Ruth Schwartz, ASID, NHFL

THE
CLASS ACT
ORCHESTRA

Interior Designer

MIN

-11111=11

featuring:

STUART ROGOFF

"creating the possible when you
thought it was impossible"

For Booking Info.

369-7361

Preview Tape
shown by appt.

• ACCESSORIES
• INSTALLATIONS
• FURNISHINGS
• COLOR COORDINATING

Call for appt. 352-2264

BRUCE WEISS
HAS A
HEART OF GOLD

Eric Edelstein and Staci Goldberg get plenty of supervision from dads
Art Edelstein and Howard Goldberg, and Jo Greene.

four new groups of five- and
six-year-olds, plus returning
second-year groups created
the largest program ever.
Jo Greene, the Center's
director of family program-
ming, directs "Me and My
Dad" and acts as facilitator
for the new groups. "It's
always fun to watch the
dads' reactions at the first
meeting. There are always
so many connections. 'Hey,
didn't I know you from
elementary school? is really
common."
Jo is an old hand at the
opening ceremony. "Sure,
it's a little corny, but the
kids love it. I like to help the
fathers with the chant and
candlelighting at first, but
then they take over."

At 7:30 on. a Wednesday
evening, five-year-old Leah
Barak opened the first
meeting of her new "Me and
My Dad" group with a
squeak on a real shofar. The
children were standing in a
circle, holding their fathers'
hands.

Together they chanted,
"Strengthen together, me
and my dad, family unity
makes us glad." Each child
solemnly lit a candle on a
homemade menorah. After
a responsive reading full of
Hebrew words expressing
the Jewish values of giving,
kindness, friendship, truth
and peace, the group sang,
"Zippity Do Da, Everyone
Knows, Me and My Dad,
together we go."
To mothers, listening in
the next room, the words
may seem a bit Masonic and
silly. To the kids, it's a

theatrical ceremony they're
sure to remember.
Eddie Barak understands
the importance of the open-
ing ceremony to the
children. It is his second
time around in "Me and My
Dad," and he offered to host
the first meeting to show the
first-time dads, Fred Radner
and Sandy Rockind, the
ropes.
"It's important to build up
the atmosphere with the
special T-shirts and opening
ceremony," Barak said. "The
child feels so special, alone
with his dad, holding his
hand, working closely with
him for several hours every
month."
Both Radner and Rockind
were impressed. "The open-
ing ceremony gives the
whole thing a purpose," said
Radner. "It adds Jewish-
ness.'
Both Adam and I look for-
ward to these meetings.
We're even going out to din-
ner together, just the two of
us, before every meeting. He
likes having me to himself
and not sharing me with his
two siblings," said Rockind.
Jo Greene encourages
more single dads to try "Me
and My Dad." "It's a perfect
way to spend quality time
with one child, in the mid-
dle of the week," said
Greene.
She is also looking for
volunteers who'd like to be
trained as group leaders.
"We've gotten so much in-
terest, even requests for a
group of older children and
dads. We just need more
volunteer leaders," she
said. ❑

THAT S WHY ITE'S 'TAKLNG

60 % OFF

Valentine's Day g.

BRUCE
WEISS

CUSTOM JEWELRY

YOU HAVE IT MADE

26325 TWELVE MILE ROAD, SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN
IN THE MAYFAIR SHOPS AT NORTHWESTERN HIGHWAY
10:045:30 MONDAY-SATURDAY, 10:00-8:30 THURSDAY

HEART LINE

MIR

(313) 353-1424

(Excluding Watches)

17.
4

411110111.1111•••••

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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