The Detroit Tennis & Squash Club presents... PHOTO BY RNS/REUTERS A Special Membership Offer A member owned club where you make an impact! . No court fees! Play all the tennis you want for one low monthly rate. . 13 outdoor clay and 4 indoor well lit courts. . Private and group tennis instruction with head professional — Brett Beattie. - Guaranteed court availability. N 45% off first year dues - no initiation (248) 661-2300 Though not looking to become beauty contest winners, women are taking weight matters seriously. Munchkin • Beginner Iniermedia+e • Advanced All ages and all levels An Orthodox Diet Craze The Detroit Tennis and Squash Club of Farmington Hills is now offering a: Great fun and excitement while your children learn the sport of a lifetime. Limited space available. C.f) LLJ For insurance call SY WARSHAWSKY, C.L.U. 7071 Orchard Lake Road Suite 110 In the J&S Office Bldg. W. Bloomfield, MI 48322 (810) 626-2652 STATE FARM LLJ WAY L i LLJ INSURANCE Office Phone I 96 See me for car, home, life and health insurance Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there. Ruhama Appleboim gives Israelis food for thought. NECHEMIA MEYERS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS I sraeli dieticians are now en- joying their usual upsurge in business with the onset of summer as innumerable women agonize over the fact that they bulge out of their bathing suits. But in Israel, diet consciousness isn't limited to women who parade about in such "immodest garments." It also encompasses a large number of Orthodox ladies who wouldn't dream of wearing a bikini or size eight jeans, but would love to don a size 14 dress. The high priestess of dieting among the Orthodox is Ruhama Appleboim, daughter of a well- known Chasidic rebbe. She came to understand the importance of dieting when she found that the- matchmakers weren't having any success in finding her a groom, even though she came from a highly respected rab- binical family. This was because the moment a prospective moth- er-in-law saw that Ruhama weighed 240-plus pounds, she immediately vetoed the pro- posed match. Ruhama eventually sought a miracle diet in the United States, but all she managed to find there was an unsuitable husband, whom she divorced in due course. It was on her return to Israel that she took herself in hand, lost 130 pounds and became the talk of Ortho- dox Jerusalem. Indeed, she was soon deluged with requests for advice from women in that com- munity. Later on, such requests came from secular women as well. She holds separate sessions for the religious women and the secularists because their outlook on life (and, therefore, on diet- ing) is so different. Moreover, she points out that the partici- pants come to get support from one another, and this is more likely to be forthcoming when groups are relatively homoge- neous. "Overcoming the desire to eat without limitation makes one more righteous." — Ruhama Appleboim Needless to say, considering Ruhama's religious background, she doesn't allow men into her sessions. Orthodox women, says Ruhama, may come, ostensibly at least, for health reasons, it now being understood that be- ing overweight endangers a per- son's health. But they are also more interested than they used to be in their external appear- ance, thanks to the influence of Orthodox female immigrants from English-speaking coun- tries. According to Ruhama, there is quite a difference between Or- thodox and secular women when it comes to talking about their bodies. The secularists do it all the time; the religious never do. They speak to some extent about their appearance, but mostly stress health considera- tions. Each group faces its own pit- falls. The Orthodox women, for whom the purchase of prepared foods is considered a disgrace, are always cooking and, there- fore, always tempted to taste a little of this and a little of that. On the other hand, they don't sit in front of television sets munch- ing on fattening tidbits because Orthodox rabbis don't allow their congregants to watch TV. Ruhama tends to use religious themes when talking to religious women. Speaking about the need to exercise restraint, she quotes the famous maxim: "A hero is one who keeps his desires in check." And, she adds, "over- coming the desire to eat without limitation makes one a more righteous person." To the secular, such an ap- proach may seem farfetched. But, the fact is, it works. ❑