S I N G ,,,E
Fit in
Body & Mind
HEIDI PRESS
News Editor
F
ran Weiss of Southfield
wanted to learn how to im-
prove herself. Shel Leider of
Oak Park wanted to meet
single women. Alan Cohen of
Birmingham came to hear the lec-
tures. For whatever the reason, more
than 250 singles spent a recent Sun-
day at the main Jewish Community
Center getting their spirits lifted,
bodies revitalized and brains
stimulated at the first Fit for Single
Life symposium.
Sponsored by the Community
Network for Jewish Singles in
celebration of the Jewish Center's
60th anniversary, the forum kicked
off with a Saturday night, '60s sock
hop for socializing. The next day,
singles of all ages were treated to lec-
tures on dating, dieting, finances,
traveling, computer technology, im-
age counseling, self-esteem' and rela-
tionships. For the physically-minded,
non-impact and aerobics classes were
offered. .
A highlight of the day-long sym-
posium was an outdoor presentation
by David Black, a Lutheran minister
and president of the Phoenix Center,
called "Taking Control of Your Life."
With jokes, popular songs and coun-
try ballads, Blake recounted his own
experience with divorce and how he
got back on his feet again after suf-
fering a period of grief.
He discussed five stages of grief
newly divorced persons go through —
denial, depression, bargaining, anger
and acceptance — and illustrated
each with a song or two. On depres-
sion, Blake said people often become
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Friday June 96 1987
"victims of an overactive fork" or tend
to drink, in excess, illustrating his
point with the song, Wasted Away in
Margaritaville, about a man who
drowns his sorrows in drink. And how
does one know when he/she has final-
ly come to grips with his/her divorce?
"When you stop reading the other's
horoscope;' Blake joked. -
In his discussion on dating, Blake
decried the singles bars, and said "if
you're looking for fun, buy a hamster
and teach it to do tricks?' He il-
lustrated his distaste for singles bars
with the song, Looking for Love in All
the Wrong Places.
The solution for getting one's life
in order is to keep busy, Blake advis-
ed. "Pamper yourself;' he admonish-
ed, "do fun stuff. The more death-
defying the more therapeutic."
Opening the day's schedule was
gynecologist-obstetrician Dr. Edward
Lichten, who discussed sexually- Barry Ludwig looked every bit a "greaser" as he danced with Vivian Friedman.
transmitted diseases (STDs), in a
presentation entitled "Safe Sex?' Dr.
Lichten said there has been a 400 per-
cent increase in STDs in the past 20
years, and currently physicians are
making a major effort in trying to
educate the public about the dangers
of them. Among the dangers, Dr.
Lichten cited a high mortality rate of
newborns whose mothers were in-
fected with these diseases, such as
herpes. In his list of statistics, Dr.
Lichten said there is an increase in
gonorrhea and herpes among
teenagers. He advised his audience to
"know your partner?'
Partnerships, between Jews and
non-Jews who wish to marry, was the
focus of a talk by Rabbi Norman T.
Roman, spiritual leader of Thmple Kol
Rabbi Norman T Roman
Ami, who discussed interfaith dating. Shirlee Cole and Doreen Silver helped singles
discussed interfaith dating.
In his presentation, Rabbi Roman with personal ads.
THE DETRQIT JEWISH NEWS
Bob McKe own
Singles got mental and
physical exercise at the recent
Jewish Center forum