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Clockwise from top left:
Detroit's
Jennifer Schanes
battles St. Louis'
Sara O'Hara for the ball.
Ayla Godelsky, age 7,
from Washington, watches
her brother compete.
Gary Rosenberg is
surrounded by Detroit
teammates after hitting
a homerun against
Baltimore.
GREETINGS
from page 22
Australian athletes killed and hurt
when a bridge collapsed at the
Maccabiah Games in Israel last year.
The memorial tributes were "special to
have," said Elise Kahn of Rochester,
N.Y.
By the time the Maccabi choir,
dancers and musicians of the Detroit
JCC began a performance of a histori-
cal pageant, "Israel's Story," under less-
than-ideal acoustic conditions, some
of the teenagers were squirming in
their seats. The spirited presentation,
commemorating the 50th anniversary
of statehood this year, was written by
Randy Barrett Topper, Arlene Sorkin
8/21
1998
26 Detroit Jewish News
and Rachel Yoskowitz. It featured
Dorothy Duensing, Rabbi Herbert
Yoskowitz, Lisa Yoskowitz as well as
the Maccabi troupe.
Like many of the athletes, Rachele
Haber-Thomson said she wanted to
enjoy "Israel's Story," but was too tired
after the long bus ride from Rochester,
N.Y., to take it all in.
"It was cool being the last team in,"
said Detroit's Craig Rosenthal, "but the
middle of the program was too long."
Haber-Thomson said the athletes
filing into the arena was the highlight.
"It was interesting to see all the differ-
ent teams and meet the different ath-
.
letes," she said. "It was a lot like the
Olympics."
Michael Franco of Farmington
Hills, and his wife, Marilyn, are
hosting two Rhode Island swim-
mers. Their daughter, Ashley, is on
the Detroit, bowling team. "It was
the consensus opinion of other par-
ents sitting around us that the
parade was great, but the cere-
monies were a bit long, with all the
entertainment that followed,"
Michael said.
Getting started 15 minutes late try-
ing to get the 59 delegations ready for
the parade, coupled with a 90-minute
processional, extended the ceremonies
well beyond the anticipated 90-minute
length.
With the formalities out of the
way, the athletes began on Monday
to worry about their own perfor-
mances. The competitions in 15
sports plus dance and chess at
approximately 25 locations around
the northwest suburbs will conclude
today and Sunday with the gold and
bronze medal games. Closing cere-
monies are slated for 11:30 a.m.
Sunday at the Kahn Jewish
Community Center, Maple and
Drake, West Bloomfield. El