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There is a WEINTRAUB JEWELERS In Store Specials Everyday Sunset Strip • 29536 Northwestern Southfield • (810) 357-4000 HINT. with service to the stars and the Jewish community presenting Henry "The Fonz" Winkler with Jeffrey Gourmet Kosher Catering By Jeffrey Rosenberg of Adat Shalom Synagogue 29901 Middlebeli • Farmington Hills (248) 626-5702 Advertise in our new Entertainment Section! Call The Sales Department (810) 354-7123 Ext. 209 THE JEWI S H NEWS army Samson did the unthinkable. He made it through most of his 20s going on only one blind date. Lucky for him that his sole set-up led to Tami Rubin, the woman who will become his wife next Sunday. The dark-haired 26-year-old isn't the least bit nervous about his upcoming nuptials. He's excited for all that lies ahead. Following the wedding and a two-week honey- moon in Spain, Samson will look for a job in urban planning. In January, he'll begin night school at Wayne State University, to pursue a master's de- gree in urban planning, which will prepare him for his career goal of being involved in the revitaliza- tion of Detroit. This week, Samson finished up as the teen co- ordinator for the Agency for Jewish Education (AJE) in Southfield. "I love the work. I love the kids," he says. His work included taking a group of teens to Poland and Israel for the March of the Liv- ing and trying to make the high school programs in area congregations less "painful" for students. "I teach kids so they learn by accident — they have such positive experiences, they don't even know they are learning," he explains. This "by accident" approach is how Samson learned about Judaism. He went to Israel after graduating from Michigan State University, be- cause he wanted to hike and be outdoors. He spent 10 months on Project Otzma, volunteering and teaching. "Israel was great, but it didn't really define me as a Jew," he says. "It was a growing experience." After Israel, he landed his first job as a sales.as- sistant for The Jewish News. He worked a year, then left to go back to Israel as a staff member for the Miracle Mission. "I wanted to show these teenagers how cool Israel is, and that Judaism can actually be fun," Samson says. Working with teenagers in Israel helped him land the AJE job. He grew up in Southfield and graduated from Southfield-Lathrop High School. His parents, Judy and Michael, live in Bloomfield Hills, and his 29- year-old brother, Rob, resides in Chicago. Samson lives in Royal Oak with his fiancee and their dog, Clancy. In his free time, he likes to gar- den, golf and travel. "I don't like to sit on the couch and watch TV. I like to get outdoors and explore," he says. And he has his quirky interests, too. Samson's a neat freak when it comes to cleaning. "Everything has its place," he says. He collects toys like Match- box cars and Pez dispensers, and is a self-described candy connoisseur. "I love candy. I've learned the difference between good gummy bears and bad Danny Samson: A natural kind of guy. ones. I don't have a favorite candy, because each one has its time and place. Sometimes you want a hard candy, and heck, sometimes you want a mint." Family and friends are most important to him, because they remain a constant in his life. "My friends are my passion," says Samson. "I have a great group of friends. We've been friends since el- ementary school, and they are all standing up for me in my wedding." The two college summers Samson spent fight- ing wildfires in California were probably the coolest things he's done to date. He worked for Lava Beds National Monument, a small park in northern Cal- ifornia, where he was the first Jewish firefighter they ever had. Highlights included traveling all over the western United States by helicopter and saving a dog's life. "The firefighting thing was big. It was the first time I had ever really been away from home — it really challenged me, physically and mentally," Samson says. "The experience was such an eye-opener for me because growing up in Southfield/Bloomfield, every- one knows Jews — out there, you realize what it's like in the rest of the world, where people aren't ex- posed to Jews. I felt lucky that I was the one able to give these people a taste of Judaism, instead of Mr. Slick from Long Island." Whether hiking through Israel, gardening in Royal Oak or fighting wildfires out West, one thing is certain: Danny Samson is a natural kind of guy. With some sugar-loaded trail mix for his trip down the aisle, he'll be set for life. ❑