I UP FRONT
Bais Yaakov Hosts 500 Girls
For National Convention
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Features Editor
A
The. Rosenberg Athletic Center, a new multipurpose recreational
facility that will include a running track, tennis courts and new
programming opportunities, was dedicated late last week. Among
those attending the ceremony were (from left) Jewish Community
Center Executive Director Mort Plotnick, Shirley and Edward
Rosenberg and Center President Richard Maddin.
Shofar Sounded For
Jackson Inmates
mid the school books,
classrooms and
lockers at Bais
Yaakov stands a large,
bright green mountain.
The mountain is part of a
display illustrating the
verse in Exodus "This is my
God and I will glorify Him,"
the theme of the 31st annual
International Bais Yaakov
Convention, to be ,hosted
next month by the Sally
Allan Alexander Bais
Yaakov of Metropolitan
Detroit. More than 500 ju-
niors and seniors from Bais
Yaakov schools across the
country are expected to at-
tend.
The purpose of the four-
day convention is to allow
Bais Yaakov students to
meet each other, according
to Detroit-area Bais Yaakov
Principal Rabbi Samuel
Cohen. Each Bais Yaakov
school shares a similar pro-
gram of a half day each of
Torah and of secular edu-
cation.
"The convention activities
are- fun and educa-
tional," Rabbi Cohen said.
"They strengthen the girls'
commitment to mitzvot."
The illustration for the
convention theme, which
Bais Yaakov students
designed; includes a drawing
of a Torah and Mt. Sinai
shaped like a paint palette.
It expresses the idea that in-
dividuals should contribute
as best they can to making
mitzvot beautiful, said
Goldie Silverstein, Bais
Yaakov program coor-
dinator.
Bais Yaakov students
decided to make a 3-D repre-
sentation of the design to
greet the guests as they ar-
rive for the convention,
Silverstein said. Their crea-
tion features the bright
green Mt. Sinai.
"There's a stiff, green mop
they used to paint it still
around here somewhere,"
she said.
Convention activities will
include discussion groups,
arts and Crafts workshops, a
mystery Bible contest, stu-
dent choir and dance presen-
tations and a display of local
Judaica. It will be held at
the Sally Allen Alexander
school with a melava malka
party with popcorn, cotton
candy and live music.
Programs for visiting Bais
Yaakov principals, teachers
.
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
ewish inmates at the
State Prison of
Southern Michigan at
Jackson started the new
year with their first con-
gregate service in four years.
The Rosh Hashanah ser-
vice, held in the chapel on
Saturday for 12 Jewish in-
mates, follows the recent
federal appeal court ruling
that allows Jewish prisoners
to travel among its corn-
j
'I'm pleased the
court decision
came out the way
it did.
plexes for weekly services.
Because of prison rules, in-
mates had not been per-.
mitted to travel among com-
plexes for one service.
"I'm pleased the court
decision came out the way it
did," said Michael Barnhart,
attorney for the inmates.
Barnhart waged the class-
action fight- against the
Michigan Department of
Corrections on behalf of four
prisoners, who claimed
religious discrimination
over the prison policy for-
bidding a congregate weekly
service.
"It was particularly nice
that the first service took
place on the holidays," he
said.
Michigan corrections offi-
cials have 60 days left to ap-
peal the decision.
Prison chaplains Rabbi
Bob Shafran of Jackson's
Temple Beth Israel and
Stacie Schiff Fischer, a na-
tional program director for
the B'nai B'rith Interna-
tional Coalition for Jewish
Prisoner Services, conducted
the service.
An inmate, who regularly
sounded the shofar for his
hometown congregation,
blew the shofar during the
service. For the first time
since the facility was broken
down into three complexes
in 1985, there was a miiiyan.
Together, the congregants
chanted the first verse
to"Bless This House:"
Bless This House for we are
all together; Bless us all for
we may not meet again.
"The service went really
well," said Fischer, who
with Shafran, has formed
the Michigan Prisoner
Outreach Program. "It didn't
feel unnatural. This is how it
is supposed to be. I've been
coming here for five years to
help the prisoners and it is
nice to finally see this issue
resolved."
The inmates residing in
complexes other than cen-
tral, where the chapel
stands, got passes to leave
their facilities for the ser-
vice. Guards escorted them.
A misunderstanding caused
a slight delay for the men
residing in the south com-
plex, but it was minor,
Fischer said.
❑
and advisers also are
planned, Silverstein said.
Bais Yaakov students,
headed by seniors Shani
Saks and Tzirel Friedman,
are responsible for planning
virtually all of the conven-
tion. They have been work-
ing on the event since Mar-
ch.
In addition to designing
the logo, students are coor-
dinating the housing and
compiling a small kit filled
with surprises for each
guest. They are designing
decorations, scheduling the
workshops and editing a
newspaper that will chroni-
cle the event.
"The excitement and spirit
the convention gives the
students are tremendous,"
Silverstein said. "It literally
lasts the whole year."
Detroit is one of five cities
that host the annual Bais
Yaakov conventions. The
first of which was held in
New York in 1958. Some 100
young women attended the
first convention.
"We have to limit the
number of participants,"
Rabbi Cohen said. "If we let
as many girls come as want
to, we wouldhave 3,000."
Silberstein said she has
had no trouble finding vol-
unteers.
"Everybody here is
clamoring for a job," she
said. "Our only problem is
that we didn't have enough
positions for everyone." ❑
'ROUND UP
Feed The Hungry
On Yom Kippur
As Jews around the world
gather on Monday to fast
and pray on Yom Kippur,
rabbis in hundreds of
synagogues and temples in
the United States and
Canada will urge their con-
MAZON
gregants to donate the
money they would normally
spend that day to Mazon, a
Jewish Response to Hunger.
Founded four years ago,
Mazon (Hebrew for food) has
allocated more than $1
million to established
Jewish and non-Jewish
agencies that provide food
and serve as advocates for
the poor.
Contributions to the Yom
Kippur project may be sent
directly to Mazon at 2940
Westwood Blvd., Los
Angeles, CA. 90064; (213)
470-7769.
Disaster Fund
Is Established
A new fund has been es-
tablished to help Jewish in-
dividuals and organizations
that suffered damage when
hurricane Hugo hit
Charleston, S.C.
A Conservative synagogue
and recreational facilities at
the Jewish Community
Center were damaged, and
about 10 Jewish homes were
destroyed or severely
damaged.
Contributions may be sent
to the Charleston Jewish
Disaster Fund, 1645
Wallenberg Blvd,
Charleston, S.C. 29407. For
information, contact Leah
Chase, Community Rela-
tions Committee director of
the Charleston Jewish Fed-
eration, (803)571-6565.
China Bureau
Opens In Israel
Jerusalem (JTA) — China
this week opened an official
tourism bureau in Tel Aviv,
an act that is being seen
here as the first step toward
formal relations between
China and Israel.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
5