possibility. RSVP by calling or emailing Jim Grey:
About the Burton The Burton Historical Collection (BHC) of the Detroit Public Library began as the private library of Clarence Monroe Burton. In addition to being a prominent attorney, Mr. Burton was a Detroit historiographer and the founder of the C. M. Burton Abstract Co. Mr. Burton’s original intention was to assemble a collection on the history of Detroit. Realizing that Detroit’s history was inextricably connected to that of Michigan and the Old Northwest and those histories to that of Canada and New France, he assembled a collection that was one of the most important private historical collections in the country.
Over the course of 40 years, Mr. Burton systematically collected original documents and personal papers of prominent citizens of Detroit and Michigan. By 1914 the library contained 30,000 volumes, 40,000 pamphlets and 500,000 unpublished papers. Mr. Burton donated his collection, including the building it was housed in, to the Detroit Public Library in 1915. The collection was moved to the new main library in 1921.
The Burton Collection’s Detroit city directories cover the following years:
1845-1846
1850-1941
1953 (West side)
1954 (East side)
1956 (West side)
1957 (East side)
1958 (West side)
1963 (East side)
1964 (East and West side)
1965 (West side)
1967 (East side)
1968 (East and West side)
1969 (West side)
1970 (East and West side)
1973 (West side)
1974 (East side)
Registration RSVP by calling or emailing Jim Grey:
Please join us IN PERSON or on Zoom for our annual meeting and election!
Sunday, June 30, 2024 at 10:00 AM Zekelman Holocaust Center Free Coffee, tea, and breakfast snacks provided
Finding Jonah with Special Guests Linda Twersky and Robert Starkman
Linda Twersky and her cousin Robert Starkman (son of our founder) will join us via Zoom to discuss her book, Finding Jonah: A True Story of Love, Hope and Survival, which will be available for purchase at the event.
The book presentation will introduce audiences to the author’s family members and provide highlights of their amazing journey to freedom during WWII. Using photographs, maps, and genealogical data, the author will explain her reasons for writing this book and the methods she used to carefully research the details of her family’s story and its historical context.
Linda D. Twersky, M.S.Ed., is a writer and graphic designer whose career focus has been on information design, technical documentation, training manuals, and marketing collateral in both educational and corporate settings. With this non-fiction book, she turns her skills and attention to a first-person account of her family’s dramatic experiences prior to and during World War II. She lives in Florida with her family which includes two feline editors and part-time literary critics.
Proposed Slate 2024-2025:
Officers President VP, Programming VP, Membership VP, Publicity Recording Secretary Corresponding Secretary Treasurer Past President
Committee Chairs Librarian Cemetery Project Constitution and By-Laws Slate Committee Speakers Bureau Webmaster Member(s)-at-Large
Joshua Goldberg Jim Grey Deborah Acker-Zolnoski Adina Lipsitz Adina Lipsitz Diane Freilich Neil Goldman Adina Lipsitz
Linda Bell Marc Manson Adina Lipsitz Adina Lipsitz James Grey Adina Lipsitz Leah Bisel, David Sloan, Robert Starkman
Robbie Terman is the director of the 
Linda D. Twersky, M.S.Ed., is a writer and graphic designer whose career focus has been on information design, technical documentation, training manuals, and marketing collateral in both educational and corporate settings. With this non-fiction book, she turns her skills and attention to a first-person account of her family’s dramatic experiences prior to and during World War II. She lives in Florida with her family which includes two feline editors and part-time literary critics.