P hotos by Kr is ta Husa

Profi Le
r

'':Aarilyn S. Brose
ISpecial to The AppleTree

arle Mostyn and Aaron
Zupmore have a date:
Oct. 29 1999, to be
exact. On that day, 58-year-old
Earle and his only grandson,
‘- ciron, 11, will climb the stairs
of the bimah at Temple Beth El
and become b'nai mitzvah. It
will be the first time in the history
of the congregation that a
grandfather and his grandson
will share the experience.
"I've been thinking about hay-
a bar mitzvah for 20 years,"
said Earle, who was born in
Toronto and came to Detroit
when he was 9. He had attend-
ed Hebrew school in Toronto,
but didn't continue after he
moved. "I just wasn't interested.
My parents were not syna-
ugogue-type people, so there
was no incentive to have a bar
mitzvah." But when his oldest
son, Michael, 35, had his bar
mitzvah, Earle thought about
joining him; he's been thinking
about it ever since.
Aaron's parents, Wendi and
Marc Zupmore, remembered
rtheir father's desire when they
were making arrangements for
Aaron's bar mitzvah ceremony. It
was then that the idea of a joint
event occurred to them, but they
didn't know how Aaron would
feel about sharing the spotlight.
The friendly, easy-going Aaron,
a 6th-grade student at Orchard
Lake Middle School in West
Bloomfield, settled the issue. He
was all for it. "It's cool," he said.
Life and work are a family affair
for the Mostyns. All four of Earle's
children, along with his wife,
Elaine, and daughter-in-law
Rhonda, are involved in the 15-
year-old family business, Mostyn
Insurance Group in Farmington

1

.

—

Marilyn Brose is a freelance
writer in Bloomfield Hills.

on a blind date. They have been
Hills. Even Aaron, his calendar
married for 38 years and have four
filled with Hebrew school and soc-
children: Wendy,
cer practice, shows
Earle
and
Aaron
will
Michael, David cfnd
up sometimes after
become
the
first
grandfather-
Corey. When the
school to do filing.
grandson
duo
to
share
a
children were
"This is not your nor-
bar
mitzvah
ceremony
at
young,
Earle, a self-
mal office," Earle
Temple
Beth
0.
described "worka-
said. "But the work
holic," owned the
gets done."
popular Nosherie restaurant in Oak
A graduate of Mumford High
Park.
School in Detroit, Earle met his wife

There have been health prob-
lems. Earle had heart bypass
surgery when he was 41 and
has suffered three heart attacks
since, including one last year.
Today, a more leisurely lifestyle
has given Earle the time to act
as co-president of the Sophie
and Harry Hoffman chapter of
the City of Hope, a cancer
charity, and to spend five
months of the year with his wife
in Boca Raton.
As part of the required study
before his bar-mitzvah ceremony
next year, Earle learns Hebrew
and Jewish history for two hours
each week.
"I just finished the first 10-week
segment and never missed a
class," he said. "I thought it
would be impossible to learn
Hebrew, but in 10 weeks I found
out that I can do it. I've learned
the Hebrew alphabet, and now
when I go to synagogue I can
recognize certain words and sen-
tences. I find I'm interested in the
history of Judaism, and though I
don't feel religious I do feel closer
to God."
Earle's wife, Elaine, sees a
difference in her husband since
he began his bar-mitzvah prepa-
rations.
"He's happier," she said.
"When he comes home from
temple, there's a smile on his
face because he's excited about
what he's learning. More than
that, he has a sense of belong-
ing. I'm thrilled that this has
brought him closer to our reli-
gion. And the bond that this
experience has forged between him
and Aaron is very special."
Earle praises the knowledge and
patience of his teachers Joyce
Seglin, congregational educator at
Temple Beth El, and Alan Lowen,
his bar-mitzvah tutor.
No problem, said the enthusiastic
Seglin. "We feel that we can teach
anyone who wants to learn to read

11/21

1997

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