The one name that's synonymous with automotive safety: r The one name that's synonymous with Volvo value: Jewish Nobility DWYER AND SONS VOLVO/SUBARU Volvo V-70 GLT 248-G24-0400 NEW 1998 All EEL DRIVE ALL WHEEL DRIVE NOW AVAILABLE! 3055 W. Maple Rd. (west of Haggerty), Commerce Twp. 48390 DESIGNS IN DECORATOR LAMINATES, LTD, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO COST A FORTUNE...ONLY LOOK LIKE IT! FEATURING • Wall Units • Bedrooms • Dining Rooms • Home Theatre • Tables • Offices SPECIALTIES • • • • • Formica Woods Stones Glass Lucite LOIS HARON 851-6989 Allied Member ASID baby and me LAYS 1 I E, INFANT AND CHILDREN'S Start at the Teginni-ng Where all your needs and wants can be filled -- from Layette to School, our friendly staff is here to help you HOURS (248) 855-3214 Monday - Friday 10:00-5:30 • Saturday 10:00-5:00 We accept VISA, MasterCard and American Express 6718 C Orchard Lake Road • West Bloomfield, Michigan (1/4 male south of Maple Rd. in the West Bloomfield Plaza) - Cat* J 'Pasty GOVIA out THE JEWISH NEWS CELEBRATION CONNECTION DIRECTORY check 9/19 1997 22 A New Yorker aims to unite the priestly class. Since 1959 In The Market Place For Your Entertaining Needs! LYNNE MEREDITH COHN StaffWriter S ince the international out- pouring over the untimely death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Abe Hirschfeld's royal inspiration may have taken on a new meaning. The real estate developer and Republican candidate for Manhattan borough president met with Prince Charles on a trip to Great Britain a few months ago. Struck by how much Britain — and, it now seems, the world — reveres the English royals, Hirschfeld got an idea: Jews should know more about their own royal lineage. You may have heard the term Kohane but may not know what it means or to whom it refers. Kohanim, the Jewish high priests who were allowed into the inner sanctum of the Temple, had special privileges and rights. The priestly lin- eage came from the father; if your father was a Kohane, you are, too. Hirschfeld, a Levi who is also known as New York City's parking-lot king, has established a non-profit organization to link Kohanim and Leviim, the direct descendants of Aaron and Moses. His intent is to stem assimilation and intermarriage among this group of Jews. Some Jews still follow the Torah- based instructions for Kohanim: the Jewish high priests are not allowed to marry divorcees or converts, and Kohanim cannot come in contact with a dead body. Orthodox funeral homes typically have a special room for Kohanim, where they pipe in goings- on through loudspeakers. Many syna- gogues continue to perform the ritual of the Kohanim bestowing congiega- tional blessings on some festivals. In the Reform movement, "there's a divergence of opinion about the rele- vance of the title," according to Rabbi Dannel Schwartz of Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield. "-What is the purpose [of the title: If it's just historic, it's one thing. If it's a holdover from a time period of the sacrificial cult, then why have one sta- tus above another, for any reason? All Israel is one, all Israel is equal," he says. Some Reform synagogues, however. including Shir Shalom, perform the pidyan ha-ben service, redemption of( the first-born. Many search for a Abe Hirschfeld with Rabbi Shlomo Riskin: Trying to unite the Jewish priestly class. Kohane to officiate, according to tra- dition. Eventually, Hirschfeld's group, the Keter Kehuna Shevet Levi (House of Levi), will publish a "who's who of Kohanim all over the world," says Hirschfeld, once the publisher of the New York Post. He is backed by Chief Rabbi of Efrat Shlomo Riskin (a Kohane); Rabbi Simcha Krauss ( a Kohane) of Young Israel of Hillcrest, Queens, N.Y.; and Tim Boxer (an Israelite), a syndicated columnist. If your name is Cohen, Cohn, Kohen, Kahn or Kahane, its likely that you are a Kohane. Of course, your name could be Smith and you could still be descended from the priestly lineage. How do you know? Hirschfeld says, "Scientists have proven that all Kohanim share the same gene that can be traced back 3,300 years to Aharon, the first Kohen Gadol." The Y chromosome may hold some clues to Jewish priestly descent.