Playing To Win

Royal Oaker Mike Kahan, 28,
plans some of the Network's sports
events.

Bob Weine, 29, is a regular
on the ffnai Brith billiards scene.

Stuart Novick and Kathy Hack
shoot some pool.

A little billiards love connection?

'The ffnai ifrith
Leadership
Network has
become Detroit's
sporty group for
Jewish young
adults.

`Th

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN
StaffWriter

Its a Monday night at Fifth Avenue.
The sexy-sad wail of blues music rum-
bles through loud speakers. The low-lit
Royal Oak bar and billiards hot spot is
almost empty — except for the dozen or
so young Jews shooting pool in the back.
Some come wearing suits, fresh from the
law firm. Some saunter up in jeans. It's
haimish, fun, laid-back. There's a buzz
in the air. The deep bluesy beat seeps
beneath the green felt of the billiards
table, as cue sticks shoot across to the
shiny balls and players rub chalk on
their hands. Everyone is genuinely nice.

S ounds like a movie, not
a Jewish young adult
group.
But the B'nai B'rith
Leadership Network is all about
young Jews getting together to shoot
pool, bowl, crack a bat or catch a
softball, even compete in a euchre
tournament. Sure, it's like any other
young adult group — people scope
just as much, in search of a cute sin-
gle across the room. But it's also the
place to play sports, games and com-
pletely let go ... and if you meet
someone, it's icing on the cake.
"The network came into being
about five years ago," says Sheri

Benkoff, president. It was a dream of
Benkoff's aunt Bobbi Levine and
regional B'nai 13'rith President John
Rofel "to create a group for young
people."
They put ads in The Jewish News,
held meetings and brainstormed
with twentysomethings about what
they wanted. They ended up with
Bobby Efros, Ilene Lubin, Stuart
Novick, Steve Cohen, Robbie Sher-
man, Sylvia Wolf, Darrin Elias, Julie
Friedman and Benkoff, which led to
14 couplings, three children and a
host of programs every month.
Initially, the network drew "a real
mix of people — predominantly sin-

4/10
1998

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