Special
Lex- u_s Lease
BRAND NEWGi s
1993 LEXUS
Frumeth Hirsh Polasky celebrated 50 in a very Jewish way.
up, we weren't all that reli-
gious," Ms. Goldman said. "He
was so excited when I told him
I had enrolled in the program.
I'm doing this for me, but it is
in his honor."
While Ms. Pearlman enjoys
working with the adult stu-
dents, she knows
the time will come
when her role with
them will lessen.
"The next gen-
erations will show
a decline in num-
bers. As it became
more common,
they had bat mitz-
vah ceremonies at
13," Ms.Pearlman
said.
Individuals like
Bob Markle of
Bloomfield Hills
may keep the mo-
mentum going,
though.
A recent convert
(he married his wife Frida in
1975), Mr. Markle saw becom-
ing bar mitzvah as part of the
natural progression in Judaism.
"My wife and I did this togeth-
er. For her, maybe it was a way
of continuing her education. For
me, it was an additional affir-
mation of, 'Yes, I am a Jew,' "
Mr. Markle said.
In May, Mr. and Mrs. Markle
joined four other members of
Temple Kol Ami in the ceremo-
ny. He was the only man in the
class.
"It wasn't an issue. I made
coffee on Sundays," Mr. Markle
said. "However, when it came
time to decide upon a sermon,
the
women
ganged up on me.
I wanted to focus
more on the
Torah portion.
They wanted to
discuss their rea-
sons for becoming
a bat mitzvah. I
was outvoted."
The sermon
was not the
toughest part for
Mr. Markle,
though. Learning
Hebrew was.
"I felt dyslexic,"
Bob Markle he said.
Extra studying
quickly rectified
the situation.
The Markles became so ex-
cited about the prospect of their
b'nai mitzvah that, upon com-
pletion of the program, they
helped develop a plan to en-
hance the curriculum.
At Temple Kol Ami, adult
b'nai mitzvah students study
approximately 18 months with
Rabbi Emeritus Ernst Conrad.
"For her, maybe
it was a way of
continuing her
education.
For me, it was an
additional
affirmation of,
les, I am
a Jew.' "
Rabbi Norman Roman meets
with the class several times pri-
or to the ceremony.
Mr. Markle hopes to see a
more formalized program with
a mapped-out, two-year cur-
riculum. The plan includes a
prerequisite of beginning He-
brew, Midrasha classes (the
adult division of the Agency for
Jewish Education), discussions
and field trips.
"I'd like to see these sugges-
tions used to complement what
we did — to learn more basic
history, add some philosophy
and bring it together with to-
day's issues," Mr. Markle said.
Rabbi Roman added, "I think
we'd like to see a process more
parallel to that of the youth:
participation in a mitzvah pro-
ject, regular attendance at ser-
vices, history classes. Ideally,
we could teach sophisticated Ju-
daica. It will no longer be just
Hebrew."
Fran Wigod became a bat
mitzvah in 1987 — also at Tem-
ple Kol Ami.
Ms. Wigod laughs, saying she
did it so she and her youngest
son could prepare together.
However, Ms. Wigod does be-
lieves she sent a message to her
children about the importance
and sanctity of the bar and bat
mitzvah. She also learned how
to stand before a crowd. And she
was able to honor the memory
of her father.
Ms. Wigod grew up in a Re-
form temple in Detroit. And al-
though the Reform movement
was the second, following Re-
constructionist, to embrace the
concept of bat mitzvah, the op-
tion did not exist for Fran. In-
stead, she was confirmed.
She recalls learning intro-
ductory Hebrew as a child, but
found studying a Torah portion
without vowels a challenge.
Eight women studied to-
gether for the 1987 service. Ms.
Wigod remains in close contact
with many of them.
"I knew I wanted to do it with
a group. There was no other
thought," Ms. Wigod said. "Al-
though we all did individual
portions, the actual perfor-
mance felt like a team effort.
"In some ways, I think it's
more meaningful to do this as
an adult. As a child you have to
go to Hebrew school. As an
adult, you make the choice to do
so. It was one of the most won-
derful experiences I've ever had.
It gave me a feeling of inclusion
in the service, in the Jewish re-
ligion. I never really felt left out,
but now I feel completely a part
of it all." O
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