DETROIT

AMY J. MEHLER

Staff Writer

T

he night air was raw
and biting. The wind,
making snapping,
whizzing noises, rushed past
hurrying crowds of people.
But all that didn't matter
inside the warm Cranbrook
Institute of Science. Every-

Jeffrey Devries lifts his son, David,
2, to get a better view.

one's attention was drawn to
the sound of Havdalah, the
Hebrew prayer marking the
end of Shabbat.
Almost 1,000 Jewish
families trekked to Bloom-
field Hills Nov. 7 for the
Jewish Experiences For
Families program, "When
Three Stars Appear."
Shabbat, from Friday sun-
down until Saturday sun-
down, ends when three stars
are sighted. Havdalah, Heb-
rew for separation,
distinguishes between
kodesh and chol, Shabbat
and the work week.
"We wanted to show Jew-
ish families how to make
Havdalah, since many have
never had the opportunity to
do it before," said Irma
Starr, who works for
J.E.F.F.
Volunteers sold $5 Hav-
dalah kits, each coming with
a braided candle, spice box, a
page of instructions and an
audio cassette. Havdalah is
made by blessing wine, fire
and a blend of spices. The
prayer, brief and solemn,
bids farewell to the holiness
of the day. The spices serve
to invigorate and
regenerate. When the fire is
extinguished, Shabbat is
over.
"Havdalah allows you
begin the week with an

14

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1991

extra bit of holiness to give
you the strength to get
through the rest of the
week," said Rabbi Elimelech
Golberg, who led the Hav-
dalah service.
His children, Meir, 9, a
student at Yeshivah Beth
Yehudah, and Ruchi, 11, a
student at the Sally Alex-
ander Beth Jacob School for
Girls, held the candle and
spice box.
"It was special to give peo-
ple who want to be more
Jewish the chance to have
Havdalah," said Meir, who
joined the singing following
the service.
Brittany Schwartz, 5, of
Southfield, jumped up and
down to the music as she
danced with other children
following Havdalah. "She'd
never seen this before," said
her mother, Fonda
Schwartz.
Ron Anstandig brought his
61/2-year-old daughter.
Deborah, a student at Hillel
Day School, usually holds
the kiddush cup during
Havdalah at home.
"We have a different tune
at home, too," she said.
"We started doing Hav-
dalah at home recently," Mr.

"Havdalah lets you
begin the week
with a certain
amount of
holiness."

Elimelech Goldberg

Anstandig said. "Havdalah
is a simple and beautiful
service."
While many of the families
spent time singing and danc-
ing, other families wound
their way around the mu-
seum, which was closed to the
general public. Some took ad-
vantage of the planetarium
while others gazed at the
moon through a telescope.
Boris Grinshpun, 10, was
trying out an exhibit with
his father, Moise.

"Little by little we are
learning about all the Jew-
ish customs," said Mr. Grin-
shpun, a new American from
Moldavia.

"We like to show people
you don't always have to
find Judaism in the home or
synagogue," said Sue Stett-
ner, director of J.E.F.F.
"You can even find it at
Cranbrook." 1=1

Photos by Dan iel Lippitt

The Three Stars
Came Out Together

Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg leads a song.

Abrams And Seligson Win In OP

AMY J. MEHLER

Staff Writer

D

espite predictions of
strong voter turnout,
only 23 percent of
Oak Park's 18,643
registered voters cast ballots
Tuesday, voting for Gerald
E. Naftaly for mayor, and
voting in Raymond M.
Abrams and Michael M.
Seligson for city councilmen.
Mr. Naftaly, unopposed for
Oak Park mayor, claimed 75
percent or 3,304 of 4,403
votes. He said his initial goal
is to hold a series of summits
with neighborhood associa-
tions, PTAs and school
boards. Mr. Abrams, the in-
cumbent, kept his seat on
the city council with 52 per-
cent or 2,330 votes. Mr.
Seligson, a former school
board member, won 43 per-
cent or 1,930 of the votes.
Unexpected was the per-
formance of Paul Brauns-
tein, who finished first in the
August primary. He came in
fourth Tuesday night, with
38 percent, or 1,701 of the
votes. Minerva Freeman,
who finished last in the
primary, beat Mr. Braunstein
by six votes.
"I wish the two coun-
cilmen luck as well as the
city of Oak Park," Ms.
Freeman said. This was her
second failed attempt at a
seat on Oak Park's city
council.

There was speculation
Tuesday night as to how
much Monday night's public
withdrawal of . support for
Mr. Braunstein contributed
to his last place finish. The
mayor and the president of
Oak Park's Board of Edu-
cation both withdrew their
support of Mr. Braunstein
the night before the election.
The Jewish News was
unable to reach Mr. Brauns-
tein for comment.
School Board President
Ezra Roberg stood up at
Monday night's city council
meeting and objected to Mr.
Braunstein's promise to
"put an end to the squabbl-
ing between the school
district and the city." Mr.
Roberg said Mr. Braunstein
never spoke to him about his
plans and said relations
between the two governing
bodies were on the mend.
Charlotte Rothstein, who
is retiring after a decade as
mayor of Oak Park, also
withdrew her support of Mr.
Braunstein. She said she
lost confidence in the can-
didate's understanding of
the operations of city
government.
"I think people had been
changing their minds before
Monday night's meeting,"
said Mr. Naftaly. "I think
he'd been losing support all
along."
Oak Park's election cam-
paign had been overshadow-
ed by rumors of disappearing

lawn signs, the use of non-
existent endorsements, and
religious affiliation as cam-
paign tactics.
"I'm just relieved this
campaign is over," said Mr.
Seligson. "I said all along I
was a candidate who was Or-
thodox, not an Orthodox
candidate!'
Mr. Seligson, a business
consultant, was cautious but
happy. "I thought it would
be close," he said. "I thought
Ray Abrams would come in
big, so I'm real pleased it
also went my way."

Mr. Abrams, a busi-
nessman who's lived in Oak
Park for 25 years, said this
was not a pleasant cam-
paign.
"I didn't like the way one
of the campaigns ran," Mr.
Abrams said. "Presidents of
school boards don't
withdraw their support the
night before The election
unless it's serious."
Mr. Abrams said he'll con-
tinue to watch out for neigh-
borhood blight and promote
redevelopment. "I believe in
telling the truth. Politicians
tell the people only what
they want to hear. That's
why I never considered my-
self a politician."
Mr. Seligson called the
campaign a humbling expe-
rience. "Although I won, I'm
aware of all the people who
helped me and showed me
support."

❑