Huntington Woods
Says OK To Eruv
From Our
STUART WEITZMAN
Fall Collection
RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER
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Bloomfield Plaza • Telegraph at Maple Road • Open Mon-Sat 10-6 p.m., Thurs. til 8 p.m.
New showroom has it all
including the sink
ADVANCE PLUMBING and HEATING SUPPLY CO.
After wholesaling plumbing
supplies for more than 70 years.
Advance Plumbing and Heating
Supply Co. has opened a retail
showroom in Walled Lake.
12
The 3,000 square foot showroom
at 1977 Maple Rd., between
Decker and Haggerty, features
hundreds of faucets and displays
with working showers, whirlpools,
toilets and sinks.
"You can actually see how
everything works," says Jeffrey
Moss, vice president.
"We feature high end brands
like Kohler, Grohe, Delta, Moen,
Oasis, Jason and Artistic Brass.
A licensed master plumber can
assist do-it-yourselfers and
answer questions on installation
and maintenance.
We also have an experienced
interior designer on staff to help
coordinate all of your bath and
kitchen ideas."
Moss' grandfather, Harry
Chernick, founded the business in
1920. Chernick's son-in-law and
the current president, Ron Moss,
joined in 1957. Advance expanded
to Walled Lake in 1990 when it
purchased Franklin Plumbing
Supply.
Store hours are 8-5 Mon.-Fri.
8-3 Sat. and by appointment.
Phone: 1-800-560-7474
he Huntington Woods
Board of Commissioners
this week passed a reso-
lution to extend the Oak
Park eruv into their city.
The issue, which sparked an
hour-long discussion at a com-
missioners meeting last month,
took five minutes to be approved
Tuesday, Sept. 19.
"I'm convinced that there are
no legal problems with the
eruv," said Commissioner John
Wierzbicki. "We've researched
this extensively."
Mr. Wierzbicki went on to say
that "the city does let me sell
Tootsie Rolls on Palm Sunday
for the Knights of Columbus ...
We're not supporting religion.
We're just allowing for the free
expression of religion."
He also pointed out that the
City of Huntington Woods al-
ready allows a minyan to meet
Saturdays in the basement of its
city offices, where congregants
have set up rows of chairs, a me-
chitzah (separating men and
women) and an Aron Chodesh.
Mr. Wierzbicki's motion to OK
the eruv was affirmed by Com-
missioner Gordon Hassig and
seconded by Commissioner
Robert Paul III. It passed 3-1.
Commissioner Harry Howes
voted against the eruv because
he thinks it represents "in gen-
eral bad public policy" with re-
gard to the separation of church
and state.
An eruv is a physical bound-
ary enabling Jews to carry ba-
bies, books and canes, push
wheelchairs and perform other
duties otherwise prohibited out-
side the home on Shabbat. It is
a boundary — like a fence, wall
or telephone wire — symboli-
cally broadening private prop-
erty to make a neighborhood
into one extended yard.
The minyan wants to erect
two thin, 12-foot poles (connect-
ed by wire) on a public right-of-
way. Its proposal also affects
existing poles and fences on the
property of five Huntington
Woods residents and a number
of business owners, from which
the minyan must seek approval
before executing the plan.
The minyan will raise money
for the eruv, estimated at
$20,000. Members expect it to be
in place by early 1996.
Judge Benjamin Friedman of
Huntington Woods believes the
eruv will draw more Orthodox
Jews to the city.
"The community becomes
much more enticing to them be-
cause there are things they can
do on Shabbat," he said.
Helen Kristall, of Huntington
Woods, is an Orthodox Jew who
has friends who cannot visit her
home on Shabbat because they
have small children who cannot
walk the distance. She is glad the
eruv passed without difficulty
Tuesday, and believes the issue
was handled well.
Jeff Bean, a nine-year resident
of the Woods, is not Orthodox. Al-
though he supports the eruv, Mr.
Bean thinks the proposal last
month came as a surprise to the
commissioners and therefore gen-
erated unneeded controversy.
"Huntington Woods is a very
tolerant community and people
are very accepting. I was not at
the meeting in August, but per-
haps better groundwork could
have been laid to educate these
commissioners about the eruv,"
he said. "This was really sprung
on the commissioners."
Huntington Woods resident
Mark Lichterman disagreed. He
and Rabbi Yerachmeil Rabin said
the minyan had been working
with the city for months.
Most members of the minyan
who attended the meeting on
Tuesday were quick to say they
harbored no resentments over
last month's debate. Huntington
Woods resident Dr. Charles Slow
said: "This is what democracy is
all about." ❑
Holiday Service
For Singles
Twelve area congregations are
participating in a community-
wide Rosh Hashanah service for
singles, led by Rabbi Norman T.
Roman, 8 p.m., Sept. 25, at Tem-
ple Kol Ami in West Bloomfield.
A special holiday oneg will fol-
low the servcie. The Gates of Re-
pentance prayerbook will be
available for the services.
Participating congregations in-
clude: Adat Shalom, Beth Abra-
ham Hillel Moses, Beth Achim,
Beth El, Beth Shalom, B'nai
Moshe, Emanu-El, Kol Ami,
Shaarey Zedek, Shir Tikvah, Shir
Shalom and Adat Shalom Syna-
gogue.
The program is sponsored by
the Michigan Board of Rabbis in
cooperation with The Jewish
News. The program is made pos-
sible by a grant from the Max M.
Fisher Jewish Community Foun-
dation of the Jeiwsh Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit.
.