The Bar Mitzvah Wore Ice intended hilarity," Dr. Joselit said, pointing to the photograph of the ice sculpture sur- rounded by floral cen- terpieces on a white tablecloth. Jewish material life in the first half of the century Chanukah also gained new stature in is a study in "unintended hilarity." America, becoming the "Jewish holiday JULIE EDGAR SENIOR WRITER par excellence." The importance placed on block of ice sculpted into a Dr. Joselit, the author of The it reflected an in- bar mitzvah boy in his Wonders of America: Reinvent- creasing emphasis on best suit and tallit. A box ing Jewish Culture, 1880-1950, children, she said. of chocolates shaped like delivered two lectures for the Plastic dreidels that a book, complete with spine, Cohn-Haddow Center for Juda- became a staple of the bearing the title "Exodus" and ic Studies at Wayne State Uni- modern Jewish home scenes of robed families and their versity and the Jewish Historical unintentionally sym- bolized the intersec- camels leaving Egypt and new Society of Michigan this week. immigrants disembarking from Her first lecture focused on tion of religion and a ship. A Crisco cookbook in Yid- feminism and fashion within the commerce. `The freedom to ob- dish and English for "Jewish context of the American Jewish housewives" and perhaps their experience. The second centered serve and the freedom English-speaking daughters. on the evolution of Jewish life as to neglect" are the two Dr. Jenna Weissman Joselit: Dania of America. Kitsch, yes. A cultural mirror, manifested in material culture poles of experience absolutely. — the fancification of the bar Jews shuttled be- Cape Cods favored by middle- These objects of everyday life, mitzvah, for example, and the tween as they made their way class Christians. The emphasis the byproducts of a rapidly as- widespread use of the Maxwell through the dazzle of America, on the sanctity of the home was Dr. Joselit said. • similating American Jewry, ex- House Haggadah. also an adaptation, only Jews Neglecting the past was a viewed it as a "temple," Dr. hibited the tension between the In the '40s and '50s, Jews be- "quotidian" and the "transcen- gan to celebrate bar mitzvahs privilege. So was adapting gen- Joselit said. dent," which has typified the with extravagant parties, ele- tile values. A poster advertising The massive exodus from the Jewish experience in America vating the occasions to a signif- lots in Sheepshead Bay in Brook- city, however, also led to the de- since the 1880s, said Dr. Jenna icance they hadn't previously lyn was the kind that lured Jews nominational fragmentation of from the crowded tenements of the Jewish community. Weissman Joselit, a professor of enjoyed. history at New York University. "They became studies in un- the Lower East Side to the crisp Dr. Joselit pointed out that A she is not poking fun at Ameri- can Jewish life and its bourgeois aspirations, but taking serious- ly the concerns of Jews at the turn of the century to the mid- century. The chocolate-covered matzahs tasted good, but they also stood as a symbol of freedom. for people who cowered under authoritarian and hostile gov- ernments for centuries. ❑ A/C ORGANIC CLOTHING COOL COTTON We make air conditioning wearable: comfortable, breezy, organic cotton shirts in original prints. Unit shown is the over-and-under Model 550. Benefits: • Dual Compressor Keeps Food Fresher Longer • 12 Year Warranty • Custom Panels Available to Match Your Decor k:4 the Visit Our Showroom for a Wide Selection of Built-in Appliances Home Apphance yachtsman art • Installation of Built-In Appliances Available • Removal of Old Appliance • • Delivery, Placement and Set-Up of New Appliances • • Financing Available for Qualified Buyers • • Sales & Service Since 1959 • Low Price Guarantee • 33086 Northwestern Hwy. • West Bloomfield • 810-932-0870 Ann Arbor • 2019 W. Stadium Blvd. Phone: (313) 669-9500 • Okemos • 1802 W. Grand River Ave. Phone (313) 349-2000 4316 N. Woodward Ave South of 14 Mile Road (810) 549-5070 Patagonia • I r . n . tzo n Le it s,