I CLOSE-UP I

Court

Continued from preceding page

D ress Shop

Spring & Summer

SALE
Off
50%
On Selected Groups Only

Friday & Saturday
May 4th and May 5th

APPLEGATE STORE ONLY

11 Mon • -Sa t 10-5:30
•
N____k_JiThurs. eve. till 8:30

29839 Northwestern Hwy.
Between 12 & 13 Mile Rd.
At Inkster Road

VISA'

MASS & PLASTIcS

e SPECIALISTS IN
CUSTOM
SHOWER
ENCLOSUERES
EXPERTS IN
CUSTOM
MIRROR DESIGN
AND
INSTALLATION

EUROPEAN FRAMELESS
GLASS SHOWER ENCLOSURE

Call today for a free estimate, or visit our Southfield showroom for a consultation,

22223 Telegraph Rd. (South of 9 Mile)
353-5770

— Interior decorators and Builders Welcomed -
- Custom Glass Experts Since 1964 —

30

FRIDAY, MAY 4, 1990

served with Rabbi Pachter
on the Camp Ramah staff
during their undergrad
days, was unhappy with the
situation in New York.
"I had told Rabbi Elliott,
he told Rabbi Bill and Rabbi
Bill called me about Shaarey
Zedek the same time Aviva
invited me out," says Rabbi
Diamond, who became the
synagogue's assistant
rabbi/director of education
and youth.
"I think we represent a
new style of leadership in
the Conservative commun-
ity, a new vitality, a new
creativity," Rabbi Gershon
says. "Both Rabbi Pachter
and I feel it is very impor-
tant to have a presence at
Hillel Day School. These
days, we mix a little Bible
and a little basketball with
the kids."
The rabbi notes the
quartet's youthfulness —
he's 31; Rabbi Pachter is 30;
Dr. Smiley, 32; Rabbi Dia-
mond, 34.
"We are all products of
Camp Ramah, all graduates
of JTS. I feel we have a real
sensitivity to the educa-
tional issues and educa-
tional processes and the way
we view ourselves as rabbis
and educators represents the
contemporary new rabbi and
educator from the semi-
nary," Rabbi Gershon says.
"First and foremost, I
believe, is that we have a
tremendous vitality geared
to bringing Jews closer to
Judaism," he says.
In addition to sharing
pulpit duties — the sermons,
the weddings and the funer-
als — with the senior rabbis,
both Rabbis Pachter and
Gershon teach formal Jew-
ish education classes to chil-
dren and adults and both
direct their synagogues'
Jewish Experience For
Families (JEFF) program,
an adult-family outreach
effort.
"I have a chavurah orien-
tation, to get members to
find the smaller community
within the larger one,"
Rabbi Pachter says. "I like
to get the parents into the
building and doing things,
from the nursery school on
up. The synagogue should be
a place for everyone to do
Judaism, to celebrate it.
"We're dealing with a
community that really needs
to be reached-out to and yet
isn't going to take Judaism
for granted. We have corn-
munities with different
needs — the people are busy
all the time, but they will
appreciate quality.
"We have to get beyond
the sermon. We have to come
off the bimah and talk to

people," Rabbi Pachter says.
Rabbi Diamond says a lot
of Jewish adults have "a
sixth-grade mentality
toward Judaism because
that's when a lot of them
dropped out of Jewish educa-
tional programs. Their
maturation hasn't taken
place in terms of Judaic
learning. Many had been
turned off by their Hebrew
school teacher and so are
dealing with Jewish issues
on a sixth-grade level."
His goal is to make
youngsters "feel comfortable
in the synagogue, know they
can use the prayer book.
Knowing how to pray is
something we struggle with
all of our lives, but it grows
all the time."
Says Dr. Smiley, "I believe
our best educators can
motivate both families and
children to become proud
and authentic Jews and be
comfortable in American
society."
"We have our work cut out
for us," Rabbi Pachter says.
And when they're not
working, there's basketball.
"We've played with ice
outside, with snow outside,
with rain pouring down,"
Dr. Smiley says. "Once I
cancelled for an electrical
blackout — we couldn't play
without lights.
"But we haven't played
with humidity yet," he says.
It seems Hillel's gym is not
air-conditioned.
"It's good house-league
basketball. We're not
ballerinas out there. When
the USYers (United Syn-
agogue Youth) come, they
push us a great deal. We pre-
fer when the parents come
and play, because they don't
push us as much."0

N EWS

Alzheimer's
Test Developed

Jerusalem (JPFS) . An
immunological test that will
probably be used within two
years to detect Alzheimer's
Disease at an early stage in
humans has been developed
by a prominent biochemist
at the Tel Aviv University.
Prof. Daniel Michaelson
said that if the test is proved
to be 75 to 80 percent accu-
rate, as he believes, it will
"undoubtedly hasten the
discovery of a cure" for this
widespread and so far fatal
form of dementia.
Michaelson, 45-year-old
son of the late, eminent
Hadassah pioneer Prof.
Isaac Michaelson, said the
test could be considered an
"Israeli breakthrough."

