ing The Code

Tzedakah Fair helps unlock the mysteries of charity and community.

LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER

Marissa Holtzman and
Courtney Jarvis look
over material.

.g

At right, Rachael
Soloman and Jamie
Learner visit the Yad
Ezra booth.

Andrew Schwartz, David Lax, Steve Saraquse, Eric Unitin and Brad Woodberg sort coins.

hey were on a mis-
sion. Close to 500
fifth-graders and
their parents, armed
with knowledge
about
tzedakah
(loosely translated as
charity and good deeds) and the
beneficiary agencies of Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan De-
troit, were out to crack a code,
the secret for the community.
The answer, these super
sleuths discovered on Sunday:
"Tzedakah Begins With Me."
About six years ago, educa-
tors at Temple Beth El de-
veloped a community-wide

education and activity day
called Tzedakah Fair.
Federation's Women's Divi-
sion jumped on board, and later
the Jewish Educators Council,
the Agency for Jewish Educa-
tion, Jewish Experiences For
Families and The Jewish News,
each bringing their own flavor
to charity and mitzvot.
"Hands on" and "experien-
tial" were key phrases for the
1994 event.
In hopes of spurring interest
and questions, the AJE pre-
pared a three-week curriculum,
using the detective theme, for
school teachers and students.

Women's Division passed out
canvas bags for a penny har-
vest. Classes will decide which
agencies will receive the funds.
Sunday morning, students
arrived lugging their copper-
filled totes and later counted
coins with their parents.
The Actors and Audience
Create Together Troupe from
the Community Jewish High
School performed a short sce-
nario where it seemed everyone
had a problem. Ace investiga-
tors visited rooms at Temple
Beth El to learn more about
special and basic needs in the
community and abroad. They

determined how the agencies
providing services might assist
the play's characters and inch-
viduals in real life.
"We're trying to make the
students aware, more sensitive
to the needs around them," said
Penny Blumenstein, president
of the Tzedakah Fair Commit-
tee. "A whole curriculum was
written so they'll not only do fol-
low up, but come in with some
prior knowledge. For some, this
(tzedakah) is a new concept.
"In past years, Tzedakah
Fair operated as one word, one
day. We're working to make it
a total experience, involving
more teachers and parents —
who also say they are learning
more about our community."
Sander Papo has taught fifth-
grade Sunday school at Temple
Israel for 30 years. He used
most of the tools provided by the
AJE in his classes and was en-
couraged by the results.
"This year I felt I had some
objectives. In the past we
walked in cold," Mr. Papo said.
"A lesson that was supposed to
take 40 minutes, took the entire
morning. The kids got so in-
volved in it."
For three weeks, in prepara-
tion for the Harvest, Mr. Papo
exchanged keren ami quarters,
nickels and dimes for pennies.
He was pleased to report seeing

double the number of parents
in attendance as opposed to
years past.
"We're trying to teach these
values, like tzedakah, but when
they're not reinforced at home,
it affects the level of absorption,"
Mr. Papo said.
At their home in Huntington ;
Woods, Andy Sharkey and her'
daughter Abby Schkloven make

"We want to keep
the tradition alive."

it a habit of emptying their
pockets for Steppin' Out, a Roy-
al Oak-based AIDS foundation.
"She's (Abby) used to giving,
but something like Tzedakah
Fair is a great reinforcement,"
Ms. Sharkey said. "I'm the types
ical parent I guess. I drop my
daughter off at Sunday school
and pick her up two hours later.
Anything that offers more
exposure for the family is
terrific."
While her mother spoke,
Abby was busy at a table cre-
ating get-well cards for Sinai
Hospital patients and Jewish
Home for Aged residents. St:'
hopes her class at the Birrning-\
ham Temple will donate its por-
tion of pennies to help sick
children. ❑

