Get Real Family Values at
Dreisbach and Sons Cadillac...
Give our family the opportunity to better your
best deal! Now that's a real family value.
Drive the All New
1996 Cadillac DeVille.
Cadillac creates an even
higher standard with the
New Northstar System.
Honoring A Real
Yiddishe Mama
.
JENNIFERfiNER STAFF WRITER
S
arah Friedman keeps a
brochure from the first
Jewish Community Cen-
ter Book Fair neatly
tucked away. Her album of
memorabilia spans four decades
of book fairs.
Mrs. Friedman says the first
book fair was good, but she could
never understand why there
were no Yiddish books. So, in the
if-you-want-something-done-do-
it-yourself spirit, Mrs. Friedman
began organizing a Yiddish
component to the JCC Book
Fair. . .
-J
CO
0
Company
7 Mile & Grand River • (313)531-2600
Extended Showroom hours for your convenience — Mon. and Thurs. 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. • Tues., Wed., Fri. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
C
L.- A -I- NT
A iitCallER
>STANDARD
Book Fair honoree Sarah Friedman.
Diamonds
and Fine Jewelry
Visit Our Beautiful New Location:
ORCHARD MALL
Orchard Lake and Maple Rds. ♦ West Bloomfield, MI ♦ (810) 932-7700 ♦ Outstate (800) 337-GIFT
What started as a small table
of Yiddish books evolved into a
section from several publishers
and eventually appearances by
some of the premier Yiddish
lecturers, as well as perfor-
mances of Yiddish music and
theater. -
"I did it because of my love of
the language," said Mrs. Fried-
man.
To honor Ms. Friedman for
her loyalty to Book Fair and the
preservation of Yiddish lan-
guage and culture, the JCC will
pay tribute to the Southfield res-
ident on Nov. 11 during Avi
Hoffman's one-man performance
of Too Jewish?
Irwin Shaw, executive vice
president emeritus of the Jew-
ish Community Center and one
of the many who influenced Mrs.
Friedman, describes her as one
of the more outstanding con-
tributors to the Jewish commu-
nity.
"She was the person respon-
sible for the maintenance of a
Yiddish section," Mr. Shaw said.
"She knew personally many of
the authors and was highly re-
garded in the Yiddish world."
Mrs. Friedman never
dreamed her love for a language
would evolvd into a strong Yid-
dish component at Book Fair. As
her success snowballed each
year, more and more Book,Fair
volunteers worked with Mrs.
Friedman, including her
Betty Sorkowitz.
Friends often ask Mrs. Fried-
man why she was
so "hung up" on
Yiddish. Her re-
sponse was always
the same.
"Hitler killed a
million children
during the Holo-
caust," Mrs. Fried-
man said. "I knew
many of those little
boys and girls from
Poland (her birth-
place) who learned
Yiddish in their
schools until Hitler
killed them. I can-
not bring them
back to life, but I
can hold on to their
language.
'They spoke Yid-
dish from the mo-
ment they spoke
until Hitler closed
their mouths. For
my people and my
own conscience, I
can keep their lan-
guage alive."
Today, maintaining a broad-
based interest in Yiddish litera-
ture and culture is a daunting
task, one Mrs. Friedman wish-
es wasn't so difficult.
Now her efforts to secure Yid-
dish books for Book Fair are
minimal, because of decreased
interest in Yiddish material. The
Fair is back to putting up one
shelf.
"Yiddish readership has de-
clined over the years," she said.
"I don't make the effort to get the
latest books because the Yiddish
department doesn't demand it.
But, there is still a Yiddish de-
partment. I have the classics and
I let the world know there still
are Yiddish books." ❑
e Tickets for Avi Hoffman's
Too Jewish? are available at
both Center locations or by call-
ing the JCC at 661-7634. Prices
start at $12.