DETROIT
I
RONELLE GRIER
Special to The Jewish News
F
ostering Jewish iden-
tity through athletics,
the goal of the
Michigan Jewish Sports Hall
of Fame, will take on new
meaning during the fifth an-
nual Hall of Fame Games on
July 28 at the Maple-Drake
Jewish Community Center.
Designed for Jewish
children and adults with
disabilities, the Michigan
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
Games will feature a full day
of "friendly competitive"
events and guest appearances
by local sports celebrities.
"It's a heartwarming,
touching day," said Seymour
Brode, president of the
Michigan Jewish Sports Hall
of Fame.
Detroit Free Press sports col-
umnist Mitch Albom will
lead the opening ceremony at
10 a.m. Other celebrity
guests include former Detroit
Piston John Long, who will of-
ficiate during the "half-time,"
and ex-Detroit Lion Lem
Barney, who will host the
culminating dinner-dance
and awards presentation.
According to Leanie
Gunsberg, director of special
needs programs at the JCC,
the Hall of Fame Games,
which are open to the public,
benefit not only the athletes
who participate but the
volunteers and the general
community as well.
New Temple Beth El Educator
Sees The World As Classroom
LESLEY PEARL
Jewish News Intern
R
abbi Barry Diamond
wants to burst — out
of the classroom and
into the world.
"I want people to view the
entire temple and the city as
a Jewish learning experi-
ence that is both compelling
and exciting," Temple Beth
El's new religious school di-
rector said.
Lofty ideals for the 29-
year-old California native
replacing current director,
Robert Lask. However, as a
young adult, Rabbi Diamond
encountered someone who
accomplished those goals for
him, who made the Jewish
world a fascinating and
wonderful place.
While a high school
freshman, he met a rabbinic
student acting as cantor at
his synagogue in Newport
Beach, Calif.
"He was young,
charismatic and I thought he
was incredibly exciting,"
Rabbi Diamond said. "Plus,
he had a beard and played
the guitar."
Although lacking facial
hair, Barry, too, learned to -
strum. He became a song
leader and youth group pres-
ident to be near his mentor.
. Fifteen years and a full
beard later, Rabbi Diamond
remains in contact with his
early mentor — now a can-
tor.
Rabbi Diamond attended
secular California State at
Fullerton for a degree in
psychology, but claims he
fell back on early influences
to attend Hebrew Union Col-
lege for his master's degree
in Jewish education. His
family was not observant.
"We used to light candles,
14
FRIDAY, JULY 19, 1991
Barry Diamond:
Creating learning experiences.
but we certainly didn't keep
kosher," Rabbi Diamond
said. "I still pine for the
taste of bacon."
Although the rabbi now
keeps kosher both in and out
of the home, his wife and
children do not keep kosher
outside their home.
"I have mixed feelings
about imposing symbols I
have taken as an adult —
such as keeping kosher and
wearing a kippah — on my
children," Rabbi Diamond
said.
"I view keeping the home
kosher as a way of sanctify-
ing space — the house is a
special place with special
rules," he said. "By main-
taining certain traditions, I
show my children that I take
my sacred space and move it
out into the world."
This overlapping of per-
sonal and public is exactly
the method Rabbi Diamond
hopes to introduce to the
students and families of
Temple Beth El.
Rabbi Diamond's final two
years with H.U.C. were
spent in Cincinnati, Ohio,
where, in addition to his
studies, he acted as director
of the local Jewish Teacher
Center, director of a Reform
Jewish high school and
maintained two student
pulpits.
Upon settling in the Mid-
west, Rabbi Diamond
became interested in the
reputation, facilities and
hands-on approach toward
nature, science and art of the
,Cranbrook-Kingswood
schools. He would like to
utilize their planetarium
facilities to teach students
the lunar-solar cycles of the
Jewish calendar and why
they were once necessary.
Rabbi Diamond believes
integrating education with
everyday Jewish life is
crucial in the years after the
bar or bat mitzvah in order
to train competent, com-
mitted Jewish adults.
"If high school students
see Jewish traditions utiliz-
ed, it will show them the rel-
evance of Judaism in the
real world," Rabbi Diamond
said. "Students need to see
Jewish adults acting Jew-
ish."
Acting Jewish, Rabbi
Diamond says, means punc-
tuating life cycle events —
such as birth, bar and bat
mitzvah and marriage —
with Jewish language and
symbols. These events will
become meaningful in a
Jewish context in addition to
the purely human realm.
"It's important for us to
create compelling and ex-
citing Jewish learning expe-
riences that we as teachers
can help process," Rabbi
Diamond said. "And it is the
synagogue's job to be a
resource that is both ac-
cessible and attractive."
❑
P hoto by G le n n Triest
Hall Of Fame Games Attract
Special Athletes And Volunteers
The parade of athletes at the 1989 games.
Nearly 80 volunteers make
sure the games run smoothly
each year. Mrs. Gunsberg said
these volunteers, many of
whom have no previous ex-
perience working with people
with disabilities, find the day
as fulfilling as do the
participants.
"Their volunteer assign-
ments may last an hour, but
most of them choose to stay
the whole day," Mrs. Guns-
berg said.
Mrs. Gunsberg hopes the
games will promote com-
munity awareness about in-
dividuals who have mental
and/or physical limitations. "I
want the general public to
learn that we all have
strengths and abilities," she
said. "I encourage people to
come out and cheer."
The real stars of the day are
the more than 100 athletes
who range in age from 4 to 78.
They participate in a variety
of team and individual events
that include swimming, track
and field activities, softball
and tennis ball throws, and
kickball and basketball
games. Wheelchair events are
also included.
Athletes are grouped accor-
ding to individual ability and
skill levels, and first-, second-
and third-place ribbons are
awarded for each event. To de-
emphasize the competitive
aspect, every athlete receives
a participatory ribbon.
"To see our kids walk and
jump and run is beautiful,"
said Bea Howard of South-
field, whose son Robert, 26,
has participated in the Hall of
Fame Games since their in-
ception five years ago. "The
kids feel important, and it's
so thrilling for them to feel
important," she said.
"I like the kids," said
10-year-old Jeffrey Stone of
West Bloomfield, who is par-
ticipating for the second time.
Jeffrey won a second place
ribbon in the swimming
competition.
"They do a real nice job,"
said Jeffrey's mother, Fay
Stone. "It's like a mini
Special Olympics."
Although the Hall of Fame
Games receive rave reviews
from the participants and
their families, many parents
are concerned about the lack
of programming within the
Jewish community for
younger children who have
special needs.
Of the approximately 100
athletes who have registered
for this year's games, only 10
are below the age of 12. The
majority are older than 26.
"We're thrilled to have 10
children; it's the first year
we've had this many," said
Mrs. Gunsberg. "We want to
reach out more to this popula-
tion, to provide social,
cultural and recreational pro-
grams for them," she said.
There are no exact figures
on the number of Jewish
children in the Detroit area
who have disabilities. A list
developed by Keshet, an
organization of Jewish
parents of children with
special needs, includes 70
families with 45 children
under the age of 12 who have
some type of handicap. The
Jewish Welfare Federation
Task Force on Disabilities
estimated that there are at
least 10,000 Jewish people
with handicaps in the Detroit
metropolitan area.
Mrs. Irene Al-Azam of Royal
Oak has "nothing but good
things to say" about the Hall
of Fame Games. Daughter
Vicki, 12, will participate for
the third time. "I haven't got-
ten through one year without
sobbing during the Grand
March," Mrs. Al-Azam
admits.
The Hall of Fame Games
originated five years ago
when the Michigan Jewish
Sports Hall of Fame was look-
ing for a philanthropic
endeavor.
"We wanted to raise money
for a good cause, and this was
the cause," said Mark Unger,
executive director. An endow-
ment fund was recently estab-
lished to ensure the perpetua-
tion of future Hall of Fame
Games.
❑