out get our quote ESTIMATES Carpet • Laminates • Vinyl • Hardwood 1581 E. NINE MILE RD. • FERNDALE, MI • 48220 248-544-3939 • Toll Free: 888-829-5400 ANZE111%,:111Mi: D Take The Magic Of Disney. And Just Add Water. 7-DAY WALT DISNEY WORLD AND DISNEY CRUISE LINE VACATION Disney Magic is part of an unforgettable 7-day Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line vacation. Stay at a Walt Disney World® Resort hotel, visit the Disney Theme Parks, and come aboard for an nforgettable cruise to Nassau in The Bahamas and to Disney's very own private island. Auburn Hills Birmingham Lathrup Village.... Farmington Hills.. 248-377-2350 248-433-8211 248-443-8989 248-553-3337 ,....i li,,, ....ifoi4E10 v~— 'CRUISE L im I 248-666-2600 Pontiac 248-399-7100 Royal Oak Troy/Rochester .... 248-879-5604 Prices are per person. based on double occupancy. Subject to change and availability. Port charges extra. Other restrictions may apply. AAA Travel is not responsible for printer ommissions and errors. Travel www.aaa.com Get Results ...Advertise in our Entertainment Section! Call The Saks Department (248) 354-7123 Ext. 209 1/23 1998 16 After 25 years of planning, Phyllis and Ithamar Koenigsberg finally make the move to Israel. LYNNE MEREDITH COHN StafT Writer • Maple or Oak installed for $5.99 per square foot • Free pad with purchase of any carpet eg.istry, The, tahoiiias Of Heart And Home or years, Phyllis and Ithamar Koenigsberg refused to buy a freezer because they couldn't take it to Israel with them. When the vacu- um cleaner broke in 1972, Phyllis told the salesman she needed the cheapest model as a replacement because "we're leaving for Israel soon." Last week, that vacuum cleaner sat out by the curb, waiting for garbage pickup. The Koenigsbergs' furniture, dishes and every other working item in their Oak Park home was packed into a moving truck headed for the Jewish state. It only took about 25 years. Last Sunday, the Koenigsbergs waved goodbye to lifelong friends and the family members who still reside in Michigan as they boarded a plane for Israel. The day before, their shul, Young Israel of Oak Park, hosted a Shabbat kiddush in their honor, and on Saturday night, YIOP's annual melava malka to welcome new mem- bers also included a farewell to the Koenigsbergs and recognition of their commitment. "The Koenigsbergs really reflect the values of the congregation," says Rabbi Steven Weil. "These are peo- ple who are accomplished and are serious in their professions. They are quite educated Jewishly; they put a lot of time each day of their lives into their Jewish education; they've raised all their children [to be] corn- mitted to the Jewish people and have moved to Israel and are making con- tributions to the Jewish homeland." Mrs. Koenigsberg taught kinder- garten at Akiva Hebrew Day School through 1995, and Mr. Koenigsberg worked as an accountant for four decades. Their five children attended Akiva, have all made aliyah, and now live all over the Jewish state. The Koenigsbergs did not know where they would ultimately live but were starting out in the Har Nof neigh- borhood of Jerusalem. "They made aliyah because we always talked about it," says Mrs. Koenigsberg of their children. "We've talked about it for more than 25 years." "The children grew up in a house- hold where we spoke of Israel and our love of Israel all the time. We had maps of Israel on the walls. Before we made a purchase, we thought, 'Would it be good in Israel?"' Both Mr. and Mrs. Koenigsberg grew up in strongly Zionist homes, she in Detroit, he in New York. Her brother lives in Israel, as do his four sisters. Phyllis and Ithamar Koenigsberg. "We felt like we belonged there," Mrs. Koenigsberg says. "We knew it was a mitzvah to live in Israel." But it took a quarter of a century to make the move because "there's always been a reason for a delay," she says, including business, illness, even graduate school. Last week, as the movers packed their belongings in the truck, she kept running out to peer inside and make sure they were really her fami- ly's belongings being sent to Israel. "God has given us the z'chut, privy e to be able to realize our ilege, dream," says Mrs. Koenigsberg. "I keep pinching myself. It's something that we've longed for, for years. Israel's been in our hearts."