Bright Nights Community Forum
On April 25, more than 150 people attended the Bright Nights Community Forum Series event, “Understanding Bipolar Disorder,” held at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield. The event was hosted by the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program at the University of Michigan, in collaboration with Kadima. The event included a presentation by Melvin McInnis, M.D., research director for the Prechter Research Program, followed by a panel discussion where the experts answered audience questions.
The program provided highlights from research advances on the causes and treatments for bipolar disorder. There was a large resource area as well with various organizations represented to share information. This was the first time that Kadima and the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program partnered on an educational event.
Eight Over Eighty
The 25th Annual Jewish Senior Life Eight Over Eighty celebration was held on Sunday, April 29, at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills. The silver anniversary event honored eight extraordinary older adults, all over the age of 80, with the “Tikkun Olam – Repairing the World Award,” the Jewish community’s highest honor for older adults. More than 500 people attended.
Honorees Harriet Berg, Barbara Goodman, Ellen Magar, Edith Maniker, Robert Lask, Alvin Saperstein, Dr. Manuel Sklar and George Stern represented a cross-section of community activists and difference-makers.
Each honoree was paired with a junior from Frankel Jewish Academy who acted as the honoree’s student biographer and presented their honoree to the crowd. The 2018 FJA student biographers were Sam Gawel, Bennett Grosinger, Sofia Klein, Aviva Levi, Aviva Lupovitch, Max Rybak, Jordan Salesin and Stephanie Snover.
This silver anniversary event was also marked with a reunion of past Eight Over Eighty honorees.
The event raised $230,000 to support the Jewish Senior Life Quality of Life Fund, including support for the JSL Food Program, which provides food subsidies for low-income older adults.
