c

ift guide

Aleph-Bet Boutiques

Around town,

synagogue

shopping

rangesfrom

small

showcases to

contemporary

boutiques.

SUSAN R. POLLACK

SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Margo Goldman,
Marilyn Weisberg
and Sherri Stem
display items
from the Temple
Israel Sisterhood
Gift Shop.

arbara Grant is among the
"regulars" at Temple Beth
El's sisterhood gift shop.
Her children move fre-
quently and, each time
they do, she stops in to
buy a mezuzah to hang
on the doors of their new
homes.
"The shop has an incredible
number of mezuzot, ranging from
little ceramic ones for a baby's
door to beautiful wood pieces,"
says Grant, who at last count had
purchased six mezuzot. "I always
find something new. It's a com-
fortable place to shop."
And, she observes, "the nice
part is knowing that the money
you spend underwrites activities
and benefits the congregation.
There's a little different feeling

than shopping at a regular store."
From a small lighted showcase
packed with merchandise to con-
temporary boutiques reminiscent
of hotels or cruise ships, gift shops
in several metro Detroit temples
and synagogues offer an alter-
native shopping experience for
those seeking Judaica products.
Currently brimming with Ju-
daica and other holiday items,
the shops are stocked year-round
with a wide array — and price
range — of unusual gifts and
hand-crafted objets d'art, both
contemporary and traditional.
Merchandise includes everything
from car mezuzot and Star of
David slinkies to gorgeous cut-
crystal menorahs and lovely ar-
tisan-made kiddush cups and
seder plates. Not to mention drei-

dels, dreidels, dreidels, in every
medium imaginable. Shop coor-
dinators say they can special-or-
der items, too.
Profits benefit a variety of sis-
terhood projects, including Yad
Ezra, the Jewish Braille Insti-
tute, Jewish Family and Jewish
Vocational Services, youth schol-
arships, camp programs and var-
ious other charitable endeavors.
Here's a look inside some of the
synagogue and temple shops in
metro Detroit:
At the Temple Israel Sisterhood
Gift Shop, shoppers can order
themed or family mezuzot custom-
designed to include a mustache
on the man of the house or red
hair on the baby. "We even had
one with a dog put on, an Irish set-
ter," says shopkeeper Margo Gold-

man, who discovered the artist
who creates the terra cotta mezu-
zot at a Florida art fair.
Goldman and Sherrie Stern, co-
director, pride themselves on
knowing the tastes of their clien-
tele and are always on the lookout
for unusrml items, both in Judaica
and regular gift lines. Currently
poptilnr are zipper pulls and mini-
folding reading glasses, perfect for
slipping into stylish black leather
evening bags — which the shop
also carries. Another favorite is
the fourth edition of The Fruit of
Her Hands, the Temple Israel Sis-
terhood cookbook.
"And since I became a grand-
mother," Goldman says with a
laugh, "we also carry a lot of chil-
dren's items," such as toys in pri-
mary colors, sports-themed and