CLOSE-UP I DON MASSEY CADILLAC WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS The Finest in Men's Fashion Footwear is at 'TWo Edged Swords Continued from preceding page 453-7500 muv.AuAsrs 40475 Ann Arbor Rd. at 1-275, Plymouth, MI SOUTHFIELD WEST BLOOMFIELO • BIRMINGHAM FLINT --INSTANT 1COMMUNICATIONS INC. BEEPERS • FAX • TELEX [313] 474-7777 SUBURBAN ANSWERING SERVICE' RONALD'S HAIR & CO. 30878 Orchard Lake Rd. Farmington Hills, Mi. 851-3590 HAIR FASHIONS BY RONALD "Investment dressing . 23720 Southfield Rd. Southfield, Mi. because your best investment is you." 557 0680 At Executive Custom Shirtmakers, Inc. we use the finest fabrics and expert craftsmanship to design each shirt especially for you. Because after all, you're worth the investment. Executive Custom Shirtmakers, Inc. 207 S. Woodward Ave. Birmingham, MI 48011 642-0460 - Open 1 Days • Eves. By Appt. SHIRT N3OX r N N Men's Furnishings & Accessories Always at least 20-35% Off PATRICK NAGEL 19011 W. 10 Mile, Sfld. "CN -12" An Original Serigraph. Bet. SM. & Evergreen 352-1080 Mon: Sat. 9:30.6 Thurs. till 7 , - casual living modes --- _ ' / - contemporary • furniture • lighting • wall decor • gifts • interiors The twelfth in a limited commemorative series. Highly collectable. ART ROSTER Co. 32 Contemporary accessories for over 34 years 29555 Northwestern Hwy., La Mirage Mall Southfield, Michigan 48034 544-1711 358-0830 22961 Woodward, Ferndale, MI FRIDAY, SEPT, 11, 1987 mother was a Seventh Day Adventist. In college, Douglas began discussing religion with a Jewish friend. His interest in Judaism grew. He took a religion class taught by a rab- bi and began studying a little harder about Judaism. "I was introduced to Reform Judaism," he says. "I felt com- fortable with it more and more the more I learned about it." He studied with two rabbis over a period of 15 months before converting. Friends of his were "off into Islamic religion, but I wasn't comfortable with it. There was nothing I liked about it." Douglas says he felt really good about his conversion, but that his feelings were really hard to explain. "But I didn't jump into it just for the sake of jumping into it." He has found more support than obstacles from the Jewish community. "I was prepared for questions on my mother's Jewish name, but people have been warm and nice. I've had no problems," he says. "I'm very ambitious and have confidence in myself, a lot of faith in myself, so I was prepared to hold my ground if I met with any obstacles. Nobody could keep me from practicing my religion. My only obstacles have been car trouble which prevented me from going to services at Tem- ple Kol Ami." If anyone there is upset about his affiliation, he has not notifed it. "Temple Kol Ami is not big, it's very in- timate. You get to meet peo- ple. I try to attend and par- ticipate as much as possible, but my car keeps breaking down on me." Douglas says he has been invited to other members' homes for Passover and other holidays, and that "Rabbi Conrad made sure I was taken care of." His 12-year-old son from a previous marriage often attends services with him, and his six-month-old daughter was named during a ceremony in August. While in California this spring, he was searching for a synagogue to attend services during Passover. He discovered that the family of the rabbi who converted him were members of the synagogue he selected. The family invited him to their seder and called the rabbi who was living 300 miles away. After his conversion, Douglas continued his studies with an Orthodox rabbi. "He was totally opposed to conver- sion not performed in accor- dance with Halachah (Jewish law), and finally I couldn't hold my tongue," he says. "I thought he was a great per- son. He showed me another side to Judaism. I've had an opportunity to look at Reform, Conservative and Or- thodox." While Douglas openly discusses his religion with family and friends in order for them to better understand it, he says that blacks, like most people, "feel you've got to be white to be Jewish. I explain that Judaism is not a race of people, it's a religion. A lot of them don't understand. I try to explain it to them. If they don't (understand), it's tough." While Douglas says he doesn't know any other black Jews, he has made many Jewish friends. But, he laments, "some of the guys I hang out with were born Jews, but I can't get them to go to services with me." ❑ I LOCAL NEWS I'm' Toast L'Chayim At Family Day The main Jewish Com- munity Center will serve as host to a pre-High Holiday family event on Sept. 20 from 2 to 4 p.m. The event is being sponsored by The Jewish News and Jewish Experiences For Families to introduce . families to L'Chayim, a mon- thly family supplement of The Jewish News, designed to enhance Jewish family life. Entitled "Apples, Honey, and Lots, Lots More," it will feature storyteller Helen Ut- chenik, musicians Stuart Rogoff of Class Act Orchestra and Loie Meeron, Rabbi Nor- man Roman Of Temple Kol Ami and the Beth Abraham Hillel Moses Youth Choir. In addition there will be a varie- ty of hands-on crafts booths, cider making, a model succah, and a chance to learn to braid challah. Cong. Beth Shalom, Temple Emanu-El's Holiday Workshop, the Detroit Soviet Jewry Committee of the Jewish Community Council, the Lubavitch Women's Organization, and the Jewish Parents Institute all will be represented. Jewish Experiences For Families is a combined effort of the Fresh Air Society, Jewish Community Center and United Hebrew Schools, designed to enrich Jewish family life in the Detroit metropolitan area. It is made possible by a grant from the Mandell L. Berman Family and the Max M. Fisher Foundation.