And Latkes

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NN here was peanut butter
soup and latkes, sufganiot
and fish, dancing and a lot
of candles.
Last Sunday, members of
Temple Israel joined with Detroit
Unity Temple congregants for a
joint Kwanzaa-Chanukah cele-
bration. More than 250 persons
attended the event, held at the
church on Second Boulevard in
Detroit.
The program began with a li-
bation, in which Unity Temple
members offered a prayer to God,
recalling generations past and
asking for a healing of the world.
Representatives of each group
then provided an overview of
Chanukah, and Kwarizaa — a
holiday celebrating African cul-
ture which includes lighting can
for six nights.
When a parent and teen from
both Temple Israel and the Uni-
ty Church described celebrating
the holiday in their homes, Tem-
ple Israel Director of Program
and Development Nancy Gad-
Harf couldn't help but notice the
similarities.
"Both teens talked about the
difficulties of being different in
mainstream American society,"
she said. "But now both deeply

appreciated what they had Temple Israel members, while
learned about their traditions, Detroit Unity Temple members
were very proud, and have every made rice and fish, and peanut
intention of carrying those tra- butter soup.
ditions forward."
Members of the church also
A joint candle lighting cere- hosted a dance and musical pre-
mony also was held, with Tem- sentation, while Temple Israel
ple Israel's Rabbi Joshua Bennett member Scott Stern played the
lighting candles on a menorah. hora and other tunes. El
Matilda Floyd, a
longtime member of the
Detroit Unity Temple,
said she found the edu-
cational program "very
informative. I liked the
similarities between
the holidays."
Education and
shared visions aside,
what holiday program
would have been com-
plete without food?
Following the pro-
gram, which Temple Is-
rael's social action
committee helped coor-
dinate, a reception was
held in the Unity fel-
lowship hall, where
guests dined on suf-
ganiot (doughnuts) and
latkes prepared by

Detroit Unity Church's the
Rev. Argentina Glasgow.

Rabbi Joshua Bennett of Temple Israel.

Rabbi Bennett with the
Rev. Argentina Glasgow

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Members of Detroit Unity Temple and Temple Israel at the food tasting following services.

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