---1,you(ale\cordially invited to a fundraiser
for
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
not knowing anything, and I started
they do well, very well, because they
out a little bit late. [at the age of 12],
are my sons on the bimah.
"As long as God wants me to do his so we had to cram in everything,"
work, I will never retire, and as long as Levin said. "She taught me how to
relearn everything. She encouraged me
He keeps me well."
to practice every night, and she was a
Geraldine Zacks, 50, will become a
little tough on me, but that was what
bat mitzvah this June, thanks to Barr's
encouraged me."
guidance. "Mrs. Barr has made study-
Levin said she enjoyed working
,ing prayer and Torah meaningful as
with Barr. "If you did something
well as enjoyable," said Zacks.
wrong, she'd just tell you to do it
"Working with her has really been a
again. She gave me candy if I did
blessing. She encourages, she is sup-
good. She wasn't one of those mean
portive, and she explains the prayers
teachers — she was one of the nice
and the Torah portion. And also
makes me feel very confident;
she's always praising me. Even
though I'm 50, that's quite
important."
) Barr has "added a lot of joy
to my everyday existence
because I start out each morn-
ing reviewing my prayers and
each evening studying my
Torah portion, and I find it
enjoyable, relaxing, so it's really
helped me center myself,"
Zacks said.
According to Barr, the
aKW.Z,Z,
Shabbat honor last week was
partly to celebrate her 85th
birthday.
A self-proclaimed "product of
Detroit," Barr was born and
raised in the Motor City. As a
child she learned piano, which
she says helped her later to learn
Hebrew. "I guess that's why
Hebrew is so easy for me — it's
a natural rhythm," she said.
Barr graduated from the
Detroit Institute of Musical Art
at the age of 15 with an artist's
diploma, and also finished high More than 30 current and former students came
to services to honor Barr.
school that same year. She went
on to study at City College of
people who you wouldn't mind going
Detroit (a forerunner of Wayne State)
to because she helped you."
and met her husband when she was
And it paid off. "I did so well learn-
17. After Samuel W. Barr finished law
ing from her, she kept adding more
) school, she married him.
lines, which made me feel like I was
"Originally, we came from Palmer
doing so much better," Levin said.
Woods," she recalled. "We were
"And I didn't make any mistakes in
Detroit people for a long time, and
my bat mitzvah."
when my husband was ready — he
Barr recalled that "Rabbi Syme
never retired either, Sam passed away
used to say, 'I can always tell when
right at his desk, waiting to go to
they're your students. They sound just
court — I remember, we came from
like you do.' I had one little girl that
Palmer Woods right into the condo
just was bat mitzvahed, and I said to
where I am today, in West
her, 'Erica, you can do exactly what
) Bloomfield."
you want to do, you are very capable.'
Although she may have mellowed a
"They're all smart, and they can do
bit, Barr says she is a tough teacher,
it, if they just put in a little time. On
which tends to motivate her students.
her bat mitzvah morning, Erica said,
Danielle Levin, 13, became a bat
`Mrs. Barr said I can do whatever I
mitzvah on March 14. She learned
want to do, and I will remember
from Barr.
that.'" II
"I started out from the beginning,
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