Living, learning and loving life at 98 through Jewish Senior Life
They’ve never met. But the famous Jewish composer George Gershwin must have had Marcia Tanzman in mind when he wrote these lyrics for the song Summertime:
“One of these mornings, you’re goin’ to rise up singin’
And you’ll spread your wings and you’ll take the sky.”
For Marcia, one of these mornings is every morning. And it’s been that way for 98 years. (Also, more about the song Summertime later.)
A resident of the Meer Apartments in West Bloomfield, an independent senior living community operated by the Jewish Federation’s partner agency, Jewish Senior Life, Marcia is a gifted singer and accompanist, with a lifetime of sharing her love of music with the Detroit Jewish community. Even at 98 years young, her passion never wanes. In fact, with Meer’s groundbreaking Live and Learn program, featuring university-level education and participation in a variety of subjects, her passion for music, and for learning, is still growing. There was even a Live and Learn supported trip to the Detroit Opera House to see La Traviata as part of her suggestion to study opera.
Marcia Tanzman was born in 1927 at Harper Hospital in Detroit, the daughter of Lillian and Abraham Margulies, emigres to America from Russia in the early 1920s. Like so many other Jewish families at the time, she grew up on Fullerton and graduated from Central High School in 1944. Her cherished subject in school was, you guessed it … music. “My mother was the musical one,” she says. “She sang and told me that in Russia she played the mandolin, but we never heard her play.” Mandolins weren’t necessarily common in Jewish homes back then.
Just as cherished from her childhood is the beginning of a lifelong friendship with fellow Central High Choir member, Shirley Benyas, who first introduced her to the Meer community. In fact, at 98 years old and Shirley’s 97, they are still the closest of friends and even live next door to each other at Meer.
Marcia received her Bachelor of Science degree in music education from Wayne University, and in 1952, met the love of her life, Arnold Tanzman z”l. In just six months, they knew that they were right for each other and were married at B’nai David by Rabbi Sperka and Cantor Adler. It was a duet made in heaven, lasting 66 years until Arnie’s death in 2018. She and Arnie were blessed with two children, Jay of California and a daughter, Carol, who lives in West Bloomfield. She sings the praises of her four grandchildren, too.
As we all dream of doing, Marcia turned her passion into a career, teaching vocal music at Wayne State, McCollough, Cheney and Roosevelt Elementary schools in Detroit. “I taught the music classes as the children came into elementary school. I worked with them and that was a lot of fun.”
A proud second soprano (“I love the harmony parts,”) Marcia sang in the Bell Canto Choral Group and Music Plus1. “They were started at the Jewish Center long before I came there, and then they branched off on their own. And I sang with them for I think around 30 years. We performed around the city,” including Prentis Manor and Borman Hall Jewish Home For the Aged, the precursor to Jewish Senior Life. “We went to certain other cities and performed as well. They’re still performing.”
A member of Beth Shalom Synagogue, Marcia also sang in their choir for 40 years, became a Bat Mitzvah (in 1982!) and was even President of their sisterhood.
Now back to the song Summertime. In 1978 when Marcia and Arnie toured Israel they stopped at the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv. Home of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, Mann was known for its flawless acoustics, and she wanted to have Arnie take a picture of her in the conductor’s chair. Just then, a cellist came on stage to rehearse. Without pause, Marcia told him to, “Give me an “E” and he accompanied her as she sang Summertime from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. “It’s a wonderful story that is really a highlight for me,” Marcia says. Even today, when she tells you about this amazing experience, you can see and feel that she still hears the Israeli auditorium’s impeccable sound as clear as a bell.
On living at Meer, Marcia sums it up like this, “It’s really been an experience that I’ve been delighted to be part of. First of all, coming in and seeing some of our Beth Shalom people here. So, it was like coming home really to know these people. And there are a few here from Women’s American ORT that I was a part of. And so it’s really like family.”
Still marching to the beat of her own drum, Marcia continues to embrace new experiences while cherishing the moments that have made her who she is today. According to a feature article in Meer’s self-published newspaper, “Marcy feels you must love and have passion. Be with people and participate in life. [Because] she does it with her heart and soul, Marcia is a very busy woman.”
About Jewish Senior Life and Live and Learn
Jewish Senior Life (JSL), a supported agency of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, is known for signature programming spanning a range of interests for the older adults it serves in its six residential communities on the Jewish community campuses in Oak Park and West Bloomfield. Live and Learn, a first of its kind initiative in our area, aims to enrich the lives of all Meer residents by enhancing social connections, intellectual engagement and overall wellness. It includes on-site university-level courses and immersive learning experiences offsite at area museums, theaters and other venues. Supported by grants from the Byron & Dorothy Gerson Innovation Fund, the Marcia Applebaum Jewish Older Adult Enrichment Fund, and the Matthews Family Foundation, Live and Learn has been a huge hit with residents.
