• 1:-;-1, 4 r • '„;;.. • THE DETROIT „IEWISH NEWS t. 1 . ► t Friday, October 26, 1984 21 BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN ABBE A. LEVI GOOD GLASSES OPTICIAN "This particular congrega- tion has suffered more than any other even though we're actually about half-a-mile away from the expressway," he continued. One congrega- tion on Ten Mile Road (Shaarey Shomayim), right on the route of the expressway, was the beneficiary of com- pensation from the state. We filed for consideration too, but were told that we're too far away, even though we've suf- fered the most. "Those synagogues along the route that can hold off until they receive considera7 tions from the state can be saved. But ours, which served people along Ten Mile Road, across from the golf course, and in Huntington Woods, up the east side of Coolidge, we've lost a lot of these people and we've been affected the most." Does Gordon think his con- gregation will survive? Somewhat optimistically, he replies, "We have a vibrant congregation, certainly still a vibrant one. It is just not as big as it was. We have a large building which places even a greater burden upon our small congregation to maintain. Yes, things have become tight and they won't get any better unless there's a turnaround. An effort is being made to bring more young people into the area and something could happen to revive the congre- gation. Maybe, once the ex- pressway ,is completed, the community will stabilize. But whether people will wait the five, eight, nine years is a very serious question. It (the ex- pressway construction) is going to be a tremendous in- convenience. The Orthodox people .will probably stay the longest. But if the others move, it weakens the whole structure, and then they would have to move as well." Your Grandparents Liked My Glasses 25900 Greenfield, 101 Kristen Bldg. CORNER GREENFIELD AND LINCOLN Phone 967-0790 HOURS MON. thru THURS. 9:00 to 4:00 M1111111111111111/ 4G MERICAN EXHAUST SYSTEMS INC. 15441 W. 9 Mile R. • (Corner Greenfield) • Oak Park, MI 48231 Mon.-Fri. 8-6. Sat. 8-3 CUSTOM PIPE BENDING/FOREIGN CARS MUFFLERS Will tensions between Sephardim, Ashkenazim ease as they intermarry? $2 495 wicoupoN INSTALLED Save $5.00 LIFE TIME GUARANTEE =I IN NM MI BY CARL ALPERT Special to The Jewish News Haifa — Statistics reveal that from 2Q to 25 percent of all mar- riages performed in Israel today are inter-communal, that is, be- tween Ashkenazi and Sephardi partners. If that trend continues, say sociologists, within two or three generations much of the tension which is sometimes artifi- cially whipped up between the two communities will have disap- peared completely. How does it work in practice? What is the human element be- hind the cold statistics? We de- cided to interview 62-year-old Rina Ben-Simhon, born in the small town of Sefrou in Morocco, who has made her own major con- tribution to the process of com- munal integration. All six of her children married Ashkenazi spouses, two from Polish families, two German, one Russian and one Romanian. Discrimination, prejudice against Sephardim? Mrs. Ben- Simhon, who has been in Israel since she came here with her fam- ily in 1948, said that neither she nor her late husband had ever been conscious of such. She said she believes that in most cases such feelings are created by those who complain about them. She did not use the words, but the impli- cation is that they suffer from an inferiority complex. She is a proud "Sephardia." She had gone to school in Morocco until she was 14, at which age she was married. Hence she was considered "edu- cated." After she had been in Is- rael for a while she felt the need to know Hebrew, epecially when her eldest son, Gabi, wrote letters home from the Israel army. She could not wait until someone came to read them to her, and so she enrolled at an ulpan. Her husband had always been a Zionist. Indeed, he studied car- pentry in Morocco because she 1 most cars 968-0662 FREE BRAKE & SHOCK CHECK Reg. $29.95 LIFE IN ISRAEL FRIDAY 9:30 to 1:00 Closed Saturday 4 WHEEL BRAKE JOB Reg. $89.95 I Save $10.00 Is 79 95 II • 2 Yr7Warranty or 30,000 miles most cars MO Id MI al MI MN ME IN MN MI NW MN IIIN Ell MIN ME MI LIMITED SHUTTLE SERVICE was advised that would be a use- ful occupation in the Jewish state. All of their children bear Biblical names: Gabriel, Amos, Eli, Ruhama, Yeruham and Yehoshua. The Ben-Simhons were one of the first families to leave Morocco in 1947, but they ended up in Cyprus with their first three children. Orphans got priority in going to Israel, so they sent two of their boys ahead on the grounds that they had no parents. The family was, of course, reunited later. Her They accepted the mates their children had chosen, even though they were Ashkenazim. fourth, a daughter, was born in Cyprus, and that gave the family its own priority for departure. Life was not easy at first. They lived in a maabara, a transit camp, and then in a tiny flat into which were crowded also her brother-in-law and her husband's parents. She liked cooking, and so she got a job in the kitchen of in- stitutions to help put her two old- est boys through university, while her husband "carpentered" away. He died a year ago. He had been disappointed, she admits, that their children had not married Moroccans. But she hastened to add that neither she nor her husband had any prej- udices. They accepted the mates their children had chosen, even though they were Ashkenazim. Five daughters-in-law, Ilana, Ora, Nili, Ophira and Varda, all of whom came to visit frequently, became interested in her cooking, especially when their husbands asked for dishes like ima used to make. She would give them re- cipes, but the bits of paper would get mislaid. Thus was born the idea of putting everythig down in black and white, and her book was born, Moroccan Cooking, which has attracted considerable atten- tion in Israel. As yet it is only in Hebrew. The compilation was not easy, since everything had to be re- duced to precise measurements and quantities. Her recipes had always turned out well with just a "pinch" of this or a "handful" of that. And the 20 grandchildren, what do they consider themselves, we asked, Ashkenazi or Sephardi? Was there a note of pride in her voice when she replied, "Moroc- cans," quickly adding, "Israelis." The rest of her family is run- ning pretty well ahead of statisti- cal form. Two of her sister's four children in Tivon wed Ashkenazim. Her niece in Jerusalem married a New York boy, very religious. Mrs. Ben-Simhon fills her time with interests other than cooking, too. Her walls are lined with gobe- lins (tapestry) and other hang- ings, all designed and executed by her. No, she has not considered marketing them commercially, though they certainly looked highly professional to us. Much could be written about her children as well, some of whom have achieved notable suc- cess in their professions and occu- pations, but this is the story of Rina Ben-Simhon, Israeli mother. Little wonder that last year she was chosen Outstanding Woman of. the Western Carmel neighbor- hood. OIL CHANGE up to 5 qts. oil, lube & FREE oil filter most cars $ 1 — "*Otith OttiiiStiOriiie 404 141*f • lieN: 3 99 WITH COUPON