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PHOTO BY DANIEL UPPITY

It Was A Cold, Dark Simchah

Without electricity or heat, Adat Shalom's b'not mitzvah persevere.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER

B

eing nervous about reading from the
Torah was not the first thing on
Randi Jaffa's mind last Shabbat.
Staying warm was more likely the
priority.
Despite the fact that a March 13 ice
storm knocked out most of the electricity
at Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farming-
ton Hills, Ms. Jaffa and Annie Lieberman
delivered their Torah and Haftorah por-
tions without a hitch — albeit bundled
head-to-toe in layers of clothing and coats.
The shul was without most of its elec-
tricity, using portable generators to par-
tially light and heat parts of the massive
building, according to Rabbi Efry Spectre.
"Everybody worked very hard to make
it a real simchah for the two young
women," said the rabbi. 'There was very
good decorum in the congregation. You
could hear a pin drop during the Torah
reading and the Haftorah. Everybody was
listening very carefully, even with the cold."

it

Cracking a few ice-inspired jokes, the
rabbi told the congregation, "I don't think
you're going to fall asleep during my ser-
mon."
Toward the end of the service, `The light
broke through the clouds. Everybody was
delighted — they could see much clearer,"
said Rabbi Spectre.
The eternal light, although electric, was
dimly lit, the rabbi said.
The Jaffa family awoke at 4 a.m. Friday
to find its home was also in the dark. With
hours to go until the bat mitzvah, the West
Bloomfield family packed suitcases to stay
at a friend's house.
"We had out-of-towners coming in from
California, Florida, New York, Pittsburgh,
and we were concerned that they could get
in, concerned what they were coming to,"
said Sandra Jaffa, mother of the bat mitz-
vah.
In the cold, dark synagogue, the Jaffas
posed for photographs Friday afternoon

Despite a loss of electricity, the bat mitzvah of
Randi Jaffa (center, with parents Jonathan and
Sandra) went off without a hitch, thanks to
portable generators and candlelight.

and gathered with family and friends that
night for Shabbat dinner after services,
said Mrs. Jaffa.

An "overflow crowd" packed into the
small chapel for Friday night services,
which Mrs. Jaffa called "cozy because it
was a nice, big crowd."
Shabbat morning, congregants "did a
double take" when they arrived for ser-
vices, said Mrs. Jaffa. "But they came in
and everybody stayed, the synagogue was
full, people were quiet, paid attention to
services, listened. Everybody stayed bun-
dled in coats, and they never left."
The Jaffas' Saturday night party was
also at Adat Shalom, without heat or light,
but party planner Susie Graham brought
in a generator and lit the room with can-
dles, said Mrs. Jaffa.
"When bad things happen, there are
wonderful things that also happen, and
one of the most wonderful things is the re-
minder that we have such wonderful
friends and family," she said, noting that
10 people offered their homes to the Jaffa
family.
Accompanying Randi on the bimah were
her father, Jonathan, and 16-year-old sis-
ter, Miriam, who read portions. "The day
didn't go exactly the way we wanted it to
go, but it was a special day," said Mrs. Jaf-
fa.
The Lieberman family was unavailable
for comment. 0

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