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Left: A crowd of 130 people came to
Barnes 6< Noble to hear Rabbi Stephen 0
Weiss.

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Below: Rabbi Stephen Weiss talks about
Kabbalah and Jewish spirituality.

Bottom: Robert Rockaway talks about
his book.

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kw mow 'Nam.

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Booking Jewish

West Bloomfield's. Barnes 6- Noble and
the Agency for Jewish Education
unify the denominations
almost better than the community.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN
Staff Writer

I

t is perhaps the most serene
place on the congested strip of
Orchard Lake Road between
Maple and 14 Mile, the most
calming. Stacks of books offer tempo-
rary anonymity, and the plush, over-
stuffed couches and chairs beg relax-
ation. It is quiet, except for soft music
piped in through ceiling speakers.
Barnes & Noble Booksellers in
West Bloomfield is not only a place to
chill. It is an increasingly popular
venue for Jewish community events,
drawing crowds in the hundreds, per-
haps due to its inherent neutrality.
In a four-week span this fall, a

10/24
1997

30

Reform rabbi, a Conservative rabbi, a
modern Orthodox woman and a secu-
lar Detroit-born Israeli writer are corn-
ing to Barnes & Noble (B&N) to dis-
cuss aspects of Jewish living. Last
spring, the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit's Young Adult
Division hosted a wildly successful
panel on domestic terrorism. And the
list goes on.
Between January and July, 650 peo-
ple attended 12 events on Jewish top-
ics at the bookstore, despite inclement
weather and cold temperatures. The
top session in attendance was an April
1 discussion on Jewish humor by
Reform Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg.
"It's neutral territory, and you're not
conspicuous — if it turns out to be

something you don't like, you can just
melt away," explains Thomas R.
Stumpo, B&N community relations
coordinator.
When Stumpo came to work at the
store a little over a year ago, he was
contacted by Naomi Blumenberg,
then adult education coordinator at
the Agency for Jewish Education.
They planned a three-part program by
Rabbi Dannel Schwartz about his
book, Finding Joy: A Practical Spiritual
Guide to Happiness; the crowds swelled
with each successive session.
"It's a matter of knowing the com-
munity," Stumpo says. "The Jewish
demographic in West Bloomfield and
surrounding neighborhoods is signifi-
cant."

On Oct. 14, Rabbi Stephen Weiss
of Congregation Shaarey Zedek dis-
cussed Kabbalah and Jewish spirituali-
ty; on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m., Temple
Emanu-El's Rabbi Joseph Klein will
speak about "Reading Genesis Again
<
for the First Time: Cain as a Tragic
Hero."
Lainie Phillips, AJE director of
Midrasha and school services, says,
"The Barnes & Noble Educational
Exchange was begun because we know
people are very busy, and a lot of young '-
professionals especially do not have the
time and luxury of going to formal
classes."
0
Beginning in January, AJE and
Barnes & Noble will host two rabbis a
month. Phillips contacts every rabbi in