SINGLE LIFE
tVtsi
PI*
nnel of Love
Windsorites like Allan Feuer look for people
to date across the border and elsewhere
ALAN ABRAMS
Special To The Jewish News
ome Wind-
sor Jewish singles are hoping they
can find their lovelight at the end of
the tunnel — the Windsor-Detroit
tunnel. But where most border city
Jewish singles are concerned, the.
Detroit River separating Windsor
from Detroit might as well be an
ocean. If they look anywhere other
than Windsor — with its tiny, aging
Jewish population — for a mate,
they're looking down the 401
Highway to rIbronto.
The attitudes of Windsor's Jewish
singles on cross-border dating roughly
parallel that of the city's population
towards Detroit. Some Windsorites
live in deadly fear of the city across
the river, fueled by media reports of
guns and violence. Others enjoy it
from the unique perspective of prac-
tically living in a "safe" downtown
neighborhood. But most Windsor pro-
fessionals look to Toronto, a four-hour
trip away, as their Mecca and not the
gleaming towers of the Renaissance
Center.
Take Dana Meretsky, a 20-year-
old student at Toronto's Seneca Col-
lege. To Dana, dating a Detroiter
Allan Feuer is a 33-year-old suc-
means "it's long distance. It's far. It's
expensive, especially with the -ex- cessful Windsor life insurance broker
change rate — which can go over 40 and erstwhile Rotarian. Come
cents — on the Canadian dollar, if you autumn, he's going to marry Debbie
want to buy some American money so Rubin, a 30-year-old Farmington
you can take someone out in Detroit." Hills lawyer he met through the Lo-
Meretsky, whose mother Susan La Jewish singles dating program.
was a Detroiter before her marriage
Both will keep their jobs because
and move to Windsor, says high ex- they've opted to live in Michigan after
change rates are not the only problem their marriage. Like thousands of
to worry about. "What if you want to other northern Oakland County
marry your cross-border person? residents, he'll leave his house every
Where are you going to live, Canada morning and drive to work. But when
or the United States? One of you is go- everyone else has gotten off the
ing to have to move out of your city, whatever-is-substituting-for-the-
and out of your country. And if both southbound-Lodge, Feuer will still be
of you have jobs that you've settled in- driving. In fact, he'll be driving
to, that could be a real problem for_the straight through the tunnel and to his
relationship."
office in Windsor.
Meretsky says simply commuting
But commuting from Oakland
across the border isn't the answer. County to Windsor with the flow of
"There's all the legal problems with rush hour traffic every day may not
immigration regulations. So then be everyone's cup of Earl Grey tea.
what do you do, have one partner give The very idea of even living in the
up practicing their profession?"
U.S. of A. makes 35-year-old Gary
Yet some Windsor Jewish singles Glatter see red, white and blue.
are more than willing to fight the
"No way would I live there," says
grind of a daily commute — even Glatter, who teaches_ marketing at St.
without the Lodge Freeway — all in Clair Community College and works
the name of love.
in his family's furniture store in the
.
evenings.
"One of the parties in the mar-
riage has to compromise somewhere,"
he sniffs.
Heather Rudover, who works in
the traffic department of popular
CJOM-FM, puts it even more suc-
cinctly. "I don't date Detroiters," says
the 27-year-old Windsorite.
But the prospect of commuting
doesn't faze all Windsor Jewish
singles, especially those just looking
for someone to date. With only 2,500
Jews in Windsor's 200,000 popula-
tion, the grass has got to be greener
across the river, right Jack
Eisenberg?
"Not if you're not familiar with
the Detroit dating scene," says the
34-year-old owner of a computer sales
company. "Knowing where to go to
meet someone over there becomes dif-
ficult," says Eisenberg.
So with the pickings less than
perfect, who do Windsor's Jewish
singles date?
"I date people who aren't Jewish;'
says Meretsky, adding she's dated two
"Jewish guys," one from Windsor, the
other from Detroit.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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