!SYNAGOGUES I MIDRASHA•COLLEGE OF JEWISH STUDIES A Divison of United Hebrew Schools and 4 AMERICAN WOMEN OF BAR ILA) DIVERSITY present Jewish Communities In Crisis Many sociologists suggest that the world Jewish community is dramatically decreasing in numbers. Assimilation, persecution and declining birth rates are a few of the reasons for this demographic phenomenon. This series will examine important Jewish communities which are facing special problems. These communities include the Islamic Near East, Ethiopia and small town America. DATES TIME PLACE COST Tuesdays, February 21, 28 and March 7 9:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast 10:00-11:30 a.m. - Lecture Friedman Conference Room Sigmund and Sophie Rohlik Building United Hebrew Schools 21550 West Twelve Mile Road, Southfield $18 for the entire series MET Tuesday, February 21 "Jews In The Islamic Near East: Past, Present and Future" Aviva Kleinbaum is a former resident of Iraq and Israel and is a keen observer of the current situation in the Near East. Tuesday, February 28 "Ethiopian Jewry: The Unifinished Exodus" I an illustrated d lecture) 1 George P. Mann is an attorney and specialist in immigration and nationality law. Having visited Ethiopia many times, Mr. Mann has a realistic sense of that Jewish community's current situation. Tuesday, March 7 "Through The Eyes Of The Only Jewish Boy In Town" Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg of Congregation Shir Tikvah has always been the only Jewish kid on the block, growing up in Hudson, Michigan. He currently splits his time between congregations in Troy and Traverse City. For more information call 352-7117 or 423-4550 •JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN CRISIS - Registration — - Name Address City State Zip Code Phone Please make $18 cheek payable to: Midrasha - College of Jewish Studies 21550 West 12 Mile Road Southfield, MI 48076 FOREIGN a DOMESTIC Maxie Collision, Inc. 32581 Northwestern Highway, Farmington Hills, MI 48018 (313) 737-7122 JIM FLEISCHER 44 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1989 Service Honors Newborns As part of their life cycle Shabbatot series, Congrega- tion Beth Abraham Hillel Moses will honor the children of its members at their Newborn Shabbat at 8:45 a.m. Saturday. The following families will be honored: Mr. and Mrs. Howard Achtman and Darrin; Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Anstan- dig and Jared; Mr. and Mrs. Mark Canvasser and Lindsay and Amanda; Mr. and Mrs. Ir- win Groskind and Ashley; Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Horwitz and Adam; Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Kahan and Sara; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Levine and Avi; Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Miller and Daniel; Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Gilbert and Bradley; Dr. and Mrs. Edmund Nadler and Rachel; Mr. and Mrs. Ron Nadis and Emily and Rebec- ca; Mr. and Mrs. Mark Rosenfeld and Amy. Amy Rosenfeld will be named dur- ing the service. The congregation will host a kiddush after the service. Sylvia and Isadore Bernstein are co-chairmen. The com- munity is invited. Beth El Hosts Glazer Institute Temple Beth El will sponsor the Glazer Institute sym- posium at 9:30 a.m. today. The Glazer institute an- nually brings together clergy and representatives from the Catholic, Protestant, and Easten Orthodox religious communities with the goal of working toward a better understanding of one another's faith. This year's program fatures a lecture by Rabbi W. Gun- ther Plaut titled, "Exploring the Word: The Use of Midrash for Biblical Intepretation' and Dr. Michael Signer's presen- tation, "Witness to the Word: Passover and Shavuot/Pente- cost as Covenant Festivals." Rabbi Plaut also will speak at Shabbat services 8 p.m. today. Born in Germany; Rabbi Plaut has served for the last 11 years as senior scholar at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. He received his Master of Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union Col- lege in Cincinnati. He has served as rabbi at B'nai Abraham Zion in Chicago, Mt. Zion Temple in St. Paul and was senior rabbi at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto from 1961-1977. Rabbi Plaut's latest novel, The Man Who Would Be Messiah, was published last year. His book The Torah was the first com- plete Torah commentary in North America written from a Reform perspective. Dr. Signer has served for the last 14 years as professor of Jewish history at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles. A native of Los Angeles, he graduated with highest honors in Hebrew literature from the University of California-Los Angeles in 1966; he then studied independently at Hebrew University. in Jerusalem. Singer holds a masters in rabbinic literature and Jewish history and rab- binic ordination from HUC. In 1978, Singer received a Ph.D. in intellectural history from the University of Toronto. The public is invited to the lectures. Movie Night Slated Sunday Congregation Beth Achim will sponsor a movie night featuring "The Rise and Fall of the Borsht Belt" at 7 p.m. Sunday. The 80-minute film in- cludes vintage photographs and film clips dating back to the Borsht Belt's earliest days. The sound track features popular songs of the day, often flavored with Yiddish-flavored lyrics. Following the movie, coffee and cake will be served. The event is free. Rabbi Wine Plans Talk Rabbi Sherwin Wine of the Birmingham Temple will pre- sent the second of four talks on the theme "Who Wrote the Talmud?" at 8:30 p.m. Mon- day. He will discuss "Writing Down the Oral Law." There is a charge. For infor- mation, call the temple, 477-1410. !NEWS I Labor Zionist Leader Dies New York (JTA)— Dr. Marie Syrkin, author, lecturer, biographer of Golda Meir and a leading figure in the Labor Zionist movement for more than 60 years, died in Santa Monica, Calif., Feb. 1 at 89. A gifted speaker and pro- lific writer, Syrkin wrote three volumes on the life and work of Golda Meir, the only woman prime minister of Israel, with whom she was closely associated. Syrkin was on the editorial